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somewhere-to-be · 1 year

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Stuff I would've liked to see if Rhys was real and not Joe's hallucination and Joe got over his hangup and did accept that he was a cold-blooded psycho killer and he likes killing actually, especially these people:

Rhys actually being friends with 'Jonathan Moore' and coming to the university to give a talk to his class about voting in the elections or something and Nadia sensing something off about their closeness because of course she would

Kate feeling like the third wheel when the three of them hang out together at Sundry House because what Rhys and Joe have is more than friendship

Joe actually liking Lady Phoebe and learning about Adam's plans to marry her for money and with Kate's suspicions about him being not good for her, decides to take out Adam next and tells Rhys who is absolutely thrilled that Joe is finally initiating things

Rhys and Joe bickering about the best way to kill (Joe makes his plans but he tends to go overboard when things go wrong and kills people accidentally way more often than not. Rhys who prefers planning every detail and contingency before they get into it)

But Gemma being who she is says something insensitive in front of Rhys when the group is discussing his plans as a mayor and also jokingly says that Jonathan might be the killer

Rhys getting super mad and killing Gemma the first opportunity he gets - not just because of what she said about minorities but because he's now more protective of Joe

Joe being the one who has to help Rhys get rid of the evidence this time and control him from going on any more anger-fueled kills because Rhys might also kill Roald the same way

Joe and Rhys staging Gemma's murder as another Eat-the-Rich killer death and Rhys giving more interviews about crime in London going unchecked because he has to but also talking more about wealth inequality and how the city's resources are being misappropriated

Rhys and Joe talking about books in between murders, Joe telling him about his work as a professor and how proud he is of his students especially Nadia who has written this great book (yes, he actually reads it) - and Rhys also agrees to read it

Nadia being so happy about getting feedback from the actual Rhys Montrose, the literary sensation, is reading her book that she forgets all about the off vibes she got and secures her future as a successful student who gets her degree without getting wrapped up in any murder business beyond reading about Eat the Rich killer in the news

Rhys and Joe finally executing their plan of capturing Adam but Roald's there too so they get them both and kidnap them

Adam being confused about why he's there at all and begging for his life because he's actually broke and saying how he thought they were friends

Roald just being a dick about it and saying how he always knew Jonathan was a killer but he tries appealing to Rhys saying he's a good person and Jonathan has probably corrupted him

Joe and Rhys just exchanging amused glances while this happens and then killing them together, like the murder husbands they are

But this happens to take a bit longer than they planned for and Joe is late to meet Kate

Rhys confronting Joe about the feelings they share because Joe might still be 'dating' Kate but Kate will never know him like he does

Joe just thinking about Rhys the whole time he is with Kate and then they hear the news about Adam and Roald's murder and he has to pretend to be shocked and Kate gets distracted by what's happening so she doesn't say anything for now

Kate's father sending even more security to her which makes her confide in Jonathan about her past with her father and how much she dislikes him

As Kate's father is also having articles published against Rhys

Joe talking to Rhys about it and they decide to kill her father together - but Rhys only agrees on the condition that Joe ends things with Kate because if he is the one to comfort her after her father dies knowing he's the reason for his death, he actually might have a psychotic break

Plus, isn't it better for her now that she's free? Wouldn't she want to start a new life, away from everyone who reminds her of the terrible time she's had the last couple of months with everyone dying?

Joe reluctantly agrees

Joe uses Kate's phone to call Kate's father to a meeting point where he'll be alone and Rhys and Joe ambush him

Tom Lockwood is actually surprised that Rhys is the Eat the Rich killer - he knew Jonathan was Joe and capable of killing but Rhys was a complete surprise

Rhys hears him try to talk his way out of this - Tom Lockwood even agreeing to back his election campaign but Rhys doesn't want his dirty money funding his run and he's confident he can win on his own

Joe is more than a little proud of that

Rhys lets Joe kill him - but he knows that if Joe isn't the one to pull the trigger, there is a chance he can rationalize his way out of it and get back together with Kate so he has to be the one to shoot Tom Lockwood

Joe knows what Rhys is doing but he goes along because he does feel something for Rhys that he doesn't with Kate, not at all

Joe and Rhys framing Lockwood's death as a suicide because otherwise it would draw too much attention

Rhys being a little sad they couldn't credit his death to the Eat the Rich killer, which was now their shared persona together, it would've been their magnum opus, but at least they'll always know it was them who pulled it off

Kate having conflicting feelings about her father's death, not believing that he would kill himself

Joe pulling away from Kate but also nudging Lady Phoebe to be there for her

Kate seeing Jonathan talk to Rhys and sees their chemistry that's now even more obvious and making the move to break up with him

And when Nadia hears about this, she just accepts that the vibes she got from Joe and Rhys was just them being in love and nothing sinister

Kate going on a vacation somewhere far away with Lady Phoebe

Rhys winning the election as the mayor because of course he would

Rhys coming to Joe's door on his winning night because he's the only one he wants to celebrate with

Joe already having a bottle of the best champagne ready because he knew Rhys would come

And finally, them planning their future together and setting their sights on the bad people in politics

#is this what's called an imagine #this became entirely too long #goldrose #joe golberg #rhys montrose #rhys x joe #joe x rhys #you netflix #rhys montrose x joe goldberg #also nadia getting the happy ending she deserves #justice for nadia #also no marienne in this because let her be lost in paris

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servants-hall · 1 year

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Sanditon S3: Some more new stills from the Masterpiece site!

#sanditon #sanditon spoilers #sanditon s3 #georgiana lambe #arthur parker #dr fuchs #edward denham #lady denham #charlotte heywood #henry montrose #alexander colbourne #tom parker

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thyramalie · 9 months

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The choice of the American Consuelo [Duchess of Marlborough] and three other tall duchesses [Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland; Millicent Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland & Violet Graham, Duchess of Montrose] was orchestrated by Alexandra for effect rather than tradition, as the biographer Tisdall related:

Four of these ladies who were to stand by her throne in the Abbey and 'arrange' her crown, she was going to pick for herself. She was not interested in dusty claims or precedents and was sorry to cause disappointment if somebody had already selected them for her. She would have four Duchesses. The really important thing was that they should all be tall like herself. They must all be beautiful and they must have a certain similarity of appearance. She was not going to have the effect spoiled by some lady who did not match the rest (Tisdall 1953: 201).

According to Edward himself, it was successful, and he wrote that the synchronization of these ladies as they placed their coronets upon their heads when Alix was crowned was 'like a scene from a beautiful ballet' (Fisher 1974: 169).

Source: Inside the Royal Wardrobe, a Dress history of Queen Alexandra by Kate Strasdin

#queen alexandra #millicent duchess of sutherland #winifred duchess of portland #violet duchess of montrose #consuelo duchess of marlborough

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nesshartwipe · 1 year

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Distance - Rhys Montrose x Reader

Description: You and Rhys get ready for his campaign and there is some obvious tension that Kate can read that you try denying it until…

Rhys Montrose x reader

Female love interest

Warnings: Sexual Themes + Spoiler free

“Okay, let’s go over the speech,” I say, looking at Rhys, trying to choose a formal but casual outfit. “Rhys?” I say again, however, no use. He is too nervous about the whole thing. I sigh and walk over to the anxious man putting a hand on his shoulder. Rhys looks up, tired.

“Did you get any sleep?” l spoke softly, rubbing his arm. “Don’t be so worried about me” He brushed off my arm and continued to look at his bed, where clothing was sprawled out.

I slowly walk over and pick up a dark blue silk button-down. Rhys examines me while I hold it near him, seeing if this look would work. “Casual, but the silk makes you look professional,” I smile. “Perfect” Rhys takes the shirt to the bathroom.

“How is everything going so far?” Kate walks in with heels clicking on the wooden floor.

“The usual, Rhys being all panicky” I sighed and began to fold the untouched clothing. “He calms down around you, no?” Kate says, leaning closer to me and giving me a wink.

“Kate, it’s not like that. Give that up, will you?” I groan and push her away slightly, earning her a chuckle. “Whatever you say, Miss Y/n,” Kate winks again.

“Well, ladies, how do I look?” Rhys comes out cuffing his sleeves. Rhys is shaped like a God himself. His biceps slightly peaking through the somewhat tight button-up. The veins on his hands showed more with the movement of cuffing the sleeves, slender and large fingers-

“Dashing,” Kate responds

“Great! but something is missing,” I say, and Rhys scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. I walk closer and undo one button. Rhys looks down at my face, never looking away. Almost admiring. “Perfect. You look less like you’re choking on something.” I straighten out the shirt and walk back to Kate, who won’t stop grinning. I ignore her and go back to folding the clothes.

“Alright, I’ll be on my way and see you two later,” Rhys states, grabbing a coat from the chair beside him. He gives Kate a quick kiss on the cheek and then does the same to me but starts squeezing my shoulders. Rhys leans down to my ear. “I’ll be on the OOBI channel in ten minutes” I nodded in response. We both give a quick smile then Rhys follows us out the door. “Try not to be late for this event,” Kate calls out to Rhys, who leans on the open car door. “Don’t worry, I plan on buying every painting just for you, Kate,” Rhys says. “Y/n” gives me a wink to me before getting in and driving off.

“God, Y/n, that man wants to have sex with you,” Kate scoffs. I look at her wide-eyed. “Oh my god, Kate. Stop being so bold.” I shove her shoulder before getting into my car. She laughs before knocking on the window, which I roll it down.

“In all seriousness Y/n. I think he genuinely likes you, but something is happening. Tell me I’m not the only one?” Kate says softly, and I shut my eyes for a second, then respond. “He’s my friend who just got a divorce-“ I began, but Kate stopped me. “Bloody hell Vanessa.! Two years ago! He got a divorce two almost three years ago! Rhys is hot and single. Just go for it.” Kate yells in frustration. “Are you done?” I calmly say. “Yes. Fine, see you later” Kate backs out, and I drive back to my flat.

Rhys is charming and sexy. I can’t deny that. However, it’s different for me. Rhys wants to help the people of London. He cares about every little thing, his voice is like dark chocolate mixed with honey, and the raspiness makes my knees buckle. Most of all his eyes, his eyes remind me of morning skies. Rhys is polite and kind to everyone he meets. When we are alone, there is this force of wanting to be close to him. I have a crush on this god sculptural of a man, but I won’t admit that to my friends, not even to my dog (who I tell everything). That’s how private and precious this feeling is to me. I promised myself a year ago that I would never escalate this feeling, but now it feels so different. I honestly think about him, and whenever I do, I get a message or call from Rhys. I always catch him staring or stealing glances from one another. It makes me wonder if he feels the same. I’m an adult, and life’s too short, but having a crush is the scariest feeling in the world, in my opinion.

———————— three hours later ———————

I walk out of the limbo, already bombarded with flashing cameras and dozen questions. I just reply with thank you and a smile when asked about my new book series. In all honesty, I’m grateful to have become a somewhat known author, but today, I felt too drained to talk to interviewers about it.

I quickly walk into the white building greeting a few people along the way into the middle of the large room. It was like a ball, with chandeliers that lit up the room, the dark wooden floors that complimented Kates's paintings surrounded in the circle all over the room. It was a beautiful sight. I stood in awe, admiring the large stained glass windows. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" A familiar raspy voice interrupted my thoughts. "Rhys! You're here earlier than usual," I hug Rhys tightly. "Everyone keeps saying that. Do I come that late to these events" Rhys chuckles in my ear before letting go of me."Well, you usually come after everyone else arrives," I say before Rhys nods. I know the reason why he comes late it's because of these annoying rich pricks. Rhys and I come from a not-so-happy childhood, and growing up dirt poor can humble you, unlike these assholes who need major humbling. That is why we get along with each other. We are both hard-working people that earned our way here. "I see, I see," He mumbles, looking around before locking eyes with each other. We hold a glance for a minute, almost in a daze. The kind of look where we are the only two people in the room. "Hey, Rhys, you made it to the show," Adam interrupts out of nowhere, casually holding a glass of whiskey. They greet each other in a hug and start talking about a random topic. I couldn't pay attention as the feeling of desire kicked in as I looked at Rhys. Take a shine on his smile lines and the sudden look of confusion about whatever Adam is saying. His slightly raised eyebrow was followed by a deep chuckle.

“That’s why Y/n, we Americans have better breakfast than all of the UK. Right?” Adam slightly nudges my shoulder, and I nod, hoping they wouldn’t notice I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. “Hey, there’s Simon. Let’s say hi” Adam eagerly grabs Rhys in Simon Soo’s direction. I laugh as Rhys stumbles slightly from the deathly grip.

I turn around to see the amazing paintings done by Kate. I love the ones with scenery that she amazingly captures with warm colors. Although my favorite would have to be the one she did for the cover of my recent novel. My eyes dote on the paintings as I slowly walk around the room. Feeling as though someone was watching me.

Rhys IS staring at you from across the room while trying so desperately to engage with the conversation between annoyed Simon and energetic Phoebe. He can’t help but be infatuated with you…

In this room is nothing but filled with beauty on canvases than there’s the painting created by Kate.

I swear you were painted by Aphrodite herself, I can’t help but stare whenever you are near me. But for now, I will love you from across a crowded room, my eyes catching your light, like a firefly in the dark of night.

My thoughts are silly, I know but do you feel the same?

I converse with Timothy Black, who is cousins with Phoebe. He is handsome with black hair and dark features, followed by dark green eyes. He is flirting, and I flirt back. If I can’t have the attention of Rhys or the balls to admit that I like him. Why not have fun with a sexy man willing to take me back to his place.

Out of habit, I suddenly look at the time on my phone. “Oh wow, we have been talking for an hour. Can you believe it?” I chuckle, taking a sip of my wine. “It feels like ten minutes,” Timothy says, raising his eyebrows. I nod and catch a familiar pair of blue eyes from across the room. Rhys looks annoyed. Time to save him from whatever conversation. “It’s been a pleasure talking to you, but I must go and save a friend” I squeeze Timothy’s shoulder, and he gives me a smile before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. “See you around, Vanessa,” He whispers and starts another conversation with a friend. I quickly stride over to Rhys, who, surprisingly, is talking to no one. “I couldn’t help but see you looking annoyed, but I see no one in sight to annoy you whatsoever” I laugh but get no reaction from Rhys. I squint my eyes. “Are you okay?” I lean closer. “Wonderful,” Rhys says before chugging down a drink. “You’re obviously not fine. What is wrong? You know you can tell me anything,” I whisper, linking our arms together. “Can I?” He sarcastically remarks, looking at me with a hurt expression.

“Okay, come on, let’s talk” I grab his hand, leading him into a room that is secluded and far from the event.

“Rhys?” I say, looking at his back. He stopped and turned around. He looked frustrated. “Yes, darling?” Rhys sarcastic remarks. “Seriously, why are you mad? What is bothering you?” I plead, walking closer to him. Rhys huffs, finally looking at me, his gaze softening. “Do you like him? Do you like Timothy?” He said, quite agitated. My eyes widened. “Hell no, he’s not y- I like our conversations, but no, I don’t like him.” Rhys let out a sigh of relief, stepping closer to me. Fuck he looks good with his half-lidded eyes right now.

“Good,” He mumbled, looking around the room. “Rhys, what is this really about” “I say quietly, rubbing circles in his arm. His breath hitches and his eyes close. “God, I love it when you say my name like” that,” Rhys spoke lowly. My face suddenly gets hot. “This is not a time to mess around. I’m being serious.”

"So am I, love," He said with a severe tone. Looking at me with pleading eyes

God, is this actually happening. This is too much

"I hate you" I turn around, heading towards the door. Please stop me

"Fucking hell Y/n" Rhys grabbed my wrist, causing me to stop. I sigh, standing in the middle of the room and looking back at Rhys.

We are too close.

"Is there truly nothing going on between us?" He said with a hurt tone

"Is there Rhys? Because you flirt with every goddamn person in the room right after I think you like me. Am I joke to you?" I yelled angrily, throwing my hands out of his grasp.

"No absolutely not. Don’t ever think that Y/n because, because…" Rhys fades out looking at the ground with his eyes tightly shut "Fuck!" He yelled running hands through his hair. I scrunch my eyebrows with a pleading look. Say it please say it because I’m too scared to. "Please say it" my voice breaks barely above a whisper.

"Because I love you" Rhys finally says.

"Rhys…" I began to speak but was quickly silenced when he moved a couple of strands of my hair behind my ear. My lips remained parted as I studied his face. He stares at them intensely.

His eyebrows scrunched, eyes finally meeting mine, dazed, hypnotized even.

“You’re all I think about,” He whispers with deep a raspiness than his already deep voice. Moving closer towards me. The space between us was barely there now. Rhys closes his eyes for a second before letting out a sigh. His arm hesitantly reaches my waist with the other resting on my face. “Rhys…” I whisper again, hoping to gain some answer from him. He opens his eyes, searching for something to say as he leans closer, flicking back and forth to my lips and eyes. Soon our lips are a hairline apart. I could smell him. The soft vanilla scent mixed with a rich shampoo.

I audibly gasped when his hand brought our waist closer. I grab onto his bicep, squeezing it for support. The tension is too much. His thumb softly caressed my jaw as he tilted my head back. Holy shit. Rhys clenches his jaw, releasing a breath.

My breathe became shaky, "What are we doing?"

His eyes dipped to my lips for a split second before he could find my gaze again. I hadn’t noticed that I’d been staring at his lips. His eyes softened, and my whole body melted. Oh, how I hate and love this feeling. “What we should’ve done sooner,” He says, leaning closer. Noses grazing each other “Are you sure?” I am sure you are sure.

"Just a taste," he whispered, "please."

I tried to speak but was lost for words, but I could tell he understood how my body trembled underneath his touch, as did his. My free hand was placed on his chest while the other reached for his hair. Rhys shuttered under my touch.

“Kiss me then” I finally get my words back

Only then his soft lips met mine. Shy and hesitant, waiting for me to deny him. But I didn’t. How could I? I’ve wanted this, and so did he. I cupped the back of his head, kissing each other harder, hand squeezing my waist. The kiss then became soft but desperate. The sound of our faint breath fills the cold empty bedroom.

Rhys smiled against my lips. I kissed him again, making the first move.

Rhys's hands reached down to hug my waist while I moved mine to cup his face. I kiss him again more slowly and deeply. We both moan into the kiss. Rhys backs us up to a table, causing a few items to fall over. I giggle before meeting our lips again. Rhys swipes his tongue across my bottom lip, indicating he wants more. I part my mouth slightly, letting his whole tongue slide in. Rhys then leave trails of kisses on my face before reaching my neck. He kisses lightly on my ear, then sucks on my neck, earning a soft moan from me. I reach up and start undoing the buttons on his shirt.

“Wait,” Rhys says, out of breath. I pull away, confused, then realize. “I’m sorry, I should’ve asked” I bit my lip, savoring the taste of him. “No, it’s not that. I want to properly take you out for dinner and another one before we do this.” He says while creasing my face. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea” I softly smile and look up at Rhys. “Then it’s a date” He leans into my ear, sending chills down my spine. “Yes, it is.”

We both chuckle and hold stare for a few seconds. My heart skips a beat as I loving gaze upon Rhys's eyes. We are still catching our breath while still holding each other. So much can be said without saying a word. Like a work of art, our eyes cannot help but gaze upon golden colors in which a god created something so beautiful that it feels wrong to stare at.

Rhys suddenly caresses certain areas on my face. “What you you doing” I giggled.

“I’ve always loved the tiny moles on your face. Gods, do I really deserve this man? “That’s the first thing that I noticed about you. It’s like a star fell from the sky to make a constellation on your face,” Rhys faintly said.

——————————

Notes:

Que cinnamon girl by lana del rey

Also posting this on A03 with same title

Name- nessashartwipe

I don’t why but I like to think Rhys would make poetry for his s/o

He’s a complex character and made it, even more, challenging for me to write, especially after You pt2, but hopefully, y’all liked this as much as I did :)

#rhys montrose #you netflix #joe goldberg #kate lockwood #friends to lovers #female #oneshot

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septembersghost · 2 years

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i forgot kim canonically went to the university of colorado boulder, which gives a really beautiful symmetry to my personal headcanon that she immediately vacates florida and moves to montrose to be as close to jimmy as possible, and rebuilds some kind of legal career there, helping people who most need it. the area is beautiful - the crisp open air, the horizon of snow capped mountains, geographically just different enough from abq that it isn't the same view, but still feels like home - and, gradually, she is more at ease than she ever has been.

the nebraska connection ends up being coincidental (from the place of your birth to the ends of the earth), but we know kim has no fond memories of her childhood there, and jimmy holds none for his time hiding there as gene either. it was a stifling existence for them both. colorado, though, that was her escape, where she went when she first knew she wanted more from her life, and some part of her returning there after all that's happened makes sense. she's not that girl who was running away, nor the tightly coiled lady justice from new mexico, nor the woman erased from florida. all of them are with her, but she is fully herself. she has room to recover and grow. she sees the man she loves, the real him, the one she was always proud of, whenever she can. and on the hard days, when she misses him most, she knows that, at least, they're sharing the same sky.

#me residing in the same state as my fictional beloveds: this comforts me i'm very normal #kim wexler #better call saul

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happy74827 · 1 year

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The Devil's Tango

{!!SPOILERS!! SEASON 4 EPISODES 1-6}

[Rhys Montrose x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: A certain professor is not very supportive of your relationship with the mayor-in-running.

WC: 2,741

Warnings: It's You... the show is warning enough.

The amount of people I see begging for an x reader of this man, and that no one had done it yet is actually hilarious. You would think after the first reveal, the whole fandom would jump at the sight of this man.

Though, realistically speaking, it's probably because he's one of those characters that are so hard to get right. Plus the fact that Part 2 didn't help in his favor at all.

I do plan to write more of him, so this is just a little tease if you will.

『••✎••』

“Hello, you.”

You jumped out of instinct, snapping your head towards the hoarse voice behind you. The chalk that you were currently using flew right out of your hand, soaring to hit the shadow that was now in front of you. Before it could hit your mystery stalker in the head, however, swift hands caught it just before impact.

“I… think you dropped this.” The sarcastic tone of an expired New Yorker made your fears fly away as your piece of chalk had. As you turned to meet the familiar brown eyes, you couldn’t help but give a slight smile.

“Oh, Jonathan,” You raised a hand to your chest, letting out chuckles in relief. “You scared me there, I wasn’t expecting anyone to visit at this hour.”

He stood in front of you blankly for a moment, as if someone had hit him with a “time freeze” superpower. You paid no mind to this of course, as it was a typical Jonathan Moore quirk. He clearly was very into his mind.

It almost reminded you of a certain… someone.

Jonathan snapped back to the present in no time with a soft, closed smile forming on his face. Within doing so, he handed you back your murderous chalk, before shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

“Oh, no… no it’s totally my fault.” He apologized profusely, nudging his elbow towards the door. “The whole “not knocking” thing seems to be a nasty habit that only I can’t seem to get rid of.”

You nodded along to his apologies, despite already forgiving him the second you saw the familiar curls that fell down his forehead. It was pretty hard to hate the man that shared the same passion for poetry and was one of the professors that was teaching the same subject as you had.

“So, Jonathan,” you started, moving to lean your back against your desk. Your daily planner was down by your hips, along with the chalk. “What brings you to my classroom? Are you looking for some new recommendations?”

His face slightly faltered to the point where no normal, unobservant eye could witness it. The lip quiver, the slight wobbling of his left leg… they were all telltale signs of compressed emotions that an average joe wouldn’t think twice about — specifically, those who only knew the person on a surface level.

That wasn’t you, of course. You were observant to the point where it annoyed you. The constant paranoia that followed everyone’s movements practically ate you alive.

After a heap of silence, Jonathan sighed with his head facing downwards, his dark chocolate eyes refusing to look at you.

“It’s about Rhys Montrose.”

Your eyebrow raised in confusion at his words, your hands subconsciously resting on the desk, with your planner and chalk beside you. It was now you who had that blank daze.

“I…” You were absolutely speechless to the point where you could feel your jaw drop slightly. Jonathan knew Rhys? You’ve of course mentioned your relationship with Rhys to Jonathan himself, but you had no idea they had actually met. Honestly, you were still having a hard time believing that the nerd had met Lady Phoebe.

You straightened yourself, using your arms as leverage, as you looked at him with furrowed brows. “With how busy he constantly is now, I wasn’t even aware-“

“He’s not what you think he is.” Jonathan cut you off, his eyes shooting you to meet with yours. They were full of… worry?

“Jonathan, what are you—?“

His hands reached out to your shoulders, his body encasing you between himself and your desk. With every step he took closer to you, the more your eyes widened with confusion.

“You don’t know him, not like you think you do,” Jonathan whispered, “He’s a danger to society.”

You pulled his arms off of you, completely shocked by his tone. His phone buzzed as you looked at him bewildered, but he ignored his new text message. All he was focused on was you, just you.

“A danger to society? Jonathan, he’s just running for mayor.” You scoffed, turning back your attention to the chalkboard from before the librarian arrived. “You know, I didn’t take you for a man that’s into politics.”

“It’s not about fucking politics!” His hands slammed down on your desk. It caused you to jump, turning back towards the man only to find him mere inches from your face.

You tried to back away, but he pulled you right back in. “Jonathan—“

“You’re not listening!” His hands grabbed at your arms, his eyes darkened underneath the light you both stood under. “Rhys is a danger to society, he’s a danger to you.”

Jonathan continued to shake you and yell words into your ears, but everything around you went mute. The slightly muffled conversations from students down the hallways were silenced. You saw Jonathan’s lips moving, frantically, but you couldn’t hear. You didn’t want to hear.

“Jonathan, I think you need to leave.” You muttered to him coldly. It was a tone that would get anyone to stop and think, and he did just that. He paused, and it was then you gathered your strength and shoved him off of you for the final time. He stopped abruptly, his eyes questioning you.

He begged and pleaded with you to hear him out, but you refused. You refused to even glance in his direction. You were rarely an angry person, you usually kept it bottled up to come out in soft rants, but you were afraid if you said another word to Jonathan, you might just go ballistic to the point where you’d risk losing your valuable job, something you couldn’t afford to lose.

So, you told him to get out of your classroom once again and eventually he was forced to listen. He left when your familiar, upbeat students came pouring in one by one.

Despite the almost psychotic break dearest Jonathan had beforehand, class had gone rather smoothly for you. The students actually engaged with one another and focused completely on the short story at hand.

Not once had they gone off-topic. Then, of course, the devil shows up with a knock at your door, disrupting everything. It was one of the things you’ve hated the most, as you found it terribly rude, but your forgiving nature came into play when you realized it wasn’t the man you believed it to be. When you turned your head, it was Rhys who stood there with his hands crossed against his chest. He wore his signature suit and tie, which both complemented his figure and his eyes.

You gave him a slight smile in return, but the look he gave - the blue eyes devouring yours - had you following him outside the classroom rather immediately. You trusted your students enough to behave themselves.

Once outside the view of your students, Rhys gingerly wrapped his hand around your arm, guiding you to a secluded spot in the hallway that was sure not to draw attention. With Montrose's face being blasted everywhere as the mayor-in-running, it was hard finding privacy in public.

You were about to ask what it was that had him so upset to the point where he chased you down at work, but he beat you to it.

"Hello, darling," Rhys's voice sounded almost strained, tired even. It had been a while since you last saw him, not to mention that his friend Gemma had just recently become another victim of that so-called "Eat-The-Rich Killer," though Rhys had "admitted" that she wasn't his friend. If you recalled, he used the words, "Oh, piss off, you manky hypocrite" when he had last spoken with her. Still, the bags under his eyes suggested that he hadn't slept much the night before.

"Ah, nice to see you haven't changed your habits." Rhys covered his tiredness with a knowing smile as he gently leaned down to kiss the top of your head. "Maybe a psychology degree would be a better fit for you."

"Sorry," you apologized, looking slightly down. "It's just... not that I'm not glad to see that you're back, I really am, but are you okay? You look like you haven't slept for days, and you usually don't drop by the university unless there's a problem."

Rhys licked his lips, letting out a breathy laugh as he raised his hands to his hips. The tiredness in his eyes went away for a moment, resulting in him staring at you amusingly. A look that only took you a few seconds to realize you'd analyzed him once again.

You couldn't help but internally groan at yourself, but he only shot you another charming smile. It was one so enchanting that it made you swoon at the sight.

However, he eventually dropped that smile and sighed, caving into your concerns.

"I've had a long week," he confessed to you. "Oddly enough, I couldn't work my usual charm to get through to some... certain people, but I'm optimistic. Nothing a little persuasion won't fix."

"Me too, it's been a crazy morning." You agreed with a sigh. The incident with Jonathan within the previous hour was still fresh in your mind, haunting you to your core.

You never felt threatened by Jonathan, but as you recollected the scene, his body towering over yours with the desk blocking you from escaping. His arms held you, keeping you captive as he screamed about the man - the man who you loved with all your heart - wasn't the man you knew. That he was a façade, dishonest... an apparent danger to you.

Of course, you didn't believe Jonathan. You trusted Rhys with your life, but nothing about what Jonathan said sat right with you. He couldn't have known Rhys for more than six months, so why did he act as if he knew him better than you...

Rhys whispered your name, calling you back to face him. He was closer to you than he was before, with eyes that held his growing concern. As his hands gingerly reached out to caress your shoulders, you wanted to tease him about how he was now the observer, but you stayed quiet.

He didn't like that.

"Darling, what is it?" he pushed softly, his accent adding gentleness to his tone, "What happened?"

"It was… really odd," you muttered, your mind flicking back to your classroom, the way Jonathan's hands slammed down on the desk with sudden rage, how badly it made your heart skip a beat. "My coworker, Jonathan, he—"

Rhys cut you off. "You said, Jonathan?"

"Yes," you nodded.

"As in… Jonathan Moore?”

Huh, it seemed Jonathan wasn't lying to you about it after all. They really do know each other. The more you thought about it, however, made you wonder why Rhys never told you about him. He must have known you both worked in the same building.

You nodded to his question once again, lowering your eyes down toward the glassy floor beneath you. You didn't have to look at Rhys to know he was listening intently.

"Usually, Jonathan comes in to give or receive book recommendations, but today he was acting… really off," you glanced back up at him, as you began to quiver. "He was stating things about you, and shouting at me, and I… I don't know. It really threw me in for a loop."

Rhys' head snapped up at you like a lightning strike. His eyes no longer contained the concern he had held before. They darkened, as well as his voice.

"What did he say to you?"

"Something about how you were a danger to society, and apparently a danger to me," you shivered at the memory. "He shouted a lot of things really, but I canceled out the majority of them and threw him out, metaphorically of course."

Rhys mumbled under his breath. Unfortunately, it was something you couldn't quite pick up on. The only thing you could do was watch as he sucked on his tongue, making a face as though he was eating sour candy, before glancing up to meet your eyes again.

You stayed quiet, observing his newfound attitude. His jaw was clenched, with arms shifting towards the wall to encase you within them before letting his head fall and lean into you. He practically did what Jonathan did but with the wall instead of your desk, and despite the similarities, you weren't scared of Rhys. His eyes fluttered closed with his — now loosened tie — dangling out in front of you. His lips were only inches away from the base of your neck, and you couldn't help but take in his signature scent of grounded coffee grinds.

"Rhys," you whispered softly towards him, ruffling up his short hair slightly. He let out another sigh that unclenched his jaw and pushed himself closer to you. You couldn't help but notice how relieved he now seemed, letting out gentle, smooth huffs of air to take in the moment.

Unfortunately, as much as you'd like to stay like this — being you haven't had him for a week — you still had a class to teach. Regrettably, you forced yourself to peel away from his arms, whispering short apologies and promises to see him later.

You didn't look back as you retreated back to your classroom. Upon returning to your desk, you turned to see that every single one of your students either gave you a smirk or a knowing nod, and you couldn't help but threaten them with a pop quiz that you were positive they weren't prepared for. As expected, it shut them right the hell up.

Ah, the power of being a professor.

———

When Jonathan arrived home that night with his now empty red takeout bag, he couldn’t help but sense the feeling that he was being watched. His feeling turned out to be correct when he went to unlock the door of his apartment, only to find it already unlocked.

The professor froze momentarily, hesitating whether he should enter unarmed or retrieve a nearby weapon. But being in sight of absolutely nothing, he had no choice but to grudgingly step inside.

As expected, when closing the door behind him, the lights of his living room flickered on and within the light revealed the man he most desperately wanted to kill.

The unwelcome man sat on his chair like he owned the place. A martini resided in his hand as he gave a sarcastic smile. The yellow light mixed in with the fiery flames of the fireplace reflected the same unnerving expression.

“Hello, Professor Moore,” the man spoke with amusement as he turned to face the bearded killer. His accent had the falsified name rolled off in a tease.

The owner rolled his eyes as he dropped the bag he held down at his feet. His keys were put safely back into his pocket. He should’ve known this would happen.

“Despite how much I would love to carve out your marvelous attractive eyes,” the man stood up, swirling the drink in his hand as he approached the professor. “I have to admit, Joe, I underestimated your intelligence. I knew you were smart, since the very beginning mind you, but this was just… impressive.”

Joe ground his teeth. “What do you want with me, Rhys? Why are you even here?”

“Two things, really,” Rhys smacked his lips together, nodding his head as he looked down for dramatic effect. When he glanced back up at the professor, his amusing smile was gone. His hand stopped swirling the martini, keeping it eerily still, and his eyes darkened almost instantly.

“Remember what we talked about, Joe, with the replacement. I want it done within twenty-four hours. If not, as I said earlier, you’ll be going down for everything.”

Joe’s breath hitched as Rhys stalked closer to his body. The piercing blue eyes caused the professor to freeze in his thoughts, forcing him to watch for Rhys’ unpredictability.

“And if you ever come near my girl again,” his voice was ghostly, sending chills throughout Joe’s entire body. “I’ll be the one who throws your ass in the cage.”

As if he were a light switch, Rhys pulled his lips into a grin within seconds. In a calm manner, he forced his half-sipped martini into the professor’s hands before seeking himself out.

For the first time in a long time, Joe Goldberg felt uneasy.

*Rhys x reader being nonexistent on Tumblr*

Me:

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