#jonah just hug her you don't

[princessanonymous]

When Night Comes

Platonic Yandere Vampire

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First Chapter

20. 𝓢𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 (𝓞𝓻 𝓪𝓼 𝓛𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓼 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓝𝓮𝓮𝓭)

As the days unfolded, (Y/n) found herself slowly embracing a sense of ease. It marked the third day away from the vampires, and Dorian had yet to find her. The sisters at the nunnery, though aware of little about her past, treated her with kindness. They likely assumed she was a noble child whose family had fallen victim to a vampire attack. While not entirely true, the fact remained: she was now an orphan. The idea of being sent to an orphanage lingered in the background, but for now, the sisters seemed to enjoy her presence, and she, in turn, appreciated theirs.

In the cozy living room, (Y/n) engaged in companionship with some of the nuns. Glancing outside on the sunny day, she made a face — too bright and too sunny. After months of living nocturnally, adapting to the daytime proved more challenging than (Y/n) expected.

Turning her attention elsewhere, she marveled at the beautiful handcrafts one nun was creating — a delicate handkerchief adorned with flowers and butterflies. "Does this take a lot of time?" she inquired, observing Sister Margaret's skilled embroidery.

Smiling, Sister Margaret shook her head. "Once you've mastered the basics, it becomes an easy, even pleasant task," she explained calmly.

A knock at the door disrupted their peaceful moment. Three men entered, one clad in religious garb and the other two resembling battle-hardened hunters. Knives and stakes adorned their brown leather belts. Father Thomas, a familiar face, led the group. The priest routinely visited the nunnery. The hunters, though, were completely unfamiliar to her.

"Hello, (Y/n)," Father Thomas greeted with a grandfatherly smile. "How are you today?"

"Good," she replied briefly.

The priest gestured to the hunters. "Allow me to introduce Archibald and Jonah Rowan. They are vampire hunters. They will help us track down the vampire that attacked you."

Vampire hunters? A shiver ran down her spine at the sight of their weaponry. "What will you do to him?" she asked hesitantly, trying to maintain composure.

Archibald stepped forward gruffly, "We'll track that beast down and send it back right where it's s'posed to be; in Hell."

She bit her lip, uncertain.

"We just need ya' to tell us everythin' you know 'bout this thing," added the other.

Reluctance crept inside her ; she was unsure if she wanted to do that. She couldn't bring herself to tell them anything she knew. Killian was with Dorian, which meant that if she sent the hunters to him, his partner would be attacked too. Even then, she didn't want to aid in killing Dorian. She knew she should, but she didn't want to. He hadn't hurt her that bad; he had treated her— no matter how he had treated her, he just didn't deserve such a fate.

Looking away, she clutched her doll, Clementine, close. Killian had put it in her bags and she had been relieved when she found it. It was like a souvenir of him. "I don't— I don't remember anything,” she gulped.

"Are you sure, (Y/n) ?" The priest questioned skeptically with a probing stare.

"I don't remember anything," she reiterated more fervently, hugging the doll defensively. "Why would I lie?"

They exchanged hesitant glances, some unconvinced, unsure why she'd conceal the vampire's identity. Opting not to disclose further information, (Y/n) focused on rearranging Clementine's dress, witnessing the frustration on the hunters' faces as they posed more questions unanswered. She simply chose silence.

⊱ ────── {⋆𖤐⋆} ────── ⊰

Someone knocked at the door to the room she had been staying in for the past five days. She stood up from her modest bed, a sense of routine settling into her life. 

"Good morning, dear. Why don't you come down to eat?" Sister Margaret invited, her voice gentle and reassuring. The girl nodded appreciatively, grateful for the sense of normalcy and compassion that surrounded her in this place. She followed the older woman, their footsteps echoing through the quiet corridors, a stark contrast to the oppressive silence of the estate she had left behind.

Together, they descended the stairs, arriving in the communal area where the other inhabitants of the house were already seated for breakfast. The atmosphere was a far cry from the gloomy estate she had escaped. Here, the air was filled with a calm and pleasant energy, a stark departure from the tension that had become the norm in her previous surroundings.

Breakfast unfolded as a tranquil, communal affair. The residents engaged in light conversation, sharing anecdotes and laughter that resonated with genuine warmth. The contrast to the heavy, stifling meals at the estate was stark. Here, the air was filled with a sense of camaraderie and acceptance.

(Y/n) appreciated the small talk, the mundane discussions that seemed almost magical in their simplicity. The nuns were welcoming, never pressuring her to conform to any expectations. It felt like a breath of fresh air, the light-hearted and carefree atmosphere she had been deprived of for far too long.

Seated at the table, (Y/n) chose to remain quiet, observing the interactions around her. She found solace in the light-hearted banter, relishing the newfound freedom to simply listen and be present. It was a stark departure from the oppressive silence that often accompanied her meals in the estate, and she savored the moments of normalcy.

The people around her in this new place seemed genuinely kind, their gestures and words motivated by a compassion that was almost foreign to her. Their warmth enveloped her without being overbearing, and she found solace in the genuine care that surrounded her. It was a stark contrast to the kind of love she had experienced in the gloomy estate.

As she sat at the breakfast table, her stomach twisted a bit. The contrast between the meals here and those at the vampire’s estate brought forth a mix of emotions. Dorian's way of caring, though vastly different and at times unsettling, lingered in her thoughts. In a strange, messed-up way, she found herself longing for it even in the midst of this newfound haven.

Her mind wandered to memories of hands brushing through her hair, the warmth of a kiss on her forehead, or the sensation of a hand holding her wrist with a vice-like, firm grip. These were nothing but fragments of the past, haunting her in the present. These were nothing but phantom touches, feelings that would most likely disappear eventually. For now, however, they felt comforting ; like she wasn't alone and he wouldn't leave. It was a thought that both terrified her and brought her a form of solace.

Was it normal to long for someone who had caused her so much pain? The question lingered, only troubling her more,

Five days.

Only five days and she already missed that place; her lavish prison. He must have done something to her, must have messed her up somehow, causing this inner turmoil to brew within her.

She flinched visibly, the sudden touch triggering an instinctive reaction that she couldn't control. The hand that had innocently rested on hers quickly retreated at her adverse response. Sister Gloria, with a heart full of concern, had a visibly worried expression on her face, having keenly observed the gloom that had settled over (Y/n). The girl gave her a strained smile, not knowing what else to do. The woman's expression softened slightly, but the creases of worry on her forehead remained.

After the meal, once she finished helping them clean up the place, Sister Glaria requested her help in feeding Pepper, the horse that had aided in her escape. While the nunnery didn't have a stable, they had set up a small temporary cabin to ensure the horse was well taken care of.

The girl readily agreed and followed Sister Gloria to the makeshift stable. As they entered, the familiar presence of Pepper greeted them, the horse's gentle eyes reflecting a sense of trust that had been forged during their shared journey through the forest.

(Y/n) petted the horse affectionately, expressing her gratitude for Pepper's assistance. The revelation that horses could be trained to navigate an entire trip on their own had been surprising to her. The journey through the dense forest had been long, and she hadn't arrived until the sun had set. It hadn’t been a linear path either, Pepper had trudged through the plants and trees masterfully, turning left or right at different points until they finally reached their destination.

"What is her name?" asked Sister Gloria with a soft smile, her curiosity evident. It was then that (Y/n) realized she had never shared the name of the mare with those at the nunnery.

Caught off guard, she blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Pepper."

The nun's eyebrows rose in recognition, a light of realization in her eyes. "Oh, that must be why she looks so familiar."

(Y/n) furrowed her brows in confusion. "She does?"

"A brunette with long hair. He took strolls around here for the last month, practically every day, with the same precise path, and occasionally came to talk to us. That’s how we learned this mare’s name."

As the nun spoke, (Y/n)'s mind raced, trying to piece together the information. A gentleman with a familiar routine, someone who had taken the time to introduce Pepper to the nunnery. She smiled faintly; Killian.

The woman paused for an instant and placed a hand on her mouth. "Oh dear, he hasn't come here recently... Is he— was he... your father ?" 

The nun jumped to the unlikely and wrong conclusion that Killian could be her dead father, but (Y/n) shut that down quickly. She shook her head, "No, an... acquaintance. Someone that helped." Misunderstandings were quick to happen when she wasn’t telling them the whole truth, but she thought it was better that way. 

Sister Goria sighed in relief. There was a moment of silence as she fed a carrot to Pepper.

"Sister Gloria, what is going to happen to me now?" (Y/n) finally asked a question she dreaded the answer to.

The woman remained silent for sometime, before saying, "Word of mouth has already begun to circle around. Local villages have been informed. We will find a place for you. Maybe in an orphanage or a benevolent family."

Dread took hold of (Y/n). She didn't like the sound of those options, neither an orphanage nor being placed with a family she didn't know. However, the nun offered an alternative, a glimmer of hope in the form of staying here.

"But, you could also stay here if you wish to," she added with a warm smile. "We would love to have a young girl around here to liven up the mood. I am sure nobody would mind."

The idea of being part of a community that had shown her kindness and understanding felt less daunting. She mused at the possibility, imagining herself contributing to the lighthearted atmosphere she had grown to appreciate.

"You don't have to decide now," assured the nun.

That struck her in an odd way. 'You don't have to decide now'. She had a choice, didn't she? The realization sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach, a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

"I like that," she managed to say, her voice cracking slightly, "I like that very much."

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi clan if you want to can you do a friendly alternate!reader who befriends Adam and Jonah before volume 2 and saves them both?

Wooo yeah BPS bois coming up!!!

......

First Meeting

During one of Adam's and Jonah's BPS missions, they encountered you, an Alternate hiding in some video game console/TV.

The two (esp Jonah) freaked tf out when they saw your silhouetted figure pop up on the menu screen after they started messing around with the game.

But while Jonah ran out of the room, Adam stayed and learned you're actually nice and don't wanna take over anybody's identity, refusing to hurt any humans.

In fact, you used to befriend the kid who owned this gaming system before they fell victim to M.A.D by another Alternate, and you missed them a lot :(

You expressed guilt in failing to protect them, which surprises Adam.

He then suggests you joined BPS. Since you're a benevolent Alternate, you could probably answer some of his questions and protect him and Jonah during investigations!

You were very eager to accompany them, seeing this as your way of "atoning". Maybe you can convince the Alternates they encounter to be kinder, too.

Ofc, you knew what happened to Adam's mom (as well as his true nature), but choose not to bring it up.

Obviously Jonah's not a fan of you hanging around them, at first, but Adam keeps telling him to "stop acting like a pussy" (a phrase you wind up mimicking, much to the former's ire).

Sometimes you accidentally scare tf out of him when you speak through the radio/GPS, or if you're sitting in the back of the van.

Tbh Jonah forgets you're there like 80% of the time.

"So what kinda pizza you want? Cheese? Pepperoni-?"

"Can we get cheese?"

"JESUS FUCK-"

Never let this man drive bc he WILL slam on the gas/breaks if you startle him like that.

Volume 2

You knew the client who offered the duo $500 per night was an Alternate dead set on isolating them.

But ofc many humans are inherently greedy, so the boys take the bait, with Adam confident they can handle it.

You stay in the car with Jonah for the first night, keeping him company and assuring him you'll protect them both..though he insists on having a bad feeling about the house.

While Preacher stalks them, you basically tell her to back off, pretending they're your victims to claim.

But unfortunately, Jonah became paranoid that you called her here to kill them both.

After he and Adam have that nasty argument, you stop him from leaving in the car by physically manifesting in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and saying friends shouldn't be treating each other like this.

He tries shoving you away, shouting hurtful things about you were "just like the rest of them" and never gave a shit about him, Adam, or that kid you once knew.

But you don't budge, and he quickly gives up and just starts crying, begging to go home.

You hug him, trying to mimic how humans comforted each other, and it shocks him enough to calm down and finally believe you.

In the end you convince him to stay, waiting inside the car until Adam finally emerges from the house unscathed, saying he's got enough footage.

You just stare at him until he notices Jonah, with the two apologizing to each other before you all headed out to get much-deserved pizza.

The boys let you choose the toppings as a way of saying "thanks for saving our asses".

[bellysoupset]

Leo's Birthday

Soooo this fic actually takes place 4 fics in the future and I'll make sure to leave it in the correct order in the masterlist. But I wrote it first and I don't have the patience to wait to post!

-------------------------------------

“Hey, Wagner,” Dean poked his head inside of the empty conference room, where Leo was hunched over his papers, reading over a previous case similar to the one he was currently handling. 

It was only his third case, he couldn’t fumble it. 

“Yeah?” Leo didn’t bother looking up, so he startled when Dean suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, “Martin, what are you doi-”

“Mark your page,” Dean bossed, squeezing his shoulder, with a smile on his face, “I gotta show you something.”

Leo scoffed at the order, but his curiosity was piqued and he obeyed, marking his page and putting the files away inside his case. They walked out of the conference room together and then entered the elevator. 

“Where are we going…?” Leo frowned as Dean pressed the last digit. The top floor only had Mrs. Mitchell’s office and the rooftop…

“Wait and see,” Dean was bouncing on his feet and Leo squinted, suddenly very suspicious. Surely his co-worker wouldn’t be this happy over bad news, they were friends, so- 

The door opened and Leo nearly jumped out of his skin as a huge “SURPRISE!” followed.

He startled, his back hitting the inside of the elevator, then let out a chuckle at his own expense. His coworkers were all gathered around the door. Sandra, Chuck, Nicole from the reception, Mrs. Mitchell — his boss! —, others as well. 

Sandy was holding a box with a bento cake and two cupcakes inside of it. The icing was a deep, forest green, with golden flakes all over it. Their office’s colors. 

“You didn’t think you could hide your birthday from us, did you Wagner? We’re professional snoopers,” Dean messed up his hair, shoving Leo out of the elevator. There was a table on the rooftop and they had piled on little tea sandwiches, more green cupcakes and a champagne bottle.

Leo’s chest squeezed with happiness, “I wasn’t hiding anything, I - I love this, thank you,” he interrupted himself, as Sandra passed the box with the mini cake and cupcakes to Chuck’s hands and pulled him into a hug to congratulate him.

It was nearly the end of their day, so they spent an hour there celebrating. Leo devoured his cake. It was almost too much for one sitting, but he hadn’t had lunch, so that hit just the right spot. 

Still, as they wrapped up, he was feeling full enough he decided to skip on the two cupcakes and just bring them home for later. 

“Go home, Wagner,” Mrs. Mitchell patted his arm, “and next year we hope to know with more advance than Dean guessing because he was snooping during lunch,” she rolled her eyes, “so we can have a proper lunch in celebration.” 

“This was amazing, I don’t need anything else, ma’am,” Leo blushed and she wrinkled her nose at his line. 

“Don’t settle for less than you deserve, Wagner. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.”

She talked like their football coach, Leo thought with a smile, nodding and heading to the elevator. Maybe that was why he liked her so much.

Having two hours more than he had expected, Leo took his time driving home, stopping along the way to pick up flowers for their apartment and treats for JD.

Leo called Vince, but he didn’t pick up, indicating he was on the road. Jonah was surely still at the hospital. Leo took a long shower, then hit the dial to Luke, while putting the two remaining cupcakes in the fridge, taking a needless bite of one. He was bored and ready to start his birthday celebrations. 

“Hi kid,” Luke picked up on the second ring, “sorry, I’m in the middle of something. Is this anything urgent?”

“No,” Leo pouted, “we can talk at the restaurant, I was just bored and wanted to chat.”

“Sorry,” Lucas sounded busy, “I’m in the shelter-”

“The homeless shelter?” Leo raised his eyebrows, squishing the phone between his cheek and shoulder and falling down to his knees as he saw JD get out from under the couch, “what are you doing there?”

“I started working here yesterday,” Luke was breathless, “I’ll tell you all about it over dinner. See you in a couple hours, kid.” 

“See you,” Leo sighed, hanging up and then getting down on his stomach on the floor in order to grab his cat. JD let out an indignant meow at Leo snatching her, falling into a baby position as he cradled her, “hi baby. My cute, fluffy, prickly baby,” he said in a childish voice, feeling the judgment oozing out of his pet.

Jonah came home just as Leo was starting to get restless, moving around with nothing to do since he hadn’t planned to have free time.

“Hi!” Jon jumped as he saw Leo sprawled on the couch, already all dressed for the night, with JD getting her fur all over his fancy buttoned up shirt, since she was curled up on his stomach, “you’re home early, I was hoping- I was thinking you’d-”

Leo lifted up his head from the couch cushion, eyebrows raised at Jon’s uncharacteristic fumbling of words, “hoping I was gone?”

“Don’t say it like that,” Jonah scoffed, neatly tucking away his shoes and circling the couch in order to look at him, “don’t you look nice.”

“Thank you,” Leo grinned, lazily scratching JD’s head, “my boss gave me the last two hours of my day off, but uh… I had nothing to do, so I’ve been here, bothering JD.”

“She looks super bothered,” Jonah rolled his eyes, as their spotted cat was purring, rolled up on herself like a snake, on top of Leo, “well, I was planning on leaving this on top of the bed with a letter that said how much I love you and how incredibly successful and attentive and loving I think you are and how I wanna wake up next to you for the rest of my days, but since you’re here…” Jon sat at the edge of the couch, handing him a large silver wrapped box, “it’s nothing flashy, but you’re a lawyer, so I think I’m allowed-”

Leo raised a hand to shut him up, removing the lid of the box and then letting out a whistle, while JD got up to sniff at the wrapping paper, “this is stunning… You got my name engraved?”

“Stamped,” Jonah corrected, as Leo pulled out the dark leather case from the box, eyebrows raised at the marking that said Mr. Leo Wagner - Juris Doctorate, “I left some space there for the hyphenated Banks, if you make up your mind about it…” 

Leo’s cheeks hurt from smiling, “I love it. I’m gonna use it every damn day… And I’m considering the Banks, I promise,” he leaned in to grab Jon’s shirt, pulling him for a kiss, “I love it, thank you.”

“I love you,” Jon shrugged, thumb pushing slightly on Leo’s chin, “I’m gonna shower and we can go- Stop letting JD cuddle when you’re dressed up, bloody hell, Leo.”

“She’s cute!” Leo cried out as Jon got up from the couch and rushed out. He was still completely enchanted by his new case. There were fancy instructions of use and a bottle of leather conditioner in the box, as well as a life-long warranty that made him snort. 

As they made it to the restaurant, Leo’s stomach was starting to hurt from hunger. Even though he had had his mini cake in the office, three hours had passed and he was a big guy, just that wasn’t even remotely enough to sustain him. 

Bella, Luke and Wendy were already inside and Leo rushed to them. The couple had literally just gotten back from their honeymoon three days ago and they hadn’t had a chance to meet yet. 

“C’mere, blondie,” Bella pulled on the collar of his shirt, pulling him into a tight hug, “congratulations, Leo.” 

Leo melted into the hug, wrapping his arms around her and taking Bella’s feet off the ground, tipping his body back. 

They were already a bottle of wine in — not that much, considering there were five of them — when Vince entered the restaurant. 

“I’m so so sorry,” Vince cried out, stripping his biker jacket and throwing it to Luke, “there was a huge tree in the road and no one could get through –  it’s not important – Give me a hug!” Vin practically manhandled Leo out of his chair and the blonde let out a squeak at the ribs crushing hug, “happy birthday, kiddo.”

“I-Can’t. Breathe,” Leo gasped, making Vince chuckle and drop him. Leo dizzily staggered back, practically falling into his seat. 

Conversation went on easily after that. Leo retold that evening’s events, not hiding how proud and happy he was that his boss had joined in the celebration, and Wendy had a million tales to share about the fifty different things she was doing. Luke and Bella couldn’t shut up about the Maldives, still grossly all over each other despite spending nearly a month away with no one but each other’s company. 

Jonah brought up Angie’s proposition while they went through the second main dish – lobster — and Luke shrugged, “I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Of course you do, you don’t work,” Jonah wrinkled his nose, causing Luke to glare at him and Leo to snort, continuing to eat his food. 

“I’ll have you know I actually got a job,” Lucas shrugged, as if those weren’t big news and didn’t mean a lot, considering how much of his mental health deteriorating was tied to his career path or lack of one.

“What’s the job?!” Vince practically rattled him and Luke chuckled, pushing his hands away.

“I’m a charity fundraiser,” Lucas was almost beaming with how happy he was and Bella threw an arm around his shoulders, planting a big lipstick-red kiss on his cheek, “I’m not gonna take credit for this, it was actually a culmination of my therapist asking me to get a couple vocational therapy sessions, my beautiful wife telling me to stop sulking about being rich, and me finally using my head.”

“Whatever does that mean?” Leo asked, leaning back on his chair. His stomach was stuffed with food and there was still dessert to go. He fidgeted on his seat, wishing he could rub his belly or loosen up his belt, but it would be bad form in an upscale place such as this. 

“Well, I have the political connections thanks to my mom, I have the glamorous connections thanks to my dad, but I never wanted to do anything with those. They always felt like a burden,” Luke blushed, “but that was silly. There’s people who’d kill to be able to get things as easily as I can, so I realized I can use these connections for good-”

“By making rich people give away their money,” Vince chuckled, clicking his glass with Bella and the ginger nodded almost smugly. 

“It’s not just that,” Luke whined, but he didn’t seem offended, “you actually need to know laws, but lucky me, I’m a Poli Sci major… And I happen to be really good at leading teams and bossing people.”

“We already knew that, Captain,” Leo winked at Luke, leaning to his side and half resting against Jonah, as the conversation continued, Wendy was full of questions about Luke’s new position, even after him saying he was not in charge of anything, but working under a guy. She had that ambitious little sparkle in her eye that often found a twin in Jonah’s. 

Not this time, tonight Jon was too busy saving all of his heart eyes for Leo. He leaned in, pressing his nose to the blonde’s temple and smiling, “enjoying yourself?”

“Uh-hum,” Leo nodded, biting down a grimace as his stomach cramped. Maybe he had overdone it… He just needed a moment, Leo thought, breathing through it and glaring in disgust to his empty plate. He really shouldn’t have cleared the plate. 

Probably noticing his grimace, a waiter quickly came to retrieve all the plates, then hung around as they chatted about dessert. Leo felt a wave of revulsion at the thought of eating another bite. His tummy was packed and he could feel a lump in his throat. 

He coughed lightly against his fist and squeezed Jon’s knee, “order me a water? I gotta go to the bathroom.”

“Of course,” Jon nodded, still lazily studying the menu and letting out a chuckle as Wendy pulled her chair closer to him, impromptu giving him advice on what to pick.

Leo circled the table, when he passed by the guys, Vince darted out a hand in a teasing manner, giving his back a pat. 

It wouldn’t have mattered on any other day, but stuffed as he was, the little friendly pat — that was a bit rough, given Vince never seemed to have understood he was not the size of a kitten — caused a sick burp to come up.

It fizzled out in his throat, but brought with it the taste of his dinner, causing Leo to shudder. He burst into the men’s room and caught a glimpse of his face. 

The wine had done a decent job at masking his paleness, because despite the fact he had turned belly-fish white in the last couple of minutes, the alcohol still caused the top of his cheeks to be a starkling pink. 

He leaned over the sink, splashing his face with water and taking some soothing breaths. The hunched over position caused his stomach to slosh dangerously and Leo let out yet another little burp under his breath, glancing at the door nervously as he touched his belly. 

Deciding he didn’t want to risk getting walked on by one of his friends, Leo stumbled to the private stalls and locked the door. He sat on the toilet instead of leaning over it like his belly was begging him to, then spread his legs out and undid his belt.

The relief was instantaneous and Leo all but melted as the nausea eased up. He planted a hand on his stomach, tugging up his black button up, and scrunched up his face as he looked at his belly. His abs were a far cry from the morning, now his stomach was taut and stretched out, gurgling non stop. 

It wasn’t something they’d be able to hear over the chatting and the soft piano music in the restaurant, but in the empty bathroom he could hear it clearly. Leo groaned, planting the heel of his hand to his tummy and pressing in little circles.

The belly rub wasn’t quite successful and nowhere near as nice as Jonah’s were, but at least it managed to bring up yet another breathy burp- He lurched forward with a much bigger one, that nearly morphed into a retch. Leo slapped a hand over his mouth, shocked and breathing hard, trying to understand if his stomach was going to reject his dinner.

Instead, the near gag seemed to have calmed things down a bit. He carefully removed his hand from his lips, wiping the clammy sweat from his upper lip and breathing out. That was close.

Figuring he had been gone long enough, Leo begrudgingly got up, closing his belt once more and tucking his shirt in. He splashed his face with some more cold water and took a breath, forcing himself to get out of the bathroom.

The minute he walked out, a hand was planted over his eyes and everything went dark. Leo let out a startled squeak, which morphed into a hiccup and Jonah laughed at the noise, kissing his cheek.

“Relax,” he whispered in his ear, guiding Leo to walk forward, blindly, “happy birthday, baby.” 

He lowered his hand and Leo realized Jon had walked him back to their table. Now their friends were standing and there was a large cake in the middle of the table, with candles sticking out and already alight. 

Just the sight of it made his stomach churn, but Leo wasn’t lying when he smiled. The effort his friends had gone through to get him the perfect cake mattered much more than his bellyache and he shoved it to the back of his mind, grinning like crazy as they started to chorus in the happy birthday song.

Leo’s cheek turned a deep red as he noticed other strangers looking at their table, some even joining the singing. He turned his head, hiding it on Jonah’s shoulder and his fiance smiled, squeezing him closer as they finished up the song and Leo leaned to blow out the candles. 

He got pulled in yet another round of hugs and finally Leo fell back down on his seat, on the opposite side of the table. The brief truce he had earned from his tummy back in the bathroom was broken and he was hiccuping, causing Vince to giggle as he let out a little squeaky-toy noise. 

“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard,” Vin chuckled, pushing a plate with a slice of cake his way and then passing Jonah another one, “dig in, kiddo, it’s your favorite. Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate.”

Sounded like hell, Leo thought with a small grimace, but then his stomach sank as he heard Vince’s next words, “my mom was appalled she shouldn’t put in any fruit.” 

“Your mom- Ma made my cake?” Leo asked, both moved and completely distraught as he realized there was no way he could avoid eating now.

“Sorry guys, there was a huge tree on the road,” Wendy mimicked her boyfriend’s excuse from before, forcing a deep voice, “he was late because it was a whole logistic nightmare to bring the cake from Doveport, but Ma insisted, you’re like… Her favorite.”

Luke scoffed, “which is very unfair, I’d just like to point it out,” he said in a teasing way, “I’m supposed to be the favorite.”

“Shut up, Luke,” Bella chuckled, shushing him with a little kiss and stealing a piece of his slice of cake, even though she had her own.

Leo eyed the cake with disgust, nodding and forcing a smile. His mouth watered at the thought of pushing any more sweetness in his tummy, but he ignored it, grabbing the fork. 

Jonah was scratching his back with one hand, continuing to eat and humming in agreement to the compliments about Ma’s cooking and the fact Leo was her favorite out of Vince’s friends. He was blissfully unaware of the turmoil his boyfriend was in and barely registered as Leo pushed half of his slice on his plate, giving up halfway through.

He couldn’t even swallow what was currently in his mouth. Leo tried gulping it down, but his throat was refusing to cooperate. He hiccuped again and this time he couldn’t help but groan, as liquid rocketed up his throat. 

“I’m gonna get the bill,” Jonah whispered, squeezing his nape and getting up, beating Luke to it. 

Leo groaned, barely trying to hide how shitty he was feeling. His friends were all getting up and then Vince circled the table, grinning, “are you drunk, kiddo? That was almost nothing compared to what I’ve seen you drink-”

“No-” he finally managed to gulp down the chocolate mess in his mouth and felt cold sweat break out on his back, his stomach immediately rejecting it, “ate- ate- HIC!- Fuck, too much…”

Vince chuckled, grabbing his arm, “Okay, let’s go outside for some air. C’mon-” 

He gently shoved Leo forward and they walked out of the restaurant, Leo continuing to hiccup. 

The cool air was nice, but Leo knew he was past the point where a breeze could help. He cupped his mouth, muffling yet another little burp and groaning as a hiccup shook him once more, causing his stomach to clench. 

“Shit- Vince,” Leo grabbed his friend’s arm, gulping down nervously and trying to communicate he was gonna puke-

“BOO!” Wendy jumped on him and Leo lost his weak hold on his stomach. He let out a choking noise and folded in half, puking all over the patch of sidewalk and Wendy’s pink and green heels. 

It was so violent that Leo felt dizzy. His eyes stung with humiliation and his nose with the acid that tickled it. He stayed bent down, unable to straighten up not only because he was so embarrassed, but because his belly felt far from settled.

He closed his eyes, letting out a whimper, and then felt a hand in the middle of his back, rubbing up and down. Too rough to be Jonah’s. 

“What the hell, Leo?” Wendy groaned, while Luke said, “Wen, chill out,” and helped him straighten up. He was the one who had stepped closer. Vince and Bella looked equally shocked, Bella was the one carrying the box with the rest of his cake and she was clutching it to her chest. 

“Sorry-” Leo groaned, feeling his whole face burn and his throat close up, now with tears, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

“It’s fine,” Wendy scoffed, as Vince grabbed her by her armpits and helped her slide out of her shoes without having to touch the chocolate vomit covering them, “god, this is gross…”

“Wendy,” Luke stressed, squeezing Leo’s shoulder, “what’s wrong, Leo?”

“Sorry,” he groaned again, sniffling pitifully, “I just- I just had so much to eat and then Wendy startled me and- Why did you startle me?!”

“Because you were hiccuping!” Wendy scoffed, with a disgusted frown on, using Bella’s shoulder to steady herself as she tiptoed away from the mess. Vince seemed to have gotten over the shock and only looked amused, snorting at his girlfriend’s answer, “I was trying to help!”

“Amazing,” Jonah said, half amused, half annoyed, jumping down the last steps and joining them outside, “Leo, are you okay?”

“I wanna die,” Leo groaned, but at least the nausea had calmed down a little. Not fully, he still felt stuffed and his stomach was still churning, but he no longer felt like he was going to throw up right at that minute… 

“You’re fine, Wendy will live,” Jonah rolled his eyes at Wendy’s little huff, but she did sigh and nod.

“Just because it’s your birthday I won’t yell at you,” she said, then in a much kinder voice, “at least do you feel better?”

“Not really,” Leo admitted, leaning on Jonah’s touch and wanting to crawl up somewhere dark and die. More people were leaving the restaurant and he wanted to hide away from their eyes, feeling like everyone knew… His stomach churned and he planted a hand on it, grimacing, “can we go home?”

Jon frowned, touching his face lightly, subtly checking for any heat, then nodded when he felt none, “yeah, of course. You guys can keep the cake, I don’t think anyone is going to eat it at home,” his voice had a slightly humorous tone and Leo blushed, but just the thought of the chocolate cake made his belly gurgle.

He groaned, “don’t even talk about it,” Leo wrapped an arm around his middle, squeezing his eyes shut as the queasiness started to come back. Luke thumped on his back in a sympathetic manner. 

“Feel better, kiddo,” he smiled, “and happy birthday.”

Leo whined as the rest of their friends did the same, side stepping the mess to tell him goodbye, Wendy being the last one. 

She squeezed his arm, “happy birthday, Leo,” her tone was teasing, “at least the hiccups stopped?”

“God, go away,” Leo groaned, muffling a burp in his hand and she grinned, kissing Jonah’s cheek. 

“You owe me a new pair of Jimmy Choo’s” Wendy warned him, waving and running to where Vince was waiting for her on his bike. 

Leo let out a sigh, falling against Jonah and groaning when his fiance let out a little chuckle at his expense. “What the fuck is a Jimmy Choo?” Leo asked, his voice muffled by Jon’s shirt, allowing the other man to pull him back to the car.

[risingflora]

If you could see our future - Post MAG200

I think I finally finished editing this! Thanks to @the-lantern-lights for creating this art from my commission, for the fic 🌟 as a note, I headcannon Jon in skirts and nothing can ever take that away from me. Anyway, enjoy!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Martin heard ringing in his ears as his vision settled around him. When he had opened his eyes, he was met with a familiar and far away memory of the sky as it had been so long ago, and he wondered if that could be the sun hanging in the sky overhead. As the voices continued to echo around him, he registered the heat on his face, and was certian it was sunlight. Sunlight! He blinked hard, his eyes watering, and the voices became more clear as his senses settled.

"Excuse me, hello?" The female voice sounded strained, breathy and anxious. A woman was hovering above Martin, her brows pushed together in concern as she called out to him. "Hello - are you alright? Do you need any help?"

Martin groaned finally, unable to muster a real response. He was grasping for words, but he could only form pictures. He was trying to sort out what was going on, replaying the last bits commited to his memory that he could recall. There was the panopticon, the explosion... Martin tried to sit up, but his muscles were so sore. When he opened his mouth to speak, he found collecting thoughts to turn into words nearly impossible.

"I'm alright," he mustered, shifting slightly. He squinted at the woman above him, who seemed to be speaking with another nearby. She looked by all means normal - compared to what Martin had gotten used to. Her face was slick with sweat, her eyes colored with confusion and concern. She was still trying to talk to him, but Martin was still struggling to recollect himself.

Martin planted his palms in the grass under him and pushed up, trying to rise. The stranger recognized this gesure and grabbed at his shoulders, helping Martin to a sitting position. Even with the slow motion of sitting up, Martin began to experience vertigo. He groaned again, wavering and holding his head in his hand.

"Please, are you going to be alright?" The woman repeated, leveling herself with Martin. His eyes were settling now, adjusting to the light, and he was now able to register the scene around him. There were around a dozen strangers, wandering what appeared to be a grassy field. Some appeared to be searching, while others simply... wandered. One man was looking up at the sky dreamily, searching the sky for eyes. A small group gathered and hugged and recollected. A young lady behind the woman speaking to Martin was at her feet, searching the scene in concern.

"London," Martin managed out of nowhere. "I was in London".

"Well, we're nowhere near there," the woman responded, and Martin only now realized she was speaking in a Scottish accent. Had the world never ended? Was it all a dream? Had he fallen asleep in... a field? Outside Daisy's safehouse?

"The sky- the world- what happened? Is everything- are we back to normal?"

The woman's gaze faltered and she looked away briefly, unsure how to answer.

"We... just came to ourselves, and we are just gathering who we find to see where we can help."

"I need some time," Martin stammered as he once again leaned his head into his hand. "I can't seem to gather myself."

She pushed herself to her feet. "We will be around, but please don't dally. We should get to the nearest town to figure out what is going to happen next... if anyone knows."

Martin muttered a thanks and she turned to her companion behind her. Martin was still staring into the distance, his memory dragging behind him as words were dropped into the forefront of thought.

End... end of the world. Panopticon. The eye... fear... Jon. Alias - Jonah. The beholding-

Jon. Jon?

"Jon!" Martin shouted, so suddenly that the vibration of the shout through his body shocked even himself. In a moment it all came pouring back to him. He felt the cold stale air of the Panopticon on his skin, the memory of Jon's warped face and green-glossy eyes dotting his body, the sound of everything echoing through the walls as he made the desicion to...

He looked down at his hands. No blood. Martin began furiously patting at the ground around him, looking for the knife that he used to - the thought kept pausing in his brain, the memory replaying and freezing at that point. His breath quickened as each replay got closer and closer to the moment where Jon tightened his hand around Martins, pointing the blade at himself. He remembered the cold words. He remembered tugging on Jon's olive sweater meekly, begging him for an alternative. The way his lips felt cold, the way Jon looked into Martins eyes with his many, terrible, beautiful eyes. Martin choked on air as tears began welling, and pouring down his cheeks. He kept calling to Jon, but his shouts became strained and choked. His sobs caught the name in his throat, stifing him as his head twisted every which way. Martin was so certain Jon was alive, he had to be. He couldn't leave Martin alone in the aftermath of it all. Martin whimpered Jons name over and over, trying to pull himself to his knees, then his feet, only to stagger and fall back to the grass in defeat.

Martin was weak, his body was shaking, and he could clearly see the moment in his memory when he sent a blade through his boyfriend. Jon was not alive, he couldn't be.

Martin's sobs wracked through his body, vision became blurry once more as he stared blankly at the horizon. For the first time in- however long it had been, the real sun was hanging in the real sky, like a promise, shining down on a complete and cured world. The grass was not broken, nor was it incorrect. The distance gave way to a small village of sorts, and the field was still dotted with those strangers, some of which paid cautionary glances at Martin. Martin did not care, nor did he mind that his mouth was hung open, caught words struggling to escape, nor that snot ran down his nose and tears poured over his cheeks. He kept searching, stammering Jons name over and over, like a prayer.

What was I even to do, Martin thought? Where do I go? Who is left? How do I go on? All these questions flooded his mind as he began to settle into the reality that Jon forced him to recreate. All he ever wanted was to confess to Jon, and they spent God knows how long living through hell in love, and all he wanted now was to cozy up in that cottage and grow old with Jonathan Sims. Martin had dreamed of it during their cross country escapades through the hellscapes. He dreamed of Jon coming home from work, wherever work was, and kissing Martin on the forehead. He dreamed of making dinner together, burning the food and still enjoying it as the activity and not the product. Watching movies on the couch over whiskey and tea, under a warm blanket. Getting tangled in a bed together, losing the hours of a weekend to love and laziness, simply enjoying the sound of each others voices as they talked about nothing and everything all at once.

Martin had known it could only be a dream. Somewhere in his gut he knew this would happen. He knew Jon couldn't - wouldn't- survive. But he had imagined it so clearly. He memorized the smell of Jons clothes, and played it into his fantasy of cuddling. He remembered Jon's drink of choice and worked it into the images, he listened when Jon would rant about struggling to learn to cook. He memorized all these details about the man he loved, so that he could live in this fantasy forever, even after... even after Jon was gone.

Martin let out a small wail of heartache as he pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them tightly. He buried his head into his knees and cried, hard, until his head was pounding and his mouth was dry. Martin sat there in the heat of the growing morning and cried and cried and cried, until the memories were messy and confusing and incomprehensible. He hated Jon, and loved Jon, and wanted to see him so badly, and wanted to have never met him in the first place. He wanted to die, but also wanted to be able to thrive. Martin was lovelorn, conflicted, broken, and scared. There was nothing in his mind, body, or soul he could think of to make him feel corredt again.

Finally, he ran out of tears to cry, and he hung is head back. He leaned forward and rocked onto his knees, and weakly stood. There he hesitated, feeling his feet on the ground. Part of him never thought he would see the world like this again. He wondered if their love could only exist in the hellscapes. Martin's mind was so busy, so loud he could not focus on any one thing. He looked around at the figures that continued to stagger around him, many of which had put distance between themselves and Martin. He recognized the woman some distance away, and even noticed that strange man in an olive sweater gazing up at the sky, unmoved. Martin stared at him for a long time, wondering what he was looking for. As Martin's heart slowed to a steady pace, and his breathing settled, he squinted at the strange man. Martin leaned in his direction, and his foot clumsily came forward to catch him. His body was still weak, but Martin pulled himself forward. After a few steps, he saw long, dark hair riding on the wind, and settling on the olive sweater. A few more steps, and he saw a familiar skirt flowing from his hips. Martin abandoned the fatigue in his muscles and committed instead to adrenaline as he quickened his pace, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"Jon," he stammered, far too quiet for the man to hear. "Jon!"

His head did not pivot from its cursory stare upwards, and Martin now was briskly walking. Martin would break into a straight sprint if his body would allow it. His heart began pounding as he inched closer and closer to the mirage of his lover, begging whatever powers may exist that this was in fact his Jon.

"For the love of - Jonathan!" Martin shouted with a crack in his voice, as he got close enough to recognize circular scars on his face.

Martin managed a few feet from Jon, and stood there. He was half waiting for Jon to meet him in the middle, and half afraid to go on in case he was wrong and this was a stranger, or even trauma playing tricks on him. But now that we was so close, he was sure this was in fact Jon, staring up at the sky with his mouth slightly agape. His arms hung loosely at his sides, and he so slightly swayed as the wind caught him. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Martin gave in and closed the distance between them.

Martin was inches away, and reached a hand out to touch him, but wavered. He reached for Jons arm, then his face, then his shoulders, but retracted as he felt the tears well up again. He sniffed, and mumbled his boyfriends name once more, stifled by a cry.

Finally, Jon lowered his chin with a jerk, and gasped. He turned his head, ever so slightly. He licked his lips, his mouth moving to form Martins name - but barely any sound came out.

It was now that Martin collected the features of Jon once more, breathing hard as he recognized Jonathan Sims. He drank in Jon's lithe figure, his long fingers and broad shoulders, his angular jawline and dark hair - with just enough gray. Jon's face was speckled with scars, and was collecting stubble that had ceased to grow during the end of the world. And his eyes were no longer a horrific, glossy green. Instead - why instead, they were -

"My god, Jon, your eyes-"

"Martin," Jon interrupted with a stammer, and what Martin could swear was a meek laugh. Jon moved his hands up, shaking, and searched for Martin, finding and resting on his forearm. Jon glided his fingers up, following the form of Martin until he made it to his neck, where his hands cupped Martin's face. "I'm... I'm blind."

Martin couldn't help but laugh at the irony. He immediately caught his breath, but before he could blurt out an apology, Jon laughed too, and it was a laugh indeed, a laugh like he had never heard from Jonathan Sims. His milky white eyes began to water as he laughed, and he brought his own hands to his face, feeling himself for the first time since the end of the world. Martin joined Jon, gently caressing Jon's face and reminding his fingertips of the feeling. They continued to laugh at nothing in particular, or maybe at everything, maybe even at each other - and Martin pulled Jon into his arms for a strong, needed hug.

"You're- thats my sweater," Martin cooed as Jon's laugh quieted. "You wore my sweater through all of that, you thief."

"It looks so much better on me, I think," Jon joked, then he paused and laughed once again at the irony. "I suppose I can only go on memory."

"I can assure you it fits me better, but I won't judge you as long as you wash it before giving it back."

Jon buried his face into Martin's chest, wiping his tears, and took a deep, long inhale through his nose. He paused, considering his next words carefully.

"You could just wash it, you know."

Martin stepped back, cocking his head and raising an eyebrow before remembering Jon's latest development. "And what do you suppose you mean by that?"

"We will be sharing a washer, I presume." Jon said in his very familiar, presumptuous voice, as he looked past Martin - but still cocked his own brow and smirked.

Martin's heart fluttered, his eyes lighting up as he, in an instant, dove into a domestic fantasy with Jon once again. He dreamed up the scenario of pulling the sweater off Jon to toss in the washer, and smiled big. Jon clumsily searched for Martin's face once again, tracing his form and holding his face. His fingers slid through Martin's hair slowly as he seemed to relish in the sensation, and he sighed in delight. His hands rested on the back of Martin's head, and he pulled Martin close, attempting to press their lips togeter and missing. Jon's kiss landed shy of Martin's lips by just a bit, and this caused them both to once again laugh.

"This is different, Jon." Martin said, listening to the song on Jon's laughter. "You are different."

Jon hesitated for a moment. "I'm not bound to anyone but myself anymore. I suppose I have freedom, finally." He sighed. "This is... I'm confused, and unsure of what I am without the Eye, or my own eyes."

"We can find out together, if you'd like."

Jon laughed out his nose, the corner of his lips curling. The way his eyes and eyelids moved, he appeared to be searching, but he was moreso considering- what Martin could not see, was Jon dreaming his own dreams in an instant. Dreams of holding hands, walking down cobbled streets, sitting on a patio listening to rain. Smelling spring and feeling winter. Feeling the warmth of Martin every night as they rest. The smile faded when he recalled his last sight, the last thing he will ever have committed to vision - a tear stricken Martin saying what he thought was goodbye. Then it returned when he realized the last person he saw, was the only one that mattered now.

"I think, I would very much like to see what our future holds, Martin." Jon said slowly, softly, and met his lips with Martin for a long, and eager, kiss.

[thebiggerbear]

i need your hand but i don't want to burn it part 1 - Beau Arlen x Reader

A/N: Not going to lie, this past month has been a tough one for me. I recently lost someone and it just sucked all of the energy out of me for writing or anything else. I started this back on Feb 16th, within hours of receiving the news, because I was trying to process it as well as my feelings on it all. Beau was in my mind from the very beginning because like I mentioned before, I literally had the thought "Man, I could go for a Beau hug right about now." So this took form and even though I was blocked on everything else, this became a sort of tool of processing for me. I was going to keep this just for myself because I found it to be deeply personal, but then I thought, well, what if someone out there is also currently grieving someone they lost and a little Beau comfort might make them feel better, too? Even in this scenario? So that's why I'm sharing it.

While it is personal what I go into, I changed up things to keep it fictional and sort of tell a story. So the characters and dynamics are fictional, just not the feelings of the reader and the emotional journey/grieving process she goes through if that makes sense.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. I attempted the graphics.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Song that randomly came out of nowhere and strangely worked was "broken" by Jonah Kagen. The lyrics just really hit home for me.

Warnings: mention of death; death notification

Word Count: 8587

Beau taglist: @deans-spinster-witch; @birdiellie; @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @illicithallways; @muhahaha303

It was a bright, sunny day when you got the news. The sky was this unimaginable shade of blue, not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was a comfortable one. You were on the job and the slight breeze ruffled through your hair when you saw that your aunt was calling you. A knot immediately formed in your stomach; if she was calling you, that couldn’t be good. And sure enough, it wasn’t. 

“She’s gone,” she informed you matter-of-factly. 

It took a moment for your brain to catch up to what she was telling you. “What?”

“She’s gone, Y/N. Happened this morning.” Again, her tone was bland, as if she was simply telling you a package had been delivered to your home.

“How?” Your mind felt as if it was running in circles but also slowing down at the same time.

Poppernak’s head snapped in your direction but you immediately walked away from the scene. You didn’t notice the deputy watch after you and then head in Hoyt’s direction. 

“Stroke.” Your aunt was only willing to give you one word but that one word changed your entire world. It altered the landscape of your universe in a big way.

You nodded, forgetting that the woman couldn’t see you, and you felt a lump start to form in your throat. You forced your gaze onto some trees ahead and mentally told yourself that you would not cry. “Oh,” you choked out. So much for not allowing any emotion to bleed through.

“Yep.”

Once again, very bland, almost dry. You weren’t surprised, though. It had always been like this between you. “Um…did they say when the services will—”

“Nothing’s set in stone yet but the information will be on the obituary online. It’ll probably tell people who can’t make it where to send flowers.” And just like that, the digs began.

You ignored her attitude and quietly cleared your throat. “Okay,” you attempted to smooth over. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Ida. If there’s anything you need, please call m—”

“Oh, I’ll call you, don’t you worry. But right now, as it stands, we’re good. I have to get going. I still have to get to the funeral home and make all the arrangements. I’ll be talking to you soon.” Before you could say goodbye, she hung up.

You let out a heavy sigh before lowering your phone from your ear. You focused on the trees once more, pushing any thoughts away and stuffing your emotions back down. When you felt confident enough that you wouldn’t break, you turned to find Hoyt and Poppernak watching you worriedly from near the crime scene tape. You sighed once more and then began your walk over to answer the burning questions they appeared to have. 

You were driving back home on autopilot, lost in a sea of memories that forced a single tear out onto your cheek every now and then, prompting you to wipe each one away quickly. Your phone began to ring and as you expected, Beau’s name popped up. Well, that had to be some kind of record for Hoyt. Though, you supposed in these circumstances, you couldn’t blame her and you could appreciate her difficult position. She was only supposed to call Beau if there was an emergency but if she didn’t let him know that she sent you home for the rest of the day after receiving the news of a loved one’s passing, then she’d most likely be in hot water. In trouble with you or in trouble with Beau? It wasn’t hard to see why she made the choice she did. 

Beau was on vacation and you hated for that to be interrupted, especially due to this. He worked his ass off every single day and he deserved this time. He had offered to take Cassie and Kai fishing and camping, after the date passed that the two were supposed to have gone with her dad who had been killed. Kai was excited and Cassie was grateful when Beau made the offer. You and Hoyt were happy for them. Beau had even tried to entice Emily to fly up for a visit and go with them, but Carla put a quick stop to that with the mention of school and it being Emily’s senior year. To say Beau had been disappointed was a massive understatement.

And now, he was most likely spending his time worrying about you alongside teaching Kai how to catch trout and attempting to keep Cassie laughing and her spirits high. You almost didn’t answer, because you didn’t want to be one more thing he had to worry about and also because you didn’t feel like talking, but in the end you did. To reassure him if for nothing else.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” he greeted back, sounding worried just like you had predicted. “You okay?”

You briefly closed your eyes in annoyance at Hoyt. Despite your initial understanding, this really wasn’t something she needed to call him about. Someone else, yes, but for you, no. “Yeah, I’m okay,” you reassured him. “Hoyt just thought it best that I take the rest of the day, clear my head, and come back fresh tomorrow. That’s all.”

A moment of quiet passed between you as he likely mulled over your answer. Accepting it, he then offered, “Do you need anything?”

You cleared your throat to keep the lump at bay. “Nope. Thanks, though.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, who passed?”

You pressed your lips together, not really wanting to answer, but he’d find out eventually. “My grandmother.”

Sure enough, his tone softened. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He knew how deeply this one would cut.

You swallowed past the lump again and forced out quietly, “Thanks, but it’s fine. It was expected at some point, you know?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t make it any easier though, does it?” Beau lost his parents back when you had worked together in Houston. His dad had passed unexpectedly due to a heart attack. Everyone had been shocked, of course, but it hit Beau’s mom the hardest. It wasn’t too long after that when she started developing her own health issues and began declining. Beau’s father had only been gone for a year and a half when he lost his mom as well. You and your unit were there for him, giving him your unending support, and half of the department had showed up to the funeral, just as they had the senior Mr. Arlen’s. Not only was Beau well liked and respected but his family were no strangers to law enforcement; his dad had served on the force for decades before he finally retired. 

What you were feeling now in no way rivaled the loss he had endured back then. He not only had lost a parent, but he lost both in a short time frame. You couldn’t imagine how you would be feeling had that been you. You doubted you would be able to stand up much less continue to function day to day like he had. You wished you could borrow some of his strength, something you could use right about now.

“True.”

Another moment of quiet filled the car tainted by uncertainty and an almost alien awkwardness. That wasn’t the norm for the two of you but this situation also wasn’t the norm. Being your best friend and having known you for a long time, Beau knew some of your history but not all of it. What little you had told him had been enough for him to know this wasn’t a topic you liked to revisit and he needed to leave well enough alone. So he’d happily compensate and regale you with funny stories of the hijinks he and his brother used to get up to when they were younger instead. He didn’t push for more than you were willing to give and that was something you deeply appreciated about him.

And right now, you appreciated him even more for not pressing you for details or trying to make small talk around the huge elephant that was currently sitting on top of you. An elephant in the form of your grandmother, an elderly woman who helped raise you who you had a…complicated relationship with to say the least. You tried to think back to one of the last times you had seen her but you really couldn’t remember. The memory was there somewhere, on the edge of your mind, just out of reach. Instead, a memory resurfaced of a younger you holding onto her hand as you crossed a busy crosswalk in the city, wearing one of your best dresses with tights, shoes, a very proper coat with gold buttons done up, and a ribbon in your long hair. You had been on your way to see a play that she managed to get tickets for and you remembered that moment of her immediately shielding you as a car nearly hit you both, ignoring the traffic light as well as all of the pedestrians crossing. You couldn’t remember the heated exchange between her and the driver of the yellow cab, but you did remember her hurrying you to safety and then kneeling down to check that you were okay. You could see the determination in her light eyes shadowed by a layer of fear as she did up the top two buttons of your fancy coat and smoothed a hand down your hair. She had protected you and basically saved your life. The memory shocked you with its reappearance; you hadn’t thought about that one in a long time. You had to have been around six years old when that happened.  

Beau cleared his throat quietly. “Listen, I’m on my way back.”

That jerked you out of your reverie. “What? No, Beau, don’t. I’m fine. You’re on vacation and so is Cassie. Kai was excited to go on this trip, don’t cut it short. I appreciate it but I’d rather your plans didn’t get interrupted.”

“I already talked to Cassie and she’s in agreement. We’re heading back. She talked to Kai and he understands. We’re going to try this again next month.”

The guilt was thick inside your chest. He had been trying for a while now to get Cassie to agree to a fishing trip with him, and he’d only just convinced her. “Beau…”

“Already done,” he assured you. “We’re packing up now actually. Besides, you’re going to need some time and Hoyt’s going to need backup.”

“I told you, I’m fine and I’ll be back to work tomorrow. You don’t have to—”

“You’re going to need the time for the services. Any idea on when they might be yet?”

You pressed your lips together and glanced in your rearview mirror. “Not yet.”

He heard what you weren’t saying. “Well, it just happened. Give ‘em some time and they’ll sort it out,” he offered gently.

“Yeah,” you muttered. 

“You set up a flight yet?”

You shook your head, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see you. “No.”

“I should be back later tonight. I’ll come over and help you sort all of that out.”

It hit you in that moment that Beau was going to be seeing you in a few hours’ time. A part of you was relieved but another part of you wasn’t ready to let him in just yet. Not that you didn’t trust him (he was the person you trusted most actually) and not that he didn’t know how to be there for you, but something was stopping you from letting him.

“You’re going to be back late. How about you just stop by in the morning on your way to the office?”

You didn’t need to see Beau to know he was taken aback at your suggestion. “It’s not going to be that late,” he tried again. “I was thinking, if you didn’t mind, I could just stay at your place for the night. It’d be a shorter drive for me to the station tomorrow.” 

You knew it would be and you knew he was just looking out for you, being there for you should you need him, but weirdly, that was the last thing you wanted right now. “I appreciate it, but it’s going to be a long drive and you still need to drop Cassie off. I’ll look up flights when I get home. You just focus on driving and let me know when you made it back okay.”

“Y/N—”

“Someone is calling me from a New York number. It could be important. I have to go. Drive safe, alright?” 

“Darlin’, just—”

“Thank you for calling, Beau. It means a lot.” You meant that last part, you really did. You quickly disconnected the call before he could speak again. There was no call from New York, of course, and you know he knew that, but you just needed a second to think. You put your phone on silent and continued the drive to the small house you had put a down payment on when Beau had convinced you to move here to join him about a year or so before.

You ran a hand through your hair and sighed, feeling majorly conflicted. You wanted nothing more than one of Beau’s comforting hugs but at the same time, you didn’t want to be touched or comforted. You didn’t want anyone’s awkward condolences like Hoyt had offered you earlier after Poppernak told her you might have received some kind of bad news. You didn’t want to talk or cry or try to distract yourself from reality in any way, shape, or form. You wanted to just be. 

And considering where you would be flying to in the next twenty four hours, you needed as much time to process and compartmentalize as you could get.

There was no processing or compartmentalizing happening. Your brain was a chaotic mess at best. Your thoughts were all over the place, same with your emotions, and yet somehow you still felt numb and in shock. 

Not only did memories play on a loop inside your head but you could not form one single coherent thought. You had walked past your full sink of dishes at least four times before you remembered you were going to stack them in the dishwasher. You had to remind yourself that you hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning, preferring your usual coffee, and you had to eat something now that it was late afternoon so you could satiate the loudly rumbling hungry beast known as your stomach. You barely tasted the food or the beer you chose to wash it down with. 

At some point, you had pulled out a shoebox you kept carefully hidden away in a closet and began to go through old photos you kept stashed alongside a few Christmas and birthday cards over the years. You studied your grandmother in each photo and whether it was a blessing or a curse, you weren’t sure which yet, you could hear her voice and even her laughter in your mind. You could hear her yelling, too, but your brain pushed those memories away, knowing you weren’t ready to deal with that just yet.

You came across one picture of the two of you. You were in high school and had just received an award. You two were standing outside of the school and neither of you were embracing or smiling too widely. One of your aunts had asked you both to take the picture, to mark the special occasion, but the truth was, you two had been arguing most of the day, practically up until the ceremony. Just one of the many arguments you both had over the years where you didn’t see eye to eye.

You dug deeper into the box until you pulled out a special group of photos in an envelope. You took a sip of beer, a deep breath, and then opened it. These were pictures of your parents, gone in a freak accident when you were barely kindergarten age. You smiled down at the photos of the two of them with a baby version of you. No matter where you were or who took the picture, all of you appeared to be happy. Sadly, you didn’t remember those times too much, the memories too hazy and existing on that fine line between reality and fantasy. You only remembered the sorrow, the pain, and the devastation their sudden absence left. 

You came across a photo of you and your mother, but this time, your grandmother was also included. You must have been two years old and you were grinning widely from your mother’s lap at the older woman who smiled brightly back at you. You had even reached out your hands to her, almost as if you had been asking her to pick you up. You stared hard at the picture, almost as if trying to remember that exact moment in time so you could then remember the feeling.

Your phone ringing loudly made you jump and jerked you out of your concentration. You placed the photo down and sighed. You had put your phone back on when you arrived home a few hours ago and though he hadn’t called, Beau had sent you a few texts. It was more of him offering to come over, to be there for you, and to help with anything you needed. You had immediately swiped the notifications off of your screen; you couldn’t deal with that or anything else right now. You appreciated it but you just needed some time…some space actually. Just until you could get your head on straight. 

You picked your phone up and glanced at the screen, surprised to see your cousin’s name flashing back at you.

Your brows furrowed and you immediately picked up the call. “Lucy? What’s wrong?”

“Hey,” she greeted you though her usual cheery voice lacked its usual enthusiasm. While you didn’t keep in touch with most of your family, Lucy had been the exception. You weren’t close by any means but her texts and calls didn’t always go ignored. “Aunt Ida said she called you today to tell you about Gran. How are you holding up?”

You shrugged. “As well as can be expected, I guess. How are you doing?” Lucy had been just as close with the grandmother you shared while growing up but she had also stayed within the family unit while you bolted. She and her husband, John, even purchased a home two blocks away from where your grandmother lived. 

“Um, I’m okay,” she sighed into the phone. “It’s sad and not the way we expected but we all kind of knew it was coming.”

“Yeah,” you whispered, taking another sip of beer. 

“I know it might sound horrible to say but it’s kind of a relief. For Gran, I mean. She’s no longer suffering. You know, after the past couple of years…”

You felt a familiar surge of guilt start up in your chest again, and a burning feeling began in the corners of your eyes. “Yeah,” you repeated. You both stayed quiet for a moment, each thinking back to Gran’s initial diagnosis of Alzheimer’s more than five years ago and how it had quickly progressed, especially during the pandemic years. 

Lucy finally broke the silence. “So, um, I was just wondering if you were going to be flying in tomorrow.”

Your brows mashed together again. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. For the visitation the next day.”

Your head began to whirl. Perhaps it was the beer and you had misheard her. Though, you had only had two, maybe in conjunction with what you were feeling, you weren’t thinking straight. “Wait, wait. The visitation is the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Luy sounded unsure why you were asking. “And the funeral will be the next morning. That’s why I was thinking you would probably be flying in tomorrow.”

“Aunt Ida told me that she had no idea when the services would be yet but she would let me know.”

“Oh.”

You could practically hear her nerves through the phone. “Lucy,” you warned. “When were the plans finalized?”

“Um…”

“Lucy.”

“Yesterday?” She nearly squeaked out.

That hit you like a gut punch. “Yesterday? I thought Gran just died this morning!”

Now you could really hear the nervousness in Lucy’s voice. “She, um, she passed on Monday morning.”

The fury working its way through your veins felt like molten fire. “Today is Wednesday!”

Lucy knew better than to answer that. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I thought Aunt Ida explained when she said she spoke to you this morning. She was dealing with a lot and—”

“--couldn’t be bothered to tell me, I get it. But why didn’t you call me?” The tears building were practically burning your pupils. Your grandmother had passed away two days ago and no one could be bothered to tell you.

“I-I wanted to, Y/N. I really did but, Aunt Ida said—”

Your jaw tensed and you nearly slammed your bottle down on the floor next to you as you got to your feet, all too certain what Aunt Ida had said. While Lucy was a kinder soul than most in your biological family, she also lacked a backbone when it came to your older female relatives.

“Forget it,” you hissed, roughly wiping away tears that had escaped down your cheeks. “I’ll be arriving tomorrow. Is the obituary up or was she bullshitting me on that one, too?”

“N-No, they just posted it today. It’s actually quite nice. I think you’ll—”

“Send me the link,” you ordered before you hung up and quickly began scanning available flights as you hurried into your bedroom to begin packing.            

It was late when you landed, your flight having been slightly delayed. Not that it mattered to you; if you could have delayed the flight altogether, you would have. But that wasn’t possible and neither was you staying in Helena. As angry as you were, you refused to let it keep you from doing the right thing. Plus, when you called the station earlier to tell Hoyt you wouldn’t be back until Monday, she had insisted you take the bereavement time available to you (more like ordered you) and see to your family, wishing you well. Normally, you would have put your foot down and flat out refused, content to hole up in a corner of the office and burrow yourself into work, but you knew she was right. You had to attend the services; you owed Gran that much at least.

You nodded a thanks to the cheery but tired flight attendant as she thanked you for flying with their airlines, and ambled down the bridge towards the airport. Thankfully, due to the late hour, there weren’t many people milling about and you were unencumbered from making your way down the escalator towards Baggage Claim. 

While waiting for the carousel to start up, your phone started vibrating. You glanced at the screen, sighing when you saw the name pop up that had been popping up on and off all day.

You immediately rejected the call and slipped your phone back into silent mode. But before you could hit the button, a text snuck its way through to display on your screen.

You felt bad reading the message previews and you certainly weren’t trying to ignore your best friend but you just needed some time to process all of this on your own. You had sent him one quick text earlier telling him not to come by since you wouldn’t be home. You also told him you would call him as soon as you were able. Apparently, he was ignoring that last text going by his several attempts to make contact. You weren’t trying to stonewall him, you really weren’t, but you had to go into this with a clear head. Or as clear a head as you could have in these circumstances. Wasn’t that something he always said before you two went into anything dangerous on the job?

Speaking of the job, it wasn’t that you hadn’t seen your fair share of death, mostly in ghoulish evil ways that people had come up with in order to hurt each other, and it’s not that your grandmother’s passing wasn’t expected to happen at some point like Lucy had said. But you hadn’t been prepared for how you would feel when it did and you certainly hadn’t been prepared for it to happen now.

Conflicting emotions roiled in your head and churned in your stomach. Your empty stomach from that all-too familiar discomfort you’d gotten frequently during your career. The lunch you’d eaten earlier had made a reappearance after Lucy’s phone call. You would have to get some food and soon, but where you would get that at this late hour except a greasy diner, you couldn’t even begin to imagine. Not that it mattered, either. The very thought of food made an altogether different unpleasant sensation roll in your stomach. Emptiness versus nausea…fun.

Eventually, your other suitcase made its way to you and you quickly scooped it up. You ordered a Lyft, scoffing when you noticed the wait time was a half hour, possibly more, for a pickup. How was that even possible? This was an airport! At this rate, you’d be better off taking a cab but that was bound to be pricier than the Lyft. You heaved a great sigh and plopped down on your larger suitcase, resting your chin in your hand as you waited. Eventually, you whipped out your phone and decided to mindlessly scroll through your Instagram. You weren’t a fan of the app or any social media really but Em had made an account for you one day when you had unwisely left your phone sitting on one of Beau’s deck chairs while helping him pack Pedro for a camping trip he was taking her on. You quickly got bored of any new content on your feed, since there weren't any updates from anyone you actually cared about, and swiped over to your profile.

A glimmer of a smile appeared on your face when you saw the picture Em had taken of herself and her dad, posting it for you after she saw your Houston photo and labeled it a semi-pathetic attempt at a first post. Your eyes scanned through your meager posting and the picture of Poppernak that you had taken one day near the end of your shift reminded you why you wouldn’t be working with your beloved partner the next few days. Your smile immediately disappeared and you clicked out of the app, powered down the screen, and slipped the phone into your jacket pocket.

Luckily, only a little while later, your Lyft finally arrived. After loading your suitcases into the back with the driver’s help, you were on your way to the only hotel in town. You stared out the window as the scenery passed by. Your driver, Antonio, had tried to make small talk but thankfully begged off when he noticed you weren’t too talkative, most likely chalking it up to the late flight and you being tired. Familiar landmarks came into view as he turned onto another street and memories started to flood your mind. You shut your eyes, as if to keep them out, and it miraculously held them at bay a little longer. You then settled your gaze on the back of the driver seat, refusing to look out the windows until you arrived at your destination. 

You’d have time enough to wallow in memories and regret the next few days. No reason to rush it. 

As soon as you checked into your hotel room, you immediately jumped in the shower. It always made you feel better after traveling and the flight had felt excruciatingly long this go around. That could have had something to do with you coming from Montana, though. The few flights you’d taken from Texas back in the day had definitely been shorter.

You wrapped yourself in a towel, your damp hair spilling down your back, and started going through one of your suitcases to find body lotion. Once you found the bottle, before you could begin lathering it up in your hands, your phone vibrated on your night stand.

You heaved a sigh and glanced over, seeing you had another missed call from Beau, and yet another text.

You nearly rolled your eyes, knowing he would make good on this threat if you didn’t check in with him at least once before you went to sleep. And that was the last thing you needed right now.

You slipped in your earbuds, hit his name, then the phone icon, and switched it over to bluetooth as you began to moisturize your skin. He answered it in two rings.

“Hey,” he gruffed out before clearing his throat. “About time you called me back.”

You ignored how hearing his voice immediately made your chest feel that little bit lighter and your shoulders release some of the tension you’d been carrying around the past day. “Yeah, well, when someone threatened to put a BOLO on my ass, I responded real quick. That’s all I need, this town’s cops pounding on my door, in addition to everything else.” You had meant it to come out teasingly but your voice had betrayed your aggravation. You regretted it the moment the words were out of your mouth. You knew Beau was just worried about you, that he cared about you, and wanted to make sure you were alright. In all fairness, you could have at least sent him a text to let him know you landed but you were tired and didn’t feel like talking. He would have understood. He wasn’t the asshole in this scenario; you were.

“I’m sorry about that,” he offered gently and you could hear the genuine remorse in his tone. “I wasn’t trying to give you a hard time but damn, Y/N, not one single text to let me know you’re still alive?”

You flinched at the last word and started applying the lotion more aggressively. You were eager to be done with this call, with everything, so you could crash and finally get some much needed shut-eye. You hadn’t slept much in the past forty eight hours, probably stress from the job (it happened sometimes), and you were feeling it.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have said that.” More remorse.

“It’s fine,” you muttered, popping the cap on the bottle closed and placing it on the nightstand. “Well, now that you know that I’m fine, no BOLO’s are necessary.”

“Y/N, I didn’t—”

You knew you didn’t really have a right to be angry with him but you also didn’t have the bandwidth for dealing with anyone or anything right now. You appreciated his concern and him checking on you, but all you wanted to do was hit the sack and evade consciousness for a few hours. “Listen, it’s super late, I just got in because it was a late flight and delayed at that. I’m exhausted. So if we could…” You left it open-ended, hoping he’d just take the hint and say goodnight.

You heard some rustling on the other end and you realized he must have been in bed already when you called. You quickly glanced at the alarm clock and thought over the time difference. It wasn’t even 10:30 yet back in Helena and Beau was already going to sleep for the night? That was odd. Then again, he was now a deputy sheriff down and Hoyt would need the backup in case something came up. Plus, you knew he had cut his vacation short to rush back to Helena. He was probably just as exhausted as you were, possibly more so. “Y/N… You’re not shutting down on me, are you?”

You practically did a double take at the question. “What? No! I’m not. What, I’m tired and want to go to sleep after the long day I’ve had and that’s suddenly me shutting down on you? Seriously? All because I didn’t answer a few texts or pick up one of your many phone calls?” You had no idea why but that question majorly pissed you off. The logical part of you knew you were overreacting to a genuinely concerned question from your best friend but your temper seemed to be off to the races; you couldn’t stop it if you tried. “I get that you’re a grade A worry-er and everything but I’m not some goddamn child you need to check up on every ten minutes for Christ’s sake!” In your rush of anger, you hadn’t even realized just how much your voice had raised. Not until there was a deafening silence in the room and on the other end once you finished your little tirade.

“I wasn’t trying to insinuate that you were, darlin’,” he spoke calmly.

“Don’t you darlin’ me. Don’t you dare patronize me with that shit, Arlen. Do you hear me? Don’t you dare.” Your chest felt immediately tight again and tension filled your body once more. You huffed out an angry breath and decided the best thing for you to do in this situation was to end the call as soon as possible. “Look, you wanted to know I’m still alive, now you know. I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me and texting me all the time while I’m here and threatening me when you don’t hear back from me right away. That’s the last fucking thing I need on top of everything else,” you snapped.

Beau remained quiet but you could still hear his breathing on the other end so you knew he was listening to your ranting.

“Now, I’m going to bed. I appreciate the check in but it’s unnecessary. When the services are over and I’m going to head back, I’ll let you know.”

Still nothing.

“Good night, Beau.” You hung up and angrily tossed your phone onto the bed with your earbuds before heading back to the bathroom so you could blow dry your hair.

You thought over the entire conversation. You felt slightly bad that you had lost your temper with him when he was just making sure you were okay but God, you didn’t need that right now. What you needed was to get through the next few days so you could return to your life, your normal routine, as fast as possible. The best way you could do that was to keep going, not allowing yourself time to think, and get this done.

A twinge of guilt surged in your chest when you had that thought. You hadn’t meant anything disrespectful towards your grandmother or to insinuate that you didn’t care that she had died when you were thinking that. It was just…things were already going to be difficult, if your Aunt Ida’s attitude on the phone had been any indication as well as her behavior so far. If it hadn’t been for Lucy’s call earlier and the obituary link she texted you, you wouldn’t have even known when the services were going to be so you could grab the first flight out. Yes, things were bound to be difficult and tense until this was over.

You unplugged your hair dryer in a huff and finished getting ready to go to sleep. Beau just needed to give you space. Your life in Montana had nothing to do with anyone or anything here and you were determined to keep it that way. Texas never did despite your few trips back over the years; Big Sky Country wasn’t going to either.

You supposed you shouldn’t have been surprised at the text message notification on your screen when you lit up your phone.

You felt that twinge of guilt again but this time in your heart. Beau hadn’t deserved what you had unleashed on him before. He was a good man and he hadn’t done anything wrong. You were mentally kicking yourself as you hurriedly dressed for bed and snuggled under the sheets. You stared at your screen, your thumb hovering over his name, the desire strong within you to call him and apologize. You yearned to hear his voice one more time, even if it was just him talking and you listening, him giving you hell for the things you had said in anger earlier. Hell, you almost wished he was here with you so you could fold yourself into his arms and burrow into his chest, letting his Texan drawl wash over your ear as he assured you everything would be alright. And you could stay there as long as you wanted, safe and comforted, not having to face the world or how it had changed so drastically for you with one phone call.

After a minute of indecision, you decided to let things be, get some rest, and then call him tomorrow to apologize when you were a little more clear-headed. And God, you hoped you would be more clear-headed. You powered down your screen and turned the light off, getting into a more comfortable position. You closed your eyes and tried to let the silence settle over you to start lulling you into sleep. 

A few minutes passed by of you unsuccessfully getting your mind to stop racing, constantly replaying your phone call with Beau, the phone call from your aunt, what Lucy’s call revealed (though you shouldn’t have been surprised), what you would be facing come tomorrow, and everything that entailed. Almost as if it was a track on repeat. Finally, you let out a loud huff and reached for the TV remote, turning the television on. You channel surfed until you landed on a rerun of The Golden Girls. You tried to get into the episode; the series was an old favorite that you loved. But when you saw Sophia talking to her granddaughter, you winced and decided that the show wasn’t for you right now. You continued to click through channels until you found an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. The minute Marie walked through the youngest Barone’s household, giving her daughter-in-law a glare, you let out another wince. You finally settled on The Weather Channel and stared at the screen while the woman talked about the highs and lows expected for the next week in the area. You noticed that rain showers were being forecast for the day of the burial. How apt. And just like that, you knew your brain wasn't going to let you get any rest.

You sighed and tossed the remote away from you and rubbed your hands down your tired face. So much for sleeping.

The next day, you arrived at a familiar red-colored house with white trim, stepping up onto the old wooden porch. You could already hear a low buzz coming from inside as voices batted back and forth in conversation mixed with the sounds of young children running around and playing. One voice stuck out to you from all the rest and it made you tense up. A part of you wanted to turn around and retreat back to your hotel room.

You briefly closed your eyes and took a deep breath. No. You were not going to avoid this. You couldn’t. You wouldn’t. You could do this. You would do this. You were an adult now, you had your own life, and you were a deputy sheriff for Christ’s sake. You dealt with dead bodies, assaults, and much scarier criminals every single day. You refused to turn around and leave with your head hanging down.

As if to ensure you wouldn’t be able to leave, without your permission, your hand lifted and gave two confident raps on the front door. You could hear the chatter pause long enough that you knew they had heard the sounds. You straightened up and squared your shoulders, making sure you were holding your head high just like you did during work hours. It was a silly fleeting thought but you almost wished you were wearing your badge on your belt, having it near as some layer of invisible protection.

Before you could scoff internally at yourself, the door yanked open and there stood the older woman you hadn’t wanted to deal with. You hadn’t seen her in years and while her sandy hair was mixed with more gray and her face sported a few more lines resulting in an even harsher scowl than you remembered, the dark eyes full of contempt whenever they focused on you remained the same. 

You didn’t smile, tear up, or surge forward for a hug, and neither did she. “Aunt Ida,” you greeted. 

“Y/N,” she replied icily. “So you decided to show up for the services after all?”

You could feel your teeth set on edge but you schooled your features. You weren’t going to let her little digs get at you and you would be damned to let her see it if they somehow did. You weren’t fourteen anymore. “I did. Mind if I come in?”

Her beady eyes gave you a once over and she practically sneered before stepping back and opening the door a little wider. Not exactly a warm invitation but an invitation nonetheless. You gave her a nod and took it, ignoring the tiny snort of derision she let out as you did.

You sat uncomfortably on the old couch that you had hated as a kid. Aunt Ida had insisted this couch was for entertaining, not for young children to watch television on or jump on or do anything on really. The seat was practically as rigid as your aunt.

You silently wondered what Beau was up to now as a temporary means of mentally escaping this situation. You had tried to call him before you came over here but his phone had gone straight to voicemail. You would be lying if you said you weren’t a little hurt and a little let down that you hadn’t been able to speak with him. He had told you to call him anytime, that he was there for you despite the harsh words you had launched at him the previous night, but the one time you actually tried to reach out, he hadn’t been available. You hadn’t been prepared for the beep of the voicemail, signaling you to talk, and you ended up leaving him the most awkward message you had ever left someone. “Hey. It’s me. …I’m sorry. Call me back when you get this, okay? Or if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I’ll understand, but…it would be really nice to hear your voice. Well…you know what I mean. Anyway, just call me back…if you want.” That had been four hours ago. And granted, he was three hours behind you now, but you knew he would already be up, getting ready for the day. So why was his phone off?

You had chastised yourself out loud after hanging up the phone, telling yourself that he was probably in the middle of something for a case that he got called in on overnight and couldn’t be disturbed. How many times did you have to do the same? You had scowled at yourself in the bathroom mirror while putting the finishing touches on your foundation. “What the hell is wrong with you, Y/N? You need to get a fucking grip.” In perhaps an immature move that you were glad no one else was around to witness, you stuck your tongue out at yourself and shook your head, muttering “Stop being such an asshole already”, and walked out the door.

And now you were here, in the house you didn’t really want to be in, surrounded by people that you didn’t really want to be around. Well, perhaps that last thought was harsh. There was really only one person you didn’t really want to see and she had been the one to let you in the door.

You quickly glanced around the room you were in, noting not much had changed since you had been here last, when you had left this town in your rearview mirror and didn’t look back. Even the scent you hated as a child was still the same: a mix of old lady perfume and stale cookies. You could feel nausea starting up in your stomach but thankfully you hadn’t eaten anything before you came here. 

Your Uncle Mason, who sat on your right, gave you a tight smile when he noticed you surveying the room. 

“Still looks the same, huh?” He offered.

“Exactly the same,” you agreed without looking at him.

Your cousin, Lucy, sat in the stiff armchair on your left and looked around as well, smiling. “I like that it hasn’t changed since we were kids. A lot of good memories happened here.” 

Your gaze dropped to the oak coffee table that still had the scratch in it from when you were a child and didn’t know any better. That was one of your countless infractions your aunt had held against you. “Yeah, good memories,” you muttered. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Mason tense a little and Lucy fidgeting nervously.

You all heard Aunt Ida finish up her conversation and hang up the old handset before she made her way into the room. “That was the funeral home. There was an issue with the plot next to Dad but it’s been resolved.”

“What kind of issue?” Uncle Mason asked.

“Payment,” Aunt Ida spat out as she sat down before turning a fresh glare on you. “I hope you’re not here thinking there’s any money waiting for you and that’s why you decided to show up.”

You nearly ground your teeth together but forced yourself to remain calm. “Of course not. I’m here for Gran.”

She scoffed and shook her head. “Only took her dying, right?”

Lucy struggled to her feet, her round belly acting as an obstacle, but she managed. “You know, I don’t hear the kids anymore. I’m going to go check on them and be right back.” She then hurried out of the room; if she could have run, you bet she would be sprinting towards the backyard her kids had been urged out into when you had arrived. You couldn’t blame her. You would be, too.

“Ida,” Mason attempted to admonish his sister. “Now is not the time.”

“Then when is it?” She snapped, making Mason shrink back, before she turned her scowl back onto you. “Why else would you show up? It’s not like you came when she needed help, when we all needed help with her. You didn’t visit her once while she was in the nursing home. Not once when she was in the hospital.”

Your jaw tensed and you felt the familiar twinge of guilt deep within. “You told me not to come, Aunt Ida,” you reminded her.

She barked out a laugh. “Is that how you heard it?”

“That’s how I heard it because that’s exactly how you said it.” You didn’t look away when she was slightly taken aback by your reply. You refused to back down from this one. You reminded yourself that you were no longer a child; you were a grown woman who didn’t have to take her shit anymore. You were no longer dependent on her or anyone else in this family for anything though when you were, she had only been too happy to make you feel like crap for it every single day of your existence.

The woman shook her head, laughing at you. “Right. You’re some big shot cop now, right? Too good for us lowly citizens.” She smirked over at Mason in collusion, though her brother was shaking his head, refusing to meet her gaze. That angered her further and the glare she settled on you was worse than before. “It’s obvious why you’re really here. Like I said, there’s no money for you. Anything she had left went to the payments for the nursing home and her funeral. And what she had left was pretty much nothing. So if you came here expecting a payout from her will, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.” 

You lifted your chin slightly higher in defiance of her accusations. “And like I said, Aunt Ida, I didn’t come here for anything other than to pay my respects to Gran, and to help where I can.” Your voice softened a little at the thought of your grandmother. “She would have wanted that.”

The other woman scoffed once more but didn’t say more due to the doorbell ringing. 

“I’ll get it,” Mason hurried to offer and then nearly rushed from the room, leaving you and Ida in one hell of a glaring contest.

“I’m only trying to do right by Gran,” you assured her.

“Too little, too late,” she hissed.

You unclenched your jaw and took a quiet breath. “Yeah,” you reluctantly agreed. “Suppose you’re right.” Right then and there you decided that once you were back in Montana, you would sever all ties, this time permanently. You owed nothing to this woman or to any of them, regardless of any blood you shared. The one person you might have owed something to once upon a time was no longer alive. If anything, you were being quickly reminded why you had left this house all those years ago and hadn’t come back.

Ida harrumphed and continued to shake her head.

You were about to stand and leave, having had more than enough in this one little exchange with your aunt, and tell her to call you if she or anyone needed anything before the wake, when Mason returned and a familiar figure filled the entryway to the room. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped.

There stood the very man you had been trying to get a hold of earlier, giving you one of his warm smiles. You could see slight rings of shadow underneath his eyes that were similar to yours that you had been sporting this morning before using concealer. Exhaustion lined his face but so did relief. His green eyes that were centered on you softened slightly and in that moment, you knew everything that had happened the night before had been forgiven. He was here, for you.

You didn’t remember making the decision to move when you hurried over to him, Mason barely able to get out of your way before you launched yourself at Beau who immediately wrapped his arms around you, practically picking you up off the floor. You squeezed your eyes shut to keep any tears from coming out and burrowed into his neck, happy to breathe in the familiar scent of his cologne. No one said anything and for that you were grateful. You didn’t want anything to shatter the one good moment you’d had in the past two days.

Eventually, when you felt like you wouldn’t break down in tears and you had yourself under pretty good control, you choked out in a whisper, “You’re here.”

“Damn right I am, darlin’,” he confirmed into your ear, making you smile as you heard that Texan drawl you loved so much. The tension in his body relaxed though his hold on you did not. You felt him press a kiss to your hair before hugging you even tighter. “I’m here.”

[noellawrites]

Baby Carriage - Yandere!Jonah Simms x reader (part 2)

part one linked here

summary: after being blackmailed into marriage with Jonah, you surprisingly enjoy being with him. but what happens when a baby is added to the mix?

warnings: mentions of forced marriage, birth control tampering, creepy!Jonah, sex, pregnancy

After the honeymoon, you moved in with Jonah immediately. It wasn't necessarily by choice, but you'd returned from the trip to find your apartment empty and everything you owned had already been moved into Jonah's apartment.

The longer you spent with your new husband, the more you fell in love with him. Part of you figured this had been his plan all along, but you really did get along well. Even working together hadn't hindered your marriage. Well, except for the fiery jealousy of Cloud 9's single women.

Speaking of work, Jonah doted on you all day and treated you like a queen. He made your lunches, gave you your vitamins and even tracked your cycle for you.

So, it wasn't a shock to Jonah when you were late only two months after you had gotten married. It was Jonah's plan all along: even though he acted like a feminist, he secretly wanted you all to himself.

Jonah was tired of Cloud 9 customers hitting on you and giving you their numbers. Didn't they know you were only being nice because it was your job? But not for long, because being a mother would be your only job from now on.

--

It had, by all means, been a very normal day at Cloud 9 so far. Marcus did something dumb, Amy was pissed, Glenn was trying to help, and everyone else was just getting through the day. But alarm bells were ringing in your mind.

Today was supposed to be the first day of your period. Of course, you had been late before, but you hadn't actually had a reason to be concerned. But you and Jonah had sex ALL the time, almost daily. And sure, Jonah gave you your birth control every morning, but it wasn't 100% effective.

"Cheyenne," you say under your breath as you approach the jewelry counter, "how did you know you were pregnant?"

She looks over at you, wide-eyed, "oh, uh, I think I just noticed I was getting fatter. Why? Do you think you might be--"

"Shh! Not so loud. I-I think I'm late, but I'm scared to take a test," you confess, biting your cheek.

"Ohmigod yay! Harmonica can be besties with your daughter!" Cheyenne says excitedly, clapping her hands as a big smile spreads across her face.

"I don't even know if I'm pregnant, let alone if it's a girl!" you say as Cheyenne exits the jewelry counter and whisks you away towards the family planning aisle.

--

It feels like an eternity, but it only takes three minutes for the two pink lines to show up on your SuperCloud-branded pregnancy test.

You and Cheyenne, both huddled in the handicap stall, staring down at the positive test. It was true, you and Jonah had created new life.

"Oh my god. Oh my god, Cheyenne, what do I do? Jonah and I have only known each other for four months, a-and we work at Cloud 9!" you sniffle, panic rising up in your throat.

"(y/n)? Are you in there?" Your eyes grew wide when you recognized the voice belonging to your husband. He was yelling from outside the bathroom.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay!" you yell in response.

"Was it positive?"

"Jonah... how'd you know I was taking a test?"

"I asked Tate. And you're late. Sorry, I didn't mean for that to rhyme," he laughed nervously.

You slowly exit the bathroom with the test in your hand, Cheyenne following closely behind.

You feel sick as you hand the test to your husband and watch his face light up with happiness.

"Babe, this is amazing! We're having a baby!" Jonah exclaimed, pulling you into a tight hug.

"I'll give you a moment alone," Cheyenne says awkwardly before shuffling away to find Mateo and probably fill him in on the pregnancy.

You tried to smile in an effort to hold your tears back. Even though you loved Jonah, he still forced you to marry him and take his last name, and he'd likely sabotaged your birth control in order to get you pregnant. You weren't ready for this to all happen so quickly.

Jonah pulled away, examining your face. "Everything okay, Mrs. Simms?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm just a little scared. It feels like everything is happening so quickly," you confess. Jonah strokes your arm comfortingly as you lean into his touch.

"Don't worry, babe. I've been planning this since we met. I'm going to take night classes and finish my degree so I can get a real job. And you can stay home with our little one," he explains, gently putting his hand on your stomach.

You loved Jonah, but you were terrified of what he was capable of.

[eighthday]

Review first season "Vigil"

Ep 3. An episode about loneliness and loss.

Although the series is shown from Amy's point of view, but in this episode, each character experiences his own trauma and deals with it in their own way. (An episode about each of us.) The pressure on Amy is starting to build up. The first attempt to find the killer came to a dead end. Amy's time on the submarine has been extended from 3 days to 3 weeks, and her pills have run out. And she let Poppy down again by promising what she couldn't deliver. After all, it was then that she realized that she would not have the opportunity to wish Poppy a happy birthday. Who rewarded her with such boundless responsibility and a sense of guilt not even for her mistakes? These downward steps, which she has taken more than once in the past, will reach a deep end and a state of revelation on her part at the end of the episode.

And then the present comes and passes familygram ❤️from Kirsten. A pleasant little thing again)

This familygram is more personal than all the others. Was Amy a little happy that the radio operator who delivered the telegram only confirmed that Amy knew about Kirsten's attitude towards her, but was afraid to admit? It is likely that Amy does not specifically reminisce about Kirsten, not understanding and doubting where they are in the present. Is this her approach in a relationship, or does she not want to hurt herself even more?

This is also one of the few times when Amy smiles sincerely. Kirsten hides behind a wish from a cat to emphasize, but not to attract the attention of other people, highlighting only three words for herself. "So do I". It's about work, but for me it's also a part of Kirsten.

Looking at this scene, I have several questions: Who are all these people except Amy and Poppy? Why are Ian's parents not at the funeral? Is Poppy being picked up by a close family friend or a social worker?(They can't be Ian's relatives, because if they were, Poppy would have stayed with them) Is there no one on Amy's side who could support her? Are they even alive or is she alone?

It's great to know that, after several previous attempts, these two have started to build a good relationship in Amy's absence)

In addition, we see a lot of photographs in many scenes that decorate Amy's home. Who enjoys taking pictures, storing them on their phone, and then printing them out? Amy has many skills besides saving her own phone password from Poppy.

"It's unfair." Say this phrase to a detective who must uncover the truth and restore justice, who works so hard that he becomes a DCI, who has tools and assistants at his disposal, who solves cases after case, but who due to chance loses his future. We don't know why Amy left medical school after the second year, which is very difficult to enter, but maybe she was searching for justice? Amy saves and gives a chance not only to Harry, but also to herself. If you put a mirror in front of Amy, the main core of the scene wouldn't change. She admits something to herself that she couldn't even tell the therapist or Kirsten.

Since Kirsten sent such a familygram, there was more than just one moment associated with this book. Most likely, there were also many other books, because Amy couldn't immediately understand the message. Amy is probably used to seeing Kirsten awake in the early morning and therefore does not ask her anything, but simply raises Kirsten's hand in a familiar, confident gesture to hug her and be closer.

P.S. It couldn't have been another animal, could it?)

Who remembers the story of Jonah? The prophet who was swallowed by a whale for three days so that he would become what he was destined to become.

[justagirlthatlovedtoread]

Jonah Hauer King fanfiction:

No warnings, just a little fluff, and mentions of burning buildings

Jonah observed as his university campus was completely consumed by flames. The fire was flowing out of the building through several holes, giving the impression that a fire-breathing dragon was inside the house, puffing away vicariously. The roof, doors, and windows were all on fire. Jonah observed numerous firefighters attempting to put out the fire as the flames flared bright red and amber, nearly a livid purple.

In no time, the flames had spread to the rest of the building. It was a great sight for the crowds, (who were kept back by their professors), lined up one behind the other, in the fire assembly area.

But even throughout all this hecticness, there was only one thing playing on his mind, knocking him sick to his stomach- y/n.

Where is she?

Is she okay?

Did she make it out on time?

What about their dogs?

His eyes dart frantically around him, the sounds of his friends talking to him blend in with the background noises and the sound of crackling fire.

"Are you okay man?" Alec asks with a hand on his shoulder?

He was certain that everyone in the room could hear his brain spinning and his heart racing at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour against his chest. It almost sounded like thunder on a stormy night.

And just when he thought his heart would burst, he caught a glimpse of a beautiful girl in the distance—better yet, it was his beautiful girl.

Y/n.

"Y/n" he calls, wided eyed, in a desperate, rushed voice.

"Babygirl, I was so worried about you" pulling her closer with his large hands and bringing her into a tight hug as he reached her from the other side of the building.

"Yeah?" Looping her arms around his body, letting his hands go under her shirt to rub her hips and bury his face into her neck.

His body vibrates in response to her words on his chest, sending butterflies through his entire body. Fluttering butterflies, that never seem to end.

He leans closer to her to help maintain his balance, as the hairs on his chest spring up and his legs start to give in.

"I'm fine, I promise, I just couldn't leave them behind", looking down at the two dogs that had become the best of friends.

"I know", he smiles as they both lean down to pet their dogs and then turns to face his and her friends, who are all giving each other perplexed looks.

They were unaware of the intimacy between the two.

Sneaking around wasn't their intention- It's simply how events transpired and how the pages of their story turned out.

Jonah and y/n met in their second year of their doctors residency, when they both coincidentally tried to sneak their dogs into the "on call room" instead of leaving them at home, all alone.

Jonah claims that their meeting was fate because, after all, no one would have given the two of them together a second thought given that he was a well-liked and well-known guy, where as Y/N prefers to keep her circle small.

They began by exchanging numbers and pulling the disappearing act on each of their friends on breaks, to hang out with each other and walk their dogs in secret; away from campus grounds so no professors would find out that they'd been sneaking their dogs into their place of education.

Y/n was hesitant at first, given his social status, but slowly started to let him knock her walls down. And with time, she eventually learnt that Jonah was not the ordinary popular guy you'd usually see around. Instead, he was a beautiful, brown headed, friendly giant with a pure heart and a lot of love to give.

They fell for each other hard.

Jonah broke out of his trance when heard and saw a guy with a medical box by his side. The name tag on his uniform, reading 'Captain Bobby Nash'.

"I'm sorry son, we need to get her checked out, she inhaled a lot of smoke"

Jonah looked at her worryingly, looking between her and the paramedics that have just arrived on scene.

"It's okay, don't worry about me.

Here, take our dogs. I think we have more things to worry about" nodding her head a few times towards the professor who's currently got a mixture of relief and rage in his eyes when he notices the two dogs now standing by Jonah's side.

"Shit".

"Let's go now please" Bobby says, admiring the couple.

Their friends watch Jonah as he talks to his professor and y/n disappears once again.

They attempt to listen in but are unable to hear anything, understanding that their friends are likely in serious trouble. However, after a few minutes, when they see Jonah shaking his hand, and the professor leaning down to pat the dogs on the head, they have a gut feeling everything's going to be alright.

Jonah is pulled to the side by dogs, towards the paramedics assessing Y/N.

"Woah buddy, easy there" a guy with a quiff type hair style and birth mark on his forehead says when the dogs come up from behind him, startling him and his friend Eddie, who stands next to him.

The paramedic gives Jonah a blanket, which he wraps around himself and his girlfriend before kissing the top of her head.

"Are you okay baby, everything good?"

"Yes" she turns her neck towards him and smiles.

"Good, we should probably get the dogs checked out too" gently stroking her cheek.

"I've already checked them out, Dexter is fine, but Bella burnt her paw but I've cleaned it and I'll make sure it doesn't get infected"

He murmurs, "My perfect little vet," against her lips and then kisses her.

"Let's go yeah?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah's hands caresses and squeezes her thighs, smoothing up her sides and her arms. His index finger hooks under her chin as he pulls her impossibly closer. his eyes are locked on hers, and he's staring into her eyes whilst biting his lip.

Her heart flutters and the butterflies in both of their stomachs are constant. Her cheeks are all hot and she's tripping over her words as she tries to focus, but his gorgeous eyes have her hooked, reeling her in and never letting her go.

"I love you" he confesses.

"Hmm?" Tilting her head as the corner of her lips turn upwards and her pupils dilate further.

"I said I love you", kissing her lips.

"I love you too Jonah".

He smiles as he kisses her lips again- harder this time, then her cheek, her other cheek, her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her chin.

He's smiling against her skin as he watches her fall back onto the bed, inside their perfect little beach house they bought last summer, to escape from reality and be eachothers company.

The two dogs wake them up in the morning and nuzzle them to get out of bed whilst they are still tangled in the sheets and entwined in each other's arms.

They might not have a place to finish their degree programme anymore, but their professor assured that a new rule would be in place after they had rebuilt. Because they help with anxiety and despair and promote good health, dogs are permitted on campus.

The end??!!

Note: Please leave a like/comment if you wish, this is my first ever fanfic that I've done in a while, so please be nice! And thankyou @megalony for your help, your kindness is everything.

[chimerathewriter]

Goody two shoes

Chapter 2 Tears and fruit tea

Previous Chapter

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Summary: Gloria wakes up with shocking news on her part and then she have to go with her parents and older brother great

TW: finally real tw body shaming, nigerian parents, low self esteem, misoginy towards heroines, dick of a borther,

🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸 🕸

Gloria woke up with knocking on her door, she already knew who it was, she opened the door

" Eniola is 8 am, what do you want?" she asked obviously still sleepy, the other girls was blasting the tablet screen on her face

" What?"

" Read it"

" The worst hero ever, does Spider Thorn know she have to catch the thief not letting them go, I can't believe on what I'm about to say but it seems that we have to rely on spiderman not a spiderwoman" she quoted and there was tape of her and Hobie

" That asshole of J. Jonah Jameson" Eniola was fuming

" Eny calm down is not that bad" she yawned and sat down on the bed, her bestfriend followed her

" Yeah but the comment....."

" Let them be at the end of the day I'm still doing my job"

" Alright, anyway Miles and the group are going to look around are you coming" the girls sighed

" Nah Ikenna is back I'm going to lunch with the family, so after" she explained

" Are you going to be okay?" her friend gave her a worried look

" Yes don't worry" she smiled soon after Eniola left

After some times Gloria was finally ready to see her family, she didn't know why she was that nervous, well she knew her older brother was consider the perfect son, from education to job. He was the CEO of a big tech company in London. Even if they were sibling it never felt like they were, he was way older than her. Many people mistaken them for son and daughter.

The closer she got to her destination, the more her spidey senses tingled, since she got bit everytime her brother was near him her sense pricked

" There she is" she could hear her mother voice, she put on a smile and walked over, she hugged her brother

" Oh my god Gloria you've grown so much" he smiled

" Hi bro, is been a while" she sat down

" Now that everybody is here we can start ordering" her father said

" So how is NYU going?"

" Is going well, I'm almost done with coding project, how is London?" she explained

" A little bit gloomy, it reminds me of here"

" I have a friend from there his name is Hobie and....

" He? I hope you are not doing anything stupid" her mother warned, she rolled her eyes

" Gloria don't roll your eyes at your mother" her father pointed a finger at her

" Sorry mom, but you are exaggerating I said that he's a friend and I'm almost 20...and...." she stop and sighed

" Sorry mom but you don't need to worry, he's just a friend and he's not even my type" the waiter finally came with food, she hoped that with food the tension would have loosen up, but she was wrong.

" Is it not too much?" her father pointed at her food, she closed her eyes she knew exactly what was about to come

" I skipped breakfast to come here and....

" Your father is right, and too much food will make you sleepy and if you are sleepy you will study less" she exhaled deeply, she started to eat

" Mom I appreaciate that you are worried about my health but the food portion is fine" she

" I'm worried because if you gain weight....

" Mom please stop this a celebration for my coming back, I wiil be so sad if Gloria starves" Ikenna added, stopping their mother ranting, the lunch went completly in silence, with only some questions and answers.

" Oh I forgot what about that girl you were seeing what's her name... Amara...no Amaka yes Amaka"

" We are still together and going strong" he said all bashful, making all the family smile

" So when are you going to her father's house?" their father asked, the man smiled

" Very soon" they all clapped their hands

" Congratulation bro" she patted on his back

" Oh we are going to have grandchildren soon" their mother sang excitedly

" Mom I haven't proposed yet, I don't know if she will say yes"

" She will you are a good man" they continued to eat the atmosphere was , she looked at her phone and giggled

" Who is it?" her mother asked

" Uhm Eniola, her and Miles are near with some our old classmates from V.I.S.I.O.N" her smile deminshed

" So you are leaving soon?" she nodded in response

" Alright but first get changed" she looked at her mother confused

" Uhm what's wrong with what I'm wearing"

" Wait you are going to meet your firends like that mba agaghị ekwe omume, you stomach is showing is not looking good, like if you were some pounds lighter...." she stood up and all eyes were on her, her heart was beating fast, like somebody was about to rip it out

" Mom I'm going to go like this, and I thought you said I was beautiful"

" Yes you are, but I'm worried about you"

" Then please be less worried, you are always up my ass"

" Gloria..."

" Dad please as much I respect you I'm not in the mood for your shouting" she massaged her temples

I probably look like Miguel now

" Mom I know you love me but please let me be , I'm not a kid, I have my own job, and all my successes should make you think wow I have a responsible daughter"

" Alright sorry I didn't mean to make you feel a certain way"

" Thank you, I need to go, see you"

" Are you not coming home?" Ikenna asked

" No I will explain you later" she tip the waiter and left, not know that her friend saw what happened, she started to leave

Why do mom and dad do this everyday, first they compliment me and then demoralize me the worst way possible. Or are they saying the thruth do I really look that hideous?

Suddenly she felt a hand gripping her arm, she turned around and it was Hobie, he had a terrified look that turned into an angry one.

" Have you lost your mind? You could have been hit by a car" he shouted at her, she finally understood the situation.

" I'm sorry I... I don't know what got into me" her lips where shaking the the boy noticed her eyes becoming glossy

" Is fine are you alright?"

" Uhm yes I just need a cold drink" she dried the thin layer of sweat on her forhead, they walked towards a cafe the punk artist eyes never stop following

" Oh is that is not our girl Gloria" the cafe honour shouted making the girl smile

" Hi Aileen can I have alarge mango fruit tea with apple poppoing ball" they seated down

" So what about your new fine boyfriend" Aileen asked them

" No... no he's a good friend Hobie" the girls answered nervously

" What does your friend Hobie wants then?"

" What she order" he answered bluntly, he was not even answering he was still staring the girl who was seated in front of him

" What?"

" You literally got almost hit by car

" I got distracted okay" she tried to avoid his piercing black eyes, he gave up on having an answer they remained in silent, with the sound of people and children chatting

" Here you go your two mango fruit tea"

" Thank you how much..."

" Is on the house especially after you helped my kids passing their exams"

" Alright" the lady left them to the enjoy the drink

" So you helped her kids to pass their exams'" she nodded at the question

" Yes, many of their classmates were paying alot of money for tutors they even have one for every subject but they couldn't afford it so I offered myself, I had to convinve my parents though"

" Why? You are helping people who are in need"

" Right? But it seem that they don't get it, they thought it would have distracted me from my studies, they said if they couldn't afford it they should have never gone to VISIONS"

" Oh they are some capitalistic cunts" he commented leaving the girl speachless for later on bursting in laughter

" Yes they are"

" But trust me they were not like that before"

"Really?" he looked at her skeptical

" Yes, when they came here they lived in a bedroom apartment in Queens, after some years they had me we were still living in poverty they were kind, lovable and they were my parent"

" Then the money came and they literally froze the same people who told me that they would have supporting they.........." she felt tears going down her

" Sorry I don't know why I'm saying all of this" she laughed trying to dry her tears

" I'm so stupid"

" No you're not, some parents fucking suck and you should be feeling soffocated by those twats" he dried her tears, she didn't expect his hands to be this soft and warm, she felt her face heating

" Thank you" she whispered, he smiled making her more bashful

" We should go and meet the other" he cleared his throat

" Yes we should" they stood up

" Did you liked it?" she pointed at the drink

" Yes it was sweet" he smiled looking at her

" Good"

AN: Sorry this is another long chaoter epsecially for the mobile reader, I'm writing this on my lapton and I noticed that is too long on the mobile app.

Previous Next

[therealmsdelulu]

Overwhelmed.

Summary: Gn!Reader gets overwhelmed during a red carpet and Jonah is there to calm her down.

"Y/N, Y/N!" several voices shouted at you as you posed for multiple cameras putting on your best smile. Your vision blurring as the cameras flashed brightly.

"Y/N over here!" another voice yelled and you looked in the direction you thought the voice was coming from. "No Y/N, look the other way," they yelled in frusturation.

You felt extremely overwhelmed and mentally drained. Not wanting to be painted as rude by the media you looked at the man and smiled as best as you could.

"Thank you," the man shouted passive aggressively, "how hard was that." You glared at the man and resisted saying anything rude.

"Hey over here!" shouted several voices and tears brimmed at your eyes not being able to keep up.

"Hey Jonah, this way!" a voice shouted and your mood instantly brightened hearing his name and you looked around for him smiling as you saw him.

You tried escaping from the paparazzi and slowly inched your way closer to Jonah. You finally made your journey and Jonah smiled and hugged you when he saw you.

"Hey Y/N" he smiled at you still holding onto your arms. "How are you?" he asked genuinely.

"I feel great," you lied and forced a smile. He looked at you knowingly tilting his head. You blocked out the voices screaming at you two and just focused on the man in front of you.

"You're lying," he said seeing right through your act. "What's wrong, darling?"

"I'm okay," you claimed as the paparazzi yelled at you calling you rude and stuck-up. You sighed in frustration the tears brimming in your eyes again. Jonah noticed this and grabbed your hand.

"Do you need to step away for a moment?" he asked you not letting go of your arms until you told him the truth.

Noticing the look in your eyes he didn't even wait for an answer and gently led you to a space on the side of the red carpet where you could get away from all the noice. You took a breath of relief.

"Thank you so much," you told him looking at him gratefully.

"You don't have to thank me, darling," he told you. "Now tell me whats wrong?" he asked you in a way that let you know you didn't have to say anything if you don't want to.

"Just feeling a little overwhelmed," you sighed. "But luckily you came to my rescue," you smiled at him.

"I don't know what you would do without me," he joked and pulled you into a warm hug holding you impossibly close.

"Honestly I have no idea," you admitted as you nuzzled into him. "I know that I joke around with you a lot but I do really appreciate you Jonah," you confessed and he looked down at you with a bright smile

"I appreciate you too Y/N," he told you and placed a delicate kiss to your forehead.

"Actually I take that back," you remarked and Jonah pulled away slightly to look at your face. "I'm sugarcoating it," you confessed. "What I really meant to say is that I love you," you admitted looking at him nervously.

"I love you too," he smiled and returned your gaze before kissing your forehead again pulling you closer to him.

A/N: Lowkey hated this tbh. Um hopefully someone out there enjoys this lol. I think I used the word 'darling' too much throughout this but I just feel like it's something that a lot of British men say. Was gonna add an actual kiss at the end but decided to keep it somewhat platonic and somewhat romantic so you can picture them being just friends or being lovers and it works either way.

[shiorimakibawrites]

Idea: Adrift (Spider-Man)

Again, these are rough brainstorming notes and therefore subject to change. Any suggestions are welcome.

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home - Angst - Complicated Feelings - Referenced Character Deaths - Mention of the possibility of suicide

Adrift

Peter Parker / Spider-Man x Reader

You disappeared during the Snap. When you came back, five years later, everything had changed.

None of your friends had been Snapped – they have finished college or have entered grad school . . . some have gotten married . . . at least one is a parent now . . .

Your parents had another kid while you were gone – SISTER is cute, a very sweet little girl. You love her but her existence hurt – it feels like your parents tried to replace you. Like they don't care about you. You know logically that isn’t true – they were so happy when you came back. Even DAD had cried. MOM never lets you leave anymore without a hug, a kiss, and ‘I love you’ like she is afraid you will disappear forever.

Going to school is hard – the work isn’t difficult but you have no friends anymore, some of the teachers are different.

In short, you feel out of place in your own life. Like you didn’t belong. The world had moved on while you had stayed still.

One night, when you were on the roof of your building despite the cold weather when something feel on the roof. Or rather someone. Spider-Man – injured, cold, and it turned out hungry. You shared the snacks you had brought up along with your blanket. The vigilante claimed that the injury would fix itself, that he healed fast.

One day, when you arrived at your job at Cool Beans, your boss leaves you in charge of training a new hire. Another teenager named Peter Parker. You learned that he had also been Snapped and recently his aunt, his only living family, has died. Which explained why he seems so sad and just as adrift as yourself.

You keep having encounter with Spider-Man involving food, shared warmth, and talk. Nothing about his identity but the vigilante got how alone and disconnected you feel. Listened without judgment when you talked about your contradictory feelings about SISTER, DAD, and MOM.

Spider-Man shares some tidbits of his vigilante work, nothing really scary. More like the interesting or funny parts like the weirdest places he had found someone’s cat. Sometimes warnings about places that are getting dangerous. His excitement when Daredevil agrees to help him learn how to fight. Apparently his hand-to-hand needed work. Lots of work. There is another thing Daredevil was helping him train but Spider-Man told you that he couldn’t explain that without giving away someone else’s secrets.

As you observe things about your co-worker Peter, you get more and more concerned. He’s rail thin, often shows up with bruises. You can tell he’s very smart but quit school and doesn’t seem to care very much about getting any further education. Like he is just going through the motions, making you worry that he is suicidal. You get worried enough to ask Spider-Man to keep an eye out for Peter, just in case he does something drastic when he’s on the roof (you noticed that he is very fond of high places).

One day, you drag Peter back to your apartment. MOM takes one look at this sad, skinny teenager and immediately makes him sit at the table and eat a sandwich.

SISTER is a big Spider-Man fan. Thinks J. Jonah Jamison is a ‘big meanie’ something that seems to amuse Peter greatly. It's nice to see him with a real smile on his face.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

i don't much know tmc so i hope this makes sense, but 65 for adam and jonah and friendly alternate reader? maybe it goes the way you laid out in your original post, where the events of volume 2 make them distrust reader briefly and the fic is set in the aftermath?

Good idea! Also this is slightly different from how I wrote those hcs, but the general idea is still there!

65) "I didn't mean it...please forgive me."

.......

While waiting for your human friends to finish their investigation inside the house, you remained in the van that you all arrived in, trying your best to remain patient.

You would have much rather accompanied them, knowing of the dangers present....however the fragile trust you've formed with the two was close to shattering.

Preacher arrived without any warning on the second night, and you caught her whispering things to Adam while he was trying to get some sleep. Jonah was wide awake and had the misfortune of seeing her face-to-face before he hid somewhere, allowing you to confront her.

Although you succeeded in driving her off by pretending that they were your victims to claim, he wildly misinterpreted your actions and believed you summoned her here to kill them both. He didn't believe your ruse for a second, as he freaked out on you and demanded you to get out.

In fear of triggering a panic attack in the already frightened boy, you just quietly left, but stayed inside the van to ensure that no other Alternates could interfere with the radio signal or hijack it.

Yet as the minutes dragged on, you grew more and more worried about their well being.

Preacher easily believed your lie--considering Alternates were master manipulators--so she won't be coming back anytime soon...but you didn't like the thought of leaving those two all by themselves.

Sometime later you saw the front door open, and you teleported out of the van, finding Jonah standing there. He appeared unharmed, much to your relief.

However that's when you noticed only he emerged from the house..Adam was nowhere in sight.

"Jonah, are you alright? Where's Adam?"

"Th-The basement door opened..and he wanted to check it out. I-I told him not to, but he wouldn't listen!" He panicked, before he suddenly fell silent as his expression turned to a hateful scowl--aimed at you. "I bet you opened it, didn't you? Or was it your freaky lady friend?"

"That was neither my doing nor hers. And she's not my "lady friend"." You huffed, wishing he'd stop accusing you. "Why did you leave him all alone in there? It's too dangerous."

"He doesn't know the first thing about "danger". You don't think I've been trying to tell him these ghost hunts are gonna get us killed one day?! It's like he doesn't even hear me! We both know his mom is dead and he's looking for something that's not actually there..but god forbid I ever tell him that. I'm just sick of him getting pissed off at me for wanting to fucking live."

"I understand your frustration, but..leaving him behind is not the solution here." You tried to reason with him. "To my knowledge that's not how friends should treat each other, even if they-"

"I'm not sure if I even see him as my "friend" anymore." He scoffed, hugging himself as the air grew chillier. "He literally screamed at me to leave, [y/n]. So that's what I'm doing. I don't give a shit about him or the fame or the money anymore. I'm done. I'm going back home. Alone."

Hoping to put this conversation to rest, Jonah stormed past you and hopped into the driver's seat, trying to start the engine...but it wasn't turning on at all.

He tried hotwiring it as well--to no avail.

"Shit, [y/n]..are you doing this?" He glanced at you, annoyed. "Are you screwing with the transmission?"

"........."

"C'mon, I'm not in the mood for-"

"We cannot leave him behind, child." You insisted. As much as you hated to anger your friend, this was the only way he'll listen. "Is this truly how you wish to end things between you two?"

"I'm not a child, I'm a grown ass man. And I've made my choice, and he made his."

"It doesn't have to be that way. I can still help you both-"

"If you're so insistent on "helping" me, you'll let me start this goddamn car and stay out of my life!!" Jonah slammed his hands on the steering wheel, but unfortunately for him, you weren't about to give into his childish tantrum.

"The only way I can help you is by NOT letting you leave." You shook your head, trying to stay calm and logical. "There is no running away anymore, Jonah. If the others realize you are all by yourself...they will come for you, including him."

"...wait, how do you know he'll show up?" He blinked.

"Because...I've known him since our creation. I'm aware of his patterns. Your government calls him Intruder, children call him Stanley....we call him Six. His connection with technology knows no boundaries, including radios and GPS, so it's imperative that I'm here to stop him from- "

"Oh, so you've been bffs with that child kidnapper since the dawn of time...and you're telling me he could've been fucking eavesdropping on all our conversations regarding BPS?!!"

"I.." For a moment you tensed up, realizing you may have said too much. "No, Jonah. That's not what-"

"Damn, I wish I knew all of that before we decided to trust you." Tears welled up in his eyes again, threatening to spill over. "Adam never should've let you come along. I told him he was making a huge mistake letting you out of that TV..and guess who was right?!!"

Your nonexistent heart sunk slightly at his words.

"Jonah, please calm down. You're not thinking-"

You tried setting a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he violently smacked it away before your claws could even graze his jacket.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!! You're all the same....you're a bunch of heartless, lying, demonic bastards who destroyed our lives and made our loved ones kill themselves!!" He choked out. "You've taken everything from us...a-and if it weren't for you....THEN MAYBE ADAM WOULD STILL BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW!!"

You physically flinched at his screaming, having never seen a human look so enraged...yet sorrowful at the same time. The emotions emanating from him were quite powerful, and when he stopped to take several deep breaths, you needed a moment to absorb them all.

But seeing as you didn't immediately leave, Jonah felt his resolve completely crumble as he gritted his teeth together, trying to stop his sobs from escaping..only for them to come out as small hiccups and gasps.

"J-Just stop pretending to care, alright? Go and...a-and leave me be." Tears streaked down his face as he clutched the steering wheel with trembling hands, laying his head on it as he tried muffling his sobs.

He felt like he just gave himself M.A.D with how badly he felt like dying right now.

Although you were initially stunned by his emotions going from one extreme to the other so quickly, you snapped out your shock and frowned slightly at his distraught state.

'He's so young...and has gone through far too much...'

You gently reached over to set your hand on his back, feeling his entire body trembling beneath your fingertips. Surprisingly enough, he didn't shove your comfort away this time as he was too busy scrubbing away his tears.

You understood that he didn't actually mean those hurtful things. He just needed to lash out after all the stress of these past few nights, and you so happened to be the closest person--whose species is the very cause of his anxieties.

"[Y/n]..I-I..I know you're not like the others. It's just...I'm so lost and I'm so fucking scared to lose one more friend...!" His voice cracked. "I-I don't wanna lose him.."

"I know, my little fish.." You soothed. "I know your heart and mind are deeply troubled. I know you're very afraid...but rest assure, I will not let anything bad happen to either of you. Whatever you think of my kind is fine, but please understand that I would never pretend to care for your safety. It is...my purpose to protect you both from their evil ways."

"..a-according to who?"

"Me. Not my "Savior" or anybody else." Taking your hand off his back, you stepped away as he finally looked up at you. His eyes were wet and tinted red from crying so hard, but through blurred vision he could see you offering your hand. "Come, let us seek out Adam. I sense he is still alive."

With a small nod, Jonah grasped your hand so you could help him out of the van, though as soon as you let him go....he hugged you unexpectedly.

You blinked, looking down at him in confusion. "Jonah? Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I...I'm just sorry about what I said to you." He sniffled quietly, his forehead pressed to your chest. "I didn't mean it..please forgive me. You know how I tend to say stupid shit when I'm scared and-"

"You needn't justify yourself, my friend. I absolve you." You smiled as you patted his head. "I have gotten worse insults in my lifetime, so they don't affect me as much."

"Good to know. Also...why did you call me "little fish"? I don't hate it or anything, but I was wondering."

"Ah, because you remind me of some...old friends, we'll say. Were you ever told the story of Jonah and the Whale?"

"...uh-"

"What ever happened to "I won't be here to confirm that"?"

The moment was cut short as Jonah suddenly let you go, looking back to see Adam emerge from the house completely unharmed. He had the camcorder and other equipment in his arms, and an annoyed expression on his face.

As he approached the van, he stopped short upon seeing the other male, blinking in bewilderment. "Were you crying?"

"..n-no, it's the allergies. I told you it's that damn cat's fault.." After making a point to wipe his eyes, Jonah shoved his hands into his pockets. "So um...what did you find in that basement?"

"Just an old TV. And you're right about that cat..it was actually an Alternate. But I got some other good footage, so I'm ready to bail."

"What about staying-?"

"We'll tell the lady we stayed all three nights." Adam shrugged. "It's not like she'll know."

"Oh, so now you listen?"

"....look, this shit's getting heavy. So if you don't mind-"

"I'll help." You spoke up, disliking this growing tension in the air as you took the heavier equipment away from Adam and loaded up the van with it.

But still, you refused to allow it to start, and Jonah knew exactly why.

He couldn't just act like he didn't have that huge fight with his friend only a short time ago, so they both talked for a few minutes, apologizing to one another and hugging it out.

When they heard the engine crank on, they immediately rushed towards the van...only to see you sitting behind the wheel, much to their confusion.

They didn't know Alternates could drive.

"You kids had a rough few nights. I'll take us wherever you desire to go." You offered.

"Jeez, since when did we have our own chaperone?" Adam rolled his eyes, but opted to climb into the back while Jonah called shotgun. "I guess we owe you an apology too, right?"

"Well..Jonah and I talked it out already, but I forgive you both."

"Yeah...I still feel like shit, though."

"Dude," the brunette huffed. "What did you say to them?"

Jonah opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it as he didn't wanna bring up the harsh words he said out of frustration and anxiety. Instead he just shook his head. "I-It doesn't matter. Let's just get outta here and go for some pizza."

"I would very much like that." You agreed, backing out of the driveway and heading down the main road.

"And....as thanks for putting up with our bullshit, we'll let you pick the toppings this time."

"What?!" Adam's jaw dropped, but your smile only grew, and he had no choice but to relent.

It was certainly something to think about on the way to the pizza shop you all knew and loved.

[bellysoupset]

Harmless

The vertigo Jon + caretaker Luke fic.

-----------------------------------------------------

"I can take you!" Angelina was nearly vibrating out of her skin, bouncing up and down as she waited for Leo's response, meanwhile the blonde looked like a gazelle who had just been seen a lion watching him.

Jonah snorted at his boyfriend's spooked stare and nodded in reassurance, "that's a great idea, Angie," then, when Leo looked at him alarmed, he continued, "why don't you guys take Bella too? She's not been to DC either."

Leo's shoulder dropped in relief that he wouldn't be all by himself with Angie and the teenager didn't seem to notice, all the more excited as she jumped to look at Jonah.

"Bella-Luke's wife?" she questioned, excited, "you think she'd come? I'm dying to meet her."

"I think she'd appreciate any chance to get out of the house," Jonah said, biting his lip not to laugh at the string of texts Bell had sent in their group chat without Luke the day before. Something about the mansion being haunted.

"Perfect," Angie grinned from ear to ear, "let me just get my coat."

Then she turned around and ran further in the house.

Leo let out a whistle, glaring at Jon, "you're going to leave me all alone with her?"

"She's harmless as a butterfly," Jonah rolled his eyes, lying back on the couch, "and I'm a terrible tourism guide. You'd be annoyed in two minutes."

"I'm annoyed right now," Leo pouted, "what if she hates me...?"

"She clearly doesn't," Jonah smiled at him, "relax. Teenagers love you, charming, just flash one of your dimply smiles at her and she'll melt."

Leo's face turned red and he crossed his arms, looking away and trying not to smile, "not funny... Are you sure you don't wanna come along?"

"No, I'm going to try and have a conversation with Jasper. Wish me luck?"

"Alright I got it!" Angie squealed, rushing back, wrapped in a puffy white jacket, "let's go!"

"Okay," Leo smiled at her, but then whisked the rental car keys from her hands, "but I drive."

Jonah rolled his eyes fondly at them, waving goodbye as his sister nodded and skipped ahead, nearly exploding with happiness, and then pressing a kiss on Leo's lips, "have fun."

"Good luck," Leo sighed, pressing his forehead against his, "if I don't come back in three hours, your sister killed me."

"She couldn't harm a fly," Jonah chuckled, pushing him back.

Jonah gulped down nervously once the car drove away and he was left alone with his father. He couldn't remember the last time this had happened.

Jasper was in the kitchen, happily munching on some fruit and reading a newspaper. He looked up once Jon walked in and smiled, "hey kiddo."

Jonah wrung his hands together, before reaching for a piece of apple plated in front of his father. He hated that he was nervous, about nothing in specific.

"Hi," he chewed on it, "what are you reading?"

"Social column," Jasper smiled, "so many botched faces, you wouldn't believe. I'm thinking I should send a breakfast basket to Mr. Lawrence," he planted his finger on top of some guy's face, that Jonah could see had a terrible lip job, "don't you think?"

Jonah snorted, nodding along, "he'd appreciate it, for sure..." he stared off at the plate, "uhm, I got into the residency program."

"That's great!" Jasper clasped his shoulder, shaking it lightly, "what for? Plastic surgery like your pops?"

"Cardiology," Jonah shook his head and felt weirdly dizzy as Jasper only patted his arm in a half hearted hug.

"Difficult," he said, sounding impressed, "but you could've gotten in anything you put your mind to."

It felt like he couldn't breathe. Jonah pulled back, staring at his father's face. This was already the longest conversation they had had since Veronica Atwood passed. Maybe the only conversation Jonah had ever heard such a compliment.

He squinted at his father, "thanks..." then looked around the room, "haven't seen Camila in a while, is she not spending the holidays with us?"

Jasper frowned, then let out a little surprised chuckle, "Jonah, we've been divorced for three years now."

"Oh..." he couldn't help but blush, mentally cursing himself. They had been spending all the time with his sister since arriving and the girl hadn't thought of mentioning her parents had divorced? Instead, Angie had been blabbing about her college applications and all but interrogating Jon and Leo, "I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Jasper shrugged, finishing up the last piece of fruit, "she's back in France, I believe. I wouldn't know, you'd have to ask Angie."

"Angie... She's got the guard?" Jonah thought nervously of his own childhood and how Jasper had gotten to be his legal guardian, promptly relegating him to being a background character in his own home.

He felt a squeeze in his chest at the idea Angelina was going through that.

"No, we split it down the middle," Jasper said, "Angie can come and go as she pleases. She was supposed to spend the holidays with her mother this year, but changed her mind once she learned you were coming."

Jonah's mouth felt weirdly dry and whatever he wanted to reply to this, got stuck in his throat, as his father shrugged as if it was nothing and closed the newspaper, "anyway, gotta go. Good chat kiddo," and quickly moved away.

He was already out of the room when Jon heard him exclaim, "Oh Luke! He's in the kitchen!" and then the front door closing.

Lucas leaned against the doorway, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket and frowned, "you alright, man?"

"Yeah..." Jonah cleared his throat, trying to get himself together, "yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Well, Leo just kidnapped Bell out of my house, so I thought I'd swing by. Keep you company."

Jonah rolled his eyes, "Kit is being that insufferable?"

Luke blushed, shrugging, "what do you think we play a set?"

The basement level of the house had a private, covered tennis court. Jon hadn't been there in forever, but he immediately grinned as he saw the markings on the white board, Angie's curly handwriting saying she had won the previous three games.

"Did you know Camila and Jasper divorced?" he asked, lightly tapping over Angie's handwriting, while Luke stripped down his jacket and started stretching.

The other man blushed, looking away and Jonah squinted at him, "you knew? How the fuck did you-"

"I follow Angie on instagram," Lucas said, calmly, "we text sometimes."

Jonah glared at the back of his head as Luke walked across the court in order to retrieve a tennis ball and a couple of racquets. He was so incredibly jealous and angry at himself for never reaching out.

They played the first set uninterrupted, Jonah channeling all his negative feelings into chasing and hitting the ball. Halfway through Luke paused, face red and sweat running down his temples, hands on his knees, "christ, Jon, I thought it was going to be an amiable game...." he groaned, squinting at him over the net.

Jonah scoffed, "get up!"

He saw the minute he fucked up, sending the tennis ball under Luke's arm and into a blind spot, scoring another point. Lucas rolled his neck, the competitiveness jumping out immediately.

"Fine," he scoffed, switching hands with the racquet, "not an amiable game."

Usually, he was better at tennis than Luke. Usually. But now Lucas was annoyed and Jonah was still floored at the revelation he was so far behind in his little sister's life, that Luke knew more about her than he did.

Easy like that it all started to catch up with him, the string of bad luck they've had, Leo's overdose and the appendicitis, the fight with Wendy that he had never quite managed to apologize properly for, not reaching out for his sister and not knowing her at all, all the stress surrounding graduation and the residency-

He never did see the tennis ball that hit him.

Jonah fell flat on his back and then he heard Luke shouting and rushing to him, but there were a bunch of black dots in front of his eyes and once his friend did come into sight, there were three blurry versions of him.

"Shit! Jonah?! Jonah, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Luke was saying frantically, grabbing Jon by his arms and forcing him to sit up, all rough and desperate.

Jonah let out a groan at the sudden movement, the floor seeming to come awfully close to his face, but Lucas stopped him from folding in the middle and meeting the ground again.

"Fuck, did I concuss you?" Luke fretted about, running his fingers through Jon's hair, no doubt messing it all up, in search of a bruise.

"No," Jonah groaned, gulping as his stomach rolled inside of him, the word continuing to twirl about, "no, it hit me in the shoulder..." he tugged on his sweat drenched long sleeved shirt in order to show Luke the bruise.

The other man let out a whine at the ugly red mark, already swollen, "Aw, Jon, I'm really so sorry... Here, let me get you up-"

"Don't!" Jonah exclaimed, as Luke grabbed his elbow and tried to hoist him onto his feet. Just the mere shout had his head swimming and cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Lucas touched his back, saying in the smallest of voices, "Jon...?"

"I'm...m'dizzy" Jonah groaned, squeezing his thighs, nails digging in as he pushed back the sudden nausea and tried to hold on to his breakfast, while the world continued to tilt from one side to the other, "Luke, I don't feel good..."

He was aware he sounded pathetic and that he was a grown adult and shouldn't be clinging to his friend' shirt like that. Nonetheless, he was.

Lucas moved so Jonah's back pressed against his chest, planting a hand on his forehead and pressing Jon's head to his sternum, "you're definitely concussed, Jon..."

"Nnngh," Jonah groaned, swallowing the saliva pooling in his mouth, "no, dizzy... Vertigo."

"Vertigo?" Luke's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater, even though Jon knew it was right next to his ear. He heard a string more of words and then felt the ground vanish under him and his stomach lurched, the horrible taste of coffee flooding his mouth.

He let out a groan, trying to warn Luke he was going to be sick, but there wasn't much he could do. His stomach flipped once more and Jonah let out a whimper as vomit shot out of his mouth, stinging his nose on the way out.

He groaned, trying to grab at anything in order to stay standing... Was he standing?

"Jon, what- What do I do?!" Lucas asked, his voice wavering and Jonah had no idea what to answer him. He tried to formulate a sentence, but all that came out was a string of gibberish, punctuated by moans.

"Jonah, please, please," Luke's voice drifted back in a while later, as the black dots dissipated enough that Jon could see the other man leaning over him, Luke's face so close their noses were almost touching, his eyes wide as plates.

"Get'ffme," Jonah groaned, "can't breathe..."

Lucas scrambled back, sounding relieved as he said, "oh thank fuck, you're awake... Jonah, is this an episode? What do I do? I've never-"

Jonah missed his boyfriend, who was so used to the episodes he no longer panicked. He missed Wendy, who always knew what to do, ready to jump into action. Hell, he'd take Vince instead of Luke.

He forced out a breath, trying to collect himself and quell down the urge to curl up and sob pathetically. Jonah forced his eyes up, "need...To lie down," he slurred, squeezing Luke's bicep as tight as he could, "meds."

"You have meds for this?" Luke sounded relieved enough he could cry, "okay, uhm- I'm going to move you, alright?"

Jon would've nodded if he didn't think that would cause him to hurl all over his own damn lap. He felt Luke raising his arm, wrapping it around his neck and then squeezing Jon's waist, hoisting him up.

Although he wasn't sure which way was up or down, Jon's body felt the movement. The world all but vanished in a grey blur and his stomach soured again, causing him to gag and splutter for air.

He hated the disgusting taste in his mouth and the fact he had no idea of how to even aim, his neck suddenly useless, head lolling like a baby's.

Jonah let out a groan as there was a shift in the temperature and he felt his shirt glue to his back, causing him to shudder. His knees buckled and he heard Luke say something, stopping him shortly from collapsing down.

"Fuck..." Jonah groaned, gulping nervously, "Luke..."

"I got you, I got you, you're alright," Lucas chanted, not sounding even the least bit reassuring. Jonah clutched at him nonetheless, almost whimpering as the world continued to sway from side to side.

Jonah let out a little sick belch, falling on his ass and wrapping an arm around his stomach. It felt like he was in the worst rollercoaster ever.

He could feel Lucas rubbing his back and it really wasn't helping. Jonah dared to open his eyes, quickly closing them as he realized he had gotten sick all over his shoes.

They were sitting in the stairs that led to the indoor tennis court, two floors away from his own bedroom. Jonah groaned, bringing a clumsy hand to his mouth and muffling a gag, "my shoes..."

"I'll take them off in a second," Luke said, squeezing his shoulder, "would it be easier if I carried you...?"

"No," Jonah scoffed, his cheeks burning. This was so humiliating, he didn't need Lucas to carry him, "you'd just cause us both to fall."

"I'd not," Lucas answered, sounding offended and Jonah swallowed the nausea back again, squeezing his arm.

"Yes, you would. Help me up, I'm good."

He was far from "good", but there was really no other choice. He couldn't wrap his mind around Luke carrying him when he was still this conscious and he couldn't sit there for Angie and Leo to find him as the wettest, most pathetic creature.

The track to his old room was slow, with them having to stop every couple of minutes for Jonah to fight a gagging fit and steady himself, Lucas arm around his waist the only thing stopping him from falling backwards on the stairs, flat on his back.

Once they finally made it inside, Jonah was drenched in cold sweat and shivering violently. He felt gross, not just horrible from the vertigo and his wounded pride, but all over disgusting, stomach still flipping.

He opened his eyes as he felt Lucas touching his ankle and Jon let out a nauseated groan as he saw Luke undo his sick covered shoelaces and pull off his shoes.

The other man shrugged, "you need to learn how to chew," he said and Jonah let out a stunned, surprised chuckle, before groaning in even more disgust as he noticed a huge wet spot on the front of Lucas' baby blue sweater, with bits and pieces of fruit still stuck to the bottom.

"Oh fuck... Your- URghurp-" he cupped his mouth quickly, muffling a burp that turned into a gag and gulping down, "your sweater, I'm sorry..."

"It's just puke," Lucas shrugged, getting up from the crouched down position and stripping the sweater off, balling it up in one hand and grabbing Jonah's ruined sneakers, "I'm going to be right back, you're alright?"

"As long as I don't move," Jonah mumbled, staring at a spot on the wall. He wanted to lie down, but he knew that if he even tried to fall back, his stomach was going to jump to his throat in no time or he'd pass out.

He heard Luke moving around inside the suite's bathroom and then he came back out, still shirtless and holding a waste basket in one hand, the hand towel folded in two and slightly humid.

"Alright, I got you..." Lucas moved closer, going to wipe his face and Jonah scoffed, snatching the towel away from him.

"I'm not an invalid, I'm just dizzy..." he groaned, wiping his mouth and chin, then promptly muffling a cough when the movement triggered his gag reflex.

He could feel, more than see, Luke roll his eyes. The other man sighed, planting the waste basket on Jonah's lap, "dude, just get it up already..."

"Don't- Don't tell me wh-" he never finished that sentence, as his stomach clenched again and watery vomit fell into the bin. Jonah let out a whimper at the sore sensation in his abdomen, the burning in his throat, "I'm done, I'm- urgh, I'm done," he mumbled, trying to convince himself.

He was wrung dry.

Luke let out a sympathetic noise, like a wounded puppy and batted Jonah's hands away when he tried to take the basket from him, "just let me fucking help you."

"I'm fine," Jonah said, his voice all raspy, "I just need to stay still..."

"You keep saying that, but that's not really working," Luke scoffed, lowering the basket and wrinkling his nose to Jonah's sweat drenched shirt, "you need a clean shirt."

"I just wanna lie down..."

"In a second," the other man said brightly, jumping from the bed, happy to have found more things he could be useful at. Jonah squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the bed moving under him, his head disconnected from his body.

"Luke..."

"Just give me a minute, you want fluffy and comfy or sleek and fresh?"

"No, Luke," Jonah stressed, squeezing the comforter, as the bed seemed to be tipping backwards, "I think I'm gonna pass out."

"What- JON!" Luke exclaimed across the room and then his hands were on Jonah's cheeks and he was sinking against something fluffy and going down, down, down...

Jonah woke up with the sensation someone was touching him. He let out a grunt, scrunching up his face and trying to push the intruder away, only to hear Lucas say "sorry, I didn't mean to wake you-"

Jon forced his eyes open, but didn't move otherwise, terrified the twirling was going to come back. Lucas was standing in front of him, crouching down next to the bed, looking like a terrified teenager, his green eyes huge in his face.

He was a little fuzzy around the edges, as if Jonah was seeing him through glasses he didn't need. Jon attempted to move his hand to push Lucas' face away from his own, only to realize he couldn't move.

"What... Did you trap me?"

Lucas let out a scoff, pulling back, "no, I tucked you in. You were shivering like crazy."

"Ah," Jonah said, his cheeks burning. He wiggled slightly on the bed, feeling the soft texture of the blankets wrapped around him. Luke was still watching him intently, so Jon let out a sigh.

"I'm fine," he said, "really, I just need to take my meds and I'm going to be fine. There's nothing to do now but wait."

"Where do you keep your meds?" Lucas jumped to his feet, eager to help. Once Jonah told him where, he moved across the room to get it, saying with his back turned, "are the vertigo episodes always this bad?"

"Yes," Jonah opted for saying, instead of the much more truthful answer that would be: more often than not they're worse, "they're not that frequent though. Doc told me to avoid fatigue, sleep deprivation, altitude changes and stress. As if."

Lucas was pouting as he retrieved the little flask of pills and walked back to Jon's side, "so what was it this time? It can't have been the flight, you've been here for nearly thirty hours now."

Jonah looked away, accepting the two little pills Luke planted on his hand and swallowing them with the smallest gulp of water he could afford. His mouth tasted like something had died inside of it.

"Jon?"

"Just stress," he shrugged, "it's just..." he gestured widely, as if to say everything.

Lucas was frowning at him, "it's just what?" he pressed on, which made Jonah look up and glare at him. He wasn't that dumb, it shouldn't be hard to put two and two together.

"I'm back home for the holidays after five years," he said, calmly, hoping it was enough of an answer Luke would leave him alone, but instead the other man continued looking at him, scrutinizing him.

"And... And I don't know anything about my little sister. You know her better than I do," Jonah didn't bother hiding the jealousy in his voice, "and these past few months... They were a lot."

Luke raised on eyebrow, as if to say tell me about it, and Jonah's shoulders dropped at the unspoken camaraderie, "everything that went down with Bell, then Leo getting appendicitis right after and frightening the shit out of me... And then last month I came home and he had essentially overdosed on his meds and I'm so worried, and then this all snowballed- The fact I didn't get to properly apologize to Wendy and the residency roll out- and-"

Lucas squeezed his hand, "Jon," he said strongly, stopping the other man's panicked rambling, "Jon, it's over now."

"It's not, though. You're acting weird as fuck and so is Vince, I'm not stupid, I can- And Angie..." Jonah gulped nervously at the thought of all the things that were spinning out of his control and Luke let out a sigh, then moved so he could sit on the bed, shoving Jonah unceremoniously to the side.

Jon rolled on his back and braced for the spinning sensation to come on, but instead all he got was that horrible floating feeling. Lucas let out a tired sigh, "Angie texted me the first time, about a year ago. To ask about you," he said quietly, "you may have not reached out and I don't judge you, Jonah. I- I admire you. I wish I had managed to cut relations the way you did," he picked at his nails, while Jonah gaped at him, his eyebrows shooting up, "but... But Angie doesn't hold any of that against you. She's so excited to just know you, don't waste your time freaking out about the years that already passed, okay?"

Jonah gulped against the knot in his throat and Luke continued, looking up with a big frown on, "I don't know what you mean by saying Leo overdosed. I- I wanna think it's not - Leo would never."

"He'd never," Jonah agreed and his voice broke, "but doesn't mean I don't-"

"I know," Lucas agreed quietly, quickly, "but he'd be fucking furious if he figured you're hurting yourself like this, just because you're worried one day he might... You'll hurt your relationship too, Jonah. Do you think Leo can't smell pity like a shark smelling blood in the water? He wouldn't want you to treat him like he's made of crystal, that's just going to make things harder."

"Yeah," Jonah whispered, feeling his eyes burning and glaring a hole in the comforter, "I'm just scared... I just love him so much, Luke... And it's terrifying knowing I can't-"

"Fix him?"

"Help him," Jonah corrected, glaring at Luke, "I don't wanna fix him, I wanna keep him safe from all the terrible things he thinks."

"I don't think you can do that," Lucas whispered, as if he couldn't say these thing out loud, "I think all you can do is love him regardless and just be there for him, like... Like a rock."

Jonah sucked in a breath, letting out slowly, his throat hurting with the tight knot in there. He glared at Lucas, cracking a smile, "when did you get all wise?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm making terrible decisions right now, as we speak," Luke rolled his eyes, shoulders dropping as he attempted to lighten the mood, "you worry too much, that's my thing. Get your own thing."

"You can't trademark overthinking," Jonah scoffed, thankful Luke allowed him to break the heavy mood before he burst into tears, "and I was here first anyway."

"You're calling dibs on overthinking?!" Lucas glared at him, "I'm older than you!"

"By thirty four days," Jonah grinned at him, "doesn't count."

"Of-fucking-course it does!" Luke shoved at his shoulder and Jonah groaned, exaggerating the small vertigo wave that the push sent through him, only so he could have his friend frantically apologizing again.

"See? You can't trademark overthinking if you can barely do the thinking part, Luke."

"You're such a jerk," Lucas whined, deciding against shoving him once more and settling for grabbing another pillow on the bed and smothering Jon with it.

[amaretigris]

Hi! Thankyou for taking on requests for Jonah! Not a lot people right for him! If you don't mind, would you do one for me too please?

I was going to request an imagine/blurb based on Jonah being in love with yn, but yn isn't ready? But he's really touchy with her (with neck kisses, cuddling from behind, stroking her back, couch cuddles, cheek kisses, etc) because he can't help himself, so eventually she just caves in and believes that Jonah isn't like the others?

Thankyou!!!! Xxxx

Hi love! Thank you so much for this request! It's adorable. I hope you enjoy 🥰💖

Gravity

1.3k words | Fluff with a splash of angst

If you had to choose a word to describe Jonah, that word would be steadfast. Jonah has always been devoted and consistent with you. Unwavering. That is why you fell for him, after all. But it wasn’t always this way.

When the two of you first met, you were very distant. Jonah was the newest member of your friend group, so you didn’t know him well. The two of you went out to a bar with everyone, and you noticed that Jonah started gravitating towards you. As time went on, Jonah became more and more interested in you. He showed it in several ways: physical touch, asking you on dates, and more physical touch.

It got to the point where, anytime you saw Jonah, he would loop his arms around your waist from behind, and gently nestle his chin on your shoulder. He was always touching you, whether it be rubbing your back, holding your hand, or kissing your cheek. You weren’t used to this at first. You had turned down Jonah’s offers for dates, so why was he always touching you? He would stop anytime you asked him to, but you noticed that somehow, some way, he was always touching you again by the end of the night. He didn’t even seem to notice. It was like a natural pull.

You eventually learned that Jonah is a very touchy-feely person. Physical touch is his love language. Obviously, with you, it’s a little different, but he does it with everyone. He’s the same way with his family and friends. He’s always hugging everyone or clapping them on the back. So, you started not to mind as much when he touched you. You now know it’s his way of connecting with another person.

This did become problematic, however, when you had to continuously explain to everyone that you were not, in fact, dating Jonah. People saw the way he looked at you, and the way he touched you.

“How are the two of you not together?" they would ask.

It was because you were afraid. Jonah is not only an incredible human being, but also a celebrity. The fame, the press, and the pressure have always been terrifying to you. How could you ever be enough for someone like him? Could you handle the constant scrutinization and magnifying glass on your relationship? Could you handle it if Jonah left you for another celebrity- someone more beautiful and talented than you?

These questions haunted you. Every time Jonah asked you out, and every time you said no.

But, every time, Jonah would affectionately squeeze your hand, and say, “Whenever you’re ready, love. I’ll be here waiting for you.”

The two of you had been friends for close to 4 months now. And suddenly, the question that popped into your mind, unbidden, was: how long would Jonah wait for you?

You knew that you couldn’t be selfish and keep him hanging like this forever. You had come to cherish Jonah. He had quickly become your best friend. The person that you texted every day, and the person that you wanted to tell everything to.

Finally biting the bullet one day, you texted Jonah, asking if the two of you could meet for dinner.

Jonah ❤️

Hey! Can we get dinner tonight?

Of course, love. Who all will be there?

Oh, I was hoping just the two of us.

Oh okay. Sounds great to me. Everything

okay, (Y/N)?

Yes, everything’s fine. I just want to

talk to you about something.

Nothing bad!

Okay! Let me know when and where you

want to meet. 😊

Pulling up at the restaurant, you fixed your hair in the rearview mirror, and tried to straighten out your dress. You were so nervous, but you needed to tell Jonah how you felt, once and for all. You didn’t want to wait anymore. Gathering up your courage, you also grabbed your purse, and headed into the restaurant.

When you entered, you saw Jonah’s back. He was facing the hostess stand with his hands in his pockets, lightly whistling. You could see that he was wearing a simple, white button-down shirt and black slacks. He was always effortlessly dreamy. Before you got too carried away with your thoughts, you tapped him on the shoulder.

Jonah turned around to face you, opening his mouth in awe.

“Wow, (Y/N).You look stunning,” Jonah kissed you on the cheek.

“I’ve already got a table for us,” he smiled at you, grabbing your hand, and leading you to the table for two in the back of the restaurant.

A dainty white candle burned in the middle of the table. Jonah pulled your chair out for you, waiting for you to sit down, before scooching you up to the table a notch. Taking his seat across from you, Jonah immediately grabbed your hand on the table, and started rubbing his thumb across it. He was about to start talking when the waiter popped up.

“Hi! My name is Vanessa. I’ll be taking care of you tonight. What can I get you guys started with?”

The two of you put in your drink orders, and Jonah ordered an expensive appetizer.

“You’re going to love it, (Y/N),” he winked at you.

You blushed and waited for Vanessa to leave the table. You cleared your throat before you began.

“So, Jonah, I’ve been thinking…” you trailed off.

Jonah looked into your eyes, showing you that you had his full attention. You felt him gently squeeze your hand, urging you to continue.

“I know that every time that you’ve asked me out, I’ve told you no. But there’s a reason for that. And the reason is that…I’m scared. Terrified even,” you looked up at Jonah, feeling his thumb still gently stroking the back of your hand.

“Of what, (Y/N)?”

You looked down at your joined hands. You felt all of your emotions swell up in your chest, and tears prick at your eyes.

“I’m scared that it’s too late. I’m scared that I’m not enough. I’m scared that our relationship will get torn apart by the media. I’m terrified that you’ll find someone better,” you choked out.

Without hesitation, Jonah was immediately by your side. He gently pulled your arms for you to face him, while he was kneeling on the floor.

“Hey, it’s okay, (Y/N),” he pulled you in for a hug and began stroking your back.

“You’re so hard on yourself. You don’t see how wonderful you are,” Jonah pulled away from you to look you in the eye.

“I will protect you from everything and everyone. I would do anything for you, (Y/N). And I will never find anyone better. Can’t you see? You’re it for me. I knew it from the moment I met you. I’ve always felt this pull between us. This gravity. You’re my sun, my moon, and all my stars. You’re everything. I was just waiting for you to realize it.”

Cupping your hand over your mouth, you sobbed at Jonah's words. He pulled your head back to his chest, letting you cry as much as you needed. After you were through, you sniffled, and wiped your face. Jonah pulled back to look at your beautiful (e/c) eyes again. The ones he fell in love with when he first met you. He put his hands on your cheeks to wipe away stray tears.

“You mean everything you said?” you whimpered.

Jonah smiled.

“Of course, (Y/N). Every word,” he whispered, leaning in to touch his forehead to yours.

He looked down at your lips, and you heard his breath hitch in his throat. When his eyes met yours again, you nodded. Jonah tenderly molded his lips to yours. You lost yourself in the kiss for a minute before Jonah pulled back. He laughed.

“Ah, can’t let myself get too carried away with that right now, can I?”

He rubbed the back of his neck before standing up and going back to his seat across from you.

You looked at the knees of his slacks and grimaced.

“I’m sorry about the pants,” you pouted.

Jonah reached across to stroke your bottom lip with his thumb, before giving up, and standing up to kiss you over the table. You giggled into the kiss. Jonah pulled back with a smirk.

“I told you, (Y/N). Gravity."

[accidentalslayer]

Word Count: 2,530

Warnings: Angst & Abuse. In particular, religious/cult abuse. Death, dying, and trauma after a near-death experience. Dissociative vibes. The end has a really reaffirming, comforting example of friendship. I wish everyone had a Josh in their lives.

Author's Notes: I really struggled on this chapter. Mostly because I've been sick for all of July and only recently started to recover. My spirit was willing to write but my flesh was weak. 🤣 Anyways, I'm still on my Angsty!Davina hype. This chapter delves deeper into that. Oh! By the way, I changed "Vincent Webb" in Chapter One to "William Webb" so as not to confuse everyone because there's already a "Vincent" in The Originals. It'll be William Webb moving forward.

This'll be the last Davina chapter for awhile.

Please feed me comments, hearts, and reblogs if you liked this 🌹You can find me on A03 as accidentalslayer.

Pairing: Yandere!Elijah & Klaus Mikaelson x Fem!Reader (eventually) Summary: Davina gets an unexpected visit from her best friend Josh who has some, erm...concerns about her mental health. Also, life gets weirder for the young Harvest Girl when a truth is revealed. One that could change her life forever.

Recommended Song: "You Were Cool" by: The Mountain Goats

Chapter Three: Jonah's Whale (Part Two)

Cold hands shook Davina. Muffled sounds hit her ears. Someone was shouting, their voice fraught with urgency. It was enough to snatch her out of sleep and snap her eyes open. Peering through a blurred vision still addled by dreams, she looked up at the person who had a vice grip on her arm, then blinked.

It was a boy; dark-haired, dark-skinned, wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch polo shirt underneath a worn hoodie that looked like it'd seen way better days. Fastened around his wrist was a friendship bracelet that Davina immediately recognized as the one she'd made a year ago while living at St. Anne's. The initials 'J.R.' and 'D.C.' embellished its design in bright, rose-colored thread. The letters were joined together like clasped hands inside a heart that she'd gotten a migraine over weaving at the time. Davina was a much better artist with charcoal sticks than with cotton twine, anyways. Despite all the grueling hours of training she had gotten out of the Sanguinem Knot.

Groggily, Davina wondered if she could trust her sight?? Perhaps this was another nightmare or an illusion cast by Monique to trick her? Could it really be...

"J-Josh...?"

"Davina!"

It looked like Josh. It sounded like Josh. It bit its lip nervously like Josh. But Davina needed more proof just to be sure. Illusion magic had its limits. And memories weren't easily replicated. So, she asked the boy something that only the real Josh would know:

"What was my favorite show in 9th grade? If you don't answer it correctly, I swear to the goddess, I'll scream so loud the whole compound will hear it."

"Josh" released hold of Davina's arm, a confused frown upon his lips, "Uhh, that's a trick question, right?? You told me your mom only let you watch TV for "educational" purposes. I was the one who got you into binge-watching stuff for fun. Uhhhh, but hey, Davina, your books are-"

"List the three most embarrassing things you did in grade school. Your Sonic and Winx Club phase doesn't count."

"It SO does."

"Screaming in...three...two...one-"

"Okay!!!" The boy who might be Josh exclaimed, throwing both hands up in the air and conceding to her demands, "I stole a pack of cigarettes out of my homeroom teacher's purse on a dare then puked when I tried smoking too many of them to impress my crush. My mom made me wear this baby bear costume on Halloween and I had to go trick or treating in it. I accidentally sent nudes to my uncle-"

"Josh! It IS you!"

"I mean. Yeah, duh. Why wouldn't it be?? I texted you yesterday about coming over, remember??"

Despite being a vampire with heightened senses, Josh didn't see how fast Davina moved from her seat to pull him into a hug. And he was surprised by how hard she squeezed him, like he was a life raft, or buoy on some stormy sea. Josh took it all in stride, though. He knew Davina well enough to understand that she was going through Hell now that she was back with the Coven. But there was something...off...about her. Different than before. His eyes strayed to the steel table he'd found her crouched over and fast asleep upon. To the book pile she'd been thumbing through...

Every tome on the table was scorched. Strange writing had been scrawled across their pages in Davina's penmanship. Josh didn't recognize the language. The words seemed foreign. Unearthly. Almost alien. But there was one symbol he could decipher amidst the chaos; it was the number 7. It repeated (over and over again) in varying fonts and sizes.

Josh waited for Davina to pull away from the hug before asking if she was okay. Although, judging by the dark circles underneath her eyes, it was a safe bet to assume that she wasn't.

"I'm fine," Davina replied with a smile on her face, "Just passed out while studying these grimoires. They're super old-fashioned. Like, created in the Dark Ages or something. The Coven says they're mandated reading material for us Harvest Girls. But between you and me? I'd rather be studying Grapes of Wrath."

Josh grimaced in response, "Yeesh, that bad?"

"The worst, actually."

"They look, uhhh-"

Josh trailed off, trying to think of the right word to use, but ended up saying the one that was on the tip of his tongue:

"-crispy."

Davina pointedly ignored his comment. Instead, she offered Josh some tea with a tired sigh.

"I'm more into the red stuff these days...but sure. I'll have some if you do." He answered her, trying to keep his voice light and carefree, "Anything in those cabinets that'll help me walk in the sun??"

"Nope. Just peppermint."

"Damn! Foiled again!"

This merited a smirk from Davina. Josh took the win, following his friend across the conservatory, to a small alcove where an electric kettle and tea service was laid out for anyone's use. There was even a convection oven, accompanied by all the fixings for toast. Davina flipped the power button on the kettle. Silently, she watched as it began to heat up and boil their water. Josh tried filling the empty space with conversation.

"So, it looked like you were having a nightmare. A really bad one. Wanna talk about it?"

Davina made no comment besides a quick shrug and a grunt. She seemed more preoccupied with choosing the mugs they'd drink out of. Or the tea they'd make. Undeterred, Josh pressed the issue harder, hoping his friend would open up to him.

"You know," he continued speaking, "they say that telling a friend about your nightmares can help them seem less scary. Like, once you talk about it, you'll see how ridiculous the dream was. Sometimes, I still have nightmares about waking up in class buck naked, and Klaus is there..."

Davina rose an eyebrow, "Who's 'they'??"

An embarrassed laugh rolled out of Josh, cheeks reddening upon admittance that it came from a self-help book he was reading; 'The Dark Side of the Light Chasers' by Debbie Ford. He'd found it laying in a cardboard box on the side of the road somewhere. He'd been going through each of its chapters (sporadically) ever since he'd found it.

"I dunno, the author writes about meditation and meeting all your different selves inside your head like Doctor Strange. I did this one exercise at the end of a chapter about self-love and acceptance and uh, I met the "me" I was before. Before all the fangs and the blood and the suddenly burning in the sun. Fun times, haaa! Anyways, look. I'm here for you, Davina. If you need a shoulder to cry on? An ear to listen to you?? We're friends! And that's what a friend does! Well, uh. I guess that's what I think a friend should do-"

Josh frowned, then said quietly:

"-I haven't really heard a lot from you lately..."

The electric kettle shut off. The water was ready. Davina poured the boiling liquid into two, footed mugs that she had chosen. Then, dipped the tea sachets in with care. The aroma of mint filled the air and the space in-between where Josh waited patiently for Davina to say something. Anything! But she didn't. So, he continued to talk while she listened, hoping that his friend would participate eventually. He was starting to get a bit frustrated by how silent Davina was being.

"You know, there's this story in that book about a person who was also having trouble sleeping. His name was Jonah. That dude from the Bible. He'd heard the voice of God tell him to pass judgment on the city of Nineveh and he reeeally didn't want to. So, he ran. Then, a whale ate him, and literally only spat him up when he accepted what he was running from. I'm not a religious person but what I'm trying to say here is-"

"That I shouldn't go on boating trips?" Davina posited, finally adding to the conversation. She offered Josh his cup of tea afterward.

Josh made a sour face while accepting the tea. He obviously didn't appreciate her wry sense of humor here...

"No! That you shouldn't run away from the things you're afraid of because you'll just make it worse for yourself. And in the end, you'll have to face it anyway. But unlike Jonah, you don't have to face it alone, Davina. I know you're going through shit after dying and being resurrected. Who wouldn't be, right?? But lately, I've been feeling like you're shutting everyone out. You haven't texted me or Cami back in weeks. What's up with that, huh??"

Now, it was Davina's turn to make a sour face.

"I'm just really busy here, Josh. Being a Harvest Girl means I have responsibilities to the Coven."

"You hate the Coven!"

"I know, but...I'm still a Harvest Girl."

"And I'm your friend, Davina! Cami is too! Don't we deserve to at least know that you're okay?!"

"The Coven said I couldn't use my phone here in the compound. They said they want me to focus on studying and classes only. No distractions..."

"And you couldn't sneak on the phone to tell us? We've been worried about you! Cami and I have been worried sick! Fuck the Coven!"

Davina rubbed her temples in response, "Josh..."

"Davina."

"What's really going on?? You're acting weird as hell."

Josh sipped his peppermint tea nervously, then flinched. He'd misjudged how hot it still was and burnt the roof of his mouth in the process. "Mm, this sure is some great leaf juice you've brewed-"

"Josh!" Davina exclaimed, starting to run out of patience, "Enough stalling. Spill. Now. What's up with you?"

With grim reluctance, as if he were pulling teeth, Josh revealed the (true) reason for his visit. It all came down to one name. A name Davina should have guessed was involved from the very start:

"It's Marcel. I-I know you guys aren't on speaking terms right now, but uhh...he's been worried too. About you. About sending you back here. About pretty much everything, to be honest. He wants to know how you're doing? If you're doing okay? Aaaand...he needs your help with a spell."

Davina groaned, "UGH. Of course he does! When does he NOT need me to do his dirty work?!"

"This isn't for him. It's for Cami! The curse on her uncle is getting worse, Davina. He's going nuts in that church of his. Marcel was wondering if there was any way to reverse whatever the Coven put on him? I don't think he has much time left..."

At the mention of the Coven, Davina tensed. She placed her cup down on the alcove's table. There was an air of finality to the gesture.

"Josh, it's different now. I can't do magic for him anymore. I can't do magic for anyone anymore... The Ancestors won't allow me. And if I break the rules again?? They'll do worse things than what they did in that abyss to me. Marcel doesn't care because he's not going to die, Josh!! Neither will you! Father Kieran and Cami are going to Heaven but I only have one place to go after this!! I can't mess up my last chance with the Ancestors...or the Coven. I won't."

Davina expected Josh to argue. Clearly, he had a stake in whatever drama Marcel was cooking up. She could see it in his eyes. A quiet desperation, like a fly caught inside a clever spider's web. Why else would he be doing this? But to her surprise, Josh only nodded. He didn't fight to change her mind.

"I'll tell Marcel you're doing fine," Josh said, "No, scratch that. I'll tell him you're doing better than fine, you're doing awesome! And that...you can't help him anymore."

"Josh, I-"

"Davina, don't."

Soft arms wrapped around Davina unexpectedly and cut short whatever apology she planned on saying. Now, it was Josh's turn to give his friend a sudden hug.

"Don't ever apologize for setting a boundary. You don't owe me or Marcel or the world shit! Okay?? If anything, we owe you. I owe you. You saved me from Klaus. You gave me back my control."

He squeezed Davina tighter in his embrace.

"Promise me that you'll take care of yourself and if you need to talk, that you'll call me. Or text. Or Instagram works, too. I'm always there to listen. You're my best friend, Davina. And the strongest person I've ever met."

"You're pretty strong too, you know?"

Josh chuckled, "I'm starting to be. Couldn't have done it without your help, Super Witch."

The mood lightened. Josh and Davina spent the rest of their time together, reminiscing. Bonding over the good memories they had. Those sacred spaces in-between murderous witches, miracle babies, Machiavellism, and The Originals where they were allowed to just be kids. And do things that kids do. Although Josh's gaze strayed to the pile of scorched books once (or twice), he made no comment on them.

Josh left somewhere around midnight. The smile in her heart left along with him, returning Davina back to reality. She ruminated while she cleaned up the mess leftover from making tea. Images of the nightmare swirled inside her mind. Filled her with dread. She was no stranger to dark dreams or terrible visions, especially after her experience working for Marcel, but this one felt...different. It felt ominous. Like the first scream of a hurricane siren.

Davina...

Or the rumblings of a storm.

Find her, Davina Claire...

As she was shelving the last item away, the floor began to shake, and the walls trembled. Her ears rang with the sound of the voice. Nearly bled. Its volume had increased tenfold since the last time she'd heard it. Davina braced herself against the onslaught, using all her strength to ignore it. But the voice proved too powerful.

She fell upon her knees and shouted, "I CAN'T! I can't help you!! I can't do ANYTHING for anyone anymore!! Don't you understand?!? I am the girl bound in chains! I am shackled to a people who HATE me and control my every move! So, to Hell with New Orleans! Let this city be swallowed up! It's NOT a French Quarter Witch's problem!!"

There came a pause in the quaking and thunder. The stillness that came afterward was thick with tension. It was as if the entity was considering its next words carefully.

You are not a French Quarter Witch, fire maiden. You are a Prophet. Called to a higher purpose. To serve the light that burns within you...

Find her, Davina Claire, and together the two of you shall be free.

"W-wait, what?! I'll be...free?"

No further elaboration was given to Davina. She called out to the entity several times. All she got was silence and stillness in return. Davina stayed in the conservatory, amongst the potted plants, until dawn broke and colored the sky with hues of gentle pink, yellow, orange, and sky blue. And in a semi-stupor, Davina began to repeat a single word underneath her breath...

Free.

[romanarose]

Congrats again! I can't believe you don't have at least twice as many followers. People are missing out!!! 💞✨

Now, after the trauma that was ROF's latest chapter, I ✨demand✨ (I'm actually begging on my knees, please!! 😭) a lil hypothetical scenario where Madonna attends to Frankie's aching body and hugs him and comforts him 🥺👉👈

Pretty please, I need to press babygirl's cheek against my boobs so he knows he's loved and safe 😭

Romana's 2k follower celebration

Of coursebb!!! since Frakie will not be getting any of this from Madonna. he wll get some from Will though.

Room's on Fire universe(DARK)

NOT CANON but the things Frankie thinks about in his internal monologue are.

Descriptions of wounds, bites, blood, domestic violence

Frankie desperatly tried to hold back his tears as he searched through the medicine cabinet. He didn't want to ask for help or advice, he was humiliated and hurting. He hoped to god tha Iris wouldn't come in for anything. Frankie liked Iris, honestly, and they'd shared more than a few nice moments in the ten years he'd known her and he'd tried to make her time here at least bareable.

Santi could be harsh and cruel, especially when Iris first started. She was headstrong and it took a while for Santi to break her down. He never did, completetly, but as long as she got the work done she needed to, he left her alone. There had been a time, before Beatriz died, that Beatriz had been playing around with the idea of Iris and Frankie being wed. Francisco hated the idea, seeing how Jonah was pretty publically being fucked by Beatriz while she less than publically fucked Frankie. Jonah had been around Francisco his whole life, Jonah probably spent more time in his childhood than Iris did, seeing how she was intentionally kept away. The idea felt wrong, like a quasi-incest.

Pope didn't want them together and neither did Iris, obviously. Frankie didn't take it personal. When Beatriz died, Iris was placed here to punish Jonah but honestly Jonah got to see her more now than before. Santiago didn't think in those terms. It was like the idea of him and Iris never happened, and now Frankie was married to Santi, just like Santi had wanted all along.

That's how he got in this position.

Santiago wasn't always like this but the last few months... things had gone downhill. Between Santi's jealousy and bipolar mood switches, he was getting harder and harder to placate. Ben had promised when she was pregnant, Santi would change, that he'd focus on Madonna.

Now he was talking about getting Frankie pregnant... did he realize that wasn't possible? In his delusions, did he think he could really put a baby in him?

"Francisco?" The soft voice of the beautiful madonna he'd come to love in his own way. Francisco wanted Ben... but look where loving Ben had gotten him? Ben with a concussion and Frankie... "Oh my god..."

Frankie realized he was in a tank top. Shit.

She rushed to his side, her night dress fluttering around her.

"Where's Reyansh?" She was supossed to be guarded at all times, especially after the shooting attempt.

Her eyes go wider. "Oh he's um.... he's..."

"He's not watching you?"

She stammers, clearly trying to cover for her friend. "He's just in the kitchen with Iris but I swear, he thought I was asleep!"

"He's supossed to be guarding your door."

Her lip quivers. "Please don't tell the others! Please I shouldn't have left!" She looked so worried for him. She was a good person like that.

"I won't, I promise."

She relaxed a little, but frowned when she looked at his marks again. Blood was still at the bite marks. She reached out to touch them slowly. "Was this a demon?" She asked, and Frankie almost laughed before he realized she was sincere.

"Yeah." He whispers. A demon was more beleiveable to her than the idea Santi would harm him.

She nodded a little. "I suffer from them too. At night."

Frankie almost asked what she meant, if she was getting nightmares, but she touched a particularly bruised part of his arms and he visibly winced.

"Sorry."

Madonna gathered a few items, a cold pack, a washcloth, bandaids and coaxed him to a counter where she sat herself up on the marbel. Carfully, she tended to his wounds, cleaning and bandaging and icing him softly with sad eyes but a loving hand. She was so much softer than he was used to.

Madonna didn't want anything from him, she didn't want to fight with the others or hurt him body or sweep him under a rug like Ben, Santi or Beatriz had. She just loved him as he was. Maybe it was the brainwashing, the way she had been trained from birth to adore him.... but he wasn't entirely sure he cared. He'd take care of her, he'd treat her with that same gentleness she gave him now.

She deserved it, and so did that baby, whoever was the father.

And lets be honest, it probably wasn't him. It was probably Ben or Will based on sheer statistics, but it didn't matter. The baby was hers, and she mattered.

God knows there was enough ruined lives living under this roof, francisco didn't want this baby or her to be another one.

When Madonna kissed him, sweet kisses compared to Santi's bites, Francisco pulled her legs around him. With his arms wrapped around her body and holding her close, Francisco kissed her and carried her all the way back to her room. He'd make sure she got back safe and wasn't left alone again.

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FRANCISCOOOOOOOOOO sweet sweet man