#reggie is very near and dear to my heart

[thewaragainstapathy]

I’m dead-set on finishing this (currently untitled) ROTTMNT post-movie fic, but I could use some friends to bounce around ideas. In the meantime please enjoy some of chapter 1. (And I’m not kidding about bouncing around ideas. PM me if you’re interested, I need some COMMUNITY!)

******

Reggie was no conspiracy nut, but there were two things she firmly believed: aliens existed, and mutants were a thing. 

The invasion proved her right about the aliens. She had officially won the bet with her sister, but there was no time to gloat when she was running for her life. In fact, at the rate she was going, Reggie doubted she’d survive long enough to collect. 

These alien fuckers were scarier than anything from the movies. Within minutes they’d pushed back the National Guard, corrupted the human weaponry, and used it to demolish her neighborhood. Helicopters with teeth were sure to star in her nightmares, assuming she lived long enough to sleep again. 

Reggie had kept up with the screaming masses for a while. As fires raged and smoke choked her lungs, however, she’d been forced to take cover long enough to find her inhaler. In the time it took her to get her breathing under control all the stragglers left her behind. 

She was alone, and more scared than she’d ever been in her life. 

Reggie had run for seven more blocks before she had to stop again. Most of the buildings around her were in ruins, but the fires were downwind and she’d found a dumpster to hide behind in a stable-ish alley. It would have to do until she could catch her breath. 

There were still no other people around—a bad sign for sure—but there were no immediate threats, either. Reggie took another puff from her inhaler and risked a moment to find her water bottle. She couldn’t drink much; she only had half a bottle left, and she’d bet her salary that the water lines were down. She’d have to take a sip or two and keep moving. 

Then the light show started, and moving was out of the question.

Reggie watched with terror-laced awe as a Michael Bay-worthy sci-fi battle raged before her eyes. Gold chains of fire, purple rockets, and blue portals of light zipped through the air, working in tandem with a red-lit giant. Debris was still falling, but most of it was over the water now, so she did the one thing she’d sworn she’d never do during a disaster.

She pulled out her phone and started filming.

Monique, you are not gonna believe this.

All things considered, Reggie had a good angle. She saw the red giant—which she could swear was a turtle—fall and crash-land across the bay. She saw the explosion as the spaceship was cut in half, and ducked behind the dumpster as the blast wave rushed past. 

And she saw a katana, still glowing blue, fall from the sky to land in the street.

Within five minutes it was over.  

She hit stop and wondered what the hell she should do now. 

*****

Casey had never felt more lost in his life. 

They’d saved the world, right? He’d done what Master Leonardo had told him to do. He’d found the key. He’d stopped the Krang. 

But now he was here, in this strange world he didn’t recognize, with a family that was so familiar but wasn’t his, and after everything they’d done? Everything his masters had sacrificed to get him here? 

He’d still lost Master Leonardo.

No. Not Master Leonardo. Not my sensei. Just… just Leo.

Did that make it better, or worse? Either way Casey wanted to cry, but he couldn’t give in to grief, not yet. Not while the Sister Krang was still a threat. He could mourn after she was dealt with. Until then he would tamp down his feelings like the soldier he was.

But then… then he saw Leo’s katana, fallen just like his master. 

His hockey stick fell to the ground with a clatter.

[nottheleastbrave]

Okay so I have exactly one (1) pet JATP theory that I hold near and dear to my heart and it is as follows (joint effort with @dathomirinightwitch):

It's 1992, the boys are 14, and they've just started really getting serious about the band (Luke is the most serious about it, obviously).

Anyway, one of them (doesn't matter who) gets a crush, and Luke panics. Because what if one of them gets a girlfriend or boyfriend? What if they start wanting to hang out all the time? What if they start taking time away from the band???

So he institutes a rule: NO DATING OUTSIDE OF THE BAND. (Is this rule also partially motivated by his slight crush on Alex? Of course not why would you even ask that Reggie?!) The boys are 14-year-old idiots so they agree. They make a very intense pact that invovles swearing in blood (that is actually kool-aid) and code words and all together more theater than is strictly required.

Time passes. Luke and Alex date, realize they work better as friends, and break up. The pact remains unbroken. Then they die.

And then Luke gets a crush on Julie. But he won't exactly admit that to himself, especially not at first, so he focuses on something else: convince Julie to join the band (no he has no ulterior motives what's with the third degree Reggie??!??!). Hence: DO YOU WANT TO JOIN OUR BAND for an entire episode.

Obviously this whole thing culminates with Luke and Reggie bestowing Willie with some bullshit title like "Official Julie and the Phantoms Tie Dye Consultant" or something and it's all very formal and involves them like...knighting him or something. But they're very pleased with themselves because now Willie is a part of the band! And Willie is very confused but Alex is genuinely touched and may or may not be crying.

And that's it.

[karlajoyner]

Stamps (Luke Patterson x Reader)

A/n: Hey guys so this one was rather long. I don’t know if I liked it very much but that’s just me being critical of myself. Anyways I hope you enjoy it!

Requested by: kennice1 (Wattpad)

Warnings: None

————

My eyes opened slightly to see my boyfriend laying beside me in his suit from the night prior.

We had done it.

We played the Orpheum.

And got rid of Caleb stamps.

Now we were here the very next day in Julie's garage like we'd been the past couple weeks feeling better than ever.

"Good morning beautiful" His raspy voice spoke as he to was barely opening his eyes.

"Good morning Luke" I replied staring up at the ceiling.

The bright sun rays hitting many different points of the studio since it was probably near mid day now.

"Morning? It's afternoon" Another voice in the room spoke making my head whip in their direction.

"Well then good afternoon my dear brother" I grinned sitting up only to see Reggie still passed out on the barkin lounger.

"Has Julie come in today yet?" Luke asked sitting up as well, pulling my body into his.

"Yeah. Said she was gonna go have breakfast and get dressed before coming back for practice. She also said she'll bring us something back"

"Oh to have breakfast. What a privilege we now have" I said stretching out my body.

"I sure did miss pancakes. I hope we have that" Reggie spoke in his morning voice.

"Look who's awake"

"Morning"

"Afternoon" I corrected him standing up.

"Where are you going?" Luke pouted.

"To get dressed for practice too. In case you haven't noticed I need to get out of this thing" I spoke pointing down at the long royal blue dress that sat tightly on my body.

"Or you could just stay in it. Maybe rip it up a bit make it more fitting" Luke suggested pushing the dress up my leg.

"Can you not try to sexualize my little sister in front of me?" Alex spoke.

"Sorry" Luke apologized.

"My boyfriend can sexualize me all he wants" I argued making my way towards the exit.

"Gross"

"I think it's endearing" Reggie said making me giggle.

"I'm gonna go see if Julie has anything I can barrow. And maybe a sewing machine. I think you were onto something there Lukey" I teased the boy watching a smirk take over his face before I walked out.

I giggled deciding to surprise Julie at her front door for the first time as an actual human being again.

Since I couldn't just poof into rooms anymore.

A grin formed on my face as I reached the front porch being careful to avoid any windows up the driveway.

"Look at you y/n. Looking as lovely as you did last night"

An all too familiar voice spoke from behind me before I could press the doorbell.

My heart immediately dropped as I spun around coming face to face with the devil himself.

"Caleb" I whispered.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh I just came to pay a little visit.... Tell me how does it feel to be alive again. Oh it must feel great"

"Just leave us alone. We've already defeated you and we're not joining your stupid house band" I bravely spoke watching as he inched closer.

I gulped nervously backing up until my back hit the door behind me and he was only a few feet away.

"That's not very nice of you to say. I've offered you and your boys everything and this is how you repay me. With insults. Nice try trying to be brave sweetheart but we both know your scared out of your mind. Scared that I'll hurt you. Or your little bandmates. Am I wrong?"

"Leave us alone" I repeated attempting to stand my ground

"I can see why Luke's so infatuated with you. Your strong headed like him. Too bad you won't make it home for breakfast"

My eyes widened as he grabbed ahold of my shoulders. My eyes rolling the back of my head.

"I have a fight too" I smirked hearing footsteps coming up the pathway.

My eyes fell upon a face I recognized to be none other than Nick. Julie's crush she'd been telling me about for weeks.

"Oh there's someone here" He said noting my presence.

"Hey, you look familiar. Wait. Aren't you that other girl in Julie's hologram band?" He asked hopefully.

"That's me" I smiled at the boy.

"I'm y/n" I said sticking my hand out for him to shake. He took it smiling back at me.

“I’m Nick”

"So your here to see Julie?" I asked ringing the doorbell for the two of us.

"Uh yeah. I didn't get to see her last night after the show so I thought I'd bring her these" He said showing me the flowers in his hand.

"How sweet. The broken hearted teenager fighting for his girl" I spoke mischievously raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry what?" He asked.

"Julie's told me about you Nick. It seems she's canceled on you a few times now hasn't she?"

"Well yeah but that's just because she was busy"

"Are you sure about that? In all honesty she just doesn't seem that interested if you ask me"

"R-really?" He asked looking down with a frown.

I cheekily bit my lip as the front door opened.

Taking my chance and caught the boy off guard, pulling him in for a passionately rough kiss.

Making sure that he fell into the trance. The flowers in his hand fell to the ground as he held my waist pulling me closer.

"N-Nick? Y/n?!" Julie's voice rang through my ears.

"Oh Julie. I-uh didn't see you there" I panted pulling away.

Slipping a note into Nicks hand before his eyes went from purple swirls back to his normal eyes color.

"J-Julie" he stuttered going to pick up the flowers.

"I-I don't know what happened"

"I think I can explain what's going on here. Nicks just not that into you Jules. Sorry. Anyways don't tell Luke about this. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt now would we? See you later" I smirked walking down the front path of the house. Leaving the two dumbfounded.

I made sure I was out of sight before poofing away to the one place I called home. Awaiting for my revenge.

Julie's POV

I stood there in shock as y/n walked away. Leaving Nick and I standing on my front porch.

"Julie I- I can explain. She just- She was here and we started talking. I didn't even know her. I though she was your friend"

"I did too" I mumbled in confusion. What was wrong with her?

"She left me this. It probably her number but I don't want it. Your the only girl I want Julie" He said throwing the paper on the ground.

"I-I don't know what to say Nick. I um- can we talk about this later?"

"Of course. Take all the time you need"

"I will"

"These are for you by the way" He said sticking his hand out holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Thanks" I muttered watching as he too walked down the same path out the front gate. I picked up the paper Nick dropped. Confusion coursing through me. Until I opened the paper.

She's home at last. But alone. Don't make this any harder and come join my house band or else....

~Your friend at the HGC

I read to myself. Everything making sense now. I had to show the boys.

Y/n's POV

I glared at Caleb who sat across from me. Specifically at the same table we were seated at the very first night we entered this dump.

"They're not gonna come" I stated crossing my arms.

"Really? You think so?"

"They're not that stupid"

"Y/n you underestimate your bandmates. Your Luke's girlfriend, Alex's sister, and Reggies bestfriend. Of course they're coming for you. And when they do they'll be gifted with a new stamp. Just like you" He grinned at me making me scoff.

As if on cue someone flashed into the middle of the room making me audibly groan in frustration.

"Seriously?!" I shouted.

"Told you" Caleb spoke making me roll my eyes.

"Boys welcome home"

"This isn't our home. We came for my sister and we're leaving" Alex spoke up.

"That doesn't seem to be on my schedule for the day. Why don't I have Dante help get you boys settled into your new rooms?"

"Y/n let's go"

"She's not going anywhere. She can't yet"

"Why not?"

"Show them" Caleb said as I glared dagger through him.

"Oh now you don't want to speak. Don't be rude y/n show them what I've gifted you" Caleb encouraged me again.

I simply kept quiet with my arms still crossed.

"Fine then I'll show them" I let out a scream as my arms separated from each other turning until my wrist was finally viable to the three boys in front of me.

"What did you do?" Reggie asked as they inspected the golden stamp on my wrist.

"This my dear pal Reginald is a new stamp and once activated will send shocks through y/n here once again. Only this time it'll hurt just about three times as bad. That is until you agree to become apart of my house-band. Or you could just leave her here on her own it's your choice really" Caleb spoke tapping my wrist.

My eyes widened as the stamp began to float in the air before placing itself back on my wrist.

Suddenly an excruciating pain coursed through my body immediately making me drop to my knees.

"You have until tonight's show to make up your mind" He spoke before flashing out leaving us alone in the empty ballroom. Immediately I was engulfed by a pair of strong arms as the pain tingled on my wrist.

"Y/n! Baby are you okay?" Luke asked wiping away the stray tears that had escaped my eyes

"What happened? How'd Caleb get to you?"

"It was in front of Julie's house this morning. I went to ring the doorbell. I didn't even get to do it before Caleb showed up, possessed my body, made me kiss Nick in front of Julie, and then brought me here"

"He made you do what?!" Luke shouted.

"Uh- did she not mention that?" I asked sheepishly.

"She did not"

"All she said was that you were acting really weird and that you left this note" Alex said pulling out a folded up letter from his back pocket.

"Then forget, I said it" I quickly spoke attempting to move the conversation along.

"We'll talk about his later. We need to figure out how to get this stamp off your wrist" Luke said inspecting it closely.

We sat in Julie's garage trying to come up with an idea on how to get the stamp off which wasn't going so well since it still was sending electric shocks directly through my body.

I groaned in pain as another jolt course me evidently leaving me weaker as the time passed. It was getting dark out and we were running out of time.

"Guys it's almost 8:30. The show starts at 9:00" Julie said showing us her phone screen.

"We've got to figure out how to get this thing off" Luke shouted in frustration at the rest of the band.

The three of them expressing concern on their faces.

"Okay we have to think. What happened last night? What did we do to make your stamps disappear" Julie asked as Luke helped me sit up.

"Easy. Julie said she loved us. We said it back then we hugged"

"That's it! Julie said she loved us. She connected with us and we did with her"

"So your saying Julie has to say it again and hug y/n?" Reggie asked.

"We could try it" Julie suggested walking over to me.

I nodded standing up immediately falling back down as I was zapped once more. The stamp on my wrist tingling afterwards.

"Baby are you okay?" Luke whispered holding me in his arms.

"I-I'm fine. Let's just get this over with" I spoke standing up once more.

I looked at the girl in front of me seeing her eyes filled with hope.

"I love you" She spoke softly pulling me in for a hug.

"I love you you too Jules" I whispered in her ear. We pulled back seeing the stamp flatly sitting upon my skin.

"It- it didn't work"

"Do it again" Luke demanded.

"It's not gonna work Luke"

"It has to. Do it again" He ordered. I shook my head no looking at the girl in front of me. Her eyes beginning to tear up.

"It's okay Julie. I'll be okay" I whispered wiping away the single tear that left her eyes.

"Don't worry about me"

"How could I not? I can't lose you a second time y/n. Your like my big sister and I really do love you"

"I love you too. But I guess it only worked the one time" I said before another shock hit me.

"We could always figure out your unfinished business" Reggie suggested as I regained my posture.

"We don't have time"

"I have to get the Hollywood ghost club before that show or I'll become thin air"

"I'm coming with you" Luke said standing up.

"No your not. You are staying here. With Julie. Where your safe"

"Julie's not my girlfriend you are. So I'm going with you whether you like it or not. I'm sure Caleb wouldn't mind anyways"

"Luke Patterson you are not going anywhere"

"He's not but I am" Alex spoke.

"I am too"

"Not you guys too" I groaned looking at Julie for help.

"Do you understand what'll happen if you guys come back with me? Calebs going to brand you for life"

"So what?”

"So everything we've accomplished up to now would've been for nothing"

"It's going to be nothing if your not here with us" Reggie spoke.

"Julie a little help here"

"You guys need to go with her" The girl said letting out a breath.

"No Jules. You need them here with you. It's not Julie and the Phantoms without the Phantoms"

"Forget about the band right now y/n. You need them with you. You can't live whatever life you have left without your friends, your family, and your true love" I sighed looking at the girl who smiled softly at me.

"You guys brought music back into my life and for that I'll be forever grateful. And with Flynn I'll get through this. But I will never forgive myself if I separate you from your boys" She said making my eyes water.

"Our boys" I corrected her pulling her in for a tight hug.

I sighed in content as the rest of the boys joined our hug one last time.

"I love you guys"

"We love you too"

And that's when I felt it.

The feeling from last night. I was no longer week. The tingling had stopped.

"Your shining!" Julie gasped pulling away first.

Smiles formed on everyone's faces as the stamp arose form my wrist dispersing into thin air.

"W-we did it!" We did it!" Alex shouted jumping up and down excitedly.

"It makes sense now. I didn't just hug one of you. I hugged all of you!"

"I guess love really does conquer all" Luke stated pulling me into his arms, making sure to leave space so I could still look up at him.

"We did it baby"

"We did it" I confirmed pulling him in for a loving passionate kiss with everyone cheering in the background.

————

Up Next: Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Jeremy Shada x Reader

Charlie Gillespie x Owen Patrick Joyner x Reader

Reggie Peters x Reader

Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Reggie Peters x Reader

Carrie Wilson x Reader

Sunset Curve x Reader

————

@lolychu @headheartbellarke @bookish0918 @kcd15 @ifilwtmfc @moviesbooksandfandoms @lovesanimals @lavender-writer @kaitieskidmore1 @morganayennefertyrell @iloveteenwolf @ghostofmgg @jammi13 @theravenclawlife

[reggie-rights]

Ok, so Jewish Reggie is something I hold near and dear to my heart (it's the projection) but for those of you who don't know, tonight was the second night of Passover, meaning it was the second Seder (big fancy meal with a very specific order that we use to celebrate being freed from slavery in Egypt). My family and I have this tradition where instead of a seder, my sister and I lead a "Vader," which is the Star Wars version of the Seder, and we have this whole rewritten Passover story that takes place in the Star Wars universe. It features characters like Moses-Luke Skywalker and Pharoah Palpatine.

The point of this is Reginald Peters would love my house at Passover time. And if you're celebrating, chag sameach!

[nooneactuallyasked]

Diner Gal - Reggie x Reader Part 10

Requested: It’s a series, there are no requests here!

Word count: 1,088

Warnings: Cursing

Summary: Julie and the Phantoms ( + Flynn ) go to a musical diner/café/restaurant for inspiration and hopefully a future gig but they end up meeting a very special waitress.

Note: I’m back! Sorry, I had catch up on school work but luckily I have a week off now so more time to write. We’re also nearing the end which makes me really sad lmao (if you have any requests or suggestions for other things to write about let a girl know lol)

I felt like adding more to the diner staff because it’s meant to be like a family but you only know some names and that Sam is the best character here- Caleb as Mother Gothel is my new favourite thing btw I have way too many Willex/Tangled headcanons for no reason lmao

---

Part 1 here   Part 2 here   Part 3 here   Part 4 here   Part 5 here   

Part 6 here   Part 6.5 here   Part 7 here   Part 8 here   Part 9 here  

---

Y/N absent-mindedly stirred a cup of coffee, staring into space as her co-workers observed her from afar. “Is- is she okay?” Sam whispered to Noelle who turned to glare at him incredulously, “You’re not serious, are you? She looks like her pet hamster was just taken for ransom and killed right after she handed over the money- what do you mean is she okay, of course not!” Sam raised their hands in defence, “Alright chill, I was just asking because if were to ask her I would straight up die. You girls are fucking scary.” You could almost hear the snaps of necks as all the female staff turned to glare at them. Noelle jabbed her finger into their chest, leaning close to their face. “Now you listen to me, Sammy, you haven’t seen scary and you best hope you never do. Now stop gawking and do your work!” She stepped back and went to pick up an order from the counter. Sam gulped and looked away, “That was kinda hot. Scary, but crazy attractive…” Casey raises an eyebrow and steps away from her observing point, “Okay, we get it, you’re a simp, get back to work before she actually gets mad.” Sam nodded frantically, saluting her before running to take orders.

Casey sighed, “I’m like a single mother but without the commitment of having real kids.” She turned to look back at Y/N, “And now time to sort this mess out.” Casey made her way over to the counter and started messing around with the ketchup and mustard bottles, “So, Doll, you gonna stay here feeling sorry for yourself or tell me what’s going on with you?”

---

Y/N sat in the break room, after hours once again due to Caleb. “Okay, Y/N, we’re gonna fix this, we’ll sort it out just fine! The only problem is the whole possession thing, I have no clue how that stuff works. If I can find a way around that then we should be fine…would an exorcism work?” Y/N tenses when she hears chuckling from behind her, “I hope you aren’t planning on getting rid of me, Diner Gal.” She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, all the tension flooding out of her body, “Hey, Leather Boy. No, I’ve got other ghostly problems other than just you.” Reggie frowned, he may be an airhead sometimes but he liked to believe he was at least a bit perceptive of other’s emotions so he decided to try and cheer her up anyway he could.

Reggie gasped, raising a hand to his heart feigning offence, “Are you cheating on me? I thought I was your only ghost problem.” He started panicking when he saw her shoulders start shaking, was Y/N crying? How do you comfort a crying girl and not make her even more upset? “Are you okay? I’m sorry!” Y/N quickly turned to look at him, “Sorry? For what? Oh” “Okay, so not that perceptive with emotions…” He muttered to himself, Y/N furrowed her eyebrows but shrugged it off

“Anyway, what are your ghostly troubles? Perhaps I could help since I do happen to be of the ghostly variety.” Y/N hesitated before blurting out her troubles, “OkaysotheresthisweirdghostmancalledCalebandhespossessingCalandIdontknowwhattodosoifyouhaveanyideasonhowtohelppleasetellme-“

“Okay, I know I’m a fast talker but I don’t speed Sonic the Hedgehog so slow down and I’ll help out as best as I can, alright?” Y/N nodded, suddenly taking great interest in the skin around her fingernails, “So, um, there’s this ghost dude who is possessing Cal, he said his name was Caleb and that I either have to make a deal with him or I’ll lose Cal forever.” But if I do that I’ll lose you too-

“Wow, that is rough. Um, okay, I’ll get Alex to ask his boyfriend if there’s anything we can do to help Cal. Just, don’t worry about it too much, we’ll get through this.” Y/N sniffed, feeling her eyes start to water, “We? You’ll really help me?” Reggie’s gaze softened and he took both of her hands in his, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, “Of course I will, I’d never make you deal with this by yourself, and hey, now we know why Cal was loading you up with extra work!” Y/N chuckled, turning her gaze toward their intertwined hands, “Thanks, Reg. That means a lot.” She smiled up at him as Reggie’s face and tips of his ears turned red, “You okay? You’re uh-“ She took one of her hands away from his grip and gestured towards her face. Reggie looked away, his blush worsening, “Point is, I’m here for you, so don’t worry! I’m gonna go ask Alex’s boyfriend for help but I’ll see you later.”

Y/N nodded as she moved away, giving him space to poof, “Right, see ya later.” Reggie held her gaze for a few more seconds before waving and poofing out.

“Well, I thought he’d never leave!”

Y/N spun around to face the purple-clad puppeteer she’d come to know as Caleb, “You. What do you want now?” She was met with a sinister laugh, one that she was quickly growing tired of. “My dear, I’m simply here to drop off something that will, when signed, make our deal permanent and binding.” Y/N rolled her eyes, “And exactly why would I sign that?” She shivered as the slightly tense atmosphere turned frigid, if the feeling before could be described as a muddy red, agitated but otherwise harmless, this feeling was a piercing blue, capable of cutting through a person and freezing them in place. “Listen here, girlie. If you ever want to see your precious Cal again you’ll have this signed before the end of the boys little performance on Friday. Is that clear?” Y/N swallowed before meeting his penetrating stare, “Crystal.”

“Perfect, I’m glad there are no misunderstanding between us, I wouldn’t want to accidentally lose Cal’s soul whilst I’m possessing him.” Y/N stared him down, hoping her glower had at least some effect on him. “You wouldn’t dare-“ “Darling, in case you hadn’t noticed, you hold no power over me and saying something as pointless as that won’t change anything. Now, here’s my contract. Do think over it, won’t you?” He placed it on the nearest surface before disappearing in a poof of black smoke. “Fucking dramatic ass bitch.”

Y/N ran a hand over her face, groaning at the thought of more problems being added onto her already comically long list. “I hope Leather Boy’s friend has some answers or I’m fucking done for…”

---

Taglist: (if your @ changed then please let me know so I can add it back!!)

@hereforthejatp   @slutforjjmaybank   @morganayennefertyrell

@dxestars​   @dcnerd98   @ultraworthlessbitch

@revolutionary-werewolf-ghosts   @underc0vercryptid​  @miisacore

@cas-loves-pizza​

[pearlcaddy]

In "To Real for One Little Heart" I always remember the first time Luke accompanies Julie to her building and from there they don't stop flirting, in general all the moments they had in their college years and not to forget how he asked her to join the band in the middle of the avenue all drunk.... also when it's Alex and Willie's wedding and Luke indirectly rejects Julie during their dance to bring up the subject of their cats' litter, and later when they show Luke the video and he ends up misunderstanding things.

But I have to say that "Wizarding World of Food Services" won my heart. From when it's Julie's first shift break and before the guys even met her they already knew about her, or when Luke and Julie flirt about how sexy is to be an expo god, Reggie's pick up lines, their outings to the park after their shifts, aghhh *chef kiss*

I’m so glad so much of Too Real stuck with you, because that fic is very near and dear to my heart, especially their bonding during the college years.

And super happy that you enjoy my extremely self-indulgent wee WWoFS verse!

[comeonpeters]

and so it begins

also on ao3

@troped-fanfic-challenge round 2 contribution

Theme: Fluff

Trope 1: Exes

Trope 2: Time Loop AU

Trope 3: Camp Counselors 

Trope 4: Prank Wars

It’s the first day of their second week at Camp Carolling (they’re spending an entire month, and they’re getting paid to be there!) when Reggie gets a little lost in the woods. It’s cool! Alex was also with him, so he has the kids, because Alex Mercer does not get lost, so Reggie is in the clear on that part. There’s a reason why he paired up with Alex for a lot of the wandering through the forest bits of the counseling misadventures, and it’s not just because Alex is his best friend in the whole world (no offense, Luke, but Alex really had laid a claim on him their first summer by dealing with his eccentricities by treating him just the same as everyone else), but also because of Alex’s excellent sense of direction, which had not rubbed off on Reggie at all, unfortunately. And it’s not to say that Luke isn’t also his best friend in the world! Or that Julie isn’t too! It’s just that Alex is his favorite, and Reggie really wishes he had stuck closer, because boy he doesn’t know where he is. 

He’s walking past a rock that’s shaped exactly like an egg when he notices it. Not the egg shaped rock, though he notices that too, obviously, because it’s shaped like an egg, but the cabin. There’s a cabin. On the Camp Carolling property. 

That can’t be allowed. But it can’t be new, either, because how would they have moved an entire cabin onto the Camp Carolling property without someone noticing? Someone would totally have noticed someone lugging all of those stones and logs into place, even if the forest is made of stones and logs, they still had to be moved from their original places to this one place, and really, they shouldn’t have some random stranger around all these kids. And, Reggie is an employee. It’s, like, his job to keep these kids safe. Right? That’s how it works, right? It’s only his second week being a counselor, and he’s not really sure how good he is at it. He’s only eighteen! Maybe he shouldn’t be the one investigating some creepy, middle-of-the-woods cabin at all. Maybe he should go get Alex-

It’s the thought of bringing Alex back here, the thought of Alex or Luke or Julie having to investigate something scary that has him investigating it himself. He can tell them about it when he gets back. Everything will be fine. There’s probably nobody out here anyway, right? Maybe it’s just an old cabin, like from before the camp plot was even bought, and Reggie is worrying over nothing. He’s acting like Alex! He’s being silly. 

A bush of flowers, the bulbs burgundy and nearly the size of Reggie’s hand, grows near the door of the cabin. They’re healthy enough that somebody is obviously taking care of them, hedged back from the door in a way that is most likely intentional, but Reggie still tells himself that he’s not going to get an answer as he knocks, ever so gently, on the door. He tells himself that he is only doing so out of caution. He’s doing it out of a professional obligation. This is his second job (the ice cream shop that he works at during the school year is his only legal job, seeing as Sunset Curve gigs and Julie and the Phantoms shows aren’t really consistently enough to count as a regular job, he thinks), and he is a good employee, losing Lex and the kids beside. He knocks on the door a second time, and it rocks gently open, though no one has opened it for him. 

Christ on a bike, that’s creepy. 

“Come on in then, dear, the tea’s almost done,” a voice calls from inside, a woman’s voice that sounds ancient. A shiver runs down Reggie’s spine, but he steps in anyway. It’s polite, right? He’s been invited. It’s not like he’s a vampire or anything, he doesn’t have to be invited to go into places, but it’s rude not to go into places when you’re invited, but anyway- The little cabin has unfinished stone and wooden walls on the inside as well, squat and homey, and Reggie feels a wash of warmth run over him that he hasn’t felt since-

He hasn’t felt this much at home since Bobby kicked them out of the studio. Playing at Julie’s studio (their studio now, her and Ray, her dad, they’ve reassured Reggie that it’s as much his home as theirs if he wants it to be, but it still doesn’t feel that way) still doesn’t feel… it doesn’t feel like this. This reminds him of his grandmother’s house back in Tennessee, the way it felt when she would set her guitar in his lap and put her fingers over his and teach him how to play. He should probably say something. 

“Um. Hi. I’m Reggie. I’m one of the counselors at Camp Carolling? Do they- do they know you’re out here? I didn’t think anyone was supposed to live out here,” he says awkwardly, tripping over himself as he stands awkwardly in the entryway. There’s a counter and cabinets between the entryway and the kitchen, so he can’t see the ancient-sounding woman who called him in, but he doesn’t want to come further into the cabin, even as homelike as it feels. He picks at the flannel wrapped around his waist nervously, wanting to bite at his nails, but Julie just painted them, and she’s asked him to stop biting them when she’s just painted them, and-

“Oh, they know me, dearie. Come have a seat, won’t you? As I said, the tea’s nearly done, and I’d love to have someone to drink it with. You look like you could use a good cup,” the lady says as she steps past the counter, and Reggie nods, blinking. She’s very small, is his first thought, looking at her. He’s not a tall guy, he knows that (even if he does love making fun of Luke for being half an inch or so shorter than him, and even worse with Reggie’s boots), but he has to look very far down to make eye contact with the cabin lady. She can’t be more than five foot even. Maybe four foot ten? She has about five inches of braided hair piled on top of her head, which adds to her height, but beneath that, she’s very, very small. It’s distracting. He doesn’t realize that he’s just lingering beside the table until she taps on it, gesturing toward the chair across from her and the tea set between the two seats. 

“Have a seat, then,” she repeats, “and have a drink with me. Everything will be fine, Reginald. You’re welcome here.” He doesn’t normally like it when anyone besides Alex (or, before, Bobby) calls him Reginald, but in this case, he finds himself relaxing into the seat offered, grabbing the kettle to pour tea when she gestures for it. Everything is… fine. Everything is calm. The tension rolls out of his shoulders for the first time in months. 

It’s weird. It’s really weird. It’s nice. 

“Thank you for the tea. This is nice,” he says once he’s had a sip of the flowery drink, smiling easily. He’s never been a tea guy, but he’s never had this kind of tea before; he should ask what kind it is. She smiles back, and it’s a warm feeling to be smiled at by someone so much older than him, like being smiled at by Ray, or Emily in the rare times she actually remembers she likes Reggie (when she remembers that he’s a good kid and not just a bad influence, because he swears he’s a good kid), or when his grandmother would smile at him. The lady puts down her tea cup with such an air that Reggie puts down his own, feeling as if there’s something that is about to be discussed. 

“Reggie, dear, there’s something we need to talk about,” she says, and he knows he should be confused (they don’t know each other, why do they have something to talk about?), but instead, the calm remains. The feeling of the cabin, the hominess and the settled feeling, it remains. 

“Okay,” is all he says, a little dazed, and she is still smiling, so he can assume she isn’t angry with him. It’s a bit of a sad smile, now that he thinks about it, but still not angry. As long as it isn’t angry, right? 

“You’re deeply unhappy, my boy. I could feel it as soon as you knocked on the door. You are a sweet, good boy, and you do not deserve all of the unhappiness that has made a home of your heart. I would like to give you a time to free yourself of your unhappiness. Would you accept?” she asks, offering something which confuses Reggie massively, but he can’t muster up his ability to panic. He knows he has the ability to panic. Where is it? Did he leave it with Alex? Where is Alex? Where is Luke? Where is Julie? Doesn’t he have somewhere to be? How can he accept? 

“What do you mean? Accept? What about you? Do you need anything?” he asks, because he doesn’t want her to do anything, to put herself out, when he could do something for her. You don’t know her, something in himself reminds him (it sounds awfully like Bobby, but he doesn’t think in Bobby’s voice anymore, he told himself he wouldn’t-), but he pushes it down. She smiles and pats his face. 

“It is your instinct to give that makes you so able to receive without judgement. Do you accept?” she asks again. Everything feels really weird. He doesn’t think. He can’t. 

“Yes.” 

He’s stumbling out of the cabin not a second later, fuzzy and dazed, like a force not his own is pushing him out. He notices a sign below the bushes of flowers, Take one!, it says, and so he picks a flower. He’ll take it to Julie. She likes flowers. She’s always liked flowers, and he likes making her smile, so at least then this whole thing will have added up to something, because he has no idea what just happened. At least the camp knows about the cabin, according to the lady in the cabin. Is she the best source? Jesus, now that he thinks about it, she might not be the best source. 

He’ll ask Alex and Jules and Flynn. They’re better at logic than he is. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He stumbles back to the egg shaped rock and picks a direction and hopes for the best. He’s only walking for a few minutes when he hears it: Alex’s voice above the hum of the kids is the best thing he’s heard all day. It can’t be right- he knows he wandered way further away from Alex when he was on his grand adventure to find the cabin, but he doesn’t care at this point. He just wants to find his way back to a familiar face, get back in the swing of things and forget this ever happened. He knows when Lex catches sight of him, because the mix of annoyed and fond might as well be patented. 

“You could have told me you had to take a leak, Peters. Did you get lost or something? Distracted by the flowers? You’ve been gone like fifteen minutes,” Alex says, and it only takes that much to make Reggie feel like his entire world has tilted sideways. Fifteen minutes? He’d been gone hours. 

“I thought- fifteen minutes?” he asks, his voice so strained it nearly breaks. Alex snorts, rolling his eyes. 

“Thought you were quick, huh? Come on, we gotta get the kids back before Julie has them for arpeggios and scales,” the blond says, clapping him on the back and keeping his arm around Reggie’s shoulders as they herd the kids back toward the central grounds. He makes the executive decision to put everything that’s happened for the past several hours (fifteen minutes??) out of his mind, focusing instead on Alex and then Julie (she does like the flower, though she gives him a weird look, and cradles it to her chest) and then Luke and their new friend Nick when he meets up with them for guitar lessons with the kids, and he just puts it out of his mind. It’s not that important. Everything is fine, right? Everything is calm. They’re at Camp Carolling! They’re counselors at Camp Carolling, just like they always said they would be. It doesn’t matter that they’re a member short and they’re all feeling the absence, because he still has his boys and his Julie and his Flynn and his family, and they’re not leaving, even if one member did. 

Everything is fine.  

It’s the second day of their second week at Camp Carolling (they’re spending an entire month, and they’re getting paid to be there!) when Reggie feels like the bottom is dropping out of his stomach. They’re integrating with the other side of camp today, rhythm and dance (where Alex would have gone if Reggie and Luke hadn’t convinced him to skate on his mad singing skills alone), and that means… Bobby’s a rhythm guitarist. And a dancer. If they’re integrating with rhythm and dance, they’ll see Bobby, if he bothered to come. Which is a tossup, really. Ever since he quit Sunset Curve, it’s not like Reggie knows him at all, so what does he know about what Bobby Wilson is going to do with his summer, with his life, what does he know about Bobby Wilson at all? 

“Reckon we’ll see him today, boys?” Luke asks, arms over Reggie and Alex’s shoulders as he pulls them both in beside him. Julie looks at them apprehensively, chewing on the side of her lip and looking like she might indulge in her own nervous habit of chewing on her knuckles. She’s not supposed to, because it’s the thing that she’s not supposed to do as long as Reggie doesn’t chew on his nails, but he won’t begrudge her either way. 

“Why does it matter if you see him, guys? We have a new band, and besides, it’s not like you guys have even talked about him since he left! Just… ignore him if you see him, okay? It doesn’t have to be a big deal. He left you guys. If you don’t want to talk to him, you don’t have to,” she says, talking in bursts like she does when she’s upset, and Reggie doesn’t want Julie to be upset about this. He knows that she worries about the fact that they were in a band before her, that she worries about them missing Sunset Curve, but she’s family. Ray and Julie and Carlos are family. He loves them. He stands up and puts his arms around her, pulling her so close he nearly pulls her off the ground, pulls her so close she squeaks. 

“Love you, Julie,” he says simply, and then he lets her go. A simple reassurance for a simple reassurance. You don’t have to talk to him for you don’t have to replace him. As much as he’s loved Bobby Wilson since he was thirteen years old, he loves Julie Molina too. She’s like a sister. 

“Love you too, Reg. I just… don’t want you to feel obligated to him, okay? You’re not,” she reiterates. He kisses the top of her head. 

“I know,” he lies, because he is. In a way, he thinks he always will be. They separate anyway, all of them going their own ways for their camp jobs, because they can’t always stay together. He has to work with other people sometimes, despite the fact that his comfort zone will always be with the people he arrived at camp with. Ray dropped them all off together, called him mijo and kissed his forehead and everything. Sap. He piddles around and does his job and high-fives Nick when he sees him and stops dead in his tracks as soon as he sees Bobby Wilson in the flesh, because what else is he supposed to do? What else can he do? Bobby has a guitar slung across him and no smile in sight, even though he used to smile every time he saw Reggie, and Reggie has no idea what to do with that. He has no idea how to fix what Bobby Wilson broke in him. 

"Hey Reg," the other boy says, slightly hesitant, and Reggie's lips remain pursed for a moment before he gives a nod of acknowledgement. No obligation. No fighting. Just acknowledgement. Nothing personal. 

"Bobby," he replies, and Bobby blinks. He knows why; he can't remember the last time he actually called the traitor by his name either. It's always been Bee or Bobbers or Bobbin or some other nickname dripping in affection. Not anymore. He watches as Bobby's expression shutters back to a close. He tries not to let it break his heart. 

"Right. I'll- um. I'll be anywhere else, I think," Bobby says, a stutter taking him over in a way that it hasn't since some of their first gigs (turns out, huddle style interviews with a dozen small-time fans are as good as speech therapy, better if the years of it not working were anything to go by), and something in Reggie wants to reach out, wants to comfort him, but he lets the anger, the bitterness, burn over it. He lets Bobby walk away from him all over again. No obligation. Nothing personal. Nothing, nothing, nothing. He watches Bobby’s back, looks at his suspenders because there’s no uniforms for counselors here, and he almost wishes there was because looking at them makes him think about popping them against Bobby’s skin like he used to, grinning and laughing, and he almost wants to cry. 

No obligations. Nothing personal. 

The day is mostly inconsequential after that. Alex met a dancer named Willie who really swept him off his feet- literally, to hear the tale, and Reggie does hear it. He meets Willie too, though briefly, at dinner, and hears about Willie’s friends. He’s friends with Nick, which is cool. He’s also friends with Bobby and Carrie, which is less cool. The rest of Carrie’s band also apparently followed the Wilsons to camp, which is just great. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t bother telling the boys and Julie about seeing Bobby again, because it doesn’t really matter. It’s inconsequential. It was barely a moment. 

The next morning, it’s announced that they’re integrating with the other side of camp. Rhythm and dance. Again. He turns to Luke, a question on his lips, when Luke throws an arm around his shoulders, and Alex’s too. 

“Reckon we’ll see him today, boys?” Luke asks, pulling them in just as he had the day before, and- it wasn’t the day before, was it? It was one of those freaky dreams that Reggie’s read about. He and Bobby used to read about conspiracy theories before- well, before. He’s read a lot about déjà vu and prophetic dreams, he’s just never personally experienced either so heavily before, and he’s sure that it will go away soon, it’s just-

“Why does it matter if you see him, guys? We have a new band, and besides, it’s not like you guys have even talked about him since he left! Just… ignore him if you see him, okay? It doesn’t have to be a big deal. He left you guys. If you don’t want to talk to him, you don’t have to,” Julie bursts out, and Reggie wasn’t paying enough attention to her mannerisms this time, but he gets up and hugs her anyways, squeezes her just as tight because he loves her and he knows her and he needs her just as much as she needs them. She’s the rock to his hard place, you know? That doesn’t really make sense, but it’s his vibe. He hugs her real tight, tight enough to pull her off her feet, just a little. 

“Love you, Jules,” he says, because he means it. He kisses the top of her head, because he means that too. She sinks into him, just a little, before he releases her. 

“Love you too, Reg. You don’t owe him anything,” she says, and it’s worded a little different than the dream, but it means the same thing. He kisses the top of her head again, just for good measure. She rolls her eyes and shoves him off, laughing. He likes making her laugh. It’s always nice. He doesn’t bother lying this time. 

When they all separate, he’s a little less assured that everything was a dream, because things are still the same. Nick still high-fives him, and everyone still asks him to do the same things, and everything is still the exact same. He doesn't know what to do, so he does exactly the same things that he did yesterday morning (last night in his dream?), down to letting himself trip over the front porch step on the cafeteria walkup. Alex had done a presentation on the butterfly effect once for an English class (their teacher had let them choose a movie or book to analyze against a scientific theory related to it, it was a really interesting project actually-) 

Reggie is almost ready to dismiss his strange sense of déjà vu when Bobby walks up to him again, an even more direct line than he had taken in Reggie's strangely prophetic dream. 

"I think I had a dream about seeing you again last night," is the first thing that Bobby says to him, and it's freaky enough to make Reggie feel really weird. He's never been excessively great at covering up his expressions around the boys either (and Bobby is still one of the boys, damn it, Reggie can't stop the years of safety and security that Bobby held in his own two hands), and he knows that he's showing his slight panic. 

"Was the rest of the morning exactly the same too?" he asks before he can stop himself, before he can remind himself that he and Bobby don't go together anymore, that Bobby left. Bobby grabs onto his wrist desperately, though never hard enough to hurt. Reggie wants to scrape out how much Bobby remembers about him, wants to take it all back, because no one else has known him as well as his boys (besides the Molinas, because they know him inside and out and he would put that on a billboard). He has to tune back into Bobby’s angry desperation, how it covers his fear. 

"It fucking was, Reg, what the hell is going on?" Bobby says, eyes blazing, all that fear fear fear so plain where Reggie knows only he can see. He shakes Bobby off of his arm easily. He desperately tries to ignore how hurt flashes over Bobby’s expression before he covers that one too. 

“I don’t know, dude. I don’t think anyone else knows, though. Luke and Alex didn’t seem to think anything was weird this morning, and Julie didn’t act any different either, and she’s the smartest of us,” he replies, shrugging a shoulder. He doesn’t want to tell Bobby about the creepy cabin and the definitely-not-a-witch. He doesn’t want Bobby to say the same thing everyone has always said. He doesn’t want Bobby Wilson to finally tell him that he’s being stupid. Bobby recoils slightly. 

“You guys brought- Julie came?” Bobby asks, and Reggie doesn’t have to ask how he knows who Julie is. Julie and the Phantoms, their band, has been all over social media lately. Flynn is a pretty baller social media manager, and it hasn’t been a secret that three quarters of the former Sunset Curve, a punk band, had suddenly turned poppy when they got a new lead singer. It’s been something of a sensation. And, it’s not like Julie wasn’t their friend before Julie and the Phantoms happened. It’s just that Bobby was never really close with her in the first place, and the four of them found each other in a lot of wreckage. A lot of fucking wreckage. Reggie shrugs again. 

“We told her about the promise we made as Sunset Curve, to come back to camp and be counselors ourselves, and she asked if she could come too, even if she wasn’t part of the original promise. We made a decision as the three of us. Wasn’t too sure we were going to see you here, to be honest,” he says, more honest than he means to be. He can’t look at Bobby, suddenly, and he picks at his fingers, plays with his rings, peels at the bandaid Luke had just put on him last night. Too vulnerable. Too much. Shatterglass and eggshells. He still doesn’t bite his nails. He promised Julie. He’ll keep his promises to Julie. 

“It was a promise,” Bobby says. Reggie snorts, again before he can stop himself. 

“So was everything else, Bobbin. Didn’t seem to matter then.” He pushes off the wall he’s leaning against, intending upon going back to the cabin and sleeping for the next hundred permutations of this day should there be more (he watched the Tuesday episode of Supernatural during Alex’s phase, unfortunately), but Bobby catches him by the hand. 

“I’m sorry, Reg,” he says, far too close to Reggie’s ear, nearly pressing it into Reggie’s skin. Reggie nearly breaks being so close to him. He pulls away anyway. 

“Shoulda said that a while ago, Bee. Shoulda never left,” he says, and it’s like the world resumes around them (it never stopped, everything was still happening, it’s just like the world stops when he’s caught within Bobby’s atmosphere), because he loses Bobby easily within the raucous of the camp. 

He listens when Alex tells him about Willie. He encourages him to talk to him again. He meets Willie and doesn’t make a big deal about Willie being friends with the Wilsons. He still doesn’t mention seeing Bobby. Then, after dinner, because he can, he climbs into bed with Luke, even if he’s about fifty percent sure he’ll wake up in his own bed on the same morning once again. Luke welcomes him with open arms and even more open cuddles, curls around him like the little octopus he is, sweaty and gross and exactly what Reggie needs. He tucks himself beneath Luke’s chin and falls asleep to the sound of Luke’s weird sleep humming, familiar and warm. 

He wakes up in his own bunk, just as expected. Alex has his hands on the edge of his bed, just as he has for the past two mornings (the same exact morning), and he knocks their heads together gently to wake Reggie up. Of all of the ways he could repeatedly experience being woken up, it’s one of Reggie’s favorites; it’s not one that Alex or Luke regularly indulges in, being as other people don’t think it’s normal or socially acceptable or whatever, but by the time Alex wakes him up, most everyone else has emptied out of the room; he’s actually running late, and typically, Reggie would be freaking out. Because it’s his third time living through the morning, he’s half tempted to just drag Alex back into bed with him. 

Instead, he does what he’s supposed to do. 

“Good mornin, Lexi,” he says as he has both of the other mornings, and Lex hits him with a pillow, just as expected. It’s only across his stomach, so it’s more fond than anything. That’s what Reggie tells himself, anyway. Alex pulls him out of bed then, shoving clothes at him until Reggie dresses himself and follows Alex out of the cabin in a semi-orderly manner, tying his flannel around his waist as he makes it out of the door. Julie falls into step with them as they make it up the cafeteria steps, linking her arm with Reggie’s as she has the last two renditions of this morning, but it still makes Reggie smile. Luke has already gone up ahead to meet up with Flynn, masterminding the summer rotation of Julie and the Phantoms advertising before breakfast and the announcement that they’ll be mingling with the other side of camp today. 

He already knows the morning is going to be the same. He knows it in his bones. He didn’t wake up in Luke’s bed this morning. 

“Reckon we’ll see him today, boys?” Luke asks after the announcement comes, and it confirms Reggie’s suspicions for sure. He goes through the motions of the conversation completely, not leaving anything on the floor because he’s not going to half ass a conversation with his friends just because he’s had it before. He loves them, and he’s not going to let Julie be insecure about her place with them just because of some repetitive day- what if this is the last time or something? He couldn’t do that to her. He high-fives Nick when he sees him and does his job and goes through the day. He sees Bobby and opens his mouth to speak, but Bobby beats him to it. 

“My dad asked me to leave Sunset Curve. Told me to, really.” 

That’s the first different thing he’s heard all day. And it’s enough to stop him midstep and nearly make him fall into the hi-hats they’ve got lined up against the wall of the rhythm cafe, except that Bobby catches him, because Bobby is the one who said it, because of course Bobby was. Bobby is the only one who could have said that, because Bobby’s dad is Trevor Wilson, extremely famous solo artist and general rock star, and no one else has ever left Sunset Curve successfully (Alex had tried, once, when he thought he was dragging everyone down, but they had talked him off that particularly wall), and-

“What?” Reggie asks, and the crack in his voice should be embarrassing, but he can’t dredge up the feeling. All he has is the sinking feeling of despair, because if Trevor asked Bobby to leave, then they’ve been letting him have this distance, this horrible fucking space because they thought he wanted it and- they’re supposed to be a family. 

“He said that he would sponsor Sunset Curve if I left and did a successful solo album first. If he could see our potential for himself. I’m almost done with it, so I should be able to make it on my own. Even if I don’t have Sunset Curve anymore,” Bobby says, the last bit tacked on like an afterthought, like a bitter aftershock. Reggie puts his hand on Bobby’s arm. It’s the first time he’s reached out to him in a long, long time. Bobby seems to realize this too, and when he looks at Reggie, the vulnerability in his eyes makes Reggie ache. 

“You left us, not the other way around, Bobs.” Fuck, that’s cagey. More defensive that he means. Bobby gives him a bitter smirk, opening his mouth, but Reggie squeezes where he holds Bobby’s arm still. “You didn’t explain. You didn’t say anything. You just left. You never talked to us,” he says, his voice calmer as he goes further. Bobby’s expression crumples, screwing up around his mouth. 

“You didn’t stop me, Reg! When I said I was leaving, you didn’t try to stop me. Not like we stopped Alex. Not like you would have stopped Luke. Not like we would have stopped you. A rhythm guitarist is replaceable, you know, you guys were never as attached, so don’t act like you weren’t happy I was gone,” Bobby pushes out the words like they’re insistent against his throat, and Reggie pushes himself against Bobby’s chest when they’re done, forces himself under Bobby’s chin and makes Bobby hug him. He pulls Bobby against him and hugs him none too gently, hugs him like he wanted to when Bobby left, because he was fucking devastated when Bobby left, it destroyed him when Bobby left, but he didn’t want to make Bobby stay somewhere he didn’t want to be. He pushes himself up against Bobby because that’s how they’ve always talked best, not looking each other in the eye but still close enough to feel each other’s heartbeats, and he both loves and hates how easily Bobby relaxes against him as soon as he’s close. When he speaks, he does so quietly, more gently than he’s been with Bobby in a year’s time. Only had to do today a third time to start talking like he should have been for a year. 

“I wanted you to stay. We wanted you to stay. But fuck, it hurt when shut us out, when you kicked us out. We thought we were family, Bee. Sunset Curve was our family, you were our family. We were supposed to have each other’s backs and you told us that you wanted out of our family.” 

“I didn’t want to kick you guys out. It just… it happened so fast, and you just packed up and left. I wanted you to keep using the garage, even if it was without me. But, Sunset Curve was family, and I was leaving Sunset Curve,” Bobby says, like that explains anything. Reggie wants to both pull Bobby so close that the other boy lives inside of Reggie’s own ribcage, and pull far enough away that he can punch Bobby in the face. 

“You’re an idiot, Bobby Wilson,” he says, stroking Bobby’s hair. As soon as he says it, Bobby tenses up. 

“What?” the other boy says, voice hardening again. Reggie scritches his nails along Bobby’s scalp. 

“You’re an idiot if you think we didn’t love you. We still do, even if we’ve been mad, and hurt, and whatever else for the past year without you, which has sucked, by the way. You’re our best friend, and the fact that you just left us, barely any explanation, and didn’t speak to any of us at all? Definitely aggravated some abandonment issues, yeah, but we still fucking love you. Honestly! You’re an idiot. Can’t believe you,” Reggie says, pulling Bobby even closer when it seems like Bobby might pull away or might not know what to do, because he can’t let Bobby pull away again. Not physically or emotionally or socially or ever, ever again. Bobby’s arms finally wrap fully around Reggie, delicate and unsure, and Reggie hums, satisfied. He’s missed this. Missed Bobby. 

“I knew Luke wouldn’t let me leave if it was for this. But I couldn’t waste the opportunity. My dad has a lot of connections that we might not have been able to make on our own,” Bobby says, but even the argument sounds like it has the air punched out of it. Reggie hums again, noncommittal. 

“He probably wouldn’t have let you leave without a fight, no, because anything your dad can do for us, we can do on our own talent, Bobbins. I know that you’re scared of never being able to make it, and I know that you think your dad can help us, but we’ve always agreed that we didn’t want to make it like that. Why did you think doing it like this would make things different?” he asks, making sure to keep his voice soft and the accusation out of his tone. He doesn’t want Bobby to puff up, because if Bobbers gets defensive, this conversation isn’t getting anywhere. He might as well have a conversation with a brick wall. He’s not the most intelligent former member of Sunset Curve (that honor goes to Alex, probably), but it’s better that he’s here than, say, Luke. Luke would definitely have started a fight by now. 

“I just… I wanted to help. And then you guys didn’t talk to me, and you made a new band so quickly and everything changed so fast, and the new album was all I had, Reggie, and Carrie told me that I should just work on that and say fuck it, so I just said fuck it, and maybe I shouldn’t take emotional advice from a Scorpio, but I didn’t have you guys at the time, so I just- I wasn’t- it was,” Bobby stops and starts and then stops all together, and that’s all it takes for Reggie to realize that Bobby is probably about to start crying. Reggie tucks Bobby’s face against his neck and presses his own face against Bobby’s hair, pressing a kiss into it naturally, just like he does with Julie, because the Molinas are even more affectionate than, say, Sunset Curve, and Julie and the Phantoms has become a codependent place to live too. He wants to make Bobby safe there too. There’s something he has to say first, though. 

“We didn’t reach out because we thought you didn’t want us to, Bee. When you walked away, I promise we wanted to follow you. At the very least, Alex and Luke did. It… hurt me. A lot. When you left. Sunset Curve was the only family I had before the Molinas. Alex had his sisters, and even when they fight, Luke’s parents still love him, and you have Carrie, and Trevor, in his weird way, when he wants to care. But I don’t- they don’t love me, Bobs. Not even Michael, not really. And when… when you left, they took care of me instead of thinking about you, and I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.” It had taken Ray months to get him into a therapist who got him to admit that his family sucked. It’s weird to just say it now. It’s only been a month and a half since he said it in therapy. Bobby squeezes him a little too tight, but Reggie doesn’t tell him to let go. It’s kinda nice, actually. 

“I shouldn’t have left. I’m really, really sorry, Reg. I love you, and it wasn’t ever about- I’m sorry,” Bobby struggles through apologizing, and it’s obvious he’s crying now. It makes something crack in Reggie’s chest, like a ridge is forming beneath the plates of his crust, tectonics shifting as it quakes. He kisses the side of Bobby’s head, wants to kiss his face, and that’s not a new thought. He pushes it down just like he used to, lays it to rest within him and does not give it a grave marker, slides it down beneath the rest. They’ve probably been too close for too long. They’ve probably done that a lot over the years. They probably won’t stop, if they’re going to be mending their friendship. 

That’s okay, he doesn’t mind. 

“I love you too, Bobbins. Everything’s gonna be okay,” he says, and it almost feels like it actually will. He loves Bobby Wilson, and for the first time in a year, thinking so doesn’t burn in his chest. Bobby pulls away from him and gives him a smile, and there it is. That same old problem. 

His love for Bobby is like a car in that starting it seems impossible if you don’t know how; it’s sat dormant for months without an experienced driver. Luke and Alex have walked around it for the past year, tapped on the glass of its windows, have had no idea how to even open the doors without a key in hand. It’s just a hunk of metal really, but if you have the key (Bobby’s smile in the ignition, just ready to sink his teeth in), it’s the easiest thing in the world, just a turning of metal within another piece of metal, just a spark, and everything comes alive, all of the noise and heat, and there he is, there’s all the love in him, everything alive in Reggie, and it’s there and ready to go and rolling down the hill, 40 miles an hour, 50, 60, as fast as anyone will let him before they hit the breaks. All of the fear of being hurt takes the backseat as Bobby slides into the driver’s seat, Reggie taking passenger because he’s never been in control of this. It’s okay, though. Bobby’s never been a reckless driver. He’ll be careful enough. Reggie has always been so ready to hand himself away to this boy. 

Same problem, same solution. Reggie shoves his love into himself and gives Bobby a smile of his own, offering him his hand as they exit. Bobby’s smile slides into a grin, but he shakes his head. 

“Unfortunately, we’ve both got work to do, Reg. I’ll see you later? Tomorrow maybe?” he asks, and they both know that tomorrow might not come. Reggie nods anyway, entrapped by that fucking grin, the sharp canine that overlaps over one of his other teeth, every little thing that Reggie has ever observed about Bobby coming back into sharp focus. And, god, he loves him. Jesus. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bee. Love you,” he says, and he walks away from Bobby feeling ten pounds lighter. It almost scares him when Bobby catches him by the hand halfway out of the door of the rhythm cafe, spinning him around and pulling him a little closer than they’ve ever gotten so quickly, and Reggie knows he’s blushing before he even sets himself to rights. 

“Sorry, just. Love you too,” Bobby says it like he’s following an impulse and then he kisses Reggie on the cheek (he’s never kissed Reggie on the face before, always kept it to his hair or his shoulder or his hands or-) and disappears out the door. Reggie blinks, standing stock still for a moment as the feeling rolls over him before he follows Bobby out of the door, the other boy already lost in the din of the camp. He goes about the rest of his day with a little more pep in his step, catching things before they fall and all of the things he maybe shouldn’t do for the butterfly effect of it all, but he just can’t help it. Everything looks a little brighter on the other side of the tunnel. He sees Bobby across the campground a couple of times, but never really close enough to engage, just enough to fluster himself. He needs to talk to the boys and Julie and Flynn. 

The soonest time he gets to see all of them is dinner that night, when Alex tells them all about Willie. Reggie doesn’t interrupt, and he gives the same advice he’s given the last two times (“You should totally talk to him again! In fact, where is he? Hey! Are you Willie? You should come eat with us!”), but afterwards, he tells everyone that he talked to Bobby. And the table goes strangely, eerily silent. 

“What do you mean you talked to Bobby, Reg? I thought we were gonna be cool about it,” Luke says, looking at Reggie mostly but looking at Julie a little bit, probably because he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings. Reggie doesn’t want to hurt her feelings either (and he won’t, not even for Bobby, but Bobby is important too), but he’s not going to keep this a secret from her either. 

“I am being cool about this! Bobbert apparently got convinced by his dad to make a solo album so that his dad would sponsor Sunset Curve, and Bobby didn’t think that he could tell us because you wouldn’t let him leave, but he didn’t want to squander the opportunity or whatever, but then he was really Bobby about it and got in his feelings, but we were also in our feelings, so overall Sunset Curve era communication skills were really, really shit and honestly we all owe our lives to Flynn and Julie, but furthermore, it’s my vote that we engage Robert T Wilson in a prank war, as he has wronged the former members of Sunset Curve, but he is still a former member of Sunset Curve himself, and dude, he cried on me earlier,” he ends out strong, because he knows nothing is more convincing that Bobby fucking Wilson expressing an emotion. He doesn’t realize he’s speaking more to the table than he is to his friends until he’s done speaking, but when he looks up, Luke and Alex are both just looking at him, Luke’s eyes wide and six shades of puppy dog, his smile just starting to curve upward, and Alex giving that shy smile like he’s just seeing Reggie. 

“Are you sure, man?” Alex asks, and Reggie knows why. He knows that half the reason that Alex and Luke held such a huge grudge against Bobby was for hurting him, and he knows that despite all of their implications and joking, everyone knows that he is the delicate one, not Alex. He bites his lip and looks at Julie, who gives him a smile, one that doesn’t even look hurt. Flynn is smiling too, so Julie must really not be hurting; Flynn is never good at covering up when Julie isn’t alright. She gets too mad. 

“I’m sure. So, what do you think we should do?” he asks, and that sets them off. Flynn has a lot of opinions for someone who has never participated in a Sunset Curve prank war, but she argues that it’s not a Sunset Curve prank war, being as all four members of Julie and the Phantoms (and their social media manager) plan to participate, and Reggie can’t help his smile when they say that. He likes the idea of having Flynn and Julie in on this too, can’t stand the idea of having a separation between the lot of them again, and it makes him smile even wider when Willie throws in an opinion too; Bobby has apparently talked about them some, and this might help. This might help. Thank God. 

“We are not going to just pie the guy, that’s so lame,” Flynn says, and that breaks Reggie out of his head. He puts his hand on their shoulder. He knows they’re right, that it’s the kind of shitty prank a bunch of thirteen year olds would produce, but well-

“We should definitely pie him. That was how we used to start our prank wars because when we were kids- or, well, it was just a few years ago, when we had first met, we were thirteen, and Bobby smacked me in the face with a banana cream pie in the doorway right over there,” he points to the cafeteria doorway where Bobby had ambushed him, the fond memory washing over him. It had been a dare from one of the other boys at camp, and Bobby had regretted it immediately when he thought Reggie was going to cry (he wasn’t that sensitive, he just had whipped cream in his eye!), but when Bobby decided to hang out with him instead of going back to hang with the other boys, Reggie wasn’t even mad about the pie. He just started pranking Bobby back, and brought Luke and Alex into it too, and that’s how they got started. Hearing this, Flynn nods. 

“Okay. Do you still know where the camp keeps their pies?” they ask, and Reggie breaks into a grin, nodding back. 

It would probably look suspicious if they all got up from the table, so Flynn makes Luke, Alex and Willie stay. Reggie winks at Alex when Willie isn’t looking, making the other boy blush a pretty pink to match his signature hoodie. It’s always charming to leave your best friend with your other best friend, who happens to be his ex-boyfriend, and his pretty obvious new crush. Reggie leaves with Flynn and Julie, glad that he’s not make small talk with that crazy crew (not that he’s ever made small talk with Luke and Alex; they would probably just end up one upping each other with who could tell Willie the most embarrassing story about Bobby the fastest, seeing as he’s had a year’s time to tell Willie stories about them, should he so please). He links his arm with Julie as he usually does, who links her other arm with Flynn, even if they make a conspicuous picture together. Flynn has told him that one of the best ways to be inconspicuous is to be conspicuous in other ways all together. 

He’s not sure if they’re right, but he’ll take it. 

“Okay, so they’re back there in the fridge, sweets are on the right hand side, pies are usually in the bottom. I can absolutely guarantee about thirty seconds,” he says, and then he lets go of Julie, pushing Julie and Flynn into the kitchen as he catches sight of-

“Hey Marge!” he says brightly, injecting excitement into his voice and making sure not to look in the direction of the door he just pushed his friends into. If he gives them up, they’re all fucked. Luckily, Marge just looks as excited to see him as she always does, just as excited to see him as she’s looked since he was tiny and thirteen and adults liked him so, so much more than kids ever had. 

“Reggie, my love, where have you been? You haven’t come to see me at all this week. I almost didn’t think you were coming back,” she says, and then they’re off. He talks about the band for as much time as he can; Marge doesn’t really understand the social media kickoff they’ve been able to get, but she likes how excited he gets, so that’s nice. He asks her about her kids, her grandkids, even the nieces that used to come around to camp just to visit every couple of weeks that he can just barely remember the names of- he’s good like that. He’s not sure how long they’ve been talking when Julie comes up and grabs his shoulder, sliding him a smile before turning her charm on Marge. 

“Hi! I’m Reggie’s friend, Julie. Is there any chance I could steal him from you?” she asks, all smiles and barely there pretty girl laughter, and Marge just smiles back at her, giving her a nod. 

“Reggie has been telling me all about your band, so I could hardly keep him from one of you three. It’s wonderful to meet one of you. Come back and see me, my boy,” she says, and she kisses Reggie on the cheek, and then she goes back to the kitchen. It makes Reggie feel warm, and he wishes he hadn’t come to see her just to steal a pie; it makes him feel dirty. That only lasts for a minute as Julie pulls on his arm, giggles bursting out of her chest as Flynn rejoins them, slipping out with a pie in hand, cling wrap still holding it together. A smile takes over his face as well as he puts his arm around Flynn’s shoulders, snagging the pie with his other hand. This is his prank. He’s gonna do it. 

That’s what he thinks, at least, until Alex steals the pie from his hands, putting on the table in front of himself. 

“I wanna do it. And I want you to be standing behind me, and I want Luke to be there too, for maximum drama potential. Listen, we’ve been plotting it out, work with me here,” Alex says, both hands on the table in front of the pie. Reggie considers it briefly, but decides, well, all three of them should be involved, and then both Flynn and Julie could be there for it too. And Willie could do the lead in. At the suggestion, Willie grins. 

“I’m in,” they say, bumping his wrist with Reggie’s own. Then, they just set the plan in motion. The lot of them actually have to eat their dinner at this point, seeing as they’ve been talking and plotting and planning when they were supposed to be eating, so they rush through their meal and get up in shifts; he and Luke and Julie get up and go sit on the cafeteria porch first, sitting on the railing to shoot the shit and talk, killing time while the rest of the plan goes accordingly. Willie moves to sit with Bobby about halfway through the meal, unlacing his fingers from Alex’s hesitantly, though the rest of them pretend not to notice. Flynn and Alex move to linger by the door, surreptitiously disguising the pie in Alex’s jacket as they stand to talk behind the shadow of the alcove. 

It’s all coming to a head when they can all hear Bobby’s voice. 

“Wills, I don’t see the point in getting back into conspiracy theories, dude. They just don’t interest me that much any-” Bobby is cut off as he steps out of the doorway of the cafeteria, pie hitting him directly in the face as he sputters. He’s looking around wildly and his eyes catch on Alex first, then Flynn, then Luke, before finally landing on Reggie, who gives a loose fingered wave and a smile. He watches the way that it settles over Bobby exactly what this means (because after the first pie, they’ve never used pies on anyone but friends, they’ve always been a good natured prank, a sweet prank), and he watches as the anger and fear twists to wonder and Bobby looks more open than Reggie has ever seen Bobby Wilson ever look in public, and he looks so open Reggie could cry. The wonder gives Bobby his smile back and, covered in whipped cream and newfound joy, he waves back. 

By some unfair deity and miracle, he’s never looked more beautiful. 

“I’ll get you back for this, you know,” Bobby says, his head tilted up like he’s speaking to Alex, but he still hasn’t taken his eyes off of Reggie. Alex snorts. 

“Sure, Bobbers. Just like we’ll get you back for leavin’ us for a year just because your dad told you to. Shut up,” Alex says, and the tension that’s settled over the group leaves as soon as Alex wraps his arms around Bobby, uncaring of the pie that gets on his jacket, dissipating even more as Luke joins in, dragging Julie, who is laughing, in with him, and Reggie comes too, because this is all he’s not let himself want for the past year, and he snags Flynn and Willie just because he can, making their group hug a seven person event that includes five of his closest friends, himself, and one person he’s just met. Which is awesome. He can’t imagine what it’s like to be Willie right now, hearing about them vaguely for a year and then being dragged into this, but you win some, you lose some, right? 

“I am gonna get you back, you know? I wanna make that clear. And Willie, even if you think Alex is cute, you’re on my team,” Bobby says after a minute of allowing affection on his person, and Reggie can’t help his helpless laughter as the group breaks apart as Alex and Willie separate, unable to look at each other directly. 

“Can’t let us have one moment, can you, Wilson?” he asks as he comes face to face with Bobby again, his eyes sliding over Bobby’s face with a near obsession. He holds himself back from reaching for Bobby, though his fingers twitch to touch him again. Bobby grins at him, biting his lip in a way that makes Reggie stare without really realizing it. There’s still whipped cream on Bobby’s forehead. He should not be charmed by this. 

“We’ve already had our moment today, wouldn’t you say, Peters?” the other boy says, which sounds much more suggestive than crying in front of each other, but alright. He and Bobby had always had a somewhat flirtatious friendship, but this is… something else. Even when he wanted to… even when he and Bobby were… Jesus. 

“There’s an energy here. I’d say there’s an energy here, right?” Flynn stage-whispers to Alex (who still won’t look at Willie through anything but the corner of his eye) and Julie (who is enjoying all of the energies here and is leaning against Luke, who doesn’t seem to mind at all, blushing himself), who nod conspiratorially. Reggie hates that he can feel himself flush immediately. Bobby just slings an arm over Reggie’s shoulders, kissing Reggie’s temple and making Reggie wonder quietly at how comfortable they’ve already become again. 

“You hear that, babe? We’ve got energy,” Bobby says, almost directly in Reggie’s ear. Reggie hides his face against Bobby’s collar, but that only serves to put him closer to Bobby’s person, which only flusters him more, which is sincerely a vicious cycle, he must say. Carrie and her friends choose that moment to exit the cafeteria, which they’re still kinda semi-blocking the door of, which means that she sees, well, everything that’s going on right now. Reggie goes to pull away from Bobby, seeing as this is Bobby’s little sister (only a year and a month of difference, and adoptive, but, well), but Bobby holds onto his waist. Carrie looks Bobby up and down and then gives Reggie an even quicker once over, barely lingering over him before going back to her brother. 

“So you’re back in with these losers? No more crying into pints of dairy free ice cream?” she says, her tone cutting and a little cold, but Reggie knows Carrie better than that. He’s known her since she was twelve, he’s seen her cry over a Little’s Pet Shop purse being out of stock, and he helped Bobby figure out pre-ordering when they were fourteen so that they could make sure that it never happened again. Bobby just gives her a smile. 

“We talked it out, Care. However, you are on my team for the prank war, so I will be needing your mind,” he adds, giving her a smile that Reggie finds charming but he imagines Carrie probably finds annoying (he’d probably find something like it annoying on Michael, as is the condition of older brothers, so), and Carrie sticks her tongue out. 

“Fine. But if I’m participating, I plan to win. Detach yourself from loverboy and let’s go,” she says, pursing her lips. If Reggie could stop blushing, that would be beautiful. Luke, however, has other ideas, and catches Bobby by the shoulder before he can make it down the steps. He drags him over to the side of the cafeteria like that’ll dull the sound any, and like it’s not then easy for all of them to hear every single word that comes out of Luke’s mouth. 

“If you ever hurt Reg again, I’ll break both your ankles and your guitar, dude. I love you and you’re one of my best friends, we are family, but you weren’t here for the past year. You didn’t see what happened to him. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but dude, take care of yourself and take care of him,” he says, and then there’s a moment of silence, and then Bobby is shoved back into view. He looks a little shaken up, and he takes Reggie’s hand as soon as he sees him, looking at Carrie for a moment, and she nods. Reggie looks at Flynn and Julie, suddenly unsure of himself, and they both nudge him along as well, and so he lets Bobby take him down the path to the rhythm cafe, which seems to be becoming a thing for them. It’s private, which is something. 

“This evening has gone very differently from the previous two,” he says in an effort to break the tension, maybe to distract Bobby from what Luke said, maybe because he doesn’t want to talk about it. Bobby squeezes his hand. 

“Reg, buddy. Babe. Come on. What did he mean?” Bobby asks, and Reggie wants to linger on word choice here, he really does, but Bobby’s looking at him like he doesn’t really have a chance to linger here. Reggie takes a deep breath. 

“Shit, I- things hit me hard, when you left. I closed off. Luke and Alex didn’t know what to do. Things were getting even harder at home, and Julie was letting me stay over more, and so we were hanging out more, and that’s when the music started happening, but it was hard, you know? I needed you, I guess. You needed us too, I know that now. But I didn’t then. I just knew that I needed you and you weren’t there and I didn’t think you wanted to be there either, and… I missed you a lot,” he explains, poorly, and he can’t look at Bobby when he talks, but he doesn’t feel confident enough to pull Bobby close now. He’s wiped the whipped cream off off his forehead by now, onto his hands and then his jeans, and Reggie wonders what it would be like if he could look at Bobby and not wonder what it would be like to kiss him. It’s harder to press down the thought now. 

“I’m sorry I left, Reg. I love you so, so much,” Bobby says, his nose resting gently against Reggie’s own, and Reggie doesn’t know when Bobby moved so close. He doesn’t know when his other hand grabbed onto Bobby’s shirt, he doesn’t know when Bobby’s breath ghosting over his face started feeling right, and he certainly doesn’t know when Bobby’s I love you started feeling like something different than what it felt like before. But he doesn’t know. He can’t know for sure. 

“I love you too, Bobbins. I love you too,” he replies, because of course he does, and Bobby rubs their noses together, smiling gently like Reggie isn’t getting something, and then he dips in to kiss him, slowly and gently, gently, gently, gently. Bobby’s hand is holding Reggie’s face like he’s something made of spun glass and sure things, like Reggie is made of everything important in the world, and Reggie’s hand stays fisted in Bobby’s shirt, his other hand with fingers clinging to Bobby’s own. They kiss slowly, like they have all the time in the world, like they didn’t waste a year not talking to each other, like they don’t have two diverging paths in front of them, like they don’t have a prank war to plan and two separate sides to be on, and like they’re not eighteen years old and they couldn’t be going much faster and making much rasher decisions. 

He feels like Bobby’s taking them cruising down a backroad, holding his hand over the gearshift while they watch the trees go by. He could stay in the car forever with this boy. When Bobby pulls away, he doesn’t go far, not this time, just sets his forehead against Reggie’s and breathes. 

They just breathe together, and the closeness feels like coming home. 

“I’m still gonna prank you, you know,” Bobby says, because he can’t deal with one single emotional moment. Reggie gives him a brief little peck of a kiss just because he can, and he’s delighted to see how it makes Bobby blink, even given how they’ve just kissed, and he’s only doing it again. 

“Wait, you’re cute. I always knew you were, but you’re, like, actually cute all the time, aren’t you? That’s sweet,” Reggie observed, surprised by self-proclaimed-at-fifteen ‘badass’ Bobby Wilson being cute when Reggie so much as kisses him, and he’s even more delighted when Bobby goes from pink to a red that rivals even Reggie’s own flushing tones. It takes Bobby a second to even be able to speak. 

“Reg, I swear. Take that back. I am not- you’re cute. Not me. Don’t- I- Shut up,” Bobby trips over himself, trips over his own words, flustered, and it warms Reggie’s chest so thoroughly he feels fit to burst with it. He leans in and kisses Bobby again, never so glad as now that they’re so close in height, because it’s so, so easy to just kiss this boy who’s very, very kissable in the first place. Bobby kisses him back and pulls back just to kiss him again, and again, and then on his cheek, and then his nose, and his other cheek, and his forehead, and Reggie is laughing even though he doesn’t mean to, and this might be the best day of his life. He’s so happy he feels like he could float away, adrift with the wind, but he has Bobby still holding onto his fingers and wrapped around him, and he’s so, so happy. 

“I love you,” he says again, and he’s never meant anything with more of himself. Eventually, he and Bobby have to separate and go to their own cabins, which actually means that they're going to plan their own wars, but dear God, for this moment, he’s standing too close to a boy who loves him back to think about how the night will end and the day might begin again. When they do leave each other, Bobby presses him gently against a wall and kisses him goodnight, and Reggie cups his face when he does it, just to remind him that Reggie is holding the world when he does it too. Instead of asking questions, Luke and Alex go directly into planning mode, charting the course for a few pranks and ribbing him just a little for how mussed his hair is, cracking a joke or two about sharing a bed now that he’s taken or whatever. It’s so normal that Reggie feels like he could crack right open, and when he goes to sleep in his own bed, he falls asleep easier than he has all year. 

He wakes up to a new morning the next day, a bed full of silly string, and a note from Bobby. 

I told you I would. Come find me? 

And so it begins. 

(When he remembers, he does, eventually, try to find the cabin again. He gets so far as the egg shaped rock before getting so disoriented he nearly passes out, and he decides that it simply is not worth it. He already has his miracle.)

[ourloveisforthelovely]

On making you happy Part 3

Harry Potter Marauders Era 

Link to Part 2

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: M- 

____

“She said what?”

Regulus asked, his mouth gaping. You felt yourself blush. The last thing that you wanted to do was repeat Walburga’s comment.

“Don’t make me say it again, Reggie.”

Regulus chuckled.

“My mother needs more friends. She’s a basketcase and needs other basketcases to network with.”

Regulus stood and closed the distance. He put a hand on your cheek with a smile.

“She said you looked lovely in the dress. I can’t wait to see it.”

You sighed as he leaned down for a soft kiss.

“You won’t have to wait long. The dress is more fluff than I would have personally cared for. I think your mother overdid herself.”

Regulus chuckled.

“You are the shiniest penny in a room. My mother has never had a daughter to dote upon. She’s different from you.”

(2 months later)

The wedding day came quicker than you expected. You sat as your mother fixed your hair.

“You look so lovely, sweetheart. I want you to be very happy. It doesn't matter whether this marriage is arranged or not, I think that you love Regulus very much already.”

You smiled as she put a strand of pearls around your neck.

“I love him very much.”

Your mother smiled as she fixed the skirt of your ridiculously puffy dress.

“I know that he loves you. I can see it in his eyes. He’s had that expression of awe on his face since the first moment that you met as children. Now he’s going to care of you the way that your father and I never could.”

You looked down at your lap.

“Mum, I’m not marrying him for his money. I do love him. I consider it marrying for love. It just needed your and Walburga’s help to make it happen. Father and yourself gave me more than money could buy as a child. It wasn’t such a bad thing growing up poor.”

Your mother smiled again and pressed a kiss to your face as one of Walburga’s maids stepped. in

“Ms. Y/n. Master Regulus is here to see you.”

You quickly stood up and rushed to the door. Regulus stood with his back to you.

“Reggie, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you before...I wanted to see you.”

You fought the urge to throw the door open and rush to him.

“It's bad luck to see the bride before the service.”

“Do you believe in such things?”

Regulus questioned. He had spent the whole morning a ball of nerves. Walburga had spent the whole morning telling Regulus that he was doing the right thing.

“I don’t care if you love her. You can hate the girl for all that I care! All that I want from you is to not make a fool out of our family. You are not your brother, Regulus. Be the heir that you are supposed to be.”

Walburga’s cold words had annoyed Regulus more than he ever expected them to. His mother’s cruelty had never proved to be more obvious than it was now.

I choose to marry for love…

Regulus’ thoughts were interrupted when you spoke.

“We need all of the luck we can get, don’t you think?”

Regulus turned. You couldn’t help but feel giddy over the expression on his face. He gave you a small smile.

“We have all of the luck we need. You look beautiful, darling.”

You could tell by the expression on Regulus’ face that something was bothering him. Stepping forward, you put a hand to his cheek. His eyes rolled to yours.

“I love you. I’m marrying you because I love you. This isn’t out of some sense of duty or obligation. It may have been at first but it isn’t now. I want to make you happy.”

Regulus’ arms wrapped and your waist before noticing your mother watching with a smile.

Your mother was different. In fact, your whole family was so different from him. There was actual love in your family. Regulus could see it anytime that your family was near. It was something that he never had growing up. He didn’t have a mother or father who went out of their way to show that they loved him. Your parents were telling you that they loved you when you went out of the room.

His mind also went to your sister Margaret. The relationship between Margaret and yourself was one that he wished that he could still have with Sirius. Margaret was 15 and worshipped the ground that you walked on and the same went in reverse for you.

She won’t be around much longer…

Regulus thought morbidly. It was no secret to either of you that Margaret didn’t have much longer to be around. After being born with a weak heart, her condition was rapidly catching up with her. Maybe that was part of the reason that Regulus agreed to the marriage so quickly. You would want your little sister there. Maybe there was some doctor that Regulus could afford to have a look at the child. The longer that you had Margaret in your life then the longer Regulus would have a happy wife.

“You do make me happy.”

You said as your mother stepped in.

“It's time, my dears.”

The wedding went on without any major ordeals. You twirled in Regulus’ arms as the two of you giggled over how over the top your wedding dress was.

“You are a beautiful poofball.”

Regulus laughed as you shoved his curls away from his face.

“I hope you can find me under all of this fluff. Your mother made me look like a puff with legs.”

“A lovely puff with legs.”

Regulus giggled. The two of you stopped the moment that Orion Black walked over. His cold eyes locked on his youngest son. Regulus’ face went from happy to serious and miserable.

“My son, your mother, and I would like to have a word with you. I am sure that your new wife can be without you for a moment.”

Regulus gave you a sympathetic look before letting go of your hand. You waited a moment before rushed across the room and kneeling down in front of your sister. Margaret’s blue eyes shined as you kissed her hand.

“You look lovely in your dress, sissy.”

You wanted nothing more than to be able to get Margaret up and dance with her like sisters were supposed to.

“You look beautiful too. Margaret, Regulus and I were talking...there’s a doctor in London…”

Margaret reached out and put a trembling finger to your lips.

“Y/n, let’s not talk about this now. Today is your wedding day. Let's just be happy.”

(A few hours later…)

You lay snuggled against Regulus’ chest.

“You looked so beautiful tonight.”

Regulus said as you placed the palm of your hand against his. You smiled watching as the light of the candles reflected off your wedding bands. Regulus stroked his fingertips down the inside of your hand.

“Let’s run away together,”

You said, softly. Regulus smiled. You didn’t expect that. Deep down you expected him to lash into some tangent about how he was doing his duty to the dark lord or that you were being some silly childish girl. Instead, he smiled down at you and raised an eyebrow.

“Where would we go?”

“Paris?”

You suggested. Regulus turned on his side to nuzzle his face against yours. He wasn’t letting the second speech of “now that you’re married, give us a grandchild” ruin his night. All that Regulus wanted was for his wedding night to be special and it was going to be.

“Does my wife want a romantic getaway?”

You nodded. Perhaps if you could just keep buttering him up enough, you could get Regulus to change away from the bad.

“Maybe just to have you all for myself.”

“Paris, it is.”

____

@fairywriter-oracle

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[jennortegas]

creator tag game

rules: answer the questions and then tag 10+ other creators to answer the questions! thank you @tarasmaclays @miriammaisel  @neve-campbells and @sadiestanley for tagging me!💖💖💖💖

first creation and most recent creation of 2020: this technically wasn’t my very first but it was in january of this year this betty cooper aesthetic edit and most recent in this lemonade mouth edit

a creation you’re really proud of: this legion of horribles one I did for gothamnet, this was the very first gifset and even though its not the best, for a first try it’s nice and near and dear to my heart

a new style you tried this year and a gifset that uses it: this is cheating but every gifset counts BECAUSE IT’S TRUE, I don’t think any of them have consistent stylings I tried so many different styles.

your favourite colouring: THIS JEROME ONE, the purple and orange was just so *chefs kiss*

a creation that took you forever: this one for the gcwca secret santa, making it wasn’t long but planning it took forever because I wasn’t sure what to do and kept scrapping ideas.

your creation from 2020 that received the most notes: JATP x Descendants, I love it a bunch and im glad it has the highest notes.

a creation you think deserved more notes: literally any hsmtmts edit ive done lol, I think the first episode one I did is the only one to get up to 100 notes.

a creation with a favourite scene/quote: this scene from hsmtmts where they’re taking the photo for the playbill, it’s so cute and the costumes are so accurate I couldnt believe.

a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it: JATP!!!!! So far Ive only done the one in the most notes question for it which is a crime but im hoping to make more in the future.

a creation you made that breaks your heart: none that I know of??? 

a ‘simple’ creation that you really love: this gotham transformations one, another one from my time of only making graphics. I definitely want to redo this one day in gif form.

a creation that was inspired by another one: I guess the legion one again since it was part of a month prompt where we tried everyone’s creating styles and it’s closest to how tianna does her usual edits

a favourite creation created by someone else: very bias since it was a gift for me but alexandria really did THAT with this reggie and evie edit I cant get enough of it

some of your favourite content creators from the year: THIS IS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD IM SO SORRY FOR NOT INCLUDING EVERYONE- for starters the three that tagged me in this I love yall,  @iridescentides @merceralexs @victoriousvaleska @poisonygma @marthaskane @sunsetscurving @madisonreyes @calebcovington @sonyarebecchi 

a for good measure, another a couple more creations of yours that you love: this lela from tbm, that lela from tbm2, jimlee aka my gotham parents, the magician- based episode of gotham, the soft trio from hsmtmts 

tagging: any creator that hasn’t done this yet because im doing this super late and everyone has probably been tagged already dfsjhdfsjkdfsj. If you do it, tag me! And also tag me in your edits, I love seeing quality content!

[secret-engima]

I know you probably had too many bastard LC AU OC, but I can't help but entertain with the idea of Lightning Farron as one of them. Light probably not interest of being royalty and just being her lone wolf self and do whatever she please. Then the knowledge of what the prophecy entail come up and when 'no.' Like this is someone who sister being turn into crystal and decide 'let fight god then'. Or maybe I just like the idea bahamut realize who Light is and just 'oh no, not her' XD

I don’t have near as many as I COULD so sure let’s open a slot for one more. Also-

Ohhhhhhh.

OOHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

I am not particularly “Up” on anything FF13 since I never finished the first game let alone played the other two but like- I LOVE HER. I love her from what I’ve seen in Dissidia NT and what I know from the game before I quit playing.

ohhhhhhhhhhh. I need to think about this one.

Some initial thoughts-

-This is a world after … whatever went down in FF13-2 and FF13-3 which I’m fuzzy on the details but I know it led to the making of a new world and stuff so we’ll all pretend that world was Eos.

-Regis’s road trip Oops Bby. Born to Altissian mom, doesn’t know about her magic or remembers her past until an accident nearly killed her when she was …. let’s say 8. Her magic reacted to the danger and saved her (probably the incident was a fall and her magic reacted on instinct to do that lightning float thing Lightning can do in the beginning of the first game). After that, she passed out for about three days while all her memories loaded. Woke up and freaked out over having magic because, you know, LC magic looks A LOT like l’Cie magic and for a while she was super paranoid about being saddled with a Focus. But the world she’s woken up in is … not like her old one. Not really. There are similarities but not ENOUGH.

-Starts training because she’s not an idiot, magic wants to be used and if it isn’t it will react Badly™. That, and she knows the bedtime stories of this world, the only two lines with magic are LCs and Oracles and while she’s blond, she REALLY doesn’t think this is Oracle magic.

-Weskham finds her about a month into her training, catches her trying to figure out how to use tiny bursts of ice to cross a body of water and goes “Oh dear”. Takes her under his wing and finds her … worryingly mature and paranoid. Lightning’s mom is a “lady of the night” to use the more polite Alitissian term and isn’t really … a bad mom, but is busy a lot and tired a lot and doesn’t have time to spend on Lightning more than necessary. Considering Lightning is so self-sufficient, that means Lightning is on her own a lot of the time. It makes Weskham angry.

-Weskham contacts Regis. He HAS TO. It’s his duty and this child needs a proper guardian. Lightning just about runs away into the hills, but Weskham HAD warned her beforehand and Lightning knew that she … probably wouldn’t get very far if she tried to survive in the wilds as a “wayward LC”. She knows about the Empire, she can put pieces together. Especially since she’s physically EIGHT and it would be impossible to get around without a “guardian” of some kind.

-Of course, to make it a little easier on her (and funnier for him) Weskham doesn’t CALL Regis when he contacts him, no, Weskham packs his bags and carts Lightning all the way to Insomnia to meet her dad in person (Lightning does take time to say goodbye to her mother in person, her mother is … understanding and kind, but doesn’t fight it, Lightning isn’t sure how that makes her feel).

-Weskham takes her to Insomnia and because Lightning is only 8 rn that means Aulea is still alive and Gladiolus is just born (I think). On the way to Insomnia, Weskham stops in Hammerhead to say hi to Cid. Cid takes one really long look at the pasty blond 8 yr old at Weskham’s heels with piercing armiger blue eyes and sighs. Because there’s no way that kid is Weskham’s, but something is clearly going on and Cid isn’t stupid.

-Cid: “Reggie’s kid?”

-Weskham, smiling serenely: “I’m on my way to introduce them now. Care to come?”

-Lightning, watching the unholy gleam in Weskham’s eyes and the protective, righteous wrath blooming in Cid’s: “You did this on purpose.”

-Anyway yes much drama ensues and Regis needs to sit down with a tall glass of water. Lightning is unsympathetic (Lightning in all her deadpan eight year old glory: “It’s called protection, idiot. Maybe use it next time.” Regis *chokes and sputters that an eight year old KNOWS THAT*. Aulea *coos over the sarcastic snarky bby*). Weskham is enjoying this PROBABLY too much as Cid delivers a blistering lecture and Cor smothers his snickers in the background.

-Cor and Lightning get along like a house on fire. They are fellow Murder Children. Cor can feel it in his bones.

-Aulea doesn’t die in this au because Lightning is there and she doesn’t treat LC magic the same way other LCs do so if she wants to use a healing spell to fix Aulea post Noctis being born then SHE’S GOING TO FIX AULEA. This is the woman who threw hands with multiple so-called gods. Mere post-preganacy complications are no match for her sheer levels of Stubborn.

-Regis has a minor crisis when he realizes his daughter can basically use Oracle magic without being an Oracle.

-Queen Sylva probably comes to visit because WHAT. What is going on.

-Lighting, unimpressed: “Magic is will. I wanted to heal. It’s not that hard.”

-Is the most Doting Big Sister Ever to Noctis. Her bby sibling. HERS.

-When Lightning is 14 and Noctis is 4, Regis comes back from communing with the Crystal, shaken and near tears. Lightning eavesdrops on the adults and learns that her brother is the fabled Chosen King and will have to DIE for his cause (Focus, her mind hisses, this is a FOCUS JUST LIKE L’CIE HOW dArE baHAmUt-).

-Regis and Aulea and Cor and Clarus all have joint heart attacks when a guard rushes in to say the Princess just BROKE INTO the Crystal chamber and DISAPPEARED INTO THE CRYSTAL.

-Lighting, in the blue void of the Crystal, chasing a terrified Bahamut around with her sword and all her l’Cie powers of old because SHE was the one who helped rewrite the world and now Bahamut’s gone and done the very thing she sought to wipe out: “I DID NOT SUFFER A LIFETIME OF THIS NONSENSE AND NEARLY KILL MYSELF FELLING AN ENTIRE PANTHEON JUST SO YOU COULD BRING BACK FOCUSES AGAIN.”

-Bahamut, only Just Now realizing that the legendary Lightning has been reborn and he just GAVE A FOCUS of sorts to her BABY BROTHER: “I’M SORRY I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. THE SCOURGE IS TOO GREAT FOR US TO CURE ALONE.”

-Lightning: “GET BACK HERE YOU SCALY LIZARD AND LET ME GUT YOU.”

-Ramuh in the background: *passes astral popcorn to Odin, who is very Pleased and Smug to see his former mistress still kicking butt and taking names* “Bet she gets him to finally listen to our alternate plan.”

-Odin: “Bet she comes up with an even better one and browbeats him into it.”

-Ramuh: “Deal.”

-Six hours of angry chasing, much groveling from Bahamut, and much PANIC™ from the adults who have no idea where Lightning went other than into the CRYSTAL SOMEHOW and Lightning reemerges looking irritated and smug at the same time.

-Regis: “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???”

-Lightning, calmly putting away her sword: “Fighting the Draconian over the Prophecy.”

-Regis and Co, all having simultaneous heart attacks again: “YOU WHAT.”

-Lightning, unfazed: “Well he was being an idiot. And threatening my baby brother. So I fought him.”

-Cor, in the back, mentally: Is this what it felt like for the others when I ran off to fight Gilgamesh oh Regis I’m SO SORRY-.

-Lightning, misinterpreting the horrified looks on everyone’s faces: “Don’t worry, I won. He’s been demoted and Odin’s in charge of the Astrals now because he actually has some common sense. We’re working on an alternate plan. Noctis will be fine. I just need to go fight the Accursed now and fix him.”

-Regis, still having a heart attack: You what. They WHAT. BAHAMUT’S BEEN WHAT. YoU neEd tO WhaT-.

(pssst @oliverslewty any ideas on what to call this shiny new AU?)

[in-tua-deep]

Consider: they go back to rescue Grace and bring her to Ellie like she’s a robot but Diego insists she has feelings so can she stay? And Ellie the lumberjack lesbian just sorta stammers ‘uh yeah sure ok whatever’ because wow for a robot nanny she’s really cute?? And they fall in love

y’all are very insistent on this lmao for anyone new this is regarding the broken five au where Reginald tries to control Five by threatening Vanya’s life so the kids run away! for all of it check out the ellie fortuin tag ;3c

I should make a master list of my aus at some point smh

ANYWAY so after Reggie arrives and Ellie kicks him the entire fuck out the kids reveal that they wish they could also rescue their mother, which is the first Ellie is hearing about this (she assumed the reason they looked sad when she accidentally brought up mothers is because theirs gave the up and sold them to Reginald Fucking Hargreeves - she did her research when she figured out who they were okay)

but in all she looked up she didn’t find anything about Reginald Hargreeves being married or anything so ???

and there’s another thing she’s been meaning to do for a while which she kind of needs to go to the house/Reginald to do and whatever so, you know. She tells the kids she’s going out, puts on her nicest plaid shirt (because actually fuck getting dressed up to see this dude she’s going to wear her muddiest boots) and gives them all kisses and reminders to be good and then sets out

(she puts Marmalade in charge because as much as she complains about the cat she doesn’t trust Clyde not to be a pushover and at least Marm is street smart)

so there she is hammering on the door to the Umbrella Academy with a backpack pull of papers on her back, a lengthy consultation with a lawyer to remember, and a mission in her mind and the door opens and there is a chimpanzee in a suit looking at her and Ellie is honestly just kind of like “Ah you know now it makes some sense why the kids are weird about bringing up monkeys” and just embraces that her life is weird as she follows the chimp (who talks and has introduced himself as Pogo what the fuck) into the house and is told to wait while he informs Master Reginald of her arrival

and while she’s waiting impatiently and kicking off bit of dried mud on her boots to kick under the fancy furniture to be spiteful, she hears humming and who comes into view but an absolute angel?? Ellie would genuinely swear her heart skipped a beat

“Oh!” The Angel says, spotting her, looking mildly surprised, “A guest! Has Pogo already seen to you, dear?”

“Uh.” Ellie says, very intelligently as her brain short-circuits

“I’m Grace.” The Angel smiles warmly and Ellie genuinely wants the floor to open up and swallow her because she cannot form a single coherent sentence and also didn’t the kids say Grace was their mothers name this is not the random old lady she was expecting, “Are you here to see Mr. Hargreeves?”

Thankfully Ellie doesn’t have to embarrass herself any further by attempting to produce something approaching speech because Pogo is back and gesturing for Ellie to follow him.

“It was lovely meeting you.” Grace tells her, before turning back to cleaning or whatever she was doing and Ellie is helpless except to follow after Pogo to do what she actually came here to do.

So that’s what has Ellie standing in front of Reginald Hargreeves and slamming a whole bunch of papers on his desk and saying “Independent adoption” to him as though he, who literally bought seven children, did not know what adoption was.

And then there is a long an complicated argument that busts out a lot of legal terms and more than a few vague threats on both sides. Because Ellie does not want this man to have any legal power over her kids and apparently he is still under the delusion that the kids will ever go back to live and train under him or whatever which HA is not happening

“They need to stop the apocalypse.” Reginald Hargreeves insists to her face.

“Those kids,” Ellie says, voice low and dangerous, “Are powerful beyond measure, and before I got them they didn’t care about the world one lick. Because they’d never seen it. Because what had the world ever done for them? The only thing they knew about humanity was you, Reginald Hargreeves. And you taught them that people were cruel and ruthless and only wanted to use them. You taught them that people without powers were useless and worthless and ordinary.”

She opens her arms wide, “And you think that those kids would save the world? You think they would lift a finger to help humanity when all they knew was that it was evil? The way you were raising them, I’d be more shocked if it wasn’t them who caused the apocalypse for goodness sake.”

Reginald sits before her, pale in his fury, but she doesn’t drop it there.

“Luther likes building with his hands, and he’s really good at it. His favorite food is baby carrots because he likes the crunch and also likes sneaking them to Clyde. He likes helping people carry things to their cars and any praise makes him light up like a Christmas tree, bless him. And when I got him? He didn’t know how to help people, he only knew how to stop ‘bad guys’ and had no idea how to even talk to people.”

Reginald doesn’t say anything. Ellie presses on.

“Diego is an angry kid, yeah, but he had a heart of fucking gold. He’s the first one to volunteer to help with chores or dinner or anything. He’s protective as anything when it comes to his siblings. He was the one who brought home the cranky old tomcat that no one could get near just because he thought that he was lonely and needed a home. And when I got him? He would barely even talk to me because he thought he’d get in trouble for struggling with his words. Thought that his ideas were worth less somehow just because he took longer to get them out. And that’s what you taught him.”

Ellie is really still furious about that. Diego’s stuttering usually only surfaced when he was nervous or stressed now, which wasn’t as often as it used to be, but the fact that he told her once with anger and heartbreak on her face that he was just dumb broke her heart.

“Allison made friends quicker than anyone. She loves to talk to people. She was so excited to go to her friend’s birthday party and when I asked her why she said she’d never been allowed to have friends, before. Never allowed to have friends. Her and Klaus pick out some of the wildest clothes because they’d never been allowed to express themselves before. She’s so bright, and wonderful, and she loves going to the movies more than anything.”

“You can stop, now.” Reginald tells her.

“No I can’t.” Ellie surges up with a roar, clearly taking Reginald aback. “No, I can’t, because those kids are just that - kids. They didn’t know how to save the world because they didn’t even know what the world was! They weren’t allowed friends, they weren’t allowed outside, they weren’t allowed to be kids - do you know anything about them? Do you know that Klaus is brilliant at knitting, and that Vanya can be bribed into just about anything with butterscotch cookies? Do you know that Ben can’t get enough of soap operas, and that Luther would rather go a science museum over a gym any day of the week?”

Ellie shakes her head slowly. “Do you know that they’re all afraid of you? Does it make you feel big to have a bunch of children absolutely convinced that you would kill one of them to keep them in line?”

Reginald looks very tired. Ellie doesn’t feel very sorry for him though because she kind of wishes he was dead, so. “What do you want, Miss Fortuin?”

“Custody of the kids.” Ellie shoots back without hesitation. “I have the forms with me. I have arrangements made for a home inspection by the relevant people to make it official. I have the numbers of people to call to go through with it. They’re already living with me anyway, this would just make it official.”

“Why?” Reginald asks her, which is a fair question she supposes. She already has the kids and threatened Reginald into staying away from them, after all.

“It’s their birthday soon.” She tells him, after a long pause. “We finished the extension so they have their own rooms, even if they all end up camped in one. But I want to give them certainty. I want them to be absolutely sure that you can’t waltz right in and destroy everything that they’ve worked for. I want them to be less afraid.”

Reginald pulls the papers to him and starts scanning them, making Pogo (who had been standing silently by the door the entire time) start in alarm. “Sir? What about the apocalypse?”

And that just makes Ellie angry. She whirls around, jabbing a finger at the alarmed looking butler. “Why don’t you do something about the apocalypse, huh? Why don’t you fix the world? Those kids might have powers, but they are children. Fuck you for putting the weight of the world on their shoulders. Luther can pick up something really heavy? There’s an entire fucking sport that revolves around that, find one of those guys. Diego can curve knives? You built them a fucking robot mother I’m pretty sure it’s within your capabilities to makes some kind of targeting weapon. Heat seeking missiles exist, it’s not that much a stretch. Stop pinning all your hopes on them and start getting off your ass and do something yourselves you sanctimonious pricks.”

Pogo looks shocked. Reginald looks taken aback.

“They’re just little kids.” Ellie tells them, suddenly tired herself. “They’re just little kids. They aren’t soldiers in whatever war you’ve cooked up in your head. They deserve a chance to be happy.”

Reginald looks down at the papers, not managing to look her in the eye. “And if there is someone bringing about the end of the world? Will the children fight, then?”

“Maybe.” Ellie shoots back, no hesitation. “But before I let them have at it’s going to be me going in with my fucking wood axe first. Or at the very least I’ll be there right alongside them helping out. My axe will kill ‘em dead just as much as Diego’s knives or Vanya’s sound waves or Ben’s tentacles.”

Reginald sighs and signs the papers with a flourish. “Will there be anything else, Miss Fortuin?” He says it almost sarcastically, as thought he can’t imagine her needing anything else.

Ellie’s honestly surprised that it actually happened. She thought she’d leave her empty handed and furious but at least knowing she tried. She swipes the papers up into her hands, unwilling to give Reginald to chance to back out.

And then she decides to press her luck. “Actually, yeah. The kids want their mother back. I understand she’s a robot, so we’ll need the appropriate charging materials.”

Reginald raises an eyebrow at her.

“I’ll be back in a week to pick everything up. At the very least I’ll install charging stuff at my house so she can come and visit.” She feels a little bad for just demanding custody of the kids mother as if she’s just an object. Diego insists she’s a whole person who is just under the control of their dad, and unfortunate and hopefully fixable issue.

“It’s a robot.” Reginald says, almost dumbly. 

“She’s their mother.” Ellie corrects Reginald viciously, “And she did a damn sight better at parenting than you ever did, even though it must have been an uphill battle the entire time. I’ll be back in a week. Good day to you, sir.”

And with that she turns on her heel and strides out of the room, wondering when the fuck she turned into an angry character in some regency show. Good day to you, sir? Maybe it was the house. Or that ridiculous fucking monocle, god.

She almost runs right into Grace, who blinks at her and smiles beautifully.

“I’ll show you out.” Grace tells her, and Ellie doesn’t have anything to say to that. They get to the door, and Grace opens it, and - 

“Do you uh, do you want to come with us? In a week?” Ellie asks, before she gets all the way through, turning to Grace. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask I just - ”

“Thank you,” Grace cuts her off, eyes sparkling and Ellie knows she’s more than just a robot. “Thank you for taking care of my children. For doing what I could not. I will see you in a week.”

The door closes and Ellie is left on the other side with a whole bunch of papers in her arms and hope in her chest and the need to get in contact with more than one person to verify all of this and make this adoption go through.

There was still more to do - like changing the kids legal names (which were still numbers) and figuring out where the charging port and stuff would go in the house (would Grace want her own house?? Ellie was 100% sure they absolutely could not finish an entire small cabin in a week even between the eight of them but Ellie’s cabin wasn’t exactly as spacious as the mansion Grace would surely be used to - Ellie liked to refer to it as cosy)

(a week later, Ellie borrows a friend’s pickup and grabs all the stuff from the Hargreeves mansion she needs. Grace rides shotgun smiling the whole way there.)

(Ellie doesn’t mention that the ‘luggage’ Grace brought with her looks suspiciously like a wrapped up painting that may or may not have been stolen straight off of Reginald Hargreeves’ walls)

(Ellie might just be a little bit in love)

[iamkatehardy]

At Last (Kray Twins x Reader) - Chapter 2

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of violence

Author’s Notes: I’m Sorry it took me so long to update, I promise I’ll try to do it more frequently, and spice things up in Chapter 3!

Your feedback is always appreciated, whatever your opinion is <3

You can find Chapter 1 in my Masterlist ❤️

You had been working on Esmeralda’s Barn for some time. The Krays were more than just your bosses; the employers-employee relationship was quickly replaced by a warm-hearted one. Little did they know when they hired you that it would be a hell of a ride.

Before your Première on the club’s stage, you refused to stop working on the bar; you wanted to perform the tasks you were originally hired to, until the minute you’d receive their definitive order to stop and become exclusively a singer.

Reggie had told you an infinite amount of times that it was completely ok if you decided to engage in your rehearsals only and leave the bar, but you politely declined hid offer every single time, you wanted to prove your value on stage first. Besides that, working cleared your mind from your problems, and spending more time in the club meant you were safer.

After long hours of work in the bar, and putting everything in place for the next night, you’d finally rehearse. You’d spend hours on end composing and arranging songs meticulously, until your fingers were sore, your voice showed some hoarseness or your eyes were so puffy you couldn’t keep them open any longer.

Reggie’s marriage was definitely on the rocks, so he spent a lot of time on the club as well. Sometimes neither of you left until the sun was up. He spent most of his time alone in his office, upset with the situation and with himself, wondering where he went wrong with Frances. Before his sadness and rage consumed him from within, he’d come to sit at his usual table with a drink on his hand, to watch your performance, trying to set aside his problems for a while. You knew what it meant when Reggie’s bright eyes turned red, and you knew he didn’t deserve any of that, considering what you knew from his way of being.

One day you just couldn’t take it anymore, he had been too amiable and considerate with you for you to stand to see him that miserable. You came down the stage and reached out for him, putting your cold hands on his shoulder.

“I know I have no right to intrude in your life like this… But I really can’t help it; I absolutely loathe seeing you like that, Reggie…”

“And I can’t help feeling like this (Y/N). You don’t know the weight of a failed marriage…”

“Actually, I do, more than I’d like to…” – You rubbed his shoulders softly. – “And if you want to cry, or talk, you don’t have to do it on alone, I am here to dry your eyes…”

He looked up at you in surprise, and then hugged you by the waist, laying his head on your stomach; you ran your fingers through his slightly messy hair, protectively, as he just let tears flow freely.

You wouldn’t mind spending hours comforting him, if that would have any results. You had no idea why would a relationship with a man like Reggie be doomed; all you could see in him so far was only good.

Your instinct to protect the twins, perhaps because they protected you as well was something else. You treated Ron with endless love and patience, as if he was an adult-sized baby , which seemed to work, because he actually listened to your advice and became very fond of you. With Reggie it was different, you adored him from the depths of your heart, and you had started to develop feelings for him; the more you tried to avoid it, the more it grew inside you. His friendship was probably all you were going to get from him, and though it wasn’t nearly what you wanted, having him near and being gifted by his smile would have to be enough.

The day you’d officially make your debut in the Esmeralda’s Barn finally arrived, and a mixed of different feelings washed over you. You were nervous, excited, frightened, happy and a bunch of other things, all in equal proportions. As you sat in the dressing room, getting ready, you thought about singing for Reggie, the very thought of him made you unwind. Sometimes you wondered if he had the ability to read minds, because he had just showed up behind you; you saw his reflection in the mirror.

“How sneaky, Mr. Kray! I didn’t hear you coming in.” – You laughed, putting your earrings on, observing him through the mirror.

“Well, that was my goal. I wanted to surprise you.” – He stepped closed.

“Or causing me a heart attack maybe…” – You glared at him and then shrugged, giggling and turning on your chair to face him.

“I just wanted to wish you good luck, though I’ve been told many times that talented people, like yourself, don’t really need it my dear.” – He delivered you a gorgeous bouquet, with about a dozen delicate scarlet roses.

“Oh, thank you Reggie, you’re such a sweet! How did you know they were my favorite?” – You touched them carefully, smiling excited.- “My suspicions are now confirmed, you read minds! They are beautiful!”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you are.” – He smiled, taking your hand and kissing it gently, then planting a kiss on your forehead, letting his lips rest there for some seconds. – “You’ll sweep people off their feet!”

“Always so charming…” – A blush crept up your cheeks and you put the flowers in a vase with water.

“I better go now; I really want a front-row seat.” – He winked and then left.

“Oh Dear Lord, why do you do this to me?!” – You looked up at the heavens, asking for help. – “I’m married; HE’S married and loves his wife so much… Just, no.” – You slapped yourself lightly, to wake yourself up from your fantasies. After taking a sip of a drink that Teddy brought you earlier, you inhaled sharply, before going on stage.

The moment had come, this as your final test before the club’s birthday. Everyone had high expectations on you, and you didn’t want to let them down, especially the twins.

Fighting your demons, you faced the crowd, swallowing hard; Reggie gave you a warm reassuring smile; Ron gave you a nod, his own way of trying to raise your spirits; and Teddy, being his usual crazy self, clapped enthusiastically. Their support meant a lot.

From the moment the first note of the song was played, everything faded from your mind, the good, the bad, everything. Well, everything but a special someone. For a moment in time, there were only you, the melody and the words that slowly wrapped and mended your soul, just the kind of therapy you needed. Just you, and the love coming out of your lips on the form of a song. Your performance didn’t let any of your friends down, neither the people in the club, who gave you a standing ovation. You felt absolutely overwhelmed by their positive reaction and courtly bowed. You didn’t even think of the unwanted attention this night could bring you.

Ron immediately got up, coming forward and offering you his arm. You smiled, linking your arm on his and walked with him to the table, in order to celebrate your success.

“Do you think you could teach me how to sing? I’d like that.” – He looked at you with curious eyes.

“We can arrange that, yes.” – You smiled and rubbed your thumb on his cheek.

“That was fucking amazing.” – Teddy clapped and gave you a sly smile. – “Come on, today is the day, say it!”

“Yes, it was amazing indeed.” – You chuckled.

“ Ah ah ah ah ah! No, you forgot that magical adverb of intensity: fucking amazing.” – He made his priority since day one to make you say or do something that wasn’t lady like, so he was dying to hear you swearing.

“You’ll never give up, will you? Cheeky little thing.” – You rolled your eyes biting your lower lip. “Fine. It was fucking amazing, and I fucking loved it.” – You shrugged and laughed.

After some drinking and mingling, someone brushed past you, but you couldn’t see his face, just feel a familiar smell. You felt a chill down your spine, a crippling bad feeling, but the night was going so great you decided to ignore it. It was probably just your anxiety kicking in.

Reggie mingled with some clients for a while, but he was dying to talk to you, so he came to hug you, whispering in your ear.

“I am in awe (Y/N).” – His warm breath in your ear made you close your eyes for a second. – “Absolutely thrilling, love. What you did back there was pure magic, and t just confirmed my huge will of having you performing on the club’s birthday, and all the upcoming nights, for the matter. If you don’t get better proposals, which after tonight is a strong possibility.”  - He kissed the top of your head and then held your hands on his, caressing them.

“Your offer is the only one I’ll be considering and accepting, I like it here very much, thank you for the vote of trust.”  - You raised his hands to your lips and kissed them softly.

After socializing with them for a while, you started getting tired, so you headed to the dressing room. Arriving there you noticed another bouquet lying in the dressing table. The white Lilies resembled the ones you used to have in your house, the ones your husband always brought you, to compensate you for the harsh beatings. There was a card, a black R written on the front, you thought maybe it was Ron’s, to convince you about the singing classes, so you smiled and grabbed the card. When you opened it, you completely froze.

“I’m thrilled to see you again, my beloved wife. Knowing that you are, and will always be, mine, makes me the happiest man on Earth. We’ll be together soon; Together until death do us part. – Raymond”

It could have been a bad joke, but no one knew about Raymond, and it was his handwriting. You dropped the card and looked all around you, grabbing a silver letter opener in case he was around, and you started hyperventilating. The thought of him being there, where you thought you were safe, completely freaked you out, and his final words in the card didn’t help.

Reggie noticed your absence, so he came to check on you. Seeing you absolutely in shock, he got worried sick. He approached slowly and took the letter opener out of your hand.

“(Y/N)?” – He caressed your arm gently.

“He’s going to kill me.” – Your eyes were wide, your face showing pure horror, tears streaming helplessly down your cheeks, a lump in your throat. You couldn’t even make a sound.

Reggie didn’t understand, you hadn’t talked to him about Raymond.

“He… He was here, he’ll come after me.” – You stuttered, looking around.

“Who was here, darling?” – He wrapped his arms around you, and tried to understand the motive for so much distress. You held on to him for dear life.

“My husband. This time he’ll kill me” – You sobbed.

Reggie was confused when you mentioned a husband, you never did before. He covered your salty cheeks with kisses.

“No one will hurt you (Y/N), I would never allow such a thing, yeah?”

“You don’t understand, he was here, in this room…” – You picked the card and shower him.

He analyzed the card, rubbing a thumb across his lips, in deep thought.

“It won’t happen again…” – He lifted his eyes to you. – “I promise you, I’ll be alert and no one will hurt you. I am here for you, always.” – He enveloped you in his arms again, bathing you with his warmth and his comforting smell, his arms protective when wrapped around the vulnerable woman in front of him. – “Listen, you are one of the most delicate, yet powerful woman I’ve met. You deserve to be unconcerned and happy, and I’ll take care of that, yeah darling?"

“No… He just won’t stop, no matter what. He loves to see me terrified; he loves to have me begging, while he’s beating the shit out of me. The terror and despair feed him.Believe me, I’ve learned the hard way that next time that possessive psychopath won’t stop until he kills me, you read what he wrote. He thinks I’m one of his belongings, one he vents his anger on, when things don’t go as planned, until he snaps and ends my life.” – You laid your head in his chest, sighing, desperate.

The bruises on your face and wrists on the very first day you met were now explained. His blood was boiling, at the thought of someone hurting you that way.

“Trust me (Y/N), I won’t let anything happen to you, ever again. I’ll be watching you the whole time in here, I’ll be taking you home myself, I’ll stay with you if needed… Whatever will make you feel better, love.” – He stroked your hair, and he made you forget about the world outside, as you melted in his arms.

The following days were everything but easy, the thought of Raymond being around, or coming after you were daunting. There was a maniac waiting to strike and you didn’t know if you, or Reggie, could do anything to help it. It made you feel uneasy.

Reggie informed Ron about the situation, honestly he thought your husband deserved whatever Ron-style treatment his brother would give your him ,if he caught him anywhere near you.

He took care of you himself though, always aware, and ready to bail you out of any harmful situation. You complicated his mission, because you insisted you’d keep living your normal life, working and singing as usual.

This whole situation made Reggie forget about his own problems, his main concern was now his need to ensure you were safe, he couldn’t quite put his finger why, but right now you came first.

[dukesmemior-blog]

Reginald Johnson

Professor Robert Lunday

English 1301

June 16, 2019

Rising from Submersion of Provocation

[Preface]

Life is anything but simple and this is often a lesson learned during adulthood. As a child many times one cannot evaluate the complexity of the world we live in due to numerous factors. Innocence serves as a child's blessing but can also serve as a burden when faced with an unusual situation and having to decipher fact from fiction. I was faced with many situations early in life that unfortunately stripped me of my innocence leaving me to swim in a pool of provocation and subjectivity. Unprepared, unequipped, and unaware I was unable to prevent the commencement of drowning but through trial, error, and perseverance I was able to retrieve myself from a place and build a great man in the process.

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Boom! My heart starts to race as fear overcomes me. The hairs on my arms are standing at attention as if my Spidey senses are tingling. “Please stop, Mouse!” “Duke, help me!” “AHHHHH! Please stop, please, stop, please!” The alarming scream of desperation sent chills down my spine; she was being brutally beaten. Unable save herself she reluctantly prompted my help in her emancipation. Little did she know, I an 8-year-old boy, held more fear in my heart of her abuser than she probably did, I was frozen. Stuck in between the innate response to help a person in distress and the fear of the ramifications that followed if I proceeded, I stood there, stiff. The hallway was like a tunnel cold, hard, and imperfect recently stripped of carpet, leaving behind little patches of padding and spike strips for reimplantation, I was uncertain. “Where you think you goin-! Get back in this room!” Her abuser filled with adrenalin rolled and leaped out of his chair to tackle the girl before she could escape the hallway. Tussling in efforts to regain her freedom the young girl was in fight or flight mode. Her tussle wasn’t the type of tussle you’d expect granted her dire situation, it was preserved in a way as if she didn’t want to escape, as if she was scared to defend herself.

The moment the girl and I locked eyes we could see the dread on each other’s face we were being abused and held captive with no means of escape. “Duke! Help me boy”, this time I acted without hesitation, with haste, with a sense of urgency. I wasn’t prompted by desperation; I was commanded by authority! As I engaged in the tussle I yelled to my uncle, “Grab her legs, Unk I have her arms”, as I assisted in the assault of this young woman. My natural being was tapped out and the boy my uncle was breeding was fully engaged. We tussled and fought as the energy that I previously witnessed from the woman amplified. Upon my engagement, in opposition to her initial request for my help, she exhibited a feeling of betrayal and wanted to hurt me for this inconceivable act. All parties involved were now fully engaged as if we all had a shot of caffeine-laced epinephrine and I don’t think anyone could truly conceive the true damage that we were all adversely causing ourselves. We fought without care because this had become personal to all. My uncle and I dragged the woman back into the room after the hard-fought tussle in the hallway. This woman was strong, her levels seemed to constantly rise like a super Saiyan from a Dragon Ball Z cartoon. I saw her forehead swell; her veins were pressurized she moved like she was condemned, and we were performing an exorcism. She tossed from wall to wall, her eyes were bloodshot as I tried to distinguish her sweat from tears. Her abuser was a different type of demon and no matter what she did his strength engulfed every ounce of her energy.

“Get out of here and close the door!” As I ran down the hallway to my shared dungeon, I felt horrible. I started to calm down and regain my composure as a rush of empathy and then shame overcame me, but I was unable to exhibit my true emotions. Knowing that if I shed a tear, cried aloud, or showed any form of negative emotion that I’d be the next victim and wearing the title of a “Punk” wasn’t acceptable. In my house, that title carried heavy negative weight and disallowed you any form of respect and acceptance which causes a lifetime of pain and anguish. Sitting upon my futon I listened as the screams worsened becoming louder and viler than before and, at this moment, I wasn’t scared. My heart was at ease and I knew that I was mentally damaged, caged, and there was no changing it.

This was the account of an innocent young boy who was unknowingly being prepared to engage in an act that would strip him of his innocence changing his life forever. I was unknowingly programmed to act immediately when this figure spoke and during that moment, I was in a state of being completely controlled. You see, as a child, my conception of life was very distorted. I thought I saw things through my own lens but in actuality, I viewed everything from the perspective of my uncle who I thought of as a man. In life the Alpha male often rules as everyone else sits aside away from his raft, my uncle was an Alpha. I have come to realize that there are different forms of Alpha, men that hold themselves in high regard below no other but refuse to exhibit their strength unless necessary. There are those who thrive on this energy and cannot conceal it for a moment which causes everyone around them to either challenge it or submit and this is where the problem lies. For a long time, I walked around causing trouble and pain thinking that I was becoming a man through my actions though it didn’t feel natural. It wasn’t until I was able to step from under my uncle, gain my independence, and learn life when I realized that I am a natural Alpha but my form of expression is different. I’m not the problem, I’m the solution and this is what it truly is to be a man.

Mouse; my best friend, my mentor, my inspiration, my uncle, the abuser, a Jack of All Trades and Master of None, was my teacher and my lessons weren’t structured. I had to learn on the fly and there were no notes. See, Mouse had a rough childhood. He became the oldest of 3 that once was 4 before the accidental death of his brother. Wearing his brothers’ blood on his hands, imprisonment since a juvenile, abuse, pressure, misguidance, and anger is what led him to become a cold-blooded man. His plight was unfortunate, nonetheless, his early adaptation proved successful within his chaotic community. He utilized his negatives to create his positive. Becoming the man in your section was a prideful feat where he was from, having the ability to translate that positioning across many different sections served as his evolution into true manhood. Money, power, respect the tokens of kings which Mouse held near and dear, he was as the top of the game and seemed invincible, until tragedy struck.  A traumatic car accident stripped him of his newfound identity by taking his ability to walk. Mouse had become partially physically paralyzed and completely mentally paralyzed.

September 23, 1993, I was born into the world. Thinking back on the stories my mother told me she vividly broke down the details of my birth. My mother carefully holding me as I cried, she was asked “what’s his name” and she was uncertain. Sitting aside her bed throughout the entire birth consoling her was her now oldest brother who was once her second brother, Mouse. Mouse had a name picked out when he received the news of conception and he couldn’t wait for this moment to disclose his wishes, wishes that would help him with closure, wishes that would heal. “Sis, name him after our big brother.” Hearing these words from mouse made it very clear what the name of her first child would be. These words evoked strong emotions causing laughter and tears as if it was destiny. Knock, Knock. May I come in, its Mrs. Patterson again here to see if you needed more time picking a name for the baby. “No ma’am, I’m ready. His name will be Reginald Stephon Johnson!” Regal and full of the essence I had been blessed with an angel and destined for a bountiful life of greatness.

My mother often tells me stories of my early days, the good time that I can’t recollect myself. My grandmother hadn’t laid eyes on me until this moment, “OMG! He looks so much like his uncle Reggie it's crazy.” It was as if she was looking at her late son in the flesh by the way she gazed in awe upon my family features. Everyone adored me as if I were some kind of doll that brought about the feeling of joy when you held me. For my mom it was scary; for my uncle it was perfect. Uncle Reggie was known as the sweetheart and protector all in one. Everyone had nothing but positive memories of his existence making it seem as though he was heaven-sent. Little did I know that I also served as a purpose, I was the remedy to the tragedy my family faced. After the loss of Uncle Reggie, my families were a broken people and my existence was like the glue that would hold them together as they fixed one another and became whole--once again a true family.

See being awarded such a title was more than just the casual blessing of distinction from others, this name held weight and cam with great responsibility. I carried an invisible burden that everyone but myself could utilize but me but this wasn’t an unfortunate situation for me, it was a blessing. The ability of enjoying the fruit of one who served as a remedy without the struggle that typically followed only brought about more joy a fulfillment an I felt whole within my family. This energy assisted in my development mentally and emotionally as I grew more and more happy, intelligent, proud, and compassionate through all the positive love I received. As an adult, my name continues to carry weight for those in my family and still serves them fulfillment as they recount the memories of my late uncle when in my presence. I now have come to understand the strength within my title, and it serves me well during times of insecurity or doubt. My name is less common and when introduced to peers I receive positive remarks in the regards such as, “Your name is very proper, regal if I might say.” My name provides me with a sense of honor and respect and as a man, I think that it can serve no better purpose.

My early childhood was (from what I can remember and the stories that I’ve been told) an absolute fairytale. I was the only child, the baby in the family, meaning that all of the attention and energy was on me. I hold nothing but happy memories of my early childhood: The holidays were awesome, family gatherings still existed, and I lived in a two-parent household while also remaining the prince of my grandparent’s kingdom. Life was great without complaint until my mom and stepfather decided to have more kids. This is when things started to slowly take a turn for the worse. I soon would experience the extreme effects of the mental, physical, and emotional trauma of which I had no idea even existed or let alone knew how to prepare and defend myself.

We were a perfect family in my eyes. One baby and then the addition of twins one year later. My siblings were angels, however, the death of one of my twin siblings crushed us all and to me seemed like it tore my parents apart more than it brought them together. They were absolute blessings just as I was but for us as a unit couldn’t prevent our parents from making very selfish decisions. Boom! “Get out of my house!” these are the arguments and fights between our parents that would wake my siblings and me during the night. Next, both our mother and father would storm into our room disputing if we would be leaving with one or staying which ultimately was nothing more than a final ploy to tip the scales of the argument in ones favor rather than true concern about our well-being. My fairy tale was dwindling in front of my eyes and my brothers, having yet to truly encompass such a feeling we're being taken through the trauma that they viewed as normal.

The trauma was anything but temporary and it was forced upon us without true warning and explanation, maybe our parents were ignorant of the depth of destruction they were causing. It’s possible that they stood in the middle of a tunneled mind state where they could only process their personal interests due to the emotions involved coupled with their adolescence. My mother was 15 years old at the time of my conception and she had recently endured the trauma of my grandparents getting a divorce after being together with her entire life and this affected her tremendously. She was ill-prepared for the life of adulthood in which she was hastily granted so she chose to respond with anger and maleficence by leading a life of deviance in revolt to everything her parents upheld. In her process of teaching them a lesson about pain and deceit she mistakenly conceived her first child and this to her was her punishment for the spiteful actions she engaged in and a lesson in the reality of such moves. At war with my grandparents, my mother was poorly cared for during that pregnancy as she lacked the knowledge and resources to ensure positive care for her and the baby, she was subjected to the will of my grandparents to facilitate her care and they had a point to prove. My mother was completely deflated at the news of her losing her first child and contrary to a popular opinion so were my grandparents and they understood that things had been taken too far and needed immediate reparations.

Reparations had taken full effect in my family from both parties and there was love in the household, my father arrived at the pinnacle of this movement and helped change my family’s life forever. My birth was explained to me as the cherry on top of the cake as I became the centerpiece of the family and a reason for continued love and unity. My parents, though very young at the time, set out to never allow me a life of turmoil and pain by committing to one another and focusing on building an unbreakable bond with time and effort. Promises are sometimes broken, and bonds torn in ways that can’t be mended was the typical summary of a relationship split where I’m from and my mother and father were critically torn but this tear was far from typical. My father was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for murder shortly after my conception ending the covenant and subjecting my mother to a potential life of single parenthood and me his unborn child to the unfortunate of a bastardized child. Humans are forgiving beings, it is within our nature to forgive as it brings a feeling of peace upon our souls when we are free of burden and full of joy, my family finally understood that.

Similar to a glass sculpture my mother had climbed from the fire a bundle of indistinguishable greatness until she chose to mold herself with the experiences and hardships into a very hard sculpture of beauty that was hard to break. My mother made good on a bad situation and transformed our lives for the better on her own without me noticing any flaw or fault in her progression. All good things come to an end and those too good to be true come sooner and more aggressively, for the first time in life I was traumatized. My mother’s relationship with my step father came with many blessings but also brought along the largest burden when my brothers and I lost our father to prison and our mother to a broken spirit and a search for a second chance at life. My little family had been torn apart and dispersed with me being the odd man out, my mother moved herself and my brothers away and left me under the care of my grandparents and this is where the I learned some of the most valuable lessons. This is the place where I unknowingly developed my heaviest depression, a deep traumatic scar, and a lesson on what the world really holds and how demons can lurk within.

I today stand as a man of immense morality with a true sense of respect and honesty, I work hard for the things I want and own and I cherish every moment without the fear of deprivation or deceit. These trials have become my triumph in life as I am presented with new plights, I am able to adapt well and overcome. Experiencing things like abuse, neglect, and depravity unnoticeably allowed me to develop a very thick skin and the ability to recreate myself in a positive image. My uncle Mouse was the best and worst thing to happen in my life. The lessons I learned from him will forever fuel my ambition while also keeping me tamed and conscious of the way I treat others. I refuse to allow my past to stifle my present or my future and I owe this determination to surviving the pool of provocation.

[lickstynine]

Consequences

A/N: this was an idea I’ve had for a week or two, but the first part came in spurts late at night and during breaks on my job, and the second half came between three and six this morning, so I apologize in advance if it sounds awkward once I read it back over after sleeping. On the off chance this doesn’t suck, I’ll dedicate it to my favourite hoes, @ocsickficsideblog and @emetoandotherthings, who both love Kit and The Big Angst.

Story-Relevant Notes: This is set when Kit was about sixteen, so he and Alistair were not in contact. TW for violence, hospitals, underage drinking, and abuse.

Kit couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so content. His father had gone golfing up in Scotland for the weekend, so he had the manor all to himself. Rather than spend the weekend with just his servants, he'd invited a guest. Lucian Winters was a year his senior, significantly taller than Kit, with dark, curly hair, striking blue eyes, and enticingly full lips. He was the captain of the debate team, and Kit had hit it off with him earlier this semester. Practice turned to off-topic banter turned to flirting, and before long, they'd been making out in an abandoned classroom.

Now that the two had a place to meet properly, they were hip to hip on an old velvet loveseat, cozied up near the library fireplace. They'd nicked a bottle of wine from Reggie's never-locked cellar, and several glasses later, Kit was climbing into Lucian's lap to better reach his lips.

Though the wine had eased his inhibitions, Kit was still a bit nervous. Lucian was older than him (likely more experienced, too), and gorgeous. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was sure Lucian could feel it. He wondered what would happen if they went further than kissing. Kit barely knew what he was doing now. Would he make a fool of himself? His chest tightened at the idea of stripping - what would Lucian say when he saw the scars? Kit was pulled from his thoughts by a gentle voice.

"Are you okay? Your heart is racing, and you're shaking."

Kit nodded, his cheeks burning red. "Sorry. Just nervous."

Lucian nodded, reaching over to the side table to refill Kit's glass. "Have another drink. That should help." When Kit took the glass, Lucian's hand moved to rest on his back, fingers tracing gently up and down his spine. Kit sipped his drink, leaning against Lucian’s sturdy chest. The older boy's heartbeat was steady and soothing, and Kit's face flushed in a very different way as he continued to drink. Lucian was so kind and calm, and he smelled like spicy, alluring cologne.

Kit finished his wine, setting it aside and leaning up to kiss Lucian's jaw. Lucian smiled down at him, lifting Kit's chin to properly kiss his lips. They pressed closer, Kit's arms around Lucian's neck, and Lucian's fingers in Kit's long hair. It was a fiery, passionate moment that seemed to last forever. That is, until a strong hand yanked on each of the boy’s collars.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Kit’s face went white, and he could almost see his life flashing before his eyes. He’d been so absorbed in Lucian, he hadn’t even heard his father walk into the library. Reggie was fuming, holding both boys at arm’s length like bags of trash. While he didn’t look scared to death like Kit, Lucian was clearly a bit alarmed, and he looked at the angry older man, trying to figure out what to say.

“I’m… so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to intrude. We didn’t know you were home.” Lucian kept his tone calm and even, trying to counter the tense energy crackling in the air.

“I bloody well know you thought I wasn’t home! That’s why you faggots are in here drinking my wine and sucking each other’s cocks!”

Now Lucian was properly taken aback. “We were not! I do apologize for taking the wine, but it’s not like we were desecrating your couch! Kissing someone isn’t a crime!”

Reggie’s face was crimson with rage; he wasn’t used to being talked back to. His fist tightened on Lucian’s collar, and he pulled the boy closer to growl. “It is when you’re putting your hands on my faggot son in my bloody house! Get out before I break your wordy fucking mouth.”

Lucian cringed; he was nearly as tall as Reggie, but the older man was easily twice his weight. As soon as Reggie let go of him, he bolted for the door. A twinge of guilt panged in his chest as he realized he was leaving Kit to his father’s wrath, but his sense of self-preservation was stronger than his boner, and he nearly tripped as he ran off down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Reginald’s hands were now both free to drag Kit away from the couch. Forceful paws locked around Kit’s shoulders, and he withered under his father’s roar.

“What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I… I don’t… I wasn’t.” Kit mumbled uselessly; he didn’t know what to say, especially after Lucian’s defense had gone over so poorly. “I’m sorry.”

“You’d better be!” Reggie barked. A sharp crack echoed through the halls as his fist connected with Kit’s cheek. The boy yelped, stumbling but unable to fall with his father still clutching his shoulder. Tears were stinging in his eyes, but Kit knew better than to run, instead just mumbling another hoarse apology.

“It… It won’t happen again.” All that earned him was another punch, his head rattling.

“Oh, how nice!” Reggie scowled. “Because that totally makes up for the disgusting scene you were making on my couch!” This time, he threw a kick, and the horrible, snapping pain in his leg made Kit crumple. He dangled limply from his father’s grasp like a half-cracked piñata.

Reginald’s fury-reddened face twisted into a vicious sneer. “Look at you. Sniveling, whining, drooling after boys. Can’t even take a hit like a man. I’d be better off having some dumb bitch daughter.” He dropped Kit as his feet, and the boy landed like a sack of cement. Reggie scoffed. “Francesca’s boys may be dumber than rocks, but even the little embarrassment is tougher than you.” The toe of his sleek black shoe connected with Kit’s ribs, eliciting little more than a pained groan.

“Bloody hell!” Reggie shook his head. “You couldn’t even fight back if you tried. Pathetic.”

Without warning, he yanked Kit up by the arm. Instead of hitting the boy, Reggie flung his son aside like a child discarding a toy. Kit was too stunned to even see straight, which made the sharp corners of the stairs even more of a shock to hit. His head cracked against the unyielding edge, splitting the skin. He yelped in pain, tumbling and smacking into the wood like a pinecone falling through branches.

Despite the disorientation pounding in his head, Kit’s most basic instincts tried to ease his landing. His hands stretched out, desperate to keep his face from hitting the floor again, but when his palms smacked into the polished wood, the force of his tumbling weight made his wrist crack. He let out another shriek, collapsing and clutching at the newest source of pain.

The commotion had attracted a few servants from their quarters, but most knew better than to approach. Melinda, however, couldn’t just stand there and watch while a child was in pain. She hurried over and knelt next to Kit, hesitant to touch him after such a nasty fall. All her instincts were telling her to scoop him up and carry him off somewhere safe, but that wouldn’t end well for either of them. Instead, she just ran off to grab a dish towel when she saw the blood pooling on the walnut floor.

“Oh, dear… you just… can I help?” Melinda asked.

Kit sniffled, barely able to shake his head. “Hurts…” he mumbled, his good hand pressing the towel to the fountain of blood pouring down his forehead. He squinted to keep the red drips out of his eyes, whimpering and resting his head on Melinda’s lap. She very carefully stroked his hair from his face.

“I know, love. Try to relax. Deep breaths.”

Kit tried to obey, but drawing breath brought out a pain in his chest. He winced and groaned, taking shallow, rapid gasps as he started to panic. Melinda cringed, stroking his hair again and humming softly.

“Easy. Easy, it’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. If you’re really hurting so bad, I’ll call you an ambulance.” She reassured.

“No the hell you won’t.” The ominous growl from the top of the stairs made both Kit and Melinda start. Reginald’s shadow stretched down the steps, jagged and looming. “You will not call be calling anyone.”

“But he’s hurt! Pretty badly, too!” Melinda cried, not moving from where she sat.

Reggie stomped down to their level, towering over them both even standing on the same floor. “You’ll go back to your room and forget you saw anything if you like working here.”

Melinda’s shoulders sagged, the scowl on her face fading into fear as she thought of the three kids she was still putting through school, the eldest crashing on her couch after a job had gone under. As much as her general motherly and moral instincts wanted to help, she couldn’t throw away her family’s main source of income. She lifted Kit’s head off her legs with the gentlest touch, folding another towel under him before standing. The guilt pooling in her chest was overwhelming, and she started to cry as she shuffled away.

Reginald just scowled as Melinda walked off, sneering down at his son. “She’s almost as soft as you.” He prodded Kit with the toe of his shoe, making the boy wince and shrink away. “Get up already, stop ruining the view in my hall.”

“I… I can’t…” Kit croaked. Even if he tried, he only had one good arm to push himself up, and the leg Reggie had kicked earlier screamed when he tried to move it. “I think I do… I need… an ambulance.”

“As if! You’re not even that hurt, you’re just a sniveling pussy who can’t take a hit!” Reggie snapped. “Get up!”

Fear surged in his veins, and Kit did his best to force himself up, terrified of what might happen if he didn’t. He pushed his torso up, managing to ignore the pain in his wrist, but when he shifted his body, the pain in his chest dropped him back to the floor. “I… I really… it hurts… doctor.” He couldn’t focus enough to argue, so he just begged. “Please… I need… Please.”

Reginald was quiet for a moment, the tiny gears in his head struggling to turn. The last thing he thought Kit deserved was pity, but at the same time, there was a lot of blood collecting on his floor. He did not want to deal with the repercussions of his son dying in his house. The cleaning crew would be in the way for days.

“Fine. If you’re really so desperate to see a doctor, call Taddy. Have him take you. But you fell down the stairs of your own fucking accord. Do you understand?”

Reggie didn’t have to add an ‘or else’ - they both knew Kit knew better. The boy nodded feebly, desperately patting his pockets until he found his phone. Not actually caring whether Taddy came, Reginald walked off to the bar, leaving Kit to fumble with his cell in peace.

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

Taddy had just sat down for the night when his phone started to buzz. Normally, he didn’t dare settle in before two, but Reggie had come home from his failed trip in the mood to be drunk and angry alone. Taddy had hoped he might get the rare early night, but he didn’t hesitate to pick up his phone at quarter to twelve.

“Yes, Master Kit?”

“Tad… Taddy… help.”

That was enough to get the chauffeur on his feet, already going for his jacket and his keys. The pain and panic were audible in Kit’s voice, and Taddy sounded as worried as Kit did scared when he replied. “Help with what, sir? Where are you? What’s going on?”

“Home.” Kit forced another breath, trying to keep talking despite seeing spots. “Fell… really hurt. Need a doctor.”

Taddy already had a feeling that Kit hadn’t simply fell, but now wasn’t the time to delve into that. He yanked on the first pair of shoes by the door, wedging his phone between his ear and shoulder to tie them. “Alright, alright, don’t worry. I’m on my way.”

“Hurry…” Kit begged, trying not to sob because he knew it would make the pain worse. “Hurts… really bad.”

“I’m coming. I’m getting in the car now. Stay on the phone with me, okay?” Taddy babbled, his usual relaxed tone replaced with a frantic edge. He sped off down the road, rushing from his modest block of flats towards the most deceptively beautiful part of town.

By the time Taddy pulled up in front of the manor, the other end of the line had gone quiet. There was a nagging fear in his chest that he might be unlocking a crime scene, but he rushed inside the grand double doors anyway. Luckily, Kit’s phone had simply fallen from his grasp, skidding out of his reach on the polished wood. Taddy’s relief at seeing Kit wasn’t dead faded the second he saw the crumpled figure on the ground.

“Master Kit!” The chauffeur rushed over at once, and Kit’s blood-heavy lashes fluttered to look up at Taddy. “Good Lord, what happened?” He cried, picking up the fragile boy as carefully as he could.

Kit groaned, leaning against Taddy’s chest. “I had.... someone... over for a date... Father wasn’t supposed to be home.  He got… he was so mad.”

Taddy scowled, half considering calling an ambulance for Kit so he could go upstairs and strangle his boss. Instead, he just sighed. “Violent bastard… come on, let’s get you to the hospital.”

“Taddy, don’t… you can’t… don’t tell anyone what happened.” Kit mumbled. “Make something up if you have to, but Father… he’ll kill us both if word gets out.”

“I’ll kill him first once you’re taken care of.” Taddy grumbled, setting Kit in the passenger seat as carefully as possible and buckling him in place. He climbed back into the driver’s seat, gunning it off down the street again. Kit groaned when the seatbelt tightened slightly, and Taddy gave him a hand to hold, which he quickly latched onto.

It was late night on a weekend, so the typical A&Es were full of shady trainwrecks. The waiting room of the posh hospital, however, was a ghost town, and the pair of secretaries looked at Kit and Taddy with wide, horrified eyes. One of them quickly called for a nurse.

“Oh, lord, what happened to you?” She asked, guiding Taddy to set Kit on a stretcher. Kit was barely conscious, and didn’t provide an answer. Taddy instead provided the excuse he’d figured out on the drive.

“He was studying late at the library. Half asleep by the time he left, wiped out on the stairs. I’m sure you’ve seen that old stone hazard downtown.”

The nurse clicked her tongue disdainfully. “That thing should have been torn down and re-done twenty years ago.” She huffed, pulling the stretcher down the hall to a proper room so she could clean and stitch up Kit’s cuts. He winced and groaned as she moved him, and she frowned in concern. “What hurts, dear?”

“Everything.”

While the answer was understandable, it was also useless. “I need specifics so I can help. Try to focus. What hurts the worst?”

“Chest… wrist… head.” Kit mumbled, doing his best to think. “Leg… head… head…”

The nurse jotted something about concussions on her clipboard sitting nearby. “Okay, once I stitch you up, we’ll bring in a doctor. I think you need X-rays.” She turned to Taddy, who had been given a stack of paperwork to fill out by the front desk. “Are you the father?”

Taddy shook his head. “Just the chauffeur I’m afraid.” He was suddenly all too aware of his haphazard outfit - a heavy coat over only an undershirt, faded pyjama pants, and shiny dress shoes. “This was a bit of an… unexpected… call.”

“I see. Once you’ve got the paperwork taken care of, you’re free to go. We can contact the parents.” The nurse told him.

“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary.” Taddy said at once. “I’m staying."

[hxlsteads]

Dear Diary | Varchie

Pairing: Veronica Lodge x Archie Andrews

Summary: Set in S3/Post suspected Veronica & Reggie romance. After a long trial and an extended stay locked away, Archie returns home only to find the message he passed on for a broken-hearted girl, had more of an impact on him than he could’ve ever imagined. But what will it take for forgiveness? A bit of Angst with a side of Fluff. (New to writing varchie fanfiction so it may no be the best).

Prompts: #35, 59 and 93 - “When I first saw you, I knew you were the one”, “I never wanted to hurt you”, and “Sorry for ruining your shirt.”

Read on fanfiction.net or archiveofourown

I miss you. Even after replaying those words over and over in my head, my heart still longs for you Archibald Andrews and I don’t think it’s ever going to stop. People can call it a romance but the only romance I’ve ever truly felt was with you. The word rebound couldn’t even describe what he was because he was nothing. A drunken mistake that old Veronica would’ve brushed aside as though it were nothing. But it isn’t nothing. It’s a mistake that I regret and you don’t deserve it. Your words hurt me Archie and I guess when you’re away it’s like I go back to my old ways like nothing ever changed, but you changed me so I guess I should really apologize to myself for putting myself in a position where I shouldn’t expect you to forgive me...

Those were the very words etched onto the tattered pages within the book clasped tightly against Veronica Lodge’s chest as she approached to door that she knew all too familiarly now. The single words she hand-wrote as tears cascaded down her face with each passing moment, blemishing the ink of previous words until they were almost unreadable. Yet only she wishes this correlated to real life. So her tears can turn her mistakes into a piece of art- I mean, after all, blocking all this out and going back to when it never happened would be a masterpiece in its own right.

But it’s never that simple; she can’t just cover the way she’s hurting behind her smudged mascara. He’s back and she’s now having to deal with the mess she created, the actions she couldn’t take back. She only hoped that her words could somehow account for them. Even in the slightest form.

The fingers of her left hand grew tighter around the only physical depiction of the dark depths of her mind as she tapped lightly against the cold wood, feeling a mixture of the harsh Riverdale winter and a harsh rush of sudden regret beneath the surface of her skin. She no longer felt human, sure she felt the cold, sure she felt pain still- but she felt nothing for herself. To her brain she was nothing more than a glass figure, she can look fine on the outside, disguise herself as this beautiful person yet on the inside she was just hollow. She felt empty within her own thoughts but as the creak of the door pierces the wallowing pity and a brush of warm air tickles her exposed shins she’s forced to look up. Look him in the eyes for the first time in nearing forty days. Not that she’s been counting.

Archie Andrews. The guy who changed the as quoted ‘shallow, toxic rich bitch’ into ‘the best girlfriend’. ‘If only he could take back that given award now’ She thought to herself... He still looked the same. The orange tone to his hair illuminated under the warm light Veronica already knew was from his fireplace, his chocolate gaze that still melted her at the core and that stupid green long sleeve that she’d begged him endlessly to get rid of. Then again as she came to think more about it, the more she realized she missed it. Or more so that she missed him. She missed the way his awkward smile laced his features every time they’d kissed, she missed the frequent use of the name ‘Ronnie’ which only ever sounded good leaving his lips- truthfully; she missed feeling this captivated by a person. But I guess this caught up with her. Seconds passed and not a word was said. Not out of the thousands she’d written since arriving in Riverdale.

“Veronica...” 

There it was. The first sound that escaped either of their lips and it had to be that. Her full name; diminished from the nickname she’d grown to adore. But what more can she expect? “Wh- what” Glancing down towards the object Veronica had within her palms, he spoke again. Softly, but with that underlying gruffness to his voice indicating he’d not long woken up. 

“You’re either about to ask what I’m doing here or what I’m holding and I’m not sure I know a good answer to either,” Veronica mutters watching as Archie’s face contorts as he tries to find the right words to say next. Who would’ve guessed it would come to this? A simply flowing conversation being lost in a sea of unexplained moments and unanswered questions.

“Both.” he breathes a quick response, following his gaze back up to meet her eyes once more.

She huffed, releasing the pent-up pressure of the book against her chest as she outstretches her arm towards him. Archie’s body shifted awkwardly as her fingers swept unintentionally against his chest as he motioned to take the object for his own and she couldn’t help but notice. “It’s a diary. My diary. Four hundred and eighty-four days worth.”

He swallows hard, flicking through the pages nonchalantly with a slight hesitation leaving Veronica on edge. She just needed him to say something-anything and she held her breath for what felt like an eternity before he did murmur the slightest, “Ronnie...”

It wasn’t much but sure she’d take it. She’d take hearing that word any day as long as it came from him and only him. Her knight in shining armor; her broad shoulder to cry on. Yet it would never come without consequence; usually much nicer than the onslaught of tears that she was trying so hard to battle but whatever.

“Ron,” he heaved again, anticipation hitting Veronica like a ten tonne of bricks as she awaited for the first step into probably one of the deepest conversation she was ever going to have. “I don’t understand.”

Veronica immediately goes to speak yet cannot find the words, frozen in time and she couldn’t even break the ice to close her mouth and regather her thought. She just had to go for it. Take the dive straight into the murky depths. “I-” she begins, “I’ve been writing ever since I moved here. Every day until I ran out of pages but no-one knew because truthfully I was afraid Archie. Not of what people would think but because every single page I poured my heart out to you.”

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he says, pressing his palms to his eyes. “Veronica,” He stutters with every syllable and Veronica swears she’d never seen him look this vulnerable. But then again it was a rare occasion Archie ever shared his true emotions.

“I was so scared of getting my heart broken. Like all the times before. But they meant nothing compared to the boy in this book. And after your dad came to me and told me we were done and you didn’t want me to visit anymore I thought I could just toss everything like I did before but I just can’t. Not with you.” Veronica explains as she stares at his evidently tense muscles. Ones that she could see so clearly now even through the thick cotton of his shirt. That had so much as doubled in size since his incarceration.

“It’s my fault V--” 

“It’s just not! I spent so long running from the way you made me feel that I never got to say half the things I have written in that stupid journal. And now I know it doesn’t matter anymore after everything that’s happened but I needed you to know.” Veronica stammers out; not even knowing half the pleads rolling off her tongue. She just couldn’t hold it in anymore... As much as she tried to; she wanted to she just couldn’t uphold that strong front she’d so effortlessly put up during her early days in the town. Pearl-like pendants cascaded one by one down the apples of her cheeks, not an inch of the strength she could muster up in the morning in sight. At this point, Veronica Lodge couldn’t care less about the reputation of her family name she was to uphold. She never did care around Archie. But she cared even less now knowing full well she had not a lot left to lose.

Dragging her thumbs underneath her eyes, puffy not from the sudden wetness that drowned the area but the sleepless nights that accompanied every evening since her world broke; she took one last breath of air. One last thing to say Veronica just while you’re here, she schooled herself before releasing her jaw once again and releasing more and more salty tears with the action, “I never stopped missing you, I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you. And I’m sorry.”

After finishing her words she promptly turned around, wandering off back into the dark street, the only light being from the flickering street lam a mere yard away. She just couldn’t bear to face him any longer, to be there for the onslaught of words thrown her direction, all things defending her when she was so certain she was in the wrong. Archie was clearly cooking u something as he stood stoic, just staring and nothing more. Like his body was cast in stone that you couldn’t batter through; much like the established wall he puts up ninety percent of the time.

As she steps weakly further into the fog, fearing the trembling of her knees will collapse her heeled feet she hears her name. A beacon of hope in the form of a whisper. At first, as strange as it sounds she wasn’t quite sure if it was real life or all inside her head. Sure Veronica knew it was his voice, she could spot it from ten miles away but Archie grew to be the angel on her shoulder. The voice in her head persuading her to always make the right decisions. To be a better person...

“Veronica.” Archie called out after her but the lack of a change of direction either meant she didn’t hear him or she didn’t want to. But either way, he wasn’t going to allow her to just walk away. Not with the only words he’s been managing to say in return being her name with the occasional extra syllable scattered here and there. “Wait-” He calls louder, knowing for sure both she and all of his neighbors would’ve heard him. The cool air brushes against his skin and a lump forms at the back of his throat, hitching any future words as he makes his first physical contact with her in months. Sure he’d seen her, but the hand laced over one another separated by unbreakable glass didn’t quite amount to the immediate sparks felt each and every time their skin came into contact. Even only by, clutching his hand around her arm and tugging her slightly to come face to face there was no denying it. The undetermined; unexplainable connection her has with this girl. “I’m sorry. What happened- the fact you kissed Reggie; it’s fine.”

“It’s not.” She whimpers. “You can’t say that. I kissed that misogynistic pig, one of your best friends and arch-rivals. It can’t be fine Archie!”

“Well tough; because I forgive you Ronnie.”

“Why.” Veronica bawls, her tears now transforming more to resemble a waterfall than the light condensation found on every window pane in a crisp Riverdale October.

Archie gazes at her- strands of her hair that fell perfectly from that middle parting of hers and framed her face becoming waterlogged by her tears. So he does it; bites the bullet and runs his fingers against the softness of her cheeks, clearing away excess dampness as he does so. “Because I love you, Veronica Cecilia Lodge. And because from the moment when I first saw you, I knew you were the one, and because your eyebrow is adorably kinking because you’re trying your hardest not to smile right now. And most of all, because the biggest mistake I think I’ve ever made was breaking things off with you.” He begins, rubbing small circles on her face; an embrace worth a lifetime of hurt.

“I love you too. Archibald Andrews.” She lets out a shaky breath mid hysterics, before lunging herself into his chest, letting her tears soak the fabric gowning his shoulders. God how long she’d wanted to do this. To take a single moment to breathe in that scent, the same one that had been fading on that one bulldog's shirt she slept with nightly. To hold the boy in the locket that had saved her more times than she can relay. Too deep in her thoughts, she runs her fingers hastily up his chest, the bumps of his chiseled chest making it hard for her to conceal a blush as she wraps her palm around the small silver treasure tied around her neck. Replacing her father’s pearls...

But little did she need that anymore. She had everything she wanted; everything she needed. She found in her darkness that she didn’t need her fathers love to survive; but she needed the guidance of her greatest love story to show her the way. That’s how she was to survive.

Knowing truly it was Archie and Veronica against the world...

A/N - So it’s done. This wasn’t the original ending but I just could not get it to sound great or word it correctly so I may or may not do an alternate ending somewhen soon. But here you go! My first Varchie fic. I love these babies endlessly and can only hope this did them the slightest bit of justice! Anyways thank you for reading and let me know what you think! x x 

[that-terrible-writer]

It Is What It Is

So I promised to have this posted yesterday but jetlag caught up with me and after work, I passed out. So here it is, the shitty part 3 because I’m still sleepy and I’m pretty sure my writing has fallen apart now.

So here’s a 3.2k word part.

| Sweet Pea x Reader, Archie Andrews x Reader |

Part 3

Part 1 2

“It is what it is part 3 please<3 i love it so much”

"I think it's obvious who you should pick, dear Y/N," Cheryl spoke while she continued to do her makeup, looking over at you. You reclined down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. You went to get advice from Cheryl: clearly. You couldn't talk to Betty about your problem with Sweet Pea nor Archie since Sweets was a Serpent and she would be against that. Even though Jugs just became one himself and the fact that Betty is still in love with Archie. Going to Veronica was definitely out of the question.

Cheryl placed down her powder brush, sighing causing you to sit up from your position. She looked disappointed with you. Cheryl turned slightly from her seat, having a more stern look in her eyes. You felt uneasy, shifting in your spot, "What?" You asked her.

"You apparently want to be with vegetable." She answered, turning to going back to apply her blush.

"You mean Sweet Pea?" You pushed your eyebrows together, trying to think of any other person you knew with a name that resembled a vegetable.

"Don't get me wrong, Archie Andrews is a very handsome man, but someone like him can be boring," Cheryl explained. You tilted your head, taking in all of her words to see if they made any sense to you. "This Serpent though," Cheryl paused, biting her bottom lip, "He sounds exciting and isn't that what you want?"

"His gang doesn't know about him hanging out with someone like me; only Fangs, Toni and Juggie do. He would want it to stay hidden, and I'm not for that, Cher." You countered, "He thinks this is a whole West Side Story kind of deal, where since I'm a Northsider and he's a Southsider; we won't be accepted."

Cheryl finished putting on her face, now having your full attention, "West Side Story?" She asked, confused by your reference.

"It's a movie." You described, trying to make it understandable to her. The expression on her face said otherwise, "Based off of Romeo and Juliet? Watch a movie, Cheryl!" You joked, throwing a pillow at her, causing her to squeal.

"What is holding you back, Y/N?" Cheryl grabbed the pillow, making her way over to the bed to join you. "You like him, don't you?" You let out a sigh, falling back unto the bed.

"I don't know!" You let out, "I didn't look at him in that way until he said those things! I like Archie, but he's making that confusing too with him being with every girl in Riverdale that isn't me." You covered your face with a pillow, letting out a frustrated cry.

"Say what you want, but I think you should give the gangster a shot," Cheryl hummed. You took the pillow away from your face, glaring at her.

"Of course you want me to choose him." You muttered, "So you can have Archie." Cheryl gasped, placing a hand on her heart, insulted by your statement.

"Why, Y/N, never," She softly defended, "He's with Veronica, I would never be a homewrecker. A Blossom is always full of class and dignity."

"Yeah, sure," You said, "Also with Sweet Pea, I don't know if it's commitment forever or whatever. Isn't it with gangs that you're with that person for life?"

"I think you been watching too many movies, Y/N, dear," Cheryl commented, pulling you up. She placed her hands on your lap, giving you a slight pout, "You know that I love you, like a sister, and I just want you to be happy. If either hurt you, I will kill them both." You laughed, hugging Cheryl.

She always got the short end of the stick. Her reputation at Riverdale High was she's a bitch. For a girl who drove herself to succeed in any way, had all the confidence that anyone could want and speak her mind didn't make her a bitch. She was just herself, and Cheryl made it clear that she knew who she was and owned it. You loved hanging out with her because even though you two were opposites, it was a combo that worked. Betty and Veronica had each other and Cheryl was your better half.

You heard your phone ring, picking it up after you saw that it was Kevin. "Hey, Kevin, what's up?" You asked, shooing Cheryl away, trying to lean in to listen.

"What are you doing today?" Kevin quipped.

"Nothing. I'm at Cheryl's place right now," You couldn't help but hear Kevin's undertone. It had a hint of excitement, "Why?"

"Jughead is challenging a Ghoulie to a drag race?" Your body stiffens, heart racing: worried about your best friend.

"What? Why?" You quickly asked, wanting answers but of course Kevin would have none.

"Don't know. The rest of us are going to go watch if you and Cheryl want to join." Kevin mentioned. Your eyes flickered to Cheryl, who already heard what Kevin had told you. She was at her closest, searching through her clothes to find the perfect outfit for the occasion. You rolled your eyes, still watching her, "Archie is joining Jughead for the race." Kevin mentioned, now having your full attention.

"What? Why is Archie doing something so stupid?" You pressed. You got off the bed to walk over to the window, away from Cheryl but that wasn't going to happen. Cheryl heard your outburst, smiling to herself. She knew that you were going to go now that you knew that Archie was involved.

"Because of Jughead, why else?" Kevin countered, "So, will I see you there?"

"I guess, just send me the info." You hung up, looking back at Cheryl who already changed her outfit but held up another with a devilish smile to match. "What is that?" You asked although you already knew the answer.

"Your outfit for the race," She answered.

You met the gang at the location, seeing a larger crowd than you thought. Ghoulies on one side, Serpents on another and then there were that small group of Bulldogs. You saw Jughead and Archie arrive at the race, bringing your attention to the Ginger. "Archie!" You waved, catching his attention.

"Y/N, why are you here?" Archie asked, grabbing your arm to pull you away from everyone. You looked at Archie confused, taken back that he would be the one asking that question.

"Me? What about you? What is this whole thing with the Serpents against the Ghoulies?" You pressed. You had to worry about the safety of your two best friends now, and it was killing you inside. It caused your nervous tick return: bitting your nails. Archie pull your hand away from your mouth quickly dropping it from his due to Veronica being close.

"Don't worry, Y/N, I contacted Sheriff Keller before the race. Once Jug makes it near the bridge, I'm going to pull the break and then the Ghoulies will be the one arrested." Your eyes widen hearing Archie's plan. Your stomach drops making you slap Archie in the chest.

"Are you crazy? I may not know a lot about gangs, but I think calling the cops is against one of the rules, Archie!" You harshly whisper to him. You got closer together, making sure that no one else could hear Archie's stupidity, "If the Serpents find out that you called the cops, who knows what they'll do to you! They're not your biggest fan."

Archie patted your shoulder, walking past you, "It will be fine. Trust me." He whispered. You felt your heart race from the anger that was building up. You watched Archie get into Reggie's car with Jughead. Everyone was watching the two as they drove to the starting line; everyone that is but one person. You looked over to see Sweet Pea looking at you.

Sweet Pea wasn't too pleased to see you express your concern with Andrews. He didn't want to admit that he had a rival for your affection even though Andrews was already with Lodge.

You were trying to hold a conversation with Kevin, with your eyes wandering over to see the specific tall, slick black hair Serpent sitting on his bike staring back at you. Sweet Pea flashed his signature smirk at you, pleased to see you looking at him.

"Is that him?" Cheryl's remarked caused you to jump. You had to slap her on the arm, to try and not have her draw attention to Sweet Pea to the others. "He's cute. I was right; you should pick him." Again, you slapped her.

"Pick him? Who are we picking?" Kevin quipped. You covered your face, letting out a sigh knowing how this was going to play out.

"Y/N has a certain Serpent interested in her," Cheryl informed Kevin, linking arms with him and showing him who Sweet Pea was. You flashed a look at Cheryl, widening your eyes to motion her to keep her mouth quiet but she simply ignored you. "You see that one over there?"

"Tall, mysterious and hot one with the neck tattoo? Totally." Kevin confirmed.

"He fancies our lovely girl, but Y/N is conflicted." Cheryl returned the look to you.

"With another guy? Do tell." Kevin gossiped.

"It's nothing," You tried to convince Kevin, trying not to make it more public than it needed to be. You put your hands up, waving them about, "It's seriously is nothing."

"So convincing." Cheryl mocked you. "He hasn't taken his eyes off of you since you got here."

"It doesn't help that my butt is eating these shorts you gave me," You muttered, pulling on the little fabric that you had. Cheryl's outfit that she gave you was more revealing than you wear. High waisted shorts, where your cheeks got to have a little peek, red crop top and having your hair in a ponytail. You crossed your arms, taking a look over your shoulder to see that Sweet Pea was indeed staring at you.

"You're totally into him," Kevin concluded, pointing at you. You snapped your head towards him, feeling the blush creep onto your cheeks. "Yeah, that blush just confirms my detective skills."

"Shut up, will you?" You whispered, "If Betty or Archie figure anything is going on with Sweets and me, I won't hear the end of it."

"End of what?" Someone asked.

"That Y/N is getting it on with a Serpent," Kevin answered quickly, not even looking at who asked. Your eyes widen, seeing who it was and your heart sank. Kevin saw the look on your face, turning to see who he had answered to, "I'll leave you two be." Kevin hurried Cheryl away so that you and Betty could talk.

"A Serpent, Y/N?" Betty asked, surprised at the thought. You waved a hand in front of you, trying to tell her that it wasn't right.

"We haven't done anything." You assured her. You walked closer to Betty, "We aren't anything. Sweet Pea is a friend and only that."

"He's dangerous, Y/N," Betty said, you were a little taken back from her comment. She didn't know Sweet Pea; she didn't even hang out with him as you had yet she was very quick to judge. Them again this was Betty Cooper that you were talking to here. "He's part of a horrible gang."

"Which your boyfriend is also a part of," You reminded her. You took a step back, narrowing your eyes, "Betty, Sweets isn't a bad person; I told Archie the same thing."

"Archie knows you're hanging out with a guy like him?" Betty pointed her finger at Sweet Pea. You followed her eyes to look at him once more. Sweet shifted in his position, watching your talk with Betty and seeing how upset you were getting. You turned your attention back to Betty, scoffing at her.

"He's a nice person, Bets. Don't be quick to judge." You snapped. Betty could see the anger that was building up in you. "So you can tell me who I can hang out with, but when it comes to Jughead, everything goes out the window for you?"

"Y/N, you know Juggie though," Betty reasoned with you.

"And I know Sweet Pea." You interjected. You let out a deep breath, shutting your eyes, "You know what Betty, forget it. I don't need your stamp of approval to hang out with Sweets." You brushed past Betty, annoyed with her, heading back over to Kevin and Cheryl.

While you continue to talk with Kevin and Cheryl, you looked over your shoulder to see Sweets leaning back on his bike. He licked the bottom of his lip, sending you a little wink. Your heart couldn't be still, not when it was around him. He made your mouth dry, stomach filled with butterflies and act all shy even though you weren't known for being shy at all.

"Beat it!" You heard one gang member yell, making his way to the crowded area. He waved his arms, alerting everyone, "The cops are here!" Everyone scrambled to get in their cars to make a getaway. You went to get back in the car with Cheryl, but with a tug on your arm, swept away on a bike: his bike.

You were positioned to sit in front of Sweet, his arms on the side to both drive the bike and to keep you in safe. Having his chest pressed against your back caused you to lose focus on everything. You didn't worry if Jughead and Archie were away from the cops, you weren't scared to feel the wrath of Betty as she saw you getting pulled onto Sweet Pea's bike; his warmth kept you calm, it kept you sane.

Sweet Pea pulled into Pop's parking lot, allowing you to get off the bike. You looked at Sweet Pea, who just was pleased with himself and the act that he pulled off. That he was able to have his alone time with you, something he told you that he would do. "What the hell, Sweet?" You gasped, trying to collect your breath from the terrifying bike ride. You placed your hand over your heart, averting your eyes to not look at him.

"What?" He laughed something that brought joy to you. You never knew that a sound could bring someone happiness until you heard his laugh, "I got you here in one piece. That wasn't your first ride on my bike."

"It was with me being in the front!" You let out, showing him your shaken hands, "I didn't know where to put my hands! I usually wrap them around you, but this time I had no idea what to do! What happened if I fell?" Sweet grabbed your hands with his, pulling you close to him. You stood in between his legs, where he continued to sit on his bike, stretch your arms out to the side.

"You know I wouldn't let that happen," He hummed, enjoying his view from below. He moved his hands to place them on your hips, lowering them to your thighs. You would be lying to yourself by saying this didn't excite you. Having his hands on you was something you pictured when you first met him but pushed those thoughts away when you two suddenly became good friends.

Sweet Pea played with the hem of your shorts, having the fabric rub between his fingers, "Did you get dressed up just for me?" Sweets asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"No," You mumbled.

"This will surely get that Serpents attention," Cheryl told you, shoving the clothes in your arms.

"Cheryl made me," You quickly corrected yourself, only making Sweet Pea's smile grow.

"It's missing something though," Sweet Pea added, taking off his jack. He swung the leather jacket over your shoulders. His hands held the edge of the jacket, where the zipper was, holding you in it. "Now you look perfect, princess," He cooly said. The new nickname he gave you made you flustered. You turned your head away, bring a hand up to cover your blushing self.

"What about your gang? I thought you didn't want them to know about me," You reminded him. Sweet Pea tugged on the jacket, having you look back at him.

"Just let me worry about that," He assured you. He drew you close, having you bend down a little to be at eye level. His lips grazed yours, him being this close to you caused your breaths to get shorter. You couldn't take your eyes away from him; he looked at you with such intensity, that it made you want to straddle him on his bike and just have your way with him. "You won't have to worry about anything if you're with me."

Sweet Pea closed the gap that was between you two. He would tug on the jacket more, forcing you to come close. Having your hands on his shoulders to keep yourself from falling on top of him. You returned his kisses, showing him the same amount of passion as he was giving you.

Your phone rang causing you to pull away and out of breath. Sweet Pea let out a grunt, knowing who was on the other line. Sweet had watched you talking to Archie, having Andrews flash glares at him during the talk. He wasn't too scared with Andrews being his competition on winning you. He knew Andrews would never make his move and obviously because Sweets was the clear winner.

"Hey, Arch," You let out softly. You tried to push Sweet Pea away from you. He was pulling you closer to him, arms around your waist, his face buried in your stomach. You shut your eyes, trying to make sure that your voice wasn't shakey due to Sweet Pea's fingers rub your bare skin, "What's up?"

"Cheryl told me that you left the race with Sweet Pea," Archie harshly spoke. You bit the bottom of your lip, feeling the tingles that were coming off of Sweet's lips brushing against your skin.

"Yeah, he drove me to Pop's," Your voice went high, trying your best to ignore what Sweet Pea was trying to do.

"Well stay there, I'll come and get you," Archie directed you.

"Archie, I'm fine. Sweets will drive me back to my place," You persuaded, but he didn't buy it.

"I'm coming to get you," Was the last thing Archie told you before hanging up. Letting out a heavy sigh, Sweet Pea took your phone away when he saw your frustration.

"My biggest fan coming to see me?" Sweets joked, having him feel relaxed and assured about the joke as you laughed slightly.

"Yeah," You tilted your head, brushing your fingers through his hair, "Why can't you two get along?"

"Because he decided to blame Southside for shit we didn't do," Sweet Pea huffed. He brought his hand to the back of your neck, pulling you down once again, smiling against your lips, "Also because I stealing you away from him."

Tagged: @walkingkhaleesi @alwaysmebeforeyou @weneednutella