#sigh. i should not have wasted my time watching heathers today.

[you-are-constance]

this past week has been the weirdest when it comes to homework and whatever

like last sunday night i submitted like 5 assignments. then on monday i had literally nothing to do.

and like last night i had nothing due (good bc i was at the school until 10:30 at night) and now today i literally feel sick due to the stress. so. this is great /s

[watchmegetobsessed]

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED - Part One (Harry Styles)

a/n: oh my god i am sooo thankful for the love the masterlist got with just so little info about the story! it means so much to me and i really hope i won’t disappoint you with this story! i was planning to post the first part on tuesday but i got excited bc of all the feedback and reactions and decided to start earlier, so here it is, part one of TLABL, a story im kind of proud of and very happy to share! please drop by my ask box or leave your thoughts on the story, i would love to hear everything from you guys!

pairing: CEO!Dad!Harry X Reader

warning: mentions of death, cheating and divorce

word count: 11.2k

SERIES MASTERPOST masterlist

“I hope you realize this holds nothing against you, we all love and appreciate you and your work, but we had to face some unexpected problems this past year.”

You sit in front of Claire, your boss completely dumbfounded, not even comprehending what she is saying completely. You came to work this morning absolutely oblivious that today is going to be your last day of work at the daycare you’ve been working at for over two years now.

“I’m sorry, but last time you let us in on the budget you didn’t bring up any complication that might have indicated someone could lose their job, so what possible problem could have come up so abruptly?” you ask with a shocked and nervous chuckle. Part of you kind of hopes this is just some stupid joke she is playing on you, but Claire is not one to make games out of such serious things. Letting out a tired sigh she pushes her reading glasses up to the top of her head into her carefully curled hair.

“Look, I’m really trying not to make a big deal out of it, but we had to make some cuts on the budget. The kitchen and gymnasium renovation was completely unplanned and it kicked us in the butt. We are making some changes about the groups this year and it was made that it can be solved with one less person on the team. I’m sorry it had to be you, but the decision had to be made.”

“But why me?” you press. “There are two people who have been working for a shorter period of time here, didn’t I earn your trust during my time here?”

“It’s not about that, Y/N,” Claire shakes her head.

“Then what is this about?”

“If you are so keen on knowing, we’ve… received a few… complaints.” Your eyebrows shoot up to your hairline, this is the first time you’re hearing about it.

“Complaints?”

“Yes. Some parents are not quite the fan of the kind of mentality you are using while teaching the kids.”

“What are you talking about?” you ask, feeling all the blood rushing out of your face. This is starting to get way too nasty. Claire pinches the bridge of her nose before leaning onto her desk, clasping her hands together.

“I know that you are quite the free spirit and want to teach the kids about openness and acceptance, but not everyone is as rainbow as you are. Some kids brought the word home about what kind of books you’ve been reading and we’ve gotten a few concerns about you basically promoting the LGBTQ community for the kids.”

“I’m not promoting, I’m trying to teach them to accept everyone just the way they are, how can that upset anyone?!”

“Well, it does. The committee had to make a decision on who we should let go and many agreed that it might be the safest decision to make it be… you.”

You’re about to faint. You are sure you are about to fall off this chair and just black out. How can someone get mad about you reading stories about acceptance and treating everyone equally? What kind of monster can see it as a bad thing? And now you are losing your job over such a stupid thing that you don’t even feel responsible for.

Though you’d love to stay and try to convince Claire to not let you go, you know the decision has been made and if you’re being honest, you don’t feel comfortable anymore working at a place where parents tell you off for teaching important values for their kids. Sadly, but you sign all paperwork about your immediate parting and you leave Claire’s office to pack your stuff.

“Miss Y/N! Miss Y/N!” Izzy, one of the sweetest girls in your group basically launches herself at you, smashing against your legs as she hugs you happily. “Do you want to see what I just painted?” She blinks up at you with her gorgeous green eyes and your heart breaks that you won’t get to see her again.

“Oh, Sweetie. I have to—you know what? Sure. Show me your painting,” you smile at her warmly. You can’t say no to her, not when this is the last time you get to see her.

As you’re cleaning out your locker in the break room, Heather walks in and stops in her tracks, seeing you with your gloomy face as you pack everything into a cardboard box.

“What the hell are you doing?” she questions right away. The two of you have known each other for years now, you did the same master’s programme and somehow ended up working here together, carrying on the friendship you’ve formed through your school years.

“I was… fired,” you sigh, wincing at the words.

“What?! Why?”

“Apparently, we are having some budget problems with all the renovations that was made recently and unbeknownst to me, some parents have been complaining about my openness with kids so I was the lucky one to part ways with.”

“That’s fucking bullshit! The kids adore you, how can someone complain about something like that?”

“Don’t know, ask them if you ever find out who they are,” you mumble under your breath as you shut the now empty locker closed. “I’m sorry we can’t carpool anymore,” you pout at her.

“No fucks given about that, what are you gonna do now?” she asks, seemingly very bummed at the news that you won’t be working at the same place now.

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “I guess I’ll have to find something new if I don’t want to end up on the streets,” you mumble.

“Oh girl, I’m so sorry,” Heather sighs pulling you into a hug. “Why don’t we go out for drinks on Friday? Everything is on me!”

“Don’t act like I’m already broke, makes me feel like a loser.”

“Sorry,” she scowls. “Just want to brighten you up a little. Meet me at seven at that Mexican place, how does that sound?”

“Stuffing my face with nachos and tequila? Sounds like the best plan I could wish for.”

You waste no time arriving home after your worst day at work. You jump right into the job ads, looking for basically anything that might help you out of this impossible situation. Sending your resume to as many places as possible, you get a few callbacks the next few days, but you only make it to one interview on Friday and that doesn’t go well either. The man who calls in for an open position at a private kindergarten turns out to be a total snob and he doesn’t find your free spirit too fitting with the profile of his institution so you get rejected at the end of the interview.

You head out to meet Heather feeling like shit. You’ve been unemployed for four days, but it’s already breaking your spirits.

“You know what? Clair is a bitch for giving in to the complaints,” Heather slams her fourth shot glass on the table with a grimace. “She should have defended you!”

“I’m sure she just didn’t want to get into any disagreement. Some of the parents donate great amounts to the school and Claire would never risk losing that money,” you sigh rolling your eyes.

“Okay, but she is being very… not inclusive,” she narrows her eyes. “Firing someone for teaching the kids openness? Bullshit.”

“I’m just sad I don’t get to see the kids anymore. They really grew close to my heart.”

“The little fuckers can be so damn cute, almost make me want to have one.” Heather sighs, downing another shot before pulling the nachos closer to her. You laugh at her vulgar reaction, she has always had quite a dirty mouth but somehow she controls herself well around the kids. “How has the job hunting been?”

“Horrible,” you growl in frustration. There are not many that offer a good paycheck and the few that does are these posh places that expect you to treat the kids like they are made out of gold which is ridiculous. That’s not how you raise a kid!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sure something will come up soon. Why don’t you look into nanny jobs, have you thought about that?”

“What do you mean?” you furrow your eyebrows, popping some chips into your mouth.

“A lot of people prefer having nannies for their little children, some even want them to move in. My brother’s ex-girlfriend was a live-in nanny for about two years and she earned a shit ton of money, because she didn’t have to pay rent and a good chunk of the food, because the parents just treated her like part of the family and bought groceries for five people instead of four.”

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for that kind of stuff.”

“What, earning money?” Heather scoffs.

“No, living with a stranger.”

“Most of the time the nanny gets like a separated place so it wouldn’t be that bad, but you know what’s good for you. It was just an idea,” she shrugs.

Soon enough you drop any work talk not wanting to ruin the mood. You enjoy some time away from the stress of job hunting and you’re just trying to have fun with your best friend. You start talking about nostalgic memories from college and end up looking up people you graduated with on social media, checking out what they’ve been up to in the past years.

“Alright, I’m gonna go to the restroom quickly, watch out for my drink,” you announce pushing your drink closer to Heather as you head towards the restrooms.

There’s a bit of a line so you stand behind two girls chatting about some cute guy they just met and leaning against the wall you close your eyes for a moment, feeling the drinks hitting you in the head. You’re not used to drinking, haven’t really had the time to get drunk too much lately and it’s saddening to think that now that you’re unemployed, you could black out every day, you wouldn’t have anywhere to show up in the morning.

Getting deep in your thoughts you almost don’t even notice that your phone is buzzing in your pocket. When you finally realize you pull it out of your back pocket and look down at the unknown number with a scowl. You quickly leave your spot in the line and rush out to hear something as you answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, I hope I’m not calling at an inconvenient time, I’m Harry Styles and I’m looking to talk to Y/N Y/L/N?” you hear a thick British accent on the other end of the line.

“This is her.”

“Great. Sorry for the late call, I’m Isabelle’s father.”

“Isabelle?” you ask in confusion, the names not really clicking in your head thanks to the shots you’ve been taking.

“Isabelle Styles? Izzy?”

“Oh! Yes! Sorry, yeah. Mr. Styles, what can I help you with?” you ask, not sure why Izzy’s dad would be calling you.

“Well I just recently learned from my daughter that you’re not working at the daycare any longer?” “Uh, yeah. Unfortunately I was fired this Monday…” you awkwardly answer.

“I’m sorry about that. Izzy has been really sad about it, I wanted to ask if you’ve found a new job already?”

“Not yet, I’ve been looking but I haven’t had much luck yet,” you confess.

“In that case I have an offer to make,” he firmly continues and you perk up at his words. “I’ve been thinking about pulling Izzy out of daycare, but I didn’t want to do it until I found someone to take good care of her. You’ve been her absolute favorite and she’s been devastated since you’ve been gone. If you’re up for a job of this kind, I would like to offer you a spot as Izzy’s nanny.”

“Oh!” is all you react, completely not expecting this call.

“I know there are a lot to discuss, but if you’re interested, I would be more than happy to have a chat with you sometime this weekend? To go over the details and see if we can make it work.”

“I, uh… Um, yeah. We can meet, that sounds good. When would it be good for you?”

“How about tomorrow afternoon?”

“That can work.”

“Amazing!” he beams. “I’ll send you the address through text if that’s alright for you.”

“Yeah, of course. When should I be there?”

“Would three o’clock suit you?”

“Absolutely,” you nod, stunned at the turn of events.

“Great, thank you so much, and once again, sorry to bother you on your Friday evening. Looking forward to see you tomorrow!”

“Thank you, Mr. Styles, see you soon!”

You get back in line at the bathroom and then make your way back to the table where Heather gives you a puzzled look.

“Did you take a massive shit or something?” she jokes as you take your seat and stare back at her, still in shock.

“No, I had a very interesting call, actually.”

“With who?”

“Um, Izzy Styles’ dad just called and offered me a job as her nanny.”

Heather almost chokes on her drink, coughing at the news. You hand her a napkin as she dries her chin off from her cocktail.

“Harry Styles wants you to be the nanny of his daughter?” she gasps.

“You know Izzy’s dad?”

“Y/N, everyone knows him! He is the sexiest man to walk this planet and not to mention that he is like stupidly rich! Have you not seen him yet?”

“Not really,” you shrug. “Izzy was picked up by an old woman most of the times, I guess I never worked when her dad came for her.”

“That explains why you’re not squirming already,” she scoffs. “That man is like… crazy hot, I’m telling you. I bumped into him one morning when I guess he was dropping Izzy off, the way he said ‘Pardon me, Darling’ made my knees shake,” she tells you, faking an accent that’s nowhere near what Mr. Styles sounded like on the phone.

“Well, I guess I’ll see him for myself. I’m meeting him tomorrow to discuss details,” you shrug and Heather slams her hand on the table.

“Oh my God! You’re gonna work for Harry Fucking Styles! Get ready because your panties will be soaking wet all the time,” she laughs like a hyena.

“Heather, stop!” you shake your head laughing too.

Following Mr. Styles’ call you decide to cut the night shorter than you intended, not wanting to look absolutely wasted when you meet him. Arriving home to your small, one bedroom apartment you take a quick shower before climbing to bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to collect your thoughts. You told Heather you’re not willing to do the whole live-in nanny thing and Mr. Styles might not even want you to live with them, but now that the option is there, you realize it might not be the worst case scenario. Especially since you’re not really swimming in other job offers and you are in desperate need of anything at this point.

Despite having consumed quite some alcohol the previous night, you wake up at a reasonable hour in the morning, finding a text from Mr. Styles about the address you’d have to be going in the afternoon. You make a quick trip to the grocery store and do some chores before you start getting ready for the meeting. You opt for a simple black dress that reaches your knees and pair it with a little funkier, flower printed blazer to bring some color into the outfit.

Punching the address into the GPS you see that it’s taking you to the outer skirt of the city to the neighborhood that’s known to have some quite luxurious estates and you immediately think back to what Heather said about him being ridiculously rich. Driving down the streets in your old Volkswagen you couldn’t stand out more at a place where at least three cars park on the driveways and one of them is a Ferrari or a Porsche.

There’s a massive security gate under the address that’s your destination and it’s left open so you can pull up to the driveway easily. You park next to a fucking Tesla, finding it extremely funny to see your car next to it, but it is what it is. Walking up to the front door you ring the bell as you take a look at the house that can easily considered to be a mansion. Guessing from the outside there are at least about five bedrooms in it and you can only imagine what other luxurious units are squeezed into it.

Soon enough the front door opens and you find yourself staring back at a breathtakingly gorgeous man, wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black suit pants, his chocolate curls falling to his forehead as his emerald eyes fall on you, a warm smile tugging on his lips.

Shit. Heather was fucking right, you think to yourself swallowing hard.

“Miss Y/L/N, it’s so nice to see you. I’m Harry, Izzy’s dad, come on in!” he invites you inside before a short handshake.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Styles.”

“Please, just call me Harry. I don’t like formalities at home,” he asks you as the two of you walk further inside until you arrive to what looks like a living room, but it’s actually the size of your apartment.

“Only if you call me Y/N,” you smile at him and he nods right away.

“Miss Y/N!” you hear a small voice call out and turning around you see Izzy running down the hallway until she throws herself against your legs.

“Oh, hello Sunshine!” you hum, squatting down so you can hug her.

“I missed you!” she pouts, rubbing her eyes.

“I missed you too,” you smile at her, caressing her soft cheeks before standing up. An older lady walks in, the one you’ve seen picking up Izzy. She approaches you with a friendly smile as she extends a hand towards you.

“Hi, I’m Ruth, it’s nice to meet you.” “Y/N, nice to meet you too.”

“Ruth, would you take Izzy outside while I talk to Miss—erm, Y/N here?” Harry requests. Ruth nods and taking Izzy’s hand she lures her outside to look for ladybugs in the backyard and that immediately catches her attention. The two of them leave through the sliding door, giving you and Harry privacy.

“Please, have a seat,” he gestures towards the sectional couch. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m good, thank you,” you smile at him as he sits in an armchair across you.

The interior of the house is quite cozy, kind of modern with a hint of vintage touches that make it less rigid, a pop of color showing at most corners so it’s not too monochrome. You quite like it.

“Y/N, I once again apologize for calling you at such an inappropriate hour, but I often work late and I wanted to get in touch with you as soon as possible upon hearing the news.”

“Don’t worry about it, I understand.”

“Isabelle mentioned it to me on Thursday that the other workers told her you no longer work at the daycare so I asked around a little yesterday and was informed that they let you go earlier in the week.”

“It was quite sudden for me as well,” you chuckle lightly, feeling a little anxious to talk about it.

“I know it’s not too appropriate, but I asked why they chose you to part ways with and I have to say it’s outraging that some parents are so ignorant and wayward. I’m really sorry this had to be the reason out of everything.”

“Thank you.” It actually feels nice that he thinks the same, this whole firing was ridiculous and you were losing hope in humanity, but Harry is now very much restoring it.

“Let me walk you through what the situation is here and what I was thinking about.” You nod and listen carefully. “I’m president of a record label and it consumes most of my time, I sometimes work sixty hours a week which I know is not ideal and healthy and I’m trying to change it, but it’s not an easy situation. I thought that putting Izzy into daycare was a good idea, but it’s been getting harder to work around her schedule as a single parent with so much work on my hands. Ruth is a family friend who has been helping tremendously with Izzy, but she is not getting any younger and she would like to retire fully and spend more time with her own grandkids. So I’ve been thinking about hiring a nanny for Izzy and try to make her days work around mine while I’m able to do that. She is going to start preschool in little over a year and I want to spend as much time with her as possible, but it’s not easy when the schedule depends on an institution. When she told me about your firing I had the thought that you might be interested in taking the spot as her nanny. She is obsessed with you, wouldn’t stop talking about what you do every day, and I might have also looked into your professional background. I like what I’ve seen and I’m very much into the way you’ve been dealing with the kids at the daycare. Openness is really important and I want Izzy to grow up in an environment that teaches her about being equal and supportive towards each other. I would be more than happy if you’d be the one taking care of Izzy while I’m not available.”

To say the east you’re stunned at how forward and open he was about the offer and his compliment about your professional background is quite flattering. You can tell he is doing an amazing job at raising Izzy as an open and accepting human, she was always one of the nicest and sweetest kids who always made sure to include all her peers in the games you played. And it’s obvious Harry is not just being a hypocrite, his tattooed arm, painted nails and ring clad fingers are not quite what you’d traditionally imagine a man like him wear, but he does it well and clearly doesn’t give a fuck what others might think about it.

Harry continues with how much he thought you’d be earning for the job and you almost choke on your own saliva. It’s almost three times as much as you’ve been earning at the daycare and you’d be able to save a good chunk every month which is quite amazing.

“I have to ask, were you thinking about a situation where I live with you or I’d have to be coming here every day?”

“Well, essentially it would be the easiest for everyone if you moved in. I have plenty of rooms you could choose from and you’d have access to everything else as well, of course, including the home gym, the pool, the sauna and the entertainment room. But I understand if you are not willing to make that commitment. If you choose to live here you wouldn’t be charged anything, naturally.”

This actually sounds like a dream, moving into this luxury mansion from your cramped little apartment and being able to save the money you’ve been paying on rent.

“And what would be the time management? If I moved in it would easily make me fall into a habit of always working, which is not quite ideal,” you point it out.

“Of course,” he nods. “I like to take care of her morning routine so you’d have to start around nine when I leave to the office. If we can make this deal working I’d like her to start taking some extra classes during the day, moving her activities earlier in the day so her afternoons would be free. She takes piano lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays, a swimming instructor comes here on Thursdays and she is taking French lessons every Tuesday and Friday. Everything takes place here, I would reschedule her activities to take place between nine and twelve. You wouldn’t have to worry about her during those times. You’d cover lunch time and then the afternoons. I try to get home between four and six and just work from home if it’s possible so I can be around her. You’d have to only help out whenever I can’t make it home in time I have urgent works that have to be done from home. We could have dinner time together and then her night time routine is my duty again. Ruth is willing to help me out on Saturdays and I spend Sundays with her strictly without any work distraction so you’d have the weekends off unless something comes up. In those cases I would check in with you beforehand and arrange it however it works best for you.”

You’re speechless for a moment. What he just shared doesn’t seem too bad, you might have to work a lot more, but being one on one with just one kid is much easier than dealing with fifteen of them at once. Not to mention that the money is still amazing compared to what you’d have to be doing.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, it’s an amazing offer. Izzy is such a sweet girl, I would be more than happy to take care of her.”

Harry smiles at you warmly, clearly proud of his daughter, as he should be.

“Can I ask for some time to think about it? It would be a huge commitment.” “Of course. Take your time and let me know whatever your decision is.”

“Thank you.”

Harry offers a quick tour in the house regardless, the kitchen is massive, they have a nice dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the green slopes of the backyard that seems to be Izzy’s kingdom. She has a playhouse that could almost function as a real one, the pool is filled with floaties for her and she has her own playground further in the back with slides, monkey bars and a swing set. Your assumptions were almost right about the number of bedrooms. Beside Harry’s master and Izzy’s own room there’s one that’s been used by Ruth, one that’s for Harry’s mother and sister for whenever they are staying over and there are three additional rooms now serving as guest bedrooms, one of those would be turned into your room if you chose to move in. The gym seems better than the one you’ve been going whenever you felt like being a little active, the entertainment room has everything you could ever think about for a room this sort of and the sauna is already calling your name. Living and working here might actually feel like a vacation.

“Miss Y/N! Look what I found!” Izzy runs up to you when you and Harry step out to the backyard, holding her pointing finger up. A ladybug is wandering around her tiny finger, not even bothering with the amazed girl that’s inspecting it.

“Wow! How many dots do you see on it?” you ask and she knits her eyebrows together, counting the black dots.

“Five!”

“Yes, good job!” you ruffle her curls as she smiles up at you proudly. She really is an angel, you’ve grown to like her a lot and you would be lying if you said you didn’t get emotional over thinking about never seeing her again. Being able to take care of her and give her the best possible childhood would be such a dream and the chance to do that is right in front of you.

“I’ll be waiting for your call, Y/N,” Harry smiles at you walking you towards the front door.

“Harry, I don’t think you need to do that,” you speak up and see his face fall, he obviously took it the wrong way, thinking that you want to say no to his offer.

“Oh…”

“It’s not that,” you chuckle softly. “I would love to take the job. And if you’re still okay with that, I’d like to move in, it would make everything just so much easier.”

You watch as his expression changes from disappointed to hopeful as he cracks a smile nodding.

“Yeah, the offer is still there. When do you think you can start?”

“How soon do you want to pull Izzy out of daycare?”

“As soon as possible. If I have to I can go in on Monday and do all the paperwork. You could move in sometime during the week maybe?”

“I have to talk to my landlord about my lease, but I’m fine with moving in during the week,” you nod smiling and you can’t help but feel excited.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

You discuss a few more details and then you head out, thinking about how the next time you’ll be coming here, you’ll be moving in.

“If this one doesn’t go to the donate box, I’m leaving right now.”

Heather holds up a pair of denim shorts, painted in the colors of the flag of the States. She holds it pinched between her index finger and thumb as if it was something nasty and disgusting

“You know I only bought that for that stupid frat party. I never wore that anywhere else, so you can put it into the donate box.”

“Thank God!” she groans and throws the shorts into said box.

It’s Sunday evening and your place looks like a warzone, boxes taking up the place everywhere as you’re packing your life up to officially move into the Styles mansion. You agreed with Harry to bring over a good chunk of your stuff on Monday and then settle in for real on Tuesday. He is pulling Izzy out of daycare first thing on Monday and you’d stay at home with her for the first time on Wednesday. It’s been a fast paced change, but you couldn’t care less. With the amount Harry is gonna pay you, you’ll be able to save up a good chunk every month, like you always wanted to.

As you finish putting your books away you reach the shelves that contain all your photo albums. Photography has been your passion for a long time. It started as a simple hobby sometime through your freshman year in high school, but in senior year, your photos filled the yearbook and you even did the design of it too. You’ve had a few gigs since then, some weddings and pregnancy shoots and you like to sell your photos individually as well. You wouldn’t have imagined how much a simple nature photo costs.

Flipping through the one on the top, you can’t help the bitter smile on your face as you see the photos from your brother’s 14th birthday three years ago. There are tons of family pictures with you, your brother Trevor and your parents, seemingly being all happy and joyful. Things were different back then and you didn’t see anything coming.

It’s past midnight by the time you more or less finish packing, you’ve filled three big boxes with things to donate so you have significantly less stuff to move to the Styles mansion in the morning. Heather spends the night, but leaves early in the morning since she needs to go to work. The moving van you rented out arrives a little after eleven and the two guys from the moving company helps you load it with about two thirds of your stuff. Harry is at work when you arrive and Izzy is still at the daycare, Ruth is the only one at home, she helps you out even though you tell her not to break a sweat over it.

“Let me help, makes me feel needed,” she chuckles sweetly when you try to get her to stop, but she insists on bringing in some smaller bags and boxes.

You’re still unpacking when Ruth arrives back with Izzy a little after four. You hear her little feet tapping against the floor as she runs down the hallway, bursting into your future room.

“Miss Y/N! You’re here!” she cheers, throwing herself into your arms as you sit on the floor, being the perfect level for the little girl.

“I am! How was your day, little Sunshine?”

“We finger painted and I made a painting for daddy, do you want to see it?”

“Of course!”

Izzy disappears to get her backpack from Ruth who is making her some snacks in the kitchen. She soon returns with her painting, presenting it to you proudly.

“Look! This is me and this is daddy!” she points at the two human-like figures, the only thing giving away who is who is that one of them is bigger than the other one. “And then this is mommy!” she then adds, pointing at a star in the upper corner of the painting and you freeze.

In the midst of everything, you didn’t even have the time to question why Harry is a single parent. To be honest your first guess would have been divorce, but Izzy’s painting is telling you something a lot more tragic.

“It’s beautiful,” you smile at her, trying to hide your surprise at the new information. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Ruth makes sure Izzy is busy while you finish up unpacking and when you’re about to be done, Harry arrives home. Approaching your room even though the door is open he knocks on the doorframe, catching your attention.

“Hello, just wanted to see how things are going. Do you need help with anything? I’m sorry I couldn’t be here to help with the boxes and all…”

“Hi! Oh don’t worry about that, I had plenty of help,” you shrug smiling. “Everything is going fine, thank you.”

“Great. I did all the paperwork today, tomorrow is going to be Izzy’s last day at daycare. You’re still up to start on Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I only have a few things left at home so I’ll be all set by tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much,” he smiles warmly. “And thank you for being so quick about everything. It means a lot to me that I can spend more time with Izzy thanks to you. I really appreciate it.”

“I should be thanking you the opportunity. I wasn’t really drowning in the job offers,” you chuckle making him smile as well. “Please let me know if you want me to change anything, I have a plan I would like to go around with Izzy’s days, but of course, your word is the most important.”

“I trust you to take good care of her during the day. The only thing I want is to have her home when I get home. Ruth couldn’t always pick her up before and I really hated to do the extra trip and pick her up from daycare instead of coming straight home to be with her.”

“Understandable. I’ll make sure to plan accordingly,” you nod smiling.

“Y/N, I want you to feel home as much as possible. This is your place just as much as it is ours now. Izzy and I go grocery shopping every Sunday, it’s kind of a father-daughter thing we do every week. We keep a list on the fridge, feel free to add whatever you need and we’ll get it.”

You can’t help the smile that stretches across your lips, because this is such a sweet thing to do, when Harry could easily afford someone to do the work for him. Yet he still uses this time to be with his daughter.

“Yeah, sure, thank you!”

“I’ll get out of your hair now. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“Oh, no, but thank you. I still have some things to take care of before tomorrow.”

“Alright,” he nods before walking out. He leaves you thinking hard about him. You wonder what really happened to Izzy’s mom and if he is dating someone right now. A man like him is basically a dream to any woman, you doubt he is having a hard time finding a partner, but you haven’t seen any sign of another woman around the house. Guess you’ll have to wait and figure it out yourself.

The apartment is awfully empty on your last night here. When you moved in about a year ago you didn’t think you’d be moving into a mansion from here. You spend the evening cleaning out a bit so you leave the place in good condition. Your landlord was terribly nice about your early leave, you could easily agree that you’d pay for the two more weeks that’s left from the month and that would be all, no extra costs for moving out before your lease was up.

You’re cleaning off the kitchen counter when your phone starts ringing, it’s a video call from your brother.

“Hey there! What’s up?” you ask, propping up the phone on top of the microwave while you move around, doing your thing. Trevor seems to be lying in bed, a black hoodie covering his upper body.

“Hello, just wanted to see how the moving has gone today.”

Despite the ten year age gap between you and Trevor, your relationship couldn’t be better. Probably because you were old enough to see what a blessing a sibling really is when he was born.

“Everything went smoothly. I only have a few stuff to bring over, that can fit into my car tomorrow, so it’s fine.”

“Cool. How is the dude? What was his name again?”

“Harry. Harry Styles.” You see him pull his laptop to his lap and probably searches up Harry’s name before his eyes widen at the screen.

“This dude is big! He is the president of HES Records, they run some of the most popular singers these days.”

“Yeah? I was sure he is a big name judging from his mansion,” you chuckle.

“Have you looked him up yet?”

“Not really.” “Want me to read what’s here about him?”

“Sure,” you hum, continuing to clean while you listen to Trevor.

“Alright. Apparently he is thirty-one, took over the record company when he was just twenty-five because his father wanted to retire early. The number of talents working under the label has doubled since he has taken over and many of his clients have won Grammy Awards. Impressive,” he hums, scrolling down on whatever site he has just found. “He is known to be a private person, the last time he made an appearance… Oh shit…” Trevor breathes out and you turn to your phone with furrowed eyebrows.

“What?”

“Wow, this shit is heavy. It says the last time he made a public appearance was in 2017, not long before his wife was killed in a car accident.”

You freeze, feeling your stomach drop to the floor, immediately thinking back at Izzy’s painting of her family. It very much makes sense why she said the star was her mother, it must be the way Harry explained to her what happened to her mother.

“It happened in 2018, she wasn’t in the fault, a drunk driver ignored the red light and ran into her car at a crossroad. This is terrible, oh God.”

“Poor Izzy, she probably doesn’t even know what really happened.”

“Must have been hard on him, there’s not much about him since then.”

“Can’t blame him for not wanting to be in the spotlight after losing his wife.”

“Yeah.”

Trevor shows you a few pictures of him from years ago, he has always been handsome, but your favorites are the few from the times when he had long hair. He looked so different, like a whole other person, but still, he rocked it perfectly.

Then you show Trevor around in the empty apartment before loving to the couch, turning all your attention to him.

“How have things been?” you ask with a sigh. Trevor purses his lips and shrugs.

“Other than the constant screaming matches on the phone and endless fights every time dad comes over for more of his stuff? Everything is rainbows and butterflies.”

“Is it really that bad?” you scowl.

“It’s like they never run out of stuff to throw at each other, but I feel like this much couldn’t happen even in their twenty-eight years together,” he scoffs making you chuckle.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck in the middle of all that.”

“It’s like payback,” he hums and you give him a puzzled look. “You had it bad growing up for being the surprise baby, making them teen parents. Then I came at a reasonable time, they already knew the drill, but now that you’re out of the house I’m getting all the shit, having to deal with their divorce.”

“I’m really sorry, Trev,” you sigh, feeling guilty that he is all alone at home.

“It’s fine, I don’t blame you,” he shrugs. “But you could make it better if you asked your millionaire boss if I could hang out at his house sometimes.” He grins at you slyly and you roll your eyes. Of course he is already thinking about using you for his own good!

“I don’t want to push the boundaries just yet, but I’ll see what I can do.”

You talk a little more about school and what he’s been up to with his friends before ending the call. You take a shower and go to bed right away, feeling extremely worn out from all the packing you’ve done through the day.

The next day you pack the remainder of your stuff into your car and then your landlord comes over to do a checkup, though he fully trusts you took good care of the place.

“Again, thank you for your understanding, I didn’t plan to leave so early, but it just kinda came up,” you tell him, handing him over your keys.

“Don’t worry about it. I hope your new place will treat you right,” he smiles kindly at you.

You chat a little longer before you leave and head over to your new home. Once again, Ruth is the only one home and being the angel that she is, she helps you to carry your stuff up from the car before leaving to get Izzy from daycare. Since there’s not much left to unpack you finish quite fast, leaving you some extra time alone in the house. Walking around you try to learn your way around, still finding it a bit of a maze. You find Harry’s home office’s door open and after a bit of hesitation you step inside, just taking a look around. Yeah, it’s kind of a nosy thing to do, but you couldn’t help yourself.

His space is quite clear, he keeps his stuff neatly organized. Certificates and plaques are hung up on the wall, showing off his many successes in the business. There’s a huge bookcase near his desk and there you see some family photos… ones that include his late wife as well.

She was beautiful. There’s a picture of the three of them in the hospital from the day Izzy was born, Harry has an arm around his wife’s shoulders who is holding baby Izzy, both of them radiating happiness as they just become parents. Your heart breaks when you see the photo next to it, it’s just Harry and her in Paris, the Eiffel tower standing tall behind them as they are grinning widely at each other, foreheads touching. Harry has his arms wrapped around her slim figure while she is hugging his neck. They look so happy and in love, like they were always meant to be with each other. Knowing what tragedy hit them is just hard to process even for you, who never even met the woman.

You hear the front door open and Izzy is laughing at something, so you rush out before anyone could catch you snooping around.

“Hi Miss Y/N!” she chirps upon seeing you when you meet them in the living room.

“Izzy, you don’t have to call me Miss Y/N, Y/N is perfectly fine,” you smile at her, caressing her rosy cheeks.

“Okay. Ruth, can I please have some ice-cream?”

“I’m afraid we ran out of ice-cream, but I’ll put it on your grocery list,” Ruth tells her, a pout tugging on Izzy’s lips.

“How about this: I’m gonna make a delicious smoothie, that’s almost like melted ice-cream, would you like some?” you offer and her eyes brighten up immediately, nodding right away.

While Ruth puts away Izzy’s things they brought home from daycare, while the two of you move to the kitchen to make the smoothie together. You find some frozen berries in the freezer and pair them with bananas, putting them all into the blender with oatmilk, blending it all together.

“How is it?” you ask Izzy, who is sitting on top of the counter, tasting the pink smoothie that leaves a cute little mustache above her cherry lips.

“I like it!” she smiles, scrunching her nose.

“We can make it some other time then,” you smile, drinking up your portion.

Izzy is dancing around the kitchen, babbling about her last day at daycare while you clean the glasses and the blender when Harry arrives. He is wearing a baby blue suit with a crispy dress shirt underneath, looking fashionable but still business appropriate at the same time.

“Daddy!” Izzy launches towards her daddy, who catches her, throwing her into the air before holding her in his arms, joining you in the kitchen.

“Hey baby. How was your day?”

“Good, all my friends hugged me but I told them we would meet in the park.”

“That’s right, and I have the number of all your friends’ parents, we can have playdates with them whenever you want to,” he smiles before his eyes meet yours. “Hi Y/N, everything went well with the rest of your moving?”

“Yeah, I’m all set,” you smile back at him.

“That’s great. I have a few calls to make, but I’ll be done in thirty probably. Would you mind looking out for Izzy in the meanwhile?”

“Of course. She promised me to take me around her room, so we could do that, what do you say?” you ask the little girl who nods in excitement.

Harry disappears in his office and Izzy pulls you to her room, showing you just about every toy she owns. Her room is a typical girl’s room, the walls are painted a light pink color, her bedframe resembles a castle and she has a dollhouse as big as your previous bathroom. Harry clearly spoils her rotten, but what you noticed is that she is not one of those annoying bratty only children who can’t take no. She was clearly taught how to behave and always listen to the adults.

While Izzy is putting her stuffed animals away after introducing you to all of them, you spot a photo frame near her bed, decorated with macaroni. You remember when you all did that together at daycare and now you get to see the photo that ended up behind the glass.

It’s a photo of Izzy and her mother, she was just a baby and doing quick math in your head you realize it must have been not long before her accident, might even be the last picture taken of the two of them. Her mom is smiling at the camera while Izzy is sleeping in her arms peacefully. Izzy looked a lot like her when she was a baby, the bridge of her nose and her lips resembled her mother’s, though now she appears to take more after her dad with her chocolate curls and piercing green eyes.

“That’s my mommy,” she tells you when she sees you looking at the photo.

“It’s a nice picture,” you smile at her, trying your best to hide how heartbroken you feel even just looking at the photo.

“Daddy said she had to go up to the sky, but she is watching me from there,” she explains, clearly not entirely sure what it means, but you can tell she misses her. “Daddy said she is living between the stars now and that she loves me very much.” You need to fight your tears back at her words.

“I’m sure of that too,” you breathe out smiling at her.

“Izzy, do you want to help me make dinner?” Harry walks in smiling, though it disappears for a moment when he sees the two of you looking at the photo of his wife, but he is quick to control himself.

“Yes! What are we making?” she runs over to him, jumping up and down.

“Uh, chicken and veggies.”

You step away from the photo, pretending like nothing just happened. You’re dying to discuss it with Harry, hear him talk about it, but you won’t push him. If he wants to share it, he’ll come to you.

“Alright, come on then,” he smiles down at her. “Thank you for watching her, I’ll take over from here. Food will be ready in about an hour, Ruth is staying with us as well,” he informs you.

“Great, I’ll… I’ll be in my room,” you nod.

The first two weeks on the job brush past smoothly. It takes you some time to get used to your new home, but taking care of Izzy doesn’t feel like work, so you’re feeling amazing in your new job. You easily fall into a schedule with her.

The mornings are always Harry’s duty. He wakes her up around seven-thirty, makes her breakfast and dresses her for the day before he leaves around nine. Thanks to this habit of his, you’re able to sleep in until eight, leaving you plenty of time to get ready for your day with Izzy before Harry has to leave. Depending on the weather, the two of you then either take over the back yard or move to her room for some play time before her class of the day starts in the noon. Piano with Rosaline on Mondays and Wednesdays, French lesson with Lyon on Tuesdays and Fridays and then Izzy’s favorite on Thursdays, swimming class with Kitty.

Izzy loves to help in the kitchen so you usually make lunch together. Once her tummy is full she takes a nap before you sit down to learn something new every day. You’ve been teaching her the numbers and the alphabet, or some days you just talk about anything that interests her and learn at least two things she hasn’t know yet, all through games so she doesn’t even realize what you’re doing. You’re usually done by around three, leaving you time to take a visit to the park, if Harry is not planning to take her himself later that day.

You’re strictly home by four, unless it’s Tuesday when she has her dance class until five. Those days you drive her to her class, run some quick errands and pick her up. Harry usually uses his extra time in the office on these days, but he is always home by six to have dinner together with his daughter.

Once Harry is home you’re off duty, though you like to stay close, not just in case something comes up for Harry, but because you genuinely like spending time with Izzy and Harry, seeing them interacting.

Harry sometimes has to work on Saturdays as well, but just as he promised Ruth is always here to take over duty on those days, leaving you free for the whole weekend. It’s been working perfectly for you and those very few concerns you had about moving in dissolve quite fast as soon as you start working.

Though it’s been pretty clear to you before, you now one hundred percent sure that Harry is living for his daughter. She is always a priority, he doesn’t hesitate to decline any work calls he gets in the evenings if Izzy needs him, if she is a little fussy and wants her daddy’s attention or when they are in the middle of a game. He is clearly trying to keep a balance between his work and role as a father and from what you’ve seen, it seems like he is doing an amazing job in that. However you haven’t learned much else about him. He is all friendly towards you, but makes sure to keep it business casual, not quite keen on getting to know each other better as just friends, maybe.

A Friday afternoon you’re having a little tea party in the backyard with Izzy when Harry arrives home, but this time, he is not alone. Through the sliding door you spot him with a blonde guy who is talking very articulately as Harry is typing on his phone. The man looks about Harry’s age, but you can’t tell if he is a friend or a business partner, but if Harry brought him home, he is more likely to be a friend of his.

“Uncle Niall!” Izzy gasps when he spots the man through the glass and abandoning the tea party, she starts running towards the door. The man spots her and slides the door open grinning widely before she jumps into his arms.

“Little bugger! How are ya?” the man laughs, holding Izzy in a tight hug before leaning back to take a good look at her. You notice his thick Irish accent and it suits his appearance quite well. You head inside as well, in case Harry needs Izzy busy for a little longer, though he doesn’t mind having her around, kissing the top of her head before finishing up whatever he was doing on his phone, watching Niall and Izzy smiling.

“I’m having a tea party with Y/N, wanna join?” Izzy invites the man, who then looks at you for the first time, smiling widely.

“Hi, I’m Y/N, Izzy’s new nanny,” you introduce yourself, holding out a hand that he shakes, keeping Izzy in his other arm without a problem.

“Nice to meet ya, I’m Niall.”

“Y/N, Niall is an old friend of mine. He is joining us for dinner, hope you don’t mind,” Harry informs you and you find it funny how he is kind of asking for your approval when it’s his house.

“Not at all.”

“Harry has told me he hired a pair of new hands to help, but he didn’t mention it’s a stunning young woman!” Niall beams, making you blush right away.

“Ni, I would appreciate it if you didn’t try to pick up my daughter’s new nanny,” Harry warns him lightly, though there’s some firmness in his tone, not that it scares Niall in any way, he even winks at you.

“Oh come on, you can’t expect me not to flirt when you surround yourself with so many pretty women! First Ruth and now Y/N!”

You smile at him, something is telling you he wasn’t joking and he tried to flirt with Ruth as well. Harry just rolls his eyes at his friend, taking Izzy from him.

“Keep it in your pants, Niall,” Harry tells him and though it’s nothing vulgar, it catches Izzy’s attention.

“What should he keep in his pants?” she questions, making your and Harry’s eyes grow big right away. Luckily, Niall keeps his cool and takes care of the situation.

“My attitude, Sweetie. Your daddy is just jealous because I’m more handsome than he is,” he smirks at the little girl, successfully avoiding an awkward conversation about what it is that Niall should keep in his pants.

You smile at his reply, even though you are not that sure about the comparison he just made between himself and Harry.

“Izzy, do you want to continue the tea party?” you ask her and even though just a minute ago she was inviting Niall to join her, now she shakes her head no. “Alright, I’ll pack it up then.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. We’ll do it, right Izzy? She brought it all out, she is going to be the one packing it up,” Harry reminds her and she nods.

The two of them move outside to put her little tea set back into the basket she keeps it in, leaving you and Niall alone.

“So Y/N, how did you end up here?”

“I was working at Izzy’s daycare, but they sent me away not long ago. Then Harry contacted me and offered the job which was a lifesaver, truly.”

“That’s great! Well, not that you got fired, but that you ended up here. I know it means a lot for Harry that he can spend more time with Izzy, you’re making everything a lot easier for him.” Niall walks over into the kitchen and grabs a water for himself as he leans against the counter. “I can see that he is a lot more relaxed now already.”

“Really?” you ask, surprised.

“Yeah. I know he always used to stress about picking Izzy up, or forgetting something the daycare asked for. Now he can make it all work just how he wants to, that fits him a lot more. It hasn’t been easy on him since Maggie’s death.”

This is the first time you hear anyone talk about Harry’s wife and now you just learned her name. Maggie.

“Being a single parents is never easy,” you add with a soft smile, not wanting to interrogate Niall about Maggie. It’s Harry’s place to tell you about her, if he wants to, of course.

Soon enough Izzy and Harry take over the kitchen, Niall helping them this time and you leave them alone, taking some time for yourself in your room. Later you go out to check if there’s anything you could help with, Harry asks you to set the table as he finishes up the cooking.

“So, Y/N. Tell me a little bit about yourself!” Niall asks you over dinner.

“Um, what do you want to know?” you ask, feeling a little flustered to be in the spotlight.

“I don’t know, family, friends, hobbies?”

“Well, I have a younger brother, Trevor. He is seventeen and already taller than me.”

“Oh, that seems like a big age gap.”

“Ten years, to be exact,” you nod. “He was planned, I wasn’t,” you add with a soft chuckle. “But we have a great relationship, so it’s all good. We talk almost every day.”

“I’m sure you’ll get well along with Gemma then!” Niall beams, glancing at Harry.

“Gemma is my sister,” Harry explains. “Though she is not that much older than me.”

“But you can bond over being stuck with a younger brother who outgrew you,” Niall jokes making all three of you laugh.

All through dinner you realize how different Niall is from Harry, but in a good way. While Harry is more quiet and calm, Niall is kind of all over the place, buzzing and chatting every chance he got, but the two of them make a great pair, bringing what the other doesn’t have to the table.

After dinner you attempt to leave them again, but Niall makes you stay as they open a glass of wine. Harry puts on a movie for Izzy to keep her busy, giving the three of you a chance to sit out at the terrace from where you still can keep an eye on the little girl inside.

“Alright, Y/N. When are we going on our first date then?” Niall asks out of the blue, a cocky smile tugging on his lips.

“Niall, for fuck’s sake,” Harry breathes out as you let out an awkward chuckle.

“What? I think there’s some electricity going on between us.”

“I, uhh—I don’t…”

“Please don’t turn me down!” he sighs dramatically, making you smile.

“You’ve been great company, but I’m not sure we should go out,” you tell him. He huffs in disappointment, but it’s clear he didn’t take it to his heart.

“Is it because you’re taken? I didn’t even ask, are you dating anyone? You can’t be engaged, because I don’t see any rings,” he points out, nodding towards your naked fingers, however his words make you suck on your breath.

“I’m not engaged. Not anymore,” you admit and you watch their eyes go wide at the information.

“Wait, you’ve been engaged before?” Harry asks, clearly surprised, if not shocked.

“Yeah. For about four months,” you nod, running your tongue over your lips as you reach for your wine, taking a few large gulps.

“And what did the fucker do?” Niall bluntly questions, earning a look from Harry. “What? I’m just curious what twat it takes to lose a woman like her!”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to talk about that,” Harry presses, but you shrug.

“It’s not a secret. We dated for about two years before he proposed. I said yes, started planning the wedding and everything, then found out that he had been cheating on me with his assistant for about a year. We broke up, simple as that. It’s in the past, happened a year ago.”

“That’s some next level asshole bullshit,” Niall shakes his head while Harry is just staring at you with an unreadable look before he turns his attention at his glass, still clearly deep in his thoughts and you wonder what he thinks of you now. Here is the loser who not only got cheated on, but lost her job, all of that just in one year.

Harry doesn’t react, and a moment later Izzy comes out because she is thirsty, so daddy duties call him away. Niall stays a little, but heads home soon as well.

“It was nice meeting you, Y/N. The date still stands though,” he smirks when he pulls back from the short hug he enveloped you in.

“Alright,” you chuckle, slowly getting used to his flirty act.

You was the wine glasses and head back to your room while Harry walks Niall out and then takes Izzy upstairs to give her a bath. You don’t cross paths until later when you leave your room, already in your pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt to grab some water for yourself and he walks out of Izzy’s room just then, probably done with putting her to sleep.

“I’m sorry if Niall made you uncomfortable, he didn’t mean to be rude or anything,” he apologizes as the two of you walk together.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” you chuckle softly. “It was kind of a boost to my ego, if I’m being honest.”

Harry huffs with a smile and stops at the kitchen island, his fingers tapping on his lips as you grab yourself a bottled water.

“I’m… I’m sorry about… about what you told us earlier.”

Closing the fridge you look at him, seeing that he is kind of hesitant, like he is not sure he should have spoken up, but you appreciate the thought.

“It’s alright. Just water under the bridge,” you shrug.

“I just feel bad you had to go through that.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” you chuckle softly. “It sucked, yeah. I really thought I would live happily ever after with Keith, but instead I got a lesson.”

“A lesson?”

“When we broke up I was obviously on the floor, both literal and theoretical way. I thought it was my fault, that I did something wrong and that’s why he did what he did. I even thought that I’m not worthy of being loved and being in love again. Took me time to realize that no matter what happened, I still deserve to be happy and to find someone to love and who can love me back.”

It appears that your words touch him deep, staring back at you, he just nods shortly, not replying to anything you just said. You’re not sure he is so silent because he doesn’t really understand what you just talked about or if it hit too close to home. Whatever it is, he keeps it to himself.

“Good night, Harry,” you smile at him before walking out of the kitchen and up into your room.

You’re lying in bed already when you hear him open his room’s door and then close it and suddenly he is all you can think about. The way his eyes sometimes pierce down on you, the way he taps his fingers against his lips when he is thinking hard or the proud smile that always plasters across his face whenever he is watching Izzy do basically anything. But you do see some pain in those beautiful green eyes of his and your desire to take just the smallest fracture of it away grows, even though he is not showing any sign that he is willing to share it with you.

The next morning, despite having the day off, you wake up quite early. You toss and turn, try to fall back asleep a little longer, but you just can’t. It’s a nice, warm morning and you decide to take advantage of the little balcony attached to your room. Wrapping yourself in your fluffy robe you grab the book you started reading a few days ago and sit out, enjoying the morning Sun that’s shining right at you on the balcony.

You don’t even realize for a while that you’re not the only early riser. When your eyes wander down to the big oak tree that’s near Izzy’s playground, you spot Harry doing what appears to be yoga on a green mattress, wearing nothing else, just a pair of black shorts. No shirt.

For a moment you think about going inside, feeling like you’re invading his privacy in a way, but you have the right to enjoy the morning Sun on your balcony, it’s not your fault he decided to have yoga at the exact same time. And it’s just hard not to look at his shirtless body stretching in all directions, twisting and turning as he goes through the motions, his tattooed body on full display.

It’s been clear since the moment you laid eyes on him for the first time that Harry is probably the most beautiful man you’ve ever met and that includes all your exes. Paired with his kind of mysterious charisma and the way he takes care of his daughter, he is the whole package, but you have been busy with Izzy to dwell too long on how attractive he really is. But right now, you are not working and he is very much shirtless in the backyard, teasing you with thoughts you definitely shouldn’t be thinking about when it comes to your boss.

A shaky breath leaves your mouth as you let yourself watch him just for a few more minutes before heading back inside, not wanting to get busted for being a stalker and also not wanting to see him in more positions and have even more unholy thoughts about him.

But what you don’t know is that just as you step inside, Harry catches your figure disappearing in your room, knowing well you saw him too.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

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[snusbandxknifewife]

stickyfickystickyfickystickyfickystickyfickysti

What is this? Lex writing something after a literal fucking year? It’s more likely than you think.

Sticky ficky 10 (yea boiiiiiis)

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

Weeks had passed, time moving a little less slowly now that Jude and Heather were spending time with one another. She discussed her difficulties adjusting to the mortal world, Heather aired her confusion about Faerie, and they both staunchly ignored discussing their respective ex-partners. It was a happy, almost easygoing friendship; something Jude never thought she’d get to experience.

It was because of this that Jude had started to come out of her little hobbit hole of a depression cave and it was because of this that she started to frequent the local kite shop that Heather loved so much.

It was because of this that Vivi knew where to call when an emergency came up.

“Is he alright?” Jude asked, all but yelling into the kite store phone and her mind going frantic as Vivi told her that Oak needed to be picked up from school.

“From what the principal said, he doesn’t feel well, but I haven’t gotten much in the way of information,” her older sister sighed. “I’m out of town today so I can’t go get him. You’re on the pickup list. Everything should be ok.”

Jude nodded. She had a vague recollection of how to get to Oak’s school, having been there already for one play that his grade put on. She knew how to get there and—as long as the bus wasn’t late—it shouldn’t take her very long.

“Yeah I can get him. I’ll head that way now.”

She didn’t waste time waiting for her sisters response; she simply hung up the phone as wished Josh—the store’s middle-aged father figure of a cashier—a good afternoon on her way out.

The trip to the school was quiet and uneventful, exactly how she liked things and also exactly how she didn’t. It’s nice not to have to deal with attackers jumping out of dark corners to ambush you at every turn, but a lifetime of being raised to search for them leaves her antsy when they don’t appear. By the time she made it to the school, her hackles were up and her teeth were gnashing.

“I’m here for Oak Duarte,” she told the unassuming secretary, shoving her hands into her coat pocket and searching the office for her brother. “I’m his sister, Jude.”

“Can I have some form of ID?” The woman’s fake-chipper voice put Jude even more on edge, especially considering she had no form of ID. Missing important documents like your birth certificate and social security card tended to get in the way of shit like that.

But, thankfully, before she had the time to say anything, a door swung open and Oak came bounding out.

“Jude!”

“Hey, Oakling,” she accepted his hug with a gentle pat of his shoulders before nodding to the secretary. “This fine woman wants to see my ID.”

Understanding the assignment immediately, Oak turned and glamoured one of the secretary’s business cards into a fake license and Jude was in.

They were out the door and halfway to the bus stop, Oak excitedly pulling her the whole time, before Jude remembered exactly why she was there.

“I thought you were supposed to be feeling poorly,” she observed, one eyebrow cocked as her brother skidded to a halt, looking like a cat caught mid-air as he aimed for the family parrot. “What happened to that?”

He looked around him for a way out, only to half-heartedly cough into his arm.

Jude couldn’t help but snort. “Look, I know faeries can’t lie, but you’ll need to get better at faking it before you go back to Elfhame. That was pitiful.”

“What can I say? I feel much better now that I’m not in school.”

“Nice try, acorn,” Jude caught him as he turned to make for the bus stop once more, pulling him back to face her. “What’s in school that’s making you feel worse than out here?”

“Well math is rather boring,” Oak tried.

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t play games, Oak. I want the truth and I want it now.”

He sighed, clearly giving in, before motioning that he’d like to sit on the bench at the bus stop.

Jude watched her little brother as they walked, saw how he hunched into himself and frowned as he worried over whatever was bothering him, and it hurt her heart. Clearly, he was struggling with something, and it angered her that he’d likely been dealing with it while she was off in her own head, too preoccupied with herself to help her baby brother when he needed it.

They sat down and she turned her full attention to him as he played with his hands.

“The kids at school are mean to me,” he finally admitted.

“What happened?” Jude instantly zeroed in. “Did they try to drown you in the pond by the playground?”

“No.”

“Did they poison you?”

“What? No!”

She searched her memory for another possible option. “Did they make you strip naked while your teacher did nothing?”

“You know your experiences aren’t universal, Jude,” he crossed his arms. “Mortal school has, like, conflicts of identity, not literal murder attempts.”

“Fair,” she nodded, remembering why they sent him to the mortal world in the first place. “Please, continue.”

His righteous indignation was almost immediately replaced by that quiet concern of moments before as he looked to the ground. “They say I’m weird.”

“Weird? How?” Jude gently probed, doing everything in her power to avoid mentioning that, technically, her fae brother was strange by human standards.

“When we’re playing at recess,” he continued, “they always separate into boys and girls. I don’t know how to play the sports the boys enjoy and when I went with the girls I got teased.”

She frowned, reaching back into her memory for her time in mortal school, back when the biggest threat to her life was a missing cooties shot.

“I remember having boy and girl friends when I was in school. Surely they aren’t all strict about this self-imposed gender segregation.”

He huffed angrily, throwing down his arms like she just wasn’t understanding. “That’s the problem! After a few days, when I finally got the girls to trust me, it all got worse! I can’t play like them.”

For just a moment, her heart soared at the idea that this was the struggle her brother was facing. Schoolyard teasing was nothing compared to violent bloodshed and upheaval.

But then she saw his face, saw how his eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she cursed herself for even feeling a moment of relief. He’d been right, her experiences weren’t universal, and she was wrong to judge his pains by her tolerance.

“Oh, acorn,” she pulled him into her side. “What do you mean?”

“They spend all of recess galavanting about, spinning tales about how I’m a princess in a castle of ice or I’m a sorcerer who can speak to animals,” his voice was muffled by her light jacket, but she could still hear the thickness in the back of his throat. “And I’m not allowed to tell them of Elfhame, so I can’t join in! I can’t dance the day away on falsehoods like they can, so they don’t want me around.”

Something deep and personal in her chest broke as she held her brother. Looking down at him, at his golden curls and his little horns and those sharpened ears that she’d currently despise seeing on almost anyone else; she was hit by the realization that he was much a stranger in a strange land, just as she’d once been.

He looked up at her, likely drawn by her silence, and scrunched up his face as he wiped his eyes. “I’m not sure what there is to smile about at this moment, my life is in shambles!”

“I’m merely proud, Oakling,” she said, attempting to pacify him. “Proud that you did not simply glamour the problem away the second it popped up.”

“I don’t see how glamouring myself a friend would help here. What good is a friend that you essentially have to create by yourself?”

That caused her to pause as the bus arrived.

“Acorn,” she asked as they got on, glad they were the only passengers. “Did you not have an imaginary friend when you were younger?”

He spun on her, looking something between puzzled and offended. “Whatever do you mean?”

“An imaginary friend,” she continued. “Someone that you talked to and played with when you were alone. Did you not ever make up an imaginary friend?”

“Who would do that?” He scrunched his nose up, looking, for just a moment, every bit the spoiled royal that his blood unfortunately made him.

“I did, Taryn did.” Jude tilted her head and studied him closely. “We’d tell lavish tales of their backgrounds when we played, making up everything along the way.”

“I can’t do that!” He sounded more frustrated than I’d ever heard him. “That’s the problem! I can’t tell the story of something that isn’t real.”

He spun, arms crossed once more as he glared out the window.

“They were real to me.”

She said it softly, more soft than possibly anything she’d ever said to him before, and she thought that he hadn’t heard her.

Until his head turned just a sliver, and she knew he was listening.

“I once asked Vivi why faeries could tell stories, even when they weren’t reading them off a page, and she told me that there were lessons in stories, and those lessons were enough of a truth for a faerie to be able to speak it,” Jude kept talking, looking ahead to give her brother the room to study her if he wished. “I suppose I liked the idea of that, because it made the fae and humans seem just a little more similar.”

She let the silence hang, waiting for him to take the bait.

“How?”

Hiding a smile, she went on. “Humans find truths in stories too, that’s why your classmates are so passionate about pretend. The sorcerer who can speak to animals? That likely comes from a love for her pet that’s so strong would give anything to be able to understand what it said. The princesses? Little girls who are learning to harness a power that within that they aren’t sure they understand yet. She wants to speak out and to lead and to be heard, so she is a princess because a princess does all of those things.”

She turned back to him, watching him from the corner of her eye as he pondered her words.

Then, as the bud stopped, she stood.

“Where are we going?” Oak rushed to grab his school bag and follow her.

“To the toy store, we’re making imaginary friends.”

She gave no other information as she led her brother into the tiny toy shop by the grocery store, even though he did his best to quiz her into submission. No, it wasn’t until they stood in front of a wall of stuffed animals that she spoke again.

“Choose something, a base, and I shall teach you how to play pretend.”

He frowned at her, then at the wall, and then back at her. “This is absurd.”

“I said the same thing about learning the language of birds when I came to Elfhame,” she laughed. “If you wish to survive in a strange place, you must be willing to unlearn your concept of absurdity.”

And she moved deeper into the toy store, studying dolls that she remembered from her childhood and electronic knickknacks that she’d never be able to work properly.

Oak followed behind aimlessly.

She was starting to think that she’d have to choose for him, to give him that extra little push he needed, when her eyes landed on something that made her gasp.

“Oh my god, I remember these stupid things!” Jude couldn’t help but laugh as she moved forward with the kind of speed that only a former spy could manage.

When she spun the package around, Oak made a face.

“Worm on a string?” He sounded more confused than before. “What is that supposed to do?”

“It’s this dumb little toy that you were supposed to be able to make look like it moved on its own,” she looked back to it. “I could never make them work. Vivi could, but I think it was glamour.”

Oak stepped forward, grabbing a package containing an orange worm. “So it’s just a fake worm and,” he squinted his eyes, “fishing line?”

“And googly eyes!” Jude nodded enthusiastically, gesturing to her blue worm like Vana White. “The height of early-twenty-first-century entertainment.”

“This is so stupid.” He shook his head.

But didn’t put the worm back.

“It’s so stupid,” Jude probed, “and you want it anyway.”

He scowled at her. “If you insist on this foolish imaginary friend agenda, I suppose a worm is a non-offensive start.”

Jude grabbed the orange worm and headed to the counter, letting Oak cross his arms and continue to act like this was all beneath him.

Once they made it home, she tore open the two packages and sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, already fussing with the tiny cardboard card that you were supposed to hide in your waistband and failing to make the worm move in what she considered to be a natural method.

Her brother watched from the edge of the living room, still clinging to the idea that this was dumb.

“Come on, acorn,” she shook the little orange worm at him. “Your friend is waiting for a name.”

“A worm doesn’t need a name.” But still he relented, walking over and sitting by her.

“Nonsense!” Jude exclaimed, brandishing her blue worm at him. “See? I’ll prove it. This is Fweej, they’re an alien from a different planet, set on conquering the world and bathing in the blood of their enemies.”

“But it’s literally not.”

“Oh, Oakling,” she sighed at him. “I’m going to need you to work with me here. The worm is your imaginary friend, you get to decide everything about it.”

He rolled his eyes, but looked to the orange worm all the same. “Fine. Can I just name it Orange?”

“Oak, that would be like if Oriana had named you Blond,” Jude fixed him with a tired glare. “Don’t you think your friend deserves a fancier name?”

“But oranges are called oranges and nobody’s ever had a problem with it!”

“I thought oranges were actually green and they changed it to make them look more appealing?” She looked back to Fweej, pulling him across the tabletop.

“Wait, what?”

“Not important,” she waved him off. “Name the worm, acorn.”

He frowned at her again before glaring at the worm once more.

“Clementine.” He finally announced.

Jude smiled at the little win, pulling Fweej over to her brother.

“Why hello, Clementine,” she said grandly, moving Fweej for emphasis. “I am Fweej, and I am so pleased to make your acquaintance. Would you like to be friends?”

Silence descended, and she fought the urge to look over and nudge her brother.

Then, finally…

“Hello, Fweej,” Oak started, his voice quiet and unsure. “I would love a friend.”

~~~~~~~

The rise of FweejTM

Lmao sorry I literally went MIA for like 10 months college has me seconds away from grippy socks jail 🤪

Also before anyone is like “but the nerf war was oak playing pretend!” No my friends that was Real and our favorite ten year old was literally ready to commit both murder AND treason

Tag list: @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @hizqueen4life @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @thewickedkings @aelin-queen-of-terrasen @cheekycheekycheeks @queen-of-glass @b00kworm @doingmyrainbow @andromeddea @jurdanhell @thesirenwashere @illyrianwitchling @courtofjurdan @clockworkgraystairs @st00pid231 @booksandlewks @fateandluminary @addies-invisible-life @nahthanks @dirigibleddinosaur

If anyone else wants to be tagged in the dumb, let me know. Also @jurdanhell the platonic love of my life is helping me with a list of links to each of my fics so y’all don’t have to keep scrolling.

[yikesharringrove]

Show Pony

Chapter 3: Roses Are Falling

Read on Ao3

-

Steve’s hand was sweaty in Billy’s as he pulled him through the crowds in the fairground, ducking and weaving between the people milling about. 

Billy let himself be dragged, staring at Steve’s ass in his little denim shorts. 

It had been one week since their date at the diner. 

A week of Billy showing up to the rodeo, watching Steve compete in his event, and making out with him behind the arena. 

It was fun, sneaking around together in the blazing summer heat. 

He had even brought Max a few times, letting her wander around with some chick her own age she met. Apparently, her dad works at the rodeo or someshit. Billy wasn’t listening when she explained. Steve had been across the arena, taking off his flannel shirt and trading it for another one of his slutty little crop tops. 

It was a gorgeous show. 

But Max was somewhere eating her body weight in funnel cake while Steve took him into a tent labeled Employees Only. 

There was an eclectic group of people sitting at the long tables in the tent, all greeting Steve as he pulled Billy through to a group of younger people sitting together at the end of one of the tables. 

Steve pushed Billy onto one of the benches, perching right on his lap like that was totally fine. Like it was easy for Billy to just. Keep his dick in check. 

The girl sitting across from them sighed heavily, raising one eyebrow at Steve. 

“Shut up, Robin.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she was still giving Steve a very pointed look. 

“You don’t have to.” Steve slumped back against Billy’s chest, no doubt petulant. 

She shook her head, finally addressing Billy. 

“I’m Robin.”

“She does barrel racing,” Steve leaned back, muttering the information into Billy’s ear. His breath was hot against Billy’s skin, and Billy had to fight down a shiver that crept up his spine despite the blazing heat.

Another girl was sitting next to Robin, a pretty brunette with doe eyes to rival Steve’s. She seemed vaguely familiar. 

And then it clicked. 

“Aren’t you in the pageants?”

She laughed softly.

“My name’s Heather. And yes, I’m reigning Miss Rodeo USA, so I’ve been with these guys and will be until the next girl is crowned. It’s been a good time.” She glanced over at Robin, bumping their shoulders together. Billy raised one eyebrow at Robin, catching her eye and making her flush slightly. He shot her a quick wink. 

Steve shifted in his lap, putting one arm over Billy’s shoulders, winding his fingers through his little ponytail. 

“So, Billy,” Robin tried to move the conversation along, rolling her shoulders back. “We’ve heard a lot about you.” 

“All bad, I hope.” 

“Nah, just, I feel like I know you quite well know. Like, really well. Like better than I ever wanted to know a guy-”

“Okay, yeah, Robin. We get it. Thanks.” Steve squirmed slightly in Billy’s lap, the back of his neck and the tips of his ears a bright red color. It was cute. Billy didn’t realize when Steve’s cheeks went all pink, that, other, places of him flushed too. He wondered how far down that rosy tint on Steve’s cheeks went. If it was all over his chest, if it leads down to his-

Nope. Not going there right now. Not when Steve is sitting on Billy’s lap, and they’re in fucking public. Absolutely not. No thanks. Billy’s fine. 

Robin squinted at him, and he tried to keep his face as blank as possible. 

Steve sighed heavily through his nose, shaking his head. 

“I’m getting a pop. Anyone else?”

Robin waved him off, and he was gone with a roll of his eyes. 

“So, you’re the poor San Diego bastard. My condolences.”

Billy squinted at her. 

“Not sure what you mean.” 

She took a deep breath, looking at Heather briefly. 

“Look. You know this little fling is just that. A little fling. Steve, he kinda, does this. Finds someone in every place we’re stationed, and has a month-long something with them. He loves attention but he’s too scared of commitment to do anything else. And honestly, I’m saying this all for your sake, because I’ve seen people get attached. He’s gonna eat you alive, and then he’s gonna leave, and it’s easier for you if you know that going in.”

Robin’s words settled like a fucking pit in Billy’s stomach. 

Because, yeah. He, like, kinda figured that. He knew their time was limited. Knew that Steve would slip through his fingers. And really, that was fine. Billy thinks he’d be the exact same way if the roles were reversed, that he would be constantly moving from one person to the next, never getting lonely, but never getting deep, either. 

He understands the whole commitment-phobe thing. Kinda takes one to know one. 

So he gets it. 

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel like shit to have it put. So plainly.

“I’m sorry. That was probably too harsh but, you seem like a nice guy, and Steve doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s not trying to hurt people, he just, definitely uses the whole traveling rodeo thing to his advantage.”

“Nah, I get it. Really, I kinda figured it out. He said he likes to make friends wherever they are. So, it’s fine. And I think sometimes harsh can be alright.” He doesn’t wanna make Steve’s friend feel bad. 

And really, he did know what they were doing and what this was about. It just sucks having it confirmed by someone else. And put. So plainly. 

“I’m really not trying to be mean. I just kinda wanted to prepare you. If this is gonna be something that hurts, maybe it’s best to get out now.” Robin had very pretty blue eyes and freckles all over her face. She seemed warm, and the way she was staring at him was with so much concern. 

“Thank you. I get it, honest. I’d probably act just the same if I were him.”

“If you were who?” Steve had returned, slapping a can of root beer on the table in front of them, taking a seat pressed as close as possible to Billy, lifting up his arm to slide underneath it. 

“Quit being nosy.” Robin reached out to muss up Steve’s hair, poking him in the forehead. “What are you two doing today?”

Steve shrugged, taking the bait and moving on. 

“Wander the grounds. Maybe hang out at my place.” Billy’s interest piqued. He had no idea Steve had a place. “Might sneak out and go for a drive or something. You got any preference?” Steve leaned over the table, resting his elbows on top, placing his face in his hands, turning to look at Billy. 

“We could kick around here. I gotta drive Max home later so we should probably stick around.” Steve grinned at him. 

“Well, c’mon then. You’ve got plenty to see around here.”

Billy felt like Steve has already dragged through the entire grounds, he doesn’t know how there’s more to see. 

But it turned out there’s a lot more. Because Steve’s place, as it turns out, is one in a huge crowd of trailers. 

It was kinda out of Billy’s wildest imagination. Like what he’d picture an old-school traveling circus to be like. 

People were milling around everywhere, Steve saying hi to almost everyone they passed. Animals were being led to and from the large arena and the makeshift paddocks that were set up in the open grass. 

It was like nowhere Billy’s ever been before. 

Steve led him through the maze of trailers to a smaller version of an old school Airstream near the back of the lot, still hitched up to the back of a much larger, and very nice-looking, RV. 

Stevie Harrington was painted in curling dark green letters on the rounded metal door, a little cow munching on some grass painted below it.

“That your art?”

Steve snorted.

“ God, no. Robin did it for me a few years ago. That’s why it looks good.”

The hinges on the door squealed when he pulled it open and led Billy inside. 

It was hot in the airstream, and Steve turned on the solar power to get a small fan moving air through the place, propping open the door and the tiny window above the table.

“Home sweet traveling home.”

“Damn. This ain’t too bad of a setup.”

It really wasn’t. Sure, it was small, but it was perfect for one person. A tiny kitchenette faced the minuscule bathroom. The far sides of the trailer were taken up by a dining area, a table with booth-like seating, and a queen-sized bed taking up the opposite side, a small closet smushed between the bed and the kitchen.  

It was immaculately clean, not totally what Billy had expected from Steve. The bed was made, an old-looking, worn-out stuffed horse placed neatly in front of the pillows. 

There were pictures pinned up on little string light clothespins on the wall the bed was shoved against, and Steve even had a few posters over the booth seats. 

“It’s kinda nice. I saved up for a while to buy it. It’s kind of a lot being trapped in an RV with your parents, let me tell you. I’m still hooked up to theirs, and when we move I ride with them, usually, but at least I’ve got some space to myself.” Steve looked down at his feet. “Plus, I kinda figured, this is about as close as I’ll ever come to living on my own.”

“I really do like it. You’ve made it real nice in here.”

Steve looked back up to him, smiling proudly. 

“We don’t have to like, hang out in here. I just thought I’d welcome you in. To like, say, you know, if you’re ever around but don’t wanna hang out doing the same rodeo shit all the time, we could, like, spend some time in here.” Steve’s cheeks were going red. 

And Billy was fairly certain he knew where this was going. 

So he took the metaphorical bull by the horns, and wrapped his fingers in Steve’s literal belt loops, and pulled him close enough that their lips could touch. 

And apparently, Billy was right. Because Steve kissed him back immediately, and fervently, sliding his arms over Billy’s shoulders and pressing into him enough to move Billy back a few steps until his knees hit the bed, and he fell to sit on it. 

Steve wasted no time climbing on his lap, kneeling straddling Billy, pressed together as close as possible. 

Steve broke the kiss, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily and Billy attached himself to Steve’s neck, leaving wet kisses in his path down the long column of his throat. 

“God, fuck. Can we-”

“ Yeah. Yeah, Baby,” Billy was breathless as he replied, getting both hands under Steve’s ass and flipping their position in one fluid motion, getting Steve on his back, his legs wrapped around Billy’s waist. 

“Get the door.”

Billy pressed a long sucking kiss to Steve’s neck before pulling away, slamming the door closed as Steve drew the blinds on the window above the bed and turned on the air conditioning unit in the ceiling.

“It’s gonna get super fucking hot in here if we fuck.”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

Steve laughed at Billy, rolling back to lay properly on the bed, taking his stuffed horse and tossing it on the table behind Billy. 

“I don’t want her to have to see this.”

“Fine by me.” Billy was back on him in a second, pushing his hands up Steve’s shirt, yanking it off him as fast as possible. 

Steve was so fucking gorgeous. 

He had a light tan all over his body, with definite paler parts where his shirts usually sit. 

And he was fit. His muscles weren’t as bulky as Billy’s, but he was obviously strong. 

Billy leaned over him, tasting the salt on his skin as Steve began fumbling with the buttons of Billy’s shirt, pushing it off his shoulders so roughly one of the shoulder seams groaned, threatening to rip. 

Billy took that as his cue to pull away from Steve again, shedding his shirt and kicking off his shoes, helping Steve out of his little short shorts. 

He was wearing this excellent pair of boots, deep red with white embroidered stitching covering the boot. 

Steve leaned forward, moving to pull off the boots.

“Wait, no. Leave ‘em on.”

Steve looked at him.

“You call me a hick all the fuckin’ time, and now you’re here saying you wanna fuck me in my boots.”

“It’s hot. You’re like the chick from Footloose .”

“Aren’t you gay?”

“Hot is hot, Steve.” 

Steve huffed a laugh, putting his leg back down, letting Billy settle between both of them. 

“So, are we gonna talk about the girl in an eighties movie, or are you going to fuck me through this mattress?”

“Alright, bossy. You got lube?”

Steve huffed, poking Billy’s chest until he moved off him. 

Steve sat up, crawling to the end of the bed, digging through the laundry in the hamper for the bottle of lube. 

Billy stared at him. 

Mostly, he was just staring at his asshole. It was so perfect and pink, and looked buttery and soft. 

And Jesus, he really just wanted to lick it, to get his face buried between Steve’s cheeks and go to town on the pretty pink furl of muscle. 

And, well, what’s stopping him? 

Absolutely nothing.

He got up, following Steve’s path until he was behind him, taking each cheek in one hand. 

Steve froze where he was digging through the laundry, Billy’s breath puffing between his cheeks. 

“What are you-” 

And then Billy licked up his crack, his tongue dragging all the way up from his balls, flicking once against his hole. 

“ Billy .” Steve spread his legs, pushing his hips back into Billy’s face, wordlessly asking for more. 

So Billy gave it to him. 

He opened his mouth, licking all around his rim, pressing his tongue just slightly inside, sucking on the soft pink flesh, making Steve’s breath hitch and whines pour out of his mouth. 

“Fuck, you’re good at that.”

Billy responded by pulling back, and spitting on Steve’s hole. 

Steve was taken by surprise, if his soft gasp was anything to go by. He dropped his head against the bed, biting onto the blanket. 

Billy just kept going, using his lips and tongue and teeth, opening him up and getting him wet. 

“Fuck, Billy, please just fuck me. I want you so bad .” Steve’s voice was pitchy and breathy, muffled in the blanket. 

He was grinding his hips forward and back, pressing himself against Billy’s tongue. 

Like he wanted nothing more than he wanted Billy’s tongue in his ass right then. 

And Billy certainly wasn’t complaining, not at how fucking nice and soft his asshole was against his tongue, how he tasted kinda clean and kinda musky at the same time. It was heady and Billy would happily spend the rest of his stupid life with his face buried between Steve’s cheeks. 

Something smacked against the top of Billy’s head, and he pulled away briefly to find a bottle of lube on the bed, the one that Steve had no doubt tossed over his shoulder and accidentally accosted Billy with. 

“That fuckin’ hit me in the head, you piece a’ shit.”

“I don’t care,” Steve whined, pushing his hips back even further, spreading himself out more and more for Billy to hungrily take in. “Just finger me and fuck me !”

“Bossy.”

Steve huffed, shifting his head around until he could look back at Billy, his brows pinched in a little scowl, giving Billy a dirty look that was equal parts adorable pout and sexy scowl. He looked like the grumpiest little slut. 

And Billy indulged him, squeezing out a big glob of lube, meticulously coating his first two fingers with it. 

“I know what I like, and I get what I like.”

“Jesus, I thought all them girls were the rodeo queens. Not you .”

“I’m the queen of getting my fucking way. Now for the love of God, put your fingers in me.”

And Billy couldn’t do anything but indulge him. 

He began with just one finger, sliding it slowly and deliberately down to the last knuckle. 

Steve sighed as Billy’s finger entered him, relaxing his upper body into the bed, somehow canting his hips up even more, his back arched as much as Billy’s ever fuckin’ seen. 

So Billy took a chance, pumping his finger in and out a few times, pulling it nearly all the way out, only to replace it with both fingers. He moved slowly, simply fucking Steve with his fingers for a moment, watching Steve as he crooked his fingers downward. 

And Steve moaned, and it was like he became a puddle. All his muscles relaxing and unwinding as Billy curled his fingers, pressing deeply against his prostate, rubbing tiny circles into the small bundle of nerves. 

“God, Bill. That feels so fucking good,” Steve said through a throaty moan. Billy was slowly moving his fingers in and out of Steve, pressing down into that wonderful spot each time he was buried all the way to the knuckle. “Add another. Please, I want you in me.”

Billy had to palm himself to relieve some of the pressure of his own dick, flushed red and oh so painful where it was hard against his stomach. 

But he did as Steve told him to do, drawing out his two fingers to press in a third. 

There was something of a shift in the sticky airstream. As those three thick fingers sank into Steve, it was as though both boys agreed to move faster. Steve began pushing his hips back and forth, fucking himself on Billy’s fingers, matching the steady pace Billy had set with his hand. 

Billy was tugging his fingers in and out, pushing into Steve’s prostate with each movement, the lube creating a squelching noise as they picked up the pace. 

And finally, Steve had enough. 

He moved his hips forward, sitting back on his heels to look at Billy over his shoulder. 

His face was flushed, his bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat, his pupils blown wide, making his already dark eyes seem nearly black. He tossed Billy a condom, and Billy caught it against his heaving chest. 

Steve’s breath caught as Billy ripped open the condom wrapper with his teeth, looking like some kinda fuckin’ animal, rolling it onto himself with a practiced hand.

“Billy, I fucking want you-”

Billy cut him off by pressing himself against Steve’s back, kissing him harshly as he felt him up, his hands roving, touching every bit of Steve he could possibly manage. 

Steve had his own mission, reaching awkwardly behind him to take Billy’s stiff cock in hand, fumbling slightly as he lined up the flushed head of his dick with his slicked-up hole, teasing himself before urging Billy to push on in. 

Their lips lost touch from one another the second Billy began moving his hips forward, their moans mingling in the space between them. 

“God, fuck, Stevie.” Billy could hardly control himself. He so wanted to let loose, start fucking wildly into the tight heat of Steve’s body, take him as hard and fast as possible. 

He let his hands drop down and settle on Steve’s hips. He could feel the firm muscles tensing under his hands, like Steve was barely keeping himself from rocking back to fuck himself harder and faster on Billy’s cock. 

And that’s what pushed Billy over the edge. 

He pushed Steve forward until he was back in position, face down, ass up. His hands gripped Steve’s hips hard enough to leave bruises, and Jesus, Billy hoped to fucking God Steve had dark marks in the shape of Billy’s fingers for days and days. And he let himself go for it. 

Steve was making these breathy, punched-out noises, like with every harsh thrust of Billy’s hips, all the air in his lungs was being forced right out of him. 

Billy was slamming them together, pulling Steve’s hips back as he surged his own forward, pulling out almost entirely each time. He was relentless, taking Steve like a goddamn animal right there on the once neat bed. 

Neither of them was going to last long, they both knew it. 

Billy had taken so much time opening Steve up with his lips and tongue and fingers, Steve wouldn’t even be shocked if he came completely untouched, falling apart with only the attentions Billy has granted to his hole. 

Until Billy reached around him with his left hand, still gripping Steve’s body with his right. 

He took hold of Steve’s leaking cock, brushing his thumb over the slit to collect some of the glistening precum, drawing his hand tightly down the shaft, moving at an agonizingly slow pace compared to the buck of his hips, keeping Steve on the edge of something, making everything way too much and definitely not enough. 

And there was nothing Steve could do. 

He felt fucking helpless as Billy pounded him. It was taking all his energy not to just melt into the mattress at this point and let Billy have his way with him. 

But Billy was getting close, too close to keep this game up for much longer. 

He sped up the movement of his hand, his fist beginning to pump faster and faster over Steve’s aching cock. He wanted him to finish first, wanted to watch as Steve writhed and moaned about. 

It didn’t take long. Less than a minute of Billy jerking Steve as quick and rough as he was fucking him, and Steve was spilling out onto the blanket below him, nearly yelling out while his hips convulsed and his fingers twisted until he had a white knuckle grip on the blanket. 

Billy could only just hang on, fuck and jerk Steve through it, only letting his grip on his cock go a little slack when Steve finally relaxed a bit below him. 

Billy pulled out, snapping off the condom and taking his dick in hand, finishing himself off all over Steve’s lower back, watching his thick cum drip down the slope of his ass. 

“ Fuck. You’re so hot,” Billy said, totally in awe. Steve was even hotter than normal wearing nothing but his bright red boots and Billy’s spunk. 

Billy took a cloth from the tiny bathroom, getting it a little wet to wipe the cum off of Steve as he lay stretched like a cat on the small bed. 

“Thank God I don’t have to ride tomorrow, I don’t think I’ll be able to sit, let alone get in a saddle.” He threw a wink over his shoulder at Billy, bending his knees to let his feet kick up behind him, crossing his ankles in the red boots. 

“We should make the best of our good fortune, then. I’ve got a few more rounds in me.”

“Billy Hargrove, you fuckin’ devil .”

[skeezsbbygirl]

heather + hwang hyunjin

hello lovelies! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

this is for anon who requested a scenario based on conan gray’s heather, and i decided to add a little twist to it (because im a big baby and i cant take the angst TT) hope you enjoy! <3

STREAM GOD’S MENU AND EASY.

You faltered as you tried to match Hyunjin's pace, your high heels making the task even more impossible aside from Hyunjin's long strides. "Fuck it," you huffed and stopped mid stride, leaning down to remove the straps of your shoes, finally sliding them off one after the other.

Hyunjin took notice of your absence and quickly looked back to where you were, your heels hanging from your hands as you were sauntering towards him barefoot. "What made you think that wearing heels is a good idea?" he questioned as he walked back to meet you halfway, turning his back to you and squatting down. "Get on my back," he offered.

"I wanted to impress you, maybe even get you to like me or look at me as something more than a friend," you mentally answered him. However, you couldn't risk to lose him, at least not over some one-sided feelings you've been sheltering within your heart for the past few months.

"You're going to regret this," you playfully taunted as you snaked your arms around Hyunjin's neck. He hooked his arm around your calves, asking you if you were comfortable before carefully standing up, bouncing you up a bit to slightly rearrange your hold on him. "Come on, (y/n). I do this for you all the time," Hyunjin joked.

"You had the time of your life at that party, huh?" Hyunjin spoke after a moment of silence. You let out a heavy sigh. "I wanted to forget someone for a moment," you replied softly, afraid that he would catch on the hurt laced within your tone. "Who?" he asked.

"You."

You've been friends with Hyunjin since diapers, basically you shared more than half of your memories and life experiences with him, even some of your firsts, which unfortunately included having your first love. Yeah, you'd date someone here and there, thinking that maybe venturing out into other men would help you get over your feelings for him, there was no harm in trying, right?

But boy were you wrong.

Instead of forgetting your crush on the said boy, it remained, worse, it got stronger. No matter how many times you tried to erase your fantasies of Hyunjin, your heart and mind were stubborn -- fixated on the thought of making your love life suffer for life because you couldn't see any other way around it.

You thought of confessing, but that didn't work out for you. Not that Hyunjin rejected you or anything, but you didn't even get the chance to pour your feelings out for the male because he introduced you to her that day.

Min Yeji, his heather.

"Hello? Earth to (y/n)?" Jeongin waved his hand in-front of your face, snapping you out of your thoughts. "What got you spacing out?" he asked, throwing an arm around your shoulder and rubbing them in a soothing manner. "I'm confessing today, Jeongin," you exhaled in an attempt to calm your nerves, "I'd rather tell him now than never."

"Listen, if hyung fails to see the beautiful person that you are inside and out, then to hell with him," Jeongin reassured. "I'll personally ask Chan-hyung to teach him a lesson if he chooses her over you," he added.

You gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Jeongin," you said.

You knew it was wrong, selfish even, for having him choose between you and her and for having to confess at such an ungodly timing. You wasted all those years trying to find him in someone else when you could've just spoken your truth. Now, you were left with fighting for a spot to stay. But you wanted to tell him everything before it's too late, before you fade away from his memories, before you get replaced.

And with that, you gave Hyunjin a call. He picked up after the second ring, greeting you and telling you that he was just about to call you as he had something that he really wanted to tell you in person too. So, you guys made plans to meet up in the afternoon at the coffee shop that the both of you frequented during the weekends.

You nervously fiddled with your fingers, growing more and more impatient as the seconds tick by, feeling as if you were about to burst any second now.

"(Y/n)!"

You perked up when you heard his voice, but your smile fell as he approached you.

Hyunjin had his arm around her waist, sporting the biggest smile, one that you've never seen on him. The sight of this Hyunjin was breathtaking, almost unrecognizable as his eyes molded into crescents and his lips curved into the most charming smile. Guess that was reserved for her, huh?

You swallowed the lump in your throat as tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but you held them in and managed to plaster a fake smile on your face, like those countless times when you needed to be strong, especially when you needed -- no, when you should be happy for Hyunjin.

"Hey," you spoke as you got up from your seat, clearing your throat seconds later as you internally cringed at how weak you sounded.

"Yeji," he turned to look at her, "Meet (y/n), my best friend," he continued as he turned his gaze towards you.

That was your first time meeting her in person, but not the first time you've heard about her. Hyunjin made it known, three weeks ago to be exact, that he had been eyeing a certain someone. You still remember that night. Hyunjin was sprawled out on your bed with his head on your stomach as you lazily threaded your fingers through his golden locks. He rambled endlessly, gushing over everything about her.

Yeji leaned in for a quick hug and you returned her sweet gesture. "It's so nice to finally meet you," she beamed. "Nice to meet you too," you replied, wanting to reciprocate the excitement in her tone but you failed. "Take a seat," you invited.

You were so set on hating her and despising her throughout that afternoon, but something in you couldn't. You now saw why Hyunjin fell for her. Yeji had kind eyes, a sweet smile, a lovely personality, and so much more of what you weren't. You wanted her to be mean, maybe to even throw a glass of water at you while Hyunjin excused himself to the bathroom, only to come back and see you soaked in water. He would defend you and leave her, then it would end with him confessing his love for you, admitting that he was so blind to see it before, but now he's changed his mind. You know, just like those dramas that you spent hours watching with Hyunjin.

As Hyunjin busied himself with Yeji, you were mostly by yourself, except those times wherein Jisung would suddenly barge into your apartment and plop himself down on your couch and insist on watching dramas with you. Although you appreciate Jisung's presence, it simply wasn't the same without Hyunjin. You were so used to him -- his presence, his smell, his laugh, and his dramatic antics. It was like you had to start over again, but this time, you were alone.

Reality hit you harder as time passed by.

"--so yeah, I'm basically waiting for Chan-hyung's approval-" Hyunjin's rant was cut off as soon as he spotted Yeji a few feet away, quickly getting up from his seat to help her with her books and bag. "Hey, (y/n)," she smiled, giving you a quick hug like always. "How was class?" you asked her, trying to make small talk as the couple settled down across from where you sat. It was only then that you noticed the sweater that she was wearing. You immediately figured that it was Hyunjin's, judging from the way it drowned her petite figure and Hyunjin might have offered you the same sweater a few winters back.

You felt a pang in your chest.

"It sucks, as usual," Yeji replied as she let out a defeated sigh. "I totally feel for you," you chuckled.

"I can do your essays for you," Hyunjin cooed at Yeji, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on her cheek. You were quick to divert your gaze to your phone, not wanting to witness the affection that Hyunjin displayed. "That's so sweet of you, Jinnie, but you have your own classes too," Yeji responded as she playfully pinched Hyunjin's cheek.

You cleared your throat as you got ready to leave because a) you didn't want to third wheel, especially when you had feelings for the said partner, and b) clearly, your presence wasn't needed. "Hey, uhm, something came up with Jisung and it looks like he needs my help," you lied. "Oh, alright. We'll see you later, (y/n)," Yeji waved and you returned her gesture. "Call me if you need anything," Hyunjin stated and you nodded.

You fought back the tears that threatened to fall from your eyes as you walked back towards your apartment. Upon your arrival, you drowned yourself with school work, not only did it distract you from your current situation, but it also aided in clearing your weekend so you could squeeze in more hours of much needed sleep.

For the next few days, you decided to distance yourself from Hyunjin. It hurts, but you needed to save yourself from further heartbreak. You no longer hung out with him, you started texting him less, and then eventually, you avoided any sort of contact with him.

"Have you seen (y/n) lately?" Hyunjin nudged Seungmin, who was currently immersed in the movie that was playing on his laptop. "Yeah, I just saw her this morning, why?" the younger lad answered. Hyunjin's suspicions were confirmed, you were indeed ignoring him. But no matter how much Hyunjin thought about your new found behavior, he couldn't rack his brain for an answer. Was it something he said or did?

He came up with nothing for the past hour or so, and that's what led him to give up and just call you. "Pick up, (y/n)," Hyunjin mumbled as he paced back and forth in his bedroom, groaning when you failed to answer his call.

This continued on for days.

"Hyunjin."

"Babe," Yeji called for the blond-haired boy's attention for the second time. "Huh?" Hyunjin snapped out from his thoughts, "Sorry, I was distracted for a second."

"It's (y/n), isn't it?" she asked. "Well, yeah. It's just that I haven't heard or seen her lately," Hyunjin answered as he lowered his gaze, thinking that his response would settle wrongly with his girlfriend. He shouldn't be worrying about another girl, especially within Yeji's presence. Hyunjin expected her to lash out, but to his surprise, Yeji gave him a small smile -- it wasn't exactly out of understanding his concerns, but more of getting tired hearing his concerns. She placed her hands on top of his, "I understand, she's your friend after all. But, you do know that my patience has a limit, right?"

"I'm sorry, love. Forget about it," Hyunjin waved his hands, a motion to discard his previous statements. "Chan-hyung is hosting a party this weekend and I want you to come with me," he invited, "The boys really want to meet you."

Yeji shook her head which earned her a puzzled look from the male. "Come on, it'll be fun," Hyunjin prompted.

"Jin, I'm not blind," Yeji snapped. Her response caught Hyunjin off guard for a second. "Look, baby, if this is about-"

"I see the way she looks at you, the way she acts around you, and the way she avoids my advances. I don't blame her, though. If I were in her shoes, I would've cut the bitch already," Yeji exclaimed as a defeated smile made its way on her lips. "But instead, she's trying to be so strong and you're so stupid to not see this. Hyunjin, you've been friends with her for years, you should know her better than anyone else, maybe even better than she knows herself," she continued, frustration evident in her tone.

"Go to her, she needs you," Yeji exhaled.

[Present..]

"Hyunjin, you can put me down now," you said as the both of you neared his parked car and the said male complied to your request, letting you land carefully on the ground.

"What do you mean by wanting to forget about me for a moment?" Hyunjin questioned, his eyebrows contorted in confusion as he faced you. "I just want to forget you, get you off my mind, even for a second," you breathed out, the amount of shots that you took at the party giving you enough courage to pursue this line of conversation with Hyunjin. You already lost him and yourself, so you have nothing else to lose at this point.

"(Y/n), what are you talking about?" Hyunjin chuckled lightly, "Come on, bub. You're my best friend," he added.

And that was your breaking point.

"Well, I don't want to be your best friend anymore, Hyunjin!" you exclaimed. "I'm tired of being second best," you sobbed as you finally allowed your tears to fall. Hyunjin's smile immediately fell and his eyes widened at your sudden breakdown, you looked so hurt, betrayed -- you looked broken.

"Second best?"

"Yeah, just like how I was tonight, right?" you snapped as you flashed him a sarcastic smile. "Since Yeji couldn't make it tonight, you were left with the me," you retorted.

Hyunjin didn't respond because honestly, he didn't know how to.

"I tried, Hyunjin," you paused, "Believe me, I tried to get over you but I can't. I'm so in love with you. I tried to blame Yeji for all of this but how can I when she's been nothing but nice to me, she treats me like a sister."

"I wish I didn't wait that long, I wish I told you sooner," you continued.

"I'm sorry," Hyujin whispered. You shook your head as held your hand up to signal him to stop. "Don't apologize so that I can hate you."

You turned away from him, not wanting his eyes on you any longer. "I need to let you go, Hyunjin," you sniffed through your tears. You started walking away, still barefoot, but you didn't even bother at this point. Hyunjin's hand caught your wrist, "I'm not leaving you, at least not like this. Let me make this right, (y/n)."

"No, Hyunjin, please," you breathed out as you tried to free your wrist from Hyunjin's grasp. "I told you I'm not leaving you," Hyunjin argued, tugging you towards him and catching you in his embrace. He wrapped his arms around you, tightening his hold on you when you tried to push him off. "Shh, bub. It's okay, I'm not going anywhere," he spoke in a hushed tone and you hated the way it soothed you, causing you to lose your strength as you eventually gave into his touch.

Hyunjin gently stroked your hair as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear. He waited until your breathing evened out and soon later, he led you back to his car. "I'm driving you home, then we'll talk," he said.

The drive to your apartment was dead silent. A million thoughts raced through your mind as you looked out from the car's window. Now that you've sobered up, you felt stupid for acting out. Did you honestly think that throwing a tantrum would make Hyunjin dump Yeji? No, you didn't think so.

"Why didn't you tell me anything?" Hyunjin asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He sat next to you as he handed you a glass of water. "I never had the chance. I was supposed to tell you that afternoon when you introduced me to Yeji," you confessed, taking the glass of water he handed you. "Did it ever cross your mind that it was unfair for me too?" Hyunjin suggested.

"I'm not making you choose, Hyunjin," you sighed. "I know you love her, I don't want to rob you of your own happiness. That's why I'm the one who's walking away," you added as you sipped on the drink, setting it down on the coffee table and placing your hands back on your lap.

The blonde-haired male shook his head in disagreement as he moved down to kneel in-front of you, his hands tentatively coming up to lay on your knees. "Can I at least have a say in this?" he asked. You bit your lip and gestured for him to continue.

"You're right, I do love Yeji," he paused, taking a moment to form the right words. "But, I love you more, (y/n). I don't want you in pain because of me and it's killing me right now to see you like this," he added as a tear escaped his eye, recalling the state you were in a couple of hours ago, but he was quick to wipe them away. "You could've slapped me that day, called me an asshole, or something," he said, "I'll choose you over anybody, any day. I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize."

You were left speechless, uncertain of what your response should be, so you opted to stay silent.

"Yeji actually knew this was coming, maybe not right away, but at some point. I didn't believe her when she told me you had feelings for me. She told me she felt it the moment she met you in person," he explained, "So, we thought it would be the best to part ways and that's why she didn't come with tonight."

"I'm sorry," you muttered, keeping your eyes on your lap, finding a sudden interest towards the hem of your dress as you fiddled with it. "No, baby, don't be," Hyunjin replied, tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. "I guess what they say is true, huh? You never appreciate what you have until you lose it," he admitted.

Finally, you mustered the courage to meet his gaze. "You'll always have me," you said. "Good, 'cause you'll always have me too," Hyunjin gave you a small smile. You pulled him up from his position, guiding him to sit beside you. Once Hyunjin was seated, you wrapped your arms around him, burying your face into his dress shirt. His scent quickly filled your senses, making you feel at home and protected, a feeling you hadn't had in a while.

"Let me make this right, yeah?" Hyunjin spoke as he held you close, one hand patting your head gently and the other rubbing the small of your back. "Yeah, okay," you agreed.

"She may be Heather, but you're (y/n), my (y/n)."

[lovingmyselfcore]

Protect You Chapter IV

Oh my god I did it. I wrote a thing for this thing!! You guys are def getting other writing things from me this week but idk what it'll be bc apparently my brain is god and works in mysterious ways (is that offensive?)

Significant lack of Cardan today and I apologize for that but he will deffo be in the next part (if you've read the end of this then you know)

Chapter IV; Some Attempted Breaking and Entering ft. Nicasia being Nicasia and I hate her :)

“Ow,” I deadpanned.

Oriana looked up at me, mouth pinched at the edges, “Jude.” She had the way of saying my name (always has) that perfectly conveyed her distaste at my existence and scolding me for whatever I had done.

We were in Vivi and I’s apartment, Oriana had me propped on the counter while she adjusted my sling and bandages. Every time she saw the injury she grimaced in disgust, which meant that was her only current expression.

“When Vivi does this it’s much quicker,” I muttered, crossing my ankles and swinging my legs against the counter.

“Well, Vivi has had weeks of doing this for you.” Oriana pulled the bandage tighter and my ‘ow’ wasn’t deadpan anymore.

I didn’t think she was going to speak again but she did, “Training,” She scoffed. “I can’t believe you injured yourself so severely.” She looked up at me, “But at least it wasn’t a gunshot wound. At least your life isn’t as dangerous as that.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. Lying always has been my specialty.

Oriana pressed her lower body into my legs to keep me still against the counter. “Stop banging, you’re going to dent or chip it.”

I rolled my eyes and her grip tightened on my arm before she released me entirely.

“All done.”

I rolled my shoulder as best I could, “Great.”

Oriana stepped back and I hopped off the counter. Grabbing my jacket and slinging it over my available shoulder I called back to Oriana, “I’m going to work, Dain needs me.”

I was two steps from the front door when Oriana caught me by the shoulder. “Tayrn’s engagement party is tomorrow night,” She said it like I hadn’t been thinking about it since it was announced.

“Don’t worry,” I grinned at her, “I’ll be there to make everyone’s life hell.”

~~~~~~~~

“Jude,” Lilliver waved her hand in front of my face. “You’re spacing. Everything good?”

“What? Oh, yeah. It’s just…”

“The party.” Garrett said, matter of factly.

I gave him a look. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well lucky for you, you’ll be spending the whole time on a job,” Garrett said. Van and Lilliver winced.

“What?” I asked, meeting Garrett’s eyes. He didn’t flinch away from the harsh edge to my voice, the undoubtedly even harsher look in my eyes.

“Dain wanted us to tell you,” Van said, raising his voice as the music caught a crescendo.

We were in some day club that was clearly only for rich people. Sitting at a table tucked in a dark corner, watching as Dain mingled amongst the crowd. Shadows in the shadows, I mused. Weirdly appropriate.

I wasn’t sure who it was, but someone had rented the place and filled it with the highly respected, feared, higher-ups. Dain had heard about the event and invited himself, using the situation to make connections, and further the ones he already had.

He’d dragged us with him, of course. It was 11 at night, I was supposed to be curled on the couch with Vivi, eating ice cream out of the tub and watching Criminal Minds or beating up the punching bag in my room until my knuckles had split, even through the bandages and I couldn’t feel my arms. It depended on my mood.

But Lilliver had called me, said Dain needed his shadows, and that Garrett was waiting outside my apartment building. He had been. I have no idea how he got my address, but I’d refused to let him be my ride. He was too unpredictable, I couldn’t give him that blind faith. So I’d yelled to Vivi that my bike was out of gas and I needed hers and I’d pay her back for the miles, took her keys, and trailed behind Garrett’s car. And now, here we were.

I was nursing a glass of whiskey, mostly to calm my nerves as I followed Dain with my eyes, watching everyone who got too close to him.

“You don’t think anybody would try anything?” I’d asked when I got here, sliding in next to Lilliver in the booth.

“Someone’s done it before.” Van had muttered grimly.

I arched a brow, “What happened to them?”

Van just looked at Garrett, who was eyeing everyone and everything like they all had guns and were about to start shooting people.

I got the message and hadn’t inquired further.

“What does he want me to do?” I asked now.

“Locke’s a friend of Cardan’s.”

“I’m aware.”

Garrett rolled his eyes and I glared at him.

Resting my forearms on the table and leaning forward until I was closer to Van I said, “But Dain isn’t worried about Cardan taking the power, is he?”

“No.”

“But,” Lilliver cut in. “Locke has been seen with Madoc and Balekin. Being with Madoc isn’t that weird-”

“Yes, it is.” I interrupted.

“But Locke is going to be Madoc’s son-in-law. How is that weird?” Garrett asked, tearing his gaze from Dain.

“Madoc hates Locke, he isn’t very happy about Taryn marrying him.”

“For what he did to you?” Van asked.

I snorted, “You’re overestimating him. Nah, he just thinks Locke is a stuck-up prick who doesn’t deserve everything he has.”

“Fair,” Lilliver murmured and I nodded my agreement.

“But Balekin?”

I shook my head, “You don’t know Madoc like I do. If he’s talking to Balekin and it’s not about just security stuff? It can’t be good. Throw Locke into the equation and anything could happen.”

“Great,” Van drawled with an exasperated eye roll.

“So, Jude,” Lilliver asked after a moment of silence. “You have a good outfit, right?”

~~~ A few hours later, I was sitting on my couch, crossing and uncrossing my legs, waiting for Vivi to be finished getting ready.

“Viv!” I yelled.

“Patience is a virtue!” She screeched back from the bathroom.

“Anybody that has time for patience is wasting their life,” I muttered to myself, trying to relax back into the couch unsuccessfully.

I was too stiff all over, shoulders tight, leg muscles straining as I dug the soles of my heels into the carpet as if trying to keep myself on the ground. I curled my fingers into the plush cushion of the couch.

I was wearing a gold dress and matching heels, a small handgun strapped to one thigh, a knife on the other. The slits up the legs of my dress would allow me to retrieve them but kept them hidden enough from prying eyes.

Vivi was taking too long. I rose slowly from my place on the couch and walked to the bathroom. Some Taylor Swift was playing from the Bluetooth speaker perched precariously on the windowsill and Vivi swayed to the beat, slivers of dying sunlight curling in through the window to wind around her gold curls. She was touching up her mascara so she didn’t look at me when I entered.

“I know I’m taking forever, but you should be thanking me for not making you go too early.” I rolled my eyes and leaned against the doorway, not saying anything in response.

Suddenly Taylor’s voice cut off as Vivi’s phone rang. “Can you get that?” She asked me, but I was already reaching for it. I had to twist my arm half under her upper body to get to the other side of the countertop but I eventually reached it and glanced at the caller ID.

“Heather,” I said.

Vivi looked away from the mirror to blink at me and I took that as my cue to answer.

“Hey, Heather,” I said.

“Jude?”

“Yeah. Vivi’s busy being narcissistic so you get to talk to me instead.”

Heather’s laugh sounded like a fairy. “That’s alright, you’re not bad to talk to.”

“Thanks for lying to me,” I replied, leaning against the doorway again. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I just knew the engagement party was soon and figured I’d talk to Vi now before she gets too drunk to do anything.” I snorted, “That’s a very fair assessment. We would’ve been at the party already but Vivi is taking forever.” The last word was louder and Vivi stuck her middle finger up at me without even turning to face me.

Vivi finally set down the mascara wand and turned to me with her hands on her hips before making a toddler-esque grabbing motion.

“Well Vivi’s finally done getting ready, but she wants to talk to you.”

Heather snorted, “Nice. Well, have fun at the party, Jude.”

It was my turn to snort.

Heather’s voice got softer, “It’ll all be fine. You don’t have to stay for very long, and maybe you can find something to distract yourself with.” Oh, I have something to do, alright.

“Thanks,” I muttered before handing Vivi the phone. “Hey, baby,” Vivi said immediately and I shook my head. She stuck her tongue out at me before turning away and I took that as my cue to leave the bathroom.

~~~~

I was physically unable to stay still.

Vivi and I didn’t own a real car, so we’d called an Uber, and sitting in the backseat, I was doing everything but stay still. Vivi kept side-eyeing me when she glanced away from her phone, but she hadn’t said anything.

I was bouncing my leg, tapping a rhythm on the door of the car, the seatbelt, the seat below me, my arms.

Vivi paused in her texting, probably to Heather, to clamp a hand on my knee. It didn’t do much to actually stop my movements but it got me to look at her. “Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not,” I said stiffly and turned away.

Vivi sighed and took her hand off my knee. “You can talk to me, Jude.” She whispered.

I didn’t respond.

~~~

Locke lived in a mansion. I’d been there before but it was still impressive. What took away a bit of that was that I knew he hadn’t worked for it. He was just a rich kid, born and raised. Like all the others that had looked down on me my entire life.

He fit in with Cardan.

Vivi thanked our Uber driver as we stepped out of the car onto the winding stone pathway leading up to the front door.

As the car sped off Vivi linked her arm through mine and yanked me forward to start walking to the door.

“Stop looking at the house like it murdered your cat,” Vivi muttered, her arm tightening briefly around mine.

I tried to school my scowl into something more neutral. It wasn’t easy.

“We’re here for Taryn,” Vivi continued, “You might not even have to see him, or them together at all.”

I nodded mechanically as my eyes drifted to the window on the second floor that I knew belonged to Locke’s bedroom. Would he keep his secrets locked in there? Taryn could get in there, so maybe not, but it was worth a shot.

Some servants pushed open the door to let us inside and Vivi and I froze in the doorway. It looked like some kind of fancy 1800s ball, but with smaller dresses.

“Is that Elowyn?” Vivi whispered. I followed her gaze. It was, indeed, Elowyn Greenbriar in all her glory, perched near a huge window as if preparing to leap out and make a run for it soon. She was eyeing everyone with that look of judgment that seemed to be a Greenbriar birthright, looking more expensive than Locke’s mansion itself.

“I didn’t think she and Locke were that close.”

“It’s not just her,” I realized, as my eyes fell on Cealia, who was worming her way through the crowd of people to reach her sister.

But Vivi had noticed something else. “Nicasia’s here,” She hissed. “And she’s headed this way.”

Vivi and I’s arms were still linked so I tugged lightly and dragged us deeper into the house and crowd of people, effectively disappearing from Nicasia’s line of sight.

I wasn’t ready to deal with her quite yet.

I breathed deeply through my nose and snatched a glass of champagne off a tray nearby, scanning the room.

How could I slip away and snoop without being detected?

“Hey, Jude.” I tightened my grip on my flute of champagne and turned to face Nicasia. Her expression wasn’t pleasant, so I didn’t bother trying to act pleased to see her, either.

“Nicasia,” God. Why did she have to be so pretty, a long, flowing dress that was so many different shades of blue, I couldn’t even count them. It looked like it was tailored to fit her-it probably was, actually. It rippled as she moved, like ocean waves on the shore. Her hair was loose for the most part, aside from a few intricate braids woven in that she had curled around a single finger.

She plucked the champagne from my hand and sipped leisurely. It made my blood boil.

“I figured you’re one of the few people who hates being here as much as I do.”

I grudgingly nodded and her answering grin was sharp.

“Why are the Greenbriars here?” I blurted before I could think better of it.

Nicasia blinked at me before responding. “Because they’re Greenbriars. They do whatever they want when they want.”

It wasn’t a real answer and I had a feeling that she wasn’t just being difficult; she didn’t know, and hated that she didn’t know.

Well, Nicasia and I had something in common.

“Are they all here?” I asked.

She shook her head, “Balekin was here for a total of fifteen minutes before he vanished somewhere,” She gestured vaguely, lips turned down in disgust. “I haven’t seen Dain anywhere, but the girls are here. And Cardan,” She added, pretending like it was an afterthought.

My gaze automatically shot into the crowd, taking note of every face. But none of them were Cardan.

“Do you love Locke?” She asked scornfully.

“Do you?” I shot back, like we were third graders.

She rolled her eyes, “I’d rather crawl naked over glass.”

“Then you have my answer.”

She just looked at me for a beat

Nicasia drained the glass and thrust it back into my hand. She gave me a final judging once over before strutting off in the other direction.

~~~~~~ The next half hour was nothing but mingling; I had to make it clear I was here, that I supported this. After Nicasia had left me alone, I gritted my teeth and dove into the cage of hungry sharks.

I slipped back into the darkness, listened to aristocrats talk to each other, pretending they were all above each other and felt the weight of the gun shifting under my dress; the cold metal pulsed like it was branding me.

I pretended I was one of them; the lies felt warm and comforting on my tongue, honey on a warm summer afternoon.

The realization hit me like a truck: I couldn't entirely blame this on the Shadows' crash course training these past few weeks. I had always had the capacity for this; lying and manipulating and scheming came as effortlessly to me as breathing. I had been born for this. The thought should've been terrifying, but it settled beneath my heart, caged in my ribs with a comforting weight that couldn't be ignored.

“Excuse me,” I murmured and slipped away from the group I’d been attempting to charm.

Balekin hadn’t resurfaced and I wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d left the party entirely so as I slid along the walls of the second floor of Locke’s mansion, I kept my ears and eyes tuned to catch any and all movements.

Locke’s office.

Yes!

I glanced around, feeling like I was in some kind of cliche mafia movie before attempting to turn the door handle. Locked. Okay. Not great. I could work with it though.

Being Madoc’s daughter and Vivienne Duarte’s sister gave me access to an arsenal of weird abilities to use in a pinch.

I reached up to my hair before remembering I didn’t pull it up, so I turned my attention to my clutch, hoping there was a bobby pin or paper clip or something in there.

I’d let my guard down.

I heard his uneven steps coming towards me too late.

“My sweet nemesis,” Cardan slurred. “What do you think you’re doing?” ~~~

Tag List: (Let me know if you want to be added or removed)

@ladyofbloodandroses @cultofvamps @itsmentalbreakdownhours

[hopelikethemoon]

Elena (Javier x Reader) {MTMF}

Title: Elena  Rating: PG-13 Length: 2000 Warnings: Mild angst, pining, and allusions to sex.  Notes: You can find everything about Maybe Today, Maybe Forever here. Set in 1989, directly after Old Parr. Javier POV. I would recommend re-reading Old Parr before reading this.  Summary: Javier spends the evening with his informant. 

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Javier tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling as he drew in a drag of smoke. He welcomed the way it burned at the back of his throat, filling his lungs, before he exhaled. He watched the hazy smoke as it billowed in front of him. In the haze of the smoke, it was easy to pretend that the woman laying beside him was someone else. 

He still remembered the first time he’d seen Elena at the brothel. One of his other informants — Freckles — had called him over with information. He walked through the backdoor of the house and saw her standing there talking to Freckles. He swore his heart stopped right then and there.

Sure, she wasn’t identical, but there were enough similarities between the two women that he still caught himself doing a double-take. There was something about Elena’s eyes — her smirk and the way she expressed herself. Little mannerisms that reminded him so intimately of her. But Elena’s hair was too dark and her voice was all wrong. 

But for an evening, Javier could pretend. 

“So,” Elena started, tucking a cigarette between her lips as she leaned forward to light it off of his. “Who is she?” She questioned, drawing in a breath of smoke before exhaling as she laid down on the bed beside him.

“What?” 

“I’m not offended, Javi.” She said lightly with a grin, exhaling another breath of smoke as she tilted her head to look at him. “I’m quite comfortable with being a… Oh, what is it called? Ah. A proxy.”

Javier huffed, clenching his cigarette between his lips as he spoke around it. “There isn’t…”

Elena laughed, “Hmm. Well, you certainly said someone’s name.”

His heart clenched in his chest and he looked away from her, his eyes drawn towards the window. “I came here for information. What do you know about the cartel?” He questioned, scratching at the back of his neck. 

“So there is someone.” Elena sat up then, tucking her legs beneath her as she turned to face him. 

Javier shot her a look, “It’s not like that.” Javier insisted, leaning over to the nightstand to sit his cigarette in the ashtray. He scrubbed his hands over his face, sinking back onto the mattress. 

He had almost made a mistake tonight. For a few minutes he’d actually considered it. If Steve hadn’t been there — if things had been just a little different. He would’ve gone home with her. He would’ve happily been her rebound. But Javier knew better than falling into that shit. 

How was he supposed to roll into work Monday after that? 

“I don’t shit where I eat.” Javier said dryly, his eyes flickering towards Elena as he tucked an arm under his head. 

A grin spread over her lips as her brows rose upwards with amusement, “Is Javier Peña in love with his coworker?” She teased as she took another drag from her cigarette. 

“No.”

“It’s okay to admit that you’re deluding yourself, Javi.” Elena told him as she exhaled, “It’s not as though I’m going to tell her.” She leaned forward, draping her bare body across him as she reached to put her smoldering cigarette beside his in the ashtray. 

Javier groaned quietly, scrubbing his hands over his face as she pulled back. “I care about her, alright? But it’s not like that for her.” He rocked his jaw slowly, grinding his teeth together. “She just got out of a year-long relationship with this CIA guy we’d all been working with.”

“So she has no problem shitting where she eats?” Elena retorted with a smirk. “Sounds promising.” 

Javier shook his head, “Nah. It’s not like that.” It wasn’t. “It’s been two years since she started working with us. She’s a good fucking agent. Better than Murphy and I combined.” 

“I’m sure that’s easy enough.” Elena teased lightly. 

“Don’t.” Javier warned, shaking his head. He couldn’t do the teasing — that was too much like her. The way she’d gently barb him and Steve. He loved that about her. Shit. 

Elena sighed and nodded, “Alright.” She reached out and rested her hand on his chest, fingers brushing over his skin lightly. “So why can’t you be with this co-worker of yours?”

Javier pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, “She’s too good for me.” He admitted, looking away again. “You should’ve seen this asshole she was with for a year. He was a real straight-laced, pretty boy. He had that southern charm. He fucking hiked!” 

“But she’s not with him anymore.” Elena pointed out. “Who broke up with who?”

He hesitated, “She broke up with him.” 

“So clearly that wasn’t what she wanted.” She stretched out on the bed beside him, propping her chin up on his shoulder. “Javier, what do you have to lose? If you care about her—”

He cut her off, “It’s not like that. Alright? I work with her. Every goddamn day.” Javier set his jaw hard. “I’d rather be her friend. I’m not gonna lose that just cause I want to fuck her.” He rested his hand over Elena’s, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “It’s not worth it.” 

Elena hummed softly, “Sounds like she means a lot to you.” 

He nodded slowly, dragging his teeth over the inside of his bottom lip. “She’s something else. It’s fucking hilarious too — when they told us this new agent was joining the team, I was fucking pissed. Steve and I had this good thing going, we didn’t need someone cramping our style.” Javier sank back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. “But that first day, she just really proved herself. She was fucking remarkable.” 

“So these feelings aren’t new?” 

“No,” He turned his head to look at Elena, his brows drawn together. “Truth be told, I don’t know what I feel. I just know I care about her.” 

“You care about her enough to say her name during sex, Javi”

Javier dragged his hand over his face, sighing heavily as he felt his cheeks burn in response to her words. “Yeah. I guess I do.” He conceded, “But in my defense you…”

“What?” Elena arched a brow, “What about me?”

“You look like her.” He admitted.

“Excuse me?” She let out an incredulous laugh. “You’re joking, Javi.” 

He pinched at the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. “It’s not a perfect match, but…” Javier lifted her hand off his chest, moving to get out of the bed and find his jeans where they were discarded on the floor.

“You’re going to quickly become my favorite client, Javier.” Elena teased. “This is fascinating.” 

Javier snorted, glancing back at her over his shoulder. “Happy to entertain, Elena.” He rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to his jeans, pulling his wallet out of the back pocket. “This is what she looks like.” He told her, passing her the picture he kept folded into his wallet.

Elena’s brows drew together as she took the picture from him. “Holy shit.” 

“Do you see it?”

She laughed, “Yeah, I see you keep a picture of her in your wallet!” She lifted her gaze to meet his, “She’s pretty.” 

A faint smile spread over his lips. “Yeah, she is.” The picture had been taken about six months after she’d started working with them. They’d wasted the last picture on the roll just to grab a shot of the three of them on their stakeout. She had her arm slung around his shoulders, leaning into his side while Steve fussed with jumping into the frame before the timer on the camera went off. 

Elena held the photo up beside her face, trying to match the expression in the shot. “Well?”

Javier nodded slowly, looking between the two. “It’s not exact, but…” He shrugged his shoulders, reaching out to take the picture back from Elena. He stared down at it, brushing his thumb over her image. “I should’ve told you.” 

“I’m not naive, Javier. I don’t believe that anyone fucks me for me.” She gave him an unamused look, before she moved to drape her arms over his shoulders, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. “You’re one of my better clients, as it is.” 

He chuckled quietly, curling his fingers around her arms and rubbing his thumbs over her skin. “Still.” Maybe he was old fashioned, but it felt wrong. “You’re sweet, Elena.” 

She rested her chin on his shoulder, playing her fingers through his hair. “You’re quite sweet yourself, Javier.” Elena told him. “I’m a little jealous this partner of yours has all you wrapped around her finger and doesn’t even know.” 

Javier snorted. “Like I said. I’m not fucking it up with her.” He turned his head and pressed a kiss to Elena’s cheek. “And on that note, perhaps we should discuss what you know…” 

Elena pulled away from him. She repositioned herself on the bed, fluffing her hair so it fanned out neatly beneath her as she sank back onto the pillow. She bit down on her bottom lip, humming thoughtfully. “Trading information is a rather dangerous business, Javi… I might need a little more convincing.” 

He smirked, “Name your price.” 

She ran her thumb over her bottom lip, “Tell me more about this partner of yours.”

“Elena.”

“Who else are you going to talk to about this?” She questioned, batting her lashes at him. “I don’t mind if you pretend I’m her.”

“I’m not going to.” Javier said firmly. “It was a mistake to come here tonight. I almost—“ He hung his head. “I could’ve gone home with her tonight. But I don’t wanna be rebound.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “It would’ve felt predatory. She’s pretending she’s not sad over him, but if you’d seen her… I wasn’t going to take advantage.”

“You’re a good man, Javier.”

“I’m not.”

“If you don’t want to be her rebound, what do you want to be?”

Javier stared at her, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I don’t know.” He admitted. “I just wanna be there for her.”

“Even as just a friend?”

He nodded, “Yeah. I meant what I said. I’m not fucking this up.” As much as he wanted her, he knew better than to pursue something. He wasn’t wired for what she deserved. He’d already prepared himself for her to inevitably end up with Lance for the long run, but… clearly he’d misjudged that. 

“She’s lucky to have you then.” Elena said softly. “I hope she realizes how lucky she is.”

“I don’t need her to.” Javier shook his head, chewing on his bottom lip. “I’ll get over it. Whatever this bullshit I feel is.”

“You don’t just get over love, Javier.”

“Yeah, I know.”

And she didn’t feel like the kind of person he could just get over, either. Not when she took up so much space in his brain. Two years and he already defaulted to thinking about conversations he wanted to have with her. What stupid telenovela he’d caught last night. 

He’d missed all of that, while Lance had taken up residency in her life. It was a small victory that he’d have more of her back. God, he was a greedy fuck. 

Here he was, fucking a hooker because she looked like her, all the whole feeling pride over the fact that she’d dumped her boyfriend. 

That alone was why she deserved better than him. 

Javier really hoped, whoever she went home with tonight, realized just how lucky he was. 

[alias-b]

sins of my youth. 005

Billy Hargrove x OC! Evie Fenny~ Also posted to my AO3

Summary: It was common knowledge that Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins. Hated Cherry Lane. Even loathed the strange girl next door. Evie Fenny wasn’t too fond of the chaotic Cali transfer either. An awful high school tradition sparks a chain of events that changes everything, ultimately bringing two frayed souls together.

A/N: Well. It's time for the dance. Sigh. TW: Teenagers can be evil. Also head's up, light will be shined on an unhealthy relationship Evie is navigating. I won't get explicit with it, but we as readers are going to see red flags that our girl cannot see. Or is ignoring. Taglist open :)

Chapter 5: Skirt Safari

   Evie didn’t tell anyone she was going to a dance with Billy Hargrove for New Years. Just said some party in the city. Didn’t tell her mother. Not even Heather. 

   Floated through the holidays with her guitar on the porch swing.  Bundled up as snow fell. Little, perfect flurries. Open notebook next to her as she crossed her legs and exhaled into cold. Strumming idle tunes away from her mother’s indoor phone chatter.

   A car skidded up to Billy’s house. Day before the party. Tommy’s freckled face popped out of the driver’s side with Carol getting up too.

   “Hey, Fenny!” Tommy couldn’t resist prodding. “You stay on the nice list this year?”

   “Don’t spend all your coal in one place.” She set one leg down. Head cocking. Billy came out of his house shrugging a jacket on. He stopped to gawk at the snow. Let it fall into his curls. Rough and ethereal.

   “Let’s go.” He didn’t glance at Evie there as Tommy approached her porch steps. “Gimme the keys, I’m driving still.”

   “Little birdy told me you were gonna be around on New Years.” Tommy leaned against a brick post. A broad smile.

   “Oh, you guys are going too? That really makes me want to go.” Evie replied flatly. Billy smacked Tommy’s chest with a hiss at him.

   “I got shit to do. C'mon.” He warned, not wanting the annoying boy to ruin his chances here.

   “Don’t worry, Evie, I already have plans that night. I probably won’t be around that joint. I don’t qualify.” Carol’s bracelets clinked together when she swept her styled hair aside, undaunted by Billy's steel glaring. Tommy chuckled with her and Billy gave a growl low in his throat.

   “You take requests on that thing?” Tommy continued. “Got a song for me?”

   “Sure. How about this?” Evie straightened up. Strummed and tapped one foot to a beat.

  “Don't stand, don't stand so… Don't stand so close to me...” Evie flashed a smile and kept playing. “How’s that?” Tommy hitched to laugh until Carol hit his chest, tugging because she was over this conversation.

   Billy paused to smile at Evie there. Looking so pretty in the snow, it was criminal. Evie touched the strings to stop the flow of vibration.

   “She isn’t bad.” Tommy stumbled as Carol pulled him away.

   “Come on, you don’t even know what that song is about.” She peered back to glower at Evie. Lethal.

   “You see? I can’t sit on my own porch without being bothered.” Brown eyes lifted to Billy as she sat back to idly move the swing with one foot.

   “Never actually heard you sing.” Billy had observed instead, twisting the ring around his middle finger. No compliment or insult followed him back down the steps. Evie plucked a few cords, watching him go. 

   Billy wrestled Tommy for the driver’s seat. Won. Skidded off to raise hell somewhere else. 

   It was a clock ticking down each lazy hour as her secret hung in the air. Heather parents stole their daughter away to the Holloway's lavish cabin for a family New Years Party which took the heat off the lie.

   Evie spent the whole day preparing in her bedroom. Tossed dress after dress upon her bed like she cared what Billy Hargrove thought. Decided on something short and maroon. Sleeves just above her elbows and a slight poof to the little skirt. Gave her waist a little pull and didn’t make her cleavage look half bad. Matched her nails and lip color too.

   Makeup spread all over her dresser. Glittery gold shadow with a smoky haze. The dress was a metallic foil maroon, seemed fun enough for New Years. Big hoops and a necklace completed her look. Evie hurried to grasp a jacket before Billy could come to her door.

   “I’m going to a New Years thing mom, I’ll be safe.” She called on the way out.

   “Have fun, baby!”

   “I will.” Evie sprayed amber perfume and was lotioning her hands rushing out of the house. Almost bumped into Billy on the doorstep ready to knock. His eyes narrowed.

   “You didn’t tell anyone.”

   “Bet you didn’t either. Do your parents know?” She slipped her jacket on. Billy blew smoke in response. He seemed annoyed today which did nothing for her nerves. “So, I put on a dress...don’t get me murdered.”

   The joke seemed to go over him.

   “Well, let’s go.” He turned and went toward his car, stunning in the cold and twice and rude. “Let’s just get this shit going.” A cigarette hit the pavement.

   Evie didn’t move.

   “Are you alright?” She asked slower.

   “I just want to get there.” Billy snapped. “C’mon.”

   “Listen, I really don’t have to go anywhere if you’re going to be an ass the entire time.” She crossed her arms and Billy flared up. “I spent hours getting ready for this stupid thing. This stupid thing that you pestered me to go to!”

   His shoulder dropped.

   “Hours, huh.” Billy came around and opened the door for her. “We can’t waste that.”

   The charm reeled back.

   Evie stood unmoved.

   “Look, I just got into it with my old man. Wasn’t you.” Billy explained. “You lost the bet, Angel.”

   “I did.” She sighed and crossed to get in. He shut the door and joined her. Turned the music down when it blared. “What’s this bar called?”

   “The Dogfight.”

   “Charming.” Evie stuffed a tiny wallet into the bodice of her dress. Billy eyed her chest. “Watch the road, Hargrove.”

   “You spent hours getting ready for me.” He mused, rubbing his chin. “I like when a girl admits it.”

   “And how long did it take you to get this hair just right?” She reached and tugged at a curl as he’d done with her so many times. He’d doused himself in that sex cologne he liked so much. A red shirt opened and tucked into the tightest jeans he could have picked out. Leather jacket again today. “We both wore maroon.”

   “Looks more wine on you.” He fussed at that.

   “Just saying.” Evie broke to smile. “I meant it, don’t get me murdered.”

   “We get in, we snag some drinks, we get out. The streets are going to be chaos; it should be fun.” Billy turned onto the main roads. Sped beyond all the other cars.

   “I’m not letting you drive drunk.”

   “A motel is always an option for me, sweet cheeks.” Billy clicked his tongue.

   “With two beds, ponyboy.” She only grinned, undaunted. “I lost a bet, not all my morals.”

   Billy laughed, picking up speed.

   “We can loosen those up tonight.”

** ** **

   “What do you drink, Angel, an appletini?” Billy dragged Evie into a dark lit bar. Pink and yellow lights shooting all directions. Metallic streamers hanging and swaying with the dancers already smashed on the floor. Evie looked down at his hand as he peered around and brought her all the way to a corner table near the window.

   Even settled a menu on the other side like they might be hiding behind it.

   "Something with a little pink umbrella?" He continued, eyes on the window. Drunks sang along the streets in their party clothes. 

   “Try whiskey. I’m going to need one for this.” She caught Billy’s head whipping around. “Who are you looking for?”

   “No one, I-fuck!” The gorgeous boy lost all composure and skidded out of his chair when a bare ass pressed the window. Evie gasped and covered her eyes, pouty lips slack. Kind of enjoyed Billy losing his cool. “Asshole!” Music overlapped the chaos. Tommy fucking H howled with laughter on the other end, pulling his pants up.

   "Fuck." Billy sank back into his chair. "Shithead."

   Tommy swaggered in still laughing, had a woman on his arm that wasn’t Carol.

   She was clearly older, wrinkled and fatigued. Maybe forty. Wearing a tight purple lace number that was not keeping her warm or fitting correctly. Jean jacket. Fishnets. Smudged makeup. Big beehive hairstyle. She smelled like sweet pineapple and chain smoked her teeth brown and broken.

   Billy and Evie exchanged looks because she was also clearly a lady of the night.

   “Tommy...who is your new friend?” Billy asked slower. All teeth.

   “Her name’s Bubbles.” Tommy was shorter than her in those heels. Head on her shoulder with the cheesiest grin. “She’s a real winner.”

   “Charmed, handsome.” The woman rasped and reached for Billy’s hand then Evie’s. “Like the shadow, sweetie, it suits you.”

   “Thank you,” she blushed. “I like your beetle hairpin.”

   “We’re going to hit the dance floor,” Tommy scanned Evie, “good to see you here, Fenny.”

   “Right.” She glanced at Billy as they left. “What was that about?”

   “He’s drunk. Probably sad about some dumb shit with Carol, they’ll be screwing again before school starts.” Billy said that quicker than intended. A light bulb went off in his head. “Drinks. Wait here.”

   “Thanks.” Evie recognized teens from her school and rivals.

   “Fenny!” A couple football players spotted her inside. Poked until the window tilted open. “What’s a pretty girl doing in this dump?”

   “Our girl who brought Tannen down a couple pegs.” 

   Questionable Hawkins High Fame.

   “Just enjoying New Years.” Evie giggled there fiddling with her nails.

   “If someone messes with you, let the guys know, we’re down the block. That bar on the corner.” They started off. 

   “Will do, boys.” She jilted when Billy smacked a drink down, sitting. “Thank God.”

   “He ain't here. Thank me." Billy leaned over to see her. Crossed his arms as she drank. "You don’t party this hard?”

   “We snuck into a bar, did you even get carded?”

   “Told you, no one cares.” He gulped his own glass down. “Stop worrying.”

   Evie just drank more in response.

   "You established I only go to lame high school parties." Evie paused to see him. "Kind of waiting for a rain of pig's blood here. I guess I actually want a good night."

   "I wouldn't say it's asking a lot." Blue eyes went to the table, paint chipping away from wood. There was an uneasy beat before he softened. “Another? It’s open for the party. Free shit even after twelve.”

   “Please.” She followed him this time. Felt the burn in her throat as they leaned there together. "So, why-?"

   “Hey, Fenny.” Brock Tannen’s sculpted face craned over her shoulder. Billy tensed, jaw twitching. “Boy, am I shocked to see you here. With Keg King Billy Hargrove. Apply enough heat and even the ice queen melts. Must be a Cali boy thing.”

   “You’d be about Antarctica.” Evie replied. He only smiled. Eyes shifted to Billy.

   “Hope you stick around to midnight, have fun you two.” Brock pulled a girl off with him, staring at him like he was a pot of gold at the end of a spring rainbow. Little blonde with some acne scars she tried to cover with make-up. An eyeshadow look in blue to match her dress that must have taken hours to perfect. Two missing teeth in her mouth. Skin and bone thing. Young looking.

   “Asshole.” They said at the same time. Tension broke. Billy chuckled and she peered in the direction Brock had gone into.

   “Did you see that girl with him?”

   “No, who?” Billy scratched the back of his neck. Kept looking around.

   “Ah, nothing.” Evie brought the glass to her lips again and sipped. Screens all over this bar and the city played the party in New York. Commotion in the streets marked with loud party goers. “So, what’s there to do before midnight hits?”

   “Whatever the fucking fuck hell we want.” Billy tapped his glass to hers and downed it. Relished the burn.

   “You like to swear.”

   “No, I like to drink.” He corrected, offering her a menu. “Eat something.”

   “We gotta pay for food.”

   “I’m buying, I invited you.” Came a shrug. “Pick some shit out.”

   “You want food, honey pie?” A man flocked over.

   “Damn right, I do.” Evie peered at Billy. Amused. “I’ll take the fucking chicken tenders with a side of bitching fries.”

   “Ketchup?” They were writing, amused because she was cute even still.

   “Fuck yes. Um, please.” She gestured to Billy with his jaw slack open. “And who knows what this asshole wants.”

   “Blondie?”

   “Ah...I’ll just have another drink. Fucking beer.” He batted his lashes.

   “Wonderful.” The man slid off snickering. 

   “What was that, Fenny?”

   “I swear, but not like you. It sounded like fun to try it out.” She covered her lips to giggle. “Why didn’t you get food? We’re drinking and it’s going to be a long night.”

   “Long night, you say? So, you want to stick around for the whole party.”

   “I put on a dress and makeup. People are going to see me and the effort I made.” She set her jaw on her chin. “Avoided the question.”

   “I only had enough cash for one meal. Rest is if we need the motel.”

   “Billy, you should have said something! I have a few bucks on me somewhere.” Evie frowned when he got his beer.

   “Doesn’t matter, you’re probably a lightweight. Get food in your stomach before you down more free whiskey.” He brushed it off quickly, blue eyes on the windows. Evie’s food came and she slid it between them.

   “It’s hot, have some. Don’t make me feed you, I won't be my mother..” She pressed and pouted until Billy snagged a piece of chicken. They shared the basket, licking warm fingers clean. Billy took the thumb he licked and fixed her lipstick, earning a snort of protest.

   “Ick.” She cocked her head away, amused. “Thanks, mom.”

   “You know, it took me ages to place that tiny accent you got. But, it’s so Louisiana. Mona rubbed off on you.” Billy pointed when Evie had gotten a new drink.

   "It's not."

   “Let’s get air, I think some idiot is setting off fireworks in the street.” They got up to get away from the crowds. Evie noticed the odd couples. Scanned before Billy was pulling at her wrist through the mess of dancing bodies. Cool air chilled her pink cheeks as they got down the block to pause. Billy sighed and set one foot on the brick behind him to light up.

   “Don’t have an accent," Evie picked up again, "that’s all mom.”

   “Born and bred in Louisiana, it’s sticking to you too.” Billy offered the smoke.

   “Not good for the singing voice.” She declined so he puffed again. Groups were already tossing balloons and confetti about. Bar hopping from club to club. Evie pulled her coat closer. “I don’t have an accent. You have one, west coast.”

   Billy watched her look up at the few stars that decided to come out over the city. 

   “I haven’t been to California. Been to Vegas a couple times. All the women in my family descend upon that city every few years and I always had to tag along. Not much for me to do but look at the lights.”

   “My dad says Vegas is full of swindlers and whores.”

   “He strikes me to think that about most places.” She chuckled and Billy agreed, stepping on the butt of his cigarette. “This your first time out here?”

   “Yeah.” He sucked in some air, tongue sweeping his lip.

   “Hargrove's never been to New Orleans. I bet you’d like the food, it’s unreal.”

   “You haven’t had the food in Cali.” Billy quipped, scooting in next to her to see the sky that had her so enamored. “Never really have to deal with the fucking cold.”

   “I always wondered how you stayed warm in those clothes.” Evie’s giggle cut the second he pressed into her.

   “I just tuck in next to a warm girl, Fenny, it isn’t rocket science.” A breath touched the air and Evie felt herself spark. Saw those same stars glittering brighter within Billy’s eyes. A distant shore calling them both home. 

   Evie felt those flower petals whirling around her stomach like butterfly wings. Burrowing deep to bloom with new life inside her. Vibrant colors she hid from the world spinning to unfurl. Billy looked into her soul and saw the colors dance neon. Wind picked up their curls with gentle caresses. A pull of vines and thorns bubbled up too. Twisted every way to protect Evie in the only way they knew how. 

   She could feel Billy’s chest heaving with air. Hard and flush into her skin, stealing warmth. Admiring the echo of lights behind her brown eyes. If she opened her mouth, a rose might blossom on her tongue. Billy wondered about tasting it for himself. He dared to inch in and she spun out.

   “It’s a nice night. Beautiful.”

   “Let’s get a beer to go take a hike from this place. We’ll make it back before the ball drops.” Billy figured he could just keep her from the main party and she wouldn’t notice the odd couplings within. They delved in and out of bars. Watched the mayhem in the streets. Even caught a totally illegal race or two. Sparklers on every corner underscored by laughter and jeers.

   “What’s next for you, after school?”

   “Save money to hightail it out of here. See the beach again and get a shitty job.” Billy gulped, licking his lips after. “You going to college?”

   “Probably just the local community college, more focused on my songs. My mom and I keep trying to put it out there. Something’s holding me back.” Evie saw him peer at her to continue as they clicked along the cool sidewalks. Decorations scattered all over the buildings and streets. “What if these big time producers don’t like them? My songs. I mean, what if they tell me I’m no good?” She paced ahead to ramble. “I just don’t think I can take that kind of rejection.”

   “So, you find some asshole who wants to put you on the radio.” Billy chuckled. “You had entire albums on your walls. You want it bad, chica.”

   “What about you?” Evie gestured with the bottle. “What secret hobbies and talents does Billy Hargrove hide away?”

   “I care about my car and that’s about as deep as I go, Angel.” He winked, tossing his empty into the trash so she finished her own and followed. Swallowed the froth down. Evie hurried to nudge into him.

   “C’mon. You’re a good enough student. I see the grades you get in our classes.”

   “All to keep my old man off my shit. Not like that works.” Billy stopped at a crosswalk, settled his hand on the bar so Evie slipped under it to lean there and make him look at her. He couldn't help the smirk at this playful side.

   “Who will I tell?”

   “Heather, most likely.” Came the quick reply.

   “I don’t tell her everything,” Evie trailed off with her eyes wandering, a sly smile pressed, “I sing, sew, play the guitar, and collect little trinkets. Buttons. Rocks and crystals. Old coins and keys. Little vintage ceramic and porcelain figures. And I needle felt.”

   “What’s that?”

   “You stab wool with a special needle until it makes a pretty shape. You probably caught a few things in my room. On the bookcase.”

   “You’re a hoarder.”

   “I’m very organized.” Evie giggled as they crossed the street. In their own little bubble, ignoring all the festivities around them. 

   “What can’t you do?”

   “I can bake alright, but it's messy. Not a great cook. I’m hopeless, my mother gave up trying with me. I also can’t get my leg behind my head. But, I’m close.” Her joke brought a full laugh out of him. Angelic sort of sound. “I’m serious.”

   “You’ll have to demonstrate, I don’t believe it.” Billy stood in front of her, walking still and chuckling as he went.

   “Fat chance.” Her heels picked up to get beside him. They passed a window full of TVs and stopped to see all the parties playing within each screen. “You ever think the world is too big? We don't have enough time to experience all of it, I mean.”

   Billy only puffed.

   “So, what can you do?” Evie pressed again.

   “I can cook alright. I don’t know, I just do good in school because the shit’s never been hard on me. Used to surf,” he glanced at her, “back in Cali.”

   “I’m not a strong swimmer.” Evie said, looking up at him and the lights playing on his stunning face. Followed the curve of his jaw down his neck. “You know, Heather lifeguards at the pool every summer. She’d help you get a gig if you need a job when school is out. Probably prefer you over the other jerks that apply.”

   “Not as bad as the other jerks, I like that.” Billy mused, eyes flicking all around. Caught in stars again. “Hey, there’s the LA bash. Miss that shit. Music scene raged pretty hard.” The way he smiled melted Evie all the way to the pavement. Billy standing there lax and missing home. Displaying his own lush colors. Dreaming and feral.

   “You’re always writing in class when you’re not drawing dicks in textbooks.” Evie observed, earning an amused look in response. “Do you like that stuff? Stories?”

   “My mom used to say I told better stories than she did. I’d tell her them to help her sleep.” Billy admitted, blinking a couple times before the illusion shattered and he went stony again. Paced around Evie to continue.

   “You could write books, get more into English. Make some money being an author. Sell stories to the big screen.”

   “Burn out and go broke, sure.” Billy lit up another cigarette, gave this entertained puff. His wall went up higher and Evie stayed too soft. “End up teaching some snots like that jerk, Bowers.”

   “He’s not a jerk.”

   “Not to the girls in class.” Billy flicked his ashes. “Probably likes you and Carol fighting for his attention.”

   “We don’t…” Evie went red as an apple. “I don’t. Carol’s just jealous of the attention he gives me.”

   “Still weird. She hates that you’re a teacher’s pet. Don’t know why you’d want to be.” Smoke edged from his lips.

   “It’s nice when someone is respectful once in a while to a girl like me. When they listen, you know?” Evie held herself as they walked along a bit slower. “He respects me and what I have to say.”

   “Shouldn’t trust someone just because they’re being nice to you, Evie.” Billy had this distant expression when he said that. Full of ocean waves rolling into a peaceful shore.

   "Nice is still better than..." She never finished and Billy didn't ask her to.

   They peered at all the buildings illuminated before them. The skyscrapers pointing straight to heaven. Music boomed from several clubs, mingling all the celebrations together. 

   “Want to head back? Get another hard drink.”

   “I’d like that.” She admitted, shuffling some. 

   “Move it, Fenny, free alcohol doesn’t happen every day for us.” Billy snatched her by the hand, picked up the pace until they were both laughing and out of breath. Reeling around drunk groups of friends to squeeze back up to the bar. 

   The hard notes of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear us Apart” began after the second round. Evie was swaying already as they stood at the corner of the bar counter. 

   “Do you dance, Angel?” Billy cocked his head.

   “Sometimes. If I’m supposed to be onstage one day, I have to.” She giggled, bubbling and pink like champagne. “You?”

   “Fuck, no. Just bounce around and smash into people at concerts.”

   “That counts!” Her voice picked up over the ruckus. People dressed in glitter and metallic moved together above a floor that lit up. Gave the place an opulent vibe.

   “You look like you want to get out there!” Billy leaned toward her. The third round came.

   “We don’t have to!” Evie was pressed all the way into him. Both shouting at each other out of necessity. A pulse pounded their flesh apart. Jackets were left on a chair next to Tommy and his date.

   Billy sank his drink in one go so Evie followed.

   “I asked you here, I’ll ask you to dance if I want!”

   “Fine!”

   “Fine!” Billy echoed, sweeping Evie by the waist out with him. Bodies swayed all directions. Smashed them even closer together. Curls bounced. 

   Evie got swept up in the lights dancing on her skin. Blue and red glows now. She let her head tip back and moved with Billy there. He watched her intently, felt the whole world slow. Smiled brighter than he should have. Hot and sparking. 

   Electric and dreamy. Fizzling neon in their hungry veins. Bodies heating and sweaty. Nothing mattered in these lights though, something freeing there.

   Didn’t even care that it was fucking Cyndi Lauper blasting.

  “Girls just wanna have fun!” Evie sang along. She came alive under these glimmers in the crowds. Like she was the only one there. Every song change, they banged to each beat and never seemed to tire of it. 

   And then the mood tipped. Tempered with that damn Foreigner song about love. Billy and Evie stilled with it. Looked out at the couples coming together for a slow dance. 

   “Uh,” Evie swallowed harder and tucked some unruly curls behind her ear, “did you want to…?”

   “We’re doing this fucking party right. You asked for two things. A good night and no murder, I can manage that much.” Billy stole her forward. He tried to blame the alcohol. 

   Dipped a palm around the small of her back to bring her into his chest. Inches shorter, her eyes popped open. Lips parted with no words in sight. The alcohol in their bellies caught fire. He grabbed her hand and she laced their fingers without a thought about it. It was bold, how he touched her and Evie wasn't used to that.

   “There ya go. Just sway some.”

   Evie pressed her lips and broke that eye contact because it was turning her back to mush. Stared at the saint chain around Billy's neck. There was a pleasant glisten upon his taut chest from sweat. She got drunk off his stupid cologne. Let him inhale her perfume in turn. Boiling amber gleaming to stunt all his senses. Hint of sweet vanilla lotion.

   Unabashed, Billy pressed into her body. Not thinking she took up too much space or she wasn’t desirable. No, Evie Fenny was perfectly covetable. With her batting lashes and lights highlighting a glow upon her high cheeks. They swayed together between couples so Evie brought her arm over his shoulder. Gathered the bravery to see his eyes again, already looking at her face.

   “Billy,” Evie curled her fingers into his shirt, “why am I here?"

   “Because I asked you.” Billy spun her around under all the stars and streamers. 

   “Why’d you ask me?” She searched him. Saw his eyes flicker beyond her a couple times.

   “Because I wanted to, Evie.”

   “Why’d you want to?” Her tone etched into him, gentle as she could with another change of songs. Something older from the 70s by Kate Irving. Her little voice filling the space around them. 

   Billy just kept spinning Evie there at the center of the floor and they looked at each other without even getting dizzy. Let the world tilt while they stayed static. Silence crept and it was stunning.

  I'm afraid 'cause it feels too good

  And I want it too bad

   “Because you called me pretty.” Billy winked that time. Devilish. “At that party on Loch Nora.”

   “When we yelled at each other?” Evie felt the tension break and spill out. “I said your eyes were pretty.”

   “Same thing.”

  I never dreamed someone like you

  Could want someone like me

   Her head came to his collar when she laughed that time. The heart under his skin picked up. 

   “Evie.” Billy pressed then so she came up. The syllables died on his tongue. “We’re here and I like it. So, it doesn’t fucking matter.”

   “No, I guess not.” She let herself smile into his skin when her head dropped again. A slight giggle. “I like it too.”

   “Good.” Billy hit that word hard. They spun and spun to the flow of sound and lights. Drank it all in. Until it was seconds to midnight. Couples were stilling to count. 

   Billy looked at Brock raising his drink across the way.

   Twenty seconds.

   He peered down at Evie when her eyes lifted to see him. 

   Just one kiss, he could have stolen it.

   And he couldn’t do it. 

   Their hands dropped away. Evie smiled at the scene. Everyone celebrating the birth of this new year. It felt magical. Too good to let flutter away.

   Billy just looked at her and Evie breathed.

   It happened too fast.

   Soft hands on his jaw while she came to her toes and gave him one peck upon his lips. So inordinate in sweetness that Billy felt his eyes water.

   Instantly she slipped back down. Still beaming brighter than any star this night.

   A thank you for every single smile he’d painted upon her face in these short hours. For his boldness and his touch without fear.

   A kiss where there were no thorns for the first time in all her life.

   Billy had never been given such a kiss. It was gift wrapped. Something so signature for him from this girl. This girl he decided he liked to be around. He gasped the moment she let him go. Caught Brock laughing all the way across the room.

   “No.” He said. Crushed somehow.

   “No?” Evie’s head cocked in confusion.

   “Happy New Year!” Echoes and fireworks blasted. Everyone jumping up and down while Billy and Evie remained still as marble. Locked into each other.

   "Ah, I mean..." With midnight gone, Billy pulled her in. Decided to make this one count.

   Palms cupped Evie’s face. Brought her back with the slightest gasp he drank down. Kissed her full on the mouth like he'd been thinking about it all night. Billows of shiny confetti fell over them. Stuck to hair and clothing. Caught on flushed cheeks. Even tickled the kiss and made them laugh into it. Evie held his wrists, tried to remain steady until she had to part and angle to go back in.

   “Why?” She hitched the hot word against him.

   “Because I want to.” Billy uttered, mouth open just a little to coax her back in.

   This candied confetti kiss she’d remember forever. And the beautiful boy who opened his heart just enough to share it with her. Evie shined at him when she drew out enough to see his eyes. Billy’s thumbs drew shapes into her cheeks. 

   A finger had to playfully swipe a bit of caught confetti from her bottom lip so he could taste her again. Utterly divine.

   Evie’s arms slipped around his neck. Pulled.

   “Let’s get out of here,” Billy spoke between kisses. “Yeah? Let’s just go somewhere.”

   Her lashes fluttered at him. Same sensation drew up her stomach before she was nodding.

   “Okay.” Nerves crept. Billy smacked their lips together one last time. Like he wanted her and only her for the rest of this night. “I have to, um...restroom.”

   “I’ll grab our coats.” Billy’s hands brought hers down. Held them. He seemed in a hurry. “Meet me at the door. We’ll go.”

   Evie floated off into the wave of bodies so Billy sped to Tommy’s table. Bubbles must have excused herself too.

   “Man, you tongued, Fenny. It was actually kinda hot.” Tommy raised his hand for a high five that was ignored. “I won the pot, you know.”

   “You paid that girl.” Billy snatched their coats up.

   “Yeah, no one has to know that. Don’t get me disqualified.” Tommy leaned over. A hand clapped Billy on the back.

   “I’m so impressed. She kissed you, man. Whatever you did, I want that power.” Brock laughed loudly. “She was all over you, and that bit after midnight. Poor girl. Thinking anyone would ever-”

   “Man, just shut up.” Billy shoved to pass him. "Let's just forget this shit ever happened."

   “Oh, no, B. I don't think we will. You probably just want your reward. You earned it.” The horrible boy made it a point to count each bill carefully until he pressed it at Billy’s chest. “Good work. Maybe you can get a blowy out of her before you drop her off at home. My date’s good for one too before I call her a taxi.”

   Billy shoved the money into his pocket. Felt like trash. Eyes anywhere else.

   “Whatever, man.”

** ** **

   At the same time, Evie stumbled to the sink and washed her hands. Cloud nine. Sang to herself out of habit.

  “Oh, but anyone...who knows what love is…” She looked at that reflection. This breathless, kiss smothered girl who was grinning. Happy. Dabbed under her eyes to fix the makeup with a cold paper towel. “...would understand.”

   “Pretty pipes you got there, sweetie pie.” The scratching voice called before a stall opened. Tommy’s date. “Nice night, huh?”

   “The best.” Evie was still dancing in a dream, showered in confetti.

   “Wasn’t as bad as I thought. Free meal. Pretty guy who treats you right for a night. Not a bad gig. Not at all.” The lady came to the mirror. Washed her hands and started to apply some extra make up. “Stupid name though. Skirt Safari.”

   “What?” Evie’s head cocked. Hip leaning into the sink.

   “Oh, baby. You should open those big eyes.” The woman puckered up and put a lipstick into her tiny clutch. “Tommy told me everything. Tradition. These boys bring a date. The ugliest girl gets them the win and they get some money. Stupid high school thing. And I won. Tommy said I’d get a bonus for that.”

   “They…” Evie felt her entire heart sink. The vines and their thorns wrapped tighter around her heart until it bled. Like it never wanted to be touched again. “Wait, Billy…he...we-” No breath came into her lungs, it was all punched out. Ruthless and swift.

   “The world is unkind to us, sweets.” Bubbles sighed at her reflection. “We have to find that kindness where we can. While we can. Just enjoy it because you never know what the next day will bring. Husbands who like to hit. Women who walk out on their babies.”

   “It’s not fair.” Evie tremored there. Unable to move so Bubbles gave her cheek a pat.

   “I know. But, we don’t let them see they’ve beaten us down. Do we?” Bubbles smiled at her without fear in her heart. And it was tragic because no one cared about her strength, all they saw was how she looked. “My ma always said to be brave and kind. Not everyone’s parents give that advice. But, they should. Be a better world.”

   “My mom says that also.” Evie’s fists closed. Passionate tears sprang to be blinked away. “I really hope the world is kind to you tomorrow too.”

   The woman paused. Gave this fluttered smile when her eyes watered. Evie was marching away from her. Shoving through the crowds where Billy stood with Brock and Tommy. 

   Billy saw her expression and she caught fire.

   “Skirt Safari, huh,” Evie shoved him into the bar, ripped her coat from his arms. Billy just gave this opened mouth look of horror. She laughed cruelly and Brock joined her, tugging some of his friends to see. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

   “It wasn’t like that.” Billy pushed up.

   “No, Evie, he’s right. Your boy didn’t take you because you’re ugly.” Brock was still chortling, holding his stomach. “Three hundred bucks to get him to take the Hawkins Ice Queen. And you were so easy, girl. We all took notes.”

   “Shut up!” Billy had snapped.

   “You didn’t disappoint, he was supposed to kiss you before midnight. But, you earned him the win all on your own!” They clapped and laughed at her there. Evie shook and growled. Shoulders raised. Cackling hyenas.

   “Three hundred, wow.” Calming, brown eyes snapped to Billy. “You should have held out. Tannen hates me so much, I bet you could have gotten five. Maybe seven.”

   “She’s right, man!” 

   “Evie, it-”

   “You’re all disgusting!” She swept her hand out. Came to Billy’s face. Her tone thickened, but she didn’t cry. Not one drop for any of them. Vibrating so hard with fury that her hand came up. Billy saw it. Waited. Didn’t flinch the way he did at home. Figured he deserved this one.

   Silence drowned the boys behind her.

   “I want to hit you,” she let her lip wobble, “you know why I’m not. You know.”

   “Evie.” Billy had nothing. Nothing to give her. Nothing to make her stop shaking.

   “You’re all horrible. Disgusting, pieces of shit. Bet Tannen gave you an earful about me. Fuck you both.” Evie leaned out, looked around. “You know, I don’t care why I’m here. What’s awful is every stunning woman you animals brought here will always deserve more than the world can ever give them. You’re the fucking beasts.”

   She tore away to go outside. Marched through all the jubilation. Steaming.

   “Evie!” Billy was running after her. Yanking at her wrist after she got her coat on.

   “Don’t touch me!” A shriek had him skidding backwards. 

   “Let me fucking explain this.”

   “Nothing to explain. Brock paid you to thaw the ice queen. Jokes on you! I’m not even a virgin! I’m not a prize, I’m not anything to you.” She shoved him again because he kept grabbing at her. Trying to slow her down.

   “Let me drive you home.” Billy insisted. “Let me get you home safe. I won’t even talk. Hate me forever. Evie, wait, damn it!”

   “Leave me alone!” Her scream sparked some attention. She got colder. Sneered at his eyes. “You’re not worth it, Billy.”

   Something about that struck an arrow to his heart.

   "You talked all this shit about fire's starting and getting out and I..." She hitched to get lower. "I trusted you. I believed it, you made me believe it...you're disgusting." A scream perched in her throat, but never left.

   "Just let me-"

   "No! I don't have to listen to any of this, so just leave me alone!" Evie kept pushing back at him.

   “Hey, hey, back off the lady!” Those football players from Hawkins were descending. Grasping Billy by the arms. “Hargrove bothering you?”

   “Yes!” Evie shot out, eyes on Billy’s face. “He’s bothering me!”

   “Let go of me!” Billy struggled so Evie began to run. As far and as fast as she could until she couldn’t hear him anymore. Fireworks banged over their heads. Exploding to rain down. 

   Her chest seized so she went to the first payphone she saw. Dialed a number she shouldn’t have.

   “Mmm, yes? Who is this?”

   “I know you said not to call, I need you. Can you pick me up?” Evie shut her eyes so tight. One tear fell. “Please.”

   A sigh.

   “Evie? What happened? Where are you?”

   Evie finished the call. Went into an alley so Billy wouldn’t find her. Waited there in the cold. Tried to hide from the pretty explosions in the sky. 

   They rang too loud upon her ears. Started to sound like thunder. Evie shut her eyes. Began to rock. Felt out of her skin and trapped in it at the same time. No control. Nothing. Just an ache while the vines crushed her heart. Hands covered her ears.

   A lighter palm touched her shoulder.

   “Evie.”

   “Fredrick.” She reeled up. Tossed herself into his arms. Sobbed so hard and betrayed herself. 

   “Hey, hey. I got you.”

   “Can we go? Can we go home?” She wept, ruining his shirt with makeup and glitter. “Can you take me to your place? I didn’t...I didn’t tell my mom where I was. I don’t want her to know. I don’t want anyone to know.”

   Bowers was already buckling her into the car. Evie curled up under his coat when he offered it. The air conditioning calmed her some until she was biting her fist to stop the flow. Blood welled under teeth.

   “What happened?”

   Evie sniffled.

   “They...They all laughed at me.” 

** ** ** 

  Curls ruffled out on a towel that smelled of pine an hour later. Feet padded out of the bathroom. Evie in a soft grey robe. Cloth dragged upon the floor until she saw Fredrick in bed. Seated up with little reading glasses to mark some papers down. Handsome.

   “You really won’t tell me what all happened?” He mused.

   “Just some stupid boys.” Evie played with the tie at her waist. “You told me to go out with a stupid boy my age. Remember? At the end of summer. After everything I let you do to me. Did...Did you get bored of me? Was that it?”

   "No, Evie. You don't understand."

   "You told me we had to stop, why did we start?"

   “I remember.” He sighed, settling his work aside. “It was for the best. I thought. You're all I think about, did you know that? I want to be with you, but there are rules in place. They don't believe what we have can overcome.”

   Wearing nothing but some boxers and a clean, white tee. His feet touched the floor before he rubbed his head.

   “You still look so good in my robe.” He sounded bashful when he said that. Eyes drinking her in and averting. "You're all sin, Evangeline."

   She shuffled. Shy. Uneasy. Ignoring it.

   “Used to say that a lot.” Evie pressed her lips up.

   “And I mean it every time.”

   “I meant what I said...before summer ended. You remember that too?”

   “You know I do, Evie.” Fredrick rubbed his eyes. Swept his hair between those soft fingers. Evie crossed to him.

   “We were together the year. You weren’t my first, but you were the first man I ever loved. We spent all of that summer together and you told me we had to stop. Out of the blue. You talked of us running away from this place and getting married and it hurt me.”

   “I’m your teacher. If people found out about us... They'd never understand.”

   “You waited a year to stop us. Why kiss me if you knew we'd end? I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my best friend.” Evie reached out. Touched his shoulder. “You miss me and I miss you.”

   “I’m weak for you, Evie. You know that.” Fredrick let her climb into his lap. “You’re so different and special. Not like other girls. You heard me. You listen to me.”

   “I want to be with you. And I said I loved you, but you…”

   "What if I said I loved you? Huh? Those boys don't matter, a girl like you needs someone mature to match." He pecked her cheek. "I do love you."

   Evie's resolve melted. He shut out the red lights. Burned her thorn covered vines. Words held power because we gave the syllables a charge.

   And all Evie Fenny could put out into the world was lightning.

   "You do?"

   He smiled. Her prince. Braving so much to be with her. Wasn't that magical?

   "How many boys have seen you like this?" Fredrick asked in a peculiar way. Charged.

   Evie bit her lip. Couldn't look anymore. Didn't answer the question.

   “I was scared of us.” He soothed now. “I should never have let you go. I’m always going to want the best for you, Evangeline. I hope you believe that. I’ll take care of you now, but you have to let me.”

   Evie leaned in. Kissed him lightly. Wondered how Billy would have touched her in that motel room if they made it. How he'd feel in return.

   "Will you let me?" Fredrick pressed. Wanting all the control she clawed to keep for herself in this skin and marrow. Devouring her without shame or remorse because he was older and knew best.

   But, nice was better.

   Evie had nothing. Head full of static. Body pulsing against her will. She wanted to scream. She wanted to eat more flower petals. A man loved her and she felt ugly and blaring. Out of control. No longer held to this world. Is that how it should feel?

   “Okay."

   His chest heaved like the sun might have just come out.

   "Can we go to bed now?” She pecked his cheek. Felt his hands going under the robe to open it.

   Wordlessly, Fredrick Bowers reached and turned the lamp off. The blaring in Evie's head never ended that night.

   Darkness loomed to snuff out every star.

~~~~~~~

Next up, we learn how the rest of Billy's night went. It's been an odd week. Thanks for reading :) Feel free to chat. TAGGED::: @80sbxtch​ @nottherightseason​  @orxhidshavana​​  @alagalaska​​ @alongcamedolly​​

[1-800-gaygentsofshield]

Skimmons College Roommate AU

The soft strums of the guitar wake the teenager up in the middle of the night, making her roll over in bed and smile. Daisy and Jemma met on the very first day of college open house, both of them being equally nervous but excited at the new opportunity. The pair have been roommates for the last three years, counting down the days until they can get out of this place. They have to be there for a total of seven years so they still have four more to go. A soft smile tugs on Jemmas lips as she lets her arm rest on her forehead, the rustling of the sheets interrupting the guitar being played through the walls. Daisys strums were slower than the original song, giving Jemma the image of her sitting on her bed and lazily playing the guitar. It happens almost twice a week where Jemma wakes up to her roommates gentle strumming, on rare nights, accompanied by vocals. Tonight is one of these rare nights. The 2 am guitar playing happens so frequently, Jemma has become accustomed to the noise, the gentle strums reassuring her that her roommate is there. Tonight she could tell Daisy couldn’t sleep just by the way the notes sound. The way Daisys fingers sleepily run across the strings, her voice rougher than normal but still angelic as always.

“I still remember, third of December, me in your sweater, you said it looked better, on me, than it did you. Only if you knew, how much I liked you..” Daisys voice comes flowing through the walls and Jemma cant help but sing along softly. The walls separating their rooms are thin as hell so she’s guessing Daisy can hear her too.

“But I watch your eyes, as she walks by. What a sight for sore eyes. Brighter than a blue sky..She's got you mesmerized, while I die..” Jemma softly sings along, turning to face the wall.

Daisy’s sitting on her bed, her legs propped up, guitar in lap, and back pressed up against the wall. She sang the first part with her eyes closed, the cords to the song coming as a second nature to her. She soon heard her roommates voice, rough and raspy from sleep but still smooth like silk come through the walls. A smile cracks on Daisys lips as she continues singing, pressing her back up more against the wall.

“Why would you ever kiss me? I'm not even half, as pretty. You gave her your sweater. “It's just polyester,” but you like her better..Wish I were Heather.”

They continue the song, both of them becoming more awake as the song progressed.

“Why would you ever kiss me? I'm not even half as pretty. You gave her your sweater. “It's just polyester,” but you like her better. Wish I were..” As the song ended Daisy’s voice got gentle, letting Jemma take over partly, just happy in the moment. The hacker slowly stopped strumming and she heard the rustling of sheets coming from Jemmas room, followed by the soft pads of footsteps on the floor. The tiny scientist slowly opens the door to Daisys room and steps in, watching as the brunette puts away her guitar. “Hey.” Jemma whispers softly, walking over to the hacker and sitting down on her bed. “Whats keeping you up?” The Brit asks, immediately reading the other girl like a book. 

With everyone else the hacker has walls and facades, burying her emotions deep inside, but not with Jemma Simmons. Simmons is the only person Daisy is vulnerable around, wearing her heart on her sleeve ever since Jemma comforted when she cried over her ex and got wasted, held her hair back the morning after, gave her painkillers and ate takeout with her all day two years ago. That was the day Daisy realized that Jemma cared deeply for her, willing to push aside her important studies just to eat sauce covered noodles with her all day and well into the night. The two are inseparable and it would be a good guess if someone thought that they were a couple. 

“I dont know, I just can’t sleep. I tried the milk and honey technique, your sleepy tea, everything. So, I just resorted to strumming and the song popped into my head.” Daisy shrugs, leaning back onto the wall and looking over to her best friend. “Its camomile tea darling, come here.” Jemma laughs softly, laying the both of them down and turning off the desk lights. Sometimes the pair cuddle when they’ve had a hard day or they cant sleep, finding comfort in each other at the end of the day..as friends..of course. Daisys arm gently wrap around the smaller girls shoulders and sighs contently, letting herself sink into the darkness. Jemmas arms wrap around Daisys torso and pulls herself close, becoming a little space heater for the taller girl. “Goodnight Jems.” Daisy whispers, already drifting off to sleep. The brit smiles sleepily and pulls herself closer, “Goodnight Daisy.”

-

“Daisy! Pizza!” Jemma giggles, her hair tied up into a messy ponytail. She walks over to the table in their shared space while eating a piece of pizza, a wide smile on her face as she’s equipped with a slice of pizza in one hand and the box in the other. She’s wearing comfy pajama shorts underneath Daisys large Stanford sweater, the oversized sleeves bunched up near her wrists. Todays a study, relax, and chill out day for the pair. “Pizza? Yess thank you Jems.” Daisy groans, a small smile on her face as she gets up from the desk and moving some of their books aside. “Mmhm, you almost done studying?” The brit hums, placing the pizza box on the table as she continues to eat the slice shes holding. “Almost. We’re almost there.” Daisy nods her head, simultaneously grabbing a dirty t-shirt off the ground and throwing it into the laundry basket as she answers. Shes wearing her glasses which Jemma likes so much paired with a black shirt and grey sweatpants, her dark brown hair flowing down her shoulders. The hacker grabs a piece and groans softly as she eats it, her eyes rolling back. “Mmm, thank you Jems. So good.” She smiles and Jemma cant stop herself from laughing. “Its the same place and order each time.” The brit says and Daisy shrugs, plopping down on the couch and pulling Jemma down next to her. They spend the day reviewing notes with their legs intertwined, eating pizza and drinking coffee (or tea in Jemmas case) as they study the hours away.

-

Winter. Winter means mid terms. Mid terms mean late night studying. Late night studying means lack of sleep. Lack of sleep means sleepy Jemma and Daisy. And, sleepy Jemma and Daisy means coffee shop adventures.

They’re both bundled up in warm winter clothing as they walk down the sidewalk, Jemma clutching onto her bag filled with books with one hand and the other intertwined with Daisys in the hackers pocket. As the year progresses the line between friends and lovers started to blur between the two, Jemma spending more nights cuddled up against Daisy than in her own bed, the touches becoming more prominent and lingering. Thats why the pair didnt question it when their hands intertwined with each others almost immediately after they left the place. So, when their hands started to get cold, Daisy put their intertwined hands into her coat pocket without exchanging any words.

They walk into the small campus coffee shop with a smile on both of their faces, the warm cafe air engulfing them. Daisy looks over to her tiny scientist and cant help but blush, watching the tips of Simmons ears and the tip of her nose turn red from the cold. “It’s freezing out there.” Jemma mumbles, walking in step with Daisy towards the register.

They get their coffee and tea and sit down at a window table, their bags set by their feet. “Another winter, another midterm.” Daisy mumbles, sipping on her coffee as she watches the smiling Brit across from her. “That means another christmas together and another spring break at your parents lake house.” Jemma smiles and Daisy nods, realizing that it’s become a routine. They’d rotate each holiday, for thanksgiving, it would be spent at Daisy’s house with Phil and May and for Christmas, it would be spent with Jemmas parents. For spring break they’d usually spend it with Bobbi, Mack, Fitz, Hunter, and Yo-Yo at Philinda’s lake house or take a road trip with just the two of them in Daisy’s van. They do everything together. “We should bring alcohol if we go to the lake house this year.” The hacker hums and Jemma nods her head, gently intertwining their hands on the table. “We should, Hunter would have a blast with Fitz.” The brit giggles and Daisy decides that it’s her favorite sound in the world.

They finish their drinks and toss their cups, re-securing their layers over themselves before stepping out into the cold. As soon as they step out Daisy reaches and holds Jemmas hand, putting them back into her pocket with a smile on her face.

-

“To spring break!” Hunter calls, all of them sitting on the house boat lake. “To spring break!” They call back, all of them sipping their beers in their hands. It’s the first day of spring break and they’re all in swimsuits and swim trunks, everything already set up from last years break. It’s currently mid-day so it’s hot as hell, the cooler open and filled with ice and alcohol. “I’m going swimming.” Mack claps his hands, standing up and diving off the porch into the water. Fitz soon follows, sliding off the porch into the lake rather than diving. “So, hows the school year going so far?” Hunter asks, his arm wrapped around Bobbi as yo-yo digs into the snacks. “Good, I’m glad that it’s over soon.” Jemma replies, sitting down close to Daisy. The hacker pouts and gently grabs the Brits waist playfully, “But Jems, that means that you won’t be with me.” Daisy whines, making Jemma turn around a smile at her. “Oh Daisy, don’t pretend that we don’t spend all of our time together in the summer.” She says, slapping Daisy’s shoulder playfully. “Still.” The hacker pouts before smiling, sipping on her beer as the sun warms them up.

-

Later they all swim in the lake, floating on the tubes and sitting on the ledge in the water. It’s a lazy vibe in the air with the music playing and the heat surrounding them, all of them fully relaxed. Currently Daisy is dragging Simmons towards a small strip of grass sandwitched between the lake and trees. It’s an area at the side of the house, still close to the lake, but hidden from sight of their friends. “It keeps getting better each time.” Jemma hums, wearing a red bikini while Daisy wears a light blue one. “I know, I’m suprised Hunter and Bobbi haven’t gone off and fucked yet.” The hacker says nonchalantly, earning a small slap on the arm. “Daisy!” Jemma scolds playfully, a smile present on her face. “What?” Daisy laughs, closing the space between them a bit. Her hands come up to gently grab Jemmas waist, taking in slow in case she read all of the signs wrong. To her relief Jemma doesn’t pull away, instead, the Brits hands slowly come up to hold onto Daisy’s biceps. “Tell me if I’m wrong but I think that we have a thing.” Daisy whispers softly, leaning in a bit. She pulls her sunglasses up onto the top of her head and rasises an eyebrow, looking at the smaller girl. “You’re not wrong.” Jemma says softly, feeling her back being gently pressed up against the house wall. “Can I..?” Daisy asks, leaning in just a bit more. The brit nods and leans in, closing the space between them. The kiss is slow and soft, their heartbeats speeding up. Daisy slowly pulls away with a wide smile on her face, backing away from the Brit a bit because she assumes Jemma wants to take it slow. She’s wrong. The biochemist grabs her wrist and pulls her back into the kiss, this time locking lips as her arms snake around Daisy’s neck. The taller girls hands immediately latch onto Jemmas waist as they kiss with more passion than before, no longer tentative and questioning. Jemmas hand comes up and slowly intertwined with Daisy’s hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. They kiss for what feels like forver, fingertips exploring gently and hands intertwined with hair. “Skimmons get over here!” Bobbi calls, bringing them back down to reality that they’re outside and their friends are there. Jemma plants one more kiss on Daisy’s lips, promising that there’s more to come, before pulling away fully. They make their way back to the group and hop back into the water, sharing a tube together. “Skimmons? What’s that?” Daisy asks Bobbi, Jemma and her own legs laid across each other. “It’s like a ship name. We got it from before, when you went by Skye. Skye and Simmons equals Simmons.” Bobbi explains and the girls nod, giving each other a high five. “Skimmons!” They laugh, earning laughs from the group. Hunter throws them all beers from the dock and holds up his for another toast, “To college and booze!” He says and everyone laughs, calling back. “To college and booze!”

[fictionalnormalcy]

Face Amidst the Smoke Ch. 7

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 1350 Characters: Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup Haddock Summary: Astrid is paired for a project with someone who she is definitely not eager to work with. Haddock has a reputation of being a bad student, just a bad role model in general. But in being forced to work with one of the worst seniors in the school, she comes to see what is under this bad boy’s exterior… and she may be getting in over her head.

Benefit

“I could drive you if you want. That way you’re not waiting for buses to take you through Berk.”

“You have a life too Heather. I am not getting in the way of that. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I don’t want to have to drag you through my “quest”.”

I started my trek to the crosswalk as Heather made her way to her car. According to the navigation app, the bus wouldn’t be arriving for another fifteen minutes. I’d have to transfer to a second bus and then walk another two blocks. One thing to be said, he certainly didn’t live close to my house. It’d be easier to get to the house from the high school than my own home. It would take two buses to get there from my workplace, but who knows if I’d chance visiting his house in the evening. I climbed onto the bus and quickly swiped my card through. Taking a seat near the exit so I would be able to climb off quickly. 

I double-checked the address again as I made my way down the street. I had started to get rather excited at the prospect of finding where he lived. If I could negotiate days that we’d meet at his house so we could get this done. So far, I was feeling, rather good. Comfortable at the fact that the houses in this neighborhood didn’t look run-down. There were mowed lawns, some teeming with bushes, flowers, and small trees, and some with a fence running along the edge of the property. I knew I probably looked odd to any of the residents, what with me skirting along the houses to see where I could spot the numbers. In the sunlight I tried to pinpoint whether I was actually on the right side of the street.

The phone navigation could only get you so far. Once I reread the numbers and glanced back toward the previous houses, at least I could deduce I was on the right side. The even numbers were to my left. I saw the right number, at a one-story house painted an egyptian blue with hardly a porch and just two stone steps leading to a white rusted door. The lawn had some dandelions sprouting here and there, and it was still moist from last night’s rain. I didn’t see a car in the driveway, but there was a garage attached to the house. Could be that it was kept inside. I didn’t spot Hiccup’s car anywhere, so I had to guess he wasn’t home. Hopefully someone was.

I strode up the walkway, hoping to see a doorbell than having to knock on the door. It may be just me, but someone knocking on the door was enough to startle me no matter what part of the house I was in. Luckily there was one, glowing a dim orange, beckoning me to press it. As I peered at the door when the doorbell chimed, I could see that there were two doors. One the white door, and there was an oak door just visible through the small holes in the metal. 

There were no sounds from inside. I tried the doorbell again. Still reaped no benefits. With two options, to either knock or yell, I went with knocking. My fist slamming against the door three times before I held it to my eye level. Some white powder left behind from the touch of impact. I waited another minute before trying once again. I couldn’t just yell for Haddock or someone to come out. It may just mean embarrassing myself if no one was actually home. I tried the doorbell one more time. If I could be insistent maybe someone would come to open up. His mom or dad, I no longer minded. 

I couldn’t believe this. I came all this way, I’d had my best friend take advantage of her brother who was part of the school administration, and no one was even home. What do I do now? Loitering would get me reported, but I could just head back to the bus stop and make my way home. Though it would be some switching and walking to get there, and have been a complete waste. I looked to the door, then to the overhead lamp. Finger ringing the doorbell one more time. Maybe I’d be perceived as an insistent delivery girl. Forcing myself to, I gave a heavy sigh and began heading down the walkway. 

“Lass, do yae need anything?” A voice called out.

I turned to face the door, but found that it still hadn’t opened. Although it did allow me to see the neighbor who had come out of her house. A woman with curly red hair was tied in a crude ponytail and had half of it drooping down her face. She was watching me, trying to gauge whether I was a sales-person or an intruder.

“I was just looking for someone. Appears they aren’t home.”

“Why would yae be looking for ol’ Gobber?”

“I was actually looking for someone else.”

“Who?”

Should I really be telling a stranger who I was looking for? But, she did look keen to help. Eager to tell me someone who must’ve lived in this house.

“Would his last name happen to be Haddock?”

She quirked an improperly shaped eyebrow. “No lass. This is Gobber Beicher’s home. If yer looking for the Haddocks, ‘fraid they don’t live ‘round ‘ere.” 

That didn’t make sense. This was the house that was for sure listed in the school directory. Why would it not be the Haddock’s home?

“I actually, a classmate gave me this address. Do you happen to know when Mr. Beicher could be home?”

“Won’t be ‘til the late evening I’m ‘fraid. I can give you the address of his work, if yae’d like.” Gesturing for me to come inside.

Mom always said I should be wary around strangers. This woman, however, hadn’t tried to chase me away. She was willing to help me. All I was left to assume was that if this man’s house was listed in Hiccup’s records, he had to have some relation to him. While I did hope that I’d find Hiccup’s parents, I had to take what I could get. Maybe his parents also lived under Mr. Beicher’s roof and were work-aholics like Heather had said. 

“Sure. My name is Astrid.” I followed behind her. 

“I’m Tantra. Yae know, yae could also come by tomorrow at any time. It’s the only day Gobber closes that shop of his.” 

She tore out an empty lined page from a notebook. Pulling out her cellphone to look up what I hope was the address.

“May I ask ma’am, what the business is called?”

“Blacksmith’s Car Repair. I’ll write down the address ‘nd the phone number fer yae.” 

“Thanks so much, Miss Tantra.” 

Third bus of the day. Luckily it was just one bus for this trip. The name of the business was familiar. The lettering, must’ve been on the cap I’d seen in Haddock’s car. He worked there, and I somewhat hoped he was there when I arrived. I looked up the hours on the net, and they didn’t close until eight. But by this point, I wondered what I hoped to accomplish. I’d find his place of work, and possibly see someone he lived with. I could still do what I wanted. It would just be in a different setting. Though I doubted that Haddock’s parents work there. Mr. Beicher, could point me in the right direction.

The repair shop wasn’t difficult to find. As I approached I could see a large logo with a hammer looking like Mjolnir swooping down toward the letters. Blacksmith’s Car Repair. The door had stickers stating they accepted any credit card as well as cash, but no checks. Their hours were consistent Mon.-Sat. I swung the door open, and as I passed under the doorway a bell signaled my arrival.

“Hi, welcome to Blacksmith’s Car Repair.” A disinterested voice said. “How can we help you today?”

[romantichopelessly]

When You’re Not Listening

Or, three times Logan or Nate protected one another behind the other’s back, and one time they stopped being idiots and noticed.

This has been in my drafts since like September, so I FINALLY decided to finish it, and while I’m not so sold on the plot idea anymore, I wasn’t going to throw away all this work. Also, I am legally obligated to tag @insanelycoolish in any and all Late fics, because no one else loves them as much as me. Nowwwwwww without further ado, the fic I’ve been working on for five months!

———

Roman groaned, looking up from his notepad in exasperation. Really, it was probably his fault for trying to brainstorm in the common areas. He should have known better.

Logan and Nate were fighting. Again.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a stick in the mud, I wouldn’t have to go over your head to get Thomas to relax a bit!”

“He will have time for relaxation once he has finished his work for the day!”

Roman sighed, sitting his notepad down. There was no way that anything would be getting done today. When Logan and Nate started going at it like this, it could take hours for the name calling to stop. He used to think that he and Logan were bad, but ever since Nate had become a bigger part of Thomas’s life...

“Oh, yeah, when his work is finished. Because his work is everything right? You just know everything.” Nate’s voice was getting lower, a clear sign that his irritation was bordering on real anger.

Roman really wished they would just stop already.

“I know more than you!” Logan’s voice was shrill, and Roman flinched upon hearing it. That was Logan’s upset voice. If it was shining through, he was really getting emotional. Roman himself had only managed to evoke it one or two times. Nate seemed to do so regularly.

“Of course you do. You always know best, don’t you, Logic? You can’t even consider the idea that maybe one of us knows something that you don’t! Like how to relax, or work as a team!”

Roman’s eyes widened and he looked up, his eyes pulled to the kitchen, where the two were standing about a foot apart. Both of their faces were red and chests heaving and Roman bit his lip when he saw Logan’s eyes dart away for a moment.

Nate had been right, but he probably shouldn’t have said it.

The room was silent for a few moments. Roman didn’t even dare to move. Logan and Nate stared at one another, completely at a standstill.

After a few awkward, silent seconds, Logan’s back straightened and he pushed past Nate towards the refrigerator. Roman and Nate watched in silence as he swung the door open unnecessarily harshly and rooted around for a moment before pulling out a full jar of Crofter’s. Slamming the door shut, Logan jerked open a nearby drawer and grabbed a long handled spoon.

“Relax all you want now, Procrastination, I’m done for the day.” Logan spat, glaring at the side in leather before sinking out without another word, his jar of Crofter’s (not even Logan’s Berry, if that showed how bad it was) cradled to his chest.

Instantly, the tension deflated from Nate’s shoulders, and Roman could practically see the regret coming off him in waves.

Glancing back down at his notepad before setting it aside and standing up, Roman cleared his throat and stepped closer to the kitchen.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Logan gets upset at anyone who challenges his sacred routine.” Roman kept his voice light, a bit wary at the sight of the dark frown on Nate’s face.

Roman moved around and leaned against the bar, smiling slightly at Nate. He couldn’t see the other’s eyes behind his sunglasses, so he pressed on. “You were right, though. Specs is a stick in the mud.”

Nate’s shoulders tensed again and he whirled around, looking right at Roman. Or right through him, it was exceedingly hard to tell through those dark sunglasses. “No he isn’t. Logan does so much for all of us, and not one of us even bothers to thank him for it. Logan is an unwavering constant, and without him we’d all be insane. He’s not boring. He cares a lot more than he shows, and he’s way more than just Logic. He’s Thomas’s curiosity and intelligence, and without him, your job would be much harder than it is right now.”

Roman blinked in shock. “Wh- But you just said-“

Even though he couldn’t see Nate’s eyes clearly, Roman could tell that he was rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I know what I said. Doesn’t mean you can say it. Or that I should.”

Roman tilted his head in confusion. “You’re awfully protective for someone who yells at Logan nearly every conversation you have together.”

Nate huffed, but didn’t respond. Roman watched, silently baffled as Nate slowly but surely shuffled out of the room.

Roman would never understand those two. He just wished they’d stop doing this in common areas.

———

Patton didn’t think he’d ever understand why Logan and Nate fought so much.

Sure, they kind of worked against once another, but so did Patton and Logan a lot of the time, and Logan never yelled at him like he did at Nate.

Like he was right now.

It had started as a comment about the shirt that Nate was wearing. A heather gray t-shirt with the words “Due Friday? More Like Do Friday.” Of course, Logan had found the silly saying, well, silly. But a scoff and an offhanded comment had quickly grown to a full on argument.

Patton had tried to intervene. He always did, but with these two, it never seemed to work. No amount of soft words or jokes were able to pull Nate and Logan out of an argument. Only one of them storming away or sinking out could end a Logan and Nate argument.

Which was exactly what happened, Nate disappearing with one last snide remark, leaving Logan standing in front of the couch staring at the cushion as if it had offended him personally.

Carefully, Patton approached his friend, his voice soft and soothing. “I know Nate bothers you sometimes, Logan, and that’s okay! The two of you are like- like opposite ends of a magnet! He’s just- just your natural antagonist-“

Logan spoke up quickly, his voice clear and controlled, pretty much the opposite of his annoyed voice from moments ago. “Nathan is far from an antagonist, Patton. He embodies much more than Thomas’s Procrastination. He is also relaxation, balance, and on many occasions, self care.”

Patton blinked in surprise. He had been trying to console Logan, not upset him even further. He quickly backtracked, choosing his words more carefully. “I know that, I just- You two are so different, and I thought you would-“

Logan pursed his lips, obviously resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I know that we are different. That is not necessarily a bad thing.”

Patton blinked, watching Logan inquisitively. He didn’t know where this sudden protective streak for Nate had come from, but he wasn’t going to challenge it. “Okay, buddy...”

Logan was already turning on his heel, heading in the direction of his room. He had gotten only a few paces away when he turned back, enough that Patton could see his face, but not enough to make direct eye contact.

“You were wrong, Patton.”

Patton tilted his head, but tried to lighten the situation. He was good at that. “Well why don’t you enlighten me then, teach?”

“Nate and I are not like opposite ends of a magnet. Opposites attract.” With that, Logan turned back in the direction of his room and left without another word.

Huh.

———

“Logan is absolutely the best of the light sides, is he not?”

Nate grimaced, tugging the overlarge blanket up to his chin as he blatantly ignored Deceit.

“Procrastination. It is obvious you cannot hear me.”

Nate rolled his eyes, turning up the volume on his laptop, which was playing some bloopers of The Office.

Deceit moved around the couch, his footsteps silent and his movements fluid. Nate sort of hated Deceit’s gracefulness.

More directly, he hated how Deceit was speaking about Loga- Logic.

“Come along, Procrastination, you know that I’m right.” Nate audibly scoffed, and Deceit raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Logic is quite the bore, is he not? I mean, just today he maliciously pushed aside your plans for Thomas’s Sunday for his own agenda.”

Deceit could see the tension growing in Nate’s shoulders. The slight downturned twitch of his lips. He was far from relaxed. It was quite hilarious to watch, really. Getting Nate out of a state of complete lethargy when he was watching The Office bloopers was truly a feat. Deceit was really quite proud of himself.

“Face it, Nate.” Deceit bent over the form on the couch, a dark smile slowly growing on his face. “Logan is just holding Thomas back.”

Suddenly, Nate sat straight up, whipping his sunglasses off of his face and meeting Deceit’s eyes directly in a harsh glare. “He is not.”

Deceit leaned back, a bit surprised by the sudden venom in Nate’s voice. Those three words were spoken with more passion than the lying side had ever heard from the procrastinator in the entirety of their existence.

Apparently Nate wasn’t done yet, however, because he wasted no time in shoving the blanket off of himself and standing, straightening his back in contrast to his usual slouched posture, meeting Deceit’s eyes directly. “You know nothing about him, you lying snake.” Deceit’s eyes widened as a finger was jabbed at his chest, making him stumble backwards. “Logan is worth two of you! He made the decision that was best for Thomas, and if that doesn’t involve me, then that’s my fault, not his. I trust that he knows what’s best for Thomas and his career, and you are not going to just slither in and try to change my mind on that. Thomas can take a break on another day.”

Completely flabbergasted, Deceit could do nothing more than stare in stunned silence as Nate glared at him for a few more moments. After nearly thirty seconds, Nate seemed to be satisfied with himself and Deceits reaction and pulled his hand back, turning and flopping right back down onto the couch, unceremoniously starting his videos up again.

After standing there frozen for a few more moments, Deceit huffed, straightened his cape and sunk out without another sound.

———

They had been at it for hours. Even Logan was beginning to get tired of the editing process.

He hadn’t really been on board with such a huge project in the first place, knowing Thomas’s schedule, tendency to make promises that he couldn’t keep, and overall health, but Roman had overpowered him in the brainstorming stage, and now Logan was left suffering the consequences.

Rubbing his temples, as if it would stave off the growing tension headache, Logan finally straightened himself from where he had been leaning over Thomas’s shoulder as they both stared at his small computer screen.

Sighing defeatedly, Logan spoke. “Thomas, I do believe that the best course of action at this time would be to get some r-“

Of course, Logan didn’t even get to the end of his sentence before Nate had appeared on the other end of the couch. He was wearing what appeared to be an old pair of pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt that was at least two sizes too large, and held a half eaten bag of potato chips in one hand.

“I got it from here, teach, you can go.”

As loathe as he was to admit it, Logan was relieved by Nate’s appearance. He never thought that he would be so happy to see the embodiment of Procrastination in his life.

However, Thomas did not seem to share the sentiment.

Barely looking up from his screen, Thomas waved his hand in Nate’s direction. “No. Logan, we have to keep going. I’m almost done, and I promised the viewers that we’d have another video out by tomorrow.”

Logan frowned. It was almost unheard of for Thomas to turn down a night of relaxation for work, even with how much he adored his job. Logan knew that he should be proud. It wasn’t often that Thomas sided with him over one of the other sides at all. However, instead of a sense of satisfaction, Thomas’s words brought only dread.

For once, Logan just wanted to be done with work. Was that too much to ask?

Shooting a glance towards Nate, Logan was surprised to find the other side’s eyes already on him. They watched one another for a moment before Nate broke the connection, turning back to Thomas as he dug one hand into his bag of chips.

“C’mon, Tommy, you don’t mean that. You know you wanna put that work aside and kick back with a good podcast. Maybe drink something. Eat some peanut butter cups.”

Oh, that sounded heavenly. Logan watched with bated breath, hoping that Thomas would just take the offer.

Instead, Thomas scowled, focusing even harder on his computer screen. “No. I don’t have time, Nate. Logan and I are working on something really important right now. Right, Lo?”

Logan paused, weighing his options. He could do what was expected of him and agree with Thomas, banishing Nate back to his room. Or. He could tell Thomas that it was time for a break and go enjoy a podcast of his own.

It was an easy decision, really. “Thomas, I believe that Nate is correct. It is time for a well deserved break.”

Logan didn’t even have to turn his head to see the bright grin that instantly took over Nate’s face.

“Seriously?” Logan started as Thomas turned towards him, an incredulous expression on his face. “I’m almost done, Logan! You’re really siding with a dark side on this?”

Everything fell silent. Nate’s hand froze where it had been rustling in the noisy chip bag, his eyes wide in surprise.

If Logan had been just a bit less perceptive, he would have missed the flicker of hurt that flashed through the crime fighter’s eyes.

That did it.

Straightening his back and adjusting his tie, Logan took a single step forward, reached over his host, and snapped Thomas’s laptop shut.

Thomas stared at him in shock. “Wh-“

“No.” Logan’s voice was even, if a bit cold. He was tired. He was overworked. He had a headache. And now he was irritated. “No more work tonight. You’re done, Thomas. You need rest, and you need it now. You’re burning out, and I will not stand for it.”

Thomas opened his mouth to retort, but Logan held up his hand to stop him.

“No excuses. Nate is offering you a chance for rest and you will take it. Because he is doing what is best for you, just as any of the rest of us would. He is not a dark side. That is just a- a silly name that Roman came up with to describe the less prominent sides of yourself. It is a misnomer and a frankly abhorrent one at that. Nathan here is part of your self care. He watches out for you, for all of us, much like Virgil or Patton or Roman or me. He is your balance. He is there when you’ve reached your limits, and he backs off when you need to focus. He has never done anything to harm you, and I will not have you treating him as less of a part of you just because Roman filled your mind with negative connotations.”

The end of Logan’s speech was met with resounding silence. Thomas stared up at his logical side, eyes wide. From the opposite end of the couch, Nate’s eyes were just as wide, if not wider, as he stared at Logan in complete and utter awe.

Clearing his throat, Logan lifted the laptop from Thomas’s lap and deposited it gently on the table in front of him. He was just considering sinking out when Thomas finally spoke.

“You’re right. I... I’m sorry Nate, I just got caught up, and I-“

“Don’t sweat it, T.” Nate’s voice was comepletely normal, despite his obvious surprise at the whole situation. “Let’s just get you some food and we can start up an episode of Parks and Rec., okay?”

Logan watched as Thomas slowly smiled at the idea, nodding happily. He stood silently as their host stood and left for the kitchen, probably on the search for some horrible junk food.

Thomas was barely out of the room before Nate cleared his throat. “Logan?”

“Yes, Nate?” Logan steeled himself, preparing for what was to come. He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected. Teasing, most likely.

“Thank you.”

Logan’s eyes snapped open to meet Nate’s, which were filled with sincerity.

Swallowing down the unknown feeling—feeling?!—that look gave him, Logan nodded once. “No problem.”

Flashing a small, genuine smile, Nate patted the cushion beside him. “Wanna watch some P&R?”

Logan hesitated, glancing back towards the kitchen, where Thomas was rooting around in the refrigerator, before turning back to that welcoming smile and those sincere, deep brown eyes.

It wasn’t a hard decision.

“Of course.”

[oregoncoastfox]

Mister and Missus Jones definitely didn’t seem like the type of people to grace the doors of the Johnson and Rose Paranormal Investigations Agency. In fact, at the moment, gracing the doors seemed to be the limit of their ability as they stood awkwardly in the open frame, Mister Jones’ hand still on the knob, while they surveyed the cramped office within. Alexander Rose sat behind one of the two desks in the office and they immediately focused on him and his million-dollar smile, before their eyes slipped over to the other desk, equally covered in paperwork but without anyone behind it.

“Hello hello, would you please come in?” Alex stood up and made a show of offering them the two client chairs set up on the other side of the desks, and moved over towards the coffee pot set on a folding table against one wall. “May I offer you some coffee? My name is Alex Rose, mister...?” He let the statement hang in the air, just like he always did the first time he met someone. A creature of habit in all regards.

“Jones,” the man said, “Walter Jones, and this is my wife Heather. I think I’ll pass today, mister Rose.” The pair did, at least, step inside and sit down in the two chairs, both still focused on Alex. They were a middle-aged couple, both going gray around the temples. Probably school sweethearts that had been together their whole lives. Very cute.

“So, mister and missus Jones, what can we do for you today? We offer a wide range of services at a very reasonable rate.” Walter Jones looked a little uncomfortable at the use of the plural, and his eyes flicked to the other desk and back to Alex.

“Well, I suppose we could, but wouldn’t you rather wait for your partner to arrive? I assume they’ve just stepped out for a moment?” Alex shrugged and glanced across the room, then gave Walter an apologetic grin.

“She’s actually sitting right there at her desk. I’m afraid the two of you probably just can’t see her.” That was received with a longer and more pregnant silence than was exactly ideal for the conversation, but skeptical as they might be at least the Joneses weren’t willing to pass on things quite that quickly.

“Right. Well, I suppose we did read the sign on the door and walk in here. So, mister Rose.”

“Alex, please.”

“Of course, Alex. I’m sure you understand, but before my wife and I get into our issue, could you perhaps explain exactly what it is that you do here? I’m afraid your ad raised more questions than answers.” Alex paused, considering the question for a second, or at least that was what he seemed to be doing.

“Hm... Honestly, I thought that ad actually was one of the better pieces I’d written, at least to explain things in less than a hundred words. In any case, my partner here, Elizabeth Johnson, and I are investigators that work more on the spooky side of the street. That’s not to say we don’t take on mundane contracts as well, and I daresay we’re quite good at classic detective work, but we specialize in dealing with the things that other detectives wouldn’t touch. Hauntings, exorcisms, and the like, all sorts of things that just can’t be solved by entirely mortal means. Just last week, we helped a woman move peacefully on after she had died in childbirth and her soul had attached to the newborn. That’s really where we make our bones; if you have some sort of ghost or demon or similar haunting you or your home or such, we can help you out, whether by teaching them to coexist with you, or if they’re resistant helping them to move on beyond this world.

Silence.

Pregnant silence.

Silence pregnant with triplets.

“Well, that is... A very interesting business model you have, mister Rose.” Heather Jones spoke for the first time, after simply staring at Alex for several seconds. “Sweetie, do you think that maybe we should talk about this again? I don’t know if we really need to bother these fine fellows with our problems.”

“Of course, dear. Please, would you excuse us for a moment?” Alex nodded and relaxed back in his chair, and the two politely nodded, stood up, and nearly sprinted out the door, leaving the smoked glass pane rattling behind them.

“So that went well.”

“It really did, didn’t it?” I sighed and kicked my feet up on my desk, where they passed through the papers scattered on it and rested on the hard wood surface.

“You ever think we should take the Paranormal bit off the door? They might stop asking right away.” I watched him get up and pour himself some of the so-far untouched coffee, and when he glanced over I held my cup up obligingly for him to fill it.

“If we don’t get it out of the way first, they’ll only have a harder time with it later. Better to not waste any more of our time than we have to.”

“Yeah, fair enough, I suppose.” I took a long sip of my coffee, wondering just how things had turned out like this. I could’ve gone anywhere, been anyone, and yet here I was, slumming this borderline-destitute job working with one of the few people on earth that could actually see and hear me directly, all for the sake of some burnt java.

Gotta say, it’s not easy being dead.

[smolbiotic]

Flowers and Thorns Ch. 3

The sound of her alarm going off just a few short hours after drinks with Avinthus had Molly growling out a string of curses so colourful it would have made her salty old grandfather blush. If he was still alive. She was about to slam the snooze when an awful, insistent voice in the back of her head reminded her how close she was to finishing her program and how critical her last few exams were. So instead of sinking back into sleep she stopped her hand just in the nick of time, whining into her blankets and kicking her legs like a petulant child. She wanted to sleep, damn it, but she couldn’t, so she squirmed out of bed and grabbed a quick shower, tossing a splash of peppermint oil on the wall so the smell would mix with the steam and help wake her up.

Once she felt ready to face the day Molly twisted the water off, wincing at the loud clanging in the pipes as the knob squeaked into place. She wrapped her hair up in a pink towel and slipped into a matching, fluffy robe, then padded into the kitchen to make a quick cup of instant coffee.

Okay, she smacked her cheeks to get herself into the study zone while steam bloomed from her cup, Go time. 

Except it wasn’t. No matter how hard she tried to focus it felt like her eyes were sliding over the text on her datapads without actually taking any of it in. She read, re-read, then re-read again, until eventually she had to admit defeat. After tossing her studies aside she screwed up her face, drumming her fingers restlessly against the small kitchen counter she was leaning on. Normally Molly was a model student; she never procrastinated, never wasted her time, and never struggled to study or absorb knowledge. So what the hell was it with this morning?

She frowned over her coffee cup, swallowing back the instant brew like it was medicine. In a way it was medicine: it was bitter and helped energize her, making it hideously unpleasant but functional. Medicine. Bleghk. It wasn’t like her budget allowed her to splurge on real beans, though, so she accepted her miserable lot in life and sighed, setting her cup down and twisting it round and round. She felt so uncharacteristically bird brained this morning. Molly Thorne was not a bird brained woman.

Another sigh. Between sleeping in after her late night and her current lack of focus, she was beginning to suspect she wouldn’t have a chance to get out of her apartment at all. Normally on one of her rare days off she would go for a little walk around the wards after studying. It gave her an opportunity to break away from the books and let her mind process the endless formulas, dosages, and details she buried herself in. 

Not today if this keeps up. 

Best to make the most of her idle time, then, and use the most precious gift her family had given her since she left Earth: a priority bandwidth subscription. How they managed to afford it she had no idea, but it meant she could call and mail them whenever she wished with very little delay. 

Fingers tapped across the surface of her omni until a steady ringing tone began to sound through her cramped little home. It wasn’t long before the ringing stopped and a screen she had set up on her counter flickered on, revealing the smiling faces of Heather and Lucas Thorne. 

Her father’s smile twisted into a teasing frown the moment he took in her tired appearance. 

“When was the last time you slept, bumblebee? You look awful.”

Heather elbowed him. Hard. Molly, however, just rolled her eyes. Apparently a simple hello was too much to ask for.

“Around the same time someone last laughed at one of your jokes, dad.”

Mock-concern flooded his expression and he gripped his chin, stroking the salt-and-pepper stubble, “That long, huh...you really should have one of you professors check you in as a patient before you drop dead.”

“You should note, my darling daughter,” Heather chimed in, “That the fact that your father is an idiot is not genetic. Thankfully your brains come from me.”

Molly grinned and watched her parents start to bicker. All in good fun, of course. They were a family that showed affection through playful jabs, and their back-and-forth was something she sorely missed. 

“But really, what’s happening? It’s a little early for you to be calling us on a study day.”

She shrugged, “I can’t focus, mom. Figured I could use a dose of dad humour. I’m doing some research to see if rolling my eyes hard enough can generate study power.”

“Everyone’s a critic,” Lucas pouted and folded his arms over his chest, earning a sympathetic pat on the head from his wife. 

“Don’t worry, love, we adore your humour. Having you around makes us look and feel so much better about ourselves-”

Heather was cut off by a torrent of fluttering fingers all around her sides, shrieking with laughter under her husband’s relentless assault. It was a well-known fact in the Thorne family that Heather’s greatest weakness was her ticklishness. A jab of homesickness punched Molly in the gut while she watched on, the chill in her apartment that much harder to keep out with her mood so low. She hugged her robe around herself a little more tightly. A lonely idiot who can hardly read a paragraph of text. I’m really doing my parents proud. A knock on the door interrupted her grumpy thoughts.

“Expecting company?” Molly tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at her parents’ kitchen door in the background of the vid call.

Her parents exchanged a look.

“That wasn’t our door,” Heather shrugged. Lucas was in his glee, however, and while Molly pardoned herself to answer the door, wild with curiosity, she heard him call out, “Did you make friends and forget to tell us?”

Right. Like Vinth would be knocking on her door this early. It was probably some door-to-door pyramid scheme. Molly tightened and secured the belt of her robe and pulled the towel from her head, shaking out her damp hair in a failed attempt at looking a little more presentable for the stranger at her door. There was no time to deal with the bags under her eyes or the eyesore of a scar on her lip.

When the entrance to her apartment finally slid open with a pneumatic hiss, she found herself blinking down at a very pale and very large figure crouching on the floor. 

“Uh,” Vinth blinked right back up at her from where he was trying to scoop scone crumbs into a torn bag that had split open next to a very large cup of coffee, real coffee judging by the smell, “You weren’t supposed to catch me. I was going to leave this and go so I wouldn’t interrupt your studying, then uh...the bag tore after I knocked, and...Sorry?”

“Wait, is that actually a friend? Who is it? Bring ‘em in already! It’ll be a real thrill to see myth come to life!”

Molly looked from the comm screen to Vinth, whose curiosity had spiked judging by the raised brow plates. 

“Vid chat with my folks,” Molly explained, running her hand a little awkwardly through her damp hair, “If you don’t come talk to my dad I’ll never hear the end of it, so please?  And, er, thanks. For the coffee.”

She knelt to help him with the mess of scones, offering up an apologetic grin as she swept the crumbs into the torn bag and folded it in to prevent any more spills. He seemed hesitant, but when they were done Vinth followed her into the apartment with her coffee in one hand and a dextro drink she knew by smell and not name in the other. They barely had time for him to set down their cups before her dad was buzzing with questions. 

“So who’s this? Where’d you meet my daughter? Is she giving you trouble? Let me apologize on her behalf because she hasn’t made a proper friend since she moved to the Citadel, so there’s probably just a pile of dust where her social skills should be-”

“Lucas,” that was Heather, hissing at him and driving an elbow into his ribs, “Let the poor man breathe before you interrogate him.”

To Molly’s great relief her father’s antics had Vinth chuckling instead of offending him. Confident that he could hold his own, she gave his arm a friendly pat and nodded towards her tiny bathroom. 

“I’m gonna get dressed, so I’m throwing you to the wolves for a moment.”

The turian looked from her eyes down to her hands, then finally took in the fact that Molly was wearing a fluffy robe and little more, the lay of the fabric showing off ample cleavage. His plated nose scrunched. 

“Yes, yes, I’ll hide the flesh sacks for your delicate turian sensibilities,” she muttered low enough so her folks couldn’t overhear. Vinth didn’t do so well at hiding his chuckle, however, and her mother cleared her throat loudly just as Molly slipped away to change. 

“Now that you’re done keeping us out of the loop, love, bend down a little so we can see your face won’t you?”

Grinning at Vinth’s bumbling response while he scrambled to lean lower on the counter so her parents weren’t just staring at his torso, Molly slid the bathroom door shut behind her. She hauled on a black bra and a knitted, long-sleeved sweater dress that she had hanging on the wall, the mustard yellow colour an excellent match to the subtle red tones in her hair. Next she wiggled her way into a clean set of black panties, smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress, then grabbed a comb to pull through her hair and smooth it out . 

Vinth was trying his best to answer all of her father’s questions when she joined him in the kitchen again, deftly weaving her hair into a loose braid over her shoulder. It sounded like they had moved straight from introductions to an interrogation. Typical - her parents lived to poke, prod, and tease.

“We met at, er, well-”

“Work,” Molly finished, grinning a little, “We met while I was working, but don’t worry, I already vetted the guy. For someone who kills time at a skin bar, he’s not much of a creep. Shocking, I know.”

Molly, too, lived to poke, prod, and tease. 

“Spirits, Moll.”

Her grin just grew wider as she wrapped her hands around her paper cup and sipped her coffee, completely ignoring the disapproving shake of her mother’s head and her father’s snickering. Poor Vinth’s mandibles were flared open so wide it was a wonder they didn’t just fly right off, his fidgeting hands relentless enough in their worrying that the cuffs of his sleeves stood no chance. His talons had already made short work of the fabric. Poor thing had no idea what he had walked into; Molly’s parents were fairly young and her relationship with them was more akin to friendship than anything else. She was completely open with them and vice versa, which meant she didn’t hide any aspect of her life, work, or studies from them. Although she did play down just how dangerous Red Nova could be.

Vinth was probably the only part of her life she hadn’t immediately shared with them, come to think of it, but that was more due to the fact that she had spent all of her recent conversations with them babbling over how excited she was to start working at Huerta Memorial.

For Vinth’s side of things, she hadn’t really told him much about her parents or the strong friendship she had with them. Nothing in any of the conversations they had before could have prepared him for how open she could be with her folks or how they all carried on. So here they were, torturing the poor guy with their total lack of boundaries. If he could blush she was certain he’d turn a violently embarrassed hue thanks to the way she was talking. 

“Please, dear, don’t mind our little bumblebee,” Heather apologized, “Her teasing is a sign of affection and we’re much too clever to think poorly of you because of her ridiculous sense of humour.”

“Y-yeah, uh, thanks?” “We can make it up to him pretty easily, dear.” The fox’s grin her father wore had Molly’s stomach dropping. She gripped her coffee cup hard enough for the lid to pop off while Vinth blinked cluelessly at her side, but before she had time to ask what he meant Lucas had already cut the video for their call. When the feed came back it was no longer her parents they were looking at, but a large picture of a very awkward and very knobby-kneed young girl smiling through a mouthful of braces from atop a handsome bay-coloured gelding. 

In a matter of seconds Molly had turned a furious shade of ruby-red. 

“Dad,” she whined, “Why the hell did it have to be that one?”

On top of the ridiculous braces, young Molly was sporting one of her sparkly leotards that she always wore for lessons at freak school and a healthy peppering of hormonal pimples. It had to be one of the ugliest photos they had ever taken of her, bad enough that it had Vinth buckled and sputtering with laughter against the counter. It started out as a quiet trembling then hit him with full force, forcing him to clutch his waist with one hand and the counter with the other, all while gasping for air.

“What?” her father asked, feigning innocence, “It’s a good photo! You were so happy when we brought Chester home to you, just look at that smile!”

“What smile?” Vinth chimed in breathlessly, “All I see is a mouth full of metal.”

All three of them fell into fits of laughter, leaving Molly standing there with a crooked scowl on her face. 

“You’re lucky you brought me coffee, snowball,” she huffed, or I’d blast your ass with a singularity.”

“Wait, what? You’re a biotic?”

Curiosity cut his laughter short and left Molly with a smug little smirk, at least until her mother finally added her two cents. 

“Don’t worry, love. She’s just barely biotic, and definitely not strong enough to create a singularity.”

“Strong enough to knock him on his ass, though,” Molly grumbled, knowing without even looking at him that her turian friend was far from intimidated. She could hear him chuckling again. 

The picture on the comm screen was switched out for a home video of her playing with spaghetti and meatballs as a toddler. She groaned while her mother’s cooing voice sounded softly in the background of the vid. Vinth was captivated, yet more chuckles rolling out of his wide chest every time little Molly squished a meatball in her tiny hands. 

“And this is our little bumblebee when she was about three,” Heather informed them all, “Wasn’t she just the cutest?”

“Really, mom, what’s to stop me from hanging up on you right now?”

“You’d never hang up on your mother.” Shit. It was true. Molly would never, no matter what happened between them, hang up on either one of her parents. Her threat was completely empty, even when the comm screen flickered back to reveal both of her parents looking like the cat who got the cream. All she could do was cross her arms over her chest and huff. She wanted to keep grumbling at them but Avinthus had finally relaxed next to her, no worrying his cuffs and no nittering subvocals. How could she be mad when a bit of laughter at her expense helped break the ice? I’m far too magnanimous.

“So what’s with the bumblebee thing?” icy blue eyes moved from the comm screen to fix Molly with a curious look, his brow plates raising slightly, “Isn’t that some sort of earth bug?” “It certainly is, love. Has Molly told you what I do for a living?” When Vinth shook his head, Heather took that as an invitation to keep talking. Lucas, for once, kept quiet at her side, stroking his scruffy chin. “I’m a botanist with a focus in palynology. My parents were farmers and when they passed they left us their land,” she faltered for a moment and Lucas reached over to squeeze her shoulder. After a steadying breath she continued, “I turned it into a playground for research, and it became a real playground when Molly came into the picture. From the minute she started walking she’d toddle around from flower to flower, making sure to sniff each and every one. If we didn’t pull her inside she’d probably fall asleep in the dirt every night.” Funny. Heather was the one talking to Vinth, but Molly could feel Vinth’s eyes on her. Again she had that feeling that he was staring straight into her, and it took a moment for her to work up the nerve to look back at him. For a guy with such a soft personality, his eyes were unsettling in how intense they were. She felt gooseflesh raise on her skin, far too aware of how close they were standing and how much heat was rolling off of him, chasing away the chill in the air. “So we started calling her bumblebee,” Lucas finished, pulling both Vinth and Molly’s attention back to the screen, “Because bees...well, they bumble from flower to flower, collecting nectar and spreading pollen.” For the cherry on the cake of this conversation, Heather and Lucas were once more replaced by a home vid of Molly. This was another toddler video, one where she was buck naked and stomping around in the dirt sniffing every flower she could reach. “Hey Moll?” Vinth’s gaze was fixed on the screen, his voice low enough to keep her parents from overhearing. She tensed, the low rumbling of his voice freezing her for a moment. “Hm?” she managed to reply, hugging her arms. “You’re never living this down, you know.” Hell. She could hear the smirk in his voice, and when she turned to face him the sidelong glance he cast in her direction with that obnoxious twinkle in his eyes confirmed it. “Laugh it up, snowball.” Her folks caught that one. “Aw, bumblebee, did we embarrass you? I’m so sorry, dear.” “Uh-huh. Thanks mom, you sound truly sincere.” “Anything for you, darling,” Heather chuckled as the screen cut back to her and Lucas’ comm screen, “But we’re going to have to let you go now so we can get ready.” Molly’s head tilted to the side. Ready..? “Oh! Book signing! Dad wrote a book, now he gets to sign copies and talk to his adoring public. Right.” “Yeah, yeah, Citadel girl,” her dad pouted, “Too busy and important to remember major milestones in your father’s life, I understand.” “Riiiight, it’s a major milestone. And how many other signings have you done this year?” “Alright, alright, go on with your day, space girl.” “Goodbye bumblebee, Avinthus. Have a lovely day,” Heather slipped in with a soft smile before the comm feed flickered out. Silence stretched between the two of them for a few long moments until the snowball’s ridiculous trembling started up again. Three, two… And there was the laughter. Manic, belly-clenching laughter that forced the massive lug to fall back against the counter and slide down the cupboards. It was obnoxious just how much he was enjoying the small peek he had into the life and times of Molly Thorne. All she could do was sip her coffee and ride it out, rolling her eyes at the very large turian having fits on her apartment floor. When he finally seemed to have it out of his system she reached a foot up to his shoulder and pushed him. Or tried to push him, rather, as he was exceptionally solid and heavy. Vinth finally came to his senses and he blinked up at her, a hand still hanging slack on his stomach. She was standing with one foot perched on his shoulder and her hands on her hips, an impressive scowl set into her otherwise soft features. For a moment she thought she had him feeling intimidated thanks to the way he whipped his head around to stare at the floor, but then she realized exactly what sort of view her current position was giving him. “Oops,” she dropped her foot to the floor and smoothed her dress, flushing slightly, “Sorry, big guy.” “I came to drop off coffee and leave,” he grumbled, the light and easy subvocals filling her apartment betraying his feigned sourness, “But I wound up coming in here for ten minutes and somehow shaving five years off my life.” Molly couldn’t stop the grin that twitched to life in the corners of her lips. She grabbed her coffee and Vinth’s untouched drink off the counter before joining him on the floor, leaning her back against his arm. He grabbed his drink from her and they both took a moment to sip in silence. “Are all your conversations with your parents like that?” Molly polished off her coffee and reached up to put the cup back on the counter, harrumphing when she realized her arms were too short and her ribs were still too sore to stretch easily. True to form, Vinth chuckled at her struggle and laid his drink down so he could take her cup from her, laying it on the counter above them with ease. “Pretty much, yeah,” she watched his hand travel up with her paper cup and fall back down by his side, “Rush straight into the jabs, no hellos, trade some stories, sometimes Chester pokes his head through the kitchen door, then a goodbye. And I could have gotten that back on the counter by myself, you know.” “Chester? Wasn’t that the animal you were sitting on in that picture? And I’m sure you could have reached...if you stood up.” “Yes, Chester, and he’s not just some animal, he’s a horse. A handsome one. He hangs around the house sometimes and if he hears me on the comms he comes running. I miss him.” “You miss him? But he’s an animal-”

“Horse,” she reiterated with what was meant to be a sharp elbow to the gut. Instead she missed and wound up cracking her elbow off his carapace and cursing, “Aaagh, damned carapace! And I totally could have reached it on my own without standing up.” “How do you manage being so graceful on stage when you’re so clumsy, bumblebee?” “Why did I let you in my apartment again?” “I brought you coffee, then you told me I had to come in to appease your parents. You said please.” “Huh. You’re right.” Molly wiggled to the side and let herself fall back on Vinth’s chest instead of his arm, turning him into her own personal recliner. It wasn’t lost on her how quickly she had gone from not trusting him to using him as furniture, but she wasn’t about to dwell on it. Talking to her parents had her missing home, missing a place where she was surrounded by love and friends and the kind of people who let you lounge on them without question. She was homesick after that call, like she was after every call to her folks, but this time it was hitting her harder than normal. Back on Earth when she was down she’d cuddle up with her mom and watch old vids, the kind of vids you had to access through museums, the kind that were shot on black and white film before humanity had ever reached the moon. Throwing herself on Vinth was no Casablanca night in the Thorne house, but she could at least admit that it was nice not to be on her own. It was certainly better than sitting in her chilly apartment and stewing on the fact that she couldn’t focus on her studies with finals just around the corner. “Ah, Moll?” Vinth sounded a little off, a little uncomfortable, concerned, or some mixture of the two. He was tense, too, but that was no surprise considering how she had just invaded his personal space. “Hm?” She could feel his breath skimming over the top of her head, warming her scalp and making her want to squirm. He had very warm breath. “You...doing okay? You don’t seem yourself.” Molly could feel how uneasy he was, could see the way his hands fidgeted before he dropped them. She realized that he was probably trying to worry the cuffs of his sleeves, but stopped when he realized that meant he’d be wrapping his arms around her. A part of her she was all too eager to leave in the dark was disappointed that he hadn’t. “You mean I don’t seem myself because I’m leaning on you and I’m not acting like there’s a big chip on my shoulder?” He made an affirmative whirring tone, a low sound that she could feel ringing through his carapace. “This is who I am when my guard’s down, snowball, so if you don’t like it I suggest running,” she sighed and drew her knees up to hug them close to her chest, “Besides, my family and all the people who care about me are about fifty thousand lightyears away right now. Let me sook without judgment, please.” “Well…” “Well what?” “Not all of the people,” he said quietly, and she heard him picking his cup up again. “What?” A long pause stretched between them with Vinth’s subvocals shifting up and down in a pattern that her ignorant ears simply couldn’t decipher. They were easier to feel than to hear, and understanding them? She might figure that out after one lifetime. “Not all the people who care about you are lightyears away.” His words were so quiet she almost missed them, so soft she felt her breath catch in her throat. It was disarming the way his voice could elicit such strong reactions from her. How long had it been since someone spoken to her like that? “I mean, well, there’s Len and-” “I get it, Vinth. Don’t ruin the moment.” She didn’t have to say it again. This time the lull in conversation was a comfortable one, leaving them in “silence but for the presence of turian subvocals. Molly was so comfortable, in fact, that she felt her eyes growing heavy the moment she adjusted herself into a comfortable position against Vinth’s rigid carapace. It wasn’t surprising considering how late they had both stayed up and how early their day started. 

The big lug of a turian must have been feeling it too. He hardly tensed when she turned onto her side and grabbed his arm, hugging it to her chest like it was some sort of teddy. Instead a sound she had never heard from him began to rumble deep in his chest. It was almost as if he was purring, a melodic sort of purr that sounded like a blend of avian and feline sounds. She could feel his carapace rumbling, could feel herself relaxing, and just like that something clicked into place. “Huh,” she drew her wrist towards herself, startling Vinth as the motion jostled his arm. A few quick taps on her omni and a sea of notes, formulas, and diagrams was projected before her. “Bright,” complained the sleepy turian, his alien purring cut short by her fidgeting, “Studying?” “Yeah,” her answer came just as she lowered the brightness of her omni’s display, “I couldn’t focus at all before I called my folks, couldn’t take anything in no matter how much I stared at my notes. I actually took a break.” The disbelieving huff from her companion had Molly rolling her eyes. “The call was the break. I can take breaks.” “Yeah. The defensive tone is really convincing.” “You can either stuff it and let me study or you can leave, snowball.” A grin twisted itself into place on her lips when Vinth kept his mouth shut and he grumbled low in his chest. She adjusted her position slightly so she could comfortably scroll through her notes, a little surprised that laying back on a guy with a carapace and rigid plates could be comfortable at all. Once she was settled, the world and everything in it melted away so that all Molly could see was a steady stream of notes and pictures. It felt good to finally be back in a normal study rhythm, even if it did require what amounted to a large, snowy-white body pillow with a hell of a lot of spikes.

She lost track of how many hours passed like that. Molly Thorne’s focus was laser-sharp and unbreakable in the right setting. In the quiet chill of her apartment, with Vinth acting as a heat source and the bustle of the ward outside creating the perfect white noise, she was in her element. It wasn’t until she had cleared through the chapters she had assigned herself to study that reality began slipping through to remind her of the basic necessities she required. Hunger was at the top of that list. Her stomach let out a loud, demanding growl, convincing her to swipe away her notes and throw in the towel for the day. Avinthus was still sleeping soundly and she was briefly tempted to join him in his napping, but her stomach growled again and she knew it was time to get up. There was no rush, though. She took a moment to close her eyes and let her head sink back into the warm crook of the sleeping turian’s shoulder, soaking in a moment of quiet peace with a deep breath. She never noticed it before, but Vinth had a surprisingly lovely scent, one that reminded her of churned soil after a rainfall. There was a slight hint of something metallic there too, and it took more self control than she cared to admit to stop herself from burying her face in his shoulder just to inhale and appreciate the way he smelled. Enough of that, now, she mentally kicked herself. Slowly, so as not to startle him awake, Molly slipped away and returned Vinth’s large and very muscular arm to his side. Now all she had to do was figure out how she was going to wake him, which was actually a very difficult situation to find herself in. After all, she could go for the high road and wake him gently, maybe by reheating the drink that was still in his hand, untouched and miraculously upright. Or she could be an absolute brat and wake him with loud music, or by dipping his hands in warm water.

Nah, that would be too far. Crossing her legs and pulling her dress down to make sure everything was covered, Molly sat on the floor in front of Vinth and stared up at his sleeping face. Up, because even while he was slouched over and asleep the guy dwarfed her. He was just so tall. Grey eyes swept over the sleeping turian and she had to chew her lips to keep from smiling. He looked like a different person while he slept, so serene and so still. There was no bumbling, no nervous fidgeting or restless drumming of his talons, just the steady rise and fall of his chest while he breathed. Before she realized what she was doing Molly reached up and brushed a finger over his face. Despite the body heat the guy radiated, the plates that covered his face felt slightly cool. There was a slight blue cast to them, too, if she tilted her head in the right direction. She knew there would be, of course, but she had never really paid attention to the reflective quality of his plated skin before. The hints of blue and violet were striking, a welcome burst of colour in his otherwise monochromatic look. He cut an impressive figure, that Avinthus Flos. Molly rested a small hand on the side of his face and watched his eyes flutter beneath closed lids as he began, very slowly, to wake. A slow smile curved its way into her soft features, round grey eyes crinkling in the corners just as Vinth began to blink awake. She swept a thumb across a plated cheek before pulling her hand back, realizing too late that he was already aware enough to realize what she was doing before she withdrew. “Morning, sleepy,” she laughed a little awkwardly, “Life for the unemployed must be really doing a number on you, hm?”

“Huh - what?”

Avinthus attempted to straighten his posture and get his bearings, too groggy to fully process what she had said. He moved his hand to touch the warm spot where her hand had been resting. More specifically, he moved the hand that had been holding his drink the entire time he slept, which meant that it was no longer miraculously upright.

“Shit!” Cold, indigo liquid with a slightly sweet scent began soaking its way through Vinth’s blue-grey pants. He cursed and started scrambling, looking for something to mop it up. Shaking her head, Molly hopped to her feet and grabbed a dish towel from her counter, tossing it down at her friend. “This is the truth at the bottom of your mystery, isn’t it?” she asked, completely deadpan, “You were kicked out of the military because you’re a disaster, right? At least tell me you didn’t spill anything on your commanding officer.”

“You’re exactly right,” Vinth let out a flanging sigh, “I was kicked out of the military because I’m a disaster. A disaster who spilled caldulsi on his commanding officer. Good guess, bumblebee.” 

Bah! Bumblebee my ass.

It didn’t seem right that the guy dabbing his drink off his pants still seemed to have the upper hand, and in her apartment, no less. She had forgotten just how easily one could weaponize the bumblebee stories. With a haughty huff she leaned back against the counter and started running her fingers through her now-dry hair. “I’m not living that down any time soon, am I?” “Spirits, no,” Vinth pushed himself up off the floor and moved to her sink, twisting on the water to soak the dish cloth, “I’ve got at least a year’s worth of material today and I plan on using it until it turns to dust.” “Don’t worry about the cloth,” she reached over him and turned off the water, pulling the cloth out of his hands to wring it dry, “You should be more concerned about your clothes, there, mystery man. That’s a pretty ugly stain.” Vinth looked down at his clothes and grumbled, leaning back against the counter, bracing his weight on his hands. “Yeah. Caldulsi is delicious, but...ah, shit.” “Language, language.” Whatever Vinth was going to bounce back with was cut off by Molly’s growling stomach. He looked from her waist to her round, deceptively sweet face and the raised plates above his brows smacked of a smirk. “Hungry?” “No, auditioning for a play. I’m learning to throw my voice.” “Well consider me impressed. I can take off if you want, let you get back to studying and feeding your,” he looked her up and down pointedly, feigning snooty judgment, “thrown voice.” Molly leaned forward a little, her hair falling around her in long curtains, and arched a brow at her massively tall friend. “You’re going to go out with a big blue stain on your crotch?” she smirked, her tone admonishing, “Or you’re going to hear me out?” Vinth looked down at the gargantuan stain, then folded his arms to await her proposal. “I figure it’s only fair for me to pay you back for the coffee and for your part time work as furniture while I studied,” she shrugged, “And I was sentimental when I left Earth, so I have a couple of my dad’s shirts here with me you can wear. Plus I have a pair of harem pants that’ll fit you. I’ll wash your clothes so they don’t stain permanently, order food in, and then we can watch a vid?” He regarded her for a moment, mandibles flicking as he sifted through his thoughts and finally conceded. Taloned hands fell away from her counter and poked at the wet spot on his shirt. “If you don’t need to keep studying then sure, yeah,” he shrugged, “But I’m washing my own clothes. Just tell me where to go.” Molly’s brow arched again, this time more in amusement than anything else. She, too, shrugged, then knelt by her cot to fish through the suitcase that held her clothes. After a few minutes of searching, she pulled out one of her dad’s old, loose t-shirts that was big enough to fit Vinth and his broad chest, shoulders, and carapace. It had been one of her dad’s too-large work shirts that he’d worn around the garden once or twice before her mother ripped it off of him and shoved something that fit in his hands. The mottled blue fabric featured a very cheerful cartoon dolphin, which made a truly stunning ensemble when paired when her soft, black harem pants. She tossed them at Vinth, whose mandibles practically vibrated when he stared down at them. Molly snorted. “You can get changed in the bathroom.” The sound Vinth made in the back of his throat when he trudged off was pretty indicative of how he felt about the outfit she’d put together for him. “Still want to bring your clothes to the laundry room? It’s on the first floor.”

When he emerged from the bathroom his subvocals were thrumming with irritation, dolphin t-shirt hanging loose on his carapace and the long, sleek horns on his legs creating a fascinating silhouette with the harem pants that were far too short and left his calves exposed. “This,” he grumbled, “Was payback, wasn’t it?” Two wide, grey eyes blinked twice, three times, and once more before Molly started shrieking with laughter. “That,” she coughed out between fits, “Was not the intention. But wow. Wow. I really came out of this in first place didn’t I?” “Agh.” He tossed his clothes at her and she caught them, her demeanour shifting gears quickly. She closed the small distance between them, hands on her hips, and scowled up at him. “Do I look like a maid service? Where do you get off throwing your dirty clothes at me?” He started sputtering until she smirked at him and bounced towards the door. “Gotcha,” she chirped, “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Order whatever you’d like and make yourself comfortable, I’ll set up the screen when I get back.” Miraculously there was a vacant two-in-one washer/dryer when she got to the laundry room on the first floor, and better yet there was nobody else from her building there, which meant no forced small talk or awkward silence to contend with. When she got back to her apartment Vinth was sitting on her cot, scrolling through menus on his omnitool. “Remind me why I’m here again,” he grumbled as he confirmed his order and swiped away the display. “Hey, if you recall I resisted your company very strongly,” she shot back as she flopped onto the cot beside Vinth, leaning against him as she made her own food order on her omni, “So this is all on you.” “Not the first bad call I’ve ever made,” he sighed, “Maybe the worst one, though. What is on this shirt?” “Why that’s Dappy the Dolphin,” Molly giggled as her grumpy turian companion shoved her off of him. She fell back on the cot with a bounce before continuing, “And I have to say, his blues really match the stark white thing you have going for you. It’s really quite fetching. Mind if I take a holo-” Vinth cut her off by covering her mouth with a very large, taloned hand and sighing. He fixed her with a tired look until she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him, which inspired a very amusing turn of events.

First: his brow plates dropped as the confusion set in, since he was clueless as to what her wiggling brows implied. Then when he moved his hand away, Molly tilted her head to one side and said, “So kinky.”

When he finally realized that that was what she had been getting at, Vinth jumped to his feet. He started apologizing and babbling about how that wasn’t what he had meant, that he was just trying to get her to stop teasing him incessantly and he thought he was being funny. Then, at some point during his worried pacing, the horns on his legs managed to rip clean through her comfy pants. That started the whole process of panicking and apologizing all over. He paced until he tired himself out and finally sunk back down on the cot, burying his face in his hands while Molly looked on and did her best not to burst out laughing at him. She figured he finally earned a break from her relentless prodding. “Okay, okay,” she chuckled, scooting back in the cot until she was leaning against the wall, “I’m done. For now.” Her grin faltered as Vinth turned around to fix her with a very ‘you better be’ sort of look. For a moment she was afraid she was going to burst into laughter at his ridiculous outfit again, but instead she found herself completely pinned in place when his gaze caught hers. She stared back at him, transfixed, as what was meant to be a levelling glare shifted into something she couldn’t quite place. Molly felt her chest pounding the longer she looked into Vinth’s icy, intense eyes, then felt her breath catch when he leaned in close to her. The scent of soil after a rainfall flooded her senses, made her cheeks turn pink. “Look, I have to tell-” Whatever he was going to say was cut short by a shrill, pulsing bell tone that cut through the tension to alert Molly to an incoming call. Startled out of her momentary entrancement, she tapped the screen of her omni to answer the call, lips turning down into a worried frown. It was Valla, and Valla never called her. “Hey Moll,” her voice was hoarse. Had she been crying?

“I know this was supposed to be a free day for you to study, but we need you tonight if you can work.” Exchanging confused glances with Vinth (since she forgot her omni was still linked up with the speakers on her comm screen and he could hear the conversation), she rubbed the back of her head and said, “Yeah, of course I can work, but what’s up?” “It’s Leore, she...she can’t work tonight,” the asari’s words were quiet, choked. Valla never got choked up, never sounded so...small. Worry pounded through Molly’s chest like a peal of thunder, “She can’t work for a while, actually, but she had a few big tables booked for tonight. The other girls can cover them if you come work the silks for a shift..” There was something she wasn’t saying, something dark and horrible hidden in between the lines of what Valla was asking her. The silks were meant to break up the raunchy performances, like a palate-cleanser. It was what she did to give the crowd something to look at while Red Nova staff cleaned the stage, something that was tame enough to keep them from getting rowdy but captivating enough to keep them entertained. Molly’s brows furrowed and she sat up straight, as if better posture could somehow make the situation a little less foreboding.

“You know I’ll help out however I can, Valla, but is Leore okay? She wouldn’t miss work, especially not a few nights in a row. What’s going on?” There was a long, horrible silence before Valla spoke. When she did, her voice broke in a way Molly had never heard before. “It was Briggs,” came the shaky response, “He was tearing through the place in a rage on his way to his office...Moll, you have to be alert when you come in. Keep away from him.”

Vinth leapt off the cot and started pacing, his subvocals flooding the room with a steady and heated droning. He was mad, really mad, but if he didn’t get a grip then there was a good chance that Valla would figure out Molly wasn’t alone and she wouldn’t want to share anything about Briggs with an outsider. She’d see it as too much of a risk. So Molly caught the restless turian’s eye and glared a warning. He paused, his eyes burning, but he knew just as well as she did that without the right tech to block it, turian subvocals at certain frequencies could be picked up by comms. They’d sound like feedback, sure, but Valla was smart as a whip and had lived on the Citadel long enough to be suspicious of comm feedback. “What happened, Valla,” Molly demanded once Vinth got his temper under control. She was trying desperately to ignore the fear that was creeping through her veins like ice, her fingertips pressed lightly against her neck as she recalled her last run-in with Briggs. Valla had kept a level head that night. Valla always kept a level head. Hearing her sound so afraid was beyond troubling. “L-Leore came in early because she left her necklace behind after her shift last night,” Valla explained, her voice quiet, “It was the one her father gave her when he was still alive so she was in a panic without it. She ran into Briggs on her way in, and- and another one of his deals was busted, Moll. I think there’s something more happening that he’s keeping to himself, because he’s gotten so paranoid. He won’t even clue in the thugs he’s always got flanking him. And, well, Moll is new, which to him means she’s suspect. So when he saw her...

“Moll, he beat her bad. Really bad. His guys had to pull him off of her, and her face...her- her face is just-” There was a loud sob, then another as Valla struggled to keep herself together. Vinth was pacing, his mandibles flared and his jaw hanging open, showing off his teeth. He was like a snarling beast pacing its cage, waiting to be set upon unsuspecting prey. She held up a hand, pleading once more for him to keep quiet when she heard a predatory rumbling in his chest. It took a few moments, but eventually he conceded. “Valla?” A deep breath sounded from the speakers, followed by a soft apology. “We don’t know if she’ll even make it, Moll, but one of Briggs’ guys brought her to a doctor they trust. One who’s under the LT’s thumb, and I don’t know what that means for her. I don’t know how to help her and it’s tearing me apart.” Molly opened her mouth to speak, to offer some sort of comfort, but Valla cut her off. “And look, I’m sorry,” the asari’s voice sounded tortured, “I’m sorry I’m asking you to come in with all this going on. You should be staying as far away from this place as you can. You’re so close to starting a real career, you’re so close to being free of this pit, but… well, we need you. He’s been going through the books, combing through everything to try to find some sort of clue as to who it is that’s spilling all his secrets. He’ll see the cancellations and go nuts from losing that much money. Every deal that gets busted costs him money, people, and trust. So just for tonight, Moll, please. If we start losing money, too, goddess knows what he’ll do to us. Just tonight, and then we’ll figure something out for you.” Fuck. It was a lot to take in. Her eyes stung and tears were starting to well. Poor Leore was the sweetest girl in that place. She was lovely and soft-hearted...fuck, she deserved better, but like every other girl dancing in Red Nova her options had been too limited and she was stuck as one of Briggs’ girls. And then there was Briggs himself, more violent and unstable than ever. Going to Nova would be like walking into a den of angry mutant varren, but if staying home meant putting Valla or anyone else at risk, then what could she do? She would never be able to live with herself if anything else happened to someone at Nova who didn’t deserve it. Molly looked up at Vinth, who knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth. He looked as though he was about to argue with her but she held out her hand to silence him. His jaw snapped shut and he looked away sharply, skirting a hand along a hip before clenching it into a fist. It wasn’t lost on Molly that his hand had moved as though he was expecting to find a pistol on his hip. “I’ll be in. Just name a time.” There was a long pause before Valla sighed and said, “A part of me was hoping you’d hang up and never show your face here again. But, well...thanks, Moll. This means everything to us.” “Of course, V,” replied Molly, “If it means keeping the heat off of you guys, I’ll do anything to help.” Another muffled sob came through the speakers before Valla continued and said, “We’ll need you a little later this evening, just be ready to start at 1900 and be careful. I’ll try to have someone meet you at the entrance, and if we’re lucky that stalker of yours will show, too. I’m sure he’d shred someone to ribbons if they tried to lay a hand on you. He has that ‘I’ve killed before and I’ll do it again’ look to him. Find me as soon as you’re here.” The call disconnected after a brief but emotional goodbye and Molly sunk back against the wall, her skin numb and her heart thundering. She was terrified. For Leore, for the girls, for Valla, and for herself. What the hell was she thinking, agreeing to work on a night when she knew Briggs would be on a murderous rampage? She had already pissed him off once, had already gotten herself on his shit list. So why did she feel so compelled to do the right thing? Why couldn’t she just play coward and hide away? “You can’t go.” She looked up at Vinth, knowing full well that she was wearing her terror on her sleeve and that he could see it plain as day. Hell, her fingertips were still pressed against her throat. He’d have to be blind to miss the signs. “He’s a monster, Moll,” he snarled, pacing back and forth again, “A sick and twisted psychopath. You can’t go in, I don’t care if they need you-”

“I do.” He froze where he stood, hands curled into fists as he stared down at her, trying to suss out the right thing to say. The buzzing presence of his subvocals filled the silence, indecipherable but incessant nonetheless. “I care if they need me,” she continued, hugging her knees close to her chest and doing her best to put on a brave face from her seat on the cot, “I know it’s crazy to consider going in, and I don’t want to go, but I’ve known Valla since I first moved to the Citadel and I’ve known most of the girls there just as long. They’ve all helped me get to where I am now. Sick calls, switching shifts, covering my tables whenever I panicked about an exam so I could go home early to rest or study. That is the foundation I’m building my career, hell, the rest of my life on. I owe them every bit of success I’ll ever have, and I’m going to go to work tonight to make sure I don’t get another call tomorrow telling me that Briggs has beat someone else I care about bloody. “Fuck.” He hissed between his teeth, subvocals charging the air in her apartment with anxious energy. Molly watched as her furious companion leaned over her counter, gripping it hard so he could force himself to keep still, his talons scratching into the finish. “I know I can’t tell you what to do, but I hate this,” he continued, staring hard at the blank comm screen with his mandibles wide open and showing off rows of sharp teeth once more, “I hate knowing you’re going to walk in there with that fucking lunatic, Moll. I could do something, I could-” “That makes two of us,” she cut him off, her words infused with a bitter laugh. She sounded as miserable as she looked with her tears finally spilling over and soaking her cheeks, “I hate it just as much as you.” “It’s not funny-” His voice was raised when he whipped around to face her and tell her off, but he lost his steam when he saw her crying. The fight left him with each breath he took until his mouth and mandibles eased shut and his shoulders sagged. Looking at him like that, seeing him so utterly defeated made her feel like a cold fist was clamped around her heart. “Shit Moll, I’m sorry,” said Vinth finally, his voice soft, “I just...I don’t what I’d do if he got his hands on you again, if he-” He cut himself off again when fresh, hot tears slid down her cheeks and she balled her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. She was scared, so she turned her head away and stared hard at one of her potted plants. Molly could feel the intensity of his gaze cutting into her, could sense his worry and the hungry way he was searching for a way to fix things. It made her want to hide. Quietly, with her voice shaking, said asked him, “Are you going again tonight?” “You couldn’t keep me away if you tried,” came his growling response. She finally looked back at him and offered a weak thanks by way of a frail smile. She was terrified, yes, but knowing he would be close by made her feel a little better at least. For a moment she felt the weight on her chest ease off, but then she thought about Leore and it crashed down again. “She’ll make it, Moll,” Vinth closed the gap between the counter and the cot in one stride, sitting down on the edge and wringing his hands in lieu of worrying his cuffs since her father’s shirt left his arms bare. Her gaze traced over every inch of his arms. They were long and muscular, the snowy-white hide peppered with blue and purple scars. Many of the scars she recognized from the rounds she’d tagged along for in her program. There were gunshot wounds, knife wounds, varren bites and gouges that only turian claws could cause. How had she not noticed it when he first put on the shirt? With long sleeves on, Vinth had always appeared so pristine, so untouchable. Yet there he was, a veritable encyclopedia of battle wounds proving that even one as large and as strong as he was could never truly be invulnerable. So then what chance did a sweet girl like Leore have at surviving Briggs’ wrath? A pitiful sound escaped the back of Molly’s throat and Vinth’s hand moved to one of her balled fists. He grabbed hold and tugged her gently towards him. At first she resisted, afraid that if she moved she might fall apart. When he tugged again she looked up at him and trembled at what she saw. There was a powerful anguish there, a misery that had her coming undone, so she caved and let him pull her into his arms. And just like that the seal was broken. She didn’t have to shoulder this alone, didn’t have to put on a brave face or force herself to stay level-headed for once. Vinth was practically inviting her to let it all out and lean on him both literally and figuratively, and that was all it took for her to bury herself in him. She gripped the low edge of his cowl on one side of his keel bone while she pressed her face against the backs of her hands and sobbed. Avinthus, sweet and bumbling Avinthus, just held her while she fell apart and that strange melodic purring started rolling through chest again. His cowl acted almost like an echo chamber for the sounds he made, something she hadn’t noticed before, and the more she focused on it the easier it became to breathe and steady herself. She could feel the way it rumbled through his carapace, reminding her of the barn cats that skulked around her family’s farmland back on Earth, the ones who eventually warmed up to her and would curl up and purr in her lap. They stayed like that for a while, until a little alarm tone sounded in Molly’s omni to remind them that Vinth’s clothes were ready. She pushed away from him, drying her cheeks with her sleeves so she could head back down to grab his things until he insisted he could grab them himself. “But the clothes you’re wearing,” she reminded him, her voice straining around the lump in her throat, “If someone sees you-” “Then they’ll notice how the blues really match the stark white thing I’ve got going for me,” he reminded her gently, “I’ll be back in a minute.” It took him a moment to finally release her so he could head downstairs. When he did, he had to gingerly pluck each one of her fingers from his cowl to get free. She watched him do it, partly because she was in shock and partly because forcing him to move her hands meant delaying the moment he left her alone. Vinth must have had his own apprehensions about leaving her, too, because when he finally moved her hands from the ridge of his cowl to her own lap, he hesitated. Bleary grey eyes blinked up at him when he reached his hands towards her face and chased her tears away with the rounded backs of his talons. Molly whimpered and looked away, snatching one of his hands and squeezing it, trying not to think about the scars that she felt in his rough skin. “Thank you,” was all she could manage before releasing him and watching him head out the door. Alone once more in her apartment, Molly’s stomach churned and her mind raced through all of the horrible things happening at Red Nova. It wasn’t the first time things had taken a dark turn there, but out of everything that had happened during her last five years on the Citadel, this was by far the worst of it. It took every shred of willpower she had to keep herself from spiralling into panic again, and the moment she heard a knock at the door relief washed over her. She tapped her omni and the doors hissed open, revealing Vinth balancing an armful of takeout, his clothes hanging from the crook of his elbow. “I ran into both our delivery guys on the way back up,” he explained, stepping in and dropping the food on the counter, “I know you’re probably not feeling too hungry, but at least try to eat. Please. Even a weak biotic shouldn’t go this long without food.” She nodded and watched as he disappeared into the bathroom, noting that the front of the Dappy tee was completely soaked with tears. All she could think was that he must have been humiliated facing two complete strangers dressed in the clothes she had given him. A wave of guilt crashed through her.

Finally Molly got off of her cot, but instead of heading to the food she headed to the bathroom, crashing into Vinth’s chest with a fierce hug the moment the door opened. “I’m sorry,” her voice was muffled from the way she had her face squashed into his carapace, the slightly floral perfume of detergent mingling with his own scent and tickling her nose, “I was an ass when we met and I’ve been an ass all day. I was relentless, like I was making up for years of having no friends to tease. I’m so sorry, Vinth, I really am. My dad was right about my social skills. I promise I’ll-” Two very strong hands gripped her shoulders and pushed her back. Vinth held her in front of him, his piercing blue eyes fixed on her once more, but this time she had to look away. She felt so awful about how incessantly she had picked on him when all he had tried to do was bring her some bloody coffee. “If I accept your apology will you stop beating yourself up?” She looked back up at him for a moment before nodding weakly and wrapping her arms around herself. “All is forgiven then,” he released her shoulders and stepped around her to reach the food, grabbing a container from her order and putting it in her hands, “You really should eat, then get some more sleep before you go to Nova. But, Moll…” She looked up at him, drinking in the intense eyes and the flicking mandibles. She suspected he was about to insist she reconsider her choice and felt herself getting defensive. “I’m not going to fight you on this, Moll,” he finally said, much to her surprise, “Spirits, I want to, but I know there’s no point. And to be honest? I admire the way you’re looking out for the people you work with. Just...be careful. Be careful and call if anything happens. I’ll make sure to be close by when you’re working, so call and when I see your number I’ll come find you.”

“I will, Vinth,” Molly popped open the food container and stared down at steaming, delicious noodles and veggies and wished she could work up an appetite. Her traitorous stomach was lurching just looking at it, enough so that she had to set the container down and sigh.

“Thanks,” she added, “For looking out for me I mean. The more I get to know you the more humiliated I feel about how I treated you when we first met. I really am sorry.” “That’s enough,” he crossed his arms and cocked a hip, shaking his head at her, “Kicking yourself like this isn’t a good look for you.” A faint smirk twitched in the corners of her mouth and Molly felt herself starting to relax. With her arms still hugging her chest, she looked up at her turian friend and asked in a teasing voice, “So you think I look good otherwise?” Vinth breathed out a laugh and shook his head, reaching out to hook a talon around a stray lock of her hair, letting it slide over his finger before he gingerly tucked it back behind her ear. “For a human, yeah. Sure.”

When he pulled his hand away again, Molly was left feeling...rattled. There was too much going on in her head. Worries for Leore and whether or not she would ever see the girl again were forefront in her mind, followed closely by that humming thread of fear that wound its way through her chest. Add the way Vinth was acting into the mix and she was exhausted just from feeling. And Vinth definitely had her feeling something, she just didn’t know what and didn’t want to unpack it with everything that was going on, because there was a lot to unpack there and it had all come on far too quickly.

The last of their time together flew by quickly. Since Molly had to rest and get ready for a long night at work, they decided to eat and split so she could catch a couple extra hours of sleep. She could only manage half-heartedly picking at her food despite Vinth looming over her like a tall, spiky nurse, the intensity of her eyes judging her for her lack of enthusiasm for self-care. He eased off eventually, however, and when she was alone in her apartment again, she felt the last of her energy disappear in one large whoosh. What a rollercoaster of a day she had had. Molly fell back on her cot, curling up into a tight ball and hugging her knees close to her again. It felt like ages before the ache in her chest and the twisting knots in her guts eased enough for her to finally doze off. Her sleep was restless, though, and by the time her alarm went off she felt even more exhausted than she had before. It’s going to take a pound of makeup to cover this up. When she hauled herself out of bed and looked in her bathroom mirror her suspicions were confirmed. The bags under her eyes were dark purple, and there was this pinched look to her brows that she tried to smooth out with her thumbs but it just wasn’t working. After a long sigh she set to work weaving her hair into a complex up-do with braids and a high pony, then began painting her face. By the time she was done you wouldn’t suspect for a moment that she was anything less than perky and energized but for the way her shoulders sagged. She packed a bag with her work clothes, hauled on a pair of kitten heels, and headed out the door after firing off a quick message to Vinth to let him know she was on her way to Red Nova.

He met up with her just outside the staff entrance, wearing fresh clothes (black from head to toe) and a look in his eyes so intense it was scorching. Molly tried to reassure him with a small smile but she knew she couldn’t convince him to be okay with her decision when she was trembling as violently as she was. She stayed very still when he reached out to give her shoulders a squeeze, keeping a straight face even when the buffed tips of his talons dug painfully into her skin. Twice he opened his mouth to speak and twice the words died on his tongue. It wasn’t until Molly stood on the tips of her toes to cup his face (which looked so large when she held it in her small hands) that he seemed to rein in the fury that was humming through him. His expression softened for the briefest moment before some kind of conflict overcame him again. It seemed like he wanted to tell her something, and hadn’t he tried to do just that before Valla had called her? Molly tilted her head to one side, curious, but Vinth just shook his head and decided against whatever he had been about to say. He placed his hands over hers and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’ll be nearby, Moll. Count on it,” he spoke in a low growl, “You should leave now or I won’t be able to let you go.”

“Thanks, snowball,” Molly said with the best impression of good humour she could manage, “For being here, and for understanding that I have to do this. Promise me one thing?” He released her hands and folded his arms over his chest, waiting for her to continue. “Follow my lead. Even if you see something that makes you want to interfere, promise you’ll follow my lead.” When Vinth looked like he was about to argue, mouth and mandibles flying open all at once, she added, “I know these people. I’ve known them for years and I want to avoid things escalating into violence as best I can. Just trust me and follow my lead, okay?” It took a few agonizing seconds before Vinth nodded stiffly. Molly offered him one final, frail smile before turning on her heel and heading through the staff doors. She couldn’t look back, couldn’t risk losing her nerve before she went inside, but she could swear she heard the loud thud of a heavy boot slamming against a dumpster just as the doors closed behind her.

Previous Chapter // First Chapter

[demonqueenofplastics]

Heather Duke x Heather McNamara x reader

Your pov.

School is always an interesting place to be and now I'm just walking around. The Heathers are of course in the cafeteria like always and I'm just happy that I'm pretty close to them. It makes my life a lot easier. But that isn't the problem right now since there are always people that don't care about things like that. When I say people I actually mean Kurt and Ram. I mean they share one braincell and even then it goes really wrong. "Hey earth to loser." Ram said while Kurt just hit me against my head making me look up at them. "What do you two want now?" I ask and they just smirk a bit. "What do you think loser. You are really so stupid." Kurt said while Ram just nodded. "We want you to help us around here. You can't do anything else anyways." Ram said making me look a little bit down. I mean this happened before but this is the first time it happened in the cafeteria and honestly it is scaring me. Maybe just more for a different reason then that people think.

"Can you still talk stupid or did you forget how to do that as well?" Kurt asked making me sigh a little. "My buddy Kurt asked you a question." Ram butted in making me look at them again since I turned my head away to look at the Heathers. I'm going to be honest both Duke and Mac are amazing. I know I don't have a chance but that doesn't mean that they aren't the most amazing human beings around here. "I can still talk but why would I waste my time with idiots like you. Especially since you two need all the time to just make out. I mean you're always so close I'm thinking you are gay for each other." I say biting back to them especially since I won't go down without a fight today.

"Who gives you the right to talk like that. Especially when it isn't true you punk." Ram said while holding Kurt back from immidiatly punching me. I'm just waiting for when the blow comes especially since it always happens. "Well give an answer punk. Why do you think you can act to tough right now? Do you really think you're that great. Well then I will be really clear to you, you're nothing and never will be something. There is nobody that cares for you or will care for you." Kurt says in his anger and I have to admit it hurts more then the usual punches. I rather have those punches then the words.

Meanwhile Third pov

"So like always Ram and Kurt have to ruin the calm lunch by bullying someone again." Mac says actually sounding pretty sad about it. "Well I guess I can understand it. Some losers do ask for it." Duke answers shrugging a bit making Mac nod. "Okey yeah true but let them do that in the hallways." She says making Duke smirk a bit. "Are you okey Heather?" Veronica suddenly asks disturbing their little conversation while looking at Chandler seeing her being really angry. "No those two need to stop now." Chandler answers making Duke and Mac look confused at each other before looking confused at Veronica.

"What is the difference with normal?" Duke asks confused. "Just Shut up Heather." Chandler just says not wanting to deal with the others antics at the moment. "Sorry Heather." Duke says back after that indeed keeping her mouth shut not wanting to piss her off more. Chandler just keeps her angry look focused on (y/n) and Kurt and Ram. When Kurt pushes them into the wall she suddenly stands up slamming her hands on the table. "This is enough." She says actually loud enough for people to hear her and for the cafeteria to slowly become quiet. Chandler slowly just steps away from their table and just walks over to Kurt and Ram her glare intensifying with every step she takes making people squirm in their seats afraid of what she is planning while she isn't even that angry at them. "What is she so angry about?" They quietly all ask each other never having seen her this angry.

"What do you think you two idiots are doing?" Chandler asks Kurt and Ram with venom lacing every word. "We...we....we were just making (y/n) here clear that they should act more normal." Ram answers stuttering a bit afraid for the glare that Chandler throws at him. "Yeah you know just the normal things we always do. Making sure you are okey and that people aren't just randomly thinking weird things about you." Kurt answered trying to help Ram. Chandler looks at them nodding a bit before looking really calm. "Oh if that is everything then with no means of course continue the good work." She says her voice calm and void of emotion while she still glares at them sending shivers down their spines. "R-really?" Ram asks quietly not sure how to take this at all. "NO OF COURSE NOT YOU MORON. BEFORE YOU EVER BULLY ANYBODY EVER AGAIN FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY ARE ALLOWED." Chandler suddenly yells the calm facade being gone again.

"B-but what did we do wrong then with this one. You never cared before so what changed?" Kurt asks looking really confused and scared out of his mind. "What is so special about that person?" People quietly around the cafeteria ask looking around while (y/n) is just standing there really quiet looking at the floor being afraid of all the looks on them while not daring to talk at all. "This one is somebody you need to leave alone is that so hard to understand." Chandler hissed out with the most venom in her voice ever. "Well we get it. We just don't get why you are so angry for it. Seriously that is also not needed. We can understand things if you just tell us what not to do. That is why we are so confused about you being so angry right now." Ram said feeling brave at the moment and looking at Chandler while saying that. When he looks at her he just sees an raised eyebrow and an annoyed look making him regret he spoken actually. "Well Heather they do make a good point what is so special about this person that you want to protect them so badly?" Mac asks very careful not wanting to anger her more. Duke and Veronica just walk over with Mac wanting to understand this and maybe get Chandler less angry.

Chandler sighed still looking pissed off. "Well I don't want them to be bullied because YOU'RE BULLYING MY SIBLING MORONS." She tried to say but in the end yelled because of the anger making Kurt and Ram actually get wide eyes since they never knew (y/n) was the sibling of Chandler. But they weren't the only ones the whole school was actually quite surprised about it having never heard about Chandler having a sibling. Even the other Heathers look confused about it. "Wait so they are your sibling?" Kurt asked really confused and really afraid now making Chandler sigh and nod. "Yes so now run away before I change my mind and really ruin your whole life." She says making both the jocks just run away.

Your pov.

Kurt and Ram just ran away. When they were away I just looked up at my sister really feeling bad about everything that happened just now. "Are you okey?" She asks me looking really worried in a few seconds making the people I can see look really confused. "Yes Heather I'm fine." I answer not wanting to make this even more of a scene. "I'm sorry that you had to tell now that you have a sibling." I say quietly making her just sigh and hug me tightly. I just hug her back really feeling bad about it. "Don't worry about it. I wanted to tell it one day or another so rather today especially since I now can let people stop bullying you. I really didn't think people would do that to you." She tells me making me softly smile. "It isn't that bad. Honestly it could have been way worse." I say making her nod a bit while pulling away. "I know but I don't like people bullying you. And why didn't you tell me before?" She asks looking more worried and confused making me smile more. "I honestly didn't want to worry you. I mean you already have enough to do so I didn't want to bother you." I say making her sigh a bit. "You're never bothering me come on sit with us." She says and I just nod walking with her. "That sounds nice." I tell her before sitting by her while she others walk behind us and all just sit down as well.

"Wait there are two Chandlers?" "She has a sibling doesn't that mean that they are now really popular as well?" Are some of the rumors and quiet comments that can be heard around me making me smile a tiny bit actually feeling proud to be a Chandler. "So when did you want to tell us you have a sibling Heather?" Mac asks making Chandler just shrug. "I don't know Heather when it was needed. I mean why would it be any better for you to have known it is my sibling. They mostly spend time around their friends anyways so you wouldn't have seen them at my home." Chandler just answers fully being herself again.

Mac pov

"So when did you want to tell us you have a sibling Heather?" I ask being really interested and just wanting to know it. "I don't know Heather when it was needed. I mean why would it be any better for you to have known it is my sibling. They mostly spend time around their friends anyways so you wouldn't have seen them at my home." She just answers with a shrug making me sigh quietly. 'Yeah but then I would have known not to talk to you about how much I actually like your sibling. And how I think their eyes so pretty making me drown in their depth.' I think to myself. "Well it would have been nice to know. After all it is your sibling." Duke says shrugging as well making me nod. "Heather is right. I mean you care for your sibling so it would have been great to know about them earlier." I say as well while Veronica just watched us making me just hope she will also say something.

"You know Heather it would have been a smart idea to tell them. They are your best friends after all so it would have shown them that you see them as friends. Not only that but what does hiding the fact that you have a sibling help you?" Veronica suddenly asks speaking up and making me smile a bit. "It isn't that they aren't my friends or anything I just didn't think it was necessary to tell them about (y/n). Especially since I wanted (y/n) to have a normal school life and nor everytime hear everything about me." Chandler says making me look at (y/n) actually thinking she has a point about that as well. "I just wanted to be normal and not be popular just because my sister is Heather Chandler so I talked to her about it and she said that she would keep it hidden for you two then as well so it would be easier for everybody to act like I'm somebody else." They say making me nod about it understanding what they mean.

"So Heather we need to talk later." Chandler tells me making me nod. "Of course Heather." I say having a feeling that I know what we need to talk about. 'She is probably not happy with me to fall for her sibling I'm going to die.' I think to myself being quiet afraid about it. "But before that can we talk Heather." Chandler says making Duke nod and get up. "Of course Heather." She says making Veronica and me just look really confused at each other.

Duke pov.

'How much am I going to die?' I think to myself while just following Chandler to the bathroom and getting inside. "So I know you like (y/n)." She says making me nod. "Of course you know Heather I basically told you that I like them." I say making her nod. "I know and honestly I'm okey with it just be good to them. And I also wanted to ask you how you think about Mac?" She asks me making me really confused. "Well she is amazing. But why are you asking?" I ask confused and blushing a bit knowing that I'm crushing on both of them for a while now. "Well I saw your looks to Mac so I actually just wanted to see how you feel about her. And what if you could date both of them?" She asks making me smile more. "That would be amazing but that is impossible I'm sure of it." I answer making Chandler laugh. "Geez you don't have a backbone Heather just try it maybe they think the same who knows. Why do you think I want to talk to Mac. I want to know what she thinks of you and of course my sibling." She says making me nod finding it really logical.

"Of course you would." I answer making her nod about it. "Maybe I can help you a bit with it Heather." She says making me smile "That would be nice. How is it going with Sawyer then?" I ask making her just look at me and sigh. "Such a pillowcase. Seriously I have tried to tell her in anyway so I'm literally just going to kiss her the next time I'm alone with her." Heather says making me laugh a bit "Of course she didn't know what you meant and sure do that." I say making Heather roll her eyes. "Well let's go back I still need to talk to Mac. So you know what you go back and send her here." Heather says making me nod and just walk away before just going to the table again. "You need to go to the bathroom Heather, Heather is waiting for you." I say making Mac nod and get up.

Mac pov

'Duke looks so relaxed while she is here I hope it will be just as easy for me.' I think while walking to the bathroom opening the door and getting inside. "You wanted to talk to me Heather?" I ask making her nod "Yes Heather I just want to know some things if you are okey with that." She says making me nod. "Of course Heather what do you want to know?" I ask walking over to her to look at her. "I just want to know are you going to be good to (y/n)." She asks making me smile softly "Of course I won't harm them in any way. They are too amazing for that." I answer just being honest about it knowing Heather just wants me to be honest anyways.

"Alright I honestly didn't really think differently from you Mac but I just wanted to make sure. But on a who is different topic what do you think of Heather?" She asks me making me smile and be confused at the same time. "Well she is a great person and I think that she deserves all the happiness in the world since she is so pretty and have you ever heard her laugh. It is really cute." I say rambling a bit about Heather since she is just so amazing. 'Green is such a great color for her and I'm so happy to be always close to her. I wish I wasn't in love with two people that would make my life easier.' I think to myself. "Of course I already guessed you liked Heather as well." Chandler answers making me look at her. "What do you mean Heather?" I ask making her smile "Well it is easy you give Heather those sweet looks you only give (y/n). So I could kinda guess that you like her as well." She tells me making me blush " Wait I'm that obvious?" I ask making her nod. "Seriously it is that (y/n) is really dense and that Heather is not paying too much attention or doesn't recognise it otherwise I think they would already know that." She says making me blush about how obvious I am. "I see so I should just tell them?" I ask really worried about it making her nod. "Yes I indeed think you should just tell them. But let's just go back." She says making me nod with a bright smile while following her.

Your pov.

I'm not sure what my sister is doing suddenly wanting to talk to her friends but I guess that is none of my business. So I'm just sitting there quietly. "So Veronica what do you think about my sister?" I just decide to ask seeing Veronica immidiatly looking up from her notebook her cheeks flushing from it. "Well...euhm... She is interesting and I never thought I would get somebody like her as my friend." She tells me making me smirk especially since Heather thought me how to find out if somebody likes somebody else. "Oh really so you don't think anything else about her. If I would tell you to just tell her you like her you would tell me you don't like her?" I ask her eyes widening. "N-no she is amazing but why would she be crushing on me?" She asks making me exchange looks with Duke both of us just already deciding she is really dense that she didn't notice it yet.

"Well if you never tell her you never know. And honestly I'm really sure she will feel the same about you." I say making her blush more and just nod a little bit about it. "Maybe I just should talk to her about it indeed." She says making me nod. "Yes so just do it when you finally feel like it but don't let her wait too long." I say making her nod before she just looks back at her notebook. "Thanks (y/n)." I hear her say making me smile. "No problem." I say before my sister walks back with Mac both of them look pretty happy. Not soon after the whole conversation we actually can go home thanks to Veronica forging some absence notes.

~timeskip after a week~

"Seriously why don't you just talk to them?" I get the question from my sister making me sigh. "Because I'm nervous what if they think differently that just doesn't help. It just makes me really nervous." I say making my sister just sigh. "Okey I know you are nervous but I'm sure it will be fine don't worry. I'm going to make sure they are going to be here and I'm talking to Veronica today so you have a long time just with them. Just talk to them alright?" She asks and I look at her with wide eyes. "Ugh fine you're not letting me get out of this anyways." I answer and she nods. "Indeed I just want you to be happy. And you like them so just tell them." She says making me nod.

"So when will they be here?" I ask watching Heather put her hair in the scrunchie again like always. "In about an hour so you maybe want to put some clothes on instead of your onesie." She says making me just look at her. "I still have about 45 minutes before I need to put on clothes. Unlike you I don't almost take a whole hour to finish up you know." I say watching her with a smirk on my face knowing she was going to say something about it. "I guess so but luckily I don't have to question what I'm going to wear while my crushes are going to be here." Heather says smirking more while turning around to look at me making me sigh. "Touche." I answer before walking to my own room opening the closet and standing in front of it not being sure what to wear. Soon I just decide to grab some nice jeans and put on one of my favourite shirts and my (f/c) jacket.

"Well see I'm already done." I say when I have put on my clothes and brushed my hair making myself looking better making Heather laugh. "I know you would be slow but seriously you have been staring at your closet for like thirty minutes." She says making me blush never having realised it actually took so long. "Okey that took longer then I thought it would." I say and she nods before we just go downstairs waiting for all three the girls to arrive.

After that half hour the doorbell rings and Heather gets up opening the door. "Come in girls." She says and Heather, Heather and Veronica walk in. "Okey Ronnie I need to talk to you so come with me. You guys have fun." Heather says walking upstairs while Veronica just follows her making me look at the other two. "Would you like something to drink?" I ask smiling softly at them. "Just some water please?" Mac asks looking nervous making me a bit confused. "Of course and you Duke?" I ask since I'm getting confused of saying Heather the whole time. "Water is fine with me." She says and I just nod walking away to the kitchen getting some water and of course at the same time trying to gain the courage to tell them what I'm feeling. When I have the water I walk back and put it down in front of them. "There you go." I say smiling. "Thank you." They both say making me smile more.

"Okey so I actually had something I wanted to talk with you two about if you are okey with it." I say feeling my nerves coming back more. 'Maybe I should chicken out and talk about something else. But what will my sister think of it? And how will I ever get with them then?' I think to myself while waiting for their answers. "Sure what is it?" Mac asks giving me a smile that melts my heart. "Do tell we are listening." Duke says making me nod about it. "Well I need to talk to you two about the fact that I'm really liking you. I have for a while. I was just too scared to tell you two since you're both so amazing, pretty and way too good for me." I say making both of them blush at the same time.

"Well honestly I Really like you too. I was just afraid you wouldn't like me at all. Especially since I thought you could get way better then me. And that is the same for me towards Heather I also like her a lot I just didn't know how to say it. But thanks to you I now know I can just say it and I will see if she will like me too." Mac says blushing more making Duke and me both smile. "Well at least you already have me luckily." I say jokingly making Mac actually laugh. 'Her laugh is so pretty.' I think to myself happy about it.

"Well I don't know what you see in me. But if you really like me then I should tell you that I like you too (y/n). And for you Heather I always liked you basically since the first time I saw you. I just didn't think you would like somebody like me. I mean you're so amazing and you deserve the best person in the world." Duke answers making me smile more and Mac just blush more. "Well then it is easy. What about we just date each other then?" I ask both of them and see them nodding making me smile more.

I just get up from my seat on the couch and walk over to them before softly cupping Dukes cheeks and kissing her feeling her also immidiatly kissing back making me smile feeling like the luckiest person on earth. When I have kissed Duke I go over to Mac also cupping her cheeks and kissing her as well. Just like Duke she kisses back. After the kiss I smile looking at them. "Now kiss." I say jokingly making them laugh before they indeed kiss each other as well. "Now we know this what do you two want to do?" I ask them and they just look at each other before smiling about it. "Well why don't we watch a movie and cuddle." Mac suggests while Duke just nods. "Sure pick a movie." I say before walking away and getting some comfy blankets to put around us and to make some popcorn.

When I come back they have picked out the movie and made a place inbetween them making me smile. "So I can sit in the middle?" I ask laughing making them nod. "Of course then we can lean against you." Duke says while Mac just nods quickly. "That is the best thing about this we can stay really close to you now." She says again smiling so sweetly making me blush and my heart melt. "Okey well then I will sit there." I say just walking over to the couch sitting down and holding my arms out feeling both of them just make themselves comfortable against me before putting blankets all around us and just putting the movie on.

After a while I just feel breathing change and when I look I see Mac being asleep. It just makes me smile softly and kiss her forehead. 'So cute.' I think to myself letting her sleep before looking at Duke and just seeing her looking at me. "What is wrong Heather?" I ask making her smile "nothing is wrong (y/n) I just never thought I would have any chance with you or with Heather so I'm just looking to see if it isn't a dream." She says making me smile. "No it isn't a dream don't worry you indeed have Mac and you have me. We love you so much." I answer back just also wanting to make Duke feel better about it.

"Thanks for being there." She says making me smile "Of course I love you so I will always be there for you no matter what happens." I say making her blush. "I mean you're my world already. And Mac is already my sun I can't live without you two so I'm going to do anything to make you two happy. I never want to see anything else then a smile on your face." I say making her smile a bit. "Well you're doing great then because it is working." She says making me nod about it. "Did you know that your eyes have a pretty twinkling in it? It really makes me think of all the stars outside. So I think that from all the stars in the heaven you're the prettiest one and the one that shines the most making me really lucky to have you around me." Duke says actually making me blush about it not thinking so would say something like that back.

"You know Heather is right about it. You're eyes shine like the stars. So if you ask me the stars don't shine without you." Mac suddenly says making Duke and me look at her in confusion. "Oh sorry I just woke up and I decided to talk with you." She says giving a smile making Duke and me smile more. "That is fine sunshine." I say making Mac giggle "You're already giving me a nickname that is so great." She says and I just nod about it. "Well I mean after all you're a sunshine so they're not wrong." Duke says before smirking a bit. "But I think I'm gonna call you little bunny. And then for (y/n) it is of course (n/n)." She says making me smile and Mac giggle.

"Well then Duke I also of course need a nickname for you so what about Jagiya?" I ask seeing her turn really red. "Well that is the name then." I say making Mac look confused. "What does that mean?" She asks making me smile. " It is Korean for baby." I say and she nods "That is a good name. Now I think I have some ideas. Heather is going to be Dukey just because I can do that." Mac said making me laugh especially since she looked so proud about it. "Fine but only because it is you." Duke said making me laugh more. "I Really love the both of you." I say happy to have them with me. "Well I love you two as well." Mac said really excited. "I love you two idiots as well." Duke said making Mac and me laugh. "Hey I'm not an idiot." I say before seeing the look Duke gives me and I just nod "okey okey I'm an idiot." I say before putting another movie on for us enjoying the time I have together with them.

I hope this is something you all enjoy and I will try to write more until then keep beautiful and stay yourself

And again Happy birthday @sophie-lux-isms I hope you really have an amazing day and that this can make you happy

[shipmistress9]

FTLOAP: Chapter 2: I know not if fate would have us live as one

Prologue; Chapter 1

Thanks again to all of you for the wonderful feedback I got here, on ff-net, and on AO3. You guys are awesome! :D

And, as always, credits to my beta-reader/editor/co-author @athingofvikings who sometimes comes up with the funniest bits of side plot ever ;) 

. o O o .

In a daze, Astrid followed Timothy – or Tuff as everyone called him – out of the stables. All of her efforts went towards ensuring that her outward appearances were calm, typical, even placid – which was almost more than she could manage. Inside, her heart was racing and her head was a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions, all centred around a single question.

What had just happened?

It had started so simply. She’d gone to the stables to see the new horses that House Jag’r had undoubtedly brought, hoping to spend a few hours in pleasant company, and, most importantly, not being the perfect Princess for a while.

And she’d found that, all right...

But she’d also discovered something quite... unexpected.

What just happened...

As discretely as she could, she took a shaky breath as an old memory surfaced in her mind. She remembered a visit to the southern seashore when she was a child. She remembered watching the tide come in, a wave of water that had quickly drowned the beach that she had walked across only hours before. Some of the children on the beach, digging for clams and the like, had barely been able to outrun the rushing water.  

What just happened... it had felt like that. She’d been swamped by these unexplainable feelings and that… that vision... Like something was pulling her toward him, seemingly as inexorably as the tide.

Nothing made sense.

She fought hard against the urge to lift her hand to her lips, to trace where he’d kissed her. It was of supreme importance that, whatever she did, Tuff mustn’t notice anything. He couldn’t learn about what had just happened.

It was weird in a way, ironic even. It hadn’t been her first kiss. That she’d lost to Snotlout when she was seven. And it hadn’t even been her first real kiss either, because that one had gone to Eret two years ago – as part of an experiment.

No, it wasn’t just that he’d kissed her. It had been so much more than that.

She had felt it almost immediately, when he’d treated her like a human being, and not as an adornment or path to power. When he’d talked to her, had joked and laughed with her, had made her work, and had teased her. Even in those early moments, there had been something between them already, something more than just the thrill of being treated like a normal person. There had been a lightness, a feeling of rightness, something she’d never felt before, not with her brother nor with any of her friends.

When he’d first brushed against her, she’d felt like something inside had shifted into place that had always been slightly off before. She couldn’t describe it any better, but it had felt so… so… right! It had felt right to touch his hand, right to carefully caress his fingers, and so very right to nudge him during their bantering, as if she’d known him all her life. As if she should know him.

But when he’d kissed her…

There were no words to describe that feeling. The images his lips had conjured to her mind’s eye, and the sheer longing it had stirred within her. Longing for what she’d seen, but, even more so, a soul-deep longing for this man, this stranger who’d captured her heart and soul in merely a couple of hours.

And yet, it could never be.

Astrid balled her hands into fists at her sides to keep them from trembling. She needed time, needed to think and to put some order into her head. Right now, everything was just this chaotic mess. Just an hour of peace, that was all she needed. But she probably wouldn’t get an hour today anymore.

She wouldn’t even get a few minutes.

Almost without intending to do so, she wandered away from Tuff and the pathway back to the castle. Her gaze drifted to the small lake at the forest’s edge, and, as always, a peaceful smile crept across her face. It was a beautiful lake, a real lake, not some hand-dug pond full of gasping ornamental fish. The banks here were covered with reeds and cattails, and teeming with wildlife. It was her favourite place on the castle grounds.

Well, maybe except for the stables.

Her eyes were caught by the majestic swans gliding over its surface, and, as usual, there was this strange yearning deep inside her. A yearning to be as free as they were, and also a bit of jealousy at how they could chase off people that annoyed them and people seemed to respect that.

“Hey, hey, don’t you run off again, young lady!”

Astrid rolled her eyes, and sighed. Of course, Tuff wouldn’t let her have any more moments of peace today.

“I’m not running away, Tuff. I’m just…” she shrugged, trailing off. What should she say? She wanted to run away! She didn’t want to return to the castle, to the stiff rules, and the even more rigid expectations. Instead, she wanted to… to return to the stables, and back into those arms that had held her tightly, so tight that they’d almost crushed her.

She inhaled sharply at that thought. Freya, what was going on with her? Her mind drifted back to that toothy grin, to those lively forest green eyes beneath that mane of auburn hair, and she couldn’t help but smile briefly.

But it was nothing but a dream. As much as she might wish otherwise, she knew that nothing could ever come of it. She had to keep telling herself that. Her father would never allow it. As right as it had felt, and as much as she wanted it to come true, it still could never be. It was too dangerous, and she would not risk –

“Astrid, if you’re not coming with me right now, then I’m not responsible for my actions anymore.” Tuff had probably meant for his voice to sound threatening, but it just served to make her lips twitch in light amusement, despite her troubled thoughts. And it served to distract her, for which she was grateful. She shouldn’t think about this, about him. It could never be.

“Alright, Tuff,” she gave in, turned, and walked ahead of her warder, back toward the castle. “I’ll be good now. Just for you.”

“Oh, I’ll never understand women,” she heard him mumble almost incoherently. Then he added louder, “That’s good to hear, but I’m sure you’re not doing it just for me. Because I know that you wouldn’t want to miss Eret’s accolade. No, you can’t fool me. Even you can’t ignore an event like this.”

Astrid whirled around, and stared at him, eyes wide. “That’s today?” she asked disbelievingly. “His accolade is today already? Are you sure?”

Tuff shrugged. “As far as I’ve heard, yes. You see, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Of course, I thought you’d be at the stables, and that’s where I looked for you first. At the main stables. But those were filled with hundreds of horses and dozens of stable staff from House Jag’r, and none of them had seen you there, although the old goat was there, shouting orders and making everyone stressed out.”

“Tuff!  You know better than to call Eret’s grandfather that!” Astrid chided him, glancing to see if anyone had heard the impolitic remark, and then leaned in to whisper, “At least so long as we’re not behind closed doors.” And regardless of how true it was, she thought with a grimace.

Tuff shrugged and continued with his tale of woe. “Then I went to Fishlegs at the physician’s chambers, because I know how much time you spend there watching him mix all those weird tinctures and paints for his master. But he said he hadn’t seen you all day, so he sent me to his wife in the kitchens. Which was a great excuse to swipe one of the pastries Heather had just made, by the way. You know, these small ones filled with – oh, never mind. She hadn’t seen you either, but she said she wouldn’t even have noticed you with all the extra work they had because of the accolade. Looks like your father decided on that one on a whim. Or your brother persuaded him to do so, which is more likely, I guess. That way, we can get rid of the old goat – pardon, Eret the Elder faster. Anyway, Eret is the only sensible candidate, so it has to be his accolade today.”

Astrid rubbed her forehead as she filtered the small bit of important information out of Tuff’s extended monologue. “And why haven’t you said so sooner?” she inquired, and turned to hurry up the path toward the castle again.

“I would have if I’d found you sooner. You see, after Heather and the rest of the kitchen staff confirmed that you hadn’t been there all day, I went to every other place I could think of. I looked at your herb garden, at the archery range… Odin, I even went to the library, before I remembered that House Jag’r sometimes uses these remote stables as well. And then I had to come all the way out here. Honestly, you can’t expect me to remember every tiny bit of unimportant information after such a hike.”

She took a deep breath, but didn’t comment any further. She could point out any number of responses; that Eret had been her best friend since they were children, that she felt closer to him than she did to her own brother, and that his accolade was something he’d been looking forward to for years. Of course, his accolade was important. But Tuff already knew all that, so where was the point. Instead of wasting any more time and energy, she hurried on up the hill, Tuff on his long legs right behind her.

Once they reached the castle’s main gate, however, she paused. She waited for Tuff to quickly put her hair back into order as best he could, his nimble hands working to get the braids back into what he considered acceptable condition, and then shook the last bits of dust and straw out of her skirts. He gave her appearance a last once-over, and then nodded grimly.

With deliberate calmness, she stepped out into the open.

As always, several people greeted her as she walked along the road that led through the gate, minor noblemen who lived in town, merchants who bowed in their usual exaggerated manner, and common people who gazed at her in wonder before hastily scrambling out of her way. Calmly, she walked past them, smiling pleasantly as it was expected of her. Astrid hated this public part of the castle. She hated always keeping up appearances, always making a show of dignity and aloofness. She hated being this puppet, this royal figurehead. She understood why it was necessary, why the royal family needed to show strength and control. Those were subtle reminders as to who was in charge – to the kingdom, to the distant offshoot branches of her own House, to the other nobles, to the Temple, and to the common folk. Although to those commoners and peasants, it was less a threat and reminder of who was the boss than it was a calming reassurance of prosperity and stability.  

But she hated wearing this mask nonetheless. Because it simply wasn’t who she was.

The inner courtyard was surprisingly busy for the time of day. There were merchants with full waggons blocking each other’s way, and servants bustling about hastily. Meanwhile, the usual groups of children were running around, playing games, but their numbers seemed greater than normal, especially with the smaller groups of youth that stood off to the sides, taking breaks.

The commotion confused Astrid, but then she remembered what Tuff had said. Eret’s accolade was tonight. Of course, the castle was in chaos, trying to prepare an appropriate feast in time.

Inwardly, her pleasant smile turned into a smirk. All this effort, and the person of honour would certainly enjoy it more if the celebrations for his grand day would instead consist of telling scary stories around a campfire. But that was, of course, out of the question.

“Oh, hey!” a familiar voice called out to them, and Astrid turned toward the plump man running in their direction. When he reached them, Fishlegs dutifully bowed to her, and then turned toward Timothy.

Right… public ground meant that her friend wasn’t even allowed to talk to her.

“I see you’ve found her,” the physician’s apprentice said, gasping for air from his short sprint. He threw her a careful smile, hidden behind a hand over his mouth which she answered with a slow blink of her eyelids. The only form of friendly greeting they could risk, even with the wedding band glinting on her friend’s finger.

“Yeah, I did,” Tuff replied, lazily leaning against a stone column that supported a gallery overhead. “Guess what? She was at the stables after all. The other stables.”

“Not surprising,” Fishlegs nodded. “I thought that’s where you had looked first, or I would have suggested it.”

Astrid gritted her teeth as the men kept chatting as if she wasn’t there. It was the law. Lowborn as they were, they were not to address her directly. And in return, as a woman, she was not allowed to speak up anyway.

It was infuriating!

She was Astrid of House Hofferson, daughter of King Osmond the Kind and sister to the Prince and future King Daniel. Since the death of her stepmother four years ago, she had been the First Lady of the kingdom. And yet she could do nothing but stand and wait until her warder was finished with his chat. She wasn’t even allowed to walk on on her own, for Freya’s sake!

Not wanting to listen to her friends joking around without being able to participate, she tuned them out as best she could. It was a skill she’d learned early in her education, mostly in regards to her tutors.

“And Eret really arrived already? Are you sure?”

The mention of her friend’s name caught her attention, and Astrid turned her focus to the conversations around her without turning or looking in their directions. There were two young women standing close-by, chatting animatedly, and Astrid grinned inwardly at their topic.

“Yes, I’m telling you, he’s here already. So there’s no point in waiting near the road to accidentally fall down in front of him. Besides, my brother said he rode one of their stallions. You know, one of these really big horses House Jag’r breeds in the eastern plains. He probably would have simply trampled over you.”

“Oh, but I wouldn’t have minded. He’s so handsome, dying at his feet might be worth it.”

“You’re hopeless.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid watched the girls walk away, chuckling quietly to herself. They were right, of course, Eret was handsome with his warm brown eyes, the broad chin highlighted with a few tribal tattoos, and the even broader shoulders. She’d noticed that much, alright. She wasn’t blind. And yet, it was still funny to listen to those girls swooning over him, when she knew that his heart belonged to someone else.

Cheered up by this encounter, Astrid kept listening to the conversations around her while she waited for Tuff to go on. Those other conversations weren’t as interesting and she listened to several at once instead of keeping track of a single one. Everyone was talking over everyone else, and keeping track of the individual conversations was quite a challenge.

“So, what is it about these apples you wanted to show me. Are they any special?” one young servant said to another.

Nearby, a pair of young men were chatting. “I’m thinking about taking the King’s shilling and joining the Prince out west for next year’s summer campaigning.”

“Well, they look delicious, don’t you think? Too bad we have orders to get the other ones. I would have loved to swipe one or two for later,” the second servant said.

“Huh, Trader Bartek. You've got a good haul this visit. What changed?" asked one of the Chamberlain’s men to a nicely dressed merchant, inspecting his cart.

“I dunno, Bobby. It’s still fighting, right?” the second young man said with trepidation.

“Oh, you would do that, wouldn’t you? Ah, but I agree. It’s not like it would actually attract attention if a dozen apples or so go missing,” replied the first servant.

Meanwhile, the first young man scoffed. “Aye? So? I’ve heard André got in on one of the nobleman’s ransoms from those skirmishes, and has been showing off the purse and that awesome scar on his calf. Ever since he got back, he’s had a bevvy of girls to choose from. So, what do you think, are you coming, too?”

“No, I’m not. He didn’t get that scar from falling off a horse, or something. And not everybody comes back, remember?  Jack the miller’s grandnephew got killed. I don’t think I can do that to my mother and sister,” the second young man said.

"Ah, well, with that business out west, the high roads are safe to travel again," the merchant said, sounding satisfied.

“Don’t be such a coward, Greg. The chance of actually dying in one of the skirmishes is less than for the proverbial cripple to court the Princess. Practically non-existent,” the first young man said.

“Do you think we could get away with buying an additional bag of these? The Mistress surely gave us enough money for these orders,” the servants chattered.

"Oh? I know the knights usually don’t bother merchants, but what about the bandits? They used to be quite a pest," the Chamberlain’s man said.

“Hush, she’s right over there, you fool!” the second young man hissed.

The merchant cackled. "Aye, the new lord has a way with bandits. Join the army, or hang from a tree. One forest road was just filled..."

Suddenly shaking, Astrid forced herself to stop listening. With unseeing eyes, she stared at the cobblestones beneath her feet, trying to fight off the images those last words had conjured up in her mind. She needed to get away from here, to distract herself, as those images threatened to overwhelm her. She audibly cleared her throat to catch Tuff’s attention, and gave him a stern look when he looked up at her.

“Oh, right,” he said, pushing himself off the column. “We need to get going. Still lots to do for tonight.”

“Ah, yes. Me, too. Master Mulch wants me to get more caraway, centaury, and fennel. We’re going to need those after tonight’s feast. Lots of stomach trouble to be expected. Well, I’ll see you around, I guess.” He waved shortly, and then hurried to one of the merchant’s waggons on his short legs.

Without exchanging another word, she continued on her way, Tuff close behind her, watching her. She strolled down the hallways and up the stairs, past servants who swiftly made way for her, no matter how heavy the burden was they were carrying.

Once they reached her private chambers, her shoulders slumped down, and she let out a heavy sigh. She’d successfully run the gauntlet through the public part of the castle without inflicting harm on either herself or her reputation. It might have been only a few minutes, but the role was exhausting regardless.

“No time to lose, come on,” Tuff urged – ignoring the time he’d just wasted talking with Fishlegs – and dragged her on. “Ruff? Are you here? I found her.”

Ruff appeared from the dressing room, and rolled her eyes when she saw her mistress. “How do you do it?” she asked incredulously. “It’s mid-afternoon. I braided your hair this morning. How is it possible that it already looks like you were rolling in the hay with a stable boy? Unless that’s what you did, in which case I don’t want to know.”

Astrid flinched slightly, but covered any further visible reactions by walking past her servant and entering the dressing room. Ruff’s words were awfully close to the truth, but she couldn’t let her see that.

“Close enough. She was playing with horses again,” Tuff replied.

“I didn’t play with them, I rubbed them down,” she corrected, sending a small prayer of thanks to the Gods over this change of topic. She knew the twins wouldn’t be happy to hear that, either, but it was a fairly safe bit of information. Something that wouldn’t get a certain someone into trouble.

A someone with an incredibly dazzling smile, and an irresistible laugh.

“You did what? Oh, nooo. All the dust and dirt of days on the road, and it’s all on your dress now. As if my usual work wasn’t hard enough already,” Ruff grumbled, but Astrid didn’t pay her much attention. Rachel and Timothy had fairly little work to do in comparison with the other castle servants  – even taking into account Astrid’s... tendency to rattle the bars of her gilded cage. “Okay, okay, over here now. Tuff, go and heat a little water while I get her out of this dress.”

As usual, Astrid’s focus relaxed a bit while the twins buzzed around her. Out of the dusty dress, a quick wash, and into a new, even fancier dress. Then it was endless combing of her knee-long hair before it got braided once again. She would have done parts of that herself, if only they let her. But no, works like these weren’t suitable for a Princess.

With nothing else to occupy her mind, her thoughts wandered back toward those wonderful hours at the stables earlier. She remembered how happy she’d felt in his presence, how her heart had felt so warm and her head so light. She remembered how his lips had felt as they’d moved with hers, how he’d tasted. Without her help, her hand began to wander up to her mouth, but she caught herself quickly. She mustn’t give away anything.

She remembered how hot his hands had felt on her neck and waist, how his heat had seemed to flood into her and ignite her heart and soul. How she’d never felt anything even close to the bliss that merely thinking about him at this moment kindled in her chest.

Then another, older memory rose in her mind, of another pair of eyes bulging out of their sockets, and a body twisting and twitching desperately beneath a tree branch.

With a low gasp, Astrid tore herself out of her memories. With wide eyes, she stared at her reflection, fighting to keep her hands from shaking and her breathing at a normal pace.

This was different!

What happened today… It was different from what had happened all those months ago. It wasn’t the same. It couldn’t…

Astrid was well-versed at keeping her emotions locked inside her. But it was still a blessing that the twins, who probably could read her better than anyone else, were busy getting her hair in order, or else they surely would have noticed the turmoil within her.

These blissful moments she’d spent with this man, with Hiccup, had been wonderful. And all she really wanted to do right now was to go back. She wanted to hide from the world, and pretend to be just a normal girl. But that was nothing new, she often thought those things. But today was different. Today, she didn’t just wish to be a normal girl for herself. Today, she wished she could be a normal girl, because the Princess could never be with a simple stable lad. Today, she wanted to be a normal girl so she could be with him.

But she wasn’t a normal girl.

This wish, this dream could never come true.

And she would almost certainly never see him again anyway.

. o O o .

It took almost an hour, but finally, Ruff placed the swan-shaped coronet onto her hair and Tuff declared her presentable. With mixed feelings, Astrid made her way through the castle and toward the main audience chamber where the accolade would be held.

It would be one of those events she usually dreaded the most. She wouldn’t need to do anything. She just needed to be present, to smile, and to behave while the men went about their business. She would need to wear this mask of aloofness and fake smiles all night, during the accolade itself and during the elaborate dinner afterwards. That alone would usually be reason enough for her to find some excuse, any excuse, to arrive as late as possible, to leave early under the pretence of a headache, or to not show up at all.

But for her best friend she could endure it all.

She arrived just in time to slip through the royal’s entrance into the massive, high-ceilinged and splendidly decorated room. She took her place in the smaller but still quite ornate chair next to her father’s throne. Daniel, who sat on the other side, gave her an amused smirk at her late arrival while her father threw her an irked and scolding look. Of course, he wasn’t happy about her absence earlier, but, honestly, what had he expected?

Beside them stood some of the High Priests, here to witness the accolade as well. Lord Alvin, the Priest of Odin, who was one of the King’s oldest advisors. Lord Throg, the Priest of Thor, who also was the King’s loyal general and defender of the kingdom. Lady Gothi, the Priestess of Frigga, who was older than any living being remembered, and who was said to be able to tell truth from lie, just like every member of her order. And Lady Mala, the Priestess of Freya, a beautiful woman who Astrid assumed to be more than simply another advisor to her father.

They stood to either side of them, the men next to Daniel and the women next to her, and, as usual, their presence made Astrid nervous. She wasn’t sure whether Lady Gothi needed spoken words to detect a lie, or whether she was able to see right through her mask anyway. And the services Lady Mala offered in the name of the Goddess of Love – well, no, they didn’t make her nervous.

They made her curious.

Beyond from the small group of people up on the dais, the room was brimming with people; the benches had been removed, and it was standing room only. Only a few strides from the foot of the dais stood the witnesses and guests, with the higher ranked members in front, and whatever servants had managed to sneak in or who were circulating through the chamber as needed.  

Eret the Elder was front and centre, having emerged from his semi-retirement in managing his House’s third-largest stud farm for his grandson’s accolade, and leaning on his cane. Flanking him was what seemed like half of House Jag’r’s vassals, plus all of her father’s own immediate vassals. But that was to be expected; House Jag’r was one of the three great Arch-dukedoms – what had been princedoms in their own right before her grandfather had unified the kingdom – and their horses were widely seen as superior in quality among all of the local kingdoms. Other dignitaries, officials, a few prominent subjects from the cities, and anyone else that could beg an invitation were here.

And each and every single one of them seemed to be chattering on and on, their voices echoing off of the stone walls, the tapestries insufficient to swallow the noise.

“All Gods above, I probably don’t even need to fake a headache,” Astrid murmured, sure that nobody could hear over the deafening noise in the room. But Lady Gothi shook with what probably was silent laughter at her words, and her father threw her an exasperated look. Before he could say anything to berate her, however, the fanfares sounded. They drew everyone’s attention toward the big front gates that opened now to permit a small group of men.

At the front came His Grace Sir Eret II, Grand Duke of Eastervale, Head of House Jag’r. He looked regal as usual, and the sight of him served – somewhat – to calm Astrid’s unease. As annoying as all this was to her, it was still about people she cared for. Lord Eret had always been like a second father to her, and he was more like family to her than the distant branches of House Hofferson scattered all over the country.

Behind the Grand Duke walked the person of honour for this night. Astrid had to bite her lip to not laugh at the almost comically exaggerated formal outfit Eret wore. It was customary, of course. He was to become a knight in a few minutes. Of course, he had to look stately and noble and all. But she knew very well that he enjoyed dressing up like a pompous monkey just as much as she did. That being said, he did look very dashing in the brocaded silks and silver-chased chainmail, although the rampant horses embroidered on his deep blue tabard seemed almost excessive. The finely tooled riding boots, on the other hand – utterly impractical for actual riding, with the elaborate patterns embossed into the leather that would quickly be worn smooth and filled with dirt during any actual riding – were most assuredly over the top, however. And they looked so stiff and new that she marvelled he could walk in them.

As his party came closer, Eret threw her a wide grin and winked, and she couldn’t help but grin back. She hadn’t seen him in months, but those gaps had never been able to tear down their friendship. Of course, she could have met him earlier already if she’d been there to greet him and his father. But then, she actually had expected him to ride with their horses instead, so it was his fault alone that they hadn’t met earlier. Kind of…

Not that she actually blamed him. If Eret had been there to tend the horses, she wouldn’t have spent those wonderful hours listening to that voice like molten honey and watching those beautiful eyes gleam excitedly.

Eyes that suddenly flashed at her from behind Eret, and that made Astrid’s heart burst with joy and sink with fear at the same time.

. o O o .

Next Chapter

[retro-pure-jdonica]

chapter 55

I wake up Monday morning and am immediately filled with a sense of worry at the thought of finals and midterms today. Today I had midterms in mathematics and english, since they were year long courses, and a final in World History, because it was only a semester. Not feeling like dressing up today at all, I put on a pair of denim capris and a thick blue sweater to keep my warm. I pull my hair back into a ponytail before lacing on a pair of saddle shoes and grabbing my bookbag to rush downstairs and eat breakfast before leaving to catch the bus.

Not wasting any time talking to the Heathers or J.D., I go straight to my first period upon arriving to school so I can sit down and attempt to study just before the class began.

The school system was kind enough to make today and tomorrow half-days, since taking three finals each day would only take about four hours anyways. So after four straight hours of testing I escape from the school and go to meet J.D. at his motorbike. After a few minutes pass by, I spot J.D. headed towards me, hiding towards the back of a small crowd of students.

“Hello, how was your day?” I ask J.D. once he gets caught up to me.

“Very tiresome.” He laughs, spinning his keys around on his forefinger. “Oh, I think it may be  the season finale for The Twilight Zone tomorrow, so are you still coming over after you and the girls go to Rosie’s?”

“Yes, of course. I can’t believe it’s the end of the semester already.” I sigh, a laugh finding its way into my words. “I guess this means that we’ve been together for about three months now.” I think out loud.

“I guess so, huh?” J.D. smiles, leaning forward and kissing me quickly. “Come on, I’ll get you home.” J.D. says before we get on his motorcycle and drive back to my house. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow around five.” He reminds me as he drops me off in my driveway. I nod and say goodbye before watching him speed out of the neighborhood.

***

The Tuesday school day was all too similar to Monday. Although, I feel my sluggishness begin to turn into excitement as I sit in my last period class, gently tapping my foot on the floor as I watch the clock tick down the last five minutes of the day. Finally, a bell echoes throughout the classroom and I snatch my books up from my desk before practically running out of the building and over to Heather McNamara’s car. On my way out, I pass by J.D. and we simply smile at each other before continuing on our way.

“We’re free!” I hear a voice call out from behind me. I turn around and see Heather McNamara walking over towards me, a golden smile playing on her lips.

“I know, but for barely two weeks this year.” I laugh, rolling my eyes.

“God, it’s just so unfair. We got off for almost a whole month last year.” Heather complains, unlocking the trunk and putting her book bag in it.

“Yes, but this year we get a spring break. Although, Washington has always had a spring break and their winter break is still almost a month.” I point out. “But I’m pretty sure that their summer is shorter.”

“Oh, what are we talking about?” Heather Chandler asks as she walks up with Heather Duke.

“Nothing, just winter break.” Heather McNamara shrugs, opening her car door and sitting down. The other two girls and I sit in our regular seats before driving off to Rosie’s.

“Why don’t we get hot chocolate this time, we can be festive.” Heather Chandler suggests, turning around to face the back seat as she speaks so Heather Duke and I.

“That sounds fun.” I smile. The thought of hot chocolate on this cold day made me happy, enjoying it with my friends made me even happier. We arrive at Rosie’s, about three hours earlier than usual because it was a half-day, and go sit down at our regular booth. We order our hot chocolates and begin to chat about school, christmas, boys, and pretty much everything else in between. Whichever one of them originally came up with the idea of these weekly trips to Rosie’s was ingenious; it let’s us catch up with one another on a very constant basis and gives us a chance to complain about things or gush about things.

On typical milkshake days, I only have about an hour in between Heather dropping me off and J.D. picking me up, but today I have almost four hours. Also on typical milkshake days I have homework but today I have none so I’ll have to make up something to keep me occupied during my free time. I decide to start up on a new crochet project, a hobby which I have been rather negligent of since I began studying for finals and midterms. Since it was becoming much colder, I decide to start a simple granny square blanket; nothing too fancy, nothing too big, but enough to keep me busy.

I make excellent progress until about two hours later when the phone begins to ring. I reach over to my bedside table and grab the phone to answer it, and I become very surprised when I hear J.D.’s voice on the other line.

“Hi J.D., is everything alright?” I ask, still confused as to why he may be calling when he’ll be picking me up in about two hours.

“Yes, of course. I was just thinking about you and wanted to ask if I could come pick you up a little bit earlier, maybe in about twenty minutes?” J.D. requests, his comment about me making me blush.

“That sounds wonderful, I’ll go tell mother right now. Goodbye, J.D..” I respond before hanging up the phone and walking downstairs to find mother. After trailing around almost all of downstairs, I eventually find her in the master bedroom watching television.

“Hello, Veronica. How was the last day of the semester?” Mother asks with a smile, sitting up on the bed.

“Very busy, but luckily that’s all over with now. This afternoon, of course, I was going to go over to J.D.’s house like I do every Tuesday to watch television, but since it was a half-day at school today I was wondering if I could go over there earlier? I just got off of the phone with J.D., and he said he could come get me in about twenty minutes if that’s okay.” I ask for permission, hoping that she’ll say yes. After all of the craziness that finals have brought along, I need to escape to somewhere where I can be calm.

“Yes, do you know when you’ll be back?” Mother replies.

“Thank you, and I believe that I should be back around six o’clock, or at least some time before dinner.” I explain, knowing that dinner was her main concern in when I would be back.

“That sounds good. Goodbye, Veronica.” She smiles back. I nod before going back up to my room where the twenty minutes before J.D. arrives feels like twenty hours, but eventually the sound of a doorbell signifies that the time has passed. I rush downstairs and smile when I am met with J.D. after opening the front door.

“Hello, are you ready?” J.D. asks before beginning to walk back over to his motorbike. I nod and follow beside him to get on his bike and drive back to his house. As we enter his house, a question enters my head and I decide to ask J.D. about it.

“Is there any reason for me coming over early, like, in particular?” I question J.D. as I follow him into the living room.

“Well, since you mention it,” J.D. starts, turning around to face me and wrapping his hands around the small of my back, making me blush. “I thought that I could help you destress, you know, after finals and everything.”

“You did?” I smile back, placing my hands on his shoulders. The last time something like this happened we were interrupted by a phone call, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been hoping for something like this to happen again, but this time preferably without the interruptions.

“Yeah.” J.D. responds quickly before leaning down and kissing me. After a second of shock, I run my fingers through his hair and pull him closer to me. A few moments later, J.D. pulls away and looks down the hallway beside us, confusing me, before wrapping his hand around my wrist and leading me towards his bedroom.

Once inside, he quickly closes the door before directing his attention back onto me. He grabs the sides of my waist and lifts me up before setting me down on the edge of his bed and pressing his lips back against mine. I raise my hands and slide off his leather jacket, tossing it to the floor before taking off my blue sweater I wore over my dress.

J.D. pulls away once more, but this time to look me up and down and smile, which causes me to blush. In the moderate silence, I realize how heavily I was breathing. “I thought that the point of this was to calm you down, but it sounds like it’s getting you wound up.” J.D. comments with a small smile.

“Hush.” I roll my eyes, placing my hands behind his neck and pulling him back towards me.