#its rude to stare tessa

[cozylittleartblog]

it coulda been you

[melanielocke]

Lost in the shadows - Chapter 7

AO3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Taglist @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings

Lucie’s parents were putting away the groceries when the four of them entered the house. Thomas quickly texted his parents he was with the Herondales and wasn’t sure when he’d be back. Will and Tessa had noticed something was not right immediately, and while Will was making some tea, Tessa sat down on the couch with her daughter.

‘What happened, Lu?’ she asked.

Lucie recounted the story of seeing Jesse Blackthorn, and Thomas couldn’t help but think it was all connected somehow. She had never seen Jesse until now, just after a washing woman had told him his grandfather’s debt was not paid. That was not a coincidence.

‘What if Jesse came back from being dead somehow?’ Thomas asked.

‘None of you saw him, did you?’ Lucie asked.

Thomas, Cordelia and Alastair all said no.

‘He was a ghost,’ Lucie said. ‘So he’s still very much dead. And he didn’t stay around to talk. I thought he was going to, I thought he wanted to, but then he was gone. And I don’t understand any of it. Why here, why now? I thought he’d moved on to wherever dead people are supposed to go, and I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a ghost who’d returned from there.’

‘You might not have been wherever Jesse’s ghost was before,’ Thomas offered, but Lucie determinedly shook her head.

‘He would have come for me,’ Lucie said. ‘I know what we had wasn’t really romance, but he was still a dear friend and he would not have left me. I looked everywhere for him. And he’s never been here in his life, it makes no sense for him to come to this place.’

‘It must be connected to my grandfather’s debts,’ Thomas said, and he recounted the story for Cordelia and Lucie. He suspected Will and Tessa already knew most of it, but Lucie and Cordelia knew nothing and Thomas was afraid telling Lucie Jesse’s death might not have been an accident was a bit much. It was an odd sort of guilt Thomas felt while discussing Jesse. It wasn’t his fault exactly, that Jesse had died, but perhaps if he’d died Jesse would have survived and gotten better instead. Why did he deserve to live and not Jesse? Why had he survived?

‘Thomas, perhaps you should ask your father to contact Tatiana,’ Tessa suggested. ‘Perhaps she knows more.’

Will shook his head though. ‘Tatiana is mad as mouse trapped in a teapot,’ he said. ‘She never took her father’s death well and blamed it on anyone involved in the matter. Me, Jem, even her own brothers. And when Jesse died, I think she decided we were all evil and out to ruin her life. She thinks we turned her brothers against her, killed her father, and let her son die. She might even blame Lucie for Jesse’s death since she never approved of them spending time together. I don’t want her anywhere near you, no matter what information she might have.’

‘My father has been trying to call her and has left several messages. So far nothing,’ Thomas said. ‘I don’t think she wants us to contact her, but if we told her Jesse’s ghost was here, do you think that would change her mind?’

‘Or perhaps Jesse’s ghost appeared because Tatiana made a dark deal of her own,’ Will said. He stared out of the window thoughtfully. ‘In which case, perhaps it is our duty to stop her. None of which is your responsibility.’

Thomas suspected Will had been fighting against the supernatural at an age younger than he was now, but there was a reason he’d stopped. He imagined the price had been too high, and perhaps he regretted going up against monsters at such a young age. Perhaps it had left scars.

‘Sometimes doing nothing is more dangerous though,’ Thomas said.

‘Exactly,’ Lucie said. ‘I need to find out what happened to Jesse, we have no time to waste.’

Like Thomas, Lucie was both reckless and stubborn and he didn’t think any amount of discussion with her parents was going to stop her.

Will sighed. ‘You’re just like me when I was your age. Always running headlong towards danger. I suppose I can’t stop you. But I hope you can be careful. Speaking with ghosts is one thing, but running after the son of Tatiana Blackthorn…’

‘Will, I think we’re going to have to try and remember as much as we can from Benedict Lightwood,’ Tessa said. ‘Any detail could be crucial, anything we missed at the time. I suppose Gideon knows the most.’

‘I can help with that,’ Alastair said. ‘To remember, I mean.’

Alastair explained his ability and Thomas realized he hadn’t told anyone besides him and his family, since everyone except for Cordelia seemed surprised and confused.

‘An interesting and useful ability for someone who investigates the supernatural,’ Will mused. ‘If someone claims to have seen someone, you could objectify it for yourself and figure out what it is before fighting it. I got into some dangerous situations myself because sighted people didn’t know the difference between a werewolf and a wulver.’

Thomas didn’t know what the difference was between a werewolf and a wulver, but was glad he’d never encountered either.

‘That’s not… I’m just trying to save Thomas. I don’t want to fight like my father,’ Alastair said, refusing to look Will in the eye.

Will nodded. ‘That is a wise decision. Life fighting evil isn’t for everyone. It is a hard life and it leaves its scars. But those scars are, unfortunately, the price that some of us must pay so the rest can be safe.’

Thomas noticed Alastair tensed up, but he didn’t say anything. Thomas wanted to ask if he was alright, but Alastair seemed so closed off and he didn’t dare. He remembered Alastair being like this at times at school, and Thomas had learnt that approaching him when he was in such a state led to him lashing out. His attempt, Thomas suspected, to conceal how vulnerable he really was.

‘Alastair, why don’t you go see Gideon?’ Tessa said in an attempt to break the awkward silence. ‘I think he is the most likely to remember anything useful. In all the time he didn’t know the supernatural was real, he still might have picked up information he didn’t understand at the time.’

Alastair didn’t say anything, just nodded and picked up his bag and left.

‘I’ll go too,’ Thomas said and he quickly followed Alastair, who was already outside when he caught up..

Alastair was still tense and Thomas wished there was something he could do to help, but he wasn’t sure what exactly was going on.

‘Are you alright?’ he asked, reaching out his hand and dropping it.

He wasn’t sure Alastair wanted to be touched, even if his first instinct was to offer him comfort through a hug or a hand on his shoulder. He knew Alastair’s anger, and even if Thomas knew Alastair didn’t mean the rude things he said, it still hurt when he lashed out.

‘I’m fine, Lightwood,’ Alastair snapped.

Thomas wasn’t sure what to say. Alastair had always called him by his last name back at school, which Thomas had taken as an attempt to not let him get to close, as if using his first name implied they were friends when Alastair did the best he could to keep everyone at an arm’s length. He thought they were past that, though. They’d spoken so openly this morning in the woods, even if he could tell Alastair had scars he wasn’t ready to reveal. That was alright though, because Alastair was more than just his scars, or his memory ability. Thomas had loved talking about Alastair’s interests, he loved how passionate Alastair could be. Now he struggled to tell what Alastair was feeling, and if he liked Thomas’ presence at all.

‘Was it something uncle Will said?’ Thomas asked.

Technically, Will wasn’t his uncle, but Thomas had always called him that. He viewed Lucie as his closest friend, but also as family. Will’s sister Cecily was his aunt through marriage though, so in that regard the Herondales were almost family.

‘I’m perfectly fine,’ Alastair said between his teeth. ‘Stop pretending I’m fragile.’

Thomas took a step back, hurt. He knew Alastair didn’t mean it, he knew Will’s comment had upset him and this was how Alastair defended himself. Thomas didn’t think Alastair was fragile, far from it, but it was obvious he wasn’t alright, wasn’t it? He didn’t want to make Alastair uncomfortable, but he wished he could be of more help. He wished he knew how to support him.

Thomas couldn’t deny to himself that he still had feelings for Alastair. After this morning, after getting a glimpse of who he really was, Thomas only loved him more. Knowing Alastair was gay, there was a chance Alastair could like him back. He began to suspect it wasn’t that easy though.

‘I know you’re not fragile,’ Thomas said. ‘But it’s alright to admit that things bother you. I know you’ve been through much more than any of us can imagine and honestly if it were me I wouldn’t be able to do half the things you did. I’d be a crumbling mess.’

Alastair stared at him for a moment, Thomas could tell he was thinking. He seemed confused, furrowing his perfectly shaped brows. Even Matthew had agreed there was something special about Alastair’s eyebrows.

‘What do you know about what happened to me?’ Alastair asked, but it wasn’t as hostile as he’d expected. ‘Did they tell you too?’

Thomas assumed with “they” Alastair meant the Herondales. ‘Not much,’ he admitted. ‘I know something is not alright with your father though. And since uncle Will warned us about drinking, I’m guessing maybe he had a drinking problem? And I think it upsets you when people describe him as a hero who fought monsters and kept people safe. Or when people talk about how his life as a hero left scars. Because it dismisses you, it implies that what happened to you is just collateral damage.’

‘My father was a hero,’ Alastair said but there was no admiration in his voice. His hands were shaking and Thomas realized he was still very upset. ‘He did all these things Will talks about, and when I was a small child I used to curl up in his lap and listen as he told stories of his adventures. And I think they’re right that it had a cost, that what he saw was the reason he started drinking. But that’s no excuse for how he treated me, is it? I don’t want to empathize with my father, not after everything he did to me. People can talk all they want of how noble he was, and that being a hero leaves its scars, but what about me? What about my scars? Do I not matter?’

Thomas wanted to touch Alastair, hold his hand, put his arms around him and hold him close, but feared he would only make it worse. Alastair could be difficult to read at times, even to Thomas who prided himself on his ability to read people.

‘Of course you matter. It’s alright to hate him,’ Thomas said. ‘Or feel however you want to about him.’

‘I do. I hate him,’ Alastair said. ‘But for a long time I also loved him. And I kept trying, kept hoping that he would change if only I did better.’

There were tears in his eyes, Alastair wiped them away with shaking hands.

‘It’s not your fault,’ Thomas said. ‘Recovery from addiction is a long and difficult process and that was never your responsibility. And making sure you and Cordelia were safe was his responsibility as a parent.’

‘He never cared,’ Alastair said, and although Alastair seemed a bit calmer, his hands were still shaking and the tears in his eyes were still there. Will’s comments, although unintentional, must have been very upsetting. ‘My mother spent years trying to convince him to go to a clinic. Not so long ago she asked Jem to convince him, but I don’t know. I don’t think he wants to get better.’

‘That must be difficult,’ Thomas said. ‘Does Jem keep you informed on how your father is doing? Do they still see each other?’

‘I think Jem’s still trying with my father, but I’m trying to get away from him,’ Alastair said. ‘I’ve asked him not to keep me informed. I’d rather not know. Come, we’re almost at your father’s cottage. Searching his memory is probably going to take some time.’

Thomas took Alastair’s comment as an attempt to end the conversation about his father and didn’t press. At the cottage, Thomas realized his parents weren’t there, and when Thomas checked his phone he saw his father had texted that they were taking a walk and his mother wanted to try if she could find the washer woman Thomas had seen.

Thomas texted back, explaining how Alastair intended to help with the memories, and then made them both some lunch since neither had eaten since breakfast and Thomas was starving. Ever since his growth spurt, Thomas had an insatiable appetite. He and Lucie used to have eating competitions, but Lucie was starting to get insecure about eating a lot because she’d gained weight. While eating a lot was generally acceptable for teen boys, it was frowned upon for girls. Thomas missed it. It might be weird and stupid, but it was theirs and it was fun and Thomas was quite good at it. They decided to play chess to pass the time when they were finished eating.

Thomas was decent, but rusty. He’d taken chess classes sometime at school but hadn’t played in a while, and tended to miss important details as he played. He stood no chance against Alastair.

‘Cordelia and I played a lot of chess,’ Alastair said. ‘She’s a bit better at it than I am. My mother taught us, chess was originally a Persian game and she thought it was important we knew how to play.’

‘Really? I didn’t know.’

‘The term check derives from the Persian word ‘Shãh’, which means king. Checkmate comes from ‘Shãh mãt’, meaning the king is helpless.’

‘And your family is from Iran, right?’ Thomas asked.

‘My mother is,’ he said. ‘My father is English. I was born here in England, but my mother raised us with Persian stories, the language. She wanted to keep us connected to our heritage.’

‘Are you or your family religious?’ Thomas asked then.

‘I’m not. My father didn’t want to raise us with religion. He was raised a Christian, but I don’t think he really believed anymore. My mother is Muslim, so I am familiar with her religion, but I’m not yet sure what to believe. Growing up with so many stories of the supernatural, it’s easier to believe what I can prove is out there and having faith in something I’ll never be able to prove is something I find difficult.’

‘I agree with the last part,’ Thomas said. ‘But neither of my parents are religious, so I guess it makes sense. I wouldn’t say I’m atheist, it’s more like I think anything is possible.’

‘No, I’m not atheist either,’ Alastair agreed. ‘I don’t discount what my mother believes, but I can’t be sure either and that’s what I find difficult.’

They played two more games of chess before Thomas’ parents came back, both of which Alastair won. Thomas acknowledged he would probably never win at this game, perhaps another time they could play something different.

‘Did you find anything?’ Thomas asked.

‘No, nothing,’ Gideon said. ‘But I got your text, although I’m not quite sure I understand what Alastair can do.’

Alastair explained his ability, and after several questions his father seemed to understand.

‘Thomas, I think you two ate all the bread,’ his mother said as she checked the cupboard. Thomas guessed that was true, his parents still tended to underestimate his appetite, and they might not have counted on Alastair eating here too. ‘Maybe you could go into town and buy some before the shops are all out.’

Thomas turned to Alastair. ‘Do you need me to stay here?’

‘I wouldn’t want you to starve,’ Alastair said. ‘And it might be best not to bring too many people into someone else’s memory. I’m a bit unpracticed.’

Thomas took the car and drove it to the village. He’d gotten a driver’s license a couple of months ago. He had to make a few adjustments to the chair’s position so he could fit into the driver’s seat, and most cars were uncomfortable no matter the adjustments. He parked the car near the grocery store and was relieved to find they weren’t out of bread yet. Just to be sure, Thomas also bought some snacks he knew were vegan. You never knew when you suddenly craved something sweet, or salty. And he didn’t know what Alastair liked, so he bought a wide variety so he’d be able to offer him something he like. At the check out he felt a bit like Harry Potter after buying everything from the trolley, and Thomas didn’t meet the cashier’s eyes as he paid.

While taking his bags back to the car, he caught the eye of a woman with brown hair. He only noticed her for a few seconds, after he’d put his bags in the trunk of the car, and realized she must have been staring at him. She turned around before Thomas could get a proper look at her, trailed by a pretty blonde teen girl. He was just being paranoid, he told himself. Perhaps there was something weird about his clothes he had not noticed, or another logical reason she might have stared. Thomas pushed down the feeling of unease and got in the car, driving back to his parents.

[shuahoonie]

you [tom holland] - eight.

PAIRING: tom holland x female!celebrity!reader

SUMMARY: ah, to be young and in love. it sounds great if only you and tom were actually dating out of pure love and not for the sheer reputation of your careers. it also should be great if you two actually got along, but life isn’t that easy.

WARNINGS: mostly swearing! some fluff here, some angst there. it’s haters to lovers / fake dating au so take that information as you wish! also, their relationship is improving yall 🤧

WORD COUNT: 5.6k

SONG INSPO: mxmtoon - used to you

A/N: surprise! I actually updated after five/six months??? a lot of things have happened during the time that I was gone. most of it revolved around my mental health and uni. not a great time to have a career crisis whilst living in the middle of a pandemic lmao. 

the last time i updated, i gave you guys the gift of fluff. maybe i should tone down a bit? or maybe not? i’m also sorry if this took ages. had an awful writer’s block. oooh, also i wrote an interview excerpt for this chapter. i added a link if you wanted to read it but no pressure! it’s just a lil’ sumn sumn :) anyway, enjoy reading!

hope you guys are safe & healthy! keep practicing social distancing and please wear your masks! sending all my love ♡

UPDATES EVERY SATURDAY 11 PM CST WHENEVER I CAN 

gif credits: @tommybabyholland​

vanessa’s masterlist | preview | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight.5 [interview] | 

Your friends have told you countless times to bite the bullet, however, you’ve seemed to swallow it instead. Here you were, lying in the same bed with Tom Holland, mere inches against each other. 

If anyone told you that you would be lying on the same bed as the guy you swore you hated a few months ago, you’d probably laugh at their face. 

You were definitely considering that maybe this whole fake dating thing wasn’t such a horrid idea after all. 

The room was dimmed to almost pitch black now. You could see a small streak of light peering from the curtains, probably from all of the street lights outside, allowing you to at least see something. You were exhausted but somehow you couldn’t sleep at the same time. 

The only reasonable thing that you could put your blame into was your heart, which was beating quite rapidly, by the way. You didn’t even know why you felt this nervous around him, it’s not like he’s a complete stranger. 

You’ve known Tom for a good two months—two and a half if you want to be specific. You picked up on his little quirks: his eyes crinkle when he laughs genuinely, he doesn’t like that much sugar in his tea. He likes his dog, Tessa, very much which you were already a goner for. He also hums when he’s happy which surprised you one day, not knowing what to do with that information. 

You also found out that his hands were always cold, which always startles you as your hands were extremely warm. Like right now, you could feel his fingertips grazing upon yours. As if your heart can handle even more of your emotions right now. 

You were confused as to why you were extremely nervous around him all of a sudden. Is it because this is the first time your sharing a bed with your pretend boyfriend? Is it because the last time you shared a bed with someone who you had no relation to is with your ex-boyfriend? 

It was driving you insane and you really had to get it together. You were both lying on your backs so all you could stare at was the empty ceiling. You took a quick look at Tom, who was already sleeping. 

Ah, so he snores. You made a mental note to yourself, wondering how you can use that information and pester him with it. He didn’t have loud snores, just soft ones but still loud for you to hear.  

You turned your body and lain on your side, choosing to face Tom. He really looked peaceful sleeping and the sight of him be at peace was enough to calm you down. 

With that, you found your eyes slowly start to droop down. The image of Tom sleeping soundly was the last thing you saw before you drifted off to sleep.

You noticed three things as soon as you woke up. You still had your eyes shut, only because you refuse to accept that it was already a new day.

The first thing you noticed was the annoying alarm tone that kept ringing on the bedside table. One of these days, I’ll end up throwing and smashing my phone. 

The second thing was how hot warm you felt. You felt the heat radiating beside you and you weren’t exactly used to it. You like the feeling of sleeping in a cold room while also burying yourself with blankets. 

The third thing you noticed was the pair of arms wrapped around you. As you slowly opened your eyes, you were greeted by the extremely close proximity that you shared with Tom. 

You found yourself cuddling Tom. Your head was resting in between his chest and his arm—the same arm that was wrapped around you. In the meanwhile, Tom’s other hand was resting on the side of your face, building the illusion that he may have caressed the side of your face.

You, on the other hand, had your left arm resting on top of his chest while the other was tucked underneath the pillow. 

You wondered how the hell you ended up in this position, but knowing how you move a lot in your sleep, you probably initiated this in the first place. You also wondered how Tom can sleep through this annoying alarm, especially since it kept ringing every ten minutes. 

Tilting your head up a bit, your eyes met the sight of his lips. However, from this angle, you could also clearly see the freckles speckled on his face. With the beaming sun and its fight to fill the room with light against the corners of the curtains, it only made things worse for you. Tom, with his body outlined by the light, absolutely looked angelic—as if the universe only favoured him and him alone. 

You slowly reached for his hand and removed it from the corner of your neck, carefully resting it on top of his stomach. After successfully doing so, comes the real challenge. You slowly released yourself from the grip of his arm and tried your best to get out of the bed without waking Tom up. 

Your logic? It would be rude to wake someone up from their sleep—especially when they can’t be bothered to be woken up by the alarm anyway. You also wanted this moment for yourself. You thought that it was best if Tom had no recollection of waking up to you two cuddling, acting as a true couple when there are no cameras around you. 

You walked to the bathroom to get yourself ready. You had a whole day of photoshoots and you also had to squeeze in a couple of interviews after. You didn’t want to miss your best friend’s wedding so you had to do whatever you can in order to balance your social life and work.

You already knew that you were going to be exhausted for today and you love your job, you really do, but sometimes you wished that you could catch a break without losing sleep for the next couple of days.

After taking a long hot shower and doing your essential skin routine—knowing that this is the only form of relaxation you’re going to get for the next couple of days— you slipped into a pair of mom jeans and a loose shirt. You packed this much because you knew you wouldn’t get the chance to drive home anyway. 

Just as you stepped out of the bathroom, your phone buzzed in your hand and saw a text from your manager. 

Zoë: On my way to the hotel! I will be there in 20 mins or so. Be sure that you’re ready so we can get going. 

“Oh, you’re already good to go?” You looked up from your phone and saw Tom yawning and rubbing his eyes. He was still wearing your sweatpants and he was still shirtless. 

You nodded. “Zoë’s picking me up.” You replied as you tidied the bed. It took you a couple of minutes before the words you said just sunk in. “Oh god, Zoë’s picking me up.” You repeated with wide eyes. 

“Yeah?” Tom chuckled, seemingly lost as to what you were trying to point out. 

“She doesn't really know that you slept with me.” You said but as soon as you realized what you just said, you knew you fucked up. You saw Tom smirking at you which only prompted you to hit him with the pillow. “I didn’t mean it like that, you weirdo.” 

“Oh, sure.” He teased as he put on his shirt. “I mean I’m pretty sure that I’m not the one who practically clung to a person while sleeping.” 

“Shut up, Holland. You know I move a lot when I sleep.” You muttered as a pathetic excuse to hopefully shut him up. 

“To be quite fair, I didn’t know that you do that whenever you sleep, but it’s nice to know that now.” He grinned. 

“Oh god,” You groaned. “Let’s just go so I can check out now. Zoë’s going to be here soon and I want you gone asap.” You said as you glanced around the room just so you know you didn’t leave anything behind. 

“Wait, what about your sweatpants?” 

“Just give it to me the next time you see me.” You said as you pulled him out of the room and made your way to the front desk. 

It turns out Zoë had no concept of time. As soon as you finished checking out, you saw your manager already waiting in the lobby. Oh, you recognized her big blonde hair from anywhere. She was sitting in one of the plush sofas, dressed in a white romper and even had her cat-eye sunglasses on. She looked like she’s about to catch her husband having an affair. 

“Ah, Y/N,” She said with a huge smile. “Thanks but you should know if that ever were to happen, I would pick something more flashy.” 

Oh, I said that out loud?! You practically yelled at yourself.

“We should get going, honey, we’ll grab you some breakfast on the way.” Zoë fixed the stray strands of your hair. You couldn’t be bothered to do your hair knowing that the stylists are going to give it hell anyway, so you just tied it in a low ponytail. 

“Um,” You didn’t even know how to say it. Where you even going to bring Tom up? If so, what were you going to say anyway? That you spent a night with your pretend boyfriend? Which shouldn’t be a huge deal but you were sure that your stunt doesn’t involve actually falling for each other.

“Tom,” Zoë’s pitch went a bit higher, surprised to see Tom standing behind you. “What’re you doing here, hon?” She asked quietly. 

“Oh, I-” 

“He spent the night with me. Tom was exhausted and it wasn’t safe for him to drive last night, so I asked him to stay.” You explained, cutting Tom off. You just wanted to get it over with and you were bound to face the storm sooner or later anyway. 

Zoë stared at the two of you for a moment, an undistinguishable look painted all over her face. You took a quick look at Tom who was also observing your manager’s reaction. 

However, she chose to drop it. “Alright, c’mon, honey. You have a long day today.” Your manager said after she flashed Tom a smile and turned around, leaving you both relieved. 

As you watched your manager leave and walk towards her vehicle, you turned to Tom and said, “I guess I’ll see you soon?” 

Tom smiled and nodded, “I’ll see you soon, my darling.” He said softly.

You felt your cheeks start to burn again so you did what you always do whenever you don’t know how to respond or when you’re just plain embarrassed—walk away and practically scream inside your head. 

You were walking—sprinting, more like— towards the vehicle and when you got in, you were greeted with a big smile by Zoë. It terrified you. 

“Y/N, hon,” She initiated with a soft voice. “You know sooner or later this stunt will all come to an end right?” 

“Yeah, I know.” You answered, slightly confused as to why this was brought up all of a sudden. 

“Okay, good, good...” Zoë trailed off. “I just—I see how things may escalate and I don’t want to see you hurt, Y/N.” 

“Yeah, I know.” You acknowledged, though this time you said it in a whisper. It was day 78 that you came clean to yourself and realized maybe you were developing a tiny crush on Tom. 

The people from the magazine were doing a feature story on you. Not only that you were going to be on the cover of the magazine, but you were also going to get a ten-page spread that included an interview. The whole theme of the issue was individuality so your spread had to be rooted from your style, so the outfits, the makeup, and hair had to base off of you as a concept while still adding an editorial element to it. 

You were already wearing the third outfit, wearing a pink frilly floral dress and it had hand-stitched and delicately placed flowers for the details—in which the outfit was inspired by your character in your tv series.

You were waiting for your hair and makeup to be done at the same time. The set was going to be in a pool so you also had to have your manicure and pedicure done. Basically, you had no control over your body.  

“How are you doing, hon?” Zoë asked as she passed by your chair. 

“’m still okay,” You mumbled. “Can I take a sip from my coffee though?” 

Maria’s, the nail tech for this shoot, eyes went wide. “Your nails aren’t dry yet,” She pointed out. 

“Please, Maria?” You pouted. You were literally about to pass out from exhaustion and you still had a full day ahead.

Maria rolled her eyes and gave in. “Fine, I’ll hold the cup.” She said before she grabbed your coffee from your manager. 

As you happily indulged the coffee, you heard Ruby, the makeup artist, let out a sigh behind you.“Y/N, I just did your makeup.” 

“Nothing bad happened! I just need to reapply the lipstick, it’s okay.” You quickly defended. 

“Child, you are going to be the death of me,” Ruby mumbled loud enough for the two of you. “You’re lucky I like you because if my other clients did this I would’ve grabbed their coffee and then they would’ve gone full diva on me.” 

You just gave her a huge smile before she reapplied your lipstick. The hairstylist just finished doing your hair, pinning tiny flowers all over your hair and having them scattered all over. You couldn’t believe that you had flowers all over your hair again—which only reminded you of Tom and what happened last night. 

Last night felt so surreal. It was the first time you two didn’t have knives on each other’s necks. It was the first time you felt comfortable around him and the experience was very intimate, it almost drove you mad. 

However, your manager’s words echoed back at you. It’s all a stunt and it will come to an end. 

“Are you ready, Y/N?” The photographer asked, breaking up your thoughts. Am I?

From pink frilly dresses to big tan sherpa coats, you were finally done with the photo shoot. The shoot went on for hours and all you wanted to do was to get rid of everything that your skin and hair had to endure. However, it doesn’t end there. You still had to do a short interview for the magazine. 

You were still wearing one of the outfits you had for the shoot—a black tube-top jumpsuit that clung into your body like second skin, along with tall pencil-heeled black pumps. This was definitely far from comfortable nor is it something that you’d wear, but you did like how it looked on you. “I look like the cold-hearted editor-in-chief in a magazine from a Hallmark movie” was all you said when you looked in the mirror. 

You had to excuse yourself from the young journalist who patiently waited for you as your photoshoot ran a bit late. She was drinking the coffee that you had given her—a small token of an apology for the time she probably wasted waiting. 

She gladly understood and went on with the interview. You were glad to do so anyway since you’re embarrassed for making her wait. You were asked about Amelia, the character that you play in the show Alchemist. 

As Y/N eased into the interview, still wearing one of her outfits from the photoshoot, she was asked about her resonation with her character. “I see only tiny bits of myself as her—that being hard-headed and using self-deprecating jokes as a coping mechanism,” she answered with a small laugh. 

You were also asked about your personal struggle between dropping out of school—potentially ruining your future— and your unstable acting career. 

She thought she possibly made a huge mistake of ruining her future. Luckily, Y/N received a casting call for the show Alchemist. “I still believe it’s pure luck. I’m lucky that I got the part and the show helped me shape my career, however, I can’t deny that I was really close to giving up.” 

Of course, the current state of your love life had to be included. 

“Yeah, I am seeing someone.” Y/N admits with a soft smile. “People know who he is and frankly, I don’t think I have to explicitly say his name as who I date shouldn’t be anyone’s business.” Her cheeks were flushed red as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Y/N was kind enough to explain that she didn’t mean it to sound so harsh, but she still stands firm with her words. 

You quickly and kindly expressed to the journalist that you mean well. You had no intention of being rude or for it to sound rude, but you still hold true to your words. The journalist was kind enough to understand your sentiments regarding this.  

The interview ended in a breeze and you were absolutely longing for the time when you can take a nice long bath. You quickly thanked the journalist as she bid her way goodbye. 

You can only hope that this cover issue finds you well. 

Time went by slowly and yet very quickly at the same time. You haven’t seen any of your friends for a couple of weeks as you’ve been occupied by filming, doing interviews, and photoshoots. 

You haven’t seen Tom in quite a while too—which you didn’t mind. You actually used this time to reevaluate your uncertain feelings for him. People at set didn’t seem to notice that he rarely showed up at your shoots—at least if they did, they would just assume that he’s busy since he did have an endless list of projects. 

As you were still uncertain about where your feelings lie with Tom, you chose this time to at least try and forget about him. Admittedly, it was difficult since people would always bring him up at some point or he would just be everywhere on social media. 

This time apart from Tom did give you a sense of peace. You weren’t in the constant state of practically having a heart attack around him, no matter how cliché it sounds. You hated that he had this effect on you but you had to act like everything’s fine—hoping that you’re doing a damn well job because acting is how you put food on the table. 

However, just like the opening lyrics of One Direction’s most gut-wrenching song, Love You Goodbye, mentioned: “It’s inevitable, everything that’s good comes to an end.” 

And boy, did it end alright. 

Ronnie: pls tell me it’s actually ur day off bc I really plan on having dinner with u.  🥺

You were about to have a long, relaxing bath (infused with epsom salts of course) when you read the text from your best friend. You were longing for this heaven-like bath and there’s no way you’re going to pass it up.

You: technically yes. the shoot ran till morning but all i’ve done since then was sleep. I'm about to take a bath tho & not planning to get out until i turn into a human prune lmao 

Ronnie: ok! I'll buy us dinner, any suggestions? 

You: really craving for some hearty Korean food rn 🤧

Ronnie: gotcha! I'll get u ur usual, do u want me to buy drinks too? 

You were still debating whether to go drinking tonight when your phone pinged, indicating a text. 

Ronnie: babes you’re taking too long. I'm getting us drinks. 

You: guess there’s no way out then lmao 

Ronnie: oh u bet. I'll be there in an hour-ish, maybe earlier. 

You: might still be in the bath when u arrive. 😬 

Ronnie: nah you’re ok haha. I have keys anyway and I'll make myself at home but u already knew that. 😌

You rolled your eyes but still had a smile on your face. You eventually gave Veronica some duplicates as she was constantly popping by anyway. It didn’t make sense for both of you to keep Ronnie out, waiting for you to come home when you could easily just give her some keys. At some point, you even asked her to move in. She is dancing around the idea though. 

Turning your phone off, you stepped into your epsom-salt-bubble bath—ready to shut off from the world and embrace the relaxation. 

After strategically propping your laptop at the bathroom counter, you’ve managed to finish two episodes of New Girl whilst you were in the tub. You could’ve used the bathtub tray that Olivia got you for your birthday, but you couldn’t trust yourself with that type of risk—no matter how careful you were. 

It wasn’t long when you heard a small commotion coming from the living room. You had your eyebrows furrowed, surely it was just Ronnie who’s dropping by today. Unless she invited Olivia too? 

Stepping out of the tub, you wrapped a towel around your body. You shut off your laptop and grabbed your phone before you left the bathroom. 

“Ronnie?” You called out above the chatter from the living room. “Ronnie, is that you?” 

“Yeah, right here, babes!” You heard her yell back. Upon reaching the living room, you saw Ronnie setting the food down on the table with Harrison putting the drinks down. “Oh, hey! I got us bibimbap and tteokbokki from Kim’s Kitchen. I also asked for extra kimchi because that is to die for.” Veronica exclaimed with a huge smile. “Oh and Mrs. Kim says hi.” 

You forced a huge smile in response, turning to your best friend and subtly motioning at Harrison who was standing beside her. 

“Oh! oh! Y/N, I hope you don’t mind that I invited them. They called me the same time as I texted you and I figured you wouldn’t mind because we’re all friends here, right?” Veronica smiled nervously. 

“A head’s up would’ve been nice, because...” You motioned to yourself, pointing out that you were still in your towel. “I mean it is my home and I should dress however I want but obviously you got your boyfriend here. The least I could do is look presentable.” 

Harrison turned red and so did Veronica. “Y/N, Harrison is not my boy—”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ll go get changed.” You rolled your eyes and dismissed the entire thing. What can you do, kick them out? Wait—

“Wait, did you say “them” earlier? Is anyone else coming?” You asked. 

“Uh...” Veronica was looking for the right words to say until her eyes met someone else’s and looked right past you. 

You turned around and saw Tom standing in the middle of the room, holding plates and cutlery from your kitchen. Pinching the bridge of your nose to prevent the emerging migraine you’re about to endure and closed your eyes, you took a deep breath. 

“Uh—Hi, Y/N” Tom waved shyly. That’s all it took. All of those repressed feelings that you were trying to fight off were coming back. With your heart beating furiously, you knew you were a goner and you hated that. 

“Hi Tom,” you muttered. You two haven’t spoken to each other in a while since the morning after the wedding. God, this is awkward.  

You caught his eyes flickered to your body and put his head down, walking towards Harrison and Veronica, avoiding eye contact. You realized you were still in your towel, turning red. “Uh, I’ll go get changed.” You muttered, practically running towards your room to change. 

You were changing into an oversized shirt and into some leggings when you heard a knock from the door. “I’m decent!” You yelled. 

The door slowly opened, Tom peering from the other side. 

“Oh, hey.” You greeted him as he slowly went inside your room. He was looking around, observing your room. Your bedroom wasn’t special but it’s your favourite place. The walls were painted white—which is why when the sun beams through your windows, it bounces off through the walls and illuminates your entire room. Your room consisted of white furniture and bedding, but you made up for it by putting numerous plants all over your room and using earthy tones such as blankets and decorative pillows as accents. 

“Hey,” Tom stepped a bit closer “Sorry about earlier. If I knew you’d feel uncomfortable, I wouldn’t have come.” He apologized. 

“No, you’re good. I guess I was just caught by surprise.” You quickly dismissed. 

There was an odd silence. Is this what happens when you don’t talk for quite a while? 

“Oh, I also wanted to give you this,” Tom said, handing you the sweatpants that he borrowed a while ago. The cursed night that brought you closer to each other, literally. Grabbing the neatly folded pants, your fingers gently grazed upon his—the first time you had physical contact ever since that night.  “Don’t worry, I washed it.” He added. 

“Eh, I think I’ll wash it again just to make sure.” You joked, trying to diffuse the awkwardness. 

Tom let out a small laugh, scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry.” You heard him say as you put your hair into a loose ponytail.

“For what?” You asked, brows furrowed. 

“I wasn’t exactly the finest “boyfriend” in the world.” He explained, putting air quotes on the word ‘boyfriend’. “I’d say I was busy but I should’ve made time.” 

You gave him a small smile. “It’s okay, Tom.” You turned around to place the pants inside the drawer. “It’s not like you’re my actual boyfriend anyway.” You laughed awkwardly.

For some reason, that last sentence left an unpleasant feeling on you. Why are you longing for Tom anyway? Are you that deprived? 

Tom let out an awkward chuckle and mumbled a quiet “yeah,” 

There it is again. That awkward silence. Will this last for the entire night because this is going to be exhausting? 

All of a sudden, Tom looked at you with a smile. “Why are we being weird?” Tom asked, laughing. 

“Yeah, I don’t even know either,” You couldn't help but laugh as well. “I’m definitely not used to you being this quiet.” 

“Are you saying that you missed it then?” He asked with a smirk. “Better yet are you saying that you missed me?” 

You rolled your eyes. There’s the Tom that you knew. “I wouldn’t go that far, Tom.” You replied, fighting off a smile. 

“’m just teasing, darling,” He laughed softly. “So, should we just forget everything and just be friends?” He asked, offering his hand.

You were about to reply when you heard a loud knock from the other side of the door. “Oi, are you two making out in there?” You heard Veronica yell obnoxiously from the other side. 

“Veronica!” You shrieked out of pure embarrassment. You felt your face turning red, as if like you’re a preteen caught with her crush.  

You pulled the door open and dragged Tom outside out of pure embarrassment, only to meet Veronica and Harrison who were leisurely sitting by the couch, trying to fight off their smirks. 

“Food’s getting cold,” Harrison said innocently as you glared at the both of them. 

“I see that you two are getting close,” Veronica commented eyeing both of your hands that were still clasped. 

“I—uh,” You’re at a loss for words. You forgot the calm feeling of how Tom’s hands felt against yours. 

You were about to let go when Tom raised both of your hands to show Haz and Ronnie. “I like holding her hand, it’s always so warm,” Tom commented with a soft smile. “One of the perks of fake dating, Y/N.” 

Veronica took a good look at you while you were busy staring at Tom. Ronnie knows that stare of yours and if she’s being honest, she doesn’t know whether to feel happy or anxious for you. 

“Yeah, that is until your hands get damp.” You teased, rolling your eyes. “Let’s just eat.” You said as you grabbed a cushion and sat on the floor. 

“Okay, so what are we having?” Tom asked as he stared at the table full of Korean dishes. 

“Well, I ordered each of us a bowl of bibimbap because I have no clue what you two like to eat” Ronnie said, pertaining to Tom and Harrison. She handed them each a bowl. “They’re all beef, by the way—oh except for Y/N’s, she has chicken.” 

“Have you had bibimbap before?” You asked Tom who was behind you, sitting on the couch. 

He shook his head in response, grabbing a cushion and opted to sit on the floor, right next to you. “I’ve had Korean BBQ before, does that count?” 

“Not quite,” You laughed. “Here, I’ll add some chilli paste.” 

“Darling, don’t add too much—” Tom argued while trying to grab the chilli paste from your hands. He ended just holding onto your hand instead.

“C’mon, it’s better when it’s spicy!” You defended, trying to squeeze more into his bowl.

“Are you sure you’re not adding that much because you hate me?” You could feel the close proximity of his face against yours. 

“Oh, please,” You turned to face him “I could never hate you, Tommy.” You blinking innocently, trying to hide the fact that he’s literally inches away from you. 

While you and Tom are practically exploring this whole new territory of closeness, Veronica was quietly watching it unfold in front of her eyes. 

“They seem to be getting along quite well,” Harrison commented before shoving a spoon into his mouth. 

“Yeah, maybe too well.” Veronica murmured, still staring at the couple in front of her. 

“And that’s a bad thing?” Haz asked with a raised eyebrow. Curious. 

Veronica couldn’t answer. Is it really a bad thing or was she just being overprotective? She should be happy for her friend! Heck, she should be happy that you and Tom were finally getting along for once.

Veronica chose to just look past it and accept the situation for what it is for now: a miracle. 

“I guess not,” Veronica answered, smiling softly at Harrison who gladly smiled in return. 

“Dinner was spectacular,” Tom commented with a smile “Well done, Ronnie.” 

“Oh—psh!” Ronnie waved her hand nonchalantly, “That was nothing.” 

“Yeah, because Mrs. Kim prepared all of it” You argued jokingly. “Besides, I suggested that we should have Korean cuisine tonight.” 

“Then I guess I should thank you, Y/N,” Tom grabbed the sides of your face and squished your cheeks. “Thanks, darling.” He grinned. 

You scrunched your face and took his hand away. “You’re annoying,” You told Tom while gathering the plates, starting to clear the table. 

“I’ll get that, Y/N,” Harrison said while grabbing the plates from you. “I’ll do the dishes, you lot just stay put here.” 

“Ooh, I’ll help!” Veronica stood up to help Harrison. 

“No, it’s fine. Just stay there, Ronnie. It’s okay.” Harrison replied, his tone of voice suddenly warm towards Veronica. 

“You’re so sweet,” Veronica said in awe. “But that won’t work for me, babe. I’ll help you, it’s totally okay.” She insisted, clearing the rest of the table and following Harrison towards the kitchen. 

You were about to head into the spare bedroom when you felt Tom wrap his hands around yours. “Where are you going?” He asked. 

“I’m just going to grab something,” You replied, “Even if I try to get away from you, I couldn’t. Trust me.” You teased. 

Tom nodded understandably, letting go of your hand. 

As you were on your way to the spare room, you couldn’t help but mumble “Why’s he being so clingy all of a sudden? Is this what he’s like to his friends?” You chose to shake off your thoughts against your better judgment. 

“What’s that?” Tom asked as soon as you entered the living room. 

“A bean bag chair,” You answered, dropping it in front of him. “So you can stop hogging my place on the sofa.” 

“Aw, you got a bean bag chair just for me?” He asked with a huge grin on his face. 

You rolled your eyes, “I didn’t buy it just for you, dumb ass.”

“Whatever you say, Y/N.” He grinned. “Whatever you say.” Tom then sat on the bean bag chair, except he sat at the very upper part of it and tried to keep his balance whilst doing so. 

This is the most boyish thing you’ve seen Tom do—no fancy clothing, no assistants around him, no cameras, none of it. He looked like an average guy, doing silly and harmless things, who’s just trying to have fun. 

With that in mind, you couldn’t help but pull your phone out and film him doing so. Eventually, he caught on and saw that you had your phone out, giving a smile. 

Laughing, you said, “That’s not how you sit on it!”

“I’ll sit on it however I want,” He teased. You quit filming and decided to upload the clip on your Instagram story. It was cute, pure, and authentic. Three words that you swore you wouldn’t use when pertaining to you and Tom. 

This fake dating thing is getting harder and harder. Seeing that you and Tom finally decided to act friendly around each other, it’s definitely going to provoke the feelings you were trying to suppress from him. 

“Okay, so I got bottles of soju.” Veronica announced while wiping her hands with the kitchen towel. “Anyone up for a Paranoia drinking game?” She asked with a smirk. 

“Why must we play a game while drinking?” You asked, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“I think it’ll be fun, Y/N.” Tom commented. “This is the right moment to build a tight bond with each other.” 

“Yeah, because nothing says bonding like alcohol and using repressed feelings.” You mumbled. 

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[roseherondale]

My Way or the Highway

Summary: Whumptober 2020 Day 3. Held at sword-point. Jem is captured by faerie warriors and has to choose between his own safety or his son’s.

Word Count: 1449

Warnings: Violence, threats of torture and murder (but no actual)

Read oh AO3 here

Cold metal pressed against the delicate skin at his neck. Jem breathed shallowly, trying to keep his expression even and uncaring. He would gladly give his life for his family’s safety and here he could prove it.

The Seelie warriors surrounded him, their armour fashioned into leaves and branches, sharp, poison-tipped spears and swords, and they looked out of place in Cirenworth Hall. This was the room where Kit showed him movies, where Mina took her first steps and where he spent the evenings with Tessa, after their children had gone to sleep. In this room, the mantlepiece was decorated with family photos. What once was a safe place, had become stained red.

They had come in when they were sleeping, and Jem had forced Tessa and Mina through a portal, when they barged into the nursery, and Jem had fought them off until the portal had closed behind him. They had dragged him downstairs to the living room and forced him into a chair. It was then that they had held the sword to his throat.

Jem had been a warrior for many years, and he knew when a battle was lost. He was outnumbered and there was no way he could take on that many highly trained warriors at once. It was a defeat on his behalf, but he accepted it graciously; his family were safe, and soon, he would be back with Will.

One of the warriors stood in front of him, surveying him with a cold look in her eyes. She was tall, and it was obvious that she was the one in charge.

“James Carstairs.” She said, as though every word she tasted were poison. “If you cooperate, we will let you go. Our business is not with you. Give me the location of Christopher Herondale. Give me the location of the descendent of the First Heir.”

Jem stiffened, but he kept his expression clear. “Who?”

“Do not play games with us, Nephilim. We know that he lives here; that you took him in like a son.” She sneered. “Where is he now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jem insisted. He had always been a clever liar when he needed to be, but now, when he was staring down warriors who were trained for thousands of years in the art of avoiding the truth, he felt inadequate.

“Very well. If the Nephilim isn’t willing to talk, we can take him back to the Seelie Courts. There are ways there that will make him talk.” She looked delighted that he wasn’t co-operating, and he felt a strike of fear go through him.

One of the Seelie Knights who were stood by the doors, stiffened. “There is someone here; a portal has been opened.”

Jem felt a stab of fear. Please don’t let it Kit. Please, please make sure Tessa is safe with him. He thought, desperately.

“Keep the hostage.” The leader demanded. “The rest of you, prepare for battle.”

Tessa stood, staring at her home. Cirenworth Hall had always impressed her with its grandeur, but now she had to look at it from a strategic perspective. She had never needed to infiltrate her home before, but now, she needed to save her husband.

Kit stood beside her. She had portalled to New York, where she knew they would be safe, and Kit was there at the Institute. When Jem didn’t follow them through, they had collected their friends and initiated a rescue mission.

Jace stood behind Kit, his hand on his shoulder, in a brotherly gesture that made Tessa smile despite the situation. She was so happy that Kit finally had a family to show him the love that he deserved and needed, and she was all too happy for Jace to form part of that.

The others stood behind them, as Magnus performed a detection spell. Clary was drawing a rune onto Simon’s arm, Alec notching an arrow, and Isabelle stared straight ahead, her whip unfurled and twitching with unspent energy. Catarina moved forward and placed a gentle blue hand on her shoulder. Tessa lent into her friend’s touch, seeking comfort, and was rewarded with a light squeeze.

Mina was safe with Rafe and Max, all being looked after by Ragnor. Magnus had always swore that the only time he would leave his children under the care of Ragnor, was when the world was on fire. To Tessa, her world was on fire, and she was grateful that Magnus had insisted on helping.

“They’re all in the living room.” Magnus said. Everyone nodded and made their way forwards. Magnus forced the door to fly open as they approached. The faeries would know that they were there; they might as well enter with a bang.

The living room doors followed suit, but Tessa froze when she took in the scene. Jem was on a chair in the centre of the room, a sword at his neck. They were at a stalemate before they had even begun; there was no way they could overpower the faeries before they cut Jem’s throat. The others had realised this too.

“Magnus Bane.” One of the faeries said. Her eyebrows were raised, and it was clear that she hadn’t expected Magnus to be involved.

“Who are you?” Magnus asked, rudely, but she didn’t deign a response.

“If you do anything, we will kill the Nephilim.” She said, instead. An involuntary gasp left Tessa’s throat, but Kit came forward and grabbed her arm.

“Christopher Jonathan Herondale.” The faerie said.

“Do I know you?” Kit asked.

“That was my line.” Magnus protested, and Kit turned to him, eyebrows raised.

“No.” The faerie said, clearing her throat.

“Well then, if I were you, I’d step back and leave Jem alone.” Tessa had always been proud of Kit, but now he seemed to emit waves of courage and love for the family they had created, and she felt a sort of pride that she never had before.

“Not a chance.” She stepped forward; sword outstretched. “Christopher Herondale, I sentence you to death.”

“What have I done now?” Kit asked, rolling his eyes.

“I’m sure you can think of many things. However, your death comes so that you cannot fill your lineage,” she spat the last word as if it were poison. “The Seelie Queen will rule all of Faerie and there is nothing you can do.”

“Well, that’s something we can agree on. I don’t want to rule Faerie either; I have much more important things happening here, in the real world.” Kit said, and the faerie woman snarled.

“Nephilim, I propose a trade; Jem Carstairs for the annoying child.”

“She knows you so well, kid.” Jace joked, moving forwards too, his hand on his sword.

“Be careful, Nephilim. We will kill him.”

“I don’t doubt that you will. But, if you want leverage to get to Kit, then you won’t. You’re outnumbered; I suggest that you leave now.”

For a moment, she seemed to consider it, and then, she nodded to the other faerie warriors. Jem was pulled from the chair roughly, drops of blood at his neck, and dragged to the other side of the room, where they produced a portal using Seelie magic that Tessa had never seen. Right before they stepped through, the faerie holding Jem pushed him away, then swiped their sword down in an arch. Tessa screamed as the blade entered his leg and moved forwards.

A dagger, the edge etched with silver herons, buried itself into the faerie’s skull. Tessa spared a brief look at her son, and the deadly cool expression on his face before she flung herself to her husband’s side.

“Jem?” He groaned.

“Tessa?” She nodded, cupping his face with her hand, and running her thumb across his cheek.

“It’s all right, my love.”

“Dad?” Kit dropped to his side and pulled out a stele, tracing an iratze into his skin.

“It’s alright, Kit. I’ll be okay.” He soothed, and Tessa helped him sit up. The faeries were gone, but Tessa still felt unsafe. Magnus had warded their home; there should have been no way for them to have gotten in, yet they had. However, that was a problem for later; she felt a rush of gratitude that both her son and husband were safe. She had come so close to losing one of them, so now, she helped Jem to his feet, pulled Kit to her side, and led them out of the living room where Magnus created a portal back to New York.

They would be safe there. It wouldn’t be home, but Tessa had lived long enough that she knew that a true home was the people you loved.

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this one - a lot happier than yesterday’s :’) Thank you all for the response to Whumptober so far - it’s been so fun to write for it and has been so nice to have a bit of an escape from uni <3

[rainbhrts94writes]

Tephra 02

Hello! Here’s the next thrilling instalment, hope you enjoy the banter as much as I do! :)

POV: YN Warnings: None this chapter, mostly intro stuff Word Count: 2.2K Rating: PG

Master List

Tephra 02

When Imogen told you Prince Namjoon of Atlas had been searching for you in the mage courses by name, you nearly spit out your drink. It's not like you had forgotten about him or anything. Who could forget dimples like that? I mean, really. It was more like you didn't typically associate with people from any of the four kingdoms outside the Min family. 

"What do you think he wants?" Imogen asked you over dinner. 

"Who knows, it's not like I'm anything special." You grumbled, finishing off the food on your plate. 

"You're kidding, right? Did you forget you're the youngest addition to the Academy's guard ever?" Imogen scoffed. 

"You should stop bringing that up. The last formal training I had was when I was ten. The fact that anyone thinks I'm qualified is embarrassing." You rolled your eyes.

"So what is all my night time training to you? Chopped liver?" Imogen smiled as she spoke, spinning her fork around in the air. "Besides, who's embarrassed?"

"All of the old cranky ass guards who worked for years to hone their magical skills to defend the Academy from the invisible powers that threaten us all." You said in a mocking spooky tone. 

"You're not wrong. Did you see General Karp's face when Lady Cecilia offered to promote you to Captain of the Evening Forces?" Imogen let out a roaring laugh at her memory. 

"I'm still saying it had to be a prank. The Headmistress is an air mage by nature. Seriously, we're always out on night rounds. Just because I've caught a few shady individuals lurking around the gate doesn't mean I need to be in charge of my own task force." You poked your fork at your tablemate as you tried to make a point. 

"I don't think she was kidding. You're a great mage, YN, and you lead your peers with this weird calm I've only ever seen in TV dramas. Your skills were obvious last month."

"Are you talking about that landslide again?" You asked, exasperated, deciding not to pick fun at her terrible choice in behavioral reference. "For the last time, we didn't do anything special. The royal family of Atlas and friends already had over half the trench built by the time we got there."

"You're right, but there's no way they would have been able to hold that line alone. They also didn't think to make it deeper while it was filling up, did they? That was all you and Tessa." Imogen stated, looking snarky as she sipped on her tea.

"See, the key there is Tessa. You really think I could have blown that much earth around without focusing on projectile boulders if she and the others hadn't been there." You argued back.

"I do. Even then, you proved my point. Teamwork, you got the stuff of leaders, kid." Then she paused. "Wait, YN."

"What?" You looked up at Imogen, concerned with her tone.

"Prince Namjoon mentioned in his report of the situation that he had narrowly escaped a flying boulder!"

"Yea, and?" You pressed her, trying to find out what Imogen was so excited about.

"Was that you or Tessa?" She asked, nearly bouncing in her seat.

"So what if it was me?" 

"YN! He's been out looking for you for over a month! What if he feels indebted to you and wants to make you an offer?!" Imogen leaped up out of her seat, slamming her hands on the table. "Something to repay that debt, the people of Atlas hate debt!"

"Don't most people hate debt?" You deadpanned. "Would you stop with the wild fantasies? You're supposed to be my guardian."

"Exactly, I'm your guardian. I told your parents I'd take care of you, and if that means marrying you off to a prince of Atlas, then so be it!" Imogen's voice grew in enthusiasm as she pressed on. 

"There are so many reasons why that's not going to work, and you know it. Did my folks know you were clinically insane before they put me in your care? Does the Academy know one of their professors is straight out of the looney bin?" You asked, trying to hide the amusement in your voice. 

"Nope, nobody knows I've escaped." Imogen winked. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

"Not until I've graduated, I still need that free tuition." You replied, holding in a laugh.

"Is that all I am to you? A ticket to free education!" Imogen put a hand to her chest and feigned hurt as she flopped back in her chair.

"That and my pseudo-mom."

"You're not allowed to get sentimental with me after being rude." Imogen snapped at the comment, a gentle smile on her face. 

"Whatever you say." You rolled your eyes and collected your empty plates from the table. 

"So, what do you want me to do about the prince?" Imogen asked. "I can only deflect his questions for so long before he sends someone more powerful digging around."

"I don't know." You tipped your head as you put the dishes in the sink. "Find out what he wants first, I guess."

"That I can do," Imogen exclaimed. 

---

The school had a strict curfew. It was how they ensured nobody knew about your class and the inner workings of the Academy. Technically, Spiros was a refugee city, despite it's long, illustrious history. 

As the story goes, Neith the Great Mother descended from the heavens adapting to the life of human's already present on Sias. Those born of her newfound flesh and blood were known as The Children, and together they shared their knowledge and godlike powers with humanity. As time went on, The Children grew in strength and popularity, each now a god in their own right. With power came struggle, and when they fought, so did the humans who followed them. 

The conflict immediately led to a hundred-year war, resulting in the fracturing of the continent and its people. To keep the peace, Neith separated those with magic into four territories and left her home open to all seeking refuge from her children and those who sought to harm them for their perceived powerlessness. 

In the years of peace that followed, the Academy was built to educate those who resided in Spiros safely. They brought in people from all walks of life and the different territories to balance out the curriculum. This angered one of The Children, the daughter Opis who with the help o hr followers sought revenge. During the ensuing battle, Neith perished, the four kingdoms established themselves as they are now, and Spiros was taken and divided into sections to be jointly ruled and controlled. 

One could say that for the past four hundred years since the end of the original conflict, all the four Kingdoms had fought for was a place to dump the underprivileged, unwanted, and their country's political adversaries. As such, over the years Spiros had developed into an eclectic city, one that you'd always really enjoyed visiting so it wasn’t so bad living here. It was a place heavy in multiple cultures, lifestyles, and most importantly the food. 

Your parents had been sure to teach you all about the world when you were little. Spiros, in particular, had always made your dad smile. He had explained to you that nearly eighty years ago, the Adyan Empire was trusted with the duty to appoint a new Headmistress for the Academy. Fortunately, the Royal Min family chose a bishop from The Church of Shango. She was a kind and thoughtful woman who prioritized her students' wellbeing and growth before all else. Not only that, but because of the Adyan Empire's ongoing situation, the Academy's top brass bent the rules to accommodate the common folk of Spiros. 

As stated in the peace treaty, refugees and those exiled were not to participate in the use and learning of magic of any kind. You had been told by Imogen years back that the Academy read the laws and decided it didn't mean the children of those who had been exiled, since they were technically born as people of Spiros, instead of refugees of another country. For that reason, the Headmistress decided to educate the commonwealth, leaving magic training until the students of Spiros could be protected by the cover of darkness and away from prying eyes.  

When the time came to appoint a new Head, the Arabeillan Alliance chose Lady Cecilia. Not only had she figured out what the previous Headmistress had started all on her own, she found it so delightfully tricky that learning was allowed to continue uninhibited. She also did her best to make sure Spiros students were as trained in magic and combat arts as those from the four nations.

The air mages had always freaked you out. On top of never being able to see their attacks coming, they were capable of a host of inhumane magic that you had to trust they didn't use out of sheer benevolence. For that reason alone, you had joined the guard when Lady Cecilia told you to. Aside from Cecilia's wickedly psychic abilities and her probably having a reason for instating you, you didn't want the air ripped out of your lungs anytime soon, which is precisely how you found yourself here this evening. Staring at the gate, wondering why being on guard duty was so sought after. 

Seriously, you could be in class learning, but no; According to Lady Cecilia, there wasn't anything more for you to learn in the courses here. Since you couldn't get her to explain what she meant by that, you did as you were told and stood there. Technically it could be worse; the job could be exciting, which just meant it was unnecessarily dangerous, and you didn't need that, not when there were still things you needed to do.

With curfew having started only a moment ago, you waited in silence, watching the sunset. It was that perfect time of the year where you got a show of sherbet skies just as your shift started. It was excellent and made up for the monotony of your guard duties. Though maybe you shouldn't have been so concentrated on the sky since the door was now slowly creaking open, and you were not ready. 

"Halt!" You projected, "Who goes there?"

"Who goes there? What is this? A bad period movie?" You recognize that voice.

"Yoongi, seriously, what are you doing using the main door? There are much better ways to find me, yanno?" You sighed as your friend stepped towards you.

"Oh, I know, but he doesn't." Yoongi gestured to the man now standing behind him. "This the one you're looking for?"

Even though there wasn't a verbal answer, you'd recognize those dimples anywhere. "Long time no see Namjoon." 

"Interesting," Yoogi remarked.

"What, he didn't like 'Your Princeliness.'" You shrugged as you relaxed back into your position. "I'm just following orders."

"If you say so." Yoongi snickered as he turned to the second prince of Atlus. "Welp, she's all yours. I'm off."

"You're not going to stay?" Najoon asked.

"No, why? Do I need to?" Yoongi quirked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"No! I just- how am I supposed to get back without getting caught?" Namjoon continued his questioning.

"That's my job now, dear. Unless you've got a problem with that?" You wondered aloud.

"No! Gods, why are you both so infuriating. You're clearly capable. I was just curious." Namjoon sighed as he rubbed the wrinkles out of his forehead. 

You stifled a laugh as you watched Namjoon work through his frustration. Once it was clear Yoongi had left, you turned your attention away from the door and out towards the town. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I uh, I wanted to say thank you." Namjoon bowed politely to you.

"You've been looking for me for this long just to say thank you?" You quirked an eyebrow.

"You knew I was looking for you?" Namjoon questioned back.

"Not really, just a hunch." You shrugged, trying not to give yourself away. "Yoongi did bring you here, which means you had to be visibly struggling for quite a while."

"That's a fair observation." Namjoon straightened himself out. "How do you know Yoongi, if you don't mind me asking?"

"We're related." You responded.

"That's a terrible joke." Namjoon sighed. "I should not have asked."

"So now that you've asked your more formal question, what do you really want?" You quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm honestly not sure?" Namjoon responded, relaxing against the looming stone wall behind him.

"That's a terrible reason to break curfew and seek out a stranger." You chuckled.

"It is, isn't it?" Namjoon laughed alongside you. "I think I wanted to be friends?"

"You think?" You raised your eyebrows, intrigued. "I'll have you know I'm a great friend. There's not much to think about."

"You shouldn't wink. It's creepy." Namjoon's lips twitched up in amusement.

"Oh? What's this now?" You leaned forward, meeting Namjoon's gaze. "I know nobody in the capital taught you to talk like that."

"You'll find that I'm very well-read." Namjoon puffed out his chest as he boasted.

"Oh my gods, you do need friends." You laughed out loud, not hiding the smile on your face. "Answer me this, though, why me."

"Why not you?" at that, you stuck out your hand.

"Touché"

[tightropenuzlocke]

Chapter Seven: This Is My Palace

They headed northwest up Route 6 the next day instead of continuing down Route 5, which meant Serena had lost not one, but two consecutive arguments—a miracle in and of itself. So instead of heading directly to Yantreizh or Relifac-le-Haut, they were detouring to Palais Chaydeuvre.

Xoana was practically vibrating, ready to shake apart at the seams. She hadn’t expected it, not after so long. Maybe it was everything else going on as well. It took all her strength to hold it in and chat normally to Aisling, Tierney, and Tracie.

The Pokemon were scattered high and low all around them, searching for something Félicité could use as a wand. By this time, all but Justine seemed to be taking her rejections with alacrity. After all, much depended on the soundness of her weapon, and the selection criteria were impossible to communicate to those outside her line.

Serena stared off at the scenery, pretending to watch her pokemon. Yet she didn’t even notice when Justine at last pried a branch from the bushes that gave Félicité pause. She twirled experimentally and sighted down its length. Justine stared back hopefully through the fork at the end, tail twitching with nerves. At length, Félicité sighed and stowed the branch in the thick fur by her hip. Even this somewhat half-hearted acceptance elicited a whine and wagging tail from Justine, but as before, her enthusiasm with a huff and the cold shoulder as Félicité stalked back to Serena’s side.

“Hey, she’s got a proper wand now!” Xoana prompted. “I can’t wait for her to use it in a real battle.”

“We’ll see how it performs,” Serena muttered, just as skeptical as her Braxien. Her quiet surliness was expected, but for once Xoana felt no obligation to do anything about it. Although, she did wonder if all of this had eroded Serena’s determination to apologize.

Then the Allée-Paradis opened up before them—every tree, hedge, and topiary perfectly shaped and manicured—every flagstone in its proper place. And beyond on either side, tall undulating fields of wheat just beginning to golden. Better than every photograph and painting because it was alive and breathing and she was part of it.

Xoana skipped ahead with a squeal and spun around under the branches. When it all finally stopped spinning, she found Aisling smiling broadly at her.

Heat flushed her face but it wasn’t all embarrassment this time. In fact, that was rather a small quotient. She skipped back to Aisling’s side and hooked their arms together so that they might process down the royal causeway like proper noble ladies.

Aisling looked down in surprise and then her smile split her face. She puffed up—not unlike her Fletchling brother—chest out and shoulders back. She placed her hand over one of Xoana’s and her smile turned more intimate, less like a billboard for the whole world to see. Xoana felt her eyelashes flutter.

And that was too much—too close to so many fantasies she’d had before. She slid her hand out from under Aisling’s and found something to mitigate it. She grabbed Serena’s passing arm and pulled her in too.

...

Maybe she’d had it right back at the lab—the way they both settled as soon as their arms linked. Or maybe Xoana was just trying to force Aisling and Serena to get along. She had to admit they were being pretty churlish, even if she’d never back down.

But then again, Serena had given in awfully quick last night. Tough to blame her. Aisling had almost found herself begging right alongside Xoana, except that she couldn’t give Serena the satisfaction—not yet anyway.

Aisling gestured grandly with her spare hand before putting it in her pocket. “Shall we?”

They started moving again and fell in step with each other. It was a beautiful day and things could be worse.

Xoana gasped when the perfectly cubic trees fell away and the palace itself stretched before them. Aisling smiled fondly for a moment only to notice her expression mirrored on Serena’s face. Hm, that was—she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“Wait, what’s that?”

Their heads snapped forward to look. There was an enormous furry mound where the main gate should have been.

They stopped in front of it and stared upward. A peaceful snoring filled the silence.

“What is a Snorlax doing here?” Serena asked. “Do you think it’s guarding the entrance?”

“It’s supposed to be open,” said Xoana, sinking.

“Bree, could you ask this mon what’s up?”

She nodded and went up to him. “Snorlax! Excuse me, Snorlax!” Bree called, vigorously shaking a paw twice the size of her head.

No reaction.

Tessa was next to try and climbed up on its stomach. When that didn’t work, Sprout started to tug on a leg with his vines. Some of the other pokemon started prodding and calling to it, all to no avail. Íde opened her mouth to torch one of its feet, forcing Aisling to reprimand again.

But after another ten minutes went by without success, Aisling began to think her Charmander had been right. Tessa had fallen asleep on the Snorlax’s stomach and Félicité looked ready to burst a vein trying to force psychic energy out of her new wand.  

Aisling stepped back a bit to evaluate their predicament. There was no way around it. The Snorlax was completely blocking the ornate, gilded gates and the adjacent wall ran the circumference of the palace and gardens. It was past opening according to the website, but the only soul around was the slumbering beast that blocked their path.

Xoana drooped.

“Alright, I’m going up,” Aisling declared.

“Wait, what—?” Tierney began, but by then Aisling was already clambering up the Snorlax’s side, pulling herself up by its fur.

The pokemon’s head rested against the gate, squishing its already squat neck into nonexistence. It snored, mouth open and drool dribbling out. It lacked front teeth to make room for the long tongue poking just past its lips, but it did have jutting canines as big as Aisling’s thumbs. Its breath smelled somewhat comfortingly of fermented plants, but only fools thought herbivores would pass up meat if given half a chance, or that only carnivores were dangerous.

Aisling stood slowly and carefully on its chest, taking half a step back from her first idea. It was then she saw two men and an impeccably groomed Furfrou running up to the gate from the other side.

“Are you a trainer?” the older of the two called, huffing from the exertion.

“Yeah!”

“Thank the gods!” He stooped to catch his breath.

“Could you help us dislodge this fellow?” The younger man asked for him. “He’s always trying to get in at night and we can’t get the gate open with him sleeping against it.”

“Sure. My friends and I can take care of it.”

Aisling squatted back down, grabbed the Snorlax by his chubby cheeks and shook.

“MY QUEEN!” her friends chorused in horror, but the Snorlax didn’t wake. Worth it.

Aisling delivered her verdict: “I think we’re just gonna have to attack it.”

“Seems rude to start a battle when he’s sleeping,” said Emer, though she didn’t sound firmly against it.

Aisling’s Croagunk croaked.

“You know Wake-Up Slap?” Said Bree. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

Maeve trilled, throat sack bulging, and crossed her arms.

Bree scoffed. “I wouldn’t let that happen. Come on, I’ll go up with you.”

Aisling offered her hand and Maeve hopped from foot to foot for a moment before taking it, careful not to touch Aisling with her red finger. Aisling had forgotten that hazard. She should really be reading the pokedex entries more thoroughly.

Once the Quilladin and Croagunk were aboard, Aisling slid back off. Sprout grabbed Tessa with his vines and pulled her clear. Everyone was ready. Maeve looked around at their expectant faces and wrung her hands.

“Wake-Up Slap!” Aisling commanded.

Maeve squeezed her eyes shut and struck the Snorlax across the face. The slap resounded around the courtyard, bouncing off the palace walls and back.

Nothing… not even snoring. Then a rumbling began. Bree swept Maeve up over her head and scurried down as the rumble turned to roaring and the Snorlax scrabbled clumsily to his feet.

A combined cry rang out as the pokemon rushed him in a show of force and unity. Emer blasted him in the face with Water Gun and was rewarded for her smart strategy by being punted all the way to the bushes. Xoana cried out for her, but Aisling was confident the little Marill would bounce back, which she did a few moments later.

The Snorlax took a swipe at them all but Sprout and Bree grabbed his arm with their vines, halting him for a moment before he yanked and both were airborne. Bree used the momentum to swing around and kick him in the side while Sprout reeled in to attach himself firmly, taking advantage of the confusion to drain the Snorlax with Absorb.

Tierney’s Hawlucha came to the rescue at her call, plucking Sprout from the Snorlax’s arm before he could do it himself and thus clearing Spark for and electric attack. Félicité followed up with an Ember. The tip of her wand ignited as it was supposed to, but the fire started creeping down towards her hand and she was forced to stop.

The Snorlax swung but Laoch used Counter which made him stagger and Valériane followed with a Karate Chop to his shoulder.

“Ember, Íde!”

The Charmander released a blast that looked closer to Flamethrower.

“Gust, Finley!”

The Combee zipped behind Íde and stoked her teammate’s attack into a wall of fire that all had to shy away from. The Snorlax threw up an arm to shield his face and backed away. Maeve and Froabble kicked him in the side to steer him further and he broke into a run, shaking the ground as he retreated.

“Ha! Nice work all!” said Aisling.

She offered high-fives to her fellow trainers and Bree copied by offering the same to her teammates. Íde tapped her paw a bit grudgingly, but Maeve was enthusiastic. All seemed at least somewhat satisfied besides Félicité, who rubbed at her charred wand, and Justine, who drooped in embarrassment at having provided the faulty weapon.

“Thank you all, truly!” The older man declared, helping the younger to open the gate. “We usually have a pokeflute to deal with those brutes, but, ah…” He trailed off, brow furrowing, and the younger man stepped in.

“It’s currently on loan to Fort-de-Vanitas for an exhibition.”

“Right, yes! But let us move on to introductions. I am Baron Agreste, Caretaker of Palais Chaydeuvre, and this is my eldest son, Gabriel.” Baron made sense. They were both expensively dressed now that Aisling took a moment to notice them.

Xoana looked about ready to bow so Aisling stepped forward and offered her hand, giving each man a hearty shake. If they didn’t like it, they didn’t show it and greeted the rest the same.

“We really must repay you for the trouble. Would you all care for a tour?”

Xoana stifled a squeal.

“That’s awfully kind of you. We’d love one.”

It turned out Palais Chaydeuvre was a combination of traditional museum and historical site with some rooms featuring exhibitions of various kinds while others were preserved and restored to represent what the Palace was like when it was still the royal residence. It had the typical museum staff, but Baron Agreste and his family also lived there. Apparently they had been in charge of the palace’s upkeep since it was built, and this had somehow not changed when it was seized by the government of the people. His ancestors may have sided with the revolutionaries. That part was unclear.

Xoana was delighted the entire time and the baron was pleased to have someone so enthusiastic. His son disappeared, no doubt to do whatever the baron was meant to be doing while he escorted them around instead. The Furfrou was unbelievably bored and more than once tried to slip away only to be called back before she could get very far.

Serena said little, but she knew Xoana’s tastes well. More than once she pointed out something that had Xoana skipping over to look.

Tracie stopped in front of a painting and tilted her head. “What’s this?”

“That is thought to be the earliest depiction of mega evolution. For the longest time, no one knew what is was.” Aisling stopped to give it a closer look. A small human figure stood in the foreground holding something bright and shining aloft while behind them reared what might have been a huge and monstrous Gyarados with greatly exaggerated fins and red and black mixed in with the usual blue. “It was in one of the rarely used bedrooms and no one paid it any mind. But after mega evolution was discovered, a guest identified it and we had someone come in to evaluate it. Since moving it to public display, scientists and art historians the world over have come to see it.”

Age and abstraction made the confusion understandable, but it was still evocative somehow. That would be her one day—fist raised to the sky in exhilaration and defiance as unquenchable power flowed through her and an entire stadium roared her name.

Some of that same ambition must have tugged on Serena too, because was leaning over Aisling’s shoulder now and seemed not to notice.

“Ya’ see that, Comtesse?” Serena stiffened at how close Aisling’s voice was to her ear. “Coming here was in line with our program. We had a good battle to strengthen our teams and now we’re doing extra research on mega evolution.”

Serena retreated and crossed her arms but gave a huff that made Xoana smile.

...

Xoana didn’t want to leave the luxurious halls but it would have been a shame to come all this way and not see the famously beautiful palace gardens and grand sculpture work. And truth be told they were all growing tired of staring at things on walls and in glass cabinets and getting drowsy from the palace’s stuffy air.

The baron had left them before lunch, so they were free to wander as they pleased after. It was comfortably warm out and the light breeze smelled incredible. The lilacs must have been in bloom. Xoana sighed as they wandered across the bridge and stopped to look at the bronze Gyarados fountain in the middle of the lake.

Aisling offered her arm and Xoana nearly followed the urge to take it before the baron came running up. Aisling stretched expansively. Maybe she hadn’t meant to offer it?

It was difficult to understand much before he caught his breath, but Xoana soon puzzled out that he was pleading for their help finding his “lost” Furfrou. That seemed rather unlikely, but the poor old man appeared genuinely distressed and she agreed to look.

Justine had the best nose and seemed eager to be of use after the faulty wand business earlier, so they followed her lead around the gardens. Tierney got sidetracked capturing a lily Flabébé, but caught up with them before the scent trail lead them into the grand hedge maze.

“I think we should fan out, yeah?” said Tierney.

And so they did, though a bit reluctantly.

It took Xoana a little while to realize that it was Aisling twittering and not some bird. It was hard to whistle back through her smile, but she tried her best. Tierney was next to catch on, responding with a pretty good imitation of Valériane’s hoarse croaks after each of Xoana’s calls. Then Tracie followed, cooing like a Pidove. Finally Xoana heard Serena’s patented sigh from the hedge beside her followed by her best attempt at a Swanna’s trumpet.

Aisling cracked up and the rest of them folded like a house of cards. Even Serena chuckled quietly on the far side of the hedge.

It was then Xoana saw the Furfrou standing in the t-intersection in front of her, once flawless la reine trim covered in dirt and tangled with twigs and leaves. Xoana stopped and the Furfrou looked at her, eyes wide. She gave one swift tug but her long ear was snagged in the hedge. The Furfrou then held perfectly still.

“Found her!” Xoana yelled to the others. There were whoops and the patter of footsteps as they all attempted to converge. “Let me help you get out of—”

The Furfrou yanked herself free and bolted.

“Oh no, I scared her!”

“Nah,” said Froabble, already hopping after her.

“Then why did she run?” Xoana called after her pokemon.

Justine wriggled under the hedge separating them and took off running while Serena and her other pokemon’s footfalls doubled back.

“Wait!” Xoana called, joining the pursuit, the Furfrou kept running and they kept after her.

They all met Tierney and Laoch down a corner, but the Furfrou dove down another path between them. Next Tracie and Spark had her cut off, but the section was wide and the Furfrou rushed her. Tracie dove to the right, but the Furfrou zigzagged at the last moment and jumped clean over Spark to get away.

Tierney pulled Tracie up and they were right back in it. The Furfrou tried to make a turn but Aisling and Bree were there so she skidded with a startled yelp and hurdled down the straightaway, narrowly outpacing Bree’s vine lasso. Serena and Félicité almost had her, but she escaped once again, this time towards the outer part of the maze.

“Dammit!”

“Comtesse stay on her!” Xoana yelled. The pause gave the Furfrou a lead, but Serena and her three canines took off after her. Serena was by far the best runner in any case and Xoana was confident she would catch up. The rest of the pokemon had converged. “Valériane get us an aerial view!”  

“Finley you too!” Aisling called.

“Okay, we have to get her into the Chandelure quadrant,” Xoana told them. “It has the most dead ends and only five exits. My Queen, you skirt around the Delphox quadrant and try and flank her. Vicomtesse, same with the Pyroar quadrant. Baronne, take the middle path and I’ll take the hedgerow.”

They all split off again and Aisling offered her a little salute that did something to Moana’s chest as she rounded the corner. Moments later they were all out of sight. Xoana whistled and they all sounded off with their fake bird calls.

Their quarry was wily. She knew this maze like the top of her paw. But they had numbers and a strategy now. The Furfrou tried to hide in the Delphox quadrant but Aisling and Serena flushed her out. Next she took the diagonal to the Pyroar quadrant but Tierney and Tracie drove her away.

“Valériane says she’s headed towards the fountain,” Froabble informed her.

They were close and they booked it. Xoana could see the Furfrou coming but she wasn’t going to make it in time. She, Tessa and Sprout weren’t fast enough.

“Go Froabble! You can do it!”

The Froakie pulled ahead of her, a bright blue blur against the dull path.

“Water Pulse the fountain!”

He dove in and the water lit like a beacon. Xoana felt something warm and tingling and almost electric—something powerful—flow out of her and the water surged upward and spread. The Furfrou’s eyes widened in terror and her mouth gaped at the wall of water mounting above her. She turned sharply, spraying gravel, and fled into the Chandelure quadrant.

“YES!” Xoana cried with a jump as the water crashed back down. “She’s in!”

Froabble hopped back out of the fountain as a Frogadier and they high-fived as she ran past back into the maze. From their calls, everyone else had made it to one of the other entrances and it was time to close in.

The Furfrou went south first but Tracie and Tierney blocked her in. Aisling and her team had split and blocked all the west outlets, so she ran north only to be confronted by Serena. Her only remaining option was to run back towards Xoana, then turn down one of the dead ends to dodge Froabble’s leap.

Xoana chased her in and dove atop the Furfrou before she decided her plush coat could maybe make it through the hedges after all.

“I got her!”

Her friends cheered and the Furfrou groaned.

“Gods I’m so sorry!” Xoana told her, scrambling off the poor pokemon. “I wasn’t even thinking! We shouldn’t have been chasing you. Did I hurt you at all? I’m so sorry!”

The Furfrou picked herself up and grumbled.

“She’s okay,” said Froabble, hopping to Xoana’s side. “And she’s says we’re forgiven for catching her because that chase was the most fun she’s had in months.”

Xoana doubted him as the Furfrou sat tall and stiff as a guardian statue before her, but then her lips pealed back in a grin and the bedraggled ball and her tail wagged.

Sprout and Tessa finally caught up and the Teddiursa flopped down to catch her breath. They all laughed at that while they waited for the rest to find them.

...

Xoana was a little worried the baron would be angry with how filthy and bedraggled his refined companion had become—and how they’d been chasing her all around the maze like some kind of escaped convict—but he was simply overjoyed to have her back safe and thanked them all profusely for their trouble.

The Furfrou rolled her eyes and Xoana began to suspect firstly, that the baron couldn’t understand her, and secondly, that her sneaking off to be rowdy and get dirty was a somewhat regular occurrence.

“You know it is getting rather late and I feel simply terrible about enlisting you all twice in one day. What do you say to staying here for the night?”

“In the palace?” Xoana asked, certain she had somehow misunderstood.

“We have rooms set up for family visits and special events. There are plenty for each of you to have your own.”

Xoana actually felt faint and she might have wobbled because Aisling put her hand on the small of her back to steady her. Serena stepped up to answer for her.

“That’s so kind of you, Baron. We’d love to.”

“It’s the least I can do. There are fireworks after dinner to celebrate Fin-de-la-Tyrannie.” Xoana had completely forgotten that was today. “You can all watch from one of the private balconies. Once the visitors have gone, we’ll show you to your rooms.”

Xoana barely kept it together long enough for the baron and Furfrou to leave. Then she was bouncing up and down and hugging everyone and telling Froabble he was the best pokemon in the world.

...

The day really couldn’t have gone any better—ill-advised shenanigans included. Even after all the battling and running, Xoana was full to the brim. She was ready to do it all again right now, but part of what made it all so wonderful was that she couldn’t. So she swayed instead, hugging herself as twilight set in.

Aisling stepped out onto the balcony behind her and Xoana didn’t need to turn around to know she was smiling.

“I’m so excited! I haven’t seen many fireworks before.”

“Me neither,” said Aisling, coming to stand next to her by the railing.

“Today was amazing. I’m never going to forget it. We haven’t even seen these fireworks yet, but I know I’ll never forget them either. So thank you for everything you did to help make it so special.”

“It was my pleasure,” Aisling purred in one of her usual self-assured tones. Then she paused, shifted her weight, and leaned both arms on the balcony. When she spoke again, all trace of teasing, confidence, and irony was gone. “Thank you for inviting me along on this whole thing. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Xoana leaned on the balcony too, edged a little closer until they were almost touching.

“I’m glad you came.” Now that was bold and bordered on innuendo. Aisling bumped her shoulder and Xoana looked up at the sky to try and focus on something other than the warmth flaring up her side. “You add a lot to the group, something we were missing. I think we’ve all been having more fun with you. I know I have at least.” She was rambling now, but she didn’t dare stop. “You’re really something else, you know? That’s part of why this day was so incredible, and how I know the rest of it will be.”

Xoana looked down at their hands and saw Aisling’s reaching for hers. Her heart skipped a beat and the moment slowed.

Serena walked onto the balcony behind them. Xoana could pick out those footfalls anywhere. Aisling withdrew her hand and turned to slouch back against the railing.

“The Comtesse graces us with her presence.”

Serena snorted, but with less than her usual derision, and stood by the railing on Aisling’s other side. Despite everything, she’d had fun as well.

Xoana knit her fingers together and stared at them. Had Aisling really been about to make a move on her? Would she have gone through with it if Serena hadn’t shown up? Did Xoana want that?

She was chewing on the inside of her lip and sensation was leaving her fingers.

But how much of that was Aisling and how much was the want that had been aching in her for years? She’d wondered the same about Serena. She still doubted, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

“Ais—” Serena stopped herself, started over. Xoana glanced over, and Serena met her eyes instead of Aisling’s. “My Queen.” She blinked and shifted her focus to Aisling as she grunted to acknowledge she was listening. “I’m sorry for what I said about Dáire.”

Aisling’s face betrayed nothing, but her shoulders hunched and her knuckles strained on the railing.

“I truly didn’t mean to imply it was anything other than a tragic accident. I was shocked and spoke carelessly. I apologize and I will do my best to not be as insensitive in the future.”

Xoana thought she heard Aisling’s teeth grind, but a quiet thanks passed her lips.

They actually did it!

But after that there was stiff silence rather than catharsis. Maybe they weren’t ready yet, but at least they had tried. Xoana caught Serena glancing at her again. Maybe they had tried for her. They had both spent the day trying to make sure she was happy. The least she could do was try the same for them.
 She dug around for the joy and energy she’d been overflowing with only a few minutes ago and slid between them, putting her arms around both of their shoulders.

“Fireworks with friends is the best! Thank you both for today.” She gave their shoulders a squeeze and they smiled.

Then the first firework went up, making any further conversation impossible. Tierney and Tracie came running out to join them and they all watched together.

Xoana cheered and applauded and hopped up and down, pulling everyone into the excitement with her. She let the bright colors fill her vision and the sound fill her chest with its booming.

It really was beautiful, even if it was over a bit too soon.

[mitkitty]

Gift of a Frenemy

((Happy birthday, Tessa! ^v^ *huuuuugs* hope you enjoy this oneshot))

((Aaaaaaah its all so cute, thank you so much!!!

Birthdays had always been a… mixed bag for Wil.

When she was able to spend it with her mothers, it was nice. They gave her their full attention, letting her pick whatever activity they did that day and whatever dish they had for supper (plus the homemade birthday cakes were nice too).

The birthdays where she had to spend it alone, however… weren’t so great. Students and teachers at school never remembered, and due to her lack of popularity, she wasn’t exactly the ‘birthday party’ type.

Until now, that is. To some, having a birthday party in the sewers was far from ideal. But to her - seeing her friends, her moms and her boyfriend all in one place, giving her the birthday party she never really had - it was absolutely perfect.

She lost track of how long it lasted, though a part of her wouldn’t have minded if it lasted forever. She laughed and joked around with her friends, played party games, ate good food, watched movies (NOT Lou Jitsu ones, thank goodness), danced and pretty much just partied to her hearts content.

“-Hey, we’re not too late, are we?” Wil turned her attention towards one of the Lair entrances, and grinned.

“N-Nope,” she told the gargoyles, hopping down from the second level to greet them, “C-Come on in!”

“Aww, thanks Wil!” Muninn said, smiling back. 

“Yeah,” Huginn nodded, “Happy birthday, kid.” He would have waved or offered her a hug, though the heavy gift bag in his and Muninn’s hands prevented him from doing so.

Not wanting them to strain their little wings any longer, Wil took the bag. “Aww, th-thanks you guys! You’re so sweet.” They flew over to her shoulders, nuzzling her cheeks a bit and making her giggle.

“Weeeell?” Muninn said after a few moments, “Come on, open it!”

“Heh, o-okay okay!” Setting it down, Wil opened up the gift bag - and while she wasn’t completely surprised by its contents, she was still touched by the meaning behind them. After all, she gave them snacks all the time, so it was only fitting they gave her snack in return. “Wowwww!”

She took each item out, wanting to fully appreciate the gift that she was sure they worked hard to get her. There was caramel popcorn, a jar of Nutella, a couple cupcakes, and even sugar cookies that had been frosted (albeit a bit messily) to look like her. “These are great!”

However, when she took out the final item - a small bag of blue, white and yellow M&Ms from the store in Times Square - she couldn’t help but smile. “Um, I-I’m sorry but- guys, y-you know I can’t eat chocolate.”

“Oh no, did we forget?” Muninn said in ‘shock’, his tone a bit forced, “Gosh, we’re sorry! Guess you’ll have to just exchange them for some non-chocolate candies.”

“Yeahhh,” Huginn nodded, smirking ever so slightly, “Though, I’d maybe wait until after you get Boss’ gift. You know, just in case.”

Wil gave them both a curious look, though didn’t get a chance to ask any follow-up questions. With one last hug to her shoulders, they wished her a happy birthday before flying up to the second level to see what other festivities the party had. 

“H-Huh…” Still wondering what Huginn meant by that, Wil gathered up all the treats and placed the bag next to her other presents before joining back into the birthday fun.

The moon was high above the NYC skyline as the Bulwarks returned home. Venny and Eva kissed their daughter goodnight before heading to bed. As for Wil herself, while the party had worn her out in the best possible way, her nocturnal feline instincts ensured that she would still be up for at least a couple hours more.

She fidgeted a bit with the (fake but still pretty) ruby covered bracelet Raph had given her as she thought about what to do next. “Maybe I’ll do some reading,” Wil mumbled to herself, thinking of the chemistry books and shoujo manga books Donnie and Leo had gotten her. Doing that would be both enjoyable and would make her sleepy. But before she could even begin to try and get comfy, there was a knock at their door.

Quietly, Wil padded down the stairs and opened the door. The tall figure in front of her took a moment to recognize, but once she saw the face underneath the hood, she wasn’t worried at all. “Y-You know,” she said, crossing her arms, “you c-could have just came to the pa-party.”

“Like I said,” Draxum grumbled, “I’m not much of a party person.” Besides, while Venny didn’t mind him and Wil and Mikey had wanted to include him, they all knew that there was still plenty of friction between him and Splinter. It would have been wrong to fill her special day with drama that she had nothing to do with. “Still, I figured it would be consider rude to let the occasion pass without a token of acknowledgement, so-” he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a vial, “Happy birthday.”

Wil’s eyes widened a bit as she took a closer look at the glass vial. Whatever was in it wasn’t green or glowing, thankfully. Instead, it was a cool, light shade of brown - almost like chocolate milk. “Wh-What is it?”

“Well… I was told you had allergies that prevented you from eating chocolate,” Draxum explained, “And judging by how many bakeries and candy shops there are in this city, I’d imagine that must be pretty frustrating. So, I thought I could help with that.”

Wil blinked, a bit shocked. “Wait, so… s-so, is this like an Antihistamine or-”

“One dose, and your dietary biology will be forever changed,” Draxum told her, “and you’ll be able to eat as much chocolate as you wish without any harmful side effects. Well, other than a stomachache and cavities, maybe.”

She stared at him, a bit shocked. She honestly didn’t know what to say. Seeing this, Draxum quickly added, “You don’t have to drink it. I won’t force you to. It’s yours to do whatever you wish with, including throw away. I just-… I thought that, after everything you’ve done for me, the least I could do is provide you with a mutation that you might actually want.”

Wil’s eyes softened a bit at that. “You big d-dummy…” Taking the vial, she hugged him. Surprised though not as annoyed with the action as he normally might have been, he patted her back. Hugs weren’t… that bad, on rare occasions.

“I n-never said I hated being a c-cat, you know,” she told him once the hug ended, “Like I t-told you before…” It had been scary at first - completely terrifying, really. But she was stronger and faster now, not to mention the fact that if she had never mutated, she might have never met her best friends. Sure, being a cat in a world of humans would still always have its difficulties, it was still her life. It wasn’t always easy, but she accepted it. She was happy, whiskers and all.

“If you’re wanting to m-make up for this wh-whole situation-” she gestured to herself- “then, well, y-you’re already doing it by trying to be a better person! That means more than a-any potion or mutation.”

“…” Draxum glanced away a bit. “I suppose so…”

Wil looked down at the vial. She was sure that Draxum had thoroughly tested it, but even so- “I’ll h-have to sleep on it a little b-before I decide to use this or not. Still-” she smiled genuinely at him, letting her appreciation be known loud and clear, “T-Thank you for the gift, Draxum.”

Draxum nodded. “Happy birthday, Wilhelmina.” With that taken care of, he began to turn away, figuring that he had already taken up enough of her time-

“Hey, s-speaking of birthdays, we still have some leftover cake, i-if you want some.” That made Draxum pause. “I know how much y-you love Mom’s cooking~” she added, giving him a small smirk.

Draxum scoffed, though didn’t move. “…I guess one slice couldn’t hurt. The walk over made me a bit peckish anyway.” Wil chuckled, and happily opened the door to let him in.

Yep… It really was a pretty perfect birthday.

[cilliansaccent]

Class of Temptation - CHAPTER NINE

Leave a like, reblog or comment below to show your support and love! Enjoy…

PLEASE READ:

No mention of Cillian’s true family or relatives. All names are made up.

This is a TEACHER x STUDENT fanfiction, it’s going to be kinky and very taboo!

I will write whenever the mood grabs me, so I apologise if there are long breaks between chapters :)

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Background: Tessa is a twenty-three-year-old model from a broken-up family, living in London with her best friend and starting a course on Drama and Theatre. Though, when she gets closer to the super hot Mr Murphy who is her much older teacher, there is a battle of lust and love between them. They’ll have to figure out what to do with their tight relationship as other issues begin to rise and nip at their heels…

Word Count: 2,616

!!Warnings!!: Light mention of masturbation. 

Chapter Name: Awkward Situation

Brief Chapter Outline: Tessa wakes up in Cillian’s home, and then stumbles upon something she would never, ever dream of ever seeing. It causes a bit of a situation but she ends up going home to spend the afternoon with Aria...

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Upon waking up, Tessa was groggy and dazed a little. Red wine made her super tired especially if she stopped drinking it after a few glasses. She rubbed her eyes, light filtered through the bay window and light rain was falling outside.

Tessa squinted as she eased upright, her hand falling to the soft throw across her body. Frowning she looked around quickly, peaking over the couch. She was still at her teachers home! What the hell? What happened last night? Though, she did not care at the moment and needed to go pee real bad.

Getting up she looked around, the kettle was finishing its boiling and she assumed Cillian was in the kitchen or upstairs. She snuck upstairs, gritting her teeth as she came to the bathroom door.

She went to grab it but it swung open and Cillian was there in a towel wrapped low on his hips.

They both let out a yelp and his towel suddenly fell.

"Oh!" Tessa cried out, her eyes being flashed as she quickly covered them and turned away. "No! Oh my god!"

"Jesus Christ!" Cillian grabbed the towel and shut the door quickly.

"Hurry up!" Tessa whined, unable to get that image out of her head, "I need to pee!" She really needed to go.

"Just- Ah, keep your eyes closed then." He said as he rearranged his towel and hastily escaped into his room. "There!" He called out.

Tessa shot into the bathroom to relieve herself. And to gather her damn mind about what she just saw. Holy fuck, She thought, now standing at the basin as she washed her hands and her face. She saw... Everything. And god, Cillian... He was sporting a semi-hard on which made certain areas tingle and warm. She stared at her reflection, Do not think about that, she thought slapping herself mentally. But... She let her mind wander, and she had a thought.

Cillian, right now behind her. Those lovely fingers trailing up her side under the shirt to cup her breasts and take a hold of those pierced nipples.

And twist.

She arched her back, eyes shut as she couldn't help her mind bring up all sort of lewd fantasies. He was inside her now, moving back and forth, his wet lips on her neck... Her name being whispered...

Cillian was yanking on a pair of sweats and a long sleeve shirt. He sat back on the bed, his cock had sprung right back up when it felt eyes on it. Glancing at the bulge now, he willed it to behave. But nope, the damn thing had its own ideas and wants.

No fucking way. He would not go there. Nope. No.

"Fucking hell," He muttered, it wasn't gonna go away. But maybe he could walk it off.

Yeah. That seemed like a good idea. He got back up and the friction seemed to make it harder to control. As he left his room and stood at the top of the stairs, he heard the soft sounds from the bathroom. As he listened, he knew exactly what those sounds were and who's lovely mouth they were falling from.

Tessa gripped the sink with one hand, the other in her pants and rubbed her clit. She let out soft whimpers as she kept letting her mind drag her through the dream she had. He was moving faster into her and she rubbed herself in sync with it. She was so damn close, she could feel how her legs trembled and how her throat would sort of lock-up before she came. Her hips bucked and she let out a soft gasp half moan as she let her head fall forward.

She wished she could feel the nice warmth that would spread inside her, feel his hands caressing her body in a way she yearned, his kisses light but then also dominate... She looked up, her cheeks flushed from the high as she set to washing her hands again.

Nothing but a fantasy that won't come true.

Like come on, he was her teacher. She did not need to tell him, a girl can dream. Can she?

Cillian listened to those pants grow faster and knew she was at her peak before silence settled in the bathroom. The fucking sounds so did not help with his own damn situation. He badly needed to ease his own affliction but he had no time when the door opened up. He made to seem like he was about to head down the stairs and glance up.

Tessa stepped out and also paused, "Hi." She gave him a small smile, her damn eyes make a quick look-see down and saw that arousal in his pants. Fuck. It made her all warm again.

"Hi. Would you uh, like tea? I believe the kettle is ready." He replied with a cool fashion, eyes focused on her face and not at the little peaks in the shirt she wore. Were those piercings he could make out?

"I- No. I'd like to get home, I've been too much of a bother." She shakes her head, her hair falling pas her shoulder.

"You are no bother to me, Tessa. Come on. It's no issue, please." He wanted her to stay a little longer. He really did.

She pressed her lips together and saw the look in his eyes. She knew he would fight it so she sighed, "Fine." And followed him down to the kitchen.

He was pleased as he made her tea and a cuppa for himself. "Would you like toast?"

She was about to decline when her tummy grumbled, she was hungry, "Sure. Do you have Nutella?"

"Yeah. Want that on?" He asked.

"Yep. Dump it on." She nodded as she took the tea from him and he began to make toast. "And I don't like my toast to cooked, either." She blushed, "Sorry for being so demanding."

"No, no. It's fine. It's best to get what you'd like instead of not." He replied with a smile.

Tessa took a drink of her tea and watched Cillian. Only because he had his back to her. The shirt he wore seemed a little too tight, so it brought out the dips of his waist and the curves of his shoulder blades. She could clearly remember how he looked though. Fine hair with plenty of freckles and that happy trail below his belly button... Mm, fuck.

She crossed her legs, keeping them locked in tight as she looked away.

"Here we go." Cillian turned and brought over a plate with the two pieces of toast and the thick slab of Nutella on top.

"Thank you," She smiled gently and took a bite, "Oh my god." She said with a mouthful, "Heavenly."

Cillian laughed as he finished up his toast, "Perfection?"

"Absolutely." She nodded as she smashed the pieces by the time he sat down.

"Wow, you really finished that, huh? Want more?" He cocked an eyebrow.

She laughed softly, "No, no. I am fine." She patted her tummy. "I know this might seem rude, but after you eat, can we really go? I've just seen the time and I need to head home, my sister is coming over and we're going for lunch."

"Oh sure, yeah." Cillian nodded and finished up in no time.

Tessa felt bad that he had to rush but she really wanted to get out of his hair. She felt like she was intruding and it was weird to be here in your own teachers home for no other good reason.

Back into the cute mini cooper he owned and the radio on, she let him have his pick this time round. She listened to some unknown band that was playing. Not her favourite but she could deal with it.

"Hey, Tessa. I want to ask you something." Cillian asked as they came to a set of lights.

"Yeah?" She looked over at him.

"Where were you this week? I had not received any pre warnings or any... Emails back. This week was a big one and you missed out on some really heavy stuff." He said.

Tessa groaned, "Yes. I know. I'm sorry. I was in Sydney doing a shoot for a company that called me up last minute. They offered good pay for the four days so I took it. I'm really sorry." She looked away.

"That's fine. Well, next week, we'll see each other after every class and I'll bring you up to speed with it all. Though I am proud you are keeping up the project with Julian, looks very well and professional."

Tessa felt her heart swell at the praise, "Yeah? You think so?"

"I do. I can't wait to see it when it is done." Cillian said with truth in his voice.

"Okay. Okay. Awesome." She felt her cheeks heat up again.

Cillian saw her red cheeks, he found it super adorable.

"Just next time at least tell Julian okay? He seemed pretty upset that you didn't let him know."

"I will. Of course." She nodded but she wondered if that was true why he was upset.

It was a relief to see her own street and the apartment that had the big ass bush in front of it. No other one had it. Esther wanted it to be out there.

As they neared closer, she spotted Aria sitting at the steps, playing on her phone.

"Oh damnit." Tessa huffed, "Why is she early?"

"Your sister?" Cillian pulled in front of the apartment.

"Yeah. Thanks, again Cillian." She smiled at him, "I... Really appreciate what you did for me last night. I'll return these clothes back tomorrow. They'll be washed."

"No rush." He placed a hand on the back of the chair.

She smiled again and began to get out.

"My god Tessa. Where the hell did you go last night? You said you were at home-" Aria gasped as she narrowed her eyes and looked closer at the man in the car. "Oh my goodness! Cillian Murphy?"

"Uh, yeah. Hi." He gave a short wave.

"It's the hot Time Keeper." Aria waved back.

Cillian let out a soft snort, "I guess so." He looked shy as he was reminded of his past movie.

"God, leave the poor guy alone. Thanks again, Cillian. I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled and shut the door.

He gave a final wave and drove off.

"Tess-AH! What the in the high heavens was that? How?!" Aria grabbed her shoulders.

"He's my damn teacher! Don't you dare start thinking of something kinky, you dirty girl!" Tessa battered her hands away and laughed.

"Oh-ho! Scandalous." She whispered as she linked arms with her and walked up to the apartment door, "Teacher, eh? Where the hell were you? His place?"

Tessa did not answer but it answered her sisters question.

"Jesus girl. If only I knew you had the hots for a teacher. And an older man to. Watching too much of those weird porn videos or reading those stories on Wattpad?" Aria nudged her as they came into the apartment room.

"Oh shut up! Ugh, you are such a pest." Tessa rolled her eyes and stalked into the room. She saw a note left on the table, Esther had gone out last night and it said she might be home or not or in someone else's bed.

She chucked the paper out.

"So, tell me, what did you do at Mr Hottie's house?" Aria plopped herself down onto the couch.

"Nothing," Tessa said as she made her sister coffee.

"Yeah? What happened to your clothing?" Aria watched her from the couch.

"Um, they got dirty? Remember? When I said I was walking I didn't know where I was going, then it rained, then I got my fucking period and he at the right time, came out of the house to see me there. He... Helped me. Gave me a fresh set of clothing and made me tea. I simply fell asleep on his couch." Tessa explained it all to her, "Nothing else happened. Get rid of that damn smirk or I'm pouring hot coffee on you." She scowled.

"Oh, Tessa! Live a little, you gotta have some kind of fantasy? You're allowed to dream." Aria thanked her for the coffee as she sat beside her.

"Of course I dream! Gah, just- Not about him. He's my teacher." Tessa looked away, her cheeks going red once more.  

"So? It's not like he can read minds. Just don't stare at him for long. Dorian can tell I'm dreaming about him. But then again, I always just stare at him..." Aria trailed off, smiling.

Tessa huffed, "Okay but like how can you not stare at him? He's a walking sex god."

"Hah! I knew you had a crush on him. But same, I could stare at those blue eyes all day. And that jaw... God sorry Dorian, but I wished he had that kinda jaw." Aria swooned.

Tessa shook her head, "You are so weird." She muttered, but her mind dragged her back to this morning. Cillian, with that damn towel, just out of the shower, a light sheen of water and his hair sticking to his forehead... She let out a breath.

"Tess, I can see that look in your eyes. What are you thinking?" Aria shoved her lightly, bringing her sister's attention back to earth.

"Nothing. I'm gonna go get dressed-" She began to stand.

"Nope!" She took her hand and tugged her back down, "Don't roll your eyes. What did my little sister get up to?"

"Nothing! Oh! Seriously. Nothing happened. Nothing... Bad I guess." Tessa bit her bottom lip.

"You guess? Okay, now I am hooked. Keep going." Aria got closer, leaning in as if this was the most important shit she would ever hear.

"Don't you dare tell anyone." She glared at her.

"I promise. Lips sealed." Aria placed a finger over her lips.

"Fine..." Tessa grabbed her confidence and said with a whisper, "This morning. I saw him."

"Doing what?" Aria whispered just like her.

"I was going to the bathroom and he opened the door and we both frightened each other. His uh... His towel fell off and I... I saw it all."

Aria's eyes bugged out, "No?!"

"Yes! I did! I didn't mean to but fuck! It was like a moment and he shut the door but I saw it!" Tessa leaned back, covering her face with her hands.

"Oh my god! Tessa, tell me. How did he look?" Aria was grinning wickedly.

"Do I really have to?" Tessa whined.

"Yes! C'mon!" Aria pinched her on the thigh.

"Ow! Ugh, yeah. He looked good. Really good. He was like, half-hard to." Tessa was beet red.

"OOF! Do I wish to be in your situation! Now you got a good fantasy to have." Aria teased.

Tessa indeed had a good one.

"Now. Let me go change and we can go get lunch." Tessa got up and rushed to her room.

"Make sure you don't play with yourself, I don't want to hear it!" Aria yelled at her and she got cursed out.

Tessa got changed into her black jeans and a simple knitted sweater. She put the clothes she had in her hands for a quick wash, letting her other stained items to soak which would take time.

The sisters left after Tess hung up the clothing.

It seemed it was going to be just Aria and Tessa against this world. Tess was glad to have Aria around, she had always been drawn closer to her.

She would do anything for Aria and she knew she would do the same for her.

[thevoidcannotbefilled]

hgdbdn,, vast prompt..... but with a jon? 👀

(I’M SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER BUT I GOT YOU ALKSJDLSA)

Warnings: Falling, feelings of vertigo, head trauma, death, Vast-related existentialism, ‘does my life having meaning’ type existentialism, mention of being buried alive

Hope you enjoy~

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jon doesn’t intrude on others’ nightmares every night.

Of course, most of the time he watches. He can’t not watch. It’s not in his nature or his ability to refuse, and he’s stopped trying to a long time ago. Pained faces, desperate cries, and fear, endless fear in his head. Sometimes Jon wonders if these nightmares are the only thing keeping him alive at this point, if the meager supply of repeated terror stills his hunger enough to keep him safe from the Eye’s infinite gaze. 

With the way his hands shake and the gnawing hunger grows, he hopes they don’t. If they don’t feed him, then this hunger has a purpose. Other than obviously keeping him away from innocents. 

But tonight it’s different. Whether its his own mind playing tricks or the Beholding hungry to watch something new, he doesn’t know. Whatever the case, he doesn’t have to watch Naomi grip helplessly in her sunken grave, crying desperately for someone to save her.  

No, tonight he squirms in his chair, watching the not-dead face of Micheal “Mike” Crew hold a cup of tea. 

It’s a similar scene to before. A table, two cups, a few snacks, and of course, the two of them alone. Mike still has that pleasant expression, looking almost bored at Jon’s intrusion. If Jon ignores that half of Mike’s head is caved in, and the way it’s slowly dripping blood onto the otherwise immaculate carpet, then he could trick himself into thinking this is just a bad memory. 

But Jon is bad at not noticing things he’s already noted, and he checks his tea for any traces of blood.

The cup is empty. 

“Would you like a cup of tea?”  Mike asks, sensing his predicament. He doesn’t hold the kettle, only his cup. There is no kettle in the room. Jon wonders if he can even see out of the caved-in side. 

Jon lets out a breath, “I’m-I’m good, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” Mike says immediately. There wasn’t a pause between Jon’s reply. The conversation is not the same as before, but it’s fast forwarding to its conclusion. He waits, watching back, ready for Jon to continue their charade. 

“…yes.”

“-It’s good-“

“-I’d like your statement-“

“-How rude. I was only offering-“

“-Just make me fall already,” Jon snaps. 

The expected response doesn’t come. Mike, still holding his cup, just stares. A trail of blood runs down his forehead, sliding past his cheek, and flows slowly ever downward until it settles on his chin. His smile quirks. 

“You want to fall?” Mike asks incredulously. His voice is muffled, heavy, like someone added a grainy filter after running a marathon. He lifts the cup to his lips, the first time, Jon realizes, but he’s too busy watching the blood on his chin. The trickle pools at the point, slowly growing from a small dot to a fat teardrop. It trembles, waiting, growing, but not falling just yet. 

Mike lets out a satisfied sigh, apparently finished with his sip. He places the cup on the table. Jon’s gaze darts to it. He’s not surprised when he sees that it’s filled to the brim with dirt stains and gravel.

He wonders, vaguely, if the Buried felt remotely similar to being buried alive. If the lack of intent to keep you alive makes the suffocation any less brutal, the fear any less real. Or if the Buried just didn’t want to share with the End, and the two fears simply reveled in Mike’s fear hand in hand in his last suffocating moments. Perhaps, they got nothing at all, Mike too far gone already from the blow. 

“So you’re ready to fall?” The dirt makes Mike’s voice hoarse. He’s spitting gravel out now. His tongue flicks a rock in Jon’s direction, landing in his cup with a soft pang. The man’s smile is rotten with mud, but it doesn’t stop it from twitching fully. And still, the blood still hangs, waiting just waiting-

Jon meets Mike’s gaze. The playful green is dulled to something almost black. As much as he’s looking in his direction, Jon doesn’t think he can actually see. Still, Jon leans back in his chair and tries to meet the dead gaze the best he can. “No,” he admits, and he doesn’t know how you can sound tired in a dream, but the resignation in his voice is far too blatant to be blamed on anything but exhaustion. His eyes land on the dirt stained cup. “But I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” 

“We all make-”

“-Choices.” Choices, his choices. Choices for others. His life is full of choices. “Yes, I’ve heard it before.” 

That smile twitches again; a rock falls to the ground. “Not that they matter much. Tell me, how much has killing me changed things?”

Jon presses his lips together. He could tell him that no, that wasn’t him; Daisy did that. He could also assert that while he didn’t particularly affect Jon, there are now several lives free from the Vast avatar’s hunger. He could even say there’s one less ‘gentleman’ in the world. 

But he doesn’t say these things. These things do not matter to the Falling Titan, and ‘change’ is only relative to scale. 

No, nothing has changed as far as the Vast is concerned. 

“I thought as much,” Mike says, with at one point would have been a laugh, but sounds more like a cough. 

Mud covers every inch of the previously pristine cup. Jon should feel cornered, buried like Mike, but the room is blurring, the air around him anything but that warm, damp stillness. His head is light, his heart thumps wildly, and he has to resist the temptation to grip the chair like it would do anything to help him. He asked for this, literally, but the memories of his breath being taken away by endless winds fight with the logical inevitability of the moment. He doesn’t panic, but that doesn’t stop him from trembling in his seat.  

Mike’s dead gaze goes sharp. For a moment, nothing breathes. No wind. No sound. Just, knowing. The eye before the storm. It’s only broken by the drop of blood. Finally reaching its limits, it lets go, falling, falling downward to the buried cup… 

Mike’s smile finally breaks, and he breathes easy. “Have fun, Archivist.”

The drop of blood hits the cup, and the floor is gone. 

(Here’s the thing about dreams. They’re exaggerations. No matter how level-headed and real a dream could be, there’s something hyper realistic about it that emphasizes some sort of feeling in your life, even if that feeling is just a deep sense of boredom. A focus, a pinpoint, a moment to read the little details until it doesn’t feel real anymore. Dreams represent the psyche in a way that always speak the ‘truth’, even if that truth is an irrational lie we believe with every fiber of our being. 

It’s no wonder the Beholding uses it as a weapon. The subconscious is an easy way to deliver fears in a way that’s inescapably yours. Trapped under the microscope built on your own memories, the Eye can focus, swivel, and simply watch the way the human imagination can twist its own fear until it squirms helplessly under the subconscious power of its own truth. 

The Archivist is its lens. The Archivist knows just how to focus the right way to see the worst of every possible moment until it’s fine tuned to Know. 

The Archivist is the hyper-real. 

So no, Naomi didn’t fall fully into that grave, but dreams cheat and of course, it’s far more satisfying to claw your way out for all eternity than to escape. The professor sits with squirting hearts, sadly only a slight exaggeration. But the way Tessa eats the plastic bits of the keyboard is such an improvement over simply watching her tremble from another doing it. Awake, the Archivist is not an abomination of endless eyes, but with the way he watches and wants to know, his gaze might as well be thousands and at night, it is. 

They are exaggerations, but interesting ones, showing truths that feel real, even if they’re technically fake. This is how dreams feed the Beholding. Watching, Knowing fear in its most primal form.

The Archivist is a lens. He watches for the Beholding, and in turn, it knows. But the Eye has a doorway to his mind now, and despite being its servant, he hasn’t been feeding it well. The Archivist oh so wants to be human, to pretend he has a place among those he should feed upon. If the Archivist wants to be human so badly, then he should allow himself to be watched, known. 

The Archivist has fears of his own, and tonight, the Eye will drink in every bit of it. And dreams, they’re exaggerations, and in order to compensate for the lack of watching tonight, the Eye will make sure the Archivist feels his fragile human fears in the most raw form imaginable. The Archivist does not know how to understand his own emotions, others or his own, but tonight, he will be forced to face his own fear with a cruel, unrelenting quality to it, in a way where it keeps wrapping around until it’s both truth and lie. 

Tonight, the Archivist will suffer, and he will be watched.) 

Jon feels like he’s falling.  

But he’s not. 

Falling implies he’s going anywhere. But he’s not. He can’t be. Despite the fact he can see things moving beyond him, they feel like they exist in a place that’s not Mike’s apartment or even a place that’s real. Because the apartment is gone, the chair long disappeared, and Jon’s just falling, but not actually falling because it feels the same way as if he’s in a chair, caught in a whirlwind, but trapped by something keeping him from escaping it. 

The Fears don’t care for technicalities, even less so in dreams, so while Jon is technically not falling, his stomach’s dropped and the bile rises, only to be shoved down by the way his heart kicks everything into place. The air buffets cruelly around him to create constant walls of bruising pain. It shoves whatever air he has left out of his lungs, but when he breathes he feels choked by the sudden influx of wind that make them feel like they’re about to explode. 

He tried to scream when this started. He could tell he tried to make a sound from the way it tickled his throat. But the moment he opened his mouth, the rising terror was forced back and was choked down to his stomach by the gutting winds.

He can’t feel. He can’t move. He can barely think. His voice is long gone to the winds. And yet, a cruel part of him has complete clarity of all of this. Each bruise created from the terrible winds. The acidic taste of bile on his tongue. The carnal part of him that tells him ‘he’s going to die’ despite knowing he’s technically not in state where he can. It notes, it analyzes, and it tells him to look beyond the air. 

And he does. And apparently it’s his choice, for all that’s worth. 

In the distance he sees people. Familiar people, but not the ones he usually sees in his nightmares. They move slowly, languid, and if they’re speaking, well, Jon can’t hear his own thoughts, let alone their words.

But he sees Tim mid-laugh. Watches him, as he transforms into something sharp and bitter. His face looks cracked. 

He sees Basira, expression hard, but she looks beyond him. She’s seeing something more important than his pain. 

Daisy stands too far beyond her, but her face is…wrong. Too sharp, too ready, and he sees her grip on her knife slowly get tighter. 

He does not see Melanie or Georgie. But a figure he doesn’t recognize smiles sadly at him, and that bothers him than any hate he could see from her. 

Farthest away, barely a blur, Martin stands alone. Jon tries to watch to get more than a glimpse, but he’s gone before he can even miss him. 

But he’s only the first. 

Jon wants to reach out. To move, do something other than be stuck in this whirlwind. But he’s moving his arm, and it feels like something is pushing it down from all sides. The air cocoons it, pressing down even as Jon uses all his strength to reach out and try to do something. But he can’t. 

He can only watch as the wind takes them too. 

They may be frozen in this distortion of time, but the winds strike with an uncaring grace. The mystery woman is first, then Tim quickly after. In the split seconds before they’re gone, terror and satisfaction fill them respectively, but for the time spent on their faces, they might as well not have existed. 

Daisy’s form blinks. Gone, but back in a heartbeat. 

But Basira and Daisy blink away a second later. Together, but gone. 

Martin’s form blinks. For a moment, he’s there, just the two of them, and he could just maybe-

But Martin turns away, and if it’s the wind or the fog that takes him, he’ll never know. 

And Jon’s hand is barely raised an inch. 

He wants to scream again, but he knows it will be meaningless. The endless wind would just take it away from him, and even if it didn’t, what’s the point? The void beyond him would just swallow it whole. 

He’s saved the world, Jon thinks in that brief bit of clarity. That should matter. Things he does should matter. But everyone is gone. And those who aren’t gone will be soon. He’s the Archivist, a monster, and monsters can’t escape things as human as death.

The wind swirls and swirls. He feels the loss of everyone, but nothing changes here. Jon is still raising his hand to do something. He doesn’t know what. He blinks and a thousand stagnant worlds blur ahead of him. They’re not his, a part of him screams, but if he can do anything, anything, it would be worth it.  

He raises his hand for eternity. The winds never stop. His skin is made of bruises, and his heart has made everything else stop. He can not scream, and does not want to. The terror in what will happen if he doesn’t take every thought into moving his hand is far more pressing. 

Jon reaches through the wind. For a brief moment, a wonderful blessed heartbeat, he touches the ground, and he feels dust on his fingers. 

And then he’s thrust back into the whirlwind. The ground he touched flies away, gone before Jon could even see the patterns he made. He settles back into the same falling position as before, stomach dropping, bruising winds, pounding hearts, the works. 

His fingers are spotless. 

The world isn’t silent, it can’t be, but the wind is just white noise at this point anyway, and Jon is empty. He tries to think. He tries to figure out what he’s feeling. He tries to understand and feel dust. 

But all he does is fall. 

When Jon finally wakes up in his chair in the Archives, he’ll be shaking. He’ll grit his teeth, and glare into the piles of statements around him, glare flickering into more hungry for a second, before turning back into anger. He won’t be able to place exactly why he’s terrified, only feeling cold and empty, wanting something to fill that space where his scream was forced to hide. 

But he always knows why he’s afraid. 

In a world of monsters, and Powers beyond your understanding, it’s easy to fall into existential terror about your own existence. Keeping themselves alive become the most important priority, and as more complications arise, ‘to hell with everyone else’ brings a delicious amount of terror for their gods to revel in. 

Then of course, your life has to have meaning if you protect it so feverishly. Every life you take, every step towards monsterhood, and every second you build a world of horror should lead to something. To make every bit of pain and suffering worth it, right? To make something of a world that doesn’t otherwise care for your existence, right? 

Life is worth it, right?

Jon will remember his spotless fingers and will wonder-

Has being alive changed things? And if it has, was it worth the cost of trying to move a world of dust?

[lifemuchgreener]

Lovers Trust - Chapter Seven

STORY SUMMARY: After a fallout with your now ex friend/roommate, you decide to spend your third year of college at Kingston University London in order to further your education and be closer to your boyfriend, Tom Holland.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: It’s Valentine’s Day! You celebrate in bed with your boyfriend and your boyfriend’s best friend. ;)

WARNINGS: Threesome between yourself, Tom, and Harrison. Harrison and Tom do not ignore each other during this event if you know what I mean. There’s dirty talk, there’s some voyeurism, Harrison gets a blowjob and Tom fucks you sans condom. This could very easily be the smuttiest thing I’ve ever written. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Why the FUCK did it take me so long to write this? Because it’s been so long since I updated I just want to remind everyone that the chapter of this story is taking place in 2020. Also, I’ve scrapped the tag list because if I tagged people I wonder if they’d ever remember this story. So there’s that. I hope you enjoy and if you have any requests feel free to send an ask!

WORD COUNT: 2190

Chapter One: here

Chapter Two: here

Chapter Three: here

Chapter Four: here

Chapter Five: here

Chapter Six: here

The holidays wrap up and in no time at all you and Tom are back in London with you returning to school and Tom working on numerous projects. His 2019 was extremely successful with the releases of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spies in Disguise. 2020 will hopefully also be another successful year for him.

It’s the third day of February, a Monday, and the thought of what to get him for Valentine’s Day is in the back of your mind while you sit between the spread “v” of his legs on the floor with Tessa snoozing beside you. Harrison came over for dinner but he’s been sleeping on the couch while you and Tom have been watching a movie.

While it will be your second Valentine’s Day with Tom as a couple, it’ll be the first that you’ve been able to spend together since last year you weren’t in the same country. You know it’s a trivial holiday but you can’t help but want to do something special for your boyfriend. He definitely deserves it.

“What do you want for Valentine’s Day?” you ask Tom, craning your head to look at him.

He shrugs. “Just you. Maybe we could have sex if you’re up for it.”

You roll your eyes. “That would just be like any other day. Hey Harrison, what do you want for Valentine’s Day?” you add, not expecting an answer since he’s been asleep as far as you could tell.

“Mmm. Wanna watch you two have sex,” comes his sleepy reply.

You turn around in Tom’s lap to stare at him. Tom seems unphased by his best friend’s answer.

“Oh my god. You guys have talked about this before,” you say, looking between the two of them.

“So have you and I,” Tom insists.

“Since when? I seriously do not remember having this conversation with you.”

“Back during that first Skype call where things got sexual. Before we were even dating,” he explains.

You think back to that night.

“You didn’t specifically mention Harrison,” you protest as you recall the memory.

“I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d be comfortable with watching us and know they’d stay quiet about it other than Harrison,” he explains. “Him and I haven’t exactly been subtle in hinting that we’ve had some experiences together.”

“I just thought…” You shake your head. “I didn’t want to ask in case I was wrong and you got upset. And I never wanted to suggest that Harrison join us in case he was off limits.”

“Why would he be off limits?”

“He’s gorgeous!” you exclaim. “I didn’t want you to think that I liked Harrison the way I liked you before I started loving you.”

“I’m gorgeous?” Harrison asks with a grin.

You roll your eyes. “Don’t be cocky.”

“Love,” says Tom, squeezing your hips gently. “I’m secure with the knowledge that you love me and not anybody else. I don’t love Harrison either -- at least not like I love you. But it is true that before you, back several years, Harrison and I would fool around. I’m comfortable around him and I would trust him with my life. Hell, I’d trust him with your life. If someone were going to join us in the bedroom I would want it to be him. You can absolutely say no though.”

Harrison nods. “Please don’t feel like you have to say yes.”

You blink between the both of them. Your response requires no thought at all.

“I want it.”

Tom and Harrison look at each other.

“Where do we start?” Tom asks, positioning his hands at the bottom of your shirt.

“Nuh uh,” you say, getting out of Tom’s lap. “It isn’t Valentine’s Day. And I have class tomorrow morning and I know I’m going to want to have a day off after this happens.”

“What about this Friday?” Harrison suggests. “That’s a week sooner than Valentine’s Day.”

You shake your head. “Nah. I’m going to make you boys wait for it.” You sling your bag over your shoulder and lean down to kiss Tom’s forehead. After a moment of hesitation, you do the same to Harrison.

“I’ll talk to you later,” you call over your shoulder, heading for Tom’s door. “Goodnight guys!”

The door closes behind you and Tom and Harrison look at each other in awe.

In the week between that night and Valentine’s Day, you went shopping for a cute new outfit and some new underwear. A fan had recognized you while you were out and asked for a picture with you. A lot of articles mentioning you as Tom Holland’s girlfriend had come out the previous year after the releases of Tom’s big movies but the attention you got from it still caught you off guard. You snapped a photo with her and had a nice conversation before leaving the store with a bag full of items that made you feel confident and sexy.

On the actual holiday you make Tom and Harrison wait in another room while you take your time getting ready. It doesn’t take you a ridiculously long time to make sure everything meets your approval but you can tell the boys are impatient so you sit on the edge of the bed and make them wait an additional ten minutes before you finally send a text to the groupchat you share with them to let them know they can come in. The door swings open immediately to reveal the two standing in the doorway.

Harrison nudges Tom with his elbow. “Holy shit.”

Tom licks his lips. “Come here, sweetheart,” he says and you quickly cross the room so you’re standing in front of him. He settles his hands on your waist and pulls you in for a deep kiss. When he pulls away one of his hands moves to the back of your neck while the other goes to the back of Harrison’s.

Of course multiple conversations had occurred since the night in Tom’s living room about what everyone was and was not comfortable with. You knew it was going to happen but that doesn’t stop you from shivering a little as Tom gently pushes your heads together for a kiss.

It takes you a moment to adjust but soon your arms are around Harrison’s neck and his hands are all over your body. He guides you to the bed without taking his lips off of yours and a few seconds later you feel the bed shift as Tom sits beside you. The sound of him unzipping his pants has you pulling away from Harrison to look over at him.

“I think he likes watching,” Harrison says, kissing your neck. “Such a voyeur.”

“Your exhibitionist ass is one to talk,” Tom counters, shoving Harrison off of you so he can take his place.

“Rude,” grumbles Harrison, sitting back to watch you and Tom kiss.

“What do you think of Haz’s kissing?” Tom asks, pulling away after a minute.

“It’s good,” you answer. “Very good.”

“I wonder if he’s improved since the last time I kissed him.”

Harrison laughs. “God, I’d hope so. How old were we? Fifteen?”

“Kiss each other,” you say without even thinking about it.

Tom and Harrison share a look. The latter gives a little nod of his head and then Tom is leaning towards him, pressing their lips together.

The sight nearly takes your breath away and you watch them. You don’t even notice that your hand has snuck its way into your underwear until the wet sounds your fingers make startle both you and the boys, who break apart to look at you.

“Wanna touch her?” Tom asks Harrison.

He nods.

“Ask her nicely,” your boyfriend recommends, nudging his side.

Harrison blinks at you. “Can I touch you? Please?”

“Yes,” you say breathlessly, lifting your hips up off of the bed as he removes your underwear. A finger slides through your wetness instantly but is quickly pulled away so Harrison can look more closely.

“Wow,” he whispers, and Tom grabs Harrison’s wrist to bring his finger to Tom’s own mouth and suck the taste of you off of it.

You squirm against the bed. “Touch me. One of you. Both of you. Please. Just give me something.”

“You fuck her while she sucks me off?” Harrison suggests.

“Is that good for you, sweetheart?” Tom asks you. “Because you already know it’s good for me.”

You can’t hide the eagerness from your voice as you give your approval. As the boys finish taking off their clothes, you figure out how you want to position yourself. You decide to lay on the bed with your head hanging just a little off of the edge so Harrison can have access to your mouth when he’s standing.

“Fuck, your girl’s pretty,” Harrison says to Tom, admiring you.

“Isn’t she?” Tom agrees, joining you on the bed and situating himself in between your thighs. “You good, babe?” he asks you.

“Yeah. I’m ready,” you reply, relaxing as he slides his cock into you. Even though you’ve done this many times before, it feels different knowing that Harrison is watching you. You turn your head slightly to see that he’s just staring at the two of you and you clear your throat.

“Gonna let me suck you off?” you ask with a teasing smile that finally snaps Harrison out of the daze he was in. In an instant he’s moved to the edge of the bed where your head is. You open your mouth obediently for him and he slowly gives you a little bit of his cock at a time until you’ve taken him completely.

Harrison’s length in your mouth stifles your noises of pleasure but both his and Tom’s moans are unashamedly loud. The sensation of being fucked by your boyfriend while his best friend also participates is even better than you imagined it would be.

“You’re so lucky,” you can hear Harrison say above the sounds of him using your mouth.

“Right? She’s so good,” Tom hums, and for whatever reason hearing the two of them talk about you like you’re not even there turns you on even more.

You come hard when Tom starts paying attention to your clit which sets off both him and Harrison, who come one after the other. Before you can even move at all, the boys pull out of you simultaneously and switch sides, with Harrison’s head now inches from where Tom’s cum is dripping out of you and Tom kneeling so his face is level with yours. Tom kisses you and it’s a little awkward because your head is still slightly off the side of the mattress, making the kiss kind of upside down but not entirely. Harrison’s tongue licking up the length of your slit makes you moan against Tom’s lips, who eagerly starts seeking out Harrison’s cum with his tongue.

By the time Tom pulls away there’s barely anything left for you to swallow. You’re staring speechlessly at him as he gets to his feet and grins down at you. At the opposite end of your body, Harrison finishes lapping up Tom’s cum and kisses each of your thighs before standing up as well.

You shakily push yourself up into a sitting position and look between your boyfriend and his best friend with wide eyes and parted lips.

“Do you think she liked it?” Harrison asks Tom, retrieving his clothes.

“Oh yeah. Sometimes she gets a little inarticulate after a really good orgasm. Give her a minute.”

“Goddamn,” you say after another half minute of silence. You fall back against the pillows and rub your eyes as if waking up from a dream, but you know you’ve been awake the whole time. “Holy fuck.”

Tom, now in his boxers, lays by your side and smiles at you.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he says.

You say the same to him and give him a sweet kiss.

Harrison is busying himself by buttoning his shirt when you break from the kiss.

“Not staying the night?” you ask, frowning.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, Haz. It’s dark out and freezing,” Tom argues.

He sighs. “Alright. Your couch is pretty nice. Probably not as good as Sebastian Stan’s based on the way Anthony Mackie raves about it, but it’ll do for tonight.”

“No! No couch. You can sleep in the bed with us. Here, I can sleep in the middle if that will make it less weird,” you offer. “But you’ve totally slept in the same bed together way before you met me, I’m sure, so we can arrange ourselves however.”

Harrison smiles at you. “You in the middle is fine.”

You each take turns washing up and brushing your teeth in the bathroom. When all that is done, you find yourself snuggled in between Tom and Harrison. Fortunately the bed is more than big enough for all three of you (plus Tessa).

“Goodnight guys,” you say, kissing Tom’s cheek and craning your neck to kiss Harrison’s.

“Goodnight,” they echo, and you’re asleep in the middle of two boys you care about so deeply in no time at all.

[dontdowhatisayandnobodygetshurt]

A very happy birthday to @biscottibitch​!! I threatened her with a baguette to get her to tell me what she wanted her present to be, which was her stabby OC baby Tessa (check out Tessa and all her other amazing OCs on her writing blog @pen-in-hand​, have I mentioned they’re all amazing and make me cry-) and one of my OC babies meeting. :D

I hope you like it, mate!! You’re a goddamn blessing to me, the rest of your friends and the whole world. I hope you have an amazing day and an amazing rest of the year and that stress leaves you tf alone!! Thank you for being your awesome, kind, beautiful, hilarious, smart, strong heckin self, sis 💛💛💛💛💛💛

-

you don’t belong here

-

There was that old joke that pets looked like their human companions. Tessa wondered if it was the same with stores and their owners.

The man who owned one of the last bookstores was easy to miss, hunched as he was behind the counter at all times The most remarkable thing about him was his red hair, which was even darker than Tessa’s own. He dressed very old-fashion - it was fitting, for somebody trying to keep books alive - in muted, warm colours that only helped him blend into the background more. He usually had a stray book open in his lap.

Tessa had noticed these things over the course of many visits to the store. She was lost in music, dancing between the aisles, but when the life she refused to fully accept came tapping on her shoulder, when she came back to reality, the shopkeeper was always what she came back to. A new stack of books, always the same all but wordless exchange. Just a simple hello, and then he got his money and she got her books, and that was that. She never paid much attention to him. 

Until today, that was.

She found it odd she didn’t know anything about this man, since she spent so much time in his presence, whether they acknowledged each other or not. And once she noticed that oddness, the curiosity would not leave her alone. Stupid.

"What are you reading?”

He looked up as she set her new books down on the counter. His eyes were brown, she noticed, and only mildly surprised to see her finish looking around so quickly - and how intently she was staring at him.

He lifted the book so she could see the cover. It was sepia, so worn and old she could barely make out the artwork, let alone the title. “Do you know it?”

“Of course I do. It’s The Lord of the Rings, everybody knows it.”

He smiled. “You’d be surprised,” he said. His voice was very quiet; it matched the rest of him, like the rest of him matched the store. “Most kids your age wouldn’t know it exists, I think.”

“Most kids my age don’t know a lot of things,” she said, too bitterly.

He looked at her for a beat, and she met his eyes. She could almost see his brain adjusting his view of her - a carefree rich girl who danced between the aisles, maybe. Maybe she shouldn’t have let the steel slip through.

But then he just nodded. “You’re right.”

He let the silence lapse back, but Tessa wasn’t done yet.

“What’s your name?” she asked, digging in her bag for the payment.

That earned her another long, steady look. She could feel its weight before she saw it.

“Sorry,” she tacked on. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

He shrugged. There were holes in his knitted sweater that looked like if he did that again, it would fall apart completely, but Tessa decided it would be too rude to point that out.

“My name’s Ben,” he said. “Do I get to know yours?” He placed her new books beside her bag. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he added, and one of his eyebrows crooked slightly at her.

She allowed herself a small smile, half-hidden as she stuffed the books into her bag. She would take them home, kick her door shut, and get lost in a world that wasn’t this one. Back when they were written, the state of the worlds in between these pages must have seemed dire. Now their troubles seemed laughable.

“Tessa,” she replied.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tessa,” Ben said, offering her his hand.

She took it, gave it a firm shake. She could feel callouses under her fingers; he must have once done harder work than managing a bookshop. Her eyes flashed to his, and this time, he didn’t look away. Noticing her noticing.

Ben let go of her hand and placed her recipe on top of her bag. He leaned back in his chair, and his face became troubled. Tessa knew she could have taken that as a dismissal, but something kept her there by the counter.

“Thank you for supporting my store,” Ben said quietly. “Be careful on your way home.”

Be careful. The way he said it should have raised the hairs on Tessa’s arms, some nameless emotion crawling into the back of her mind. It wasn’t a threat - no, it was genuine concern. That should have been even more frightening.

It should have been.

“Thanks,” Tessa said. And she slung her bag over her shoulder and left without another word.

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

I want to tell you... (Nathan Drake x reader, part 3.)

Description: Nathan Drake is not the exact definition of an unhappy man. His job is steady, his friends still see him from time to time, he plays football, but his marriage is his main problem. Many things will change when a special person comes to his life.

Word count: 2 600 (+/-)

Warnings: The reader will appear! Let’s get the game on!

Mood: I am really on the indie vibe lately, so I feel like Crush by Tessa Violet.

 @the-obsessive-fangirl, have a lovely summer day! And @missdictatorme knows what is about to happen. Prepare for insanely cute Nate.

“Alright, cutie,” - Nathan spoke with himself, quickly moving his eyes on the page of the cooking book where the page with Creme Brulee was opened. Nathan often spoke to himself when he was cooking and other co-workers found it cute. But when he spoke his food, screaming Don’t you catch on fire with me for example, was a whole another thing which made them sincerely laugh.

Nathan really enjoyed cooking since he was growing up, that was a thing that not much people knew about him. His passion and love for it made him an excellent cook - he was never afraid to do some experiments with food, he learned a lot of new things and eating food prepared by Nathan was like trying food from heaven, at least Chloe was telling it. 

“Let’s look at how you’re made, right?” He looked into the recipe once more, checking if he has all of the things he needed to have for having the best and balanced Brulee of them all. 

It was truly raining heavily outside, there was a big storm outside, to be honest. It could be considered a hurricane already because it was something crazy out there. Nate was glad that he was in the restaurant, safe and warm and that he could do what he loved the most.

At least Elena called that morning from Thailand, where she was currently staying, telling him that the storm was there as well but she wanted to assure him, that she's fine and well. He was glad that she called him.

"I love you." - He whispered with a shy smile, looking into one of the hanging pans. Before, Elena would answer immediately. But this time, it was completely silent for a few seconds on the other side.

"I need to go, Nate. Stay safe and don't do any dumb stuff. Promise?" - She joked, but it hurt Nathan directly next to his heart. He still cares about her, about her safety and about her feelings, but she was on lockdown for four months or so.

Nathan shook these thoughts out of his head and he stuck his tongue out as he concentrated on the Creme Brulee. It wasn't much time from that when he heard knocking on the restaurant's door.

He thought that he only overheard himself - it was raining outside and the restaurant was closed. Nathan furrowed his brows and stood up straight up when he heard the knocking again. He checked that everything was on its place so the kitchen won't catch on fire and he made his way to the actual part with tables, chair, and a bar. They were closed, who would try to knock their way into the restaurant while there was a hurricane outside? 

Nathan tried to stay as hidden as the door let him, he would not open some random hobo person. He would give them something warm, food and water - but it would be a big risk to let them inside. But instead of a hobo, there was a woman figure standing outside in the rain with her palms covering her eyes as she looked inside. 

The woman saw Nate instantly, waving at him and smiling in a dorky way. Nathans first instinct was to go and help that woman inside. It was a cold, rainy mess when he opened the door, the wind almost blew him away from the door as the woman practically run inside and helped him to close the door with every of the lock they had.

Only after that, Nathan turned at her, and he must have looked like a fool at that moment. She truly was gorgeous. Wet hair fell around her face in a messy way and her skin was slippery and wet from the rain; which made her cheeks completely rosy. She was trying to catch her breath with her lips opened a little and her eyes closed. That woman only wore a trench coat, which made no sense in this type of weather, jeans and some classy shoes. She probably didn't see the weather coming or she thought that she'll be alright.

Nathan had an unreadable expression on his face, still looking at her as she was leaning into the glass. She started laughing, which made Nathans face even softer and his eyes started to shine. 

He felt like if he knew her since forever, he had a feeling that he knew her eyes and the tone of her laugh was so light-hearted and cute that it made his stomach shrunk in a tickling way. She made his heart beat faster without him noticing and his fingers tremble a bit. He didn't even remember when he felt so instantly happy and... Nervous. That girl made him nervous.

“Man, you saved my life. I thought that nobody’s going to answer.” - She spoke all of a sudden, made him even more struck on the spot. Nathan wide his eyes, watching her face. She had nice contours even tho her make-up was on a run. 

“How-how.” - He tried to spoke but coughed into his hand when he felt that his own voice is falling apart from her. - “How did you even know that there is somebody out here? I mean, what if you knocked on an empty restaurant?” - Nathan gave her one of his cheesy smiles, standing on his feet and looking her into eyes because he found them so gorgeous he wasn't even able to breathe. 

“Your car is parking in the aisle next to the restaurant.” - She waved in car’s direction and Nathan assumed that it is a pretty logical consideration. - “Or so I was hoping for that to be the truth. And the bars on the doors were lifted and so I tried my luck. You aren't the brightest, right?” - She said in a playful voice as she started laughing again. Nathan leaned his head to his shoulder and he felt ashamed a bit. It was practically obvious that there's someone inside. 

“I will pretend that I didn't hear that. I mean that thing you practically said that I am dumb.” - Nathan tried to show her his most charming smile, offering her his palm. He was sweaty because of the nervousness and she was as cold as an iceberg and wet from the rain, so he was praying that she wouldn't notice. 

“I haven't said that you are dumb! You make me look rude now, Jesus. My names Y/N and I think that we should start from the begging again, no mean comments now, I swear.” - She put a hand on her heart with a sweet smile like she if swore to Nathan. 

“Name’s Nate and you're freezing, aren't you?” - Nate slowly let go of her hand, turning to walk back to his kingdom. Y/N slowly followed him-

“I am, in fact, freezing. You are very bright in fact.” - She winked with a smile. She was trying to make him forget about that little escapade which happened minutes ago and Nate just shook his head at that. He opened the door to the kitchen and she just stood there with an unsure look. 

“Can I even go there?” - Y/N asked with a frown on her face, which made Nathan twitch inside again. What the hell was he doing? Or, most importantly, why did his body react to that girl the way it did? - “I mean, isn't it a food hygiene risk? To have a dirty, wet human in your kitchen? Wouldnt some hygiene guy be seriously mad about that?” 

Nathan had to laugh a little when he saw her unsure expression. Her eyes were twitching between him and his hand on the door as he was patiently waiting for her. 

“As long as you don't pee or spit your saliva anywhere, I think we're cool. Come in.” - Nathan smiled at her, letting her pass directly next to him. When he smelled her perfume, he almost fell to the ground. It was a sweet scent and the rain only made it stand out. He almost fainted. 

“I will give you my towel, I'll just go for it to the dressing room, alright? Just don't steal anything, I beg you.” - Nathan ran off to that room with a childish smile as he could hear that he made her laugh again. She had such a sweet laugh! She definitely caught his eyes with some magic, or he couldn't rationalize his excited behavior.

When he got back, he almost fainted. She took the coat off and she had only a green shirt on, and it was completely dumped from water as well, so his eyes didn't have to imagine any of her curves - they saw it right away. Nathan felt like he shouldn't stare, so he turned away from her, only giving her his towel.Y/N accepted it with a small smile, leaning her ass into one of the counters, watching the surrounding and firstly trying to make her hair somehow dry before she wrapped the towel around her body.

“So what some hot drink and food sound like?” - Nathan looked at her as he cleaned up his place from his experimental baking. 

“I don't know mate. I don't have much money with me.” - Y/N shrugged her shoulders, but Nate smiled at her. 

“Let me ask again. Would you like me to cook something and make you a cup of something?” - Nathan opened up the fridge as he picked some of the freshest tomatoes they had. He had a perfect food in his mind - tomato sauce and pasta. Easy, quick and delicious. 

“I guess so. You’re so persistent. I have like... Fifteen bucks? Would that be enough?” - Y/N grabbed her purse, frantically searching for money. 

“Don't bother and be my guest. I'll pay for you afterward.” - Nate chuckled and started to chop the tomatoes. He also started the kettle, deciding that English black tea with some honey would suit her the best at her current state.

“What were you doing at that storm outside, huh? It makes me look a lot brighter than you.” - He said as he concentrated on making the onion and garlic just perfect while they were frying in the pan. 

“We moved here like two days ago. I heard in the news that there will be some stormy weather, but I never thought it could be that bad.” - She hummed as she sipped the tea, sitting on the counter next to his wooden cutting board, moving her legs from side to side. - “And I got lost in the city. Which made me come here.”

“We moved in?” - Nathan asked in a concerned voice as he watched the curve of her nose. She had a beautiful nose. He was chopping some basal as well, feeling her body being ridiculously close to his hand. What was wrong with him? 

He assumed that she is talking about some roommate or a friend, sharing their flat during their studies. She seemed to be an intelligent and bright lady, surely at least five years younger than him. If she wasn't even younger. She could be a college student. 

“Yeah, I started to study my bachelor degree here since my junior college ended. It felt like the best choice.” - Y/N answered, not revealing with whom she moved in here. Nathan was curious about that information a lot, but he didn't want to look like some weird psycho, so he didn't ask further questions. 

They ate together in the kitchen, telling some really interesting stories to each other - Y/N talked about her hometown a lot and Nathan tried to charm her with some of the thrilling stories from his adventure. Their sense of humor got along really well. Nathan truly liked that feeling of getting to know her better, he liked how he could make her eyes shine when she laughed. His heart beat faster and faster just because she was looking at him and his cheeks got rosy when she said that his cooking skills were over the top.

They were about to open a bottle of a really sweet wine which got along with a bit of bitterness that the tomatoes had when her phone started to ring. 

And his heart almost coldly sank into his stomach when he was that sweet nickname and a photo of some handsome lad. Nathan couldn't understand his feelings, he felt betrayed and sad. Y/N smiled at him and picked up the call. 

“Hey, babe.” - She whispered to the phone as she leaned further away from him. Nathans heart jumped at the tone of it but sank immediately when he realized that she didn't call him that nickname. He moved away and started to clean up that place, letting only the wine glasses between them. - “Yeah, don't worry. I am safe and I made a friend here. Yeah. A first friend in this city. Crazy, I know.” 

Nathan looked on how water was brushing his hands and frowned. Why was he sad? He was married. And he got his ring on his left hand the whole time. Y/N could spot it easily. But even tho she could see it, he didn't like being friend-zoned. It wasn't a nice thing at all. 

“I am in that Italian restaurant which is like... Ten minutes from our flat? I think. You know that my orientation sucks.” - She laughed when her boyfriend asked her something. - “Alright. Alright. Be safe. I love you. Bye.” She hung up and started to take the towel from her body. 

“I loved being around you, I truly did. My boyfriend just got home and he’ll pick me up in our car here, so no need to open up that wine. It would be too expansive then anyway.” - Y/N took a pen and one napkin as she wrote her name on it and her name under that number. - “Here. Call me, text me, whatever you want. I am up for having some good time at the beach with you, you said you know it the best of all people out here and it just sounds fun.” She said when Nathan walked her out of the restaurant. He was smiling with a sad undertone.

Nate didn't want her to go. He was enjoying him a bit too much that morning. But it would be too weird to ask if she stays. And he didn't want her to think that he is a psycho.  Her boyfriend was already under the roof covering the entrance. 

It was a handsome lad indeed. Perfect for her, yet Nate’s brain didn't think so. But he smiled at her boyfriend anyway. 

“This is Nate. This is Mike.” - She introduced them, leaning into Mike’s side because he was warm. Mike smiled widely at Nate, offering him his hand as Nate hesitantly accepted. - “Nate would like to show us around, maybe he would come with his wife?” Y/N rose her eyebrows and Nate smiled shyly. 

She gave him a tight, heartwarming hug and Nathan felt how every inch of her body is just burning. She was warm and soft and she smelled so good. He smiled at the couple when they were getting into their car as he realized one thing.

Something called crush just happened to him and it was instant, insanely intense and felt like heaven and the hell at the same time. 

[imyourliquor-youremypoison]

A Girl’s Best Friend (Peter Parker x OC) - Part 17

Synopsis: Diamonds are man’s best friend- or dogs are girls’ best friends, wait… how does the saying go again?

Warnings: Family issues; Peter has a crush and it’s complicated; mention of assault; good dogs; College AU; aged up! characters; TONY STARK IS ALIVE AND WE ALL LIVE IN A HAPPY PLACE CALLED DENIAL

A/N: Is anyone still there? I swear things are going to happen soon, your pain is nearing the end now hehe (I love writing slow burns)

Word count: 2.7k

Part 16 <<< >>> Part 18

MASTERLIST

               From the outside, a sense of normalcy seemed to have returned in their lives. Peter waited for Emmeline outside the door to her class; Emmeline walked with Peter and Tessa in-between her classes on Fridays; they sometimes ate together before she returned home at the end of the day.

               The outcome of their conversation was certainly not one Peter had known to expect. He had been prepared to wave goodbye to the friendship he had built with Emmeline – and tried very hard not to think about what it would have become if he hadn’t fucked up. Then again, nothing could ever have happened between them as long as she didn’t know the truth about him.

               The first Saturday, when she walked out of the elevator and made a beeline for him in the Stark Tower lab, Peter broke into a grin that wouldn’t waver the entire day.

“Hey you!” she greeted him, returning the beaming smile and joined him behind the desk.

“Hey yourself,” Peter answered, almost twisting his neck when he followed her with his gaze.

               She set down her bag and hung her coat on the back of a chair before coming to stand next to him.

“What are you working on?” she wondered, leaning in to have a closer look. “Is this a miniature motorbike?” Her eyebrows shot so high up that Peter lost sight of them.

“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just-“ he caught himself right before the lie came out, and just when Emmeline gave him a skeptical side glance. “I mean, yeah. It’s for Hope. It’s got all kinds of equipment and features that normal bikes don’t have, of course. And it’s fast – like real fast.”

“Hope?” Emmeline asked.

               She didn’t point out Peter’s deep blush that he always seemed to sport whenever he said anything related to his work with the Avengers. Unlearning to lie about his double life would take a while, they were both aware of that fact.

“The Wasp,” he explained. He took the motorbike in his hand to have something else to focus his attention on, and try to get his own face in check. It shouldn’t be possible to blush this much. “It’s not its normal size, obviously. Just checking a few things before she tries it out.”

               Emmeline made a hand gesture, silently asking if she could hold it and Peter handed it over very carefully, letting her lift it to eyelevel and examine it from up close. She didn’t say anything, only hummed appreciatively a few times.

“When will I meet the Avengers?” she asked as she put it back on Peter’s desk.

               Peter’s jaw dropped and he stayed open-mouthed and at loss for words a few seconds, until he saw the expression on Emmeline’s face and the glimmer of playfulness behind her eyes.

“You already met two of them. The best ones,” he told her, now standing up.

               He would finish working on Hope’s motorbike later; when Emmeline dropped by, they worked together on his Spider suit. It was the first time they would work on it knowing it was his…

“Oh! Of course, silly me!” she laughed, slapping her palm against her forehead. “Turns out, you’re the most famous of us two! Who’d have thought, ugh?”

               Peter rolled his eyes and turned around, walking backwards as they made their way towards the back of the room.

“I also photograph way better than you,” he teased her before quickly dodging her arm when she attempted to smack his head. “What’s that in your hand?” he asked when he spotted the paper bag and the familiar logo.

“Oh nothing…” Emmeline trailed off, lifting the bag and peeking inside. “Only your favorite muffin from your favorite place,” she announced, holding the bag behind her back and out of reach when Peter tried to snatch it from her hand. She placed a palm flat against his chest to keep him at a distance.

               Not that it could stop Peter, but her mere touch sent him in a state of complete submission and he froze immediately when her hand was over his heart. He dropped his hand.

“No, you didn’t. I stopped there on my way here, they were all out. I say you’re bluffing!”

“Oh, not for me, baby, they aren’t,” she bragged, wiggling her eyebrows and walking past him, bag still out of his reach. “And since you’re so mean to me, I might eat it myself. If you want one, try going there in your Spider suit!”

“Isn’t that abuse of power?” he wondered, though seriously considering her suggestion. Nah, if Tony found out, he would confiscate the suit, and then wouldn’t he look smart scouting the streets of Queens in his old, DYI suit?

“You kids having a good time?” Mr. Stark’s voice suddenly asked, coming out of nowhere. Emmeline and Peter looked around but saw no one. “Cameras, guys. They are everywhere. Microphones too. Just casually letting you know, in case you decide to get naughty because you think I can’t see you.”

“Ah!” Emmeline exclaimed dramatically, raising both hands in the air. “Here goes my plan for the day!”

“Keep it in your pants, this is a workplace, we only do work-related stuff and nothing fun whatsoever,” Stark said, unable to sound even remotely stern. Then he switched on some music, blasting AC/DC in the lab. “Now get to work, I don’t pay you to slack off!”

               He seemed to tune off and only the background music remained, but Peter frowned and shot Emmeline a confused look.

“Pay? He doesn’t pay us?” He said it like a question, wondering if he was being paid this whole time and didn’t realize. “For my fake internship?”

“I don’t know about you, but I got a legit internship. So yeah, I’m getting paid now.” She shrugged and Peter picked up the clue.

“What? Since when? Why haven’t you told me?” he questioned, feeling a little offended that she kept that from him all this time.

               She winced.

“It’s pretty recent…” she trailed off, biting on her lip. “Tony came to my place shortly after New Year’s Eve,” she started and Peter immediately knew what was what.

               Tony Stark, ever the match-maker, decided to take matters in his own hands and help Peter out after he confessed that Emmeline found out about his secret identity. Or maybe he was simply desperate to get Peter to stop mopping around in his lab.

“I thought he came to plead your cause so I told him to go fuck himself at first,” she then told him. Those words pulled the brakes on Peter’s train of thoughts.

               He stared blankly at her for a second or two or more.

“You said what to who now?” he asked dumbly, blinking slowly while she rolled her eyes at him.

“It’s true,” Tony’s voice came again. It seemed it came out of the same speakers through which F.R.I.D.A.Y spoke. “I have the recording, if you want to hear it. And see? She calls me Tony!”

“It’s very rude to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations!” Peter snapped before remembering who he was talking to. “Can we have a little privacy, Mr. Stark?”

               Only a faint chuckle answered his request, then it was only Back to Black again. He could only hope he wasn’t listening anymore. For being such a busy person, Tony sure had a lot of time on his hands if he spent it spying on him whenever his crush was around.

               Peter was pulled out of his internal musings by Emmeline’s laughter.

“You’re too cute, you know that?” she simply asked, not expecting an answer but chucking him the muffin. “Anyway, long story short: he didn’t come to beg me to forgive you on your behalf, but he offered me an internship.”

“A real one? A legit, normal internship?” Peter felt the need to ask for clarification.

“No, I’m actually a superhero too now. Code name’s Captain Sarcasm,” Emmeline replied with a smirk.

               She crossed her arms over her chest while Peter glared at her through narrowed eyes, not appreciating the jokes she made at his expense.

“Don’t you make that face at me, Peter Parker!” She held out a finger and poked him in the chest. “I bought you the best and also last pecan and white chocolate chip muffin in all of New York City, it’s a debt you’ll never be able to pay off, so you better be nice to me.”

“I saved your life! Twice!” he pointed out.

               He didn’t really think about what he was doing when he grabbed her finger – he just wanted to make her stop poking him accusingly in the chest. But then he was holding her hand against his own chest, and she still didn’t move it, and he was ready to melt on the floor right then and there. Where was Tony when he needed him?

“Who’s counting?” she simply said with a smile.

               Without letting go of his hand, she walked the last few steps to their workshop, dragging him along.

 *

                 Emmeline hadn’t left town to avoid Peter; she didn’t hole herself up in her room and left all other rooms of her penthouse in the dark to throw him off. No, Emmeline hadn’t done that.

               What she had done, though, was blackmail her own parents into getting her out of her big, empty penthouse and allow her to gain some kind of autonomy. After the events of December, she had something to hold against them, something that would sink her father’s political career faster than the Titanic: they had left her behind.

               The mayor and his lady wife had fled the scene of the shooting, ignoring all their supposedly natural parental instincts that would have made them stay until they knew their daughter was safe. The city was still recovering from the event, it would be the perfect timing for Emmeline to go live on TV, telling everyone what terrible parents they were.

               They had spent her entire life forcing riches onto her as if it made up for everything else that lacked in her life. She chose to take this as a fair retribution. She told them to sell the penthouse, that she never wanted to set foot there again, and instead to buy her a reasonably sized place of her own choosing, in a quiet and not so in-your-face neighborhood, a place normal people with a decent income could also afford, and not only the wealthy 1 %.

               The new place was in her name, entirely paid for. All she asked of her parents now was to cover her expenses until she had a steady job of her own. In exchange, she would keep her scandalous family secrets to herself, continue to play pretend when they needed to appear as a united family, but not have any other ties to them. She was legal after all, the only thing still tying her down was her lack of money.

               She did have a pretty hefty amount of money in her trust fund, but she wouldn’t have access to it for another few years, and she was petty enough to ask her parents to pay for everything a while longer – they liked to buy her affection so much, she figured buying her silence would be the same.

               The new place was radically different, in all aspects. Peter liked it a lot, and he had told her so many times. She didn’t keep anything from her old apartment, expect one object.

“I can’t believe you kept this, of all things,” Peter mused, throwing the glasswork in the air and catching it behind his back.

               He did this now. He showed off. Emmeline noticed a few subtle changes in his behavior since she found out he was Spider-Man. He didn’t hold back anymore now that he didn’t have to pretend to be an average young man, he allowed himself more liberty around her. She liked that.

“It has a certain sentimental value, you see,” she had told him, taking it from him and setting back on its stand. “Couldn’t leave it behind.”

               Peter chuckled and continued to explore the place. It was a typical open space apartment in one of those old buildings that get restored every ten years. This one had a particular charm, and the lighting was great. She had done marvelously well with the decorating.

               The wooden floor that creaked in some places was her favorite thing, she told him. The walls were a warm dark red color on the side where her bed proudly stood, and the rest of the apartment was painted a dusty orange. Only warm, rich colors, with wooden furniture, lots of small lamps to creates a cozy atmosphere.

               He hadn’t truly measured how impersonal her previous place was, how unlike her. It was obvious now that she hadn’t had a word to say in the decoration of the penthouse, while everything here had been her choice. Every book on her shelves, every plant hanging from the ceiling, and every cushion lined with fringes.

“You’re unusually quiet,” she commented when Peter still hadn’t spoken a word after ten minutes of looking around. “Do you hate it?”

               Peter spun around, hand in his front pockets, a little smile dancing on his lips.

“It’s great. I love it.”

“But?” she pressed him.

“But there’s no balcony.” He pouted, but Emmeline’s frown turned into a smirk. “What? Is there?”

               She lived on the first floor, she couldn’t have one.

“Come with me,” she said, gesturing him to follow her.

               They walked past the bed and the kitchen area and to a narrow backdoor that he had assumed led to an inner courtyard, or a private parking space. But it wasn’t that.

“Wha-“ Peter couldn’t believe his eyes. “You have your own garden in New York City?” he asked, fighting the urge to touch the grass to make sure it was real. It was small, but real.

“Even better than a balcony, ugh?” Her smirk grew even wider. “Thought it was a nice touch, and Bella loves it.”

“I can imagine,” Peter replied distractedly, picturing Tessa playing here.

               He stopped himself right there. He couldn’t let himself wander on such slippery slopes right now. Why would his mind even go there? Emmeline had only just let him back into her life, two weeks ago he thought he had ruined everything between them. He couldn’t think about how much Tessa would enjoy having a bit of open space instead of living in a small student dorm.

               He especially shouldn’t linger too much on the homey feel of her place, of how hard it hit him that he would love to live in a place like this. He simply couldn’t think about her the way he did.

               There was much to rebuild before he could even think about making a move again. Whatever small step he had taken when he asked her out was in the past now. Since then, he had taken a hundred steps backwards, and now he had to fix what he broke before thinking about picking up where they left things off.

               Trust, among other things.

               He had to unlearn his automatic response to inquisitive questions, become used to tell her the truth when he had to disappear at random times of the day, something for a few hours, sometimes for days. He hadn’t realized how many white lies he told within a single day before he started telling the truth.

“It’s…”

               He couldn’t find his words anymore, suddenly too overcome with emotion to speak. It was a daunting task to try and mend the broken limbs of their fragile relationship, and the weight of his own lies and mistakes felt heavy on his chest. It would take time, patience, effort, resilience.

               However, when he turned around to meet her expectant smile, waiting for him to finish his sentence, it didn’t seem that impossible, and more than anything: he realized it would be worth it. She was worth it; and if he had been head over heels for her before, he realized he had another thing coming, because now that she was freer than ever, she would truly begin to shine and blossom in a way she couldn’t until now.

“It’s perfect.”

.

.

.

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Taglist: @of-virtuoso @justanothergenzkid @the-freefeather​ @complete-trash-101​

[dukeofstratford]

REVIEW: Immersive A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre

SOME PRODUCTION SPOILERS

Rating: 5/5 stars

Leaving the theatre felt like awaking from a dream.

Of all Shakespeare’s comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is likely the most widely performed. It’s a simple matter to understand why: memorable characters, fast-paced humor, beautiful poetry, lots of romance, and a distinct aesthetic. Linguistically, it is easy to understand, making it accessible to a wide variety of audience demographics. One can walk into many a Midsummer production and expect to come out satisfied. The challenge with Midsummer is, then, to present the play in a manner that is unique and captivating.           

The Bridge Theatre advertises two distinguishing characteristics of their 2019 production: first, Gwendoline Christie (of Games of Thrones and Star Wars fame) in the dual role of Hippolyta and Titania; second, that the performance is an immersive production. Audiences may purchase standard seats in the theatre-in-the-round space or stand in the pit (not entirely unlike the standing seats at Shakespeare’s Globe across the Thames). The latter are sold as the immersive tickets. When walking into the theatre, immersive ticketholders’ hands are stamped with a purple flower in case they need to reenter the space: a practical touch that immediately places them in the enchanted forest where the majority of the play takes place.           

This immersive experience begins more like an episode of a dystopian drama (The Handmaid’s Tale comes to mind) than a fanciful Renaissance comedy. Fifteen minutes before the show begins, Gwendoline Christie herself is brought onstage in a grey nun’s habit, standing stoically inside a massive glass box labeled “QUEEN OF THE AMAZONS.” A man in present-day Secret Service-esque garb, later revealed to be Philostrate, stands guard as a troupe of men (dressed in similar suits) and women (dressed in yet more grey habits) travel around the pit singing hymns and nationalist tunes to a harsh drumbeat. It’s chilling.           

When the play proper beings, the atmosphere is no less unsettling. This Athens is a cruel, stifling, patriarchal society. Theseus is detestable in his casual contempt of Hippolyta. The plight of Hermia (played with remarkable passion and tenderness by Isis Hainsworth) carries especially heavy weight. Hermia, Lysander, and Helena are children clearly suffering from the repressive world they live in, a world that stamps out all forms of joy.         

Everything changes when the scene transports to the forest. The silent and emotionless Philostrate enters and, in a fit of maniacal laughter, transforms into a tattooed, ragged-chic Puck. A fairy approaches to question him. Then the trapezes drop.           

From this point onward, the production becomes a high-energy, glittering festival of epic proportions. The first act introduces stakes, and the wild fun of the following two hours is granted a strong sense of poignancy and purpose. The promise of an immersive Midsummer experience does not disappoint. Fairies dance and flip on white cloth trapezes above the audience’s heads. Platforms rise and fall from different areas of the pit. Characters run past and hide behind audience members. At one point, the Rude Mechanicals check the date on an audience member’s phone calendar (and pause for a quick selfie). Before intermission, Nick Bottom and a royal fairy parade through the audience in a carnivalesque display of whirlwind romance. The show even concludes with a massive dance party in the pit, with cast members and patrons bouncing a massive moon-patterned beach ball around the stage as Beyoncé’s “Love on Top” plays. Yes, this is the same production that begins with a woman staring with glazed eyes from a glass prison. And it’s glorious.

Yet the production’s greatest shift from the conventional Midsummer experience is not found in its immersive staging, but rather in its interaction with the text. Director Nicholas Hytner utilizes traditional double casting: Oliver Chris as Theseus and Oberon, Christie as Hippolyta and Titania, and David Moorst as Philostrate and Puck. The lines between characters in these double-cast roles are blurred. In a certain but ambiguous sense, Hippolyta is Titania and Theseus is Oberon. In a compelling twist, the roles of Titania and Oberon are effectively reversed; most of Oberon’s lines have been reassigned to Titania, and vice versa. As a result, when Titania pulls her love-potion prank on Oberon, there is a sense that the playing field between Hippolyta and Theseus, too, has been leveled. The change is organic and adds a brilliant narrative weight to the characters’ arcs, and the joint happy ending that the Athenian rulers and the Fairy royalty share is blissful and satisfying.

There is not a single weak link in this cast. The lovers are youthful, vibrant, and energetic. Of note is Isis Hemsworth’s Hermia, whose tender and playful romance with Lysander gives the show much of its heart. Even Demetrius (Paul Adeyefa), a character easy to detest, is likable, and his dynamic with young rebel Lysander (Kit Young) never ceases to amaze. Tessa Bonham Jones’ Helena is refreshingly amiable, amusing, and rational instead of pathetic. Christie is more grounded than the majority of the cast, but pulls off her dual role with grace, poise, and heart. David Moorst’s Puck is full of manic energy, switching between gracefully swinging from a trapeze, twitching and cackling, and deadpan retorts with rich ease. His character is simultaneously cartoonish and unnerving. It’s a less intelligent, more foolish take on the knavish sprite, but a welcome one.

The real standout of the cast, however, is Hammed Animashaun as Nick Bottom, the weaver-turned-actor-turned-fairy-paramour. Animashaun brims with energy at every moment, delivering some of Shakespeare’s funniest lines with expertise and ease. His frequent ad-libs never cease to delight, and he excels at both physical comedy and vocal performance. He milks every joke for all it is possible worth, turning an already-hilarious character into a work of complete comic genius. He is well complimented by his fellow Rude Mechanicals, depicted as an overly-enthusiastic community theatre troupe (complete with matching sweatshirts). The “tragical mirth” of Pyramus and Thisbe is utter hilarity (and Theseus’ reactions to the unfolding drama are golden).

A myriad of designers worked on this production, and their work shines. Christina Cunningham and Giles Deacon’s anachronistic costume designs are brilliant. The success of the immersive staging cannot be stressed enough. The entire pit area is utilized, and actors and audience alike are kept safe by vigilant ushers directing patrons as platforms and set pieces rise and fall. The aerialist fairies are captivating and capture the whimsical spirit of Shakespeare’s text. Grant Olding’s music is well-composed and fitting for dramatic and heartfelt scenes while being hilariously juxtaposed by sound designer Paul Arditti’s all-too-fitting contemporary tunes for comic moments.

The Bridge and A Midsummer Night’s Dream have managed to do the impossible: present one of Shakespeare’s most widely-performed texts in a fresh, invigorating way. But their greatest feat is capturing the dreamlike spirit of the original. The dream motif, reflected by the use of leaf-strewn beds as recurring set pieces, is fully realized. Reality becomes fluid and subjective in the transformations of the fairies and the Athenian court. Bruno Poet’s lighting design is alternately striking and surreal. And when the audience leaves the theatre, their hair strewn with purple confetti, they feel as though they have awakened from a dream. And it’s certainly a good one.

[dollface13bish-blog]

Tom Holland x Ballerina! Reader (Part 1)

Tom Holland x Ballerina! Reader 

_____

It was a long tiring day of Pirouettes and Grande Jeté for Tom, he agreed to do a short video with a very kind young man call Joel, a short film of Joel's story of his path in ballet learning it from Africa to England... It was a powerful and great documentary and thought it wasn't very long in a video it took hours of filming and Tom was honestly beyond exhausted.

The crew and director told him it was a wrap and they can all go home already, as much fun as Tom had to film the video he was eager to head home after the long day of spinning and flipping in a dance studio then to see Tessa and just lay on the bed doing nothing.

He packed his bag and took his phone out then headed out the door  looking around his surroundings making sure it was clear of people for him to walk while looking at his phone and when it was he immediately went to Twitter then looked at the messages he received while he was filming, as he was taking a turn from the hallway to go to the staircase at the end of it he noticed a bunch of younger kids probably aged 5 to 10 were crowding around that one room looking at something.

Tom's presence wasn't noticed since the kids were way too distracted by something that was going on in that room and as he got closer he heard a piece of melodic music playing that he wasn't familiar with, he stopped behind the kids who were blocking him from getting closer to see the scene but fortunately he was taller than all of them giving him a clear view from his height, and quite honestly the view he got was beyond what he imagined.

In that room there was only one person, a girl with (H/C) hair that was tied into a tight bun with a few strands of hair out framing her face, she wore a black camisole leotard that had it's straps 'X' at the back, she had black stockings worn underneath with pink pointe shoes on her feet.

There she danced elegantly, her body moved with the music like her body was a river moving with the flow...he can see all her curves arch and stretch as she goes on pointe or leap with her fitting leotard that hugged her body beautifully, there wasn't a single fault at all as she moved...when the chorus hits she went into 'Attitude' position before twirling and flying into a leap landing gracefully before continuing going across the floor with Pique Turns, she was continuing ready to leap again but Tom missed it when a dance teacher came looking for the children, the kids gave their whines and upset pouts as the teacher came and told them it's time for their class to start and they dragged their feet back and started saying how they wanted to see the entire dance and how amazing it was, the teacher looked in the studio and gave a small smile as she looked at the dance display and said to Tom without looking at him

"Beautiful isn't it, every move...every leap... everything, even her...is gorgeous."

The woman said in a thick African accent, Tom then rips his attention off and chuckles embarrassed by how enchanted he was by the girls dance as he responded

"Yeah... It is very beautiful, and so is she..."

He said whisperings the last part hoping the lady didn't hear that but of course she did,

"Well..."

She paused and grazed her fingers across her box braids bun making sure it's neat in place

"She has been working hard for the big performance for months... wouldn't hurt to give a review, sure she'll feel more relaxed hearing a nice comment."

The lady smiled and walked off to her class, Tom didn't get to ask if that was okay to go in there and all that came out of his mouth was

"O-okay."

She made her turn across the hallway and Tom breathed out and looked back into the room with the mysterious girl dancing, she went into fifth position and did small spins across and stood at one leg pointe with her other leg up as high up as she can so it'll look like a split, she paused there as the music drum rolled intensely like she was waiting for the bass to drop so she can do an epic leap into the air but while she was in position Tom took note of her face and how she maintained it's calmness while in a very uncomfortable and painful position, it was so unreal how she could look so alluring and graceful...

The dance ended after the girl was in final position and gave a courtesy bow facing the mirror, Tom couldn't help but clap and the girls' eyes moved to look at the door from the mirror where Tom stood, she smiled kindly and walked to her bag at the mirror side grabbing her water bottle

"I didn't realize I had an audience...or rather a spectator, would've turned around while bowing courtesy."

She said as she drank her water while she had her leg on a bar to stretch her joints and muscles

"Oh er...I was just passing by and I saw a bunch of kids...so I came by and saw you dance..."

Tom didn't really know what to say, he was usually fine with talking to strangers but he didn't know why this particular girl made him so nervous and flustered, she, on the other hand, was calm and smooth the entire time

"Well... the kids do that often, sometimes they even try to follow which ends up being a large mess but I'm glad to see them with such determination and motivation."

She said sincerely, as she thought of the kids that come look at her dance every now and then

"Yeah...it is to see young kids look up to you and be inspired by you to pursue their dreams, makes all the hard work feel worth it."

Tom agreed, meaning every word he said... finally, he wasn't stuttering he though

"Exactly, well it was really nice meeting you...see you around?"

"Y-yea...I guess."

The girl had her leg off the bar and got on the floor stretching out her joints, Tom was a bit upset that he didn't know what other kinds of conversation to make with this girl without sounding like he was trying too hard so he turned and walked down the hallway to the exit but the weird urge in his gut to just turn around and say something, a voice in his head was just screaming that if he doesn't say something now he is gonna regret it, probably his conscience speaking or... yelling.

Suddenly his body moved on its own and he was walking...then fast walking...the running back to room as his heart was pounding out of his chest, he held the door to stop running as the girl was starting her music but heard loud and fast footsteps that stopped outside her door and turned around to look at that boy from before panting with his hands on his knees, she gave a surprise expression...before she can think of a reason why he was back here he blurted out

"You'reaverybeautifuldancer."

He blurted out so quickly it was barely audible but the girl understood what he said...but being a bit of a tease she pretended she didn't get that, she stopped what she was doing and got up walked gracefully to the boy with quiet steps stopping in front of him, she was shorter than him by a few inches so she looked up to look him in the eye...that made him a bit red but he didn't avert eye contact, instead he returned it.

Tom was far from embarrassed by his move but so far saw that she had no creeped out or disgusted expression, instead she got up and walked gracefully towards him...how is it that even by walking she can look so majestic he wondered, she stopped right in front of him their faces inches apart because of height difference, her eyes stared into his like she was trying to figure out something in him and he too couldn't get his eyes off hers, her eyes were a beautiful shade of (E/C) and they were shining with the light coming from the large window at the side of the studio, she had a very alluring scent that he can sort of make out, it was vanilla rose...with something else he couldn't point out.. honestly, he felt like a creep noticing these things but he couldn't help it, something about her was just so... uniquely beautiful

The silence between them was broken when she spoke in a gentle melodic tone...it was soft almost like a whisper just for him to hear and Tom swore he forgot how to breathe for a sec

"Say that again...I didn't catch it."

"Er... I-I said you were beautiful- NO- You're not beautiful, your dance was incredibly beautiful- NO WAIT, T-that's not what I mean, I don't mean you're not beautiful you are beautiful but I meant to say you-I MEAN, YOUR dance is beautiful and so are you. Your dance AND you are both exquisitely gorgeous..."

If there was an open window behind Tom right now he swore he will jump right out of it, he tried to play it cool but nope... his completely flustered expression and stuttering got the best of him, his eyes were squint shut as he was ready to get scoffed at for saying 'You're not beautiful' or maybe even slapped in the face but it for some reason neither happened so he opened one eye and saw the girl still there with a stoic face but suddenly she snorted and lets out a giggle then a loud laughter, it was extremely adorable, her laughter was pretty contagious but Tom couldn't laugh yet as he still felt like a fool

"Y-You..haha, are so cute...HAHAHA, oh my gosh... but thank you."

She said unable to control her laughter and cracked at the end from laughing, she wipes off a laugh tear coming out and saw how red Tom turned the moment she said he was cute and continued the laughter

"You're so sweet... honestly that was so kind and thoughtful to say, I needed some comments on the recital but I didn't want to spoil the dance for them on the actual date itself...so thank you."

She was still a bit giggly but was calmer and finally, Tom was able to chuckle out in relief that the girl didn't hate him or find him odd

"You're welcome...it was all honest words so keep up the great work... Ms...?..."

He didn't know her name...7 minutes he spent enthralled by her dance and 5 minutes he spent trying to talk to her like a normal human being...12 minutes in total and he didn't even ask for her name...now that's a bit embarrassing especially now when he tries to use it

"Oh goodness, where are my etiquettes...how rude of me, well my name is Y/N, Y/N L/N and you are..."

"Oh er, Tom Holland."

He thought her name was beautiful, it rolls off the tongue and it really matched her beauty and elegance

"Tom Holland... your name sounds familiar...do I know you?"

She had her thumb on her lip in a thinking motion as if she were trying to remember where she heard it before but Tom helped out

"Er... I'm actually an actor so you may have seen me in a few films.."

"Films? I don't watch a lot of movies unfortunately but I think that I may have seen one you were in... Were you in 'Heart of the sea' ?"

Tom wasn't really expecting people to remember him through that film, not since he became Spiderman

"... Yeah, yeahhh, that was 4 years ago..."

"It was a wonderful film...very powerful, inspired by the story Moby Dick, classic tale, you were great in it, really captured the expression and feels of the story, it's a real talent"

Tom blushed at that comment...Y/N liked his acting and thought he was talented,

"So what other films were you in?"

She headed back into the room and Tom followed behind, looking around the studio and all the mirror in front of them

"There was...'The impossible'...I was 15, and...my favourite role was being Spiderman."

He said proudly, Y/N turned around and looked at him.

"You play Spiderman?"

That really made Tom's heart dropped a bit,

"I, unfortunately, don't watch superhero movies or anything like comics or action films cause...being a ballerina I watch more French films or just ballet performances than anything in the world, but honestly if I had to choose a superhero... it'll be Spiderman."

Y/N said honestly, she had to watch Spiderman when she used to watch her nephew and though she wasn't exactly interested in the film she did think Spiderman was a very interesting and righteous character, but Spiderman she watched was played by Andrew Garfield,

"Oh, so you like Spiderman more?"

Tom asked eagerly, quite ecstatic to hear her favourite was the character he was playing

"Yeah, you know use to watch my nephew and little boys love superheroes so ended up watching shit loads of DC and Marvel films, Superman, wonder woman, Ironman, Captain America, Thor, Spiderman...you know the lot."

"Yeah, so who did your nephew like most?"

"Honestly, he loved Ironman, probably cause Ironman gets to fly and has a cool suit."

Y/N chuckled at that thought how her nephew fanboys over Ironman and how he flipped out when he got an action figure of it

"Hahaha, of course...kids love Ironman."

Tom thought it was adorable, he loved Ironman and Robert Downey Junior growing up so he was as much as a fanboy as her nephew, they had a little laugh together and talked a bit more but soon Tom had to go and Y/N had to practice,

"Well...it was nice meeting you."

Y/N goes first and Tom gives a half smile

"Yea...nice meeting you too."

Tom gives a wave and turns to head for the door as Y/N watches, he looked a bit disappointed like he wanted to hang out a bit more and honestly, Y/N kinda wanted to as well but she has to rehearse,

"Wait!"

Y/N called out stopping Tom in his tracks and he turned around a bit too fast

"I was thinking...since you saw my rehearsal, would... you like to see the actual performance."

She suggested with a hopeful smile and Tom blushed and said

"P-performance? Yours, well er, I- yeah, YEAH. I'm sure since there's no filming- yeah I can go, *cough*."

He stuttered out trying his best to sound smooth

"Great... Glad to hear that, so what's your number."

"My, my what?"

Y/N chuckled at his surprised reaction

"Number...I going to have to send you the location... details, tickets."

She raised an eyebrow like it was obvious and chuckled as she finished her sentence and Tom turned completely red from that, he passed her his phone as she puts her number in and his into hers

"And maybe if you'd like you could ask me out and we could go to the after party together..."

"Yes! I mean *cough*, yeah sure... Will you go to the after with me?"

Y/N laughed at his sweet 'Invitation' as she closes the distance between them leaning towards him as their noses almost touch from her being on Tip toes

"Yes, I'll go with you."

Giving him a soft peck on the cheek and turned back to play her music and goes into starting position,

"See you on the big day, Tom ."

She says as the song plays and she starts to dance,

"Yeah see you...Y/N."

He touches the side of the cheek that Y/N kissed and makes a turn and was out of her sight, and he started jumping up and down exclaiming 'YES!' under his breath as he strolled down the staircase, he may look kinda stupid with his big goofy grin, his hand on his cheek and holding his phone to his chest like it was his child but he didn't mind, he was way to buoyant to care.

....

Fast forward to that night Tom can't stop thinking about Y/N, he looked at his phone and her number wanting to send a text or maybe just call but kept having this weird anxiety chanting inside his head saying stuff like

'You're way too forward.'

'She'll probably be creeped out if you call.'

'C' mon she just invited you to a performance what did you think she meant?'

'She knew you from a role where you were playing just a lanky boy.'

Oh does he hate having these feels and thoughts overcome him when all he wants to do is to text someone, he has text tons of people but damn this was stressful...he even believed that texting Queen Elizabeth II would be easier than this.

But finally he lay on his bed a wrote a simple 'Hey.' in the messaging box and looked at it for minutes...is that too little? Or too much? And he decided to make it less awkward and stiff so he added a smiling emoji, he looked at the text for another 5 minutes and finally said fuck it and sent the text, he threw his phone to his side and covered his face with his hands and threw his head back and groaned in agony immediately regretting everything he's done but suddenly his phone's messaging tone rang and he fell off his bed and grabbed his phone quickly opening it to see it was a reply from Y/N.

Y/N was at home and just finished her shower and was in a comfortable white cotton robe, she got on the couch with ice packs on her legs after her hours of rehearsal, she switched on the television with a bowl of soup on her hand and laid on her side having her hand be a head support as she switches the channels trying to find something interesting to watch... Times like these make her wish she didn't live alone in her apartment... she's got all this space and an amazing view of the city from where she sat but still...all this and all her friends yet she still felt the silence echoing through her hallways... Suddenly she got on the certain channel and saw the new Spiderman trailer, usually she would've skipped it but she didn't, maybe cause the a certain someone was behind that Spiderman mask and like she thought it was him, the boy that 'asked' her to the ballet after party, he was insanely adorable in his suit and the way he spoke in his Queens accent and thought of him speaking just now in his British accent... she'll hand it to him that he nailed the accent and the moves,

"... Spiderman homecoming, catch it in theatre on July 7th..."

The trailer finished and she chuckled at the thought of that adorable guy she just met fighting crime in a spider suit, suddenly her phone's message ringtone went off and she raised an eyebrow...a message at this time? All her friends were probably sleeping but she's still awake so she shouldn't be weirded out, it was a message by Spiderman himself, she grinned and  opened the text

'Hey😊'

She thought for a second and responded

'Hi☺️'

She typed and send, bit down on her nails and waited for a reply.

Tom read her response and it was a 'Hi' with a smiling emoji but a smaller smiling one, what to write now? He then decided to be more chill and relax and ask about what she did after he left

Tom: 'So, how was dance after I left?'

A few seconds later a reply came

Y/N: 'Great, your comment made me feel better and I can say it went smoothly.'

Tom: 'That's amazing, glad to hear that it made you feel better.'

Y/N: 'Well...what about you, is the night going well for you.'

Tom chuckled at that and replied easily

Tom: 'Yeah well, Typical night as always, With the dog, Watching TV and snacking on stuff I shouldn't be snacking on late at night, you?'

Y/N: 'Well I guess almost same as you, except no dog, no chips, with ice packs on my legs and you're in it, but TV is a yeah.'

The two talked for hours through the night about everything, favourite dance, favourite food and movies, Tom talked about the time he was mistaken Robert Downey Juniors stunt double to be him and Y/N on the time she did a leap to far and jumped off stage landing on her teacher, they both had a great night just texting on the bed...it just felt like they were beside each other.

....

The day came, the big dance performance, it was two weeks after Tom met Y/N and now he's in front of a mirror dressed up for the performance, he was in a 2 piece grey checkered suit and inside he was a white turtle neck that was a perfect fit on his body, his hair was combed neatly and he looked at his entire self-thinking

'Am I overdressed?'

'Do I look like I'm trying too hard?'

He wondered but he really didn't want to show up being underdressed cause it'll look as if he didn't really care how he looked in front of her, he's been texting her every day since they've exchanged numbers and by now he was sure he had a crush on her but he really didn't have the guts to tell her and scare her off... And even if he did finally typed something a bit more flirty she would flirt back or be very smooth and play it off...did she not like him? He didn't know but whether she likes him or not he definitely wanted to see her performance...the first time he saw it charmed him off his feet and now here he stood pondering whether Y/N likes him or not and whether or not he's overdressed.

Tom looks back at the rose bouquet on the table wrapped in white with a red bow, inside writing a letter for Y/N to read and he sigh...will she realize how he felt and reject him, he didn't know but he was definitely giving them to her, he looked beside the Bouquet and saw his clock, '7:30' shit...the performance starts at 8:00 and he spent 30 minutes just looking at the same outfit, he grabbed the Bouquet and tickets then ran out of the door and hailed the nearest cab when he reached the side of the road, luckily he got one.

Y/N was already at the dance theatre at 3 to get ready, from early rehearsal to prepping the younger kids with their hair and makeup since they went before her to start the show, she made sure the music was right then at 5 she started getting ready, her makeup was just foundation, her eyebrows, some redx brown eyeshadow and gold on the lids and inner corner of the eye, a simple wing liner, mascara, light contour, blush and cherry red lipstick...she looked in the mirror and she has to admit she looked ethereal like, she had a tight low bun with golden pieces on it like leaves and gold flowers than on her head was a golden crown with a charm dangling in the centre of her head between her curtain fringe, her dress was all white with a sweetheart neckline and two arm bracelets that had white fabric attached with another arm bracelet below so it looks like two puffy sleeves on her arms, she wore a gorgeous white tutu that had golden chains and detailing on them and red gems and crystals attached on it, the detailing was similar to the pattern on her dress top and to finish off her outfit was her white Pointe shoes...like that she was ready to go on stage, but before she left her room her phone rang and she checked it...it was a message from Tom, she opened it and saw an adorable selfie of him on the front seat in the dance theatre and caption was

'Excited for the performance 😆!'

His Express was like the emoji he sent and it was so precious, she texted him back with a picture of her pointe shoes and wrote

'Well, you won't be disappointed.😬'

She puts her phone down and goes on stage... wondering if she could see Tom from where she'll perform.

The curtains drew open and there was a bunch of kids in dancing together...12 to be exact, 12 little girls dancing in sync to a beautiful song and Tom watched fascinated and after a few minutes they dispersed and went behind the curtain and another 12 older girls came out and joined hands as they were lined in a large circle, Tom later looked closer and saw Y/N, all the girls had the same dance but it seemed like Y/N part was more important...she danced better than all the girls he thought but of course didn't say and judging by the audience eyes he believe they thought the same since they paid more attention to her. The performance went on with the 12 girls on stage dancing then the set changed with more people coming in and Y/N stood in the middle of the stage while everyone else had a partner dancing around her, suddenly lights dimmed and only a source of light landed on her then on someone, a man dressed in all black came in the picture and walked to Y/N, everyone around them looked afraid of him except for the character Y/N played, he gave her his hand to dance and she accepted it, the two had a dance duet together with the light mostly on them with dark intense music playing, Y/N did a bunch of hard dangerous leaps, pointes and Pirouettes but she didn't flinch or stumble...she danced Beautifully.

Tom simply couldn't stop looking at her, the way she moved and the elegance she had...was marvellous, the ending of the performance was Y/N solo, it was the same dance Tom saw when he passed her door a week ago, exactly the same and he saw how everyone was just as enchanted by her dance...the white and gold backdrop and beautiful light shining on her...she looked like a goddess, she was literally shining like an Angel and Tom thought he liked her...no, he has fallen deep for her.

The end of the dance Y/N joined hands with the guy she danced and beside her was everyone she shared the stage with, they bowed as the crowd veered and Y/N looked around and spotted Tom in the front seat, one of the spectators that stood up to clap and her smile got wider and waved at him, he returned the wave and the curtains draw...he then went to the backstage and showed the guards the pass and they let him in, he passed by dancers and makeup artist, people who helped with the performance or was in the performance in general,saw him and started whispering,

'Is that Tom Holland?'

'Isn't that the guy that played Spiderman?'

'What is Tom Holland doing here.'

Tom didn't mind since he was used to it but he really couldn't find Y/N room and he asked one of the girls

"Hey..er do you know where I can find Y/N's room?"

She nodded without saying a thing like she has seen a ghost and pointed at it,

"Oh, thanks."

He thanked her and went off and he swore he heard her squeal and her friends were crowding around her asking her what he said or what happened, Tom got to her room and knocked on the door,

"Who is it?"

That was her voice

"Er...it's me, Tom."

There was a pause and the door opened and revealed Y/N, she had her bun removed but her crown was still on, she smiled and let him in

"Please come in, take a seat at the couch, sorry it's so messy."

She apologized and went to get a glass of water but Tom stopped her by tapping on her shoulder

"I- I ahem, I got these for you."

He handed the beautiful bouquet and Y/N looked surprised, her eyes glowed and she covered her mouth with one hand before removing them to hold the bouquet with both her hands

"Tom...t-these are..*Chuckle* these are beautiful, oh my gosh thank you I love them."

She hugged him and he was shocked but returned it gleefully, she puts the flowers on her vanity and took the letter out going to read it but Tom stopped her

"WAIT, er read that when you are alone please.."

Y/N grinned and raised an eyebrow and said

"Why? Did you write me a love confession?"

Tom didn't say anything but blush at that, Y/N laughed and said

"Just kidding, ok I'll read it when I get home but now, I need to get ready for the after party everyone will be there."

She goes behind a white privacy screen and starts changing and Tom just sat there looking around then he hears the dress fall to the ground and sees Y/N silhouette from the screen, she was definitely naked now and he looked away feeling embarrassed and like a perv...he shouldn't be gawking at her thought but his eyes wouldn't stop going back to look, every part of her body her curves and all can he seemed through her silhouette and damn was her body beautiful... she wore a two-piece from what he can tell, the top was long sleeve with and puffed out at her elbow then a puffy organza skirt, she came out and he saw the colour was Blue and Gold, it was simply breathtaking especially since it was on her, she removed her cherry red lipstick and has gloss on instead, puts her heels on and looks at Tom smiling,

"Let's go."

Tom gets up and puts his arm out for Y/N to hold on and she did, they walked out of the room as they go down the hallway of staff and dancers as they broke out in louder whispers but they didn't care, Y/N and Tom got into the Cab that was to bring them to the party and they left the dance theatre, they were going to come back after the party anyways.

....

When they arrived and entered the room Y/N was immediately greeted by her ex-judges, teachers, dance mates and everyone, it seemed like she was pretty well known in this room and people turn and see the Tom Holland with her and they ask for autographs and start asking why he's here and he just answers truthfully that he was here with Y/N as her friend... It felt a bit sour saying friend he thought.

The party was going well, a bit dancing, drinking, eating and mingling around and at one point Tom dragged Y/N to the dance floor as they dance to Lean on by Major Lazer and it was intense, at first Y/N was slightly stiff but once she got a hang of it she was pretty good and got in sync with Tom as they partied and danced another 3 or 4 songs before going to Y/N's best friend Yvonne to play never have I ever drink edition.

"Okay okay *Laughs* Never have I ever... leapt way too far off of the stage and onto a teacher."

Nobody drank and laughed at that, who on earth has done that they wondered and suddenly Y/N downed a shot and everyone roared of laughter.

"NO WAY!"

"GIRL NO, YOU DIDN'T."

"HOLY FUCK WHEN."

the comments came flooding in as they laughed their heads off and Y/N explained what happened in a very fast story and it was her turn to call the shots, she looks at Tom and smirk,

"Never have I ever... mistaken a celebrity for his Stunt double."

Everyone looked at each other and laugh... who's guilty this time and Tom embarrassed downed his drink, everyone lost it immediately and asked who it was and when he said Robert Downey Junior they started rolling on the floor, it was an insanely fun night and probably the best Tom had in a long time.

The party was ending soon with everyone just sitting around and talking or drinking so Y/N went out to get some fresh air and Tom followed, they walked around the large balcony and looked at the moon and they start talking about strange theories they have like how some humans are disguised as aliens and live among us or just some other weird stuff, suddenly Y/N tiredness kicked in her legs went weaker... dancing and not taking a rest can really turn your legs all jelly and her legs just stopped working and she fell on Tom's chest,

"So the thing is I swear I saw someone talking gibberi- woah!"

"Oh, hey! I got you."

He held her waist and her hands on his arms grabbing on for support, she looked down to her feet and saw her foot twisted slightly causing her to wince in pain,

"Ow...ow, damn these heels."

She complained and Tom laughed, finally she looked forward and made eye contact with Tom...they were just inches apart and she could feel his breath on her face, She felt her cheeks heat only slightly while Tom...was cherry red,

"Yo- you need to sit down."

He breaks the silence and Y/N agrees by nodding and mouthing a 'yeah', he helped her to the balcony ledge that was very broad so it was safe and she leaned on the statue on the ledge, Tom got down and check her foot and held it to get a closer look,

"You'll be fine, it's not that serious."

"Yeah... I've had days like these, just need some massaging and icing and I'll be good to go."

She said thinking about all the times she sprained and twisted her ankle...she has already lost count, Tom finally got up and was taller than her since she was sitting down, suddenly he laughed and Y/N looked at him confused,

"What's so funny?"

"Just the face you made like you're recalling all the time you hurt yourself and losing count of how many times it's happened."

He continues laughing and Y/N gives an angry pout and playfully smacks his arm but she almost lost balance almost falling off the ledge, luckily Tom was fast and grabbed her waist,

"Fuck, Y/N you need to be more careful."

"I jumped off a stage so you know... but still thanks."

Their eyes made contact again, Y/N looking up since sitting where she was made her short and Tom was grabbing her waist to make sure she doesn't fall off but now he can't seem to let go,

"Tom...why don't you have a girlfriend."

Y/N said in that same quiet and gentle tone that sounded like a whisper just for him...never leaving eye contact instead deepening it

"... You've asked me many questions but I've yet to ask you any...I'll answer you after you answer mine..."

Tom said in the same tone and Y/N kept quiet... But gave a look that said okay

"Why don't you have a boyfriend..."

He asked nervously hoping that didn't sound weird

"Because...no one understood that my life... isn't just for them...I love the stage...I love the pain of standing in those pointe shoes...I love ballet, but none of them understood that... None of them knew that being a performer I have divided priorities... They want me to pick but I can't... I'll never."

The silence sunk in...Tom sort of gets it, being a celebrity and trying to be just a normal person doing normal things wasn't easy... having a relationship was hard since they always want you to be around 24/7 but obviously Tom can't... cameras, premieres, they will always be around... He can never choose one over the other but for Y/N...he believed he'll give up acting to be with her,

"Now you...why don't you have a girlfriend..."

Y/N leaned in as their foreheads almost touch and so did Tom... helping close the distance,

"Cause...I haven't found the one..."

Y/N stopped moving forward and averted eye contact by looking down,

"Until now."

Tom finished and leaned closer, Y/N looked into his eyes again and she knew she shouldn't kiss him... not now not ever...she knew she didn't want to lose another relationship...she was used to it not working out but with Tom...she didn't want to lose it at all but he was too magnetic... pulling her into his charm, this moment this very moment...she fell for him knowing how she couldn't...

The distance closed between them and their lips brushed across each other before it collided...it felt like a firework started in their chest feeling a spark between them the moment touched, it was a gentle and simple kiss that was moving without a second of hesitation or awkward pauses... it was perfect, his lips fit perfectly on hers as he pulled her closer and her hand brushed across his face pulling him closer...their lips in sync as they kissed under the Moonlight...

The kiss ended and their foreheads were on each other, Y/N hands on Tom's chest feeling his heartbeat and Tom's hand on her waist whilst the other was on the back of her neck...it must have slid up from her back as he tried to pull her closer...

"We shouldn't do this..."

Y/N said quietly,

"Why not..."

Tom stepped closer didn't look at him...so many reasons why they can't be together...and not one she can say...or is capable of saying...she couldn't say a word, is she can freeze him she would want to stay in this moment forever... never has she ever felt so much for a man like Tom or felt such energy immersed from her when kissing someone...

She looks at him in the eye and stares at it like she was looking at the universe for the first time and shuts them close gently... This may be the last time she'll allow herself this close to him so she had to take in the moment.

[courageous-she]

Comfort- Tom Holland

anonymous asked: can u write a tom x reader that the reader walks weirdly because of a disease that she has in her legs and feet and tom's fans make bullying on her because of it? there's a disease called 'neuropathy', you can find about it on google but what i can say is that that disease sucks

a/n: this was a request! I hope you like it, i know its short (sry) Please let me know if i got anything wrong and i will gladly change it. I don’t know much about neuropathy so i asked my mom who’s a nurse.

You were diagnosed with a condition called ‘Neuropathy’ at the young age of 10 years old. Basically, due to nerve damage in your legs and feet, you were left with permanent numbness and muscle weakness making it extremely difficult for you to walk. You’d endured a fair share of bullying throughout the years but had developed a tough enough skin to power through.

That all changed however, as soon as you started dating Tom Holland. Meeting Tom was a dream come true, but for him to want to hang out with you, and for that to develop into a relationship; well that was just a pure miracle.

But Tom made you feel like the most amazing person. He loved you unconditionally and supported you through everything. Sure, there were fans who pointed and stared at you when the two of you were out, but you learned to ignore it as you did with the bullying you had previously experienced.

You were currently at home, lying in bed next to an already asleep Tom, with Tessa at his feet. He’d had an extremely long press day and turned in early; you deciding to join him. You weren’t really that tired though, so you’d ended up scrolling through the explore page on Instagram.

You noticed a picture of you and Tom and decided to click on it. Seeing it was a video, you watched the short 30 seconds. It was a video of Tom holding your hand while the two of you walked Tess.

TomHollander13: We all know they’re just Tom’s charity case…

Tears pricked your eyes as you read the caption. How could fans of Tom be so rude to someone he loves? You questioned. Trying to shake it off, you scrolled down hoping to find more positive content. Instead you were flooded with a sea of pictures and videos poking fun at the way you walked.

Of course, it wasn’t your fault that you’d been diagnosed with Neuropathy. And it certainly wasn’t your fault that you walked the way you did. Trying to muffle your crying, you turned on your side and pressed your head into the pillow. Your phone was still glowing in your hand when you felt a strong arm wrap itself around your waist.

“Love? Love, what’s wrong?” Tom grew concerned as he felt your body shake. He turned you around so that you were now facing him and grabbed your phone from your hand. Tapping it to show the screen, he scrolled to see what you had been looking at. “Shit. Love, why are you looking at this?”

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think it was going to be a hate post” you cried, wiping the tears from your eyes. Tom put your phone down and pulled you closer to him. Your head rested on his chest while he stroked your hair. “But they’re right, I do walk weird and maybe I’m slowing you down.”

“Don’t you dare, Y/N. We’ve talked about this so many times, darling. Your neuropathy doesn’t define you and I’ll be damned if anyone tells you otherwise.” Tom pulled you closer to him as you slowed your breathing. Wiping the final tears from your eyes, you looked up at Tom. He was looking at you with such adoration and love.

“How do you always know the right things to say?” you asked, a small smile forming on your lips. But Tom’s face was still slightly serious.

“I don’t want you to look at things like that, darling. People who post anything negative about you, my family, or my friends are not fans. My fans love you just as much as I do, more if that’s even possible (but it’s not).” He grabbed his phone off of the nightstand and started looking for something. A second later he was showing you post after post on Instagram, praising you and your relationship.

TH2013-Spidey: Y/N is the most amazing person. She deserves the world (which is Tom, so she’s already winning)

Mcufan: Tom treats Y/N like a princess, I’m so jealous of their relationship

Ironspidey: HOW DO I GET A TOM HOLLAND LIKE Y/N HAS. Y/N IS BEAUTIFUL AND I SHIP THIS RELATIONSHIP

“People are really saying this about me?” Tom clicked his phone closed and wrapped his arms back around you.

“Yes, love. They adore you and they don’t care about your neuropathy. You’re an amazing person and I get messages everyday saying how much they want to meet and hug you.” You were shocked at the news. You’d never really delved into Tom’s fandom much, but you’d just assumed there would be more hate about you than positivity.

The two of you continued to talk about Tom’s fans and how much they loved the two of you together. Eventually, the conversation turned into the things you loved about one another. The last thing you remember was the feeling of Tom’s arms wrapped around you and hearing the words “Reason number 25 of why I love Y/N…”