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onecanonlife · 3 years

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In which Tommy travels back in time and tries to prevent a nightmare from happening to everyone he knows. Everyone else, meanwhile, is highly concerned.

(fic masterpost w/ ao3 links)

(first part) (previous part) (next part)

(word count: 4,756)

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Part Nine: Tubbo II

Tubbo feels adrift.

It’s not an emotion he does well with, if it’s even an emotion at all and not just a strange, unsettling state of being. By all rights, he shouldn’t be dealing with this at all; it’s not as if there’s not anything to do, not as if he’s not a member of Wilbur’s cabinet and not as if he’s not trying to corral the candidates into productive debates and not as if they haven’t just finished handling Sapnap’s pet-murdering bullshit. It’s not as if he’s not busy. Not as if he doesn’t have purpose. Adrift is not a word that should apply to him.

But then again, it’s not as if he doesn’t know why he feels it.

It’s Tommy.

So many things come back to Tommy, at the end of the day. Normally, it’s not a bad thing. There’s no place he’d rather be than at Tommy’s side. But that’s just it, though, is the problem in a nutshell, because Tommy’s side is a place he finds himself less and less frequently.

Not in a literal sense. Tommy’s still around all the time. Is still around him. Physically, at least. But Tubbo’s known Tommy for years, and that means he knows how to read him, which is why it’s troubling that he doesn’t know how to interpret the look in his eyes half the time, all dark and distant, like he’s miles and miles away, staring at something that Tubbo can’t see. Staring past him, past everyone.

It’s scary, if he’s being honest with himself. And scarier still that Tommy’s trying to hide it, that whenever he tries to so much as hint at something being the matter, Tommy laughs and says something loud and obnoxious and deflects and changes the subject and refuses to tell him anything at all. Which is so fucking wrong. Since when does Tommy keep secrets from him? Since when does Tommy have a secret that he can’t trust him with?

Sometimes, he thinks that he’s imagining it, is making up the whole thing, is getting lost in his head and inventing problems where there are none, just because he has been a little stressed recently, what with everything. But then, he’ll see someone else make a sharp motion, and Tommy will jerk away, face shuttering, and he knows that he’s not inventing any of it.

Because Tommy always tries to play it off, but Tommy reacts that way to lot of things, nowadays.

And Tubbo doesn’t know what to do, because Tommy won’t even tell him what the problem is.

So, he resorts to the only action he can think to take. He goes against one of the only things Tommy has told him, that first night when he started acting off.

He decides to talk to Wilbur about it.

“I think there’s something wrong with Tommy,” he says. Blurts out, more like, no dancing around it at all, but dancing around it would hardly help anyone. It’s certainly not helping Tommy.

From behind his desk, Wilbur puts his pen down, signaling his full attention. The sun shines through the window behind him, late afternoon light casting the office in a gentle glow. Wilbur is backlit against it, painting his features in slight shadow.

“In what way?” Wilbur asks. “Has he said anything to you?”

“No,” he says, “and that’s sort of the issue. He keeps acting weird, but he won’t talk to me about it. He just pretends like, like I’m dumb or something, or that I’m making shit up. But I’m not. And then he keeps on acting weird, and it’s like he doesn’t expect me to notice it.” Wilbur’s staring at him evenly, calmly, and he feels a burst of desperation—he’s not making this up, he’s not, and he doesn’t want Wilbur to believe that he is, to believe that he’s jumping at nothing, to dismiss him. “He keeps saying weird shit, and he flinches sometimes, or he looks at people really strangely, like he thinks they’re—like he thinks they’re ghosts or something. Or like Herobrine incarnate—did you see the way he was glaring at Awesamdude the other day when he came by? It’s—I swear there’s something wrong with him, I’m not even joking. Really, really wrong.”

His own words burn a little in his mouth, and his brain summons up a memory: the dark of night outside, Tommy clinging to him with the fervor of a dying man, the sentence like an exploding firework, far off. You have to stay alive.

As if he thought Tubbo was planning to do anything differently.

It takes a second for Wilbur to speak.

“I’ve noticed,” he says, and the weight in his tone prevents Tubbo from feeling most of the relief the statement provokes. The relief that he’s not alone in this, that someone else has seen what he’s seen. “Since the night he gave up his discs.”

“Yeah,” Tubbo agrees, and then he falls quiet. For a moment, Wilbur doesn’t say anything else either, but then he sighs, leaning forward.

“Tubbo,” he says, in that way of his that means he’s about to make a pronouncement of some sort. Tubbo leans in too, mirroring him. “I will be completely honest with you. I was hoping that whatever’s wrong, Tommy was talking to you about it. Because he’s certainly not talking to me.”

He feels his hopes die in his chest. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted Wilbur to have an easy solution. Or a solution at all. Wilbur always seems to know what to do.

But not, it seems, in this case.

“He’s not,” he says, and now the words just taste sour. “He’s not talking to me. He’s never not talked to me. I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

Something flashes on Wilbur’s face, too quick to process.

“Neither do I,” he says, and grimaces. “I’m not fond of that. I imagine you’re not either. I wish I had an answer for you, Tubbo, but I—I’m worried about pressing him on this. He seems fairly quick to close himself off lately. I’m sure you’ve noticed that as well. And he’s not come to me with anything.”

Tubbo’s certain he’s not mistaking the note of despair in his voice. The words, not like he used to, go unspoken. In a way, it almost makes him feel a little better, that whatever this is, Tommy’s not trusting Wilbur with it, either, not trusting the man who he’s adopted as an older brother, and who has adopted him in turn. Or at least, it would make him feel a little better, if it weren’t so damn worrying.

If Tommy didn’t seem to be caught up in something beyond his understanding, or control.

“So I can only guess,” Wilbur continues after a moment. “I considered the idea that something else happened that night. Something he hasn’t told anyone. The only trouble with that is I don’t know what could have happened that he’d feel like he couldn’t share.” He pauses, and when he goes on again, his voice is softer. “He already gave up his discs. For—for all of us. For L’Manberg. I don’t know what would have been worse than that, for him.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “He didn’t—I mean, he didn’t die. He didn’t die, and no one else did, so I don’t—do you think this could be about the discs, still? I mean, those were important to him. To us. But to him most of all.”

Wilbur’s eyes flash again, and Tubbo notes idly that he doesn’t have his glasses on. He probably should—it strains his eyes to read without them, so Tubbo’s not sure why he wouldn’t be wearing them right now.

“Maybe,” Wilbur says. “Maybe that’s what this is. Though I wouldn’t have wanted him to—Tubbo, you know I wouldn’t have wanted him to, right? Under any circumstances. I never would have asked it of him, and especially not if I knew it would affect him this badly.”

“I know,” he says. He’s a bit surprised Wilbur feels the need to ask, but there’s an odd insistence in the question.

Maybe he’s just stressed. Prime knows they all have been, these past few weeks, and Wilbur most of all. He’s running in an election at the same time as running the actual country, and that’s got to weigh on anyone.

“The way he looks at me sometimes,” Wilbur says softly, shaking his head. “It’s as if—I don’t know. I shouldn’t—sorry, Tubbo, I don’t mean to ramble. You’ve got as much on your plate as any of us.” And Wilbur smiles, but for some reason, it feels fake. Plastered on. Like an expectation, the fulfillment of a role.

“I mean, yeah,” he says, shaking the oddness off. “But stuff about Tommy isn’t stuff that I’ve got to put on my plate, y’know? It’s just—important. Not something to check off a to-do list.”

Wilbur’s gaze softens. “I know,” he agrees. “I feel the same way. He’s my—well. You know.”

“Everyone knows,” he says.

“I can only hope,” Wilbur replies. He glances down at his desk, eyes flitting across his papers, the pen he’s set down, and then back up to Tubbo’s face. “But, Tubbo, if I can be completely frank, I think that out of everyone, you’ve got the best shot at getting him to talk to you. He’s—I mean, he’s your best friend, and you’re his, right? Part of a pair, you are. So even if he won’t—or doesn’t feel like he can talk to the rest of us, he might talk to you.”

“Maybe,” he says. “I haven’t had a lot of luck so far.” He frowns. “You really think he won’t say anything to you?”

He almost regrets the question, because it puts an expression on Wilbur’s face. Not a very nice one, and it’s gone in an instant, but for a second, he looks intensely sad. And between one blink and the next, it’s vanished, sort of like it’s a practiced motion, covering up things like that.

No, he’s reading too much into it. Surely.

They’re all so stressed. He can’t wait for the election to be over.

“I don’t know,” Wilbur says. “I don’t want to count on it. I sort of doubt—and this could all be a moot point, of course. Maybe he just needs more time, and we’re worrying about something that’ll blow over. It’s Tommy, after all. He’s always been so resilient. But that means he’s not going to talk about things until he’s ready to talk. If he truly doesn’t want to, we’re not going to be able to make him. All we’ll succeed in doing is making everyone miserable.”

“What do I do, then?” he demands. “I can’t just not do anything. He’s—you told me you saw it, too. There’s something wrong.”

“I know,” Wilbur says, voice rising. “I know, I’ve been telling you that I know. I don’t like it, Tubbo. I just—” He stops, breathes in, and Tubbo notices that his hands were clenched into fists and are now relaxing, fingers uncurling to rest on the desk’s wooden surface. “We can try to be there for him. Be ready when he comes to us. Let him know that he can, even if he doesn’t want to right now. That’s what we can do, if nothing else. I don’t like it. But we can’t force anything out of him, so that’s the best thing, I think. We be there, as much as he lets us. And when he finally tells us what the problem is, we kill it with fire.”

That last part, he’s on board with.

“Alright,” he says. “I’ll do my best.”

And it occurs to him that he never told Wilbur about what happened that night, when Tommy came to him. In tears, acting so strangely, his voice wavering and wobbling and his whole body shaking like a leaf.

But Tommy told him not to tell Wilbur. He specifically asked him not to, so while bringing his general concerns to him was one thing, sharing that would be another. He’s not willing to break Tommy’s trust like that. Not unless things get truly desperate.

He thinks they’re not quite to that point yet. He hopes they’re not quite to that point yet.

“I know you will,” Wilbur says. “I never doubt you, Tubbo. And I’ll do my best, too. I promise.” He smiles, and it’s not as warm as Wilbur’s smiles once were, he thinks. But it is genuine, if tired, if concerned, if ever so slightly strained. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Somehow,” he agrees. “Thanks, Wilbur.”

“Of course. You’re always welcome to come talk to me.”

It does make him feel a bit better, talking to Wilbur. Knowing that he’s not alone in his concerns, at least, and the fact that he’s got Wilbur on his side is always reassuring. Wilbur’s like a light in the dark, a bit, the leader that they all look to, and his advice is always sound, always manages to be at least a little bit comforting.

So he tries to take it.

He tries to be there for Tommy, even if it’s difficult, at times, to stop himself from demanding answers, from taking him by the shoulders and shaking him until he admits that there’s something the matter, until he reveals what he can do to help him. Difficult not to react when he flinches, or when he stares at someone like they’re either a miracle or a ghost or something else entirely, or when he disappears without a word of warning only to reappear a few hours later as if he never went anywhere at all.

It’s difficult, but he tries. And sometimes, it’s almost like normal. Sometimes, Tommy grins at him with a gleam in his eyes and a bounce in his step, and they go off to try and rob Sapnap or mess around a little with Ponk’s lemon trees or get back at Fundy for the latest annoying prank. Sometimes, Tommy’s all bluster and confidence and unwavering chaos, and it’s like nothing’s changed at all, even as the elections draw nearer.

Tommy’s been very diligent about those. He even wrote a lot of the regulations, with a seriousness that Tubbo didn’t know what to make of. But the rules have been working so far—everyone’s declared their campaigns, there’s been no unsavory endorsements, no signs yet of voter fraud or other such shenanigans, and everyone running is a citizen of L’Manberg.

Everything ought to be alright.

“Are you alright?” Tommy asks.

They’re fucking around around the base of one of Eret’s new towers. Tommy suggested griefing one, just a bit, as a little prank, but then backtracked the idea, so now they’re just hanging around. Eret’s not even here at the moment, he doesn’t think.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says. “Just got a lot on my mind, is all. Elections and whatnot.”

Tommy snorts. “Don’t think so hard about it,” he says. “We’ve got this one in the bag. No way we don’t get the popular vote, so long as everyone does it by the book.”

“It’s making sure of that that’s the problem,” he says wryly. “It’s not as if we’ve got an impartial lawyer around here. I’d ask Big Q to help out, but Big Q’s got a vested interest in fucking around with things. At least I can pretend to be neutral. Sort of.”

Tommy makes a noncommittal sound. “You’re doing great, Tubs,” he says. “I’m telling you, this should go right.”

“I’m glad you’re confident,” he says, and squints up at the tower. It’s mostly stone, but nearer to the top, it seems that Eret has gotten a bit more elaborate. Gold glints in the afternoon light, just begging to be stolen. Maybe later, though, and only if Eret wouldn’t be too bothered.

“I’m glad I’ve got something to be confident about,” Tommy mutters, and he turns his head sharply. Tommy isn’t looking at him, is staring off at where the walls are visible, not too far from here. “I worked hard on this, you know. It’s fucking airtight, is what it is. I know what I’m doing.”

“You did a good job with all the rules,” he agrees. “I think Wilbur was impressed with how much thought you put into it.”

Tommy blinks, and then puffs his chest out. “He better damn well be,” he says. “I put so much thought. All of my thoughts, right there. So big and cool. I’m going to write a book of my thoughts, and it will be a bestseller, and everyone will read it and weep, that’s how poggers it will be.”

“They’ll weep, alright,” he says wryly. “Probably from the damage it will do to their eyes. And their brain cells.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Tommy says. “Not my fault you don’t understand genius.”

“Genius is a word,” he says. “You’re right about that. Not sure you know what it means.”

“Why are you the way that you are,” Tommy says, rolling his eyes with great vigor. And then, to Tubbo’s surprise, he grabs his hand. “C’mon, let’s just go—fucking sit somewhere or something, I don’t want to do shit right now. It’s been exhausting, innit?”

He’s on the verge of pointing out that they’ve got a whole place where they normally go and sit, but Tommy doesn’t seem to be thinking about their bench. He leads him a few paces away from the tower and then flops on the grass, laying on his back and staring up at the sky. Tubbo joins him after a moment, situating himself right next to him.

“We’re almost there,” he says after a moment. “We’re almost done with it. Maybe then we’ll be able to get some good sleep.”

Tommy snorts. “It’s never done, on this server,” he mutters. “There’s always something else. There’s always—” He breaks off. “But yeah, you’re right. It should get better, at least. One less thing to try and be thinking about, I suppose.”

It’s on the tip of his tongue to ask what else Tommy is thinking about. What else is on his mind. But the question won’t be welcome, and he’s trying to be open and inviting and supportive, not pushy, no matter how much he wants to be, so he refrains. And Tommy doesn’t say anything else, just lets out a long breath, so for a while, they’re just lying there on the grass, watching the clouds drift by.

It’s peaceful. He can almost forget that there’s so much going on.

And then Tommy speaks up again.

“If I were to get you a baby zombie piglin,” he says, musingly, as if he’s speaking to himself, “would it have to be any particular one? Or do y’think you’d be alright with any? Like, like replacing a goldfish or something?”

And somehow, that’s the breaking point.

“Okay,” he says, sitting bolt upright, “what the fuck?”

“What?” Tommy says. “It’s just a question.”

“No, it’s not,” he—says. He says. He’s not snapping. He’s not angry—but there’s something bubbling up, boiling over, and if it’s not anger, it’s frustration, at the very least. “It’s not just a question. It’s weird. You keep doing this. You say weird shit and you don’t explain any of it, and I’m left trying to figure out what the fuck you’re talking about, and you—you’re not talking to me, Tommy! You’re not telling me anything!”

Tommy sits up too, slowly, eyes wide, but he can’t bring himself to regret the outburst. Though maybe he will later.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Tommy starts, but he shakes his head hard, and the world blurs for a moment.

“That’s bullshit,” he says, and to his embarrassment, his voice cracks. “That is such bullshit. Do you honestly think I can’t tell something’s up? You can say that there’s not all you like, but that doesn’t change what you—you flinch when people get too close. You do weird things. You vanish and then come back without saying where you went, literally ever. You say shit that’s just—that’s just off. And then you try to brush it all off, but you can’t, you can’t brush this off, Tommy. Do you think I’m stupid?”

Tommy is completely, utterly silent. Tubbo tries to meet his gaze, but finds that he can’t, due to the fact that there are tears in his eyes, and everything is swimming.

“I just want to know what’s wrong,” he says, and doesn’t bother trying to disguise his misery. He’s gotten this far. Might as well let it all out. “I want to know what happened to you. I want you to let me help. I want you to tell me things, like you used to.”

“I can’t,” Tommy says, and his voice sounds alarmed, almost pleading, like he’s begging him to drop it. Well, he won’t. If he thinks he will, he’s got another thing coming. He’s let this drop too many times. Enough is enough. It’s time to push. “I can’t—there’s nothing going on, there’s not—not anything that’s a big deal or that you need to worry about, I just—”

“Stop lying,” he says. “Please, stop lying to me.”

Tommy goes quiet again. And that’s setting off all his head’s warning sirens, because Tommy never just goes quiet, but isn’t that just another thing to add to the list? Another response that isn’t as it should be? Mounting evidence that Tommy’s claim of being alright is just a bunch of horseshit?

“It was that night, wasn’t it?” he presses on, and his throat is closing up, but he chokes out the words anyway. It’s sudden, this sensation of being overwhelmed, but he’s powerless to stop it all from hitting. Powerless to keep himself from thinking about how there’s something wrong with Tommy, something wrong with his best friend in all the worlds, and Tommy won’t talk to him. “That night you came to me, and then you gave up the discs. Something else happened. Was it Dream? Did he do something? Or was it before that? Did something happen before you woke me up? Is that why you were crying? You’ve got to tell me, Tommy, please. I’m not letting this go. I shouldn’t have let it go before. I just thought—I thought you’d tell me, when you could, but you haven’t. You’ve been suffering, and I’ve just been watching.”

His voice cracks again. He can’t care.

“No,” Tommy says, almost a whisper. “No, Tubbo, no, that’s not it, there’s not—this isn’t something you can do anything about, Tubbo, that’s all. That’s all it is.”

“Do you not trust me, then?” he asks. “Is that it? Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” This is sharper, louder. “No—fuck, of course you didn’t. You haven’t done anything. You’re fine, Tubbo, it’s all fine, and I’m handling it. I’m doing alright.”

“But you’re not,” he says. “You’re not. You’re not alright.”

He blinks, hard, and the tears clear, finally. Tommy is staring at him, jaw slightly slack.

“I am,” he says, but Tubbo shakes his head again.

“You’re not,” he insists, before he can take that any further. “Why won’t you tell me about it? You know I won’t tell anyone else if you don’t want me to. You know that.”

“I know,” Tommy says. “I do know that, Tubs, c’mon—”

“But then why won’t you—”

“It’ll put you in danger,” Tommy snaps. “I’m not risking you!”

There are so many things he could say to that. Voicing the implication that whatever’s going on, it’s already put Tommy in danger, is high on the list, and it makes him sick to think that maybe Tommy just doesn’t care. Maybe he’s not paying any mind to the danger to himself, even as he worries about everyone else around him. But Tommy won’t listen if he says as much. He can tell already.

So he goes with his gut. Recalls the old conversation, puts together all the glances and the flinches and the stares when he thinks no one else is watching. Draws himself a picture, though he’s sure it’s still incomplete.

“Tommy,” he says, and tries to keep his voice level, steady, “I’m not going to die.”

Tommy’s face crumples like a wet sheet of paper, and there is a long pause.

“You don’t know that,” Tommy finally says, wavering and thready, and Tubbo doesn’t know why Tommy’s so scared, still. He doesn’t know what happened to make him fear this. And maybe he never will, if he can’t coax it out of him. But maybe that’s not so important at the moment, not more important than offering reassurance.

And that, he can do.

“I do know that,” he says. “Look, I’ll swear it right now. I’ll swear it on—L’Manberg itself. I’m not going to die.”

Tommy’s eyes go very pinched and squinty, and he bites down on his bottom lip, hard. Tubbo knows that look, so he extends his arms and tugs Tommy into him, into a hug, so that Tommy can cry without him seeing. He almost expects the embrace to be rejected, but after a moment of stiffness, Tommy melts against him, tucking his chin on his shoulder.

“You gotta have a little more faith in my abilities, man,” he says, aiming for some levity. “I’m not so easy to kill.”

“I do have faith in you, Tubbo,” Tommy mumbles.

“Then let me help,” he says, and decides that a compromise is in order. “Look, you don’t even have to tell me everything. Or anything. But if there’s something I can do, let me do it. Let me help you. Whatever’s going on, you don’t have to be on your own. You don’t have to handle it by yourself or whatever stupid bullshit you’ve been on about.”

“It’s not as easy as that,” Tommy says, still barely discernible.

“I think it could be,” he replies. “I think you’re overthinking it.” He holds Tommy a bit tighter. “And really, I’m not gonna die, big man. And even if I did, you wouldn’t be rid of me that easily. I’d come back as a ghost and haunt you for eternity. Move your shit around when you’re not looking.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Tommy whispers, “and I don’t know why.”

Okay, that’s—okay. He’s not going to mess up the progress he’s made, even though he’d dearly love to comment on whatever the fuck that means.

“Alright, then,” he says, “but are you hearing me? Can you do that? Let me in, just a little bit? ‘Cause I mean, really. You’ve got to be able to trust me to look after myself. I appreciate you trying to protect me or whatever you’re doing, but not if you’re hurting yourself doing it. And not if you’re being stupid about it. ‘Cause I’m not some fragile fucking flower, you know? So can you? Let me help?”

Tommy shifts a bit, but doesn’t attempt to pull back, so Tubbo takes that as permission to keep holding him.

“Okay,” Tommy says, after a minute, voice small. “Okay, I’ll—I still can’t, I can’t tell you much, but I’ll try. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think that I—that I didn’t trust you or some shit, that’s not it at all—”

He sounds increasingly distressed, so Tubbo cuts in.

“That’s fine,” he says. “We’re okay. Just don’t shut me out, alright? Whatever I can do, let me do it. That’ll be enough for now.”

Whether it will always be enough is another question. But, baby steps. Baby steps.

“Okay,” Tommy says. “Alright. I’ll try.”

He’s still crying. Tubbo doesn’t comment on it. Not even when Tommy finally pulls back, and his eyes are red-rimmed, avoiding his gaze. Not even when they go back to L’Manberg together, Tommy staring straight ahead except for when he’s not, except for when he casts little glances over to him, as if to check that he’s still there.

Tubbo’s gotten more questions than answers out of this. But he’s also gotten a promise.

He’ll hold him to his word. And he’ll make a private promise of his own.

He won’t die. And Tommy won’t either. They’re both going to come out the other side, and everything really will be alright again.

#mcyt #dsmp #dream smp #tubbo #tommyinnit #wilbur soot #dsmp fic #/rp #cat writes fic #long post #time travel au #everything's still fine :D

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lesbian-peanut-writer · 4 years

Text

Peach Blossoms

Hey there my Little Rogues! Guess what, it’s time for another Collab! I took part in another Collab run by the Bnharem Discord Server, this time we were given the topic of Pen Pals and left to our own imaginations. I didn’t reblog the masterlist this time as I was busy writing and didn’t get the chance but head on over and check out the Masterlist, give these wonderful writers the love they deserve and enjoy the stories! I decided to go with our lovely Miss Momo Yaoyorozu this time around and you know what, the rest explains itself.

I just want to say thank you to @mari-writes-smut for bouncing ideas for the story back and forth with me. Thanks to @heyybrittannia for helping this clueless person work out what Momo would smell like and find a fragrance that as befitting her. Last but not least thank you to @villain-hotline for giving me the name of this Fic when my brain was too fried to think of one for myself.

~Lesbian Peanut

Word Count: 7634

“(Name), there's a letter here for you.”

You perked up at the sound of your mother’s voice calling to you from your doorway, your head snapping around instantly to stare at the thin object hanging precariously from between her fingers. “Is it from her?” Your voice cracking from the pure excitement you couldn’t contain as you vaulted over your bed and bound across your bedroom; heading directly for the sole object of your desires.

Your mother couldn’t help but to laugh at how eager and cute she thought you were being, seeing your eyes alight with anticipation was more than she could handle. She passed the envelope containing the letter over into your hands, watching as you turned it this way and that while inspecting the paper closely. “It has come all the way from Japan, I certainly don’t know anyone else it could be. Do you?” She teased as she pressed a hand to her lips, suppressing the giggles that were threatening to spill from her lips at any moment but unable to stop them causing her body to shake.

“It took awhile for her to respond this time, I wonder if there was a reason for that.” You remarked thoughtfully as you drifted away from your mother and towards your desk where your writing implements awaited your attention.

“You must remember darling; she would be in school around this time.” Your mother chimed a gentle reminder to you as she moved to sit on the end of your bed. “Perhaps one day when we move back to Japan, it won’t be quite so difficult for you to keep in touch with one another.”

“I eagerly wait for that day to make its arrival; it would be most splendid to finally see her!” You turned to beam over at your mother, your excitement evident on your face as you clutched the envelope to your chest securely.

It was mesmerising, the boundless and innocent joy of a child; it never ceased to amaze your mother. Without fail you would become elated with excitement each time a letter arrived at the house for you, seeing your beautiful smile was something your mother looked forward to each time. It had been years since you started exchanging letters and despite being twelve now, you still held the simplistic excitement of a child as you did when the first letter arrived. A tender smile crossed her lips as she watched you turn to open your delivery, your fingers gentle as ever as you slit the letter opener through the top of the envelope. She expected no less, you always took such care when opening the letters you received; she just wished you’d be as careful once they were open.

You smiled as butterflies fluttered to life in your stomach, whizzing about as your fingers slipped into the envelope to retrieve your letter. It hit you like a warm breeze, the scent wafting from the papers and enveloping your every sense. You expected it each time and yet it never failed in managing to take your breath away, the sweet but warming scent that came with the papers. You took the papers from their restricting prison, unfolding them fully before lifting them to your nose and breathing deep.

“Shall we get started then??” Your mother’s voice snapped you from your trance and you peered over to her sheepishly as your cheeks heated, flooding with colour. “It’s best not to keep her waiting.”

You nodded eagerly at your mother before taking up your seat at your desk, placing your letter atop it as you pulled out your own paper in preparation for a response before staring down at your letter. The words scrawled across the paper looking more delicate and elegant with each passing year, you could still remember how messy the first one you’d received from her had been; it had taken your mother several hours to decipher the poor handwriting. You shook your head quickly, clearing away the old memories as you focused in on the words before you.

Dear Miss (Last Name),

I’d like to foremost apologise for my tardiness in replying to you so late after you have sent me your last letter. I assure you it was in no means meant to disrespect you; I have just been busy of late with studies. I will be frank with you though; I feel as though my abilities when compared to those of my peers are severely lacking. Many of my fellow students are more academically inclined than what I am capable of, it feels as though I am falling behind and quickly. I have lost on several occasions with one of my peers when it comes to spelling competitions, the latest word to stump me was one I had never come across before; iridocyclitis.

I do apologise for my ramblings of my academics; it must bother you for me to write about it as such.

In regards to your question from your previous letter, you asked me if I had any success with the Peach Blossom this year. I regret to say, despite my best efforts to keep the beautiful tree alive; it has withered down to nothing this year. Mother is looking at having it removed from the garden soon and starting over with her design.

I must enquire about Bast, is your adorable kitten doing well? You said she was perplexed over being in a new environment, has she since adjusted to her surroundings? I would very much love to see what she looks like one day; I imagine she’s quite beautiful to have you so enamoured with her. Don’t forget being a Sphynx you must keep her ears cleaned regularly and bathe her to remove the build up of oils on her skin.

I hope that your family and yourself are doing well. I can’t wait for the day when we may be chanced with seeing one another, for now though I look forward to your forthcoming letters.

Sincerely

Momo Yaoyorozu

You smiled as you sat back in your chair, your finger tracing over the paper as you read over her words one more time. That familiar scent wafting through the air towards you, it was something you had yet to figure out the exact fragrance of but it made you feel safe. Your smile turned quickly into a pout as you thought about what you could respond to her letter with, the words just didn’t seem to be coming together as easily as they usually did. You tapped your fingers against the page, Miss Yaoyorozu was rather disheartened by her studies and felt as though she we’re falling behind her peers. You had always felt as though she was one of the brightest people you had ever been given the opportunity to converse with and to read that she was being so hard on herself; it made you sad. You sighed as you read through the paragraph over and over, trying desperately to find the right words that might aid in putting her mind to ease and comforting her.

“Mother, what does this word here say?” You turned your attention to your mother where she sat behind you on your bed.

She blinked rapidly; she had been lost in thought when your sudden words had startled her. She lifted herself up off your bed and moved over to stand beside you at your desk, her small frame leaning down over you as she peered down at your page. “Iridocyclitis, if I remember correctly it’s a word of medical origins. It’s been quite some time since I’ve heard that word myself actually.” Your mother confessed as she tapped her forefinger against her bottom lip thoughtfully, her eyes skimming over the sentence that preluded the word. “It doesn’t surprise me Miss Yaoyorozu got it wrong, I failed to spell that word when I first heard it too.”

“You did?” Your eyes lit up as you looked up to your mother’s face, a smile stretching across your face as she gave a small nod of affirmation. “Thank you, mother. I know now what to say.”

“You’re welcome, (Name).” She smiled as she gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze before moving to leave the room and give you the space you often desired to respond to your letters.

Dear Miss Yaoyorozu,

I find no need for you to apologise for the length of time it took you in responding to my previous letter. There was no disrespect felt or conveyed in any manner and I quite understand the importance of being able to devote oneself to their studies. It saddens me to hear that you feel as such about your academics, it would be my desire to give you a hug if I were there with you now. I’m sure that your fears of falling behind your fellow peers is nothing short of being afraid of failing. My mother informed me that she too failed in being able to spell iridocyclitis as well when she was a girl. I’m positive that with practice and patience, you will overcome the spelling of such difficult words in the future. Perhaps you could reach out towards your fellow peers, invite them to study with you and discover new ways of learning with them.

I am saddened to hear about the Peach Blossom tree, the photo you sent to me of it when it was in bloom in previous years was extraordinarily breathtaking. You shall have to keep me informed on the decisions your mother makes in regards to the garden, its serenity is something that rather appeals to myself.

Bast is doing quite fine now, thank you for asking about her. She has adjusted rather well to her new surroundings now and is instead proving to be quite adventurous of her environment. She is becoming somewhat of a sook and often opts for never leaving my side. I shall enclose a photo of my darling kitten with this letter so you may see for yourself how beautiful she is. I have been cleaning her ears regularly as well as making sure that her skin does not incur a build-up of oils.

My family is doing well, father is as busy as ever and mother is finding new things to keep herself entertained each day. I hope your family is doing just as well, I’m sure they are proud of you. Perhaps when I return home to Japan in the future the two of us can meet then, until then I too look forward to your forthcoming letters.

Sincerely

(First Name) (Last Name)

You smiled happily as you lay your pen down next to your paper, scanning over the words you had scrawled out in reply. You were content for now to communicate with Miss Yaoyorozu through these letters but you would much rather have been happy seeing her in person.

“One day! I will see you one day without fail, Miss Yaoyorozu.” You declared before rising from your desk to embark on the task of locating Bast for her photo.

Delicate fingers ruffled the battered edges of pages in disrepair and diminished over the years. You smiled wistfully as the pad of your forefinger danced gracefully over the indents in the pages where words were scrawled, etched into the depth of the pages by a hand unknowing of its own force. You couldn’t contain the way your smile spread further as you looked down at the all too familiar pages you were holding in your hands, the contents of those pages childish and yet invigorating. The once white pages now discoloured a murky yellow with stains littering them from childish hands that knew no better. These weren’t just any pages you held so lovingly; these were penned to you over the course of several years by one you now considered to own your heart.

You felt almost giddy as you lifted the papers towards your nose, your heart fluttering with elation as you breathed in deep the sweet aroma that even now lingered on those pages. The scent had faded over the years but unlike in your years of childish knowledge, you could now identify exactly what the fragrance was that assaulted your senses. It was an intoxication scent, a mixture of floral with a hint of amber and spices mixed into it. Oh, how you longed to be able to smell that scent anew after all these years and finally see the one of whom it belonged to.

Momo Yaoyorozu, the two of you had exchanged many letters over the years and each one had been as cherished as the next. As the years passed though and things became busier for the both of you, your means of communication had been forced to change in order to better suit your lifestyles. The letters became non-existent and were replaced with daily texts between one another. You had enjoyed the occasional phone call but the hours you got to spend texting with her, were some of your happiest hours of each day.

You were pulled away from your thoughts by the sound of a phone ringing, your eyes falling to the office phone that sat huddled on the corner of your desk. You sighed longingly as you shook your head, retrieving the phone from its cradle before lifting it to your ear. “Good evening, (Name) speaking. How may I help you?”

“My Lady, your car is awaiting you out the front. You need to leave now or you’ll be late to the event tonight.” You blinked as your secretary’s voice came over the line, looking down at the watch wrapped around your wrist and cursing yourself as you realised the time.

“Thank you Uraraka, I seem to have lost track of time up here. Please inform the driver I will be down shortly.” You responded as you opened a drawer, slipping the letters into its depths before returning the drawer to its closed state.

“Of course, My Lady.” Uraraka chimed as she started to hum on the other end of the phone. You were just about to put the phone down when you heard her sudden intake of breath and her scream come through the speaker.

“Yes, Miss Uraraka?” You smiled as you flicked your eyes over to the back of your door, looking at the onyx garment that was hanging there.

“I almost forgot to say, remember your dress is hanging on the back of your door and I brought the shoes you requested from your house over; they’re stored just next to the bookshelf to the right of your door.” She blurted out quickly, as though she were trying to beat someone else to inform you of these things.

“Yes, thank you. I can see the dress on my door and I will find the shoes. Thank you Uraraka, I’ll get changed and head down.” You informed her before placing the phone back down onto the cradle and leaning back in your chair.

You felt as though this night was just going to drag on forever, you wanted nothing more than to already be at this event. You sighed heavily as you pushed yourself forward out of your chair, pressing your hands down onto your desk before hoisting your body up into a standing position. You couldn’t help but to smile as you stalked your way around your desk, your eyes never leaving the garment that hung in the bag. Oh, how you knew this dress well, you hadn’t worn it since you had designed it but now was the time for it to make its debut. You snatched the bag off the door, pulling the plastic away from the hanger before letting it slide down the silky material inside. You smiled happily as you thumbed at the material, your eyes skimming over the garment quickly in search of any flaws that may have revealed themselves.

Satisfied with the quality and integrity of the clothing, you moved quickly to remove the clothes you’d been wearing all day. You couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down your spine as you slipped into the clothing article, smirking as you moved to retrieve your shoes from their hiding place near the bookshelf. You gave yourself a once over in the mirror that stood alone in the corner of your office, your eyes flicking up to your hair where it sat pulled into a tight bun atop your head. You hummed to yourself for a moment, contemplating leaving it as it was before deciding to let it down and watched as it cascaded over your shoulders.

“I think this will about do it.” You whispered to yourself as you ran a hand over your thigh, content with your look before moving to leave your office. It was a quick trip down to the ground floor from your office thanks to the elevator, lord knows you’d have never made it down all those stairs without face planting it at least once.

“Oh… Wow, don’t you look gorgeous?” Uraraka gushed as she leaned against the service desk, her hands clasped over her chest as she stood waiting for your arrival.

“Thank you Uraraka, you look rather stunning yourself.” You returned as you ran your eyes over the dress she was wearing. “Shall we get going then?”

Uraraka nodded as she spun on the spot before moving to grab the front door for you, holding it open as she waited for you to pass through. She trailed behind you as you approached the car, your stride graceful as she watched you walk and only realising you were waiting for her when she almost walked into you. “Ah, sorry My Lady. You just look so beautiful tonight.” She admitted sheepishly as she rubbed at the back of her neck. “I’m certain you’re going to catch a lot of eyes tonight.”

“Is that so?” You murmured softly as you slid into the backseat of the car, propping your elbow up against the window on the other side as you cradled your chin in your hand.

You didn’t hear whatever it was that Uraraka replied to you with, your mind had already drifted off in thought of her comment. You didn’t care for all of the eyes that would be on you tonight, there was only one set that you wished to meet with and that was something you could only hope for. You were pulled from your thoughts when Uraraka tapped your shoulder, realising the car was moving as buildings flashed past the window and you turned to face your companion.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t be able to take her eyes off of you.” Uraraka giggled as she beamed over at you.

Your skin heated as you flushed violently, your eyes lingering on her face as she giggled harder at your reaction. There were days you wished you had never confided in her about your crush on Miss Yaoyorozu, then again you wouldn’t be where you were tonight without her knowing those details. You sighed heavily as you turned your attention back to the buildings out the window, watching as people moved about on the streets. There was something about the bustle of the nightlife in Japan that always managed to capture your attention, you were unused to so much activity during the night.

You had finally returned home to Japan a little over a month ago, Uraraka or Ochaco as she often preferred to have you call her, was one of the first people you had the luxury of meeting. She had taken on the roll as your Secretary when you had offered her the job and the paycheck had been the main thing to hook her. You didn’t blame her; she wanted the money to help her parents with their business and that honestly made you happy to hear. Ochaco was actually the reason you had the chance to see Momo tonight, if it hadn’t been for her then you probably would have had to wait longer. It just so happened that Ochaco ran in the same circle as Momo, her father owning one of the main construction companies that Momo relied on for her work.

Momo Yaoyorozu, she had made quite the name for herself here in Japan and you couldn’t be prouder of her. She had become a leading Architect and was now one of the most highly sought-after people in the whole of Japan, with the occasional job that would have her called overseas on important jobs. She was the one people turned to when they wanted plans and designs for a building, often being the one appointed to oversee the construction of the buildings as well.

“How much longer?” You piped up as you turned to peek over at Ochaco.

“Not too much longer. The opening celebration shouldn’t start until after we get there.” Ochaco responded as she fiddles with the ends of her dress, the several layers scrunched together in her tiny hands. “How do you think YaoMomo will react?”

You smiled at the nickname your friend had given to Momo over the course of the years they had known each other. “Not sure, she doesn’t even know I’m in Japan at the moment.” You whispered thoughtfully as you looked back out the window.

“Wait, what?” Ochaco squeaked as she turned in her seat fully to stare at you. “I thought she knew! I thought you were just surprising her by turning up tonight. You mean to tell me, you’re surprising YaoMomo with being in Japan altogether?”

You nodded as you closed your eyes, pressing your temple up against the cool glass of the window and allowing it to ease some of the tension there. “I just hope she got the package I sent her.”

“Package…” Ochaco frowned before popping her eyes wide as she grabbed a hold of your arm. “That was you? Tell me that’s a joke, you sent her that expensive package the other day?” She squeaked in disbelief.

You giggled as you moved your hand to release her hands from around your arm. “Ochaco, just what exactly do I do for work?”

“You’re a fashion de… oh!” She giggled as she moved to sit properly in her seat. “I see, well played (Name), well played.”

“My Lady, we’ve arrived at your destination.”

The two of you were pulled from the childishness of the moment by the announcement from the driver, your head snapping up instantly to look out at the building outside. It was a magnificent building, a Science Hub built for the youth of Japan to make use of in order to help further their studies and achieve high in their academics. Momo had been the one to spearhead the entire operation and tonight was the Grand Opening of the Hub, not to mention a huge thank you party for the woman herself.

You felt the butterflies spring to life in your stomach as you stared out at the building, suddenly the weight of the situation was suddenly all too real. Somewhere, in the depths of that building was the woman you had spent years exchanging words with and spent endless hours longing to see. Your heart felt as though it was in your throat, beating rapidly as you realised the only thing standing between you and Momo was a set of doors.

You yelped as the door disappeared from in front of you and you suddenly toppled forwards out of the car, thankful for the fact Ochaco was quick on her feet; catching you before you could hit the ground. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise you were still leaning against the door.” She apologised profusely as she sat you back up in the car properly.

“It’s fine, probably just the distraction I needed just now.” You smiled as you took her hand, accepting her help as you got out of the car and smoothed out your clothes properly. You turned promptly to thank your driver, bowing to him respectfully before stepping away from the car. You watched as he drove off, turning to face the building as he disappeared and moved off for the entrance.

Your breath was baited as you walked inside the building, your eyes scanning the crowd within as you sought out one person in particular. You watched as Ochaco detached herself from your side and disappeared within the mass of people, one would think you’d be used to this many people with your line of work; truth was you really weren’t! You took a deep breath as you stepped away from the entrance, taking your time to weave through the close-knit crowds and avoid bumping into people along the way. You were beginning to get overwhelmed with the crowds of people as you moved further into the building, feeling as though you’d never be able to locate Momo.

A flash of red. A giggle comparable to wind-chimes. You snapped your head to the right as your eyes locked on to the vibrant red that stood out amongst the crowd, complemented by the dark hair that fell in waves half way down the back of its owner. Your heart raced as you stood there, your teeth pinching your bottom lip between them and chewing on it anxiously. She was splendid, the sight of her standing there in all her elegance was more than your poor heart could handle. You moved without thinking, your feet carrying you across the room until you were standing just behind the woman of your desires. You watched as she bowed respectfully to her company, of whom departed from her and left her standing to herself.

There it was, washing over you in a thick and refreshing wave; the scent of your childhood. “Freesia mixed with sheer Jasmine and a hint of Amber. It’s a rather warm scent, Miss Yaoyorozu.” Your voice was loud enough to reach her ears and you watched as her body stiffened, her hands falling slack to her sides just moments before her body spun in your direction.

“(Name)…”

Your name was but a whisper as it fell from her lips, only for your ears and enough to send your heart into a chaotic flutter. You smiled as you stepped in closer to her, extending your right hand out towards her as you locked eyes with hers. “You didn’t think I would miss this now, did you?” You teased as you tilted your head to the side and awaited her response.

Momo smiled as she moved, forgoing your hand and pulling you in tight against her body in a crushing hug. “What are you doing here? You’re not due back for another month.” She questioned as she nuzzled into the side of your neck.

You blinked as you wrapped your arms around her slender form, your face pressing into her shoulder as you closed your eyes. “I wanted to surprise you.” You confessed as you breathed in, her perfume assaulting your senses as you tightened your grip around her. “I’ve waited so long for this day to present itself.”

“So too have I.” Momo admitted as she placed a tender kiss in the crook of your neck, causing your breath to hitch as you stiffened in her hold. “I want nothing more than to leave this place and head home with you.” She whispered against your ear.

You smiled as your cheeks heated, nuzzling into her shoulder as you hid your face from prying eyes. “We can’t, this is your night Momo.” You reminded her gently as you ran your fingers up along her back tenderly.

“And, it is now complete thanks to your being here.” She declared as she pulled back away from you and looked down into your eyes. Momo blinked as she looked into your eyes, her eyebrows knitting together out of confusion as she released you from her grip. “How did you know about tonight?”

You smiled as you scanned the crowd, your eyes landing on the frilly pink dress and the bob of brunette hair. “I have my ways.” You relucted as you turned your attention back to the woman in front of you.

Momo watched as you stepped back from her, tilting her head as you looked her up and down. “Do I pass your inspection, (Name)?” She asked as a giggle bubbled to life in her chest.

“I have to say, my dress looks much better on you than I had anticipated for it to.” You confessed as you moved to circle around her, taking in the way the gown adorned her body.

The dress she was wearing was one you had made specifically for her and by lords did it work magic when she wore it, or perhaps she was the one working the magic. It was the perfect fit for her figure, hugging her curves in all the right ways while still having enough give so as not to hinder her movements or suffocate her. If you had to describe the image she gave you in that moment, you would compare her to a flame standing proud and elegant in all its glory. The floor length vermilion gown complimented perfectly by the black waves that flowed elegantly over her shoulders. You couldn’t help but to let your eyes slip down to the slits that ran up the sides of the dress, stopping at her hips and exposing the beautiful expanse of her powerful long legs.

“My eyes are up here, (Name).”

“Oh, trust me, I’m well aware where your eyes are my love.” You retorted as you circled her once more before coming to a stop in front of her. “My dress is perfect when worn by you.”

“I was right about it being from you then.” Momo smiled as she skimmed her hand over the fabric covering the front of her thigh. “I had a feeling that might have been the case when I saw the design along the hem of the dress. Peach Blossoms, just like the ones I used to have.”

“I told you, I liked those Peach Blossoms.” You admitted as you peeked down to the blossoms that seemed to be swirling to life with each slight movement Momo made.

“We match, don’t we?” Momo asked as she motioned to your dress and quirked an eyebrow in question.

You nodded in affirmation of her question, flicking your eyes up to her face in time to catch a smile gracing her features. “Beside the colour, our dresses are twins. I designed them myself.”

“Of course.” Momo whispered thoughtfully as she squatted down in front of you, her hand coming out to catch the hem of your dress as she traced her thumb over one of the blossoms. “No-one else could ever capture the true beauty of the blossoms as you could.”

Heat flooded your cheeks as you peered down at Momo, she looked so serene as she was but her current positioning was garnering quite a few unwanted stares from the crowd. You opened your mouth in preparation to say something to her but snapped it shut when you caught sight of a man heading towards the two of you.

“Miss Yaoyorozu, your presence is required at the stage please?” The man stated curtly as he motioned towards a temporary stage that had been set up within the area of the building.

“Yes, I shall be there shortly.” She quipped as she stood from her position and looked straight into your eyes. “Meet me here when this is all over, ok?” You nodded in submission to her request and watched as she was led off by the man.

You stood amongst the crowd as the guests were welcomed and thanked for being there for the grand opening. Your eyes quickly wandered over to where Momo was standing off to the side, blushing when you realised her attention wasn’t on the speaker either but focused solely on you. You smiled, suppressing a giggle as you pointed towards the speaker and Momo reluctantly turned her head back to focus on the man. He thanked her for her dedication and effort that she had put into the project and presented her with an award for her efforts. The crowd applauded her for her achievement and you couldn’t help but to clap along with them; you were so proud of her after all. You listened closely as she thanked the speaker before turning to thank those in the crowd for having attended the opening ceremony tonight.

Before you could register what was happening the crowd erupted into incessant chatter and started to break off into the smaller groups from before. You jolted as your hand was grabbed from nowhere but you were instantly calmed as you locked with onyx orbs staring down at you. A singular tug of your hand was more than enough of a message to let you know what it was Momo wanted from you. You smiled and nodded as she pulled you along after her, only stopping to thank people for their murmurs of congratulations as she made a beeline for the entrance. You shuddered as you stepped out into the cold of the night, the air washing over your skin and you stepped in closer to Momo in order to shield yourself from it.

“(Name)!” You blinked as you peeked up at Momo, her eyes flicking down to your lips as she bit her own bottom lip. “Kiss me!”

The drive to Momo’s house had been nothing but a blur for you, after giving in to her request for a kiss the two of you had hardly been able to keep your hands off one another. It had been a slow and tender kiss but it had quickly turned fevered as you had managed to thread your fingers up into her long hair. The two of you only breaking apart after her driver had cleared his throat several times in order to gain your attention. You’d been snuggled into her side for the entire drive, your mind focused solely on her left hand which she had slipped inside the slit of your dress and allowed to sit atop your thigh.

You giggled as Momo pulled you inside her house, bumping the front door closed with her arse before flicking the lock into place and turning the security system on. You were lost in admiring her hallway and the delicate designs around the awnings when suddenly her hands were on your hips and she was spinning you in place. You squealed as she pushed you, your back pressing up against the cold wall as her thigh slipped between your own and she pinned you beneath her heated gaze. You sucked your bottom lip between your teeth, pulling on the sensitive flesh as you watched her longingly. Her lips pulled up into a smile as she dipped her head, pressing her lips along your jaw and making her way up towards your ear before biting down behind your ear.

You gasped and mewled as you arched your body in response to her action, your fingers flexing where she held your hands above your head as you rolled your hips forwards. Soft moans left your lips as she chewed on the spot, rolling her tongue over it as she pushed her thigh further between yours. Your breath hitched as her thigh pressed against your folds giving you the pressure, you desperately needed as you rocked your hips forwards. Whimpers and moans left your lips as you shamelessly moved your hips, grinding against her thigh as she littered your neck in a barrage of kisses.

“(Name).” Momo whispered heatedly as she released your arms, her hands coming down to trace over your sides as she pulled at the edges of your dress. “I want you.”

If only this woman knew what those words would do to you. You whimpered as you moved your hands to grasp her shoulders, pushing her back and pinning her against the opposite wall as you looked up into her eyes. “I’ve waited so damn long to hear those words, Momo!” You confessed as you let her go, moving to undo the back of your dress as you kept your eyes on her.

Momo smirked as she pushed off the wall, tucking her fingers beneath the straps of your dress before sliding them down off your shoulders. You shuddered as her fingers ghosted over your skin, only to be followed by her lips as she planted kisses over your exposed skin. You stumbled backwards with her as she urged you down the hallway, kicking her shoes off as she went and continuing to push your dress down your arms. You giggled as you kicked off your shoes, discarding them individually down the hallway as she pushed you further into the depths of her house. Momo stopped as she peered down at you heatedly, releasing your dress and watching as it skimmed over your skin to pool at your feet.

“Perfect.” Her voice was soft as she whispered that singular word and her hands were on your skin. You’d spent years dreaming of having her hands over your skin, of having her mouth and teeth leaving marks over your body.

You slipped your hands up under her hair, searching for the zipper in her dress as you sought to see her body. Momo giggled as her hand came up to replace your own, pulling the zipper of her dress down as she nudged you further down the hallway, her eyes never leaving your body as she greedily drank up your beauty. You watched in awe as she shimmied her dress off her shoulders before letting it fall from her shoulders, only needing to push it down over her hips before it pooled on the floor beneath her. You stood there staring at her as you abused your bottom lip feverishly, your eyes drinking in every bit of her body hungrily. You were so lost in her beauty; you didn’t register that she was getting closer to you until the moment her hands gripped your hips and she lifted you off the ground. You squealed as she moved your body so easily, shivering violently as your arse came into contact with a cold surface and you realised you were now on the counter in her kitchen.

“Momo…” You raised an eyebrow as you looked into her eyes, her lips pulled into a breathtaking smile as she closed the distance between you.

You moaned as she latched her mouth onto your breast, her teeth ghosting over your skin as she teased at the possibilities. You whined as her hands gripped your thighs roughly, her tongue dancing over your chest as she pressed the crown of her head against your throat. You squirmed against her hips as you wrapped your legs around her waist and threaded your fingers into her hair securely. Your eyes fluttered shut as your lips parted, her mouth moving lower over your body as she slipped her hands beneath your thighs and started to push them apart. You purred low in pleasure as her teeth sunk into your stomach and hips as she unhooked your legs from around her waist. Your eyes shot open as her hand pressed against your chest and she pushed you down onto the counter. You looked down at her in time to watch her head disappear between your thighs.

Momo smiled as she spread your thighs wide, hooking your legs over her shoulders as she dipped her head in close to your heat. She nuzzled her nose against the lacy material, soaked by the juices leaking from your needy pussy. She flicked her eyes up to your face, watching you as she flicked her tongue out and pressed it flat against your panties. Momo closed her eyes as a soft moan left your lips and she pushed her tongue against your pussy firmer, pressing the material and her tongue between your folds ever so slightly. She hummed low in appreciation as she moved her tongue along your folds, the lacy material of your panties an odd sensation against her tongue as she took in the taste of your juices.

You moaned and squirmed as you tangled a hand further into her hair as you arched your back, you wanted more from her but you knew she was enjoying herself. You gasped and bucked your hips as she located your clitoris, pulling it between her teeth and rolling it delicately between them. A wanton moan left your lips as you curled your toes, the fabric of your panties only adding to the sensation against your clitoris.

“Momo… Please?” You pleaded as you rolled your hips desperately and pulled on her hair.

Momo giggled as she lifted her head from between your thighs, looking down at your face as she pulled your panties down along your legs before throwing them out of the kitchen. “As you wish, (Name). Such a pretty voice when you beg.”

You blushed violently as you looked up at Momo, watching as she flicked her tongue out over her lips before diving back down between your thighs. You were about to argue with her when she lapped her tongue along your pussy, cleaning up your juices as they flowed. You moaned as she hooked your thighs over her shoulders and pushed her hot tongue into your pussy. You bucked your hips as you tightened your grip on her hair, her tongue pushing deep within your pussy as she wriggled it about.

Momo smiled as she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but to be enticed by your taste as she pushed her tongue deeper into your heat. She moved her tongue about, pressing it against your walls roughly as she savoured your flavour. She smirked as she flicked her tongue about, satisfied when she heard your breath hitch and your body arched off the counter. Your hand pulled on her hair roughly as your hips rolled down to press against her face as she found that spot inside of you. Momo hummed low as she licked feverishly, lapping up your juices as she rubbed her tongue against your spot. She snaked a hand around your thigh, pressing her thumb against your clitoris before rubbing it in a tight circle and causing you to cry out her name.

You threw your head back as your body arched off the counter, a rush of pleasure coursing through your body as Momo assaulted your senses from inside and out. You curled your toes against her back as you moaned, whimpering her name as you moved your free hand to grip the counter. You cried out as you bucked your hips, Momo’s tongue relentlessly pushing against your walls before rubbing over your spot in a disorientating cycle. Wait, what was that?

“Holy fuck!” You cursed as a metal ball pressed against the walls of your quivering pussy; Momo had a friggen tongue piercing! Fuck you loved this woman, she seemed to be full of surprises but by the gods was she damn good with her tongue.

You let your head loll back over the edge of the counter, your hand tightening in her hair as you slowly let your eyes slip open. Red. That was the first thing that registered in your mind, red orbs filled with distaste as they glared at you from across the room. You gasped and moaned as you blinked desperately trying to clear your vision of its lust filled haze. You stiffened as your eyes locked with crimson eyes set in a scowl and your body instantly seized up. You flicked your eyes over the occupant on the other side of the room and realisation suddenly set in to your fogged brain. You screamed as you sat upright on the bench, pulling Momo’s head up from between your thighs as you blushed furiously.

“You fucking done now?” The gruff voice came from behind you as the sound of shuffling feet could be heard approaching you both.

“Hardly even, we were just getting started.” Momo quipped up as she stood in front of you and wrapped her arms around your form, her lips pressing against your ear.

“Yeah, on my fucking counter!” He growled as he moved, coming into your vision as he walked around the counter and went to what you presumed to be the fridge.

“It’s not like you’ve never fucked anyone on this counter.” She shot back quickly as she looked over her shoulder at the blonde man behind her. “Need I name a particular brunette I keep finding on your counter?”

“MY COUNTER, damn it Ponytail!” He snarled as he slammed the fridge shut and took a long gulp from the bottle of water he’d retrieved from its depths.

“Very well Bakugou, I shall take her to my bedroom.” Momo relucted as she nuzzled into your neck and opted for ignoring her housemate. Somehow it had managed to slip your mind that Momo shared her house with the one and only Katsuki Bakugou, a well-known lawyer who was yet to lose a case and was her own legal representative.

“Good.” He huffed out before moving to head back across the room. “And pick up the damn peach blossoms in the fucking hallway!” He growled before disappearing into a different part of the house.

You blinked as you peeked around Momo’s shoulder and peered back down the hallway, it did indeed look like scattered Peach Blossoms with your belongings scattered the way they were. You smiled despite the situation and burst into laughter as you pressed your forehead against her shoulder. “What now?” You asked softly as you kissed her neck tenderly.

“I finish my meal!” She declared before sinking back down between your thighs.

#momo yaoyorozu #yaoyorozu momo #momo yaoyorozu x reader #yaoyorozu momo x reader #quirkless!au #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #scenario #lemon #pen pal collab #collab #bnha imagines #mha imagines #boku no hero academia imagines #my hero academia imagines #lesbian peanut writer

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stones-x-bones · 3 years

Text

Classic Blunder || Ben and Bex

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @professorbcampbell and @inbextween SUMMARY: Ben finds Bex reading alone in the hallway and decides she’s quite a remarkable find. CONTENT: Brief Domestic Abuse mention

Being back at school was a strange feeling. Bex was eager to be back, she did love learning after all, but the strangeness of it came from sitting through hour long lectures about modern law and criminal justice systems, because despite trying to convince herself that she could still do this, she really didn’t want to be doing this. There was a meager acceptance as she sulked through her mandatory classes of the day, only to give herself the gifts of her electives-- A Timeline Of History Before Humans and, of course, Professor Beck’s class, Our Monsters, Ourselves: Recognizing the Other in Speculative Literature-- after them. She always came away feeling refreshed from them, especially now more so that she was living at Morgan’s. Going home to a place that didn’t feel...suffocating was nicer than Bex had ever imagined. But, that still left a lingering fear in her-- because, ultimately, she’d have to go home one day. And it was probably going to have to be someday soon. So perhaps the strangeness was more a feeling of bittersweet, because despite the bruises now fading on her skin, and the cuts closing up, the things that brought her joy also reminded her of the fact that they would not last. They simply could not.

Morgan’s class had ended a while ago, but Bex still lingered in the hallway. She was reading one of the books she’d borrowed from Morgan’s library, about Ancient History and how the stories of the past influence modern literature. There was only one bench in the hallway and she’d curled up on it, letting the masses of students wander by, not paying much attention to them and they paid little attention to her. But she remained even after the halls had cleared and more classes had started, lost in her book. She didn’t even notice the footsteps in the hallway, or the man approaching her.

Shutting his attache case with a final sigh, Ben stood up from his desk and shut the door to his office. It had been a long day of grading, office hours, and a department meeting, but it was worth it in the end. Making the right appearances, maintaining a good work flow, ensuring that his end of semester feedback responses were just where they needed to be-- it was all a balancing act. And it was an act he excelled at. Locking the door behind him, Ben made his way through the winding hallways of his building towards the exit. As he made his way through the halls, his forehead creased as caught sight of a young woman lost in a book. “I hope you don’t have a class to be going to,” Ben commented loudly, slowing to a halt in front of the girl. “Not that I’d tell on you-- this isn’t high school, after all.” He said with a conspiratorial grin. “What are you reading?”

Bex nearly jumped out of her skin when the man spoke, snapping her book shut out of reflex. She looked up at him, trying to shake off the jitters that had suddenly crawled into her hands. “O-oh, no! I don’t! I just got out of class, I pro--” she stopped herself mid sentence and shook her head, “I just got done with my last class of the day, I just like, you know, the atmosphere here sometimes cause it gets real quiet and there’s usually no one around in the halls, so reading is easy, but I--” she needed to take a breath, to calm down-- “sorry. Sometimes I talk a lot when I get nervous. Not that I’m nervous! You just kind of...caught me off guard.” But he didn’t seem too perturbed by her frantic rambling and he looked like one of the nicer professors, unlike most of the ones who had permanent furrows in their brows. She looked down at the book in her hands. “Oh, um…” held it up to him, “it’s something Professor Beck lent to me. A-about the history of storytelling and how it influences modern literature and media. Do you, um, know her? Professor Beck? Are you in the lit department, too?”

Slipping his hand into the pocket of his trousers, Ben listened to her ramble with a patient smile on his face. She was one of those students. The anxious, over-eager, not yet self-assured children. Ripe for the picking. And his little gatherings, they were long overdue for a fresh face, for fresh blood. “I was only joking, I’m sorry for making you nervous.” He said with a laugh and apologetic shrug that he didn’t mean. “Or rather-- not nervous.” Ben corrected himself. Watching as she held up the book, his eyes flicked across the cover. It seemed… exactly like the kind of drivel Bitchy Fucking Beck would have in her personal collection. Modern literature and media-- what sort of study was that? Were her students analyzing movies? Or, he shuddered to think, TikToks? Disgusting. But, his expression remained politely intrigued, “Ah yes, Morgan and I are well acquainted. And no, I’m not a member of the literature department, but we work within the same college. I’m a professor of the Classics and not,” Ben let out a wry chuckle, “Literary classics. I teach Greek and Roman classics. I’m sure your book includes some references to the old mythologies and tales from back then.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay! Really! It was mostly my fault. I’m really bad at paying attention, sometimes. Especially when I’m reading a book.” Bex gave her best attempt at a reassuring smile, finding that innate part of her that needed to please adults surfacing again. She perked up a bit when he mentioned knowing Professor Beck. “You are? She’s great, don’t you think? I mean, I’m kind of struggling in her class, but it’s because I’m really bad at creative writing and critical analysis of literature, but I enjoy it! It’s interesting and I like learning new things.” She watched him eye the book before setting it down in her lap again, fiddling with the cover. “Oh, you teach the classics? That’s so cool. I’ve always been interested in studying them academically. I’ve read a lot of books on them-- like, a lot-- but I’ve never taken a class for it! And um, it sort of does, obviously! Story-telling was often used as the only means to pass on history and culture and it was such a large part of both the Greek’s and Roman’s society. I know it’s kind of typical, for people to enjoy Greek mythology, but there’s a reason it’s so popular. But, um, I don’t really have to tell you that, do I?” She chewed her lip anxiously. “Sorry, uh-- I’m Bexley, by the way.” Stood up, holding her hand out. “Professional rambler.”

“Nothing wrong with getting lost in a good book,” Ben said with a nod, “I’m guilty of that particular crime myself.” Among other, actual crimes. But, that was neither here nor there. Watching the way her eyes seemed to light up at the mention of Beck, Ben offered a reassuring smile. She was one of these foolish children who preferred fiction to fact, hm? But, as the girl continued to speak, perhaps, he thought, not. “Ah, regardless of performance, the pursuit of knowledge is a wonderful thing. That’s why we’re all here, right?” He said. Listening patiently as the girl’s words took on a meandering, if anxious, quality, Ben regarded her with a practiced eye. She was young, she hardly looked old enough to order a drink. There was a nervous anxiety that practically bubbled over from within her-- he could see it in the way she played with her book, how she bit her lip, the skittish way she moved. Interesting, very interesting. “Oh no, I’m always happy to hear what fellow lovers of the classics have to say.” He said and shook her hand firmly, a broad smile on his face. “Ben Campbell. Professional Rambler of the Classics. If you ever have the misfortune of attending one of my classes, I can assure you, I have you beat in the rambling department.”

“Oh, do you like reading books, too? What kind? Do you have your own library? Professor Beck has a huge library at her place. She lets me pick whatever I want to read.” Bex gave the professor a genuine grin as he took her hand to shake. He had a firm grip, and she remembered all the times her father told her a man could be judged by how firm his handshake was. She still didn’t understand what that meant. “I’m trying my best, and, really, that’s all I can do right now, right?” Even if that fact still made her feel poorly. She hoped her inability to keep the waver from her voice wasn’t a dead giveaway. She shook it off and readjusted. “Nice to meet you, Professor Campbell! And, well, I mean-- who wouldn’t ramble about the Classics? There’s a lot to say about them, and a lot to, you know-- know.” She wasn’t sure she was making too much sense anymore, but the lack of sleep was getting to her. She really needed to sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the empty hallway. “Have you taught here long? This is my first year at UMWC so I don’t know a lot of the professors. Or a lot of the staff. Or...students.” She knew Mina, and she knew some of the weird kids in Morgan’s class, and she knew Frank. But that was about it. She really needed more friends. “Sorry! If I’m keeping you, you can go. You probably don’t wanna be stuck talking to some awkward student who’s not even in your class.”

With an amused smile, Ben replied, “Yes, I do. I have a rather large collection of books at my home, as well as in my office. Most of the ones I keep here are related to my classes, but my personal library at home is a bit more diverse. Still, I’m rapidly running out of room in my collection. A pretty common struggle for your average bookworm, I suppose.” He said with a chuckle. “Of course! And I’m sure your professors understand that. What are you majoring, if you don’t mind me asking?” He asked. She knew Beck-- quite closely too, it seemed. But, she’d also said she wasn’t the creative sort. Hm. So how did she know her? “It’s nice to meet as well, Bexley.” He beamed. “I’ve taught here for the past ten years. First as an adjunct but I’m now an associate. Though I doubt you wanted to know that-- suffice to say, I’ve been here for some time. How are you finding your classes? I’m always interested in hearing what students think of the matriculation process.” He said before waving off her concern. “Ah, no, I’m done for the day. Like I said. I value what our student body has to say about the university.”

Bex’s eyes lit up at his words. “You have a library here?” she couldn’t help but ask, not thinking much of it, really. She wanted to see it. Books were her only escape for the longest time. It sounded stupid and cliche, but when you were locked up in a room for most of your life, adventure was where you made it. In hallways, in blanket forts, in books under the bed. She couldn’t help the curious glow in her eyes. “Oh, yeah, I totally get that. Most of the books I have at home are stuffed in my closet, but my dad’s library is pretty big. Though, he really only has law texts and old books on, like, world wars and stuff. I never understood the appeal of them, but I guess some people just like different things. I, uh-- I’m majoring in law. Well, pre-law, but, you know.” She shrugged. “Ten years? Wow, that’s a really long time. You must know this place well.” She wondered if he knew about all the hidden secrets White Crest had. He seemed so normal. But, then again, she seemed normal, too, didn’t she? Sometimes? “Oh, no worries! I don’t mind! Tell me whatever you want, I’ve been told I’m a good listener and I never mind learning more about people. But, uh-- classes are fine! They’re-- I was out for a bit, cause I was um...sick,” she scratched at the back of her neck, “but I’m catching back up, I think. It’s nice to know a lot of the professors here care so much about the students. Penn State felt very...different.” And yet she missed it. Missed the freedom. “That’s where I transferred from. I actually grew up here, but I don’t ever really feel like I did, since my parents sent me to private school.” And there she went, oversharing again. She bit her lip. “Sorry, that was probably more information than you wanted from someone who’s not even in your class.”

“Library is a strong word to describe my office, it’s just a wall with some shelves. But, it’s rather comprehensive, if I do say so myself.” Ben said with faux modesty. Always better to play the bashful professor than to yammer on about how much time and money and effort he had put into his collection. Particularly the money. There were first editions in his collection that librarians dreamed of. “I can’t say I understand the interest in the world wars either, but again. I’m a professor of antiquity. Anything beyond 6th century AD is too new for my tastes. It’s a wonder I can even use a smartphone.” He smiled at his own little joke. “Pre-law, that’s got quite the courseload. How are you finding it compared to Penn state?” He asked, shifting his weight so he could stand more comfortably, his body language relaxed and open as he listened to her ramble. “No, no, it’s quite alright. I grew up in town as well, but I went to college elsewhere, so I can understand that sentiment.”

“Wow,” Bex breathed, “I’m a bit jealous. I think it’s my dream one day to just have an entire room full of books. I...guess that’s really just a library, but they wouldn’t even need to be shelved. Stacks on stacks would be nice. I would shelve the nice ones, though. I’m not a heathen, I take care of my books!” In a way, Professor Campbell almost reminded Bex of Morgan. Less wiccan, though, and more scholarly. “Oh, really? What’s your favorite period? And, well, smartphones can be confusing, but really they’re just small computers. If you ever need help, I can probably show you. I had to show someone else recently how to use her smart phone cause she couldn’t figure out how to change the background wallpaper.” She swallowed, nodding maybe a little too eagerly. “Yeah, yep-- heavy course load. Lots of reading and citing and making sure everything is exactly word for word. My whole family is lawyers and they’ve all got degrees from Harvard, so you’d think it’d come naturally to me, but I guess I didn’t get the right genes. I’m trying my best, though, you know? And UMWC is...smaller than Penn, but I guess it feels...cozier? I liked the freedom I had at Penn state, but it was really high pressure. A lot of the kids in my program here just seem really bored, though. This isn’t a top school for pre-law so you have to get really high scores in order to even think about getting into Yale or Harvard or Princeton, so I think a lot of them are resigned to just going to second rate grad schools. Where’d you go to college?”

“Sounds like the dream of a fellow scholar,” Ben said, voice kind and understanding. She seemed young, impressionable. Eager to learn, eager to please. Interesting. How very interesting. “I’ve gone through the stacks of books phase myself, I know how that is. But, having shelves just really ties a room together. There’s nothing quite like seeing all the spines laid out, the titles staring back at you. It’s a wonderful thing.” He said with a nod. “I’m quite a fan of the first century of the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius, his works still hold to this day.” At the girl’s offer, he let out a small laugh, though internally he wanted to roll his eyes. He wasn’t inept. “I appreciate the gesture, but I think I’ll be fine. Thank you for the offer, though!” He said. As she continued to speak-- on and on, about her family, about her inane observations of what the campuses were like-- Ben continued to mentally measure and weigh her. This Bexley girl, she was new to the university, still trying to find her footing. She didn’t know many people, students or staff, she’d admitted that herself. She seemed as though she was struggling with that critical jump that all students experienced when they entered college. And who was he to withhold aid from a student in need? “Ah, I went to Princeton actually. For both undergrad and my doctorate. But, UMWC is still an upstanding school-- it’s no Ivy League, but I can assure you, faculty here are providing just as rigorous of an academic experience.”

“Well, I mean, that would be nice,” Bex sighed, “I don’t think I’d mind teaching all too much, but I’ve already got my future career all planned out.” Not that she was all too excited about it, and she was more than sure that it was getting harder and harder for her to hide that fact. SHe laughed it off and gave a smile. “I can’t wait to have my own library, it really does sound like a dream come true.” Her eyes perked up. “Oh, that’s a good one! The rise of the Roman Empire really is one of the most incredible things to read about. I’ve always wanted to go to Rome and see the remains of the old empire. Have you been?” She smiled up at him again, shifting in her spot. :Ah, right, of course. I just kinda-- like to offer to help. I like feeling like I can help, you know? And, wow, Princeton! That’s a pretty prestigious school. I think my parents really want me to go to Harvard. Did you like Princeton? And yeah, totally! I-I know this school is pretty great and there are a lot of wonderful professors, it just usually helps being at an Ivy League if you wanna get in somewhere like Harvard. Or Princeton. So I’ll just have to, you know, try harder. Which is fine! I can do that.” And hopefully not run herself too ragged in the process.

“As cliche as it is, I can’t help but quote John Lennon-- Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Ben said, shamelessly using the quote. It was very “motivational poster-esque” but it resonated in students, for one reason or another. “So who’s to say what the future holds? I never thought I’d be a professor either, but I fell in love with academics during my undergraduate degree. Once I figured out that I wanted to teach the coming generations, who all shared my passion? I never looked back.” He replied. “Oh yes, I spent the third year of my doctoral program across Europe, assisting in archeological digs. I must say, I was jealous when I heard they uncovered the tomb of Romulus last February. I would have given anything to see that.” Ben let out a sigh and gave a shrug. As she continued on, babbling away, Ben was beginning to put together a nice little picture of her life. Overbearing parents, who wanted her to be something that-- well, he couldn’t quite tell if she wanted to be that. But, there was a hesitation to her that seemed quite promising. “I enjoyed my experience there quite a bit-- the environment, my peers, the professors… All of them were incredibly influential on my professional journey. And I owe my success to the university.” He smiled, though it faded as she mentioned trying harder. Eyebrows knitting together, he replied, “You know, rest is a very critical part of growth. It never hurts to take a break from time to time.”

Bex felt her immediate reaction bubbling up her throat-- John Lennon was such a problematic man, but of course a white cis man would think his quotes were profound-- but she swallowed it back down, smiling sweetly. “Sometimes cliche is true, though. They’re cliche for a reason, right?” She didn’t like the implication of it, though. Was she so transparent? That she didn’t want the life her parents had laid out for her? She rubbed her arm absently. “I know that, though. That I should stop and enjoy life. But what I want is kind of irrelevant. My family has been lawyers for centuries and every daughter has always taken over the business. So even if I don’t wanna do that, I don’t really have a choice.” But her grievance was immediately dismissed. “Wait-- you’ve been on digs? Like real, actual, digs!? Where you found stuff and you got to-- you got to see it first hand? Which digs? Where were they? What did you find? Oh, god, I nearly cried when they found Romulus’ tomb! What an amazing discovery! Can you even imagine being there for that? Or the new tomb they found in the Valley of King’s? It always feels like we’ve discovered so much, but then we just keep finding more and it’s amazing.” She couldn’t help the sparkle in her eye or the shine in her voice-- this was her true passion and the worst part about being a lawyer was that it made it impossible to chase. “Wow, Princeton sounds amazing. I haven’t done a campus visit yet, but I’ve heard good things about Harvard. If I make it in.” She withdrew a little at that. “I-- I know. And I did! Take a break. Sort of. It was an unintended break, but a break all the same.” If being in a nightmarish dreamscape counted as a break.

“Indeed.” Ben said affably, eyes still analyzing her every move. The way she shifted in place, the way she rubbed her arm, the way her smile seemed a fraction less genuine than it had before. It seemed she wasn’t one for John Lennon. Suited him just fine, the Beatles were vastly overrated and John Lennon was a musician, what bearing did he have on anything that mattered? “I’m just a professor, so… please, you don’t need to take this to heart. But, life is meant to be lived, is it not? And what’s more important to life than choice? The freedom to live as you please and to live without wondering how things might have been different, it’s incredibly important.” He said with a firm nod before easing back slightly, his eyes losing some of their intensity. It seemed as though his mention of his field work had piqued her interest though, which was something else he made note of. If they met again-- and he would make a point of meeting her again-- he would have to bring that up. “I did. Truly incredible, the discovery they made there was absolutely groundbreaking. Literally, given how the dig went.” Ben joked. “History is absolutely like that. Just when we think we know it all, our ancestors surprise us.” Glancing down at his watch, Ben raised his eyebrows, as though startled by how much time had passed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you. It’s not everyday I meet such a remarkable student like yourself, though.” Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew one of his cards and handed it to Bex. “If you’re ever interested in talking more-- about archeology or the Ivy Leagues, please feel free to contact me. I also have office hours on Thursday and Fridays, my door is open to you.” He said with a bright, toothy smile.

Bex went still when he started explaining. It was the same things Morgan always told her, that her choice mattered, her wants mattered-- but it wasn’t as easy as all that. She had duties, she had responsibilities. Leaving that life just wasn’t an option. Her parents had made sure to drill that into her from a young age. This was her life, this would always be her life. She had no choice. Her eyes sank to the floor, she no longer felt brave enough to look him in the eye, even as he described his incredible experience of being part of a dig, being a part of history itself. It should have made her heart flutter to hear about it, but something inside of her told her to stop letting herself believe that one day she might get to have something like that, too. She nodded slowly. “No, it’s fine! You didn’t keep me,” she said, trying to keep the smile plastered to her face as she glanced up enough to take the card he was offering her. She stared at the neatly typed words pressed onto the paper. Benjamin Campbell. Professor of the Classics. His information was included below the title. “Remarkable?” she repeated, unsure if she’d heard that word right. “But I’m not even--” in any of his classes. But as she looked at him, she knew the offer was genuine. Her smile came a little easier this time. “Thank you. Really. For-- for this.” She pocketed the card. “It was really great to meet you, Professor. I’ll um-- I’ll see you around. I usually tend to read here most days so, you know.” She chewed her lip before grabbing her bag. “Thanks. A-again.” She needed to stop saying thanks, Mina would kill her if she knew. “I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.” And then with that, she scurried off, the business card, and a million questions, burning a hole in her pocket. She couldn’t wait to talk to him again-- maybe things really weren’t as bad as they felt. Maybe she could have a good life here.

#chatzy #chatzy: ben #wickedswriting #classic blunder #ben #domestic abuse mention tw #//the mention is in the very first paragraph if people wanna skip

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perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years

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Jercy teacher au? Maybe where their students r tryna get them together but they've been married for years or smthng. I'll take any jercy content tbh aha

AHHHH Darling Anon you made my day with this. Here’s a lil drabble that i hope fulfills your prompt-dreams!

If you want more you just gotta let me know. I am here to serve you my tumblr babies!

Masterlist

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

Percy had woken up this morning with the express intent of getting to the university early and starting on the increasing pile of admin he had yet to attend to. What had actually happened was a ripped pants, a spilled coffee, endless traffic, and a department meeting that resulted in him being an escort for the marine field trip. Today was the definition of Murphy’s Law.

“Good afternoon Doc,”

“Afternoon Katie,”

“Hey Doc,”

“Hello Tyson, Ella,”

Students filed into the lecture venue waving or grunting a hello as they passed him. He tried to keep a smile through the greetings, but the weight of the day hung heavy in his mind. Once most people had settled in he clapped his hands and hopped onto the desk, as he did every lecture.

“Listen up seaweed-brains,” The class groaned at the familiar nickname eliciting a grin from Percy, “I will never understand why you guys don’t find that hilarious. You are marine biologists after-all.”

“It’s unbecoming Doc, and cheesy,” A voice from the middle piped up.

“Hazel Levesque how dare you tell me my favourite nickname is unbecoming,” He mocked hurt, holding a hand to his chest.

The class laughed at that and Percy winked playfully at the small, fierce student. She rolled her eyes but smiled at her professor.

“Alright I got some news which is bad for me and good for you,” They settled down, staring intently at him, “The field trip to the marine conservation center was approved and I have to be the one looking after you lot,” It was his turn to groan.

A series of whoops and excited chatter broke out around the class. It had been forever since they were allowed to visit the conservation center. The university’s budget had been tight for some years, so they had only managed to go once in the four-year degree even though they were supposed to go every year. Percy couldn’t help but smile as he watched his class take in the news, their faces glowing with excitement. He checked his watch, giving them a few minutes to discuss before interrupting them to finally start the lecture.

“Alright you sorry sack of sponges, let’s get to it!”

And with a murmured chortle through the class they started the lecture.

“So most shallow coral reefs have a symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae that-“

A knock on the lecture room door cut off his sentence. Percy frowned, looking over, and then tried very hard to stop the blush creeping up his neck. Standing in the doorway a feint smile on his face was Dr. Jason Grace.

“Sorry to interrupt the lecture Professor but can I have a word,”

The class broke out into hushed whispers, exchanging suspicious glances and gleeful smiles.

“Of course Dr. Grace,” He turned to his students, “Excuse me everyone.”

“Go right ahead Prof, we don’t mind at all,” A curly-haired Latino with a mischievous grin replied.

“Gee thanks Leo, I’m grateful,”

The class snickered and Percy debated giving them all a pop quiz just for it but Jason was waiting, patiently.

He stepped out of the room, easing the door shut behind him.

“Hello Doctor,” He said, hoping the blush would stay far away.

The man looked as good as ever; dark jeans, and a sky-blue shirt with the beautiful addition of the sleeves rolled up his forearms. It was hard not to stare without drooling.

“How many times do I have to ask you to call me Jason?” The blonde teased.

“Force of habit,” He winced apologetically.

“I’m sorry I had to pull you out of class, but I don’t have any free time and I wanted to know what I should be bringing on the field trip this Friday?”

Percy’s head shot up, eyes clashing with pools of blue, “You’re the other chaperone on the trip?”

“Yea, they asked me to because I’m one of the only faculty members available this Friday. Everyone in the medical department is going to some charity ball for the Half-Blood Hospital but I had plans I couldn’t get out of so I didn’t accept the invite, and now those plans are cancelled and I’m pretty much free all weekend,” He rambled, eyes darting every which way.

Percy couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him and then with a mortified look he tried to cover it up with a cough. “Well I hope you plan something fun for the weekend now that it’s open,” He smiled.

Jason blushed, electric eyes wide, “Sorry, I tend to go on if no-one stops me.”

“I don’t know if anyone can, it’s kind of adorable.”

That made the blonde blush harder, skin turning as red as a rose fish, “So about the fieldtrip…” He mumbled.

“Right, right yes,” Percy nodded, eyes glazing as he tried to remember what they usually need, “Dress casually, because we often end up soaking wet; someone always topples into a fish tank. Pack water and snacks because for some reason you get really hungry while staring at fish?” He laughed at that. “Oh and a little emergency kit but I’m sure I didn’t have to tell you that Mister Neurologist.”

“I figured the emergency kit was a must since I’m technically first aid on this trip,” His mouth twitched in amusement.

“Guess we’re in good hands then,” He winked.

Jason shrugged, a slow smile tugging at his lips, “I guess you are.”

Percy’s eyes widened, heat beating so loud it was a wonder how his students behind the door couldn’t hear it. He stared, failing to process anything as the deep rolling voice of the man before him played on a loop in his brain.

A throat cleared, ripping Percy out of his hazy thoughts.

“Well thank you for the information. Guess I’ll see you on Friday,”

“Yea, I guess you will.” He nodded, still coming back to the present.

“Bye Percy,”

“Bye Doctor– uh Jason, bye.”

A fading chuckle followed a dazzled Percy back into the lecture room where the rowdy chatter of his students ceased, giving away to dead silence.

“So Doc, how’s Professor Grace?” Someone piped up gleefully.

That snapped Percy right into reality, head finally escaping the intoxicating spell that the neurologist always seemed to put him under.

“Dr Grace is fine Will,” He narrowed his eyes, “Now, where were we?”

“I think we were just about to discuss when you and the doc were gonna get together?”

Percy’s entire body set itself on fire. “Wha- what- what are you talking about?”

“Aw come on Prof, it’s obvious you two have been pining over each other for years. I feel like as your favourite students it would be a great graduation gift to finally see you guys together.”

“Yea Prof, he’s been single for two years now. Mrs McLean is happily married to Mrs Chase.”

“Guys you know I think you’re the best, but we are not discussing my love life right now especially,” He glared at them, “When it’s about a colleague of mine.”

“Aw come on Prof this is much more exciting than the benefits between coral reefs and algae,” Frank pleaded.

“Right but it’s not going to help you get your degree and besides we have to get this done before the trip on Friday so hush up and let me carry on.”

“Wait before you start Doc, who’s the other chaperone?” Leo asked. A round of nods and agreeing murmurs carried through the class.

Percy looked to the ceiling in exasperation, knowing the news would guarantee the class being a lost cause. He looked at those curious faces, who have been under his teaching and guidance for three years, and sighed, “It’s Dr Grace.”

There was a collective gasp around the room before all twenty of them turned to each other and started whispering furiously among themselves.

“Alright, alright, whatever is happening make it stop. We have things to do.”

They all turned back to him, sharp grins on their faces.

“How does Dr Grace feel about swimming with sharks” Katie asked, eyes wide in feigned innocence.

“Absolutely not Miss Gardner. No way.” He gave them a stern look.

Their grins just got wider.

Percy had a feeling he would be diving into a shark tank on a rescue mission come Friday. With a sigh, and a smile he tried hard to hide he turned back to the lecture, salvaging the last few minutes with his favourite, most meddlesome students.

#Jercy drabble #baby fanfic #baby fanfic series #PJSSG asks #she speaks

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jurijurijurious · 4 years

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Rambles on watching PotC in reverse...

So I finished my "watching Pirates of the Carribean films in reverse order" thing. Had a blast, tbh, not seen them for so long it was almost like seeing some of it fresh and all the feels came back! The music is stunning, particularly in number 2 and 3; Hans Zimmer and co. knocking it out the ballpark. Gave me goosebumps!

Anyway, ramble ho!

I appreciate watching a series backwards is a bit odd. It certainly opens your eyes to the nuances (or weirdness) of character development that occurs, but instead of you seeing it flow naturally from origin to conclusion, you end up picking up on where all the little seeds were originally planted long after you've witnessed what the final "bloom" is going to be; a "reverse order" watching also highlights some gaping plot-holes and even the odd awkward and utterly retconned plot point (Jack's compass story, for example, appears to be completely re-written in the fifth film when it is clearly stated in the second that he bartered it from Tia Dalma. There could be a convoluted explanation but it certainly looks like a writing fuck-up, or a case of "we give no shits any more". I'm wondering if the team behind the fifth film even re-watched the other movies?)

I feel like I have much more respect for Elizabeth's character than I once did; I don't think I paid her nearly enough attention back in the day, and watching her story backwards made me recognise how, from the start, she was always more pirate than Will; she was brave, a total geek about pirate lore (her child-self was super excited at the very prospect of pirates!), and she was brave enough right at the start of her adventure to be asked to be taken to parley with the dread Captain Barbossa — just in her nightgown. (Christ, she even tries to kill him! Gutsy lass.) It is only natural therefore that she continues to use her wiles, cunning, and to a degree her sex, to trick and deceive whenever the need calls; in "Dead Man's Chest", she even uses this guile to sacrifice Jack to the locker!

She also, right from the start, learns a lot from ol' Barbossa, and this runs on into the third film; Hector Barbossa is no spring chicken but he has managed to remain captain of a ship of unruly thugs for nigh on ten years following his own mutiny of the original captain, Jack Sparrow. He would never have been able to hold onto that position without a measure of competence, skill and bravery. Elizabeth recognises this and, whether consciously or not, begins to both emulate and acquire knowledge from him, becoming something of a willing student to his ways.

Now this is something I should probably have taken on board more before as I used to write and read "Barbossabeth" fanfiction regularly (probably the most far-fetched alternate pairing in the saga; in reality, Hector is probably the only central male figure Elizabeth doesn't kiss/have a fling with/get engaged to at some point). In truth, as aforementioned, Elizabeth proves from the start to be a match for Barbossa, who is certainly no fool himself, but even in the first film, she starts to learn from him — his line about the pirate code being"guidelines" which he throws at her early on, she literally parrots nearly word-for-word when it suits her later on in the film; and in "At World's End", she works well with him in a team and soaks up how he holds a crew together and the way he rouses loyalty and action through skilled oration; his speech at the Brethren Court, for example, she again regurgitates later on in the film to galvanise her crew for battle. As a pair they banter and tease and argue, but push each other in the right direction when they need to be pushed, and, by the end of the third film, they have both respect and admiration for one-another. It's one of the most subtle but fulfilling character-and-relationship arcs across the original trilogy and deserves more attention.

On the ol' "Barbossabeth" note, to be frank, there's little sign in the films that they would or could be a romantic item; Barbossa teases her in the first film and seems like he might have an idea to make her a"pirate bride", but there seems little chance of him being able to subdue her spirit. There is that wonderful jokey moment in "At World's End" however, designed to trick us all, when Will asks Elizabeth to make her choice regarding his proposal of marriage to her (in the midst of battle) and Elizabeth shouts out in return "Barbossa!"

And just when we all think, along with poor Will, "what the Hell, when did he come into the equation?" she finally finishes her sentence and we realise she is asking Barbossa, in his capacity as the ship's captain, to wed her to Will. (I still remember seeing the film in the cinema and my heart popped at that moment — I'd take Barbossa any day.) But those of us who take a shine to Rush's scarred old sea dog can dream, I suppose.

I think when all's said and done, standing back and looking at these characters and what they go through, Barbossa comes out best at the end. Even though we are introduced to him as a black-hearted brigand who pillages and plunders with his cursed crew, and is allegedly "so evil Hell spat him back out", we finish up with a rogue who has aimed to live his best life, and whose dedication to his ship is unshakeable. When the Pearl is threatened by the Kraken in "Dead Man's Chest", Jack's first thought is to save himself and he sneaks off in a longboat; irrespective of the fact he does have a change of heart and comes back to save the day, we should contrast this with Barbossa's tale of the Pearl being attacked by Blackbeard: the ship is possessed and turns on him and his crew, the rigging coming alive like snakes, wrapping itself round and round his leg. In his head, Hector knows he has to escape to be able to live so he can plot to retrieve his beloved ship and save it from this dark magic; in order to do so, he cuts his own leg off to get away. There is no universe in which Jack Sparrow would have cut his own limb off to free himself, but Barbossa does; there's a steel and strength to this character I don't think is always fully appreciated; he sails the ship like a boss, will hold up in the darkest of battles, and ultimately in the final film gives his own life when he knows his time has come and he owes it to the child he has left behind. There's your hero; Jack Sparrow is your comic relief and nearly always goes in for self preservation.

The other behemoth of these movies which I can not fail to mention is Davy Jones. Though Captain Salazar is a force to behold as the creepy-ass, psychotic undead captain in the final film, the best real menace of the saga is Bill Nighy's captain of the Flying Dutchman. Hans Zimmer composes him a musical theme unlike anything we've heard before, a theme full of deep organ blasts which hits you with clout, and though Jones is entirely CGI, he is still utterly Nighy. To be honest, he's perhaps one of the most incredible CGI movie characters ever created; he looks utterly convincing as the rain pours down his face or his eyes flash at his crew. Considering he first appeared on our screens 14 years ago, this is one Hell of a feat; there have been few better CGI characters on the big screen since. He's extravagant and perhaps hams it up too much for some people to appreciate, but it's a pirates film, you expect extravagance; I never get tired of watching Davy Jones. A piece of artistic wizardry, a cinematic masterpiece.

I will probably think of more to wax lyrical about some time soon. I currently have a plan in my head for a storyboard I would love to get down, at least in sketches, though part of me would love to make a video to mock a scene up, all based on Barbossa's tale about how he lost his leg and the Pearl to Blackbeard. It'd make a cracking scene, I've no doubt, but it'll be a job and a half to realise

#potc #pirates of the caribbean #captain barbossa #davy jones #elizabeth swann #at world's end #dead man's chest #salazars revenge #on stranger tides #blackbeard #geoffrey rush #bill nighy #barbossabeth

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imnotwolverine · 4 years

Text

Baby it’s cold outside

Henry Cavill x OC Lisa - multi-chapter fic

Author’s note: I know we’re not even halfway through the year and summer is yet to arrive. But please allow me to indulge you in some pre-Christmas sweetness. Are you ready for some Christmas fluff in Henry’s Mews home in London? Have a nice Friday!

Word count: 4.036

Disclaimer: smut and fluff

This is part 13 of the Tea for Two story.

Find the Masterlist here.

< Go back to part 12

‘Do you know what time of the year it is?’ I squealed, excitedly rubbing Kal’s cheeks and pulling his flabby skin up in a big smile.

Kal wagged his fluffy tail and I could tell exactly what he was thinking: I don’t know what you are happy about human..but ..I like it! His dark eyes sparkled as he rolled out his tongue, panting slightly.

I chuckled and finally let go off his chubby cheeks. An action which was interpreted by Kal as: I absolutely need to launch myself up at my human to show my excitement. ‘OHHH! No jumping naughty!’ I laughed, steadying myself so I could hold his weight and gently push him back down, giving him another rub. ‘And to answer your question: “It’s..the most wonderful time ..of the year”.’ I flailed out my arms while I sang in a deep Frank Sinatra-esque voice.

Alright, it was ALMOST the most wonderful time of the year. Just one more week ’til Christmas. But a dog wouldn’t know the difference, right?

Kal yipped happily as he followed me back to the corridor where I picked up the big plastic box that I had found upstairs. It had surely not been used for quite some years, as the dust on it was so thick and sticky, you could barely see the blue plastic lid beneath it. I moved the box to the dinner table and cheered. ‘Alright! Let’s do this!’ A cheer that would soon turn into a sneer as my hands found that everything, and I really mean everything, in the box was tangled up. Lights, garlands, a wreath, some wire. Goodness me. This is going to be taking me all morning…

I pulled on some of the wire to find either the beginning or the end. Well. There was definitely no end in sight. I breathed in deeply, my despair soon forgotten as a soothing cinnamon aroma filled my nostrils. Good thing I’m baking cinnamon rolls. I’m gonna need a reward for all this detangling. And..I really, really need to teach Henry how to store these properly. I sighed. Alright. This is going to require some tea..and…suitable music. My fingers swiped through my phone, looking through my Christmas playlist that had been laying low all year. Oh jolly holly Christmas songs! But where to start? I clicked on randomise and let my phone do the picking for me. Happy flutes and a soft jazzy beat started to twinkle through the speakers as I got up to make myself a cup of tea, Kal following me obediently as his big paws tapped lightly on the wooden floor.

‘Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful..’

My finger pushed the “on” button on the aluminum water cooker in the kitchen as I started to sing along.

‘And since we've no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow’

I turned to Kal and smiled as he looked at me with pure confusion. Why was his human making all these weird noises? His head turned sideways and I couldn’t help but release a soft chuckle as I stepped towards the oven to take a quick sneak peek at the cinnamon rolls. The hefty smell of cinnamon spice and everything nice wafted through the kitchen air. Almost done.

‘It doesn't show signs of stopping

And I've brought some corn for popping’

I swayed my hips to the music as the water cooker started shaking, the water coming to its boiling point. With practised hands I deftly took the cooker from its standard, pouring the hot water in my ugly unicorn mug as the cinnamon aroma in the air was now mixed with some spikes of fresh mint, the scents tingling happily in my nostrils.

‘And the lights are turned way down low

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..’

My eyes glanced over at the classic black and white clock on the kitchen wall. Eleven o’clock. Just 6 more hours before Henry would get back home and we’d celebrate our 6-month anniversary. I just hoped he hadn’t gone too overboard with his plans. All I really wanted was just to be with him. ‘Or better yet..have him inside me.’ Oh! Did I say that out loud? I chuckled as I saw Kal tilt his head again. ‘Hahaha. Sorry Kal. That wasn’t meant for your ears.’ I petted his head while moving back to the kitchen table, looking at the still very much entangled Christmas decorations. Okay, let’s detangle this bitch.

—

It was 5 o’clock on the dot when the front door opened, an elated Henry calling for me. I had just gussied myself up a bit, wearing a body hugging black dress that flared out at the knees, my lips painted red and my hair pinned back let for a few strands of hair. ‘Honey! I’m home!’ He called. ‘Coming!’ I chanted from the bedroom, taking one last look in the mirror. Damnn. I looked fineeee. I thought as I turned in front of the mirror.

Already I heard him come up the stairs - no patience today huh? - the steps creaking heavily under his weight. I looked over my shoulder at the stairs, trying my best to pull my face in a sexy pout. However it wasn’t Henry’s face I saw. Nope. Instead it was a huge tropical plant I saw appearing. What in the..? I turned on my heels, gasping as I noticed Henry’s far-to-excited face, half-hidden behind the large green leaves as he moved into the bedroom. ‘Hey babe.’ He smiled from ear to ear, turning his body so he could lay a quick kiss on my slightly gasping lips. ‘What is…’ I started, but he halted me. ‘Why buy you flowers that only last a week, when I can buy you something that can last you ..years? Besides..I don’t really own any plants ..and you had all these plants in your LA home..I thought I..’

I stopped him mid-sentence, silencing his adorkable rambling with a loving kiss, squealing happily. ‘This is so cute. It’s perfect. Such a beautiful Strelitzia.’ I smiled, my fingers tracing one of the leaves in admiration. Henry looked satisfied, albeit clear he had no idea what “Strelitzia” meant. I gave him another kiss, gesturing him to put it down. He nodded, moving to the window and carefully squatting down to place it next to the curtains. ‘They told me it best be put in a sunny place, so I guess this is probably the best spot in the house.’ He shrugged, turning back towards me and raising up to full height. His eyes gave me an appreciative look up-and-down.

‘Hmmm.’ He nodded, lust twinkling in his eyes. ‘You like it?’ I smiled, turning slightly and looking enticingly over my shoulder. He tilted his head slightly, studying me with that hungry smile curling up on his lips. ‘A lot.’ He purred, closing the distance between us and folding his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. I instantly felt the need to get very, very naked again, my hands starting to tug on his belt. ‘Wait, baby, wait. Let’s save that..’ He gave me a knowing look. ‘..for later.’ He gave me another kiss, this one more chaste and sweet.

I groaned in dismay. ‘Oh come on you have the stamina of a wild boar. Surely we can do a..quicky?’ I said, gingerly tracing my finger over his crisp white blouse. He let out an amused laugh, but his head was shaking “no”. ‘Though I’d love to indulge you, I’m going to ask you to be patient, because our ride is going to be here any minute now.’ He placed another sweet kiss on my lips before stepping back a bit, his hands starting to unbutton his blouse.

My hungry eyes couldn’t help but stare as the small strip of skin in view grew larger, the smooth white material of his blouse pulling back as his chest hair poked out. ‘The striptease ain’t helping Hen.’ I croaked, letting myself fall down on the bed as my eyes kept lingering on his slowly undressing form. ‘Don’t want me to get dressed for our date night?’ He said, giving me a challenging smile, before turning around and looking over his shoulder cheekily, his hands unbuckling his belt. Oh, being a tease now huh?

I couldn’t help but sit up a bit, propping myself on an elbow to look at him. His back muscles rippled beneath the thin, smooth fabric as his arms flexed slightly while his hands moved to unzip his jeans. I sighed at the sound, making him chuckle darkly, his hips swaying slightly as he slowly pulled off his blouse. ‘You’re killing me!’ I protested, pouting at him as he looked at me again. ‘Patience.’ He said in that deep smooth voice, throwing his phone on the bed before bending over and pulling down his jeans. Oh come on, this is unfair. He’s absolutely teasing me right now. I sighed again, rubbing my thighs together in the silent hope it would offer me some relief.

Henry had moved to his overloaded closet, gingerly scanning through his clothes, wearing nothing but his briefs. God what a view. His broad, well sculpted shoulders, his muscles moving sharply beneath smooth skin as he finally reached for a fresh blouse and some dress pants. He looked over his shoulder, seeing my hungry stare, my legs rubbing together. ‘Very impatient today huh, love?’ He grinned, putting the clothes on the edge of the bed before moving towards me, his legs brushing against mine. I sighed again. ‘Very.’ I agreed, feeling a slight blush creep up my cheeks as he looked down at my wriggling body. I stilled for a moment, trying my best to calm down, our eyes interlocking. ‘And I noticed you made the house all cosy.’ He smiled sweetly, absolutely ignoring my slight tremble as he brushed against my leg again, now sitting down next to me on the bed. ‘Mhm.’ I hummed, strain in my voice. ‘I like it.’ He stated, his eyes darkening slowly as his eyes wandered down my eager body. ‘Good.’ I breathed. ‘You know what. We could be a LITTLE bit late.’ He smiled, quickly crawling on top of me.

I nodded excitedly, gasping softly as he pulled me further up on the bed so it was just my feet dangling off the edge, before pressing me down into the mattress as his hands finally touched me where I needed them. ‘Henry..’ I moaned as his hands hiked up the hemline of my dress, his head bending down to kiss me. ‘Cinnamon rolls.’ He smiled, still tasting the sweet stickiness on my tongue. I chuckled as he happily licked his lips, his fingers brushing over the insides of my thighs. ‘So sweet for me.’ He mused in my ear, his hands now reaching up higher and higher. I let out a laboured, shaky breath.

‘Fuck me Henry.’ I purred, eagerly reaching for the waistband of his briefs. He looked intently in my eyes, his eyes dark and stormy as he moved my panties to the side, a lone finger stroking my slit. He studied my face as we slowly circled his finger. Fuck this teasing. ‘Please.’ I begged, rolling my eyes in annoyance as he raised a playful eyebrow. ‘Please.’ I said with more urgency, grabbing his chin and pulling him closer. He chuckled against my lips. ‘As my lady wishes.’ He whispered huskily, his body folding over mine as he kissed me more demandingly, his tongue rolling over my bottom lip as his hand moved down to lower his briefs. In one smooth strike of his hips he filled me, his erection hot and heavy. We both gasped.

‘Fuck baby.’ He groaned against the corner of my mouth. ‘So fucking sweet.’

I let out a sigh, trying to relax around his girth as I wrapped my arms around his large back. He was so fucking big. Fuck.

‘Ai Henry.’ I moaned, my nails clawing pink marks on the skin of his back. He hummed and started to push into me, filling me up completely, his hips soon finding a punishing pace. ‘Gods!’ I exclaimed. Henry smiled. ‘I should buy you plants more often huh?’ He panted, grasping my hips to get better leverage and angle my hip in such a way that he hit that delicious spot inside me. Soon enough that all familiar tingle started to spread through my limbs, my core coiling up tighter and tighter.

His phone rang.

‘No..’ I protested, but thankfully Henry didn’t stop. Instead he propped himself up on one arm, his free hand gesturing me to shush as his hips kept at it. I bit my lip and nodded quietly, my body still shaking violently by his pounding. He reached for his phone and he swiped the screen to answer. ‘Yes?’ Our eyes met as the deep baritone rolled off his tongue. ‘Mhm. Good.’ He breathed out, his voice slightly laboured. He licked his lips as he saw me reach down for my nub, our eyes remaining interlocked. ‘We will probably..run a little..late. Ten minutes or so..’ He tried with all his might to keep his voice level. I just hope the soft slapping of skin on skin isn’t heard on the other side of the phone line. ‘Okay. Thanks.’ He hung up and immediately threw his phone to the side, leaning down for another heated kiss. Without question I let him replace my hand with his own as his much stronger fingers made light work of getting me undone.

‘Frisky little thing.’ He breathed, a tone of amusement in his voice. ‘Now come for me.’ He commanded, a bit more sternly, his fingers and hips working feverishly. I nodded, my body still shaking with every thrust as I let myself be swallowed by the electric feeling, my coil about to snap, my blood now rushing through my veins and my mouth forming an erotic “o”. And just like that..I came. My back lifting off the bed, my legs wriggling helplessly, Henry’s eyes staring hungrily down on me.

When I came back around, I noticed he had slowed down his pace, his eyes now slowly traveling down my black dress. Our eyes met and I let out a satisfied sigh, a soft smile appearing on his lips. ‘Good.’ He smiled, pulling out and climbing off the bed. He didn’t even cum. He did not even…cum. I studied him, slightly confused and breathing harshly, as he stood at the edge of the bed, struggling to get his erection back in his briefs. He let out an amused chuckle, before looking back at me. ‘See what you do to me, love?’ He said. I smiled and shrugged, offering him my most innocent look.

His phone buzzed again. ‘Our ride.’ He groaned, finally having managed to get his briefs back on. He quickly pulled on his dress pants and his blouse. I also moved, crawling to the edge of the bed to help him button up, his fingers working from the top, mine from the bottom. I looked up at him, a cheeky smile gracing my lips. ‘Thank you.’ I cooed. He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement before bending down and kissing me. ‘You’re welcome.’

——

After a 30 minute drive we arrived at our destination. And what a destination it was. Thousands of little lights glittered around us in what appeared to be some kind of a large park or garden. The sun was painting its last few strokes of yellow hues, making the mix of well tended plantation with the small lights all the more fantastical. I plastered my face against the car window, looking out with childish curiosity. ‘Now for our date night. I thought I could extend the plant theme a little further, by taking you out for some wining, dining..and..well.. plants. Lots of plants.’ Henry said. I heard his deep voice as he had leaned over, but couldn’t take my eyes off the park as my eyes now noticed an entrance sign. ‘Kews royal botanical gardens.’ I gasped, excitedly wiggling in my seat before looking back at Henry, his face but mere inches away from mine. ‘This is so cool! Oh bear!’ I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly, my eyes still enchanted.

We were let in through the back entrance by a small, but overly enthused park ranger who walked us through some small pathways to reach the beautifully lit greenhouses. ‘That’s so pretty!’ I smiled, leaning closer into Henry’s arm as our eyes looked in amazement at the large glass structure as it lit up in a variety of pink and green hues, the plants inside creating hauntingly beautiful silhouettes.

The park ranger clicked open a glass door and waved us in. ‘Now, I bid you a wonderful night. Please stay on the paths and don’t pick any of the plants. If you walk straight ahead you’ll surely not miss my colleague Richard.’ He said, smiling to show a row of crooked teeth, his moustache curling scruffily over his thin lips. Henry thanked him kindly, elegantly moving his arm to bid me first entrance. I blushed a bit before stepping inside, feeling my body tingle as I was welcomed by that pleasant mix of heady and wild exotic scents. The air wasn’t as humid as I had expected, but everything else surely oozed “jungle”. My eyes instantly travelled down the softly lit path that stretched out before us, tiny garden lights stuck in the ground to lead the way. All around us were plants, their thick foliage reaching up meters high above our heads. It made you feel like you had stepped right into some wild adventure in the amazons.

I felt Henry hook his arm back around mine as he also stepped inside. ‘Wow.’ He whispered, equally impressed by the scenery. I looked at him, my excitement evidently etched on my face. He smiled one of those handsome, tender smiles, before leading us ahead as someone walked up to us, bowing in greeting. ‘Madam, sir. I bid you a good evening. My name is Richard and I’ll be your host for tonight. If you please follow me.’ The man said, turning elegantly on his heels and taking a sharp turn, leading us further into the jungle, the lights around us now slowly growing brighter. I trusted Henry to keep me safely on the pathway, while my eyes eagerly looked up and around us, studying the mysterious plants. Some leaves were about human size, whilst others were so thin and fickle you could barely see them. It sure was mesmerising.

We arrived in a much larger greenhouse and my mouth fell open in amazement. The trees reached way high here, and in the midst of it all was a little square, neatly tiled off in brown hued mosaic which glittered under the lights of hundreds of small light bulbs floating down from the trees. At the bottom, there was a quaint table for two, neatly set out with a white table cover and cutlery and wine glasses for multiple courses. I looked over at Henry in pure astonishment. My eyes probably were the size of saucers by now. I couldn’t even truly form words, my mouth just gasping “what..?!”. He chuckled, obviously very proud of having this all planned out.

Richard took our coats as we seated ourselves, my eyes still mostly peering up and around us. ‘Yeuss Henry. You didn’t have to do THIS. This is crazy!’ I whispered. He laughed, looking at me with those twinkling eyes, his hands unfolding his napkin which he laid out over his lap. ‘I didn’t have to. But.. I wanted to.’ He said, his hand now reaching out for mine. ‘I really, really wanted to dine here sometime, but it felt weird to bring like..friends or something.’ He shrugged, looking at the romantic lights that were sparkling around us. I giggled. ‘Yea..that would be kinda weird.’ We both laughed.

Dinner ran smoothly. The wine rolled over our tongues as we discussed the food on our plates. The herbs, the cooking techniques, what we liked and disliked and how the food paired with the wine. I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. Had I ever met someone with whom I could talk about food and cooking like this? I think not.

‘I saw you posted a throwback Thursday picture on your Instagram today. Care to tell me that story?’ Henry raised a handsome eyebrow as his lips hovered over his glass of red wine. I chuckled. Ah. Yes. I had posted a picture of one of my Christmas dinners, a few years back. Let’s just say..some people on that picture were wearing EVERYTHING (santa hats, ugly sweaters, garlands as necklaces), whilst others were wearing naught but their underwear and socks. The text I had written with it was simple: “Trust me when I say our Christmas parties never have been boring. Sorry to be missing out this year guys! #tbt #friendsfordinner #prechristmasdinner #uglysweatermadness #2017”

I chuckled as Henry looked at me curiously. ‘Ah, yes. The notorious pre-Christmas dinner party.’ I smiled as I took a sip from my wine before continuing. ‘It kind of started in my college years. I cooked practically every week for my friends and since everyone would be gone, visiting their families, over the Christmas holidays.. I decided to cook them a pre-Christmas dinner. It was super fun, but, as you know with big dinner parties, some people try to slack and not help. I don’t like that. I mean, I worked my butt off to cook you amazing food so don’t be a sissy and just help me clean these plates.’ I shrugged, rolling my wineglass in between my finger tips. ‘And then..?’ Henry asked. ‘Well, one of the guys absolutely refused, so I dared him; “You either help, or you strip. Then you are at least some entertainment to us!” Apparently I should not have said that. Because….he..stripped. And from there on some weird tradition was born. If you didn’t feel like helping out during the pre-Christmas dinner party, you stripped down to your underwear. Talking about it now, I’m still not sure how it ever became a thing. But..yea..my friends are kinda weird.’ I laughed, finally taking another sip of my wine.

Henry smiled. ‘Did he like you? The guy who stripped at your party?’ I looked up from my wine glass. ‘What do you mean? Like..in a friendly way..or?’ ‘The other way of course.’ Henry rolled his eyes, chuckling. ‘I don’t know. Maybe yes, maybe no. Men don’t always come clean about their feelings and we sure never got down and dirty haha.’ I looked back at Henry, seeing that all familiar glitter in his eyes. It was this mix of admiration, lust and love. ‘What?’ I asked softly. ‘I guess I got real lucky, that’s all.’ ‘How so?’ ‘Well, you surround yourselves by nerdy men. All the time. That’s some stiff competition for me, okay?’ He shrugged. I burst out laughing, giving him a playful kick against the leg. ‘Silly! Well just so you know. You are my favourite nerd of them all okay?’ We both laughed. ‘Good. I don’t like sharing.’ He winked.

‘Oh ..and please don’t strip when we’re at my parents. You can just say “no” when my mom is luring in help to cook her Christmas dinner, okay?’ Henry said, leaning forward while keeping his face in a mock-serious expression. I burst out laughing. ‘Gotcha, gotcha. Hahahah. Oh Henry. I’d never…’ I shook my head, laughing heartily. He chuckled as he folded his hand over mine, looking at me intently as I slowly caught my breath. His lips turned into an enamoured smile as my eyes looked back into his. I let out one last, amused huff, smiling back at him. He gently squeezed my fingers before pulling them to his lips, laying a sweet kiss on them.

‘Happy half year anniversary dear. I love you.’

‘I love you too Henry.’

Part 14 >

#henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #smut #henry cavill smut #fluff #christmas #kews #dinner #teafortwo #babyitscoldoutside

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almightyellie · 5 years

Text

new york, new york

in which you share a game day with your two favorite people.

a/n: this is deadass the most self-indulgent thing I've ever written and I can’t find it in myself to care. here’s a yankees game with Joe + your daughter. ps neighbor!gwil is coming, I swear! just needed a teeny lil bit of Joe fluff first.

title song: new york, new york // frank sinatra

Post-season games are different than the games in the on-season. Stakes are higher, wins are more exciting and losses are closer to devastating. The Mazzello household buzzes, nerves and excitement vibrating in the air as you finish your last-minute game preparations.

And Nora, sweet Nora, looks so precious nuzzled against Joe’s chest as he bounces around the kitchen, plating the food you had made as you carried snacks out to the living room, listening to him muttering softly to your daughter. You smile softly at his unapologetic adoration for the little girl. At seven months, she’s still blissfully unaware of the weight this particular game holds, but she can feel the excitement in the air, the energy only feeding into her own enthusiasm.

As the three of you filter between the living room, all flashes of navy and white, you and Joe share chaste kisses. Soothing and sweet and quick, struggling to get the living room set up before the game starts. Yankees had gotten far this season, farther than either you and Joe had predicted, but Houston wasn’t making it easy on your boys. As the three of you settle on the couch, just as the players begin taking their places on the field, you breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Now, Eleanor,” Joe begins. You snort, grabbing his attention. “What?”

“She’s seven months old.”

“I came out of the womb knowing the names of all the Hall of Fame inductees.”

You roll your eyes with a giggle, leaning back into the couch and kicking up your feet. One of your hands rubs his shoulder, smoothing the wrinkle in his t-shirt. “Fine. But don’t do the full name thing, I don’t want her to feel pressured.”

“Into what?” He snorts, Nora looks up at him and claps excitedly, eyes wide and mouth open as she babbled quietly.

“I’m asking one thing.” You nudge your husband, reaching across him to swipe at the drool trailing from your daughter’s mouth. Not that it made a difference; the neckline of the Yankees onesie you’d excitedly dressed her in already darkened with drool.

He gave you a pointed look as he restarted his sentence. “Okay, Nora,” he begins. She rambles loudly at the mention of her name. “I know. So, these are the ALCS games. If we win the majority of these, we go to the World Series.”

You nuzzle into Joe’s side, his arm instinctively coming around your shoulders, and listen to him speaking to your daughter, quiet enough that you could still hear the commentary. His voice faltered, but you were too enthralled in watching Paxton on the mound to notice. He ignores the game for a moment to bask in the moment; Nora, who had all but lost interest in the game, resting against Joe’s tummy as she settled in his lap and you, tucked into his side as you nibble at your thumbnail in absolute concentration. His chest feels heavy with the weight of his adoration. The love crashing against his insides makes him release a soft sigh, his head dipping to brush his nose along your hairline. It smells of cinnamon and something fruity yet warm. It’s very you. Joe smiles, soft and small.

“You’re missing it.” Your words are turned up at the corners just like your lips. In a moment of unbridled affection, you rest your legs across his lap, caging in the sleepy girl grasping his shirt.

“I’m not missing anything,” He says decisively. He kisses the top of your head, resting his cheek against your hair and finally turning his attention to the game.

“I don’t know why they fucking started with Paxton.” You grumble. “They need Tanaka pitching, but you know they’ll let Paxton fumble with the ball for at least two innings.”

Joe chuckles at your annoyance, squeezing you softly. “Always so little patience for pitchers.” He observes. You just look up at him, eyes narrowing in challenge.

“What about it?”

He laughs again, Nora shaking along with him as she drifted into sleep. One of his hands rested on her back, holding her against him. His other reached up to run through your hair soothingly, your eyelids fluttering at the feeling.

Both of you watch the game, picking at your food when you weren’t too busy criticizing Joe Buck, cheering quietly to keep Nora asleep against Joe. Halfway through a commercial break, Joe sighs blissfully. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

You look up at him, trying desperately to conceal your cheesy grin. “Are you?”

He rolls his head to look at you, blinking slowly and dropping down to press his forehead to yours. “I always will be as long as I have my girls with me.”

Your wide smile finally breaks through and you stretch to press a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”

With one last long glance toward your husband and daughter, you think maybe, somehow, you’re even luckier than he is.

#joe mazzello imagine #joe mazzello imagines #joe mazzello #joe mazzello smut

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saiilorstars · 4 years

Text

Stars Dance

Ch. 17: The Ghosts of Christmas

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 11th Doctor x Original Female Character

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Chapter summary: It's the first Christmas the Doctor and his companions get to spend together after putting the universe back together. Of course the Ponds aren't having the best of their honeymoon, and Lena is terrified of a flying shark...but Avalon does get to reenact one of the most classic Christmas stories to make everything all better!

(Previous chapters) // Sequel Story!!

Fairy Tale Memoirs (Companion story)

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"I'm not doing it," Avalon crossed her arms as she peered down the chimney of a rather large house, ignoring the pouting Time Lord beside her.

"But it's Christmas!" he sighed in exasperation, gesturing to the chimney that was just begging to be climbed into. He thought this would be something Avalon would literally jump to do. It was part of the classic movies, right? Why was she all frowny in the face then!?

"Yes, and I'm not Santa Claus," Avalon snapped at him. "I am going to take the front door like a proper person." She headed back to the TARDIS when Lena stepped out.

"Guys, Amy and Rory are pretty distressed up in that ship of theirs, what are you both doing here?"

They'd recently gotten a distress call from the newlywed Ponds that the cruise ship the Doctor had brought them to for their honeymoon had entered some sort of problem and the ship was actually going to crash if the clouds in the sky weren't cleared up. Apparently, the clouds were controlled by a family in the planet they found themselves in and for some reason the Doctor thought going down the chimney was the best way to enter the house of the man who controlled the sky.

Avalon felt ready to smack him for being such an...idiot. "Your 'big brother' wants to play Santa Claus and go down that chimney," she sighed.

"Cool!" Lena beamed and shut the doors of the TARDIS before running over to the Doctor, "Can I be one of those helping elves? I think they're so cute."

"No!" Avalon turned to them, gaping at her sister. "Lena, you can't jump into a chimney! Do you know how bad that'll be for your asthma?"

Lena rolled her eyes, "Here we go again," she muttered to the Doctor. She really thought Avalon was finally going to let go of her over-protectiveness and simply have fun. But apparently that was going to be something difficult judging by what they were seeing now.

"It's Christmas," the Doctor called back to Avalon, as if that alone was the perfect excuse, "C'mon, Ava," he hurried up to her, grinning widely, "You're fun, you're...a bit wreckless-"

"I am not!" she huffed and crossed her arms.

"But you're fun," he pointed, "And fun people always take the fun route..." he nodded back to the chimney, "...c'mon, Ava," he poked her hair.

"Don't touch my hair," she closed her eyes with irritation as he continued to do just that, "Don't...Doctor, don't...don't...FINE!" she snapped and startled him enough to back off, "Fine, we'll...play Santa," she huffed again, "But I am not gonna be the elf," she warned.

The Doctor hadn't listened as he'd grabbed her hand and brought them back to the chimney where he peeked again, hearing the loud voice of an elderly man coming below, "Geronimo," he smirked at the twins.

"Not with me you don't," Avalon took back her hand, "You go first and break our fall," she smiled sweetly, hoping that it would make the man realize he was being completely childish and ridiculous and would end up getting hurt.

It was like she didn't know the Doctor at all, thought Lena.

The Doctor clapped his hands together and jumped into the chimney.

"You have got to be kidding me," Avalon sighed while Lena giggled.

"Wonder if he got hurt," Lena peered inside.

"Probably," Avalon shrugged and sighed, "Well...better get it over with," she sighed again, unable to believe she was actually going to do this.

If she still had more space in her journal she would've written about it.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor had fallen down the chimney and managed to land with a perfect somersault on the floor. He stood up to greet an elderly man, a family of four with one daughter and son, and a couple of servants. He dusted the soot off himself and grinned, "Ah! Yes, blimey. Sorry! Christmas Eve on a rooftop, saw a chimney, my whole brain just went, "What the hell!" Don't worry, fat fella will be doing the rounds later. I'm just scoping out the general...chimney-ness. Yes," he leaned against the chimney and smirked when he started hearing the shrieks of the twins.

Avalon came toppling down the chimney first and ended on the ground on her stomach. She groaned and lifted her head up to look at the Doctor, "I hate you."

He absolutely grinned at her soot-covered face. "No you don't!"

"Eek!" Lena came down right after and landed on her back, laughing to herself, "Okay, even I have to admit that was fun."

Now the Doctor softly smiled at his baby sister. His hearts warmed seeing her having so much fun again. She was alive and having fun. He still couldn't get over the fact she was back!

"Sorry," Avalon noticed the others after the Doctor helped her and Lena up. "He wanted to play Santa."

"Santa?" the little boy of the family spoke up.

"Father Christmas," Lena offered another alias, "Santa Claus?"

"Or, as I've always known him, Jeff," the Doctor shrugged.

"Shut up, you do not know Santa Claus," Avalon nearly laughed but got paused when the Doctor gave her a smirk. Her eyes widened - did he know Santa Claus? Wait, was Santa Claus real?

"There's no such person as Father Christmas," the boy shook his head, cutting the silence.

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor pulled out a small, black and white photo from his inside pocket and walked up to the family, "Me and Father Christmas, Frank Sinatra's hunting lodge, 1952. See him at the back with the blonde...Albert Einstein. The three of us together...vrrroom! Watch out! OK? Keep the faith, stay off the naughty list."

"No way!" Avalon snatched the picture right out of his hand to see for herself. "This is impossible!"

Lena sighed and tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "We have our friends stuck in a crashing spaceship, remember?"

"Oh, yes," the Doctor quickly ran to a large panel filled with buttons of all kinds, "Now, what's this? And I love this, a big flashy lighty thing - that's what brought me here. Big flashy lighty things have got me written all over them. Not actually, but give me time and a crayon," he sat on the chair in front of the panel and swivels to face the others, "Now, this big flashy lighty thing is connected to the spire in your dome, yeah, and it controls the sky. Well, technically, it controls the clouds, which technically aren't clouds at all," he stood up and walked up to the elderly man, "Well, they're clouds of tiny particles of ice. Ice clouds, love that. Who's she?" he pointed at a silver chamber containing a woman inside.

"Nobody important," the elderly man, Kazran, dismissed.

"That's rude," Lena frowned.

"Do you know, in 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important before," the Doctor agreed and headed back to the control panel to use the controls, "Now, this console is the key to saving that ship, or I'll eat my hat... if I had a hat. I'll eat someone's hat. Not someone who's using their hat-"

"How about you don't eat anyone's hat and we save Amy and Rory?" Lena raised an eyebrow, making him stop his rambles and see he was once again trailing off into another subject.

"You can't know Santa Claus!" Avalon finally looked up from the picture she'd taken from the Doctor, still unable to wrap her mind around it.

"I do," the Doctor returned and took back his picture, smirking at her. "And those controls aren't working!"

"The controls are isomorphic – one to one - they respond only to me," Kazran informed as he moved up to the Doctor.

"Oh, you fibber... Isomorphic! There's no such thing."

Kazran pulled a switch on the panel and shut down the machine to prove his statement. The Doctor went ahead and used the same switch only to see it wouldn't respond. With a frown, he pulled out his screwdriver and used it over the controls and Kazran. Once he checked the readings he blinked and looked at the others, "These controls are isomorphic!"

"The skies of this entire world are mine. My family tamed them, and now I own them," Kazran explained, getting more and more irritated with the Doctor.

"Tamed the sky? What does that mean?" Lena looked at Avalon, knowing that didn't sound very good for their situation.

"It means I'm Kazran Sardick," Kazran glared at them, "How can you possibly not know who I am?"

"Because we get bored easily," Avalon snapped, not liking the attitude the man had taken with her twin, "Point here is we need your help to save our friends."

"Make an appointment."

"I wasn't asking for your help, I was informing you," Avalon crossed her arms.

"There are 4,003 people in a spaceship trapped in your cloud belt," the Doctor stepped in before the ginger went off with a full temper, "And what my friend is trying to say is that without your help, they're going to die."

"Yes," Kazran nodded.

"I think the correct answer is that you're going to help," Lena spoke up again.

"You don't have to let that happen," the Doctor agreed.

"I know, but I'm going to. Bye-bye. Bored now. ..Chuck!"

Avalon's mouth opened with horror, "You old-"

"I'd watch the tongue," the Doctor pointed at her before she finished her sentence.

"I'll take it under consideration," Avalon mock-glared at him as servants neared them from behind to get them out the door.

The Doctor managed to break free from the servants restraining him and rushed back to Kazran as the man had sat down on his chair, "Ooh, look at you, looking all tough now," the man mocked.

"There are 4,003 people I won't allow to die tonight. Do you know where that puts you?" the Doctor asked.

"Where?"

"4,004."

Kazran let out a small laugh, "Was that a sort of threat-y thing?"

"Whatever happens tonight, remember... you brought it on yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, right. ..Get him out of here," Kazran called to the servants again, "And next time, try and find me some funny poor people."

The Doctor was forced towards the doors along with the twins and family. The little boy took a lump of coal on the ground and threw it Kazran, hitting him on the head. Kazran stood up in anger and headed for the boy with a raised hand to strike with.

"No, stop, don't!" the Doctor struggled to free himself of the servants holding him back.

"Don't you dare! You leave him!" the father of the boy was in the same predicament as the Doctor.

After a moment, Kazran seemed to realize what he was about to do and lowered his hand, "Get him out of here! Get that foul-smelling family out of here! Out!"

Although the family was taken, the Doctor remained in the house, nodding for the twins to go ahead and leave as well. He waited a moment until Kazran noticed he was still there.

"What? What do you want?" Kazran rolled his eyes with irritation.

"A simple life," the Doctor shrugged, "But you didn't hit the boy."

"Well, I will next time!"

"No, you see, you won't. Now why? What am I missing?" the Doctor turned and started to focus on the details of the house.

"Get out! Get out of this house!" Kazran shooed him off to no avail.

"The chairs! Of course, the chairs! Stupid me, the chairs!" the Doctor smacked his own forehead.

"The chairs?"

"There's a portrait on the wall behind me. Looks like you, but it's too old, so it's your father. All the chairs are angled away from it," the Doctor gestured to each chair facing the portraits away, "Daddy's been dead for 20 years. But you still can't get comfortable where he can see you. There's a Christmas tree in the painting, but none in this house, on Christmas Eve. You're scared of him and you're scared of being like him. And good for you, you're not like him, not really. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Kazran blinked.

"Because you didn't hit the boy. Merry Christmas, Mr Sardick."

"I despise Christmas!"

"You shouldn't," the Doctor headed for the doors, "It's very you."

"It's what? What do you mean?"

"Halfway out of the dark," the Doctor mumbled as he finally left.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor and the twins were outside of Kazran's home where they spoke to Amy and Rory on the phone. Up in the ship things were growing more and more frantic and so it was no surprise that the first thing Amy said to the group below was, "Have you got a plan yet?"

"Yes, I do," the Doctor answered almost immediately, prompting Amy to respond with...

"Are you lying?"

"Yes, I am," the Doctor bowed his head.

"Don't treat me like an idiot," Amy snapped.

"OK, the good news. I've tracked the machine that unlocks the cloud belt. I could use it to clear you a flight corridor and you could land easily."

Avalon took the phone from the Doctor and scolded him, "Don't give false hope," she rolled her eyes and spoke into the phone, "He can't control the machine, Amy."

"Less great," Amy sighed.

"But I've met a man who can," the Doctor shouted into the phone, making Avalon flinch with his voice right beside her ear.

"Ah, well, there you go!" Amy cheered.

"And he hated you," Avalon reminded the Doctor who stuck his tongue out at her for ruining it again.

"Let me guess, he was being extra charming and clever?" Amy sighed.

"To the max," Avalon nodded even though Amy couldn't see it.

"Say what you want but all I heard is that you thought I was being charming and extra clever," the Doctor pointed at Avalon with a smirk.

"Oh don't get too riled up on that," Avalon looked at him with a smirk of her own, "That was my own Christmas present for you, one nice lie."

The Doctor frowned and pointed at her again when Lena cut in, "Alright, stop it." She looked at both with a scolding face before she took the phone from Avalon.

"Sir, sir," the father of the family they'd been thrown out with came towards the group.

"Hang on," the Doctor told the twins and met with the father, shaking his hand.

"I've never seen anybody stand up to Mr Sardick like that," the father remarked, "Bless you, sir, and merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. Lovely," the Doctor nodded.

"But a bit busy," Avalon reminded.

"You'd better get inside, though," the father warned.

"Why?" Avalon asked as she looked around.

"The fog's thick tonight, and there's a fish warning."

At that, the trio gave the father an odd look, "The fish?" they asked together.

"Yeah," the father nodded, "You know what they're like when they get a bit hungry."

"Yeah, fish, I know fish," the Doctor looked at the twins, "Fish?" both sisters shrugged in confusion.

"It's all Mr Sardick's fault, I reckon. He always lets a few fish through the cloud layer when he's in a bad mood," the father shrugged, "Thank you. Bless you once again, sir," and with that he hurried on out.

"I'm sorry but did he just say fish?" Avalon scratched her head.

"OI!" they heard Amy's voice from the phone, "The Captain says we've got less than an hour. What should we be doing?"

"Uh, hang on..." Lena said to her while she and the other two looked around and saw small fish swimming around a streelight as if they were moths.

"Fish," the Doctor blinked.

"Fish that can swim in fog?" Avalon frowned, "That's a real thing?"

"How's that for impression Miss Reynolds?" the Doctor shot her back a smirk.

"Now I feel terrible for my lousy present," she playfully rolled her eyes.

He shook his head and stepped closer to the fish, "Now, why would people be frightened of you tiny little fellas?" he held up his hand and let the fish go near it, "Look at you, sweet little fishy-wishies. Mind you, fish in the fog, so the cloud cover... Ooh. Careful up there."

"Big brother, Amy's very adamant about being saved," Lena called, holding the phone from her ear as the ginger shouted over it, "And she says they've got less than an hour."

"I know,' the Doctor mumbled as he glanced at a nearby clock.

"Then best stop messing around with the 'fishy wishys' and get to work," Avalon clapped her hands to get the attention off the fish.

"Big Brother, it's Amy again," Lena sighed, her ear partially ringing from the loud tone Amy was taking with her.

"Oh alright, let's see," the Doctor started pacing as he thought, "Can't use the TARDIS, cos it can't lock on. So that ship needs to land, but it can't land unless a very bad man suddenly decides to turn nice, just in time for Christmas Day!"

"Oh!" Avalon suddenly squealed, startling him and Lena, even Amy as the phone had gone quiet for a moment.

"What?" the Doctor looked back to see her clapping her hands excitedly with a huge smile.

"I got it! I got the plan!" she cheered, "Don't you hear the singing?" she gestured to the speakers of the town that were playing a Christmas song, "A Christmas Carol! A Christmas Carol! A Christmas Carol!"

"I'm scared," the Doctor looked at Lena, never seeing the ginger acting like such a...ray of sunshine? If that even made sense.

"Me too," Lena admitted as she stared at her squealing twin.

"We have to do this," Avalon ran up to the Doctor who instinctively took steps back, "Oh please, oh please, oh please!?" she clapped her hands together, "A Christmas Carol is one of the best stories I've read!"

"That's great...what does it have to do with this though?" the Doctor asked, taking one more step back for caution.

"You said it yourself!" Avalon laughed, "How do we turn a man who's been bitter and mean his entire life? A Christmas Carol!"

The Doctor blinked as he finally got what the ginger was so excited about. Of course, a story, a classic story that Avalon loved. She had the opportunity to play out an entire story...on Christmas...of course she was squealing and clapping about it. That made more sense.

"You are clever," he concluded, "Well done," he did a mock-bow, making her laugh.

"Can someone explain to me, please?" Lena came up to them, "And perhaps Amy?" she held the phone between them, "She's yelling again," she whispered.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor and the twins managed to sneak back into Kazran's house, after the servants had 'luckily' won the lottery. The Doctor set up a projection of a young Kazran while the current, elder Kazran slept. With a loud shout of his father in the

projection, the current Kazran awoke with a startle. He was stunned to see the projection of his younger self talking about the fish in the skies when his father came in...and struck him. He quickly stood up from his chair and rushed up to the wall where the projection played.

The trio had entered the room without Kazran noticing and the Doctor cautiously walked up to him and set a hand on his shoulder, "It's OK. It's OK."

Kazran jumped and turned around, angrily shouting, "What have you done? What is this?"

"Found it on an old drive. Sorry about the picture quality, had to recover the data using quantum enfolding and a paperclip," the Doctor stepped back as the twins joined him.

"Oh, I wouldn't bother calling your servants, they quit. Apparently they won the lottery at exactly the same time," Lena crossed her arms with an innocent smile, "Which is a bit lucky when you think about it."

"There isn't a lottery," Kazran pointed at her violently.

"Extra lucky," Avalon remarked as she plopped down in Kazran's chair.

"Who are you?"

Avalon smirked and looked at her sister and the Doctor, "I've always wanted to do this, eek," she took a breath and got into character before she leaned back on her chair, "Tonight, I am the Ghost Of Christmas Past," she dramatically waved her hands.

The Doctor playfully rolled his eyes at her, glad to see she was at least beginning to have some actual fun, "Did you ever get to see a fish back then, when you were a kid?" he asked Kazran who scoffed.

"What does that matter to you?"

"Look how it mattered to you," Lena softly said, gazing back at the projection where the young Kazran cried.

"I cried all night, and I learned life's most invaluable lesson," Kazran turned to her with a dark look in his eyes.

"Which is?"

"Nobody comes. Get out!" he startled them with his shouts, "Get out of my house!"

"Okay, okay, but we'll be back," the Doctor warned as he gathered his two companions and brought them behind him, "Way back, way, way back," they moved to the door where the projection played, the TARDIS waiting behind.

Kazran heard the wheezing sound of the TARDIS slowly leave his house...only to be heard again in his younger self's room...

~ 0 ~

The Doctor excitedly opened the window of young Kazran's bedroom, "See? Back!" he shouted to the recorder young Kazran had on his desk.

"Nice, Doctor, just enter a boy's room without greetings and introductions," Avalon came through the window next and helped Lena last.

"Who are you?" young Kazran asked them all, debating whether he should start calling for help.

"Right," the Doctor agreed with Avalon's statement and turned to the boy, "Hi, I'm the Doctor, that's Avalon and her sister Lena. We're your new babysitters."

"Where's Mrs Mantovani?"

"Oh, you'll never guess!" the Doctor hopped onto Kazran's bed and started jumping on it, "Clever old Mrs Manters, she only went and won the lottery!"

"There isn't any lottery," Kazran frowned and looked at the women.

"She got extra lucky," Avalon shrugged then looked at the Doctor with a sigh, "And so your dad got a babysitter that acts younger than you."

Lena laughed as the Doctor stopped jumping and let himself fall on the bed with a small bounce afterwards, "I would've liked one like that," she shrugged.

Kazran checked his open window and frowned, "If you're my babysitters, why were you climbing in the window?"

"That is a very good point," Avalon mused for an excuse and glanced at the Doctor, "Doctor?"

"Need saving again?" he smirked and raised an eyebrow, earning a mock-glare back, "The answer is simple, really," he turned to Kazran, the boy still expecting an answer, "Because if we were climbing out, we'd be going in the wrong direction. Pay attention."

"Smooth," Avalon rolled her eyes.

"Mrs Mantovani's always my babysitter," Kazran slowly said, still unsure they were actual babysitters.

"Times change," the Doctor peered into the camera, "Wouldn't you say? You see... Christmas Past."

"Who are you talking to?" Kazran frowned.

"You," the Doctor pointed, "Now, your past is going to change. That means your memories will too. Scary, but you'll get the hang of it."

"I don't understand," Kazran turned to the women again, wondering what kind of answer he'd be getting from them.

"I'll bet you don't! I wish I could see your face!" the Doctor exclaimed as he pointed between Kazran and the camera.

"And you're scaring him," Avalon pushed down his finger, "Quit it."

"Yeah, maybe we should focus on the plan," even Lena agreed that the boy looked a bit frightened and confused.

"Right then," the Doctor finally focused and looked around, "Your bedroom. Great! Let's see, you're 12 years old, so we'll stay away from under the bed. Cupboard! Big cupboard, I love a cupboard," he ran up to said cupboard and opened it up, poking his head inside.

"What've you been doing inside cupboards, Fairy Tale Man?" Avalon smirked, even making Lena giggle when the Doctor nearly slipped inside from her comment.

"Ava!" he turned around, a scowl on his face as the two sisters laugh.

"I don't get it," Kazran said to the Doctor, thinking it must have been a girl thing as the women kept laughing.

"Good," the Doctor pointed at him then sighed, "So what are we going to do? Eat crisps and talk about girls? I've never actually done that, but I bet it's easy. Girls! Yeah?"

"I'm not so sure you can do that," Avalon looked at Lena with another laugh wanting to slip out.

"Shut up!" he pointed at her.

"Are you really babysitters?" Kazran had to question again, "You keep arguing..."

"Bantering," Lena corrected with an amused smile.

"Wish it would stop," the Doctor shot Avalon a look before he pulled out his psychic paper and held it to Kazran, "I think you'll find I'm universally recognized as a mature and responsible adult."

Kazran looked at the paper and tilted his head, "It's just a lot of wavy lines."

The Doctor took a look and raised his eyebrows, "Hm, it's shorted out..." he looked up at Avalon who was biting her lip with a smile that was threatening to turn into another laugh. She was making the effort not to laugh but the psychic paper had really done it this time. "Oh alright, have at it!" the Doctor rolled his eyes, resigned to another round of bantering.

Avalon instantly burst into laughter that could probably be heard a mile off. "You shorted out a paper designed to lie to everyone about anything! This is too good!" She clutched her stomach, her face beginning to match the color of her hair from how much she was laughing.

The Doctor huffed after a few minutes. "Okay that's enough!" But Avalon kept going. Her legs almost buckled that she had to go near the bed to keep her footing. The Doctor followed her wobbly walk with another huff. "Ava, c'mon! Stop it!"

"I don't think she can..." Lena remarked, genuinely surprised to see that side of Avalon. She'd seen Avalon laugh, sure, but not even Rory had made her laugh that much, "...well done, big brother," she looked at him with a big grin.

"Welcome...sure..." the Doctor wasn't paying attention as he was focused on the ginger making fun of him, "I know someone who's getting coal for Christmas."

"I never get anything anyways," Avalon wiped some tears from her eyes, "Woah, that was a fun," she glanced at young Kazran, "Sorry about that, kid. Now then, you're right...pretty clear we're not real babysitters."

"That's an understatement," he crossed his arms.

"Oh, smart boy," she raised an eyebrow and straightened up, "Then I can tell you right now that we're gonna be much cooler than a regular babysitter who gives you a bedtime."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Doctor," Avalon pointed at him, "You're going to show the kid the fish he wants to see."

"You don't have to point," he moved over and pushed her finger down, "But she's right," he nodded to Kazran, "It's going to be fish time!"

"Mind you, that's a bit strange," Lena thought about the creatures, "There's fish in the fog and the clouds..."

"My dad's invented a machine to control the cloud belt. Tame the sky, he says. The fish'll be able to come down, but only when we let them," Kazran said what he'd been told so many times, "We can charge whatever we like."

"Yeah, we've seen your dad's machine," the Doctor sighed, "Big, bad machine," he mumbled.

"Why would you charge, though?" Avalon asked, "Wouldn't it be fun to just let the fish down for everyone to enjoy? C'mon, fish? In the air?"

"Well technically," the Doctor began, "It's-" but he received Avalon's hand on his mouth.

"Like I was saying," she shot him an irritated look, no one needed to know the technicalities of the fish, "We can see a fish right now, and I won't charge you a thing for it," she tapped Kazran on the nose with her free hand.

Kazran raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to tell me it's dangerous?"

The Doctor pushed Avalon's hand down and looked at him, "The woman's been to jail many times, she's way past playing the goody too-shoes."

"He's right," Avalon agreed.

"But it's still dangerous," Lena had to remind as she moved closer.

"Dangerous!?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow and stepped beside Kazran, "We're boys," he put an arm around Kazran's shoulders, "And you know what boys say in the face of danger."

"What?" Lena looked at Avalon who already had a hand over her forehead, just knowing the Doctor would come up with something utterly stupid like...

"Mummy!" the Doctor grinned.

"And there we go," Avalon looked up and shook his head at them, "And then the girls-" she pointed at Lena and herself, "-will have to come and save your sorry behinds."

And so, the Doctor's screwdriver had a string tired around it and was hung in the center of Kazran's room, the string rigged up and going through the cupboard door where inside the Doctor held onto it. Kazran sat beside him while the twins across, the camera that would allow the older Kazran to see, being held by Lena.

"Are there any spiders in here?" Lena whispered to Avalon since she was deadly afraid of the creatures.

"No," she shushed her, for they had to be quiet.

"Are you afraid of spiders, baby sister?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Don't encourage it," Avalon sighed, "Why don't we ask Kazran why he likes the fish so much instead of poking at the fears of Lena?"

"I like that idea," Lena meekly nodded.

"Cos they're scary," Kazran went ahead and answered as he saw how pale the brunette woman looked just at the talks of spiders.

"That's a good answer," the Doctor pointed.

"What kind of tie is that?" Kazran looked at his bow-tie with a face that didn't exactly spell 'like'.

"A cool one," the Doctor tweaked his bow-tie.

"Why is it cool?"

"It's not," Avalon whispered, making the boy chuckle.

"Avalon," the Doctor sounded like he was pleading for her to stop.

The ginger playfully rolled her eyes, "So why are you really interested in fish?" she decided to give the man a break for the moment.

"My school. During the last fog belt, the nets broke and there was an attack. Loads of them, a whole shoal. No-one was hurt, but it was the most fish ever seen below the mountains."

"Were you scared?" Lena wondered, knowing she would probably be screaming about with terror if something like that happened.

"I wasn't there. I was off sick."

"Ooh, lucky you. Not lucky?" the Doctor observed the boy's disappointment.

"It's all anyone ever talks about now, the day the fish came. Everyone's got a story."

"But you don't," Avalon gave a small smile.

"Why are you recording this?" Kazran looked at Lena curiously.

"Do you pay attention at school, Kazran?" the Doctor asked.

"Sorry, what?"

"Cos you're not paying attention now," the Doctor's finger was tugged towards the door via the string, "Sh!" he quickly said as he stood up.

"Doctor, are you sure about that?" Kazran watched the man, debating whether he should stand or not.

"Trust me."

"Okay..."

"Oi! Eyes on the tie. Look at me. I wear it and I don't care. Trust me?"

"Yes," Kazran nodded and looked at the twins.

"That's why it's cool," the Doctor smirked to himself.

"It usually works out fine," Avalon gave a shrug, assuming what the boy was going to ask, "Just be ready to pull him back when he gets into trouble."

The Doctor had taken that as another sarcastic remark and was about to make a comeback...when he realized that had actually been something true. He shrugged and focused back on the doors, "Stay inside..."

"Now are you sure that's the best choice?" this time even Lena was hesitant to let him go out on his own.

"Listen to your sister, baby sister," the Doctor looked back, "And just be ready to pull me out when I get into trouble."

With that the Doctor slowly entered the bedroom and closed the cupboard, seeing the small fish repeatedly hitting his screwdriver, "Hello, fishy. Let's see. Interesting. Crystalline fog, eh? Maybe carrying a tiny electrical charge. Is that how you fly, little fishy?"

"What is it? What kind? Can I see?" Kazran gently knocked on the cupboard to be heard.

"Just stay there a moment."

"Is it big?"

"Nah, just a little one," the Doctor moved closer to the fish, about to try and touch it, "So, little fella, what do you eat?"

And then a shark zoomed into the room and swallowed whole the small fish along with part of the screwdriver.

"How little?" Kazran's voice was heard again.

"Erm..." the Doctor had jerked away from the shark.

"Is it time to pull you back inside, now?" Avalon inquired, the Doctor a bit surprised she'd pick up on the change of mood.

"No, no. Maybe just...wait there for a moment," he tried to play it 'cool' as he slowly made his way towards the cupboard.

"Don't think you can pull one over me, fairy tale man," Avalon warned.

"Yup, sorry," he swallowed and ran the rest of the way back to the cupboard, hastily leaning against the shut doors as the shark banged from the other side.

"What did you do!?" Avalon frowned and tried helping him keep the doors shut while Lena brought Kazran back with her.

"Well, concentrating on the plusses, Kazran's definitely got a story of his own now," the Doctor tried to smile but the shark was getting tougher and tougher, "Also, I got a good look at the fish, and I understand the fog, which'll help me land a spaceship in the future, and save a lot of lives. And I'll get some readings off my sonic screwdriver when I get it off the shark in the bedroom."

"There's a shark in my bedroom?" Kazran gaped, his eyes wide as could be.

"Oh, fine, focus on that part!" the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"It stopped," Avalon whispered and stood off the door.

"What's it doing, then?" Lena trembled with the eery silence that now laid around them.

"What do you call it if you don't have any feet, and you're taking a run-up?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, this is no time for-"

The Doctor didn't wait for the finish of Avalon's words as he grabbed her and pulled her to the others, both falling a bit too close to with each other, while Lena and Kazran had fallen beside them. They looked at each other with mesmerization, even forgetting about a pending danger literally in front of them. Avalon then recalled her newest dreams and blushed like mad.

"It's going to eat us!" came Lena's cry, startling them back to reality.

Avalon cleared her throat and shuffled to turn away from the Doctor and to her twin, "Not on my watch," she managed to say, "Is that your screwdriver, Doctor?"

"Hm?" the Doctor blinked and looked at the shark that was stuck in the doorway with its mouth open with a green glow inside, "Oh, look at that..."

"That looks in reach, right?"

"Are you actually going to stick your hand inside that shark?" Kazran had seen where the woman was headed with her words and gawked.

"Lesson number one, kid, girls are so much better than boys," Avalon shot him a smirk.

"Ah, you will not be doing any of that," the Doctor kept her back as soon as she tried moving forwards, "My screwdriver, my arms," he gestured.

"Fine, but after two goes it's my turn," she gestured to her own arms, "And then Lena...and then Kazran..."

"Get the screwdriver!" Lena cried again, horrified to think of putting her arms inside a shark. She now recalled why exactly she didn't want to keep traveling.

"Right then! OK. Geronimo! Open wide," the Doctor took a breath and moved for the shark.

~ 0 ~

After managing to get his screwdriver back, the Doctor had gotten the rest of the group out into the patio outside Kazran's bedroom, the shark seemingly weaker all of a sudden. It had tried to make a move on them again but after entering the patio, it had slowly fallen to the ground and remained there.

Worried, Kazran moved to its side along with Lena, while Avalon stayed behind them just in case the creature tried to do anything more.

Meanwhile, the Doctor stood a bit to the side, checking his meek piece of screwdriver, "What's the big fishy done to you? Swallowed half of you, that's what. Half a screwdriver, what use is that? Bad, big fishy."

"Doctor? I think she's dying," Kazran called quietly, not wanting to startle the shark.

"Half my screwdriver's still inside, but yeah, I think so," he turned around, "I doubt they can survive long outside the cloud belt. Just quick raiding trips on a foggy night."

"Can't we get it back up there?" Kazran began sniffling, "We were just going to stun it. I didn't want to kill it."

"She was trying to eat you, Kazran," Avalon pointed out the events that had led to the shark's demise, "All of us..."

"She was hungry," the boy defended.

"I'm sorry, Kazran. We can't save her," the Doctor walked over, "I could take her back up there, but she'd never survive the trip. We need a fully functioning life-support."

At that, Kazran looked up with new sudden hope, "You mean like an icebox? OK."

And that was how the trio found themselves chasing after the boy, running down the stairs while Kazran only grew farther away, now even carrying a lamp to lead the way.

On their way to wherever Kazran led there was a large, decorated Christmas tree where the Doctor had to stop and gawk at, "Ooh, a tree!"

"C'mon," Avalon rolled her eyes as she walked past him, yanking him by the arm after her.

Kazran had taken the group into the basement of the house where a large, metal door with a security keypad on the side blocked their way into a new room full of ice by the glimpse they got from a small window. As the Doctor took a better look he saw the room was covered in ice and full of chambers like the one he'd seen earlier.

"What is this?" he asked Kazran with curiosity.

"The surplus population. That's what my dad calls it."

"Well that's nice," Avalon blinked.

Kazran was trying to turn the wheel for the door to open, even Lena trying to help as she thought the boy would need some extra strength. Unfortunately, the wheel wouldn't work, "Oh, it's not turning! Oh, why won't it turn?" Kazran stepped back while the Doctor used his remnant of a screwdriver on the keypad.

"Ah, what's the number?" he saw the keypad asking for the security code.

Kazran shrugged, "I don't know!"

"This place is full of alarms, it's not just the door. I need the number!"

"I'm not allowed to know until I'm older."

The Doctor huffed and ran out without a word, leaving Kazran to call after him.

"He'll be back," Avalon assured as she moved up to the window to take a look.

Just like Avalon assured, the Doctor had come back running only a minute after he'd left, hollering, "7258!" repeatedly.

Lena hurried to the keypad and typed in the numbers, opening the doors for them. Together, they entered the cold room full of thicker fog, Kazran once again taking the lead and sprinting over to a specific chamber.

"Ah, there's fish down here, too," the Doctor looked around as small fishes swam around them.

"Yeah, but only tiny ones. The house is built on a fog lake. That's how Dad freezes the people," Kazran stopped in front of a chamber, "They're all full, but we could borrow one," he pointed at the chamber he stood by, "Yeah, this one."

The Doctor held up the lamp they'd carried in to the chamber's window and saw it was the woman the family had been arguing over, "Hello again," he whispered.

"You know her?" Kazran looked at them all, seeing the similar expressions on each of their faces.

"What is so important about her?" Avalon wondered and blinked, "Sorry, that came out completely wrong," she amended her error with embarrassment, "I meant why this specific chamber? What's the significance?"

"She won't mind. She loves the fish," Kazran quickly typed in a number into the woman's chamber's keypad, starting a holographic video on the window of the chamber for them.

"My name is Abigail Pettigrew, and I'm very grateful for Mr Sardick's kindness. My father..."

"She starts to talk about the fish in a minute," Kazran assured with excitement.

"…but I would not allow it. I could not have chosen this path were it not for the compassion and generosity of the great philanthropist and patron of the poor, Mr Elliot Sardick, but I'm also surrounded by the fish, the beautiful, iridescent, magical fish..."

While the video played, the Doctor took the lamp with him and made a small walk around the other chambers nearby, "Why are these people here? What's all this for?"

Kazran sighed, "My dad lends money. He always takes a family member as... He calls it security."

"Hard man to love, your dad," Lena made a face and looked down at the boy, "But I suppose you know that." She thanked the heavens she had been given the type of father she had. He never struck her nor her siblings and always gave the best he could for them all.

Kazran had pressed more buttons on Abigail's chamber and lighted it up, activating the defrosting, "What's wrong?" he looked over at the Doctor who had been tampering with his screwdriver again.

"Just my half a screwdriver trying to repair itself. It's signalling the other half..."

The twins looked at each other with concerned looks, the same looks slowly making its way onto Kazran's and the Doctor's faces.

"The other half's inside the shark," Avalon breathed.

"Yeah. Sounds like she's woken up," the Doctor nodded, "OK. So it's homing on the screwdriver..."

The shark reappeared with its mouth open for another attack. The group quickly dispersed and ran off as the shark tried to attack once more, some of the chambers were even knocked down with the attempts. While each of them had taken a position to hide in, a new voice had taken over the entire vault room, a singer. With the singing, the shark seemed to have retreated from its attacks and so the group was able to come out of hiding and go check what/who was singing.

It was Abigail, who'd come out of her chamber, and was now singing to the shark, the creature at her side in a complete calm manner.

"It's not really the singing, of course," the Doctor began once he'd rejoined the group, all standing several feet away from Abigail.

"Yes, it is," Lena observed the manner in which all the fishes seemed to grow close to Abigail.

"Nah, baby sister..."

"The fish love the singing, it's true," Kazran agreed.

"Nah. The notes resonate in the ice, causing a delta wave pattern in the fog," but the Doctor stopped with a slap on the back of his neck, "Ow! A fish bit me."

"Shut up, then," Avalon smirked, guessing the fish had meant for him to be quiet so they could hear what they wanted.

"Of course!" the Doctor didn't seem to capture the message, "That's how the machine controls the cloud belt. The clouds are ice crystals. If you vibrate them at the right frequency, you could align them..." he slapped the back of his neck again, "Ow! Why do they keep biting me?"

Kazran rolled his eyes and looked up at him, "Look, the fish like the singing, OK? Now shut up!"

"Okay," the Doctor grumbled and finally stayed quiet like everyone seemed to want.

~ 0 ~

Once the shark had been placed into Abigail's chamber, the group, now with Abigail, had gone into the TARDIS. Upon entering, Abigail and Kazran had fallen into shock of the dimensions of the box.

"It's bigger on the inside," Kazran turned around in a circle.

"Yeah, it's the colour. Really knocks the walls back," the Doctor tapped the chamber on the floor.

"I don't think that's what he meant," Avalon gave him a look.

"Anyways,"" he rolled his eyes, "Shark in a box, to go," he ran to the console to set the box in motion.

Abigail was taking several steps around the room to gaze at every detail of the bigger place, "This is...amazing!"

"Nah, this is transport," the Doctor played innocent, "I keep amazing...out here," he ran for the doors and flung them open to allow them the view of millions of fish swimming among the cloud belt.

"Now that's just showing off," Avalon shook her head but nonetheless ran for the doorway to look out.

"Point one: big brother," Lena congratulated the Doctor as he returned for the chamber, chuckling to herself as Avalon poked her head out the doorway along with Kazran and Abigail.

The Doctor smirked to himself as he punched in numbers on the chamber, "Come on, then, let's get this shark out."

It was only a couple minutes when the shark was finally able to return back to its home with the other fish.

"Hey, look at her go!" Kazran cheered and laughed.

As the Doctor went to close the chamber he saw a couple numbers on the front of it, not belonging to any security code, "Abigail, this number, what does it mean?" he assumed she would know best.

"It pertains to me, sir, not the fish," Abigail tried to keep the smile she'd had since she stepped out of the chamber as best she could.

"Yeah, but how?"

She stepped towards him, slightly sheepish, "You are a doctor, you say? Are you one of mine?"

"Do you need a doctor?"

The bell chiming at the console broke through the conversation and made the Doctor hurry back to to the console.

"Ah! Sorry! Time's up, kids!"

"Why?" Avalon looked back with genuine disappointment, only making the Doctor smirk again of triumph.

"It's nearly Christmas Day," he informed and looked away before he was caught.

~ 0 ~

Abigail and her chamber were brought back to the Ice Vault to resume her 'sleep'. Abigail gave a small, genuine smile at the group, "If you should ever wish to visit again..."

"Well, you know, we're ever in the neighborhood..." the Doctor began to say when Kazran cut in.

"They come every Christmas Eve. Yeah, they do, every time. They promise!"

"We do?" Lena looked over at the Doctor, confused.

"No, we don't..." the Doctor blinked, confused himself, as Kazran closed Abigail's chamber's door.

But it had already been decided, apparently, that he and the twins would come back every year on Christmas Eve for Kazran ans Abigail. The Doctor hoped that by doing this they would be able to help Amy and Rory in the future with Kazran now a good man. So, every year, Abigail was greeted by him, Kazran, and the twins and was taken out to celebrate Christmas Eve. Beginning with a shark - carriage flight throughout the sky and to the rest of time and space. Young Kazran ended up growing up with each visit the Doctor and the twins made, entering his early teens ans finding a new, shy, personality...and a bow-tie.

While Abigail and the older Kazran walked (slowly) towards the console, the Doctor and the twins were battling it out to see where exactly they would be headed for this Christmas.

"You've grown," Abigail tried to be as discreet as possible.

Kazran gave a small nod, "Yeah."

"And now you're blushing," Abigail chuckled.

"Sorry," Kazran looked away.

"That's OK," Abigail shrugged.

"So, Doctor, where this time?" Kazran quickly looked at rhe others in hopes of ending the awkward conversation.

"Weeell..." Avalon discreetly walked around the console, "I've got Hollywood in mind!" she beamed excitedly.

"And I just want a snowy place," Lena remarked.

"And I've got time and space," the Doctor smirked.

"Might I make a request?" Abigail sheepishly stepped up.

"Of course," the Doctor moved over to them.

"This one," Abigail nodded.

~ 0 ~

After Abigail made her request, the Doctor brought them to her sister's house, the family that had been pleading for Abigail's release in the future. The blonde stood in front of a window of her sister's house, wearing a cloak over her. Off to the side stood the rest of the group, watching her begin to quietly cry.

"Who are they?" Kazran didn't understand why they stood in a random street.

"Her family. The lady's her sister," the Doctor answered, "We met her once, when she was...older."

"Abigail's crying," Kazran whispered.

"I think we've noticed," Avalon crossed her arms.

"When girls are crying, are you supposed to talk to them?"

"I've learned it helps," the Doctor glanced at Avalon with a small smile.

She caught the words and shared a look with him, "Yeah, it does..." she whispered with her own smile.

Lena looked between them and assumed it must be something while she'd been 'dead'. She had to admit it was a bit odd to see them closer, even their bantering had changed. Still, she preferred them this way than the early days. She turned to Kazran, about to suggest he go and talk to Abigail when she realized he was already doing that, "Smart guy," she smiled and then gasped, "Do you know what we should do?"

"What did you have in mind, baby sister?" the Doctor wondered, seeing her overly excitedly about something.

"Christmas with the family! C'mon!" Lena took his hand and Avalon's, rushing them for Abigail's sister's house.

~ 0 ~

Christmas Eve had been moved to be celebrated with Abigail's family. Although it was a strange for Abigail sister, Isabel, to see her sister with Kazran and time travelers, she had accepted Abigail right away. And while the two sisters caught up, Kazran had taken to helping Isabel's husband with the house decorations while the Doctor and the twins entertained the children.

The Doctor held up playing cards for the son, "Pick a card, any card at all. Memorize the card, put it back in the deck. Don't let me see it," the son took a card and studied it for a minute then returned it to the deck. The Doctor then took a card out and held it for the boy to see, "The three of clubs."

"No," the boy shook his head.

"You sure? I'm very good at card tricks," the Doctor made a face at the card he'd pulled out.

"It wasn't the three of clubs."

"Well, of course it wasn't," the Doctor chucked the card to the side, "Because it was the seven of diamonds!"

"No," the boy looked at the card with amusement.

"Oi, stop it, you're doing it wrong," the Doctor set the cards down with a huff.

"It's not his fault you're a bad card player," Avalon took a seat beside the boy and picked up the deck.

"Oh, and you can do better?"

Avalon raised an eyebrow, accepting the challenge, "Tell you what, let's make this interesting," she motioned for the son to move over so she could take his place.

"How so?" the Doctor curiously asked as she shuffled the cards.

"I wouldn't do that, big brother," Lena came over as soon as she saw Avalon shuffling playing cards.

"You place your wager and I'll say mine," Avalon smirked.

"Anything I want?" the Doctor ignored Lena's warnings. This was sounding pretty interesting and he could never resist anything interesting.

"Anything," Avalon assured him, her smirk widening once she knew he was hooked. Sucks for him because I always win.

"Fine," the Doctor officially agreed. "If I win, you stop all your sarcastic remarks for the rest of Christmas Eve and Day. No making fun of me at all."

"Difficult, but manageable," Avalon nodded, "I'll take it. But if I win..." she eyed him for a minute as she thought of what she could possibly want from him. She soon noticed the watch on his wrist. He always wore that thing even when he barely looked at the time. "I get your watch."

The Doctor immediately held his wrist wearing the watch to his chest. It was his favorite watch. Yes, he didn't really use it but it was a really cool watch. Why would Avalon want that? To make me suffer that's why, he rolled his eyes.

"Don't do this, please," Lena bent down beside them, almost begging them to stop altogether. But if she was being honest, she knew that they were practically the same person. Both Avalon and the Doctor craved adventure even in the smallest of places...like a stupid card game with a bet.

"Well?" Avalon raised an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Scared of little ole me?"

The Doctor scoffed and lowered his hands to his lap. "It's a deal." He shook hands with Avalon, truly making it official.

"Guys..." Lena tried again but Avalon was already shuffling the cards.

"Same rules go for the game," Avalon warned the Doctor, "Pick a card and study it, put it back and I'll pick out that same card."

"I know how the game works," the Doctor rolled his eyes as he pulled out a card, showing it to Lena, "Lena will be our cheater detector."

"I'm not gonna cheat," Avalon shook her head and held the deck for him to return his card. She shuffled them again and took out a card, "Was this your card?"

The Doctor blinked when he saw his card being held in front of him. "How did...?" he snatched the card from her and turned it around. She couldn't have done it! It was impossible! "That...that is..."

"Hand over the watch, Fairy Tale Man," Avalon chuckled as she set down the deck between them. He was utterly shocked. It was too priceless! "I wish I had a camera right now!"

"That was...but...no!" the Doctor snapped, throwing his card to the side.

"I did warn you not to do it," Lena sighed. "She's a very good card player."

"How did you do that!?" the Doctor was narrowing his eyes on Avalon, searching for anything on her that would prove she hadn't played an honest game. You cheated!"

"Like I said, it's not our fault you don't know how to play," Avalon wiggled her fingers at him. "Watch, now, please."

"Lena!"

"I'm gonna go help decorate," Lena cautiously stood up and hurried away, preferring to stay out of it.

"Hand it over, fairy tale man," Avalon insisted.

"You cheated," the Doctor pointed at her.

"No, I'm just really good at cards!"

"How do you even know how to play!?"

"My Dad taught me," Avalon smirked. "So cough it up."

The Doctor glared for a minute before finally removing his watch from his wrist. A deal was a deal no matter how badly he wanted to take it back. Avalon held her left hand out and watched with giddy smile as he wrapped the watch around her wrist. He had to admit, it was nice to see her openly happy...even if it was because she was taking something of his.

"You like my new watch?" she bared a teethy smile at him as she raised her left hand.

"You are evil," he said flatly, making her laugh.

Isabel suddenly cleared her throat and stood up at the dinner table. "Tomorrow's dinner is cancelled, as my sister refuses to attend."

"Isabella..." Abigail tried to sit her back down.

"Instead...we'll have it tonight," Isabel smiled, surprising the others.

And within the hour, dinner had been set up for everyone to be a part of. They even had all the crackers to pull!

"Three! Two! One! Pull!"

Everyone cheered after seeing the gifts inside, although the little boy was more surprised to see a playing card inside his cracker, "How did you do that?" he looked at the Doctor with awe.

"Your card, I believe," the Doctor pointed, smirking, until...

"No!" the boy laughed and set the card down.

"Oh, shut up!" the Doctor gave up on the game altogether.

"Maybe I can teach you later," Avalon laughed, "And maybe even win your screwdriver this time!" The Doctor looked horrified at that and quickly shook his head, making Avalon laugh even more.

Kazran cleared his throat and raised his glass, "Er, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" the rest cheered.

~ 0 ~

Once more, Abigail was brought back to the Ice Vault, the blonde thanking the group for their gift, "Best Christmas Eve ever," she hugged the Doctor last.

"Ah! Till the next one," he stepped back.

"I look forward to it. Now I'd like to say good night to Kazran..."

"Of course," the Doctor nodded, "Well, on you go."

"You really are clueless," Avalon shook her head, "We'll be on our way," she waved at Abigail then took the Doctor back, with the help of Lena, towards the TARDIS.

"Wait!" Kazran rushed after them, "Doctor! I, er, I think she's going to kiss me."

"You are not asking him for advice, are you?" Avalon sighed.

"I can give good advice," the Doctor argued and pushed Kazran towards Abigail.

"I've never kissed anyone before. What do I do?" the teenage boy urgently asked.

"Well...try and be all nervous and rubbish and a bit shaky."

"Why?"

"You'll be like that anyway. Make it part of the plan!"

"That is the worst advice I have ever heard!" Avalon exclaimed, though not so surprised by it.

"Well, it's not that bad of an idea," Lena stepped forwards, "Just go for it, Kazran!"

"What, now? I kiss her now?" he blinked with wide eyes.

"Kazran," the Doctor put an arm around his shoulder, "It's this or go to your room and design a new kind of screwdriver. Don't make my mistakes. Now, go!"

"I am so not gonna let that one go," Avalon pointed and walked off, laughing to herself. "Of course that's what you would do!" her laughter because like a howl all the way into the TARDIS.

"Oh c'mon!" the Doctor went after her, Lena scurrying behind them to try and stop their newest banter.

~ 0 ~

California, 1952.

The Doctor hurried through some bushes that led into the pool area of a lovely Hollywood party. He'd listened to Avalon's request to bring them to the era - that was his first mistake - and even got dressed for the occasion as Avalon suggested...that had been his second mistake.

The third mistake had been listening to her to make friends at the party.

Now, he was on the run to gather up his companions and get the hell out of there. He came to find Kazran and Abigail kissing by the pool, "Guys, we've really got to go quite quickly. I just accidentally got engaged to Marilyn Monroe!" he rambled but the pair did not break apart, "How do you keep going like that? Do you breathe out your ears? Hello? Sorry, hello? Guys, she's phoned a chapel, there's a car outside, this is happening now!"

"Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo!" he heard Marilyn Monroe calling for him.

"Twins," the Doctor blinked and dashed off, hoping to at least get them to help him...even if it meant hearing the nonstop laughter of Avalon once again.

~ 0 ~

Lena plopped down beside Avalon at a table, Lena a bit distressed, "I can't find any of our friends," she sighed.

Avalon had a plate of food in front of her, the fork already in her hand, "Who cares, Lena. Kazran and Abigail are probably snogging somewhere and the Doctor is probably getting himself into trouble. Let me eat!"

"What is that?" Lena crinkled her nose at the scent the food was giving off.

"No idea," Avalon shrugged, "Nice fella handed it to me, asked for a dance afterwards."

"Avalon!" Lena took the plate from her before Avalon dug her fork into it, "You can't accept things from strangers!"

"He's a celebrity!" Avalon took back from her plate.

"Oh yeah, who was he?" Lena pulled the plate again.

"Um..." Avalon thought for a moment and realized she didn't have the foggiest idea, "...well, he's a celebrity so everyone knows him! That's not a stranger! Now give me!" she pulled the plate again and finally sunk her fork into it.

"Do you even know what it is?" Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Nope!" the ginger toasted with her fork and was about to put it in her mouth when she heard the Doctor calling for them.

"Ava! Lena!" the Doctor rushed up to them in urgency.

"What happened to you, big brother?" Lena asked, making Avalon look up to see what her sister was talking about.

The Doctor had been dressed in a white evening jacket and black trousers, only now his face wore the smudges of someone's lips on his cheek.

"Who have you been snogging?" Avalon raised her eyebrows.

"Shut up! Help me!" he clapped his hands together.

"Let me eat," Avalon shifted back in her chair, waving him off.

"Oh, don't be so mean," Lena looked at the Doctor who seemed very desperate.

"I'm eating!" but then Avalon tasted a bit of the food and spit it back out. That was horrible. "Okay, what do you need?" she turned to the Doctor, pushing her plate away from her.

"Marilyn Monroe! Engaged! Marriage! Chapel! Help me!"

"Okay," Avalon stood up and took a sip of her drink to get rid of the awful taste, "This is what we're going to do. Lena, give me your bag," she held her hand out as Lena gave her purse.

"What are you going to do?" the Doctor frowned as the ginger pulled out a lipstick tube.

"Oh, I get it," Lena stood up as Avalon applied the lipstick.

"I don't! What's going on!?" the Doctor flapped his hands with urgency, "I don't have time!"

"No, no, it'll be fine. She's done this before and it worked perfectly!" Lena assured and received her purse back.

"What?" the Doctor waited impatiently.

Avalon moved over to the Doctor's side and grabbed his face, kissing the corner of his mouth and making sure her smudge stayed on.

"Wh-what are you doing?" the Doctor stiffened, thoroughly confused.

He was expecting some kind of teasing laughter instead of kisses! Avalon had kissed him on the other side of his face, also making sure that her smudge would stay. He could feel her breath on his skin and frankly it...hadn't felt so bad. He looked down at the wrong time, for her lips were dangerously close and for a split second he wondered what it might be to k...

"Don't forget the jacket!" Lena exclaimed, startling the Doctor from his thoughts.

He blinked and stepped away from them while he gathered himself. What had that been about? He shouldn't have those thoughts at all! It was Avalon, his baby sister's twin (or step-sister, but no one really knew that), the woman who laughed and teased him all the time! What was wrong with him?

"What about it?" Avalon looked back at Lena, sporting her own blush from her kisses.

"It's not gonna work if you don't mess that up too," Lena moved up to the Doctor, "Sorry big brother," she apologized before pulling his bow-tie undone and ruffling his hair, "There!" she stepped back.

"What is the point of all this?" the Doctor frowned moving to fix his hair when Lena smacked his hand, "Ow!"

"No woman wants to share her man, whether boyfriend or husband," Avalon remarked, "Duh. That's why you and Lena are going back to Marilyn where Lena's going to play your wife, or girlfriend, whatever you want. I'll act as the previous woman you've been engaged to."

"And this works?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, full of doubt.

"I've done it before with Mels and it is hilarious." Avalon crossed her arms, "Now go on! I bet Marilyn is getting frustrated!"

"I don't want to be his wife," Lena made a face.

"Thanks baby sister," the Doctor mock-glared at her.

"No, not like that," Lena chuckled, "You're my 'big brother', remember? I feel weird playing your wife..."

"Yoo-hoo!" they heard Marilyn calling.

"Well someone's got to do it or he'll be walking down that aisle in ten minutes," Avalon reminded.

"Yoo-hoo!"

"Ava please!" the Doctor hurried up to her, "Please! Please! Please!"

"Alright, alright," Avalon rolled her eyes, "Stole your watch and I keep making cheap remarks, least I could do is get you out of a marriage," she linked arms with him, "Let's go!"

Lena laughed as they all headed to get the Doctor out of his terrible mess, none of them aware of what was happening with Kazran and Abigail at the same time.

~ 0 ~

The group finally returned back to the Ice Vault to place Abigail back in her chamber, everyone alright and no one married. Abigail and Kazran asked for a moment to be alone before parting but when Kazran rejoined the group afterwards, there was an evident change in his mood and expression.

"There we go. Another day, another Christmas Eve. We'll see you in a minute, eh? I mean, a year," the Doctor clapped Kazran on the shoulder.

"Doctor... Listen, why don't we leave it?" Kazran quietly asked.

"Sorry, leave what?"

"Oh, you know. This. Every Christmas Eve, it's getting a bit old."

"Christmas never gets old," Lena frowned.

"Well, Christmas is for kids, isn't it?" Kazran countered, "I've got some work with my dad now, I'm going to focus on that. Get that cloud belt under control."

"Did we bore you or something?" Avalon raised an eyebrow, "Or is there something you don't want to tell us?"

"It's just times changing," Kazran shrugged and started walking away.

"Not as much as I'd hoped," the Doctor went after the teen, "Kazran," he handed his screwdriver to Kazran, "I'll be needing a new one, anyway. What the hell, Merry Christmas. And if you ever need me, just activate it. I'll hear you."

"I won't need you," Kazran took the screwdriver and mumbled.

"What's happened? What are you not telling me?" the Doctor eyed him suspiciously but Kazran walked off again, "What about Abigail?" he called.

"I know where to find her," Kazran shouted and disappeared through the chambers.

"Well that went well," Lena frowned, "What happens now?"

"I'll tell you what, the Ghost of Christmas Present happens now," Avalon stared at Abigail's chamber up ahead, "He won't tell us, fine. But he'll have to tell in the present," with that, she hurried back to the TARDIS, "Doctor! C'mon!" she called.

~ 0 ~

As Avalon directed, Amy took the role of the next 'ghost' and projected herself to the older, current Kazran in hopes of changing the man's mind and help the ship in the clouds. Once that didn't happen, Kazran was brought to the Ice Vault...in front of Abigail's chamber. It was there that Kazran explained the illness Abigail had before going into the chamber, the ice barely able to keep her alive. But with each Christmas Eve she spent out of it, her moments of life went down, hence the number in front of her chamber. None of them had realized it had went down to number '1'. She only had one more opportunity to go out before she would die, which was the reason Kazran had forgone the traditional Christmas Eve's.

"We're really sorry about Abigail," Lena had come towards the current Kazran, the Doctor and Avalon behind her, "We didn't know..."

"Because you didn't tell us," Avalon muttered, getting a look from the Doctor to get her be quiet. She was just upset that Kazran had left them to the side and then got angry with them for what happened to Abigail. It can't be their fault if they weren't even informed. But on requests of Lena and the Doctor, she was forced to say quiet about it.

"All my life, I've been called heartless. My other life, my real life, the one you rewrote. Now look at me," Kazran stood in front of Abigail's chamber with a heartbroken expression as he looked into the window.

"Better a broken heart than no heart at all," the Doctor tried to comfort the man.

"Oh, try it. You try it. Why are you here?"

"Have you even read A Christmas Carol?" Avalon huffed, "It's time for the Ghost of Christmas Future. The future's about to be shown!"

"Fine! Do it! Show me! I'll die cold, alone and afraid. Of course I will, we all do! What difference does showing me make? Do you know why I'm going to let those people die? It's not a plan. I don't get anything from it. It's just that I don't care. I'm not like you, any of you. I don't even want to be like you! I don't and never, ever will care!"

"And we don't believe that," the Doctor stood straight, looking the man in the eye.

"Then show me the future. Prove me wrong."

"We're showing you the future right now," Lena corrected, pointing past Kazran, "What do you think, sweetheart?" she called, "Is that who you want to become, Kazran?"

The current Kazran turned around and found his younger 12 year old self standing in front of him, "Dad?" young Kazran blinked.

The current Kazran dropped his cane and went for the boy, about to strike when he got the flashes of his father beating him then of himself trying to hurt Abigail's nephew. He came to a halt and realized the man he had become over the years, certainly not one he wanted to continue to be, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," he reached out to hug his younger self, "It's OK, don't be frightened. I'm...I'm so, so, so..."

"Kazran. We don't have much time," the Doctor reminded.

There was only a couple minutes until the ship above would come crashing down...

~ 0 ~

With Kazran now changed, the group hurried back to the control room to turn off the cloud belt...only to realize the controls wouldn't work anymore. The Doctor realized they had made a mistake in changing Kazran too much. The controls were programmed for a man like Kazran's father, and since Kazran wasn't like that anymore...the controls were useless. Another option had to be thought of and fast because the ship would be coming down soon. The option, when thought of one, hadn't been the happiest of choices but it was the only thing that was sure to work. That was how Abigail had gotten out of her chamber for the last time, to sing for the fishes up in the sky. She stood outside Kazran's house, singing into the Doctor's screwdriver that was wired to Kazran's machine inside.

"Well?" Kazran quietly turned to the Doctor frantically, wondering if it had been worth it to take Abigail's last moments of life.

"Well, the singing resonates in the crystals. It's feeding back and forth between the two halves of the screwdriver. One song, filling the sky. The crystals will align, I'll feed in a controlled phase loop, and the clouds will unlock."

"And in English...?" Avalon raised an eyebrow, young Kazran and Lena wondering the same thing.

"Something that hasn't happened in this town for a very long time now will happen right about..." the Doctor didn't finish when the first couple of snowflakes began falling from the sky.

"Snow!" Lena cheered, "Yes!"

With the snow falling, the other townsfolk started coming out of their houses to celebrate. While the ship did its clear landing, the Doctor and the twins went to return young Kazran to his own time...while leaving the current Kazran and Abigail a familiar gift: a carriage, a harness and a familiar shark swimming above.

~ 0 ~

Once Amy and Rory had been released from the ship, they had quickly went to find their friends, hoping they were alright after such events. They didn't have to do much searching when they heard the calls of Avalon and Lena, both nearly tackled with great, big hugs.

"You guys alright?" Avalon pulled Lena back with her.

"Yeah, yeah, nothing like a crashing ship for a honeymoon," Amy joked and laughed.

"The best, I hear," Avalon joined in with a small laugh.

"Ah, yes, you two! About time!" the Doctor joined them, immediately eyeing the clothing they wore, Amy with her Kissogram outfit and Rory dressed as a Centurion, "Why are you dressed like that?"

The twins chuckled, "You are way too clueless," Avalon mumbled to Lena.

"Ah, kind of lost our luggage. Kind of crash landed," Rory rubbed the side of his neck.

"Yeah, but why are you dressed like that at all?" the Doctor insisted, genuinely curious of the attire.

"They really love their snowmen around here," Amy desperately changed the topic and looked at a nearby snowman, "I've counted about 20."

"Yeah, I've been busy," the Doctor easily followed without noticing the blushes of either married human.

"Yeah, yeah, you have," Amy nodded and hugged him, "Thank you. "

"Pleasure. Right, come on, then, let's go!" the Doctor clapped his hands and headed for the TARDIS.

"Got any more honeymoon ideas?" Rory dared to ask as they followed.

"Careful what you ask for," Avalon put a hand on his shoulder.

"Is that...is that your watch?" Amy looked at the Doctor with confusion when she spotted the familiar watch on Avalon's wrist.

"She conned me out of it," the Doctor muttered.

"Did not!" Avalon exclaimed, "I won it fair and square and Lena is a witness!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Anyways, I do have another honeymoon idea, not sure if anyone's interested. There's a moon that's made of actual honey. Well, not actual honey. And it's not actually a moon. And technically, it's alive and a bit carnivorous, but there are some lovely views."

"Yeah, great, thanks," Rory shot Amy a look and mouthed 'no' to her before going inside the TARDIS with Avalon.

"Are you OK?" Amy looked between the Doctor and Lena.

"Course we're okay," the Doctor nodded and glanced at Lena for confirmation.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Just a bit sad that I'll be leaving."

"You can always stay, you know that," the Doctor pointed, Amy nodding in agreement.

"No, I just...I remember now why I was going to leave the first time around," Lena sighed, unaware of the questioning look Amy was now giving her, "I get scared easily and I become a burden. Plus, it's just not me," she shook her head, "Doesn't mean I don't want to take a trip here and then, it's always fun to be with my friends and sister. But, I think like Avalon, it's time I figure out who I want to be. I'm not going to stay as the 'sick girl' forever." She smiled and went inside.

"That was...wow," Amy didn't even know how to comment on that, "When was she going to leave?" she asked the Doctor quietly.

"Before she died'," the Doctor sighed, preferring not to remember that day.

"And let me guess, Avalon had no idea?"

"None whatsoever."

"Sounds right," Amy nodded and looked up to the clear sky, "It'll be their last day together, won't it?" she sighed when she thought of Kazran and Abigail.

"Everything has to end some time, otherwise nothing would ever get started."

Rory came back out with a concerned expression on his face, "Your phone was ringing. Someone called Marilyn. Actually sounds like the Marilyn. Avalon took the call and it sounds like it's not going so well..."

The Doctor blinked, "Right..." from now on, neither Avalon nor Lena were fans of Marilyn Monroe and vice versa. The blonde woman hadn't been too happy to hear that he had 'tricked' another woman (Lena) into marrying him while he was already 'married' (to Avalon).

"Doctor?" Amy smiled in amusement at his expression, "Something you want to tell us, maybe?"

"You may want to get Ava off the phone, I've learned her words are very colorful when she gets into her temper," the Doctor took a breath and shook his head.

"Yeah," Rory knew exactly how Avalon would get and so hurried back inside.

"Where are they, anyways? Kazran and Abigail?" Amy got over her chuckle from the Doctor.

"Off on a little trip, I should think."

"Where?"

"Christmas."

"Christmas?"

"Yeah, Christmas," the Doctor opened the door for her and let her go inside first. He glanced up with a small smile, "Halfway out of the dark," he went into the TARDIS a moment after.

~ 0 ~

"Oh my one, I'm so happy

That you've got so far

I know the good, the great

Is working you like a charm.

Oh my one, rushing away,

With a bag full of bones,

I know the place you left,

Still won't leave you alone.

The Doctor had come to a stop in the corridors of the TARDIS after hearing those melancholic words. He was looking for Lena since the brunette would be returning to her father and brother in a couple of minutes. She'd just excused herself to say goodbye to Avalon but was expected she'd taken slightly longer. The Doctor knew this would probably be the first time in their lives they would be apart, whether twins or step-sisters they loved each other sincerely. Of course, in his mind Avalon didn't know her status as a Reynolds was in question.

The Doctor had allowed Lena to spend as much time as she wanted in the TARDIS but after some time he was curious to see what the twins were up to. Now hearing the sound of a piano, he wondered if it had been wise for him to allow them the time together if they were going to be sad about it.

He stopped in front of the room the sounds were coming from and found Lena standing by a piano (one that he had no idea even existed in the box) where Avalon sat and played, and sang...sadly. He didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit for either of them to be sad. He strode into the room and cleared his throat, ending the music, which admittedly wasn't bad. He knew Avalon had a lovely singing voice, he just didn't know she had musical instrument talent as well.

"It's Christmas, why are we so sad?" he sighed as he came up beside Lena, giving her a side hug.

"I asked her the same thing," Lena agreed with a nod.

"I like the song, sue me," Avalon tried to defend herself, "I love its chords, the sounds, the lyrics..."

"Gloomy," the Doctor accused.

"I didn't force anyone to stay nor come," she pointed, "Sorry if I was bad."

"No, no, I think you were fantastic," the Doctor quickly clarified, "You're 'Ava Williams', of course you're fantastic!" she managed to smile at his words, "But perhaps your voice could do even better at joyful songs...Christmas songs."

"Hard to do so when you're not exactly in a cheery mood," she ran a finger down the piano's keyboard, "Christmas or no Christmas," she mumbled under her breath as her gaze fell down. "Everything's changing now. Lena's leaving and...I don't know what to do about that."

"Be happy," Lena gave her sister another side hug. "Plus, we've got our matching bracelets now, see?" she put her wrist and Avalon's side by side so the Doctor could see matching bracelets on their wrists. They were both pink and blue but one sister had a little charm with the letter 'L' and the other sister had the charm with the letter 'A'. "Thought they would be a nice gift."

"And they are," Avalon assured her. "Just doesn't mean it makes me any less sad."

"Baby sister, do you think you could give me a moment with Avalon?" the Doctor looked down at Lena, "I'll take you back home right afterwards, promise."

Lena nodded, "Sure," she moved over to Avalon and gave her a big hug, Avalon quickly retreating into it, "You take care, alright? And don't worry about me, you just have fun."

"It's impossible not to worry about you, Lena," Avalon pulled back, "Your my sister..." And she meant that with all of her heart, despite not knowing whether or not she was actually Lena's sister.

Lena felt that ping of guilt in her chest. She still didn't have the courage to tell Avalon the truth. "Yeah," she gave Avalon one last hug. She turned around and gave a nod to the Doctor, hoping that he could do something to help her sister when no one else had been able to.

"I don't need a pep talk, you know," Avalon spoke quietly as Lena left, her fingers playing with the piano keyboard.

"I'm not here to give you one," the Doctor took a seat beside her.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Then what do you want? No offence, but...yeah."

"I just want to know one thing," the Doctor turned to her, looking her in the eye, "One thing that I bet no one has asked you since the wedding..."

"What?"

"How do you feel?"

Avalon stiffened and looked away, "Why...why do you ask?"

"Because you got a strange letter warning you of danger and your sister - whom you've never been separated from - is leaving you. I think it's valid for someone to ask how you feel about that."

Avalon had to agree with that but wasn't going to openly agree, "It's...I don't know," she shrugged, "There's no words that come close to describing it, honestly."

"I get that, but maybe you can say something so it doesn't stay bottled up inside. You remember how that went the last time with your nightmares, right?" for some reason, he saw her blush and was going to ask about it when she spoke again.

She let out a big breath. "I mean, what do you want me to say? That maybe it scares me a little? What'd be the point?"

"Ava, you know it's never a good idea to keep things bottled inside. We've been over this," the Doctor sighed.

"Yeah, fine, maybe I am a little scared. And I'm sad because Lena is leaving but at the same time I'm thinking it's better for her to be away for whenever this thing comes for me..."

"Nothing is going to come for you, Ava, I promise," the Doctor placed a hand on her arm.

"We'll see, won't we?" Avalon gave a brief smirk that the Doctor knew was just meant to make him believe she was better.

"How's about a small gift, hmm?" he surprised her with instead.

"What?" she frowned in confusion. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a rectangular box wrapped in red and green wrapping paper. "What?" Avalon blinked as the gift was held between them, "But...I don't understand..."

"What's to understand?" the Doctor chuckled, "It's Christmas, it's a gift, and it's for you."

"You didn't even know it was going to be Christmas," she took the gift and turned it over, trying to learn what it was by shaking it. "Lena just stopped by a store before leaving, but you-"

"This is sort of something I've been working on for some time. Christmas just happened to complete it," the Doctor smiled, "Go ahead, open it."

Avalon studied the gift for another moment before she began unwrapping it. She found a white box underneath in the shape of a rectangle and took off its lid. Inside laid a silver journal with her initials 'A.H.R.' engraved on the bottom of the cover and a latch binding the journal shut, "It's a journal," she whispered as she took it out the box, "You got me a journal," she looked at the Doctor with blinking eyes.

"Well, yes, but there's more to it," the Doctor was now in complete smiles, nervous, but still smiles, and nervous. Why was he nervous? It was just a journal, "I know you said you didn't want to buy a new one because of the last one's special value to you, but this one might change your mind."

"Not to be rude or anything but I find that a bit difficult," Avalon admitted with a sad smile, "My mother, Emmalina, gave me that journal and it had this…" she swallowed hard, unable to finish her words anymore.

The Doctor set a hand on her shoulder, "I know…that's why I went ahead and did this…" he took the journal from her and kept it between them as he opened it up to the first page, making sure Avalon could see it.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the page that had writing on it, "Oh my god…"

"I didn't look, I just scanned and moved it," the Doctor quickly said before she jumped to conclusions, "I swear."

But Avalon had no doubt about it. Out of everyone of their group, only he and Rory had stayed away from all her writings in the past. She slowly took the journal from his hands and read the familiar words of the first page, "…these are my mother's words she wrote in my first journal. The ones that inspired me to write…" she looked up with teary eyes, "You did this?"

He nodded, "I know it's not the same as the original and that's okay, but this is a very special kind of journal that you'll never finish."

"Why do you say that?"

"Cause it's bigger on the inside," he whispered with pure excitement.

"What?" she frowned and turned the pages of the journal, "It seems ordinary to me…"

"It's like the TARDIS, it's infinitely endless," the Doctor declared, "You can keep writing in this thing forever and you will never run out of pages. It's the ultimate journal. Best of all is it contains all of your original journal's entries with your mother's writing in the beginning, see?" he made her flip to the first couple of pages, making sure to keep a look on the side so she wouldn't think he was looking at her writing, "You'll never have to buy another journal."

"This is…" Avalon bit her lip as she went through her old entries, "…there are no words to describe how perfect this is! It's truly fairytale like," she looked up with a happy smile, "I love it, thank you."

"Merry Christmas, Avalon," he smiled softly.

She hugged her journal with joy at the thought of writing again. Oh she had a lot of things to write about now and she finally could without feeling guilty, "Thank you," she looked at him and kiss his cheek.

As she pulled away, the Doctor had turned his head to kiss her cheek as well but accidentally found himself a bit too close to her lips. That was the second time something like that happened and it was really starting to take a toll on him. It made him feel...odd, not in a bad way but...odd. Avalon realized how close they were to each other and blushed as she looked away, a faint image of her dreams coming back and only making things worse.

"I, um...I think Lena is probably waiting," she finally said, her gaze locked on the piano's keyboard, "We should go take her."

"Um, yeah, yeah, don't worry," the Doctor quickly stood up, clearing his throat.

"Thank you, though," Avalon smiled softly as she gazed back at her new journal. "I won't forget this present ever, trust me."

She really wouldn't.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

To be continued in...Falling in Temptation!

Thank you to everyone who's read, commented, liked and reblogged! I hope you guys continue onto the second story!

I thought it might be fun to include a couple fun facts about the story while I was drafting? If it was boring then let me know and I'll never do it again xD

Fun Facts:

1. Avalon's name was taken from the street name of my old college!

2. Lena was originally named 'Melina' but since I totally fell in love with the character ‘Lena Luthor’ from Supergirl, I had to make the switch!

3. Originally, I was going to make Avalon confess to her dad that she knew she was adopted - it was going to blow up into a whole argument! I decided against it in the end because I didn't want her to join the Doctor out of anger. This way she joined because she wanted to and she's also going to be safer with him!

4. I originally intended on bringing Avalon along right after the Eleventh Hour but I thought it would be better to introduce each OC separately, leaving Avalon for last since she's the main OC.

Once again, thanks for reading and see you in the next story!!

#doctor who #11th doctor #ocappreciation #ocapp #doctor who imagines #11th doctor imagines #doctor who fics #11th doctor fics #dw imagine #amy pond #rory williams #river song #oc: Avalon Reynolds #oc: Lena Reynolds #fic: stars dance

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wwhkimseokjin · 5 years

Text

highway to hell - chapter 3

pairings: bts x reader (bit of member x member too)

genres: seven deadly sins!au, devil bangtan!au, fluff, angst, smut

warnings: future smut, violence, death, swearing, NSFW, literal hell

summary: Y/N had always been the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the light in people’s life. She had always believed that she would never do anything wrong, be a perfect little angel. Until her life turns upside down, and she meets seven very handsome, very dangerous men.

The last two weeks had gone by quicker than Y/N had realized. Getting accustomed to university had been rough. Getting to sleep when there were no morning classes? Utter heaven. On the other hand, having to drag yourself up after a long night with your friends as someone forgot about their early schedule? Not exactly ideal. But alas, that was the way of the university life. Y/N promised herself to enjoy these days though, before the dreaded no-sleep, caffeine-inhaling days would commence.

Two individuals were still present on her mind however, Jeon Jeongguk and the blond stranger - who she now knew as Kim Taehyung. Her days would’ve been a tad bit more tranquil, if she hadn’t constantly been on the lookout for the two boys. To be frank, it was almost like they had disappeared. But according to Y/N’s newly acquired friend Yein - self-declared gossiper of the campus - it wasn’t actually that odd. Y/N had met Yein at another party, which she had foolishly attended, hopeful to see the boys once more. There the two girls had struck up a conversation, realizing they had a few mutual friends. But the small talk had soon turned into gossip, and a familiar name had struck Y/N’s ears. Jeon Jeongguk.

From there the conversation had steered onto him, and the rest of his friends. Because apparently there wasn’t just those two. There was seven of them. Yein had clearly noticed the look on Y/N’s face, for she instantly delved into a extensive description of the seven individuals. Apparently, it was “shocking” that Y/N didn’t know about them yet, as quote on quote Everyone knows the seven, that’s like, their whole image, but Yein would kindly let it pass since she was new. If Y/N had to be frank, “the seven” honestly just sounded like a truly bad boy band. Momentarily after Yein had started talking about them though, a peculiar feeling had crept over Y/N, like she was being observed. She had looked around, but no one was watching them, so she promptly blamed it on having too much to drink. After Yein’s whole speech, Y/N was sure, that she was more than knowledgeable about the subject: Jeongguk and friends.

There was Kim Taehyung, the blond man that had ensnared Y/N. He was apparently the most popular, pretty much being friends with everyone he encountered. But you shouldn’t let that fool you, underneath the sweet mask, he was a flirt. Taehyung had, according to Yein, slept with over half of the girls at the school. That did hurt a bit to hear, but Y/N wasn’t that surprised over it, considering you could practically sense the sex oozing from him. He was, surprisingly enough, a pretty decent friend, (that is, if you weren’t on his ‘to bed’- list), but you shouldn’t always be certain of the sweet nothings he would whisper in your ear.

Next on the agenda was his best friend, Jeon Jeongguk. The one Yein had dubbed “the cute, reserved guy, who definitely watches anime instead of studying”. (Also the one Jihyo had declared unspeakable of) He wasn’t the most outgoing apparently, but that didn’t mean, that he didn’t get around. Referencing Taehyung’s metaphorical ‘to bed’-list, rumor had it, Jeon Jeongguk genuinely had one. Maybe not precisely a list over the people he was going to bed, but that didn’t transform the fact that the boy very much so, had a register of names around campus. Also, well-known words from him consisted of That’s mine, I’m not sharing, and one Y/N could resonate with deeply, Hey, are you going to eat that? It was a mystery how the ate as much as he did, and still had a body like the gods.

Then there was Park Jimin, a Sophomore like Taehyung. He was “the cutest in the group” and immensely talented in his major which, to Y/N’s surprise, was dance. She had never encountered someone who had such a major, but seemingly Jimin wasn’t the only one in the group majoring in dancing. A certain Jung Hoseok also had dance as his major, but more on him ahead. Jimin was cute but sexy, had an amazing body, his personality was amazing and so on it went. You had to be lacking in the brain cell apartment if you hadn’t understood who Yein’s favorite was. It wasn’t like she was trying to disguise the obvious crush she had on him. Y/N had inquired about his bad qualities, since it seemed to be a recurring tendency, that the boys had at least one personality trait that wasn’t exactly ideal. But no, no, someone as flawless as Park Jimin “couldn’t possibly have anything bad about him”. And then Yein moved to the next one. Kim Namjoon.

Namjoon was the cleverest of the bunch, being in the lead in all his classes and a favorite to the professors. But apparently, he wasn’t content being one of the greatest, he had to be the greatest. He constantly desired more, and it was especially satisfying for him, if receiving number one, meant beating someone else to the ground. All in all, he gets what he wishes for. You worked hard to win this debate? Suck it, Kim Namjoon wants to win this. And each time someone takes something from him, he comes swooping in and takes it from them with a power even sturdier than before. What Yein described as his extreme ambition and determination, seemed more and more comparable towards an unhealthy greediness to Y/N.

Then there was Jung Hoseok. As previously mentioned, he was majoring in dance too. Y/N admired both him and Jimin, herself not exactly being gifted in the area of dance. Moving on, Yein described him to be a complete sweetheart. He would always aid his friends, was awfully extroverted and could light up a whole room with his smile. Nevertheless, you had to tread wisely around Hoseok, he seemingly had vendetta against everything that didn’t go his way or went as planned. He had broken a guy’s nose once, because the dude kept messing up his dance steps. After that, everybody walked on eggshells round Hoseok, which in hindsight seemed to piss him off even more. People learned to just settle with whatever Hoseok wanted - but not too much, or he would get angry too…

Second-to-last was Min Yoongi. Yein claimed that he was typically the scariest out of the group (when Hoseok hadn’t preferred to wake up with a complete hatred for everyone and everything). He hadn’t actually done anything for people to fear him, it was just sort of an automatic response when you met him. He gave off an aura that said “you could die right now, and I would continue with my nap” – if you could describe a person like that. Min Yoongi just didn’t care. He was generally the one that disappeared the most, gone for weeks at a time, not even bothering to show up to his classes. If you questioned him about it, he would give his signature glare, and folks usually left him alone afterwards. On top of that, he would hardly ever be seen out with his friends, and the six other boys would continually claim he was taking a nap. Either Yoongi adored snoozing his life away or the boy was jammed in some shady shit – or perhaps both.

At last, there was the Great Kim Seokjin. The boy had an appearance prettier than all the girls at university combined – and he knew. Seokjin could possibly be quite pleasant to hang out with, and a great deal of people on campus spoke of him as the dream boyfriend everybody wished for. Yein said she would approve, if it wasn’t the circumstance, that Kim Seokjin couldn’t go five fucking minutes without speaking about himself. It was like he had trained over numerous years, to be so good at sneaking compliments for himself into every single pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed sentence that left his infuriatingly pretty mouth.

Yein practically had to gasp in air after her amazingly passionate outburst about Kim Seokjin, and Y/N opted to take a sip of her beverage, instead of questioning the topic any longer. Y/N always told herself to never judge a book by its cover. She always believed people were good and kind, but in all honesty, she didn’t really get why these seven boys were so popular at school, they all sounded horrid honestly. But then she was reminded of Taehyung, and how even after hearing about him from Yein, Y/N already yearned for their next meeting.

She had never really assumed she would be one of those girls pining after guys, that they knew would leave them in the end, but perhaps she was. Yein claimed that it was like dark magic. Those boys drew everyone in, and spit them back out again, after they were through with them. You didn’t choose to come into their life, they picked who they desired, and they had nothing against breaking a couple of hearts when they threw people out of their life again.

“Seriously, you think you know them! Turns out they are someone completely different, I don’t even think they have a real self! They’re all like a bunch of devils with too much confidence. Expect for Jimin of course! He shouldn’t hang out with them, he…” Yein continued to ramble on, but Y/N wasn’t listening any longer. She believed she had seen a tuft of blond locks out of the corner of her eye. But disappointment shortly filled her, as the room turned out to be vacant of both Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jeongguk.

•

After copious amount of begging, had Jihyo finally succeeded in dragging Y/N out of their dorms, but only after the promise of lunch on Jihyo’s side. Walking across campus, the two girls discussed where to consume their next meal, a heated dispute between pizza and burgers.

“Hey, what if we just mix them! A pizzaburger, a purger!” Y/N looked at the other female with repulsion, before fake gagging at her. “You are out of this world Park Jihyo, truly” Both snickered, before Jihyo halted completely and let out a stifled groan, puzzling Y/N.

“Don’t look to the side, Jeon Jeongguk and the freaks are sitting there.” Regardless of the notice, Y/N still twisted her head to gaze at the boys. Only four out of seven were present, but she didn’t really mind, only gawking at Taehyung. He hadn’t seen her yet – not that she desired him to see her salivate stupidly – but the guy across of him had caught her eyes.

Now, if she hadn’t listened to Yein’s painful rants about him, Y/N would undoubtedly have been clueless about who she was sharing excruciatingly awkward eye contact with, but there was no denying it. That was definitely Park Jimin. Y/N would rather not disclose, that viewing the boy, she didn’t have a doubt where Yein’s crush derived from. Jimin was endearing; his cheeks prodding out slightly and his eyes scrunched. Sadly enough, had his continuous gaze at her, made the other guys present, alert of her too.

Swiftly turning her head, Y/N pleaded that Taehyung hadn’t realized it was her. But by the widening of Jihyo’s eyes and the indistinct sound of footsteps behind them, it would appear her prayers hadn’t been heard. Turning around, Y/N came face to face with the grinning face of Kim Taehyung. That stupidly attractive face. Considering what she now knew about him, she shouldn’t surrender to him so effortlessly, but as the boy in front of her presented a huge smile, she couldn’t help but dissolve.

“I haven’t seen you around, princess” Jihyo shuffled awkwardly beside them, and Y/N turned to give her a panicked expression, inaudibly asking for aid. Jihyo raised her hands slightly, as to say, ‘What am I supposed to do!’, before catching Taehyung’s eyes and abruptly starting to murmur incoherently about how she had to go. Y/N looked at her staggered, confused about why her friend would abandon her, but Jihyo only gave her look to say Sorry, before turning to tread away. Y/N was dumbfounded over the bizarre exchange but remembered the boy behind her. When she turned around to stare at him again, he hadn’t shifted, and was still blatantly ogling her.

“I think- Maybe I- I probably need to go after her…?” Y/N stammered, evading making eye-contact with the striking flirt in front of her. “Just stay a bit, princess. She won’t mind. Alright?” Taehyung draped his arm over her shoulder, directing her over to the three other males, who appeared to have resumed their previous conversation. Damn her helplessness. Damn her inability to say no. And Damn Kim Taehyung.

She inserted herself in between Taehyung and the other guy, while being embarrassingly aware about the multiple sets of eyes on her. Bracing herself, Y/N elevated her gaze slightly, only to encounter the eyes of Jeon Jeongguk. He was looking her up and down, practically like she was a meal offered to him, which – not to lie – made her greatly uncomfortable. Possibly Jihyo hadn’t been so mistaken about him. The other guy beside her, was unexpectedly offering her a smile. He had a mole dotted just above his upper lip, and his cheeks displayed cute dimples.

“Y/N” She looked at Taehyung once more, finding him pointing to her, as to introduce her to the others. Then he began pointing at them one by one, identifying them. “Hoseok. Jimin. Jeongguk. There you go” Y/N smiled awkwardly at them, rubbing her neck, feeling warm under their gazes. She heard Taehyung chuckle behind her, almost like he relished in her uncomfortable suffering. Well, this wasn’t awkward at all.

Only after almost three excruciating minutes of agonizing silence, decided Y/N, that she really needed to find Jihyo. Coughing softly, she gazed towards Taehyung, making an explanation about how she had possibly forgot to turn off the oven. He quirked an eyebrow at her, before allowing her to depart. Standing up to press a kiss to her forehead as a farewell, and his smug expression came forth again, after seeing her stiffened and panicked state. A hasty goodbye was ushered, and Y/N quickly made her way towards the direction Jihyo had went.

All four of them observed the girl hastily making her exit, and Hoseok chuckled before adding a slight remark. “She does know, that the dorms are the other way, right?” Taehyung turned to stare at him, both grinning. “Yup” He sat down again, fishing up his phone, before being interrupted by a dainty voice. “Why did you introduce us? It’s not like she’s anything special, you’ll forget her name soon enough.” Jimin’s eyes were pointed at the boy, and he huffed slightly before crossing his arms. “Calm down, Jiminie” Taehyung winked at him, before bending over to tousle his hair. “I don’t like her” No one in the group was surprised about the comment. “You never like any of our partners” Jimin glared slightly at Jeongguk but didn’t contradict the statement. “I don’t like when you touch them. They don’t deserve you. They’re nobody” Jimin seethed inaudibly, glaring at Jeongguk and Taehyung. Hoseok clicked his tongue and snickered at his three juniors. “Watch out, pretty boy, you’re turning a bit green” Jimin snapped his head towards him but chose to remain quiet. He wasn’t up for a quarrel today, and even though Hoseok seemed content right now, Jimin wouldn’t put it past him, that he wouldn’t mind delivering a few punches if someone talked back.

Taehyung eased the tension by patting Jimin on the back and laughing. “Don’t worry, darling. I practically had her the moment we met. I’m only toying a bit, she’s too innocent to say no. I’ll have a new one by the weeks end” He leaned back again, and their previous conversation issued once again.

Tags: @d-noona @rottenratatouille @bts-edits-bitch @chims-kookies💕

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the-wlw-cafe · 6 years

Text

Forget Me (Not)

Request: #62 Memory loss with Lena Luthor preferably the Reader losing their Memory? They were Dating for awhile but got hurt protecting Lena so now she doesn't remember Lena who decides it's best for her not to remember so that the Reader doesn't get hurt again so Reader goes About their normal life but with Lena basically suffering every time she sees them bc she's still in love with them idk Maybe a happy ending if you wanna

Fandom: Supergirl

Warnings: referenced injuries, some language, being Long as feck

Word Count: too many (3265)

You awoke to the sound of hushed voices. You couldn’t make out what they were saying, every noise seemed to drift towards you through a thick layer of jelly, muffled and warbling. You felt like you were floating. It was the smell that finally clued you in that something was off: It smelt sterile, like hand soap and disinfectant, not like the scent of lavender, coffee and freshly washed sheets that you associated with home. You slowly opened your eyes, blinking against the bright white lights that surrounded you. When you tried to move, you noticed an IV drip sticking out of your arm.

Ah. Hospital.

The voices became clearer, two women, arguing.

“Now you’re just being dramatic, Lena, this isn’t your fault!”

“If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened. Getting close to me is a risk, you know that, and I’ve been selfish enough to ignore it, but I just can’t anymore. I’m making the right decision here.”

“The only thing you’re making is a big mistake Lena, I know how much – (Y/N)!”

It seems they have noticed that you are awake, and the taller of the two, a blond woman whose face splits into the most sunny smile you’ve ever seen once she makes eye contact with you, comes rushing to your bedside. The smaller one, pale, with dark hair framing an impossibly gorgeous face, stands in the back, clearly left distraught by the argument you’d interrupted. You immediately got the overwhelming urge to reach out and comfort her.

“(Y/N), we’ve been so worried about you, but I knew you were a trooper!”

She immediately goes in for a hug that leaves you stiff and awkward. You have no idea who this is, but they clearly know you very well, which can only mean one thing. But that couldn’t be, things like that were reserved for soap operas only, it didn’t happen in real life...right?

The tall blonde seemed to notice you not returning the embrace, pulling back with a frown.

“Is something wrong? Are you hurt? Oh Rao, did I hug you to hard?” she fretted, a worried crinkle appearing between her brows.

“Oh no, the hug was fine, I just...” you make a helpless flailing motion which leaves your IV drip swinging. “I’m sorry, I’m going to be frank, I have no idea who you are.”

The blonde lifted her hands to her mouth to cover a gasp. “But...but you must recognize Lena, right?” she exclaimed, gesturing towards the other woman. Oh this was bad. You hated to see these people hurt and worried.

“Nope, does not ring a bell.” You replied.

“But she’s-“ the blonde began, only to be cut off by the other, Lena.

“- the one whose building was trapped with the bomb that put you on a coma. I needed to make sure you’d recover, and seeing that you’re awake, I’ll go get a doctor for you”, she said curtly, and gave you a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She’d already turned away before she’d finished the sentence. You and the blonde watched her leave the room.

“Is she okay?” you asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know. She’s going through a lot of stuff at the moment.”

Lena returned with a doctor not long after, and a series of exhausting questions later you were diagnosed with amnesia. When or whether your memory would return nobody could tell, but you were released two days later with the recommendation of trying to go through your day as it came naturally to you, visit familiar places and not stress yourself out too much over remembering. You felt lost and vulnerable in the apartment that was so unfamiliar to you, yet everyone seemed to recognize as yours. Kara, the blonde woman who had dropped by your bedside multiple times to bring you some fried sugary goodness to offset the horror that was the hospital food volunteered to sleep on your couch until you’d find some semblance of normalcy in her life (“No, really, it’s no problem, Alex – my sister – will look after my plants, and I think they’ll thank her for it, I keep drowning them for some reason...”).

On your first evening at the place you didn’t remember as home, you went through Kara’s phone together, looking at pictures of her, her friends and you together in the hopes that it would stir something, anything inside you.

You scrolled through pictures of you and her friends at bars, at picnics, at game nights, always laughing and smiling, and still these peoples were strangers to you. All of them, except one.

“That’s Lena! From the hospital!”, you exclaimed, just glad that you had found one face that didn’t make you feel like looking through stock photos of a group of handpicked multiracial attractive models.

You furrowed your brow in thought. “That’s weird, though, she didn’t mention us being close.”

Kara smiled a slightly pained smile, said something along the lines of “well, you met her through me, I was interviewing her for CatCo and things just snowballed from there”, before quickly scrolling on. You see her face popping up in some pictures after that one, but you don’t bring it up again.

In the following days, Kara took the time to re-introduce you to all of her friends, to her sister Alex, Alex’ girlfriend Maggie to Winn and James, she tried to get a hold of Lena but the CEO declined. It didn’t surprise you, being CEO of L-Corp probably didn’t leave her with much free time. The Superfriends did their best to make you feel welcome in their midst, but you still couldn’t quite shake the feeling that you were hanging out with a group of complete strangers, who somehow knew your favourite drinks, your Noonan’s order, and your preferred board games.

Kara took you to L-Corp a week after you were released from hospital, since it was there you lost your memory, and per chance you ran into Lena. Kara invited her along to grab coffee together, but with one look at you she blanched, pressed out that she was urgently needed in a meeting from between clenched teeth, turned on her heel and walked right into the room she had left seconds before. It was completely empty.

You started to get the feeling that Lena didn’t like you.

The following Saturday, you were proven wrong, she didn’t just dislike you, Lena Luthor outright hated you. It was game night, and you had attended out of a sense of obligation and the fact that you started to grow close to the Superfriends – for the second time from their perspective. Lena arrived late, played one token round of Taboo, and then left immediately after, citing a work emergency. The phone she pretended to talk on was clearly switched off.

Days turned into weeks, and this became a common occurrence, no matter how much Kara and the others conspired to get you two to talk to each other.

By far the worst thing about this situation was however the fact that you seemed to affect Lena’s friendship to Kara too. You caught them, once, arguing in the kitchen at game night after they had gone to get more wine.

“Lena, she’s suffering, you’re suffering, and this has to stop. You can’t keep running away from this and honestly I’m not sure how much longer I’m willing to lie for you!”

“Kara Danvers, don’t you dare. Don’t you dare destroy everything I’ve done to-“

“-to make both of you miserable? Lena, open your eyes, this isn’t working! (Y/N) has a right to know –“

You couldn’t take it any longer and decided to announce yourself by clearing your throat. The two women whipped around to face you.

“Sorry”, you began, awkwardly scratching your neck as if you hadn’t just caused a rift between these two friends. “The guys are asking for more beer.”

“Oh, we were just...” Kara started, clearly in the early stages of a trademark ramble.

“...just leaving. I was just leaving.” Lena finished, her gaze fixed on some spot behind you. You didn’t manage to contain your scoff in time. “Another work emergency, I gather? Or what’s the excuse you have for us today?” you said. Lena stumbled backwards as if you had hit her, and immediately you regretted your cold words.

“I...good night, (Y/N).” Her voice broke on your name and you swore you could hear her sniffle as she rushed past you. You stared at Kara, unsure of what had just happened in this kitchen, when you felt a second wave of anger wash over you.

“No”, you growled. Kara looked at you, puzzled.

“No, she doesn’t get to do this. She doesn’t get to avoid me for weeks when I needed her the most, when she should have been there for me like all your other friends...my other friends were! She doesn’t get to make me feel bad about calling her out on her bullshit! I don’t know what I did to offend her, I literally can’t remember, but why can’t she just talk it out with me like a goddamn adult?!”

You braced yourself on the kitchen counter as you stared into the dark night outside. Voicing your anger had felt good, it had been a long time coming, but you’d still do anything to get some closure on this whole situation.

“Oh, (Y/N)”, Kara breathed, looking torn. “Lena doesn’t hate you. She...she’s in a difficult spot right now, and she thinks she’s doing the right thing but she’s really, really not...she’s a very headstrong woman.”

“Yes, feel free to tell me whenever you’re ready to stop talking in riddles and feel like making sense”, you snapped.

“Lena made me promise not to tell a word, and I can’t break her trust like that, but I also can’t stand to see you both so miserable.” Your friend heaved a great sigh, and at this moment she looked older than you had ever seen her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and after some typing, she presented it to you. “Just...take a look.”

She had opened a folder named Top Secret L and you actually let out a small giggle at that. Subtlety really didn’t seem to be her strongest suit.

The folder was empty except for a series of four photos, obviously taken in quick succession at a park. The first was Kara, taking a selfie, pointing excitedly at some kissing couple on a park bench. Half of you wanted to sit Kara down for a serious talk about privacy and personal space, the other half just smiles because that’s Kara, the same Kara that had called you one evening after having seen an elderly couple feeding ducks at a pond, squealing “true love exists!”. The second photo is another image of the couple, up close this time, and your heart drops into the general vicinity of your stomach when you recognize the lovebirds. That is, without a doubt, Lena Luthor, one hand in your (H/C) hair, the other at the small of your back. The third picture clearly showed your reaction to being busted, Lena hiding her face in your chest and you throwing your head back with laughter. You couldn’t tell whether the blushes on your faces stem from embarrassment at being caught or from the heated kiss you had been sharing. In the fourth and last picture, Alex was photobombing you, pretending to gouge her eyes out with a cocktail umbrella.

You put the phone down, staring blankly at nothing in particular. You hadn’t expected to be able to feel this photo so vividly, not to remember, but to know how Lena’s soft lips felt on yours, how her scent surrounded you, how you were able to feel her pulse racing out of control...

You were longing for something, for Lena, for a feeling you didn’t remember but missed anyway. You looked up at Kara helplessly, seeking guidance, advice, something.

“Were Lena and I...” you croaked, not trusting your voice to get the whole sentence out.

“An item? Yeah. You even tried to keep it secret from us for a time, but we saw right through you. And by ‘we’ I mean Maggie ‘detecting is my job’ Sawyer”, she added with a soft smile.

You leaned against the counter.

“I imagine you two have a lot to talk through”, Kara said gently.

You nodded absent-mindedly, already working through hundreds of reasons why Lena would not want you to find out you had been in a relationship before the bomb and the memory loss debacle.

Kara grabbed you by the shoulders, gently ushering you towards the door. “Come on, I’ll tell the others where you are. You go get your girl.”

She texted you Lena’s private address as soon as you were out the door. In the lobby of her apartment building, you saw a security guard immediately lumbering towards you. You cursed inwardly. You had no idea what to say. “Yes, apparently I used to be Lena’s girlfriend until a few weeks ago, but don’t ask me anything personal about her or our relationship, as I have conveniently forgotten it all.”

Before you could even begin to delve into a shakily improvised excuse, he broke out into a wide grin.

“Miss (Y/L/N)! I was wondering when I’d see you again here! It’s been too long! You and Miss Luthor didn’t have a falling out, did you?”

“Something like that”, you murmured, still taken aback by his jovial greeting.

“Well, I know it’s none of my business, but Miss Luthor hasn’t been well in the last weeks. I do hope you’ve come to set her straight.”

“Well, that’s the plan, but we’ll see how it goes”, you reply, showing a shy smile.

“Then by all means, don’t let me keep you here any longer, I’ll let you right up!” he said with a goofy thumbs-up gesture.

Lena lived in the penthouse, so you had plenty of time to come up with something to say to her on the elevator ride. You left the elevator without any semblance of a plan. You took one last, deep breath, steeled yourself and knocked on her door.

There were a few seconds of tense silence, and then –

“Who’s there?”

Even through the door you could tell from her hoarse voice that she’d been crying.

“It’s me, (Y/N). We need to talk.”

Nothing.

“Lena Lutessa Luthor, you open that door right now or so help me I’ll get Kara to throw me in through the window!”

For a moment you thought Lena would refuse to let you in, but then you could hear the tell-tale click of the door as she let you step into her apartment. You tried not to let it take your breath away too much, but you still found yourself slightly distracted by the gorgeous view on the golden lights of National City by night.

“I assume Kara told you, then.”

Lena had her back turned to you, obviously trying to hide her tears from view.

“Kara didn’t technically break her promise to you, she just let me connect the dots”, you said.

“So she didn’t tell you that she thinks I’m a coward and a liar?” she snapped, but you could hear the fright in her voice. She was scared and hurt, and therefore lashing out. And again, something inside you ached to take her in your arms, comfort her, and never let her go.

“Lena, you know Kara would never say these things. She loves you.”

Lena made a strangled sound, somewhere between a scoff and a sob. You decided to press on.

“I just need to know why. Why did you try to hide this from me? Were we...were we unhappy? Did that bomb just come incredibly convenient to you, so you didn’t have to break up with me?”

You were getting worked up again, you couldn’t help it. You deserved better than 3 weeks of the silent treatment, especially when as vulnerable and confused as you had been.

“Did Kara tell you what happened the day you got injured?” Lena asked, her voice almost inaudible.

“Yes, there was a bomb at L-Corp and I got caught in the blast-“

“You shouldn’t even have been there! I received the bomb threat several minutes before the explosion. There was enough time to get every civilian out of the building and to safety. There was enough time for you to be far, far away from any danger. And yet you turned around, and you ran right up to my office, because you just had to make sure I was okay. And when there wasn’t any time left anymore, you tried to shield me from the blast. I saw you get thrown against a wall, (Y/N). I saw you lying there, with broken limbs, not moving, and I thought you were dead! I thought I had lost you!”

Lena whipped around to face you, her face red and tearstained, but there was a grim determination gleaming in her eye.

“I thought you had died because of me. Do you understand now, why I have to do this? I loved you, I still do, but I can’t allow you to throw your life away for me. You deserve more. You deserve someone who can love you without endangering you whenever you’re together.”

“I’m not stupid, Lena”, you reply, after a few seconds. “I knew that when I got into the relationship with you. And I still chose you. And I think...I think I would do it again. Kara showed me the pictures of you and me in the park, I’m not sure if you remember-“

“Of course I do”, she sighed. “It was our first official date. You were actually going for a kiss on the cheek, but, well, so was I, and our lips just awkwardly collided for a moment before things...escalated.”

“Yeah”, you chuckled. “I could see the escalation.”

You swore there was a small smile playing around the corners of Lena’s mouth.

“The thing is, Lena, I felt something when I saw us kissing. I might not remember what we had, and maybe I never will, but I still miss it. I miss us. And maybe, in time, we could rebuild all of this.”

Lena’s mouth dropped open.

“Really? Even after how I’ve treated you? Oh God, how I’ve treated you, I’m so sorry, (Y/N), but I was so scared...”

You interrupted her with a raised hand. “You can’t do this to me again, Lena. You can’t just leave me out of the loop. If we are to have a second chance for...well...us, we need you to be able to trust each other completely. I need you to tell me the truth, always, even if it hurts, even if you’re afraid, and you have to trust me when I say I know what I am getting into.”

Lena nodded frantically, under tears, but she was smiling as well. You weren’t surprised to feel your eyes burn as well. And suddenly, you didn’t know who initiated it, maybe it had been a shared impulse, the two of you closed the distance between each other and fell heavily into each others arms, sobbing tears of relief, joy, loss, fear, a bit of everything.

This would take time, you both knew it, and both of you still had wounds that were a long way from healing, but in this moment you refused to let each other go. This was a path you had to take together, after all.

#supergirl #supergirl imagine #lena luthor #lena luthor imagine #lena luthor x reader #wlw imagine

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