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the-girl-in-the-box · 2 years

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The Best Kind of Trouble

A/N: FINALLY Day 7 is here! Writing these oneshots for Barris Week 2022 has been so much fun, and I really hope you all have been enjoying reading them as much as I've been writing them. For my last piece, I tried to focus on keeping it mostly light- I don't believe this one actually needs any sort of content warning, even! A fun note here, though- this piece was vaguely inspired by the film noir genre, and as such I've left the time period entirely ambiguous. Hopefully, that means it'll fit the modern AU prompt, but if not... Oh well, I had fun writing it anyway! That said, thank you to everyone who supported me through my participation in this event, and I look forward to the next one :) Skål!

Summary: Detective Richard Ellis is brought a case by Lady Mary Crawley, and he soon realises he got far more than he bargained for.

It was a rainy evening in London when Mary Crawley first stepped into the office of Detective Richard Ellis, tall and thin with eyes which could cut right through him- could probably cut right through anyone. She was immaculately dressed in a tailored suit, hat pulled just so over her hair, so that he could tell immediately she came from great wealth. He sat up a bit and leaned forward against his desk as she settled herself in the chair across from him.

“Detective Ellis,” she greeted. “I’m afraid I have a case for you, and it isn’t one I’m happy to bring.” Richard’s eyes narrowed slightly, his brows drawing together as he focused on what she was saying. She seemed worried, more anxious than she was letting on, and his mind started working before she had even explained a thing. “This is my son, George Crawley,” she said, producing a picture of a young boy from her bag. He looked to be a kind lad, with big round eyes and perfectly styled hair- no doubt a sign of the wealth he’d been born into. “He’s been missing since this morning, but the police say it’s too early to declare him truly missing.”

Well, that sounded about right, and Richard couldn’t quite hold back a bitter chuckle. “I’m not surprised,” he told her. “You’d think with it being a child they’d get right on it- especially the child of one of the wealthiest families in England.”

Something tugged at the corner of her lips, a small smirk of agreement perhaps which added to the mask of nonchalance she wore. “I agree,” she said. “Children don’t just get up and walk away, not the same as adults are prone to do. And anyway, George had nannies around him as well as staff and his family in the house at all times. I can’t understand where he might have gotten off to that none of them would know a thing.”

“Probably because someone in your house does know something,” he figured. “If your son is George Crawley, I suspect that makes you Mary Crawley, am I correct?”

“You are,” she answered.

Richard hummed. “I’ll be in Downton village by late tonight, and I’ll see what I can dig up about your missing son.”

Relief flickered over her face, more subtle than the shadows of the raindrops from the moonlight hitting his window, but it painted enough of a picture that Richard already had some ideas forming about her. She was a worried mother, more worried than her wealth and status would allow her to show in their world, but it seeped through if one knew what they were looking for. Fortunately, he did.

He caught the last train out from London that was offered that evening and made it to Downton at about eleven, taking his luggage and walking up to the ticket booth when he arrived. Mary had left the picture of her son with him, in hopes that it might somehow be of use, and Richard had been determined that it would be before he returned it to her. If all went well, he’d be able to return it along with the boy himself.

The man in the ticket booth offered Richard a kind smile as he approached, and was prompted by his setting his luggage down to ask him, “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I was wondering if you might have seen this child come through here,” he stated, passing the picture to the other man. “Can you recall perhaps selling a ticket to a person who had him in tow?”

The salesman picked up the picture in his weathered hands, bushy eyebrows knitting together as he concentrated on trying to recall. “I’m afraid I can’t,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “It’s possible, as many people as come through here every day, but I don’t believe he’s come through here.”

Richard smiled tightly and thanked him for his time as he retrieved the picture, and then he started the walk up to the Grantham Arms, where he’d been put up for the night by Mary. In the morning, he’d come up to Downton Abbey as a guest, where he’d be allowed to begin conducting his investigation without raising any flags to warn those who might have been involved. It was a good enough plan, he thought, and should at least get him started in the right direction.

As he approached the aforementioned public house, he noticed a tall figure leaning against the wall, hat pulled down over his eyes and watching him walk up. He didn’t seem overly imposing, although he very well could have done, but he lifted his head a bit to show Richard that he had been seen. The first thing that caught Richard’s attention about this man was the shock of his icy blue eyes, and how they contrasted against his hair which was just about as dark as the night sky above them. Add to that his fair skin, and the smirk pulling at his red lips, and Richard was beginning to think he cut a rather imposing figure after all. If nothing else, he was the sort of man who spelled out Richard’s favorite kind of trouble.

Deciding to play the game, Richard walked right up to Thomas Barrow with a similar smirk on his own lips, and he sat his luggage down on the pavement beside him. “Do you normally wait out here to watch strangers, or is this something new you’re trying out?” he asked.

“Only watch the handsome ones,” Thomas replied, and shot a wink in Richard’s direction. “You staying tonight?”

Richard chuckled a bit and answered, “Just tonight. Did you have something in mind?”

“Depends,” he said. “How do you feel about some company?”

This earned him another chuckle, as Richard tilted his head just slightly to the side while he considered the offer. “I’ll buy you a drink,” he eventually decided, and the grin on the other man’s lips felt like a trap he was willingly walking straight into.

The two sat down together inside and spoke for some time, learning each other’s names and where they each were from- in addition to many other things. But eventually Richard began to stretch, and he looked over at Thomas, who was watching him carefully through the haze of smoke that came from his cigarette. “How about it, then?” he asked. “Are you ready to go up?”

Thomas chuckled and put his cigarette out in the ashtray in the center of the table, giving the impression that he was ready to do so, before he said, “Not tonight, I don’t think. Can’t make it too easy for you after all, can I? There’s not enough fun in that.”

“Not enough fun?” Richard repeated curiously. “So there is some, you think?”

“Handsome bloke like you?” Thomas pointed out, glancing over him as he spoke. “There’d be quite a lot of fun- but I think there’s more fun in making you play the game.” He winked again, and walked out, leaving a slightly incredulous Richard in his wake.

Richard went up to his room- regrettably alone- and settled in for the night, pulling out the picture of little George Crawley and looking it over once again. No, there wasn’t much left to be done that night, but he still thought it a good idea to at least consider what he knew so far. A missing heir and a house full of staff who could have taken him- a house full of family, too, as he wasn’t going to be too quick to rule that out. Anyone who had access to that boy was a suspect; he just had the task of sorting through them all until he found the culprit.

The next morning saw Richard rising bright and early to make the trek up to Downton Abbey itself, his mind set and focused on the task ahead of him. Well… when it didn’t wander to a certain handsome stranger from the night before.

One could imagine his surprise when he knocked on the door, and none other than said handsome stranger opened it. He looked different now, with the sun reflecting off his face as opposed to the moonlight, and wearing a butler’s livery as opposed to his day suit from the night before. Still just as handsome, but less seductive and more endearing with the way his eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock, before he quickly schooled his expression back to that of a servant.

“You’re Lady Mary’s guest, I take it, Mr. Ellis?” he asked, and Richard smiled as he nodded and stepped into the house.

“That I am,” he confirmed. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Thomas- or, I suppose I should call you Mr. Barrow now, shouldn’t I, if you’re the butler?”

Thomas glanced quickly around them to be sure the space was empty before he gave Richard a conspiratorial smirk and answered, “Only when there’s people around. You can call me whatever you like when we’re alone.” Ah, so the teasing wasn’t to stop then, Richard noted. He couldn’t find it in himself to be disappointed.

They started in toward the staircase which led up to the gallery so Thomas could lead Richard to the room he’d be staying in, but the pair were interrupted by Mary herself descending, and she smiled just a touch when she saw Richard. He noticed that it was the same sort of guarded smile she’d allowed herself when in his office before. So… she couldn’t even be open in her own home? How interesting.

“Ah, Mr. Ellis,” she greeted when they met on the middle landing. “I’m happy to see you’ve arrived safely. I trust your accommodations last night were to your liking? If you hadn’t been coming in so late, I’d have asked you to come straight on, but I didn’t want to wake the staff in the middle of the night.”

“Of course, I understand,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “I rather enjoyed the stop off, actually. I don’t often get to have a night off to sit and have a drink and a chat, but I managed both last night, and enjoyed them in equal measure.” He could just see Thomas bite back a smirk at the implications only they were privy to.

“How intriguing,” Mary commented. “Well, please don’t let me stop you from getting settled in- we’ll have tea in the library once you’re ready.” She turned to Thomas and gave him a polite nod. “Barrow,” she said, and then went on her way.

Once they were in Richard’s room, Thomas shut the door and smirked at him, leaning slightly back against it. “I have to admit, this was a very pleasant turn of events,” he said. “Thought you’d be settling in somewhere in the village, and it’d be a while before I saw you again.”

Richard lifted a curious brow and asked him, “How’d you know I wasn’t moving on after last night?”

“Suitcase isn’t big enough for a very long trip,” he explained, “but not small enough to think it wasn’t for travel. Took my chances on if you were just a town over, or staying here.”

His quick thinking was rather impressive to Richard, who lifted his brows curiously at the analysis. “Well, it looks like your risk has been rewarded,” he said. “The game is set to continue.”

Thomas grinned at him, and chuckled. “Good luck then, Mr. Ellis, though I’m not too sure you’ll need it.” Then, just as he had the night before, Thomas winked and walked out.

Richard chuckled and shook his head in an amused sort of way as he watched the door shut. Thomas Barrow was trouble alright, but luckily for both of them, Richard rather liked getting into trouble.

Tea was rather revealing to Richard, and it didn’t take him long at all to decide none of the family had been involved in taking little George. They were all genuinely concerned, and genuinely irritated with the police for not taking up the search sooner, which wouldn’t have been the case if they’d been involved at all. So, that left the staff, and Richard found himself grateful for the excuse of going down to see Thomas to keep them from wondering why he was down there.

He quickly ruled out the cook, Mrs. Patmore, and all her staff, as well as Mrs. Hughes, the head housekeeper. The Bateses were clean, as well, which really just left Mrs. O’Brien- Lady Grantham’s maid- a few others on staff who didn’t seem to be the type. Well, and there was Thomas, but he didn’t seem to be the type either.

That fact made it quite a shock when O’Brien pulled Richard aside to hastily whisper to him, “I overheard Lady Mary and her Ladyship talking about how you were going to come in and try to find Master Crawley, so I think it’s important you know Mr. Barrow took a trip up to London the same morning the boy disappeared, and we haven’t seen him since.”

Richard’s eyes clouded a bit as he grew troubled. “Thank you, Mrs. O’Brien,” he said. “I’ll look into it.”

He wandered back upstairs after that, and went to find Mary, already forming a plan in his head as to how he wanted to handle this. “I’d like to take your butler, Mr. Barrow, back to London with me,” he told her. “We met last night at the Grantham Arms by chance and have gotten on rather well since, and I think it’d be helpful on this case to have someone with me who knows your son but wouldn’t be recognisable to just anyone as such.”

Mary’s eyes widened a bit at this, and she blinked a few times. “You need Barrow to help you on this case?” she asked him. “I suppose it makes sense, that George would be quicker to trust him than you, if that’s what you’re thinking… But still, it does seem odd.”

“I’m sure it does,” Richard confirmed, “but it’d still be quite a help to me- just in case we find him and I haven’t got time to send for someone he’ll trust without tipping anyone off.”

“Very well,” Mary agreed. “I’ll send him along with you, then.”

So Richard soon found himself on the train platform with Thomas, both of them packed up for a trip back to London, going to the ticket booth to buy their tickets. When they walked up, Richard knew he’d be dropping a bit of a bomb on Thomas by asking this, but he still had to do it. “Did you sell this man a ticket out of Downton village yesterday morning?” Thomas looked at him, seeming to feel a bit betrayed, and Richard smiled apologetically at him. “Just have to cover all my bases,” he explained.

“I don’t recall having done so,” the man behind the counter said. “What would the name have been?”

“Thomas Barrow,” Richard supplied.

They both watched as the man flipped through his book, and eventually he hummed, and nodded. “Yeah, one ticket for London to a Mr. Thomas Barrow right here, sold yesterday at eight-thirty in the morning.”

“What?” Thomas demanded, his eyes going wide. “I didn’t leave Downton yesterday at all- much less take George to London!” Something in the shock and outrage pleaded with Richard to believe him, and he frowned a bit at the new information.

He ignored Thomas for a moment to tell the ticket seller, “Alright, sell him another one and one for myself as well- name’s Richard Ellis. Thanks.” The sale was quickly completed, and the two went to board the train at once. It was only then that Thomas brought up what had happened at the ticket booth.

“You really thought I might have taken George?” he questioned, and Richard shook his head.

“Not really,” he said. “O’Brien tipped me off and I wanted you to come with me anyway, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to check up on it. Says a lot to me that he sold to you, but not to you.”

Thomas’s eyes widened with realisation. “Someone used my name,” he said, and Richard nodded.

“Exactly,” he confirmed. “Now, I won’t lie to you- I am trying to find George Crawley, and right now, O’Brien’s just jumped up on my suspect list for trying to paint you in a bad light. Is there anything you know that might be of some help?”

Thomas swallowed, and Richard watched him shift uncomfortably in his seat. “Yeah,” he confessed. “Yeah, I think I might.”

Thus, the two men found themselves in a rather seedy establishment, which Richard realised rather quickly Thomas knew his way around well. In fact, Richard was rather surprised when Thomas put a hand on his back to keep him close and guide him through the crowd. He eventually brought Richard up to a man with a thin moustache and dark hair, leaning against the bar and sipping on a drink as he spoke to the bartender- Guy Dexter, who Richard knew to be one of the more influential men in London society. When he saw Thomas, he grinned.

“Ah, Mr. Barrow,” he greeted. “Coming to join me for another drink? Or who’s this you’ve brought with you? Surely you’re not replacing me already?”

Thomas chuckled, and Richard noticed how he slipped back into that suave confidence from the night before, almost imperceptibly. “I don’t replace,” he said. “I either move on, or I don’t, you know that- and you know I’ve moved on anyway. But this is Mr. Richard Ellis. Richard- this is-”

“Hang on, you mean Detective Richard Ellis?” Guy interrupted. “What are you getting into, Barrow?” Thomas sighed.

“We think O’Brien’s gone too far this time,” he said, the facade beginning to slip slightly. “Lady Mary’s son has gone missing, and she’s tried to pin it on me.”

“You wouldn’t have done it though,” Guy said, his brows creasing.

Richard interjected, “Which is why we suspect O’Brien- aside from the fact Thomas doesn’t think it’s out of her character.”

Guy hummed a little, knocking back the rest of his drink to give himself time to consider this information. His eyes followed a young couple as they laughed and squeezed past the three of them. “I haven’t heard anything,” he said. “But you know the right places to check, I couldn’t tell you anything better.”

Thomas gave a bit of a frustrated huff. “She’ll have that place locked up tight before we could get out, if we try to go in searching for anything,” he grumbled.

“Not if you get a warrant,” Guy pointed out, and Thomas’s eyes widened a little.

“You know who all that brings down if we go in with a warrant,” he said. “You really think that’s a good idea?”

Guy shrugged. “Maybe not,” he said, “but if it gets the kid back…” He pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote something out with a pen he had in his pocket, which he then signed and slid over to Thomas. “Take this to my secretary and she’ll get you one,” he instructed. “I shouldn’t be doing this, since we don’t have any sort of probable cause other than a character witness and a lie, but I don’t think you’re going after her with no cause.”

“We’re not,” Thomas confirmed, and Guy nodded.

“Good luck to you then,” he said. “Both of you. And make sure you have the right plan in place when you use that thing.”

“We will,” Richard promised. “Thank you.”

With the written order for a warrant, Thomas and Richard left to start plotting. “I’ll tell you, I don’t think O’Brien will know I’m actually helping you just yet,” he pointed out. “I could get in while you get the warrant done, and then if I find anything I’ll call and tell you to come with help?”

Richard frowned a bit. “That puts you at risk of being picked up in a raid,” he countered. “Absolutely not.”

“If it means we find George, then that’s okay,” he replied. “And if it goes south, Guy knows the right strings to pull- I wouldn’t be the first man he gets out of jail.”

“And I don’t want you to be the next,” Richard insisted.

Though Thomas didn’t fight it any further, he didn’t agree to anything either, so by the time they got to Guy’s office no plan had been derived except that they’d turn that warrant over to someone who could get O’Brien’s London flat searched, and hope something turned up. They walked into the building and a little bell rang overhead to announce their presence, which brought out a pretty woman with dark hair held up in a bun, her brown eyes warm and sweet.

“Thomas Barrow,” Phyllis greeted happily, walking around the counter to meet him. “I haven’t seen you in a long while- I hope you’re not in trouble again?”

“Steering clear of it as always, Ms. Baxter,” he replied with a grin, and kissed her cheek when she came to embrace him. “But I think it’s found me this time.”

Richard chuckled and smiled in an amused sort of way, shaking his head fondly. “More like I’m keeping you out of trouble,” he said. When Phyllis turned her attention to him, he offered his hand and introduced himself. “Richard Ellis.”

“Phyllis Baxter,” she replied, and shook it. “What can I do for the two of you?”

“Mr. Dexter sent us to have you draw this up for us,” Thomas explained, handing her the order for the search warrant. “Think you can help us out?”

Phyllis looked over the paper and chuckled. “Another forged warrant, hmm?” she said. “He asks for more of these… Let me see what I can do.” She disappeared into the back of the office, at which point Richard began to look around some of the various knick knacks and decorations scattered about. His attention was quite well captured by this, and so it took him a moment to look when the bell over the door rang again, just as Phyllis returned. “Oh, I’d have liked to have said goodbye to him,” she fretted, and Richard’s eyes widened as he realised what that had meant.

“Oh God, he’s already left,” he grumbled. Richard quickly took the forged warrant, which passed even to his trained eyes, and nodded. “Yes, this is perfect, thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to find him before he does get in trouble.”

She wished him luck and watched as he ran out the door, but lost sight of him quickly as he made a straight path to the nearest precinct. If he was fast enough, maybe they could scope the place out before Thomas got there. After all, it wouldn’t do any good if he got there before Thomas without the police. He’d blow it all, then.

It wasn’t difficult to find an officer who knew him who’d accept the warrant and get a group together, fortunately, and so Richard soon had enough officers to be able to do the search justice once they reached the flat. Fortunately, they made good time, but as soon as they got there Richard got a bad feeling. It seemed far too empty, too silent, and if that was so then where was Thomas? That feeling got worse and his stomach sank when the officers knocked on the door, and Thomas himself answered, holding little George Crawley on his hip. Thomas, no… he wanted to sigh.

“He’s got the kid!” one of the officers shouted, and then Richard was shoved aside when he tried to get through so they could pry a now crying George off of Thomas. As soon as they had him in hand, they started the process of arresting Thomas. No one heeded Richard’s protests when he tried to tell them what had really happened, and instead, Thomas was marched off as the officer who now held George- still screeching for “Mistew Bawwow”- turned back to Richard. “Thanks for your help again, Ellis,” he said. “Judge Carson won’t let him off easy for that one, I assure you- his wife works for the Crawleys, you know that?”

Just over that, he could barely hear Thomas shouting out, “-Barrow!” And then, it was over. Barrow? Richard wondered. Why would he just shout his surname at me? Regardless of the reason, Richard knew he needed to get help. Charles Carson was the toughest judge in the system, and if Thomas stood before him there was next to no chance he was getting out of it. Maybe he should go back to that Guy Dexter and see if there were some other papers he could forge to help, or maybe he could just… go and bust him out himself somehow. No, there’d still be the arrest documentation, and he’d be a fugitive, so that was no good.

As Richard walked by the train station on his way back to his own office, he chanced a glance up at the train times, wondering how soon it’d be before George was on his way home. He did a double take, and suddenly laughed, earning the attention of all those around him. “Oh my God, you genius,” he said, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit he ran from the station and down to the CPS law offices.

He hadn’t dealt with this man very frequently, but everyone in this sort of field knew exactly who he was. One of the toughest lawyers in the city, it had been his origin he’d heard Thomas shouting out, trying to send Richard to him. It didn’t come as any surprise that Philip Villiers, who had come from Crowborough, appeared shocked at the sight of a very dishevelled detective standing in his office, trying to catch his breath. “...Can I help you?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” Richard panted. “I need your help to get a man out of jail- he doesn’t deserve to be there and he’s going to trial under Carson, who I know won’t let him out, and-”

Philip chuckled and held up a hand to try and stop Richard’s rambling. “Slow down,” he said. “You do realise I’m not for the defense, don’t you? If you want him out, you’ll need to talk to his lawyer, I can’t do anything for him, Mr. Ellis, and I think you know that.”

“Then why did he tell me to find you?” Richard questioned.

Philip sighed as he took a seat in his chair behind his desk. “I have no way of knowing,” he replied, “but you need to get a defense attorney, not me, if you want your friend to walk. And you’d better get a good one if you’re up against Charles Carson.”

“I don’t normally advocate to get men out of jail, but I know for a fact this one’s innocent. I’ll even tell you who committed the crime if you’ll find a way to help, and you can bring her in yourself if you’d like. I’ll take you straight to her door, I just need you to help.”

“Look, even if I did want to help you- which I don’t particularly see any reason to, and so I don’t want to- there isn’t anything I could do, anyway. I don’t know what the crime is, but I suggest you prepare your friend to deal with whatever the maximum penalty is for whatever he did. That’s what Carson will hit him with.”

Richard swallowed hard, gritting his teeth. “He doesn’t deserve this,” he said. “He’s going to jail for supposedly kidnapping a kid he helped me find and rescue. How does that seem fair to you? Is justice not a good enough reason to want to help? He sent me to you specifically, and I don’t know why Thomas had such faith in you, but-”

“Wait, Thomas?” Philip interrupted. “You don’t mean Thomas Barrow, do you?”

“Yes?” Richard replied, blinking.

Philip groaned and ran a hand over his face. “Finally gets arrested and not even for something he did,” he muttered. “Alright, I’ll get my coat and we’ll go get his arrest papers, and I’ll just burn them up so they have no reason to hold him.”

Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult for the pair of them to get ahold of those papers once they’d gotten to the jail. Philip casually asked after a copy of them for Richard’s records, having been the investigating detective that made it possible for them to even arrest Thomas in the first place, and was happy to hear it confirmed that he had the only copy of the papers. He sent Richard home that night and promised the papers would be burned, instructing him to go back in the morning so it’d be different staff on duty who wouldn’t remember the papers existing in the first place. That was exactly what Richard did.

Their reunion was brief, as Richard really wanted to get Thomas back to Downton Abbey, so he wouldn’t be in the forefront of the investigation any longer. He was hoping almost desperately that this would work, because as much as Thomas’s grin when he’d realised what was happening had made this all worth it… he still wanted to know the other man was safe.

When they returned to Downton village, Richard swung through and grabbed Sergeant Willis, telling him that they knew for a fact what had happened to George Crawley, and if he’d just come up to Downton Abbey with them, they would say. Fortunately, he acquiesced. Mary was the one who let them into the house, and George nearly knocked Thomas off balance with the way he hurtled into him to hug his legs. This made Thomas grin and simply lift the boy up, holding him on his hip again as they went into the house.

“Lady Mary, could you call all the staff into the library?” Richard requested. “I know what happened to George, and I’m ready to wrap this up.

“Certainly,” she replied, and soon enough they were all standing around as he’d requested, with himself situated between Mary and Thomas- the latter of whom still had little George- with Sergeant Willis beside Mary.

Richard smirked a bit as he looked over the staff before him. This was always the most satisfying part, seeing justice play out. Being a detective, and a well known one at that, had its perks, the most notable of which included the fact Sergeant Willis moved the moment he said, “Arrest Sarah O’Brien for the abduction of George Crawley, if you would, Sergeant.” As was predictable, she immediately began trying to protest at which point Richard said, “Thomas, would you be so kind as to tell us what you found in her flat in London? Aside from Master George himself, of course.”

“A drafted ransom note,” Thomas said. “Along with various things required to keep a child alive, which she must have had someone coming in to use for him.”

“She told me herself that Thomas had been to London the day George went missing,” Richard added, “but when I went to check this fact, I learned someone else had used his name to purchase a ticket, in an attempt to frame him for this crime. Fortunately, I believe we’ve wiped out anything connected to that, however.” It didn’t hurt to briefly explain away why they might have found anything connecting Thomas to the abduction. “If you call London and have her flat searched, I think you’ll find all the evidence you need to convict. Which… should make this case closed.”

“Not quite,” O’Brien snapped. “I’d like to know why Mr. Barrow here turned on me, after everything I’ve done for him.”

Before Richard could say or do anything, Thomas was answering her in a calm, collected, overall smooth voice, “Easy. He’s the only person I’ve ever known who really believed I was good.” The two shared a small smile, and Thomas reiterated, “Take her away, Sergeant. We’ll all be happier for it.”

Sergeant Willis did as he was instructed, and Thomas handed George back over to Mary so she could take him up for a nap while the staff filed out, leaving him and Richard alone in the library. Richard smiled at him and took a few steps toward him. “I always like it when a case wraps up neatly like this,” he confessed. “No loose ends left.”

“You must be proud of yourself,” Thomas said.

“And of you.” Thomas’s eyes widened a bit, so Richard elaborated. “You were right. I do believe you’re good,” he explained. “Then again… I do have one complaint about you.”

Thomas lifted a brow. “And what’s that?” he questioned.

“This bloody game of yours,” Richard answered with a chuckle, and Thomas laughed, though he sobered again as Richard stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his waist. “You haven’t got to play it with me,” he said. “You are good, and you cared enough for that child to risk yourself. No more hiding behind that game with me, alright? Think you can live with that?”

Thomas smiled as his arms snaked around Richard’s shoulders, and he gave a soft chuckle. “I think I can live with that,” he confirmed, and Richard grinned before leaning down to finally kiss him. Perfect, just as he had imagined it would be.

When Richard had first seen Thomas standing at the door of a pub, beneath the glow of the moon, he’d had his attention captured immediately. He’d never seen someone whose skin looked so right with the moonlight reflecting off it, even with a shadow cast across his face from the hat he’d worn. But meeting him that night, even if they’d met because Richard had a case to solve, so far seemed to have changed his life for the better. They clicked well as partners, just as he’d told Mary, and Richard suspected that sort of click would spread through to other things as well. At the very least, it was something to explore, and with any luck…

Maybe they’d find a bit of the best kind of trouble along the way.

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Happy Barris Week!

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#downton abbey #barris #thomas barrow #richard ellis #thomas barrow x richard ellis #barris week #barris week 2022

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kimchunsgha · 7 months

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hi! i know you stan itzy, ive, stayc, le sserafim. what are ur favorite aspects about them? do you own any of the merch / for which ones? what got you into kpop? thoughts on kiss of life? concepts you want to see next for then? (if ur uncomfortable feel freed to delete and disregard. i just like hearing people’s stories.) Ty!

hello hello! i love answering these type of questions omg! this will probably be long (i'll probably reach word limit and have to continue on the rb rip) so i'll put it under the cut

to answer some of the easier questions that i'll probably give a somewhat short answer to: i do own kpop merch however from the groups you mentioned, i don't have any TT simply because it's expensive and since i don't have a job i don't go out of my way to buy albums that often! most of the albums i got are bgs and most of them were gifts from my family and friends! the only gg album i have is blackpink's the album! it was a bday gift and i really wanted to get their first album since we all know how long it took them to get a full album out (i hate you yge) and since they were the first gg i got into! which i think it is a good transition to the question "what got you into kpop?" years ago in 2014/2015 this friend of mine introduced me to bts but i wasn't really that interested only for like in 2016 for me to hear blackpink's as if is your last and be obsessed with it and i only realized months ago that i probably got into kpop bc of them rather than bts bc even tho i ended up stanning bts in 2017 and they probably got me deeper into the kpop scene, i was way more obsessed with bp before that and so i think it's safe to say that bp got me interested in kpop at first to a certain degree but i feel like both of these groups played a lot into me getting into kpop regardless!

about the groups you mentioned

itzy there are a lot of things that i love about itzy since they are my ult of ults when it comes to ggs but i just love itzy's messages in songs and some people say they are corny or wtv but i feel like songs with themes about loving yourself and hyping yourself up are so important and it helped me a lot! their songs make me so happy because of how fun they are to listen to! but especially with this last comeback i loved bet on me because it talks about how even tho you have insecurities and you don't know where you going you end up choosing yourself in the end because trusting yourself in what you do goes a long way and it acknowledges how hard that even is to do in the first place and i remember when that song came out i had those types of thoughts and it was rather bad period for me mentally and so it meant a lot to me! i love their performances and how they always do the most on stage! it's definitely one of those groups for me that never miss when it comes to performing! you can tell they work a lot on that regard especially when it's award show performances they always try to do something new every time and i always love that! they also very lovely to me as individuals and their teamwork and friendships always makes me so happy :<

ive i initially got into ive because i was curious about yujin and wonyoung debuting again even tho i was never an izone stan i always tuned in for their comebacks and so i was pleasantly surprised at how good their debut song was! and i think ever since eleven, they have always been consistent when it comes to good music and i love that! they do bring something different to the table when it comes to music whether you love it or hate it and i feel like that is one of the most intriguing things about ive as a group in my opinion! it's incredible how they got such a big audience every time they have a comeback it's quite impressive and also winning soty last year it was so cool to see such a young group get an award like that basically at the start of their career! i know in the future they will be even bigger than they are i have faith in that! i just can always count on them for good music and vibes and fun visuals

stayc they are such a special group to me! like ive, they always have good music and i always can count on that from them! they are such a fun group especially when it comes to performance and singing it's always a delight to watch them perform these songs! this is also one group i did get into when they debuted and it has been really good to see them grow! it's also one of those groups that have songs that talk about important things that speak to me personally and i do love that! and so to me is one of those ggs that i find perfect when it comes to basically everything lmao it's always nice to see a gg from a small company thrive have good music and talent and that being acknowledged by the public! i know in a few years they will be unstoppable and will be everywhere!!

le sserafim i can't begin to describe what is about lessera that makes me like them so much! much like itzy, it's a lot of things! i have also been with them since debut having to see them go through scrutiny because of what happened with g*ram was sad even tho none of it was their fault they kinda got caught in the crossfire of it all and it was sad to see it happen so early on their debut that many people were debating whether or not they would be successful as a group after that and i am so glad that they became successful... like beyond expectations! they have such interesting dynamic as a group and i think it's very much because they went through a lot to just debut (referring to their documentary series) and they created such a strong bond that definitely translates into their performance! teamwork is very needed to be in a group and i feel like it does become very apparent when the members have a lot of affection for each other and ofc this is what we see but i honestly love that so much! it helps that their music is very good to me and i feel like there hasn't been a release that i was disappointed with! i loved their debut mini album so much that it's still my fav lessera mini to this day (unless... this next album changes my mind) but it was truly perfect in terms of production to me! i feel like as a group they can be very versatile and we will definitely see them doing different things and most likely nailing it every time! i just love them so much they are my fav gg atm i have so much love for them it's hard to describe into words 😭 i know they will go far in the future both individually and as a group and i'll always support them probably

as for thought on kiss of life... i have to say i was pleasantly surprised when i heard their solo songs also debut song?? it's incredible how good they are and debuted like this! i feel we could immediately get a sense of what they will be as a group and how the members are individually! i think they are all very talented and have amazing vocals i remember watching their performance on it's live and being so blown away by their vocals! i got into them initially because natty was gonna be in the group and i've been accompanying her career for a while now so i was surprised to see her debut in a group but i feel like she fits right in very well! sugarcoat is easily one of my fav songs released this year i feel like it was the perfect song for in so many ways! they will most definitely be a group to look out when it comes to performances and i hope everyone is ready to give them their flowers because they are so good and i can't help but support them i'm looking forward to their comeback idk what sound they will go for but i am sure it will be great

as for concepts for each group.... honestly it's hard to answer my go to answer for when people ask me concepts is "i wanna see them do a rock concept" and honestly i do want itzy especially to have a rock tt at least once (jype if you are listening PLEASE) i would like lessera do a sort of a bubblegum pop concept but idek if i am describing this well kdjfgk like cute bubblegum but not too cute even tho i wouldn't mind but more of a tt with that sort of sound... similar to likey by twice if that makes sense! for ive... it's very hard to say because... because they sort of have done pretty much a lot of concepts... i especially loved how there was three different concepts for this comeback but maybe i would love them to lean into like magical concept like.... fairy-like in terms of visuals and the song could literally be anything tbh kdfgjkd as for stayc... i think something like so bad but i little edgier would be nice (trying not to say rock concept again LMFAO) but something similar if that makes sense)

#this probably has a million typos and i'm SORRY #but thank you for sending this i love answering these type of questions #and i talked about ggs i adore so it meant a lot <3 #asks #anon #save.

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cheesyficwriter · 3 years

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Can you make a fanfic about rose,Hugo,Ron and Hermione family time before rose and Hugo inter Hogwarts I really loved the way you write 😍😍❤️❤️

Hi there! Thanks so much for the love! I hope you enjoy this piece from Rose's perspective, an ode to her family before she leaves for Hogwarts. I thought it fit perfectly with the theme "Meet the Family" for @romioneweek. Cheers!

Romione Week Day 5 - Meet the Family

Granger-Weasleys: A History

When Mum gave me a piece of paper and a quill, she told me that I should write about what my family means to me ahead of my first journey to Hogwarts. Although it feels like she was just eager to give me my first ever essay, she also says that I should save this letter for my future self to read, just in case I need a reminder of the light in my life when things seem most dark.

It's not easy to find the proper words to describe my family. It's so big, usually chaotic, and sometimes downright barmy, but I wouldn't trade my Granger-Weasley genes for anything.

My little brother, Hugo, is always the mischievous little one in the family. Arts and crafts hold his attention for such long periods of time throughout the day that I start to wonder if he's being recruited early by Uncle George to create a new line of children's products for the joke shop.

We don't always get along, but then again, what pair of siblings do?

Then there's my mum. Dad calls her the "anchor" of our house, and I can't agree more.

I share my love for books with her, and I grew up memorizing lines from Hogwarts: A History as soon as I could read, so I'm very knowledgeable on what the ceiling in the Great Hall looks like and that the use of Muggle computers isn’t possible on school grounds, which has made Bampy Weasley very sad to think about.

Mum doesn't cook but Dad does, and he can make wicked chicken and ham sandwiches. One of the first times I remember seeing magic was when an empty plate of food magically refilled itself. Blimey! I love magic.

Dad says I’m a good mix of him and Mum. I get excited when Mum tells me that she thinks I could become a prefect like them someday and I giggle when Dad later whispers in my ear that he’s got loads of fun stories to share with me before bedtime of the mischief my Uncles, Fred and George, got into while they were at school. I laugh with Dad a lot and he’s always willing to take me for a fly, which I LOVE!

After all, he surprised me once with my first ever toy broom! Mum was furious, but Dad calmed her down like he always does. Sometimes they kiss out in the open — it's gross, really. Lucky for me, Mum doesn't like public affection, however from time to time, she lets my dad be a bad influence on her. Mum doesn't seem to mind it too much when it comes from him.

Mum says that I am the most well-spoken eleven-year old she knows and thinks I could become a professional writer — as long as I don’t end up like that beetle, Rita Skeeter, and makes me promise to only publish real news if I decide to work for The Daily Prophet. Dad then tells me that they'd love me all the same even if I wasn't so smart and clever and that I could be anything I want to be — except a quidditch player for the Bulgarian team. He says it jokingly, of course, but Mum rolls her eyes every time. I don’t know if I quite get the joke, but I know all about their most famous player, Viktor Krum, from the Quidditch magazines that my Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny let me read. They always tell me that Krum is “he who must not be named” around my Dad.

My parents are very educated and brave. Sometimes I feel a little intimidated by my high-achieving family, and wonder if the other kids in my year will gawk and stare, knowing I'm the child of two war heroes — my cousin, James, has told me that the attention wears off, and the other students will find something new to chat about...eventually.

I know all about the war, of course, and my parents' epic time at Hogwarts through the moving photographs they have stowed away in an album on Mum's bookshelf. They only let me look at them occasionally, but I wonder sometimes if I will get to go on adventures like them? Dad’s face goes red when I ask him. I don’t think he likes that thought very much. I should ask Nanny and Bampy how they felt when he was in school.

My parents always emphasize that I’m supposed to tell the truth, even if it puts me in a rotten situation. I’m expected to be courteous to everyone I meet — even Scorpius Malfoy who, according to Dad, will be in my year. Dad let it slip once that Mum slapped Scorpius' father across the face while at school. Mum can be dramatic sometimes, but Dad seems quite proud of her for standing up for herself, and wants me to do the same if the Malfoys start giving me any trouble.

"Just don't tell your mum," he insists.

To sum it all up before my hand starts to cramp up, my parents and little brother are the absolute best. Hugo and I have always been taught to help other people out without expecting anything in return, to be patient and kind even when people treat us like rubbish — with the exception of the Malfoys, as Dad mentions — and to remember that with just a little bit of courage and bravery, we can do anything we set our minds to.

So how would I describe my home? Happiness. Love. Fun-filled. Trusting.

Hogwarts may soon become my new home for many years, but I will never forget the home I grew up in, the home I will come back to, and the home that has taught me that anyone can see the magic in the world if they just believe.

Yes, Mum, I know I won’t be allowed to use magic outside of school, but a girl can dream about the day that she is old enough to do so, right?

I am so lucky.

Signed,

Rose Granger-Weasley, Age 11

Future Outstanding Hogwarts Student

#1 Chudley Cannons Fan

#romione #romione fanfiction #romione fanfic #ron weasley #hermione granger #rose weasley #rose granger weasley #hugo weasley #family #hp fanfic #hpfanfiction #romioneweek2021 #ron weasley x hermione granger #granger weasley #cheesyficwriter

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sitp-recs · 3 years

Note

so i just read this wonderful, wonderful post and now i need to know: do you know any fics where there is the exact moment of one of them going "My God, I love him"?

Hi anon! Ahh that’s such a great post by our @lqtraintracks 😍 I adore those moments of quiet revelation too, even though I’m not very good at keeping track of them lol. Here are a few fics that came to mind, I’ll come back to update if I remember more!

Still Life by orphan_account (2019, M, 3k)

Secretly, between the shadow and the soul by @teacup-tai (2021, T, 3k)

The thing about surrender is that once you accept the unavoidable rhythm of change, the surprising uncontrollability of life, and the astonishing inevitability of feelings, it is easy.

A Midsummer Affair by @lazywonderlvnd (2020, E, 5k)

It was only meant to be a summer fling.

fine i'll hold my breath / til i forget it's complicated by teatrolley (2015, M, 11k)

Harry and Draco become friends with benefits, and Harry thinks it's more complicated than it actually is.

Turn and Face the Strange (time may change me) by @punk-rock-yuppie (2019, T, 16k)

Draco and Harry and how their relationship—and themselves—change over the course of eleven years.

A Hyperactive Fruit, a Nasty Neighbour and a Love Story by synonym4life (2017, E, 20k)

Potter’s pet Niffler is wreaking havoc in Godric’s Hollow and Draco, the Assistant Head to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, is the one who has to deal with it. Repeatedly. The fact that Potter keeps coming to Draco’s office in grey jogging bottoms - repeatedly - does in no way help the matter.

The Partner, The Rival and The Very Big Case by oceaxe (2018, E, 24k)

When Harry and Nott are paired up to go undercover as fake boyfriends, Draco is disappointed not to get the assignment. It's just professional jealousy that's making him feel so upset.

Around You Moves by ignatiustrout (2018, M, 29k)

Harry knew Draco was gay when he invited him to move in. He’s never had a problem with this. So why does he feel so weird about Draco bringing men home all of a sudden?

Friends? Is That What We Are? by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (2020, E, 33k)

What the hell is Harry even supposed to do when he finally realises that he loves Draco? He's an idiot and it takes him a while but he gets there. They get there.

Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 (2020, T, 38k)

Harry Potter’s life is fine. Maybe a little dull and predictable, but he shouldn’t complain about that, right? When he unexpectedly finds himself at Luna’s house one afternoon, Harry gets invited to join the secret wonderland that she’s creating with a surprising group of friends. Maybe a summer outdoors is just what a former hero needs to bring some zest back into his life.

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (2020, E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

We Are Young (I'll Carry You Home Tonight) by Femme (2012, E, 69k)

Harry and Draco have been falling into bed on and off again since the last election five years ago, much to the amusement--and financial gain--of their circle of friends.

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop (2014, E, 70k)

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again.

Criminal by @the-sinking-ship (2020, E, 83k)

Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less.

Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 (2017, E, 91k)

When Harry sustains an injury in the line of work, he no longer knows how to navigate the life he loved, and finds help and solace from the most unexpected source.

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them (or Draco Malfoy's Guide to Stop Dying and Start Living Instead) by nerakrose and dustmouth (2018, M, 96k)

Malfoy is way too interested in coroner reports for somebody who's definitely not looking for ways to die, Harry wants to be friends with him, and Ginny wants to break up with Harry.

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (2013, M, 115k)

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Grounds for Divorce by Tepre (2019, E, 122k)

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (2017, M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

By the Grace by @letteredlettered (2020, T,

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

#asks #anon #Drarry reclist #my god I love him #realization moments

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leah-bobeea · 3 years

Text

Magazine Girl; Steve Rogers

You ever start writing a fic about a journalist reader at two am who’s eventually gonna end up doing steeb, over his desk, biting down on his expensive leather belt?

❀ ❀ ❀

Warnings: CEO!Steve x Journalist!Reader, Angst, Steve’s a little mean, Bossy Steve, Shy/Anxious reader, Dom!steve, mentions spanking, oral (m receiving), unprotected sex, coercion (a little teensy bit), Bad writing lol

Word Count: 3.9k

A/N: Terrible writing w/ a terribly rushed ending. Written on my phone, in my notes app, not beta read, and barely proofread.

❀ ❀ ❀

Yes, your hands were busy. Not busy typing out a rough draft of this stupid article on Steve Rogers, not busy calling his secretary to set up a meeting with the man, or the closest to him you could get, not busy doing their job at all. They were busy tapping your pen against the glass tabletop of your desk, successfully annoying Wanda, who sent you an aggravated look from across the room.

“Seriously, Y/n?” Wanda moved from where she was at her desk, clearly not making a breakthrough on her article for this month's issue either. You could only shake your head in reply. Throwing your head back to stare at the ceiling, you starting explaining. “Maria gave me this huge article, Wanda. Cover! And, trust me, I know she’s testing me and doesn’t think I’ll actually be able to do it so she can fire me, or belittle me, or- or something! I don’t know what to do, help me, bestie.” As you finished rambling you looked up at her with your best puppy dog eyes, hoping for some of that amazing advice she gives.

Wanda laughed and pulled a chair over from an empty desk, sitting down and haphazardly throwing her feet on top of your cluttered tabletop. “She wouldn’t give you an article you couldn’t handle, she loves you, Y/n. If it’s truly as difficult as you’re making it out as that means that she knows you’re ready for it, and you’ll do amazing. Who’s it on anyway?”

She was doing such a good job at easing your nerves until she brought up the topic. You whined high in your throat and threw your head to the side before uttering, “Steven Rogers,” you turned your body back to Wanda, “What more do I need to say?” Her eyes widened just a little. “Sheesh...I’d start making phone calls, and praying, maybe?”

❀ ❀ ❀

“Hello, Miss. Carter, um- this is Y/n L/n with Shield Mag-“ “Please hold, dear.”

You pulled the phone away from your head and let it rest on your naked thigh, quickly pressing the speaker button. It was times like this when you were grateful that you let your grandma convince you to buy a house phone. Peggy Carter was the fifth person you’d contacted trying to get an interview with this man and she was the second lady that humored you enough to at least pretend like she’d get back to you.

She’s his main assistant so you might have better luck this time...

Thirty minutes later you had your head inches off the ground and your toes wiggling in the air. Humming the annoying hold music to yourself, you braided, unbraided, and re-braided a single strand of your hair. At thirty-nine minutes you were ready to give up until you heard a click on the other line.

You scrambled to turn off the speaker and press the phone back to your ear.

“Miss. Carter I was hoping to set up an interview with Mr. Rogers, over the phone, in person, or through email, if that’s possible?” You asked, hopeful that she wouldn’t shoot you down immediately like everyone else.

“Well, Magazine Girl, I only do in person. But I am a very busy man, so I need to know right away, what’s in it for me?” Your breath hitched and you almost fell and cracked your head open from how startled hearing his voice made you. Then, you nearly gave yourself a head rush from how fast you sat up.

“Well, um, Sir, you would get a headlining article, and uh, a cover on the June issue of Shield Magazine. That’s um, that’s if you want a cover- you don’t have to be on the cover if you don’t want to, just the interview would be mentioned on the cover, but-“ His chuckle was gritty and vivid, effective in stopping your babble. “I’ll see you Friday around noon. Goodbye Magazine Girl.” He hung up on you before you could even comprehend anything but that captivating laugh.

You rubbed at your eyes and grabbed your planner and pen. “Friday at noon...”

❀ ❀ ❀

The next day you were back in the office, sitting in Wanda’s stiff chair with twin caramel lattes sitting in front of you. That was the thing about you, you’d come to work early bearing gifts just to tell your closest friend your good news. You’re sweet like that.

When Wanda arrived it was fifteen minutes later and your latte was halfway gone. Hearing her black stilettos click on the glossy linoleum made you perk up immediately. As she approached, you stood, handing her the latte and wrapping your arms around her lithe body.

“I got an interview!” You squealed, rocking your bodies side to side. She stilled you and smiled. “Gosh, that’s great, Y/n. How’d you get it?”

“Well, I called, like everyone, and he picked up, Wanda! he picked up! I’m scheduled for Friday, and my Lord, Wanda, his laugh, it's like honey...” You trailed off, sighing at the thought of him. Your head was rested on her shoulder, a faint smile on your face. “You’ve got a crush on him!” Wanda exclaimed, grabbing your shoulders and holding you an arm's length away to get a good look at your bashful face.

You gasped, “No I do not! That would be totally unprofessional!” The cackle that erupted from her made her sound like the wicked witch of the west. And honestly, under her stare, you felt like Dorothy stuck under that house.

When Wanda was finally done laughing maliciously she let you go, plopping down in her desk chair and sipping her latte. She pointed over and your desk and gave you a look. “Better start drafting those questions... we wouldn’t want you to blank on your crush.” “Wanda!”

❀ ❀ ❀

The days leading up to Friday were excruciatingly long, yet the hours until twelve flew past all too quickly.

It seemed as if your wardrobe was never ending, full of clothes that you deemed inappropriate for a meeting with the CEO of American Enterprises. You threw yourself back onto the bed, hair and makeup done but body still wrapped in a fluffy white towel. “Oh Milky, what am I gonna wear?” The soft white kitty glared at you from the pillow she was perched on, meowing at you aggressively.

Ten thirty blinked on the clock and you sat up, glancing at all of the clothes that were scattered on the floor. “I guess this will do.” You picked up the same emerald blazer you had chosen originally and layered it over some basic Levi’s, and gray low cut blouse flowing over your form. A belt was necessary, so you grazed over your options. Brown wouldn’t go, even though it was your only fancy belt. The only black one you had was old, the leather cracked and worn, but it had to do. You slipped on some pretty black heels, lucky that you painted your toes a similar color to your blouse. After accessorizing you sprayed your signature perfume, the one that got you your first college-aged boyfriend, and the same one that you were wearing when you got your first real job.

By the time you were on the Metro, it was eleven o’ six, and you were worried. If you were late you’d lose this chance, and probably your job. The car stopped around eleven fifteen, giving you fifteen minutes to make your way to the building, check-in, and try to not seem so nervous.

Finding the building wasn’t difficult at all, after all, it is the second biggest building in New York City, competing with Stark Tower. The “A” at the top wasn’t illuminated, but it still stood out against the other buildings, cowering over them.

You found that the doors were heavy and if you denied Wanda of going to those burn boot camps you would have extreme difficulty prying them open. The inside was classy, just as you expected. The lamps had blue shades and the front desk lit up with a design that resembled the American Flag, but with less curved stripes and only one large star.

The receptionist was one of the women who shot you down immediately when you called and was a little surprised when you checked in. “Hello, I’m here for Mr. Rogers, twelve o’clock?” She searched for something on her computer, clearly trying to see if the appointment was legitimate. When you were proven correct, she handed you a temporary security badge and a sharpie to write your name on it. “Have a seat over there when you’re finished. I’ll call for you when Mr. Rogers is ready for you.” She smiled, it was fake, but it helped you feel more comfortable.

The red couch was stiff and small, clearly not meant for long periods of sitting. The badge was clipped onto your blouse, not your blazer, and the weight of it was pulling at the already low cut neckline. You thought about moving it, but your attention was quickly turned to the coffee table, where your magazine sat, opened to an article you wrote. Your hands were a little shaky as you went to close the magazine, but you were interrupted before you could grasp the bent pages.

“Miss. Y/n? Mr. Rogers is ready for your interview. Head up to floor thirty six, the door on the right.” Miss receptionist sounded bored, her eyes never left the monitor in front of her. “Thanks.”

Some of the others in the waiting area looked up to you after hearing where you were going, causing you to blush.

You felt lucky to get the elevator to yourself. Thirty-six floors is a long way to go, yet you got there in under three. In the elevator you adjusted your outfit and flattened your hair, hoping it wasn’t frizzy.

The door on the right was clearly not just a meeting room but an office, which you thought was odd. You also found it odd that no one was in the room, you expected to at least be met with his assistant or secretary, if not Steve himself.

Your eyes scanned the room to make sure it was completely empty before taking a seat on the leather chair on the opposite side of the big desk. You opened your notebook and got out your lucky rooster pen before going over your questions once again, hoping he didn’t think they were stupid.

You waited fifteen minutes for him, growing increasingly irked as the minutes built up. When he walked through the door you felt like your heart stopped.

Six-four build covered in a black suit and tie, white undershirt pristine. Blonde hair disheveled and a perfectly manicured beard. The door slammed shut and you heard the clinking sound of a glass being set down. Steve lifted his head and you snapped yours to the front, hoping he didn’t catch you checking him out.

The room was silent besides a rustling coming from behind you. You busied yourself with your notebook, highlighting the questions you wanted to ask most.

“You’re a very patient girl.” He observed. Steve made you wait on purpose. He knew from the first person you called that you wanted an interview, he was friends with Maria Hill after all. But he wanted some entertainment, and after looking into you, he knew you were the right girl. So far he’s made you wait an hour and fourteen minutes for just a smidge of his attention.

“Yes, Sir.” You mumbled, accidentally stopping the highlighter too soon, pressing it down, and letting the pink ink bleed to the next page. He hummed in approval as he rounded the corner, drink in his hand, coat jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up, first couple buttons loose. Finally, Steve sat in the big chair, keeping eye contact with you as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the mahogany table.

“Give me that.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his statement, “What?” You asked, putting your pen down on your lap. Steve motioned for your notebook, and you opened your mouth, starting to stumble over your words. “Oh? um- Okay?” You handed it over to him and he relaxed back into his chair. A question bubbled in your throat, but you didn’t let it escape. Instead, you watched as his eyes scanned the papers, blue cursive, and pink highlighter, little stars and flowers drawn in the corners. “Mr. Rogers, are you ready to start the interview?” You tapped your watch, twelve twenty four.

He nodded, “Yes, I’m ready.” You cleared your throat and went to ask for your notebook, but he beat you to it. “Miss. L/n, is there an achievement or something that you’ve contributed to me that you are most proud of?” Why was he asking you your own questions? “Sir, I-“ He cut you off once again. “Answer the question, doll.”

You huffed and crossed your arms over your chest. “I- um, no. I haven’t contributed anything to you that I should be proud of, Sir.”

“Is there a particular moment or memory of building this relationship that stands out to you?” He continued with the questions, tilting his head to the side. Why was he twisting the questions onto you? When you didn’t come up with an answer he chuckled, sounding sickly sweet like molasses dripping straight from the sugarcane. “Patience finally wearing thin, honey?” You nodded eyes staring at his chest, you couldn’t quite muster up the courage to look him in the eye.

He snapped your notebook closed and slid it towards your side of the grand desk. “You couldn’t answer my questions correctly, Y/n.” You nodded, eyes now downcast, admiring the pattern on the blue carpet. You felt like you were going to cry. This big scary man was mean and just wouldn’t let you conduct your interview and you didn’t know why. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“I know you are, doll. But, if you can’t answer my questions how can I answer yours? You have nothing to offer me.” This was it, you were losing your chance. “Business wise, that is.” Your head shook, and your hands were clasped together, your left thumb rubbing your right nail back and forth. “I don’t understand, Sir.”

“I’m friends with Maria, Y/n. If you’re able to get this article done and get me on the cover you’re gonna get a promotion, you want that, right doll?” Your eyes went wide, “Yes, Sir.” Now, he stood, coming around to the front where you are and leaning against the desk. “She said to make it difficult, but I don’t care enough to do all that. So, doll, I’ll answer your questions. They’re quite good actually. And I’ll do a little photoshoot for the cover, but you’ll need to pay me back.” You gulped, hands suddenly sweaty, you felt like a little chihuahua, trembling under his gaze.

“How? Um, how do I pay you?” Gosh, even your voice was shaky. “Stand up. Lose the blazer.” Steve commanded, slowly unbuckling his belt. You could faintly tell from the buckle that it was Hermès. You stood and took off your blazer in a rush, folding it poorly and setting it on the arm of the chair. “Atta girl.”

He placed his hands on your shoulders and then ran them down to your hands, giving them a little squeeze before he hooked his index fingers into your belt loops, pulling you closer. So close that the tips of your shoes were touching. He leaned down to kiss your neck and you stiffened, but when he grazed his teeth over the bruised spot he just created you melted into him, your hands grasping at the pristine white button up, letting out a little whimper.

Steve pushed you back a little and took in your form, then he pulled the little security badge off, tossing it to the side. Like a little kid, he pulled at the neckline of your shirt. “Off.” You would’ve giggled at him if he didn’t look so scary right now. His blue eyes were piercing into yours, left hand so tight on your hip you thought he might leave bruises.

By the time your shirt hit the floor, he was pushing at your shoulders, hinting at you to go to your knees. “Sir, I don’t know-“

You started, knees hitting the carpet underneath you. He shushed you and guided your head to look up at him. “It's okay, baby, you don’t have to know how. I’ll do all the work, doll. Now, undo your bra.” As expected you did as he asked immediately, fumbling with the clasp until it fell down your arms. It ended up next to your thigh as you watched him pull his belt through the loops.

Steve walked around you and kneeled down, belt in his hands. “Put your hands behind your back.” You nodded immediately, so submissive, completely at his mercy. “Yes, Sir.” Steve loved how polite you were. He made quick work of restraining you, tying your hands to rest against your jean clad ass. The metal felt harsh against your skin and the soft, expensive leather snaked up your arms.

When he was back in front of you he sighed and shook his head. “I should’ve had you unzip me first.” Hearing Steve say that finally brought you to the reality of what was about to happen. You watched with big eyes as he undid the button and then the zipper, the sound making you tremble. His dress pants puddled on the floor and you were in awe as he massaged his bulge through his boxers. Slowly, he pulled them down to the middle of his thighs. His cock bounced up to hit his abdomen and he hissed as he stroked it a few times. “Open as wide as you can, honey.”

As always, you did as asked. Your tongue stuck out a little, wetting your bottom lip. He grasped the back of your head and leaned you forward a little, then you felt his blunt tip on your tongue. You gagged and spluttered when Steve was about halfway seated, he pulled out and leaned down, kissing you sloppily. “Breathe through your nose, baby. Don’t forget.” Then he was back at slowly entering your throat. “Fuck...” he grunted, finally fully seated in your throat, your nose pressed against his nicely groomed pubic hair. He caressed your throat then, rubbing the bulge in your throat, resisting the urge to press down and have you choke on his cock even more. “So good, Y/n.”

Steve started rocking into your throat, slowly fucking it as spit leaked from the corners of your mouth. After minutes of abusing your throat, he finally pulled out, adoring the way tears ran down your cheeks and how you hiccupped, wanting to desperately rub at your raw throat to soothe it. Your hands pulled at the belt and your eyes begged Steve to undo it. “Up, doll.”

He hoisted you up from your armpits and bent you over the desk. Steve pressed kisses down your back and reached in front of you, unbuckling your belt and throwing it somewhere to the left of you, then he unbuttoned and unzipped your pants, tugging them down with fervor.

Steve undid your restraints and left more kisses down your back until he reached your ass, spreading your cheeks to reveal your tight hole and glistening cunt. “I’d love to see this ass all bruised and red, but I’ll have to save that for another day.” His index and middle finger ran circles on your clit, your back arching to press into him more. “Sir, please!” You gasped, your hand flying out to the edge of the table and nearly knocking over the glass of whiskey he left on a coaster when Steve finally pushed two fingers into your aching hole.

“Gotta open you up first, doll, get you all sloppy and ready for my cock.” You cried out as he hooked his fingers, rubbing the magic spot inside of you. “Please, Steve, please.” He cooed at you, pulling his fingers out, and instead traced his name over your clit. “You gonna come, baby? Huh? You gonna drench my fingers, little girl?” You were moaning in wanton, hips humping his hand desperately. He brought his other hand down and started fingerfucking you again, giving you just enough to push you over the edge.

Your moans were breathy, your legs twitching, and you were panting by the time your orgasm faded. “I hope you know I’m not done with you yet, doll, I still haven’t come inside you.” That made you whine high in your throat and you tried, to no avail, to slam your legs shut around his hand.

Steve’s right hand fisted his cock a few times, making sure he’s rock hard and dripping with pre-cum, while his left kept your lips spread, showing him your gorgeous pussy. The blunt head at your entrance shocked you, and you yelped at the intrusion. “Sir!”

He leaned his head down and spit where you were joined, trying to make the glide even easier. “Shut up, doll.” He snapped after you cried out. Once he was as deep as possible inside of you he reached for his belt, looping it over as if he was going to spank you, and stuffed it into your mouth. “Bite down,” Steve demanded, a hand snaked around to the front of your neck where he was applying light pressure.

When you tried to push back against him he held your hips down against the wood steadily and started snapping his hips at a fast speed. Each thrust pushed you down onto the table, letting your clit rub against the mahogany wood.

Your vision felt spacey like you could black out any moment as he choked you. Your orgasm washed over you and you had to use all the strength you had in you to keep biting down on the belt. You didn’t want to know what would happen if you disobeyed his and let it go. Steve’s hips harshly snapped against your ass a few more times before he stilled inside of you, filling you with his spunk.

Before Steve cleaned you up and let you leave his office he had to finger his cum back inside of you, making sure none of it went to waste. Then, he made sure you had a way home, and a way to contact him, because, “Now you’re no longer Magazine Girl, but My Girl.”

@lo-bells

#steve x reader #steve rogers x reader #steve smut #steve rogers smut #dark!steve #dark!steve x reader #marvel #avengers fanfic #captain america #ceo!au #chris evans #leah-bobeea

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lovesanmotion · 3 years

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yandere!fanboy!ateez reacts: their s/o getting into a dating scandal

💌 REQUESTS: open | I decided to post this even though only one had voted for this exhibit. Plus, I wanted to try my hand into writing this. This reaction post is dedicated to the anonymous who voted for exhibit B.

Hongjoong:

News broke out today as Y/N and TXT’s Beomgyu are dating, followed by a statement confirmations from VS Media and Big Hit Entertainment. Furthermore, Dispatch released a series of photos of the new couple going on secret dates, supporting the confirmations that the two had been in fact been dating for a few months already.

The news shocked the whole nation. Many fans congratulated the couple, but many others were upset by the news and have claimed that they have been ignoring their fans. Once of the many others who were upset was Hongjoong. He felt betrayed that you would dare that someone who doesn’t really love you and would only use your name and fame to be in the same level as you. He thinks this is a sick PR stunt and that it had to be over. But seeing as it was real, Hongjoong took it into the internet to create petitions such as removing Beomgyu from the group. His feelings would be so crushed that he wouldn’t look at your face or say your name in a long period of time. But the guilt of not loving you ate his insides that he couldn’t bare not giving you the special treatment he offers you.

Once Y/N and Beomgyu released an apology letter for not letting the fans know about their relationship, he could only scoff and think that the apology is insincere and lacks emotion. He continues to leave abusive and hateful comments about the two until it reaches to the point that Y/N and Beomgyu had to break up. When the two broke up, Hongjoong felt never better.

Seonghwa:

As someone like Seonghwa who follows you around with his camera in hand, he already knew that you kept meeting with The Boyz’s Haknyeon multiple times. He didn’t believe that you two are just close friends. So he ran around starting rumours of you two dating on the internet, followed by a thread of pictures that he caught. And shortly afterwards, VS Media and Cre.Ker confirmed that Y/N and Haknyeon had been in fact dating.

It made Seonghwa so sick that both fans support the couple. In his rage, he threw and trashed everything in his sight. Creating a chaos both in his mind and in his home. He thought that you were stupid for dating someone that isn’t him. Why Haknyeon when you have him? Seonghwa who knew you with his eyes closed and at the back of his hand. He thought he had you figured out, but outsmarted him.

He couldn’t accept that the love of his life dating somebody else that he went on killing spree, killing Haknyeon’s fans before he could reach the idol himself. To Seonghwa, there is no other potential lover like him and him only.

Yunho:

He knows that Y/N is a big fan of Super Junior’s Eunhyuk. He is the idol that she looks up to and is the reason why she entered the entertainment industry. But when the news of Y/N and Eunhyuk broke out by Dispatch as the new year couple, it was definitely not a happy new year for Yunho.

Yunho didn’t like how you would go home to someone else. It should be him that you would go home to. He expressed his distaste online by supporting hate comments on the couple, resharing and retweeting posts to garner further attention. He would leave hate comments not only to Eunhyuk but to Y/N as well. He felt so heartbroken that he couldn’t help but spat out derogatory messages to you.

Day and night, Yunho continued to add flame to the fire until one day Y/N and Eunhyuk parted ways due to the pressure they felt in the public eye. When they broke up, Yunho threw a party at his home.

Yeosang:

Yeosang is someone who is just like Seonghwa, who invests his time and energy on Y/N. You are his world, without you, life is meaningless as it is only you that keeps the world together and functioning. Especially Yeosang. When he heard the love of his life dating her ‘Witch’ co star and leading man Treasure’s Hyunsuk, he laughed at the articles. Knowing too well that you would never say yes to someone who isn’t Yeosang.

And when the news tablets released a statement that Y/N and Hyunsuk denied the accusations, he felt proud of himself. But that doesn’t mean he would go easy on you two as he read on the article that Hyunsuk fell for you while filming.

San:

We all know how celebrities post photos online and immediately delete it afterwards in a blink of an eye, right? The same situation happened to Y/N and EXO’s Sehun. Apparently, Y/N had posted a photo of Sehun cuddling on top of her in bed and deleted it afterwards.

San didn’t like what he saw and broke his phone at the sight of someone else being too close and intimate with you. Let alone that it wasn’t him who was giving you that attention. That day, San came up with an ultimate plan to get rid of him even if both entertainments denied the speculation.

On the day of EXO’s comeback stage, San had purposefully and successfully slipped a coffee drink to Sehun infused with clear chemicals. He was happy that the idol was brought to the hospital but cursed to himself as it was not enough to kill him.

Mingi:

Recently, Mingi joined a groupchat with other “fans” who holds various informations about idols and would form groups to accomplish “tasks”. Mingi, along with the other so-called fans got into various fields of jobs such as airline, phone and credit card companies. In Mingi’s case, he got into a credit card company that had you as one of their top holder.

So when he finally got a hold of your purchases, he was surprised to see that you had been shopping at a certain men’s fashion brand. Following it up, there were rumors of you and Seventeen’s Mingyu seeing each other. To Mingi’s rage, he exposed your credit card number along with the purchases that you made online and offline. His post analytics gathered eleven thousand impressions with thirty thousand interactions. Minutes later, a case was filed against him for violating contracts.

But never was Mingi thrown into prison. His friendly groupchat paid upon him and cleared all his charges. Mingi still walks a free man until this date.

Wooyoung:

Wooyoung felt like he was stabbed in the back when the news of Y/N and Nuest’s Minhyun confirmed to be dating for months. How could he not see this? He would be so devastated that he will have no control on what he is doing.

And since he has no control on what he is doing, he would take a knife and carve out the words “Don’t forget me Y/N. I only have you. I love you.” on his waist skin. Following it up, he continued to carve the words “Come back to me, Y/N” on the skin of his wrists. He would take pictures of his motive act and post it online. His post alone gathered international attention and led to the breakup of the couple, followed by an apology statement from Y/N herself.

When Wooyoung read the apology, he didn’t hesitated to leave a private message on Y/N’s social media. “That’s okay. You’re stupid but I love you.”

Jongho:

He would be so devastated but at the same time furious as how you could give yourself away to someone else just like that. He didn’t like how the agencies confirmed the news of you and OnlyOneOf’s Yoojung dating. Much to his anger, he would rip out the pages of his merchandise of you and burn them. Taking pictures and then posting them online.

But Jongho won’t stop there. He’s going to resort to the ultimatum. He would install a GPS tracker on your car and tamper your phone number so he would know all the messages you would send to anyone. Upon receiving them, he would send you anonymous text messages and belittle you how could be so careless and ignore the love your fans gives you. And by fans, he meant himself only.

Due to severe online bullying, you are forced to part ways with Yoojung, release an apology statement to the public and decided to take on a hiatus from the public eye due to anxiety that you faced while dating.

#ateez #Ateez hongjoong #ateez mingi #ateez scenarios #ateez x reader #ateez san #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez reactions #ateez yeosang #ateez yandere #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho #kpop yandere #yandere ateez #yandere

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ghostlywritten · 3 years

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If Only I Had Stayed In The Shadows - Chapter Eleven

James Potter x OC

Words: 3,6k

Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten

It was a peaceful Saturday, sunny with a light breeze rushing over the Hogwarts grounds. I was sitting against the trunk of a tree close to the lake, enjoying the rays of sunshine on my skin as I lazily skimmed the pages of my Potions book with tired eyes. The end of the year exam for Potions was coming up in two weeks and there was rarely a Sixth Year seen without this book in hand, either studying during breakfast, lunch and dinner or in the library inbetween free periods and after classes. Usually I would be among them, ripping the last few good strands of my hair in stress but today I felt unbelievably lazy, feeling too heavy and tired to do anything. 'Stupid period,' I thought grumpily, tilting my head up to the sky as if the sun could help me feel better. Which it did, until-

"Oi, Cec!" Sirius called out, jogging up towards where I was sat, interrupting the peaceful silence. I briefly thought back on the last time he had interrupted something several days ago and felt myself go red once again.

"Hey Sirius, what's up?" I greeted him, closing my book. He glanced down at it, grimacing. "Potions, eh? What a waste of time."

"Don't you need it to become an Auror?" I asked him amused and he simply waved me off. "Yeah, whatever. You got some time? I wanted to show you something."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what is that exactly?"

"Just come and see?" he nudged my leg with his foot, impatiently.

"The last time you wanted me to see something, a mass of dungbombs exploded on me," I recalled, scrunching my nose. The smell wouldn't get off for a week.

Sirius burst out in laughter, "Merlin, I completely forgot about that! What a brilliant idea!"

"Sure, you call it brilliant," I muttered to myself.

"Oh come on. It was a little fun, admit it," he grinned cheekily and I simply rolled my eyes at him. "You are not really doing yourself a favour right now if you still wanted to show me something."

"Yes, right!" he snapped back to attention, clearing his throat, "I wanna show you something. In fact, it's something really cool that could be useful for you as well."

"And why would you want to show it to me?" I asked, still suspicious.

"Because you're my friend and I wanna share my joy with you?!" As much as the thought of Sirius Black calling me his friend warmed my heart, who - despite his open and social character - rarely considered anyone a friend besides his tight inner circle, I couldn't help but think what a good strategy it would be to trick me.

Sirius sighed, giving in at my silence, "And maybe I want to know your opinion on something, too."

"There is the truth," I said, grinning widely as he gave me an annoyed look. Kneeling down, he tried to widen his eyes in a puppy look, "Are you going to come now?"

I cringed, "Alright, but don't try that look on me again." I got up swiftly, brushing a few strands of grass off my skirt as Sirius sprang up as well with a fist pump in the air. "It siriusly weirded me out."

"Really? Usually it works on the ladies," he pondered before giving me devilish smile, "Don't try to deny it. It did get you to come with me."

"Sure, it did, Sirius," I said, patting his head like a dog, "Sure it did."

We headed into the castle and I prodded him with questions of where we were going the entire way up to the seventh floor but the black-haired boy wouldn't budge until we reached a deserted hallway. I could safely I had never been in this hallway before, seeing as there was nothing but a weird tapestry of a man trying to teach trolls ballet and a vase in a way too big size to be considered normal across from it. And a window.

"So...it's a hallway," I concluded slowly, watching as Sirius traipsed around back and forth, his face set deep in concentration, "You wanted to show me a hallway."

Sirius snorted, stopping his movements as the wall behind was starting to ripple. My eyes widened in astonishment as a door materialised itself where stone had previously been. "No, I wanted to show you this," Sirius replied, smirking at my comically shocked expression. He went to the door, opening it. "My lady." He bowed formally, his smirk giving space for an uptight look and I snorted but eagerly walked over and through the door, curious on what would be behind it. And my jaw promptly dropped down once more.

Inside was a small, cozy room. The walls were completely covered in shelves filled to the brim with books and the floor adorned a thick carpet in a rich burgundy colour with intricate, golden-coloured details woven in. A large fireplace was carved inbetween the shelves in the wall across the door, an inviting fire crackling in it with two, dark green armchairs and a silver side table in front of it.

"Wow," was all I could say, letting Sirius push me inside and staring open-mouthed up at the walls, "This must be heaven for all the bookworms out there."

"Yeah? I thought it would be," Sirius said, a nervous edge on his tone. It broke me out of my stupor and I immediately bombarded him with questions, "How the hell did you find this place? Is this a mini library for nerds? In that case, how come you of all people have found it? And why didn't you show me this earlier, this was a way better place to hide from all the gossiping people than the actual library," I whined at the end. Sirius held up his hands in a placating manner, "Calm down, woman. Take a seat and we shall talk about my awesomeness that made me find this place."

I took the right armchair, relishing in how I sunk a bit into the leather and briefly thought about taking a nap right then and there.

"Chocolate?" Sirius offered, having taken out a bar from his bag. I nodded, catching the half he threw my way and munching on a piece.

"So first of, this place is super duper secret," Sirius started, holding up a finger, "No one that I know of knows about this place besides you now."

"What an honor," I said and it wasn't even sarcasm.

The boy grinned, making himself more comfortable. "As to how I found this place; It was a few years ago where my mates and I had a...a little dispute and weren't on talking terms."

"You guys not talking to each other?" I rose an eyebrow, "That sounds nearly impossible."

"Right?" Sirius grinned, but I could see an underlined pain in his eyes, "However, we did have a fight but got over it." He brushed it off, taking a bite of his chocolate. I cringed, "Can't you break off the pieces like every other sane person?" He looked down at his half of the bar before toothily taking another bite. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"Very."

"Good."

"Ugh, go on."

"Yeah, so anyway. During my dispute with the mates I was very much on my own in setting up pranks and stuff. One night, when I was out after curfew, Filch's blasted cat found me. I didn't have the Invisibility Cloak with me so I had to make a run for it, because wherever the cat is, our dear caretaker is close by as well. I got into this hallway, which was obviously a dead end and whilst I was pacing around thinking about where to hide, this mysterious door suddenly appeared on the blank wall just like it had right now."

"And it brought you to this library?"

"No, it was just a bathroom since I also had to pee very badly." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, looking around the room. "How-"

"How is that possible, you ask? Well dear, I was wondering that, too because as soon as I got back out, the door disappeard and I couldn't get back in. So the next day, after I successfully escaped Filch and his cat, I went to this hallway and stood in front of this particular blank wall once more, trying to get back into the bathroom. Only, it wouldn't work. I tried everything, recalling every step I made that made the door appear, thinking I need to find this secret place and boom! The door appeared again!" he threw his arms up in emphasis and I would have laughed at his dramatic antics if I hadn't been so intrigued. No one could say Sirius wasn't a good storyteller. "But, it wasn't the bathroom I had seen last time. It was a much bigger room with millions of things scattered and piled up everywhere."

"What?" I asked, flabbergasted, "The room changed?!"

"The room changed!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at me with a proud look, "It's a wish room! A room that can transfigure itself in whatever you need it to be." I dropped back against the chair in shock. "That...is...bloody brilliant!" I breathed out, staring once more around the room in amazment.

"It bloody is, right?" Sirius agreed giddily.

"So, if I wanted a place to hide-"

"You get your personal hiding place."

"And if I want a Quidditch field to practice on whilst the other teams are occupying the field outside-"

"You get your personal Quidditch field."

"And if I wanted my own sleeping space to get away from my snoring roommates-"

"You get your own sleeping space to get away from your snoring roomates, when you tell me who it is!"

"This is bloody awesome, Sirius! And no, I won't tell you!"

"Fine, but yes! It bloody is!" I laughed in excitement, thinking about all the great things that this room could be used for. "How come no one knows about this place? James would use it everyday for practicing Quidditch if he knew about it!" My face fell in thought, "Perhaps we shouldn't tell him then. He would train us dead."

Sirius' face also morphed into a somber look. "Yeah, I don't really want him to know or anyone else." I looked him over in surprise, "How come you haven't told him or the others about it? I thought you told each other everything?"

The boy sighed heavily, running a hand through his lucious black hair as he stared into the fire, "I told you, we had a dispute when I discovered the place. I always came here when I needed a bit time for myself to reflect on everything...it was kind of my safe space and also a good sleeping place when the dorm got too suffocating." I bit my lip, seeing the sad expression on his face and wondered just what had been so bad to cause such a bad fight between them. "I always planned to tell them if we were to ever become close again and when we did, it kind of slipped my mind with all the other things that came up. It happened around Fifth Year." I nodded, musing that he probably meant the time he ran away from home. Sirius sighed heavily, "So far, I haven't told them yet because I still sometimes use it as my safe space."

"That's good. You don't need to tell them everything because you are best friends," I said when he almost looked guilty at the prospect of hiding this from his mates.

He looked at me with an almost desperate expression, "Will you not tell anyone about this, please? I don't know how many can occupy this place at the same time since I couldn't test it out yet. And if the mates find out they will know to always look here. And sometimes, I just wanna be alone. You know, when I have to think about stuff they wouldn't understand..."

"It's okay, Sirius," I cut him off with a light laugh and he stared at me with an almost pout, "I won't tell anyone. Of course, I won't if you don't want me to."

He deflated with a relieved sigh before his toothy grin came back up, "I knew I could trust you!" I felt myself go red a bit at this, feeling warmth that he would trust me enough with something he wouldn't even tell his best friends. Come to think of it...

"But why would you tell me about this place anyways?" I wondered, "If you haven't even told James about it...?"

Sirius nodded. "I know, it's confusing. It's just that they - especially James - don't really understand the concept of personal space." I coughed to cover up a laugh, knowing full well what he meant. "I mean, Remus and Peter would actually leave me to myself if I were to ask them but James? Oof, James would immediately cling onto you and ask you what's wrong until you give in."

"I can imagine that all too well," I agreed.

"Right. And don't get me wrong, I love that and I myself am like that, too sometimes."

"Probably all the time."

"Shut it. So, that's why I'm still a bit reluctant to tell them. You, however, know when to drop a topic I don't wanna talk about. You give me the space that I sometimes need from a friend," he stated, growing more serious, "...and you know a lot more about me and a certain brother of mine than the others do." It dawned on me where this conversation was going and my eyes flickered over all the books once more. "I can't really tell the others about Regulus anymore. Ever since I've run away, the others think that the chapter with my family is forever closed and done with. That I'm done with my family. James especially holds quite a grudge against Reggie ever since I told them he said I wasn't his brother anymore. He is determined to fill up that space," Sirius chuckled to himself, "I love that guy." I resisted the urge to scream 'Me, too!'. His smile faded. "I can't give up on Reggie though. Never Reggie. I could never leave him behind, even if I kind of did...," he trailed off, his eyes glassed over as if he were somewhere else with his mind.

"You are trying to rekindle your relationship with him," I decided to speak up when his expression got too pained, assuming he was reliving a bad memory. He broke out of it, shaking his head slightly.

"I am, yes. And this is why we are here." Sirius gestured around the room, "This is my 104th attempt at becoming close to my little brother again. What do you think?"

"You gonna show him this place?"

"Yeah. I figured if we were to spend some time here, undisturbed and away from all the eyes that are preventing Reg from talking to me, we would eventually become close again. And maybe - just maybe - I can finally get him out of our blasted childhood place."

"Well..., I believe this is the perfect place for a bookworm for sure."

Sirius smiled widely, "Then Reggie is going to love it!"

I smiled back at him, "I think, he would love it even if this room turned into that bathroom that you had seen during your first time here." Sirius barked a laugh, "He would be so confused!"

"You might wanna add some snacks though when you meet up with him here. And some tea," I mused, "To make sure you don't get too hungry and have to cut it short."

"Ah, yeah I will have to get that from the kitchen. The room can't produce food." I pouted, "That's too bad." Sirius grinned before it softened into an uncertain smile, "And you really think he is going to like it?"

"With the amount of times we have stalked him in the library compared to any other place, we can safely assume that he feels very comfortable around books at least."

"We weren't stalking! Stop calling it like that!" Sirius complained, cringing. I snickered into my piece of chocolate. The boy relaxed into his seat, shooting me another smile, "Thanks for your help, Cec. I really appreciate it."

I gulped down the chocolate, leaning back against the armchair as well, "You are very welcome, Sirius. When are you going to show him this place?"

Sirius shrugged, trying and failing to appear nonchalant. "Maybe tonight."

I gave him a sympathetic smile. "Good luck. I'm sure it will go well."

"Has anybody seen Padfoot anywhere?" James asked later that night as we lounged around the fireplace in our common room. I smiled a little when everyone declined.

It was the next Friday when the last Quidditch game of the year rolled up: Slythering vs. Hufflepuff. Nearly everyone was there, the last game being the most popular of all since it would determine, who would become first place (either Slytherin or Gryffindor) and who would win third place (Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw). I watched the teams come out of the locker rooms, James booing loudly whilst the members in green were announced by the commentator. I noticed he was especially loud during the announcement of 'Regulus Black' and I nudged him a little. "BOOOO-uff!" Alright, maybe a little hard.

"Sorry, love," I said, rubbing his side soothingly as he complained noisily, "Someone bumped into me."

"S'alright," he mumbled with a pout, pulling me closer and glaring over my shoulder at the non-existent culprit. I shot a wink at Sirius, who was stood next to James, and he smiled gratefully.

"And the game begins! Mulciber has the Quaffle and immediately shoots towards to opponent's goals-!" The game continued with Quaffles and Bludgers being thrown/beaten back and forth between the teams. I watched with rampant attention as the goal difference never seemed to get too high, occasionally glancing at the Seekers to see if they had caught sight of the Snitch. Catching it seemed to be the only way to determine the winner.

"It's to 280 to 270 for Slytherin, ladies and gentlemen, and neither side is showing any sign of fatigue. It's a game of win and lose, of life and death- AND BLACK HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH!" All eyes snapped towards the small seeker zooming towards the ground near the Hufflepuff's goals, a mere blurred image of green and brown as he flew down in a breakneck speed. I noticed everyone lean forward over the railing to see the exact moment he caught the Snitch, the Hufflepuff seeker being one second too late. "AND BLACK HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! SLYTHERIN WINS THE GAME AND THE CUP! OH MY MERLIN!"

The Slytherin stand broke out in an uproar, shooting green and silver lights into the sky as the teams touched down, the green-cladded members jumping on Regulus, who was holding up the Snitch clenched in his fist with a blinding smile. I noticed Sirius biting his lip hard to prevent a wide grin as his grey eyes twinkled with pride whilst James groaned in disappointment but proceeded to clap along with everyone else, knowing they had won fair and square. "Gonna bloody win against them next year," I heard him grumble under his breath and I squeezed his arm with mine as I clapped along, "Definitely." He smiled at me before his eyes flickered towards something over my head. I looked back forwards, sneaking a glance to my side to see Lily and Alice next to Marlene, who was next to me, a pair of green eyes looking in our direction.

My chest constricted once more.

"I'm going to have to schedule more practices," James spoke as we walked back up to the castle after the game, neither of us wanting to stay and see the Slytherins celebrate, no matter how well deserved it was. "Maybe I can even get everyone to train on their own during the summer holidays."

"That's a bit excessive, don't you think?" I remarked, arm hooked around his. All I wanted to do during the holidays was laze around before the N.E.W.T.s came up next year.

"What, you think the Slytherin captain doesn't force his team to?" James pointed out, "And it obviously worked. This way we don't need to get back into the routine after the holidays and can improve our teamwork faster rather than having to train our individual skills back into shape."

"But James, this is our last summer holiday ever. Next year will be our last year in Hogwarts," I pointed out.

"Next year will also be our last chance to impress any recruits that will be there during the last games," James replied and I thought back on the few foreign adults that had occupied some seats in the teacher's stands during this game. The messy-haired grabbed me by the waist, twirling me around as I squealed in surprise. "Think about it, getting recruited by the Chudley Cannons-"

"Montrose Magpies."

"-and becoming the best Chaser and Seeker the Chudley Cannons-"

"Montrose Magpies."

"-ever had in history." He led me down with grin, still holding onto my waist, "We would be the dreamteam." I gazed into his brown eyes that almost had a mahogany hue to it in the current light of the sunset. "Yeah, we probably would..."

"Definitely would!" he exclaimed and I wrapped my arms around his, burying my face in his chest as an uncontrollable smile almost made my cheeks hurt.

I was definitely whipped for this boy. Irrevocably.

Next Chapter

#james potter #james potter x oc #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #james potter fanfiction #marauders imagine #marauders era #marauders fanfiction #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfiction #Harry Potter #marauders #Lily Evans #Sirius Black #Remus Lupin #marlene mckinnon #OC #original character #fanfiction

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atruththatyoudeny · 3 years

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Happy 28th! Here are all the 14 fics I read and enjoyed this month. As always, all the love for all the amazing authors in this fandom! ♥

In The Still Of The Night | jacaranda_bloom | Dirty Dancing AU - a/b/o - prejudice - gender stereotyping - class divide - angst - pining - smut - 69k In a society where omegas are expected to follow a predetermined path, Louis strives for more; for his voice to be heard, for recognition, for true love. In a world where your past defines your future, Harry fights against the system; for equality, for a different life, for acceptance. When their two worlds collide, will they be beaten down by conformity or will they rise up and forge a new path together? OR the Dirty Dancing AU where Louis is a feisty omega who wants to change the world, Harry is an alpha from the wrong side of the tracks, and nobody puts Louis in a corner.

Plant New Seeds in the Melody | 28sunflowers | enemies to friends to lovers - miscommunication - misunderstandings - emotional hurt/comfort - Original Character Death - grief/mourning - slow build - smut - 58k After losing his husband in a tragic car accident, the last thing Louis needs is to keep running into popstar Harry Styles, who David was quite fond of. Obviously, that’s exactly what keeps happening. But as their unlikely friendship blossoms, Louis realizes that, maybe, having Harry in his life was the only good thing that came out of his adverse circumstances. Harry could be just the right person to help Louis find trust and intimacy in someone new.

take my hand, wreck my plans | amomentoflove | Cinderella AU - a/b/o - royalty - Minor Character Death - emotional abuse - magic - 38k Louis meets the man in the center of the room, feeling every eye on him. “Mr. H,” he whispers. The man smiles brightly and laughs as if he can’t believe his eyes. “It’s you,” he says breathlessly. “I didn’t think I would see you again.” “Nor I you, especially under these circumstances.” “Even so,” Mr H says, his eyes bouncing from Louis’ eyes to his lips. “Will you do me a great honor and join me in leading the first … um…” “Dance?” Mr. H laughs and nods. “Yes, that’s the one.” Louis bites his lips and doesn’t hesitate before whispering, “Yes.” Mr. H beams and reaches for Louis’ hand. Sparks fly at the touch and a zing of excitement shoots through Louis’ body. His face heats up as he’s afraid his scent would give away his feelings towards the other man.

One More Taste of Your Lips | Canadianlarrie & MsHydeStylinson | canon compliant - reunion tour - angst - internalized homophobia/biphobia - cheating - smut - Coming Out - 80k It had been eight years since the hiatus began, and Louis had spent that time writing and recording music, touring and making it safely through the pandemic. When the opportunity arose to go back on tour with One Direction, Louis knew he'd be a fool not to take it. Sure, life on the road would be different after all this time apart, but he was looking forward to experiencing that comradery again. What he hadn't realised was that living the better part of nine months in each other's pockets was bound to dredge up issues from his past. And when one of the pockets belonged to Harry, who he'd had a rather unconventional friendship with that drifted apart during their last tour, life on the road again would upend both their lives in irrevocable ways. * Harry wasn’t that sixteen year old boy anymore. Nor was he the young man in his late teens who was on the cusp of conquering the entire world. But some traits seemed to remain the same; his vibrant green eyes, the dimples set deeply in his cheeks whenever he laughed earnestly, or his curls that were the same shade of cocoa that Louis remembered fondly. And yet, Louis had absolutely no idea who this man that stood a mere twenty paces away was today.

Old Photographs & Times I'll Remember | jaerie | time travel - Eroda - period-typical homophobia - anxiety - depression - discussion about suicide - self-discovery - post-break up - 54k Carefully he set that negative down and lifted the paper to see there was another beneath. This one again was a young man, this time posed against an antique car. He lifted a few more negatives out one by one, each a portrait of the same man with various backdrops. The man in a meadow, in an office, leaning against a doorframe — even one in his underwear grinning at the camera. On the edge of each negative printed in slanted, handwritten characters were the initials and date. H.S. 1924. He quickly but carefully packed them back into the box and buzzed with excitement. He couldn’t wait to develop them to see exactly what had been captured in the images. It was a find that felt like a puzzle to piece together. H.S. was likely the man in the photographs as well as the owner of the suitcase. Who was he? Why had his suitcase found its way into Niall’s attic? Was he still alive and well somewhere in the world? A camera, a suitcase, and a relationship forged through time.

Know a Trick or Two | SadaVeniren | Harry Potter setting - mpreg - magic - kid fic - - genderfluid character - smut - intersex - 44k The night before Louis is scheduled for a Portkey to begin training with the Vratsa Vultures in Bulgaria he heads into Muggle London for one last night of fun. A few months later he finds out he’s having a child. Eleven years ago Harry had a one night stand and now there’s a strange man on his doorstep telling him his daughter is something called a wizard and she’s got a place at the British wizarding school Hogwarts. Aka the one where Muggle Harry and Wizard Louis have a one night stand and get more than they bargained out of it.

come away with me | suspendrs | Minor Character Death - friends to lovers - sexuality crisis - emotional hurt/comfort - anxiety - smut - 80k Louis had such big plans. He wanted so much out of life, and so did Amy. Now Bridget is going to grow up without a mother, and she’s always going to wonder what it would be like if this hadn’t happened. He wonders if she’ll blame him for her mother’s death as she gets older, or if she’ll understand that this is just as painful for Louis as it is for her. Louis doesn’t know how he’s going to raise her on his own, because he’s a fantastic father, yes, but he’s always been the fun parent, and Amy was in charge of the rules. He doesn’t know how to make sure Bridget has everything she needs all the time, doesn’t know how to make her favorite meal or how to do that one braid she loves to have in her hair or how to teach her to be the best person she can be. He doesn’t know how to live without Amy, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. Or, Louis has to pick up the pieces of his and his daughter's life after his wife dies, and Harry is a beautiful stranger that just wants to help.

we made our promises (we said our vows) | millsx | Military AU - established relationship - kid fic - angst - hurt/comfort - mentions of PTSD - mentions of depressions - mentions of anxiety - injury - long-distance relationship - 21k Fairy tales always end with the Happily Ever After; the princess escapes her evil stepmother and gets married to the knight in shining armor. It turns out real life doesn’t care about Happily Ever Afters and sometimes problems appear when you don’t expect them to. Harry sure didn’t, not after years of being married.

Love, Ever After | jacaranda_bloom | a/b/o - farmers markets - soulmates - pining - miscommunication - fluff - banter - smut - 21k One would assume that the charismatic omega in charge of the local matchmaking service would have found a mate and settled down ages ago. His clients, in fact, are always a bit surprised when they come to learn that Louis is still single. But Louis doesn’t mind, not really. His standards are just high; he is happy holding out for his alpha, his soulmate, and chooses to not waste his time with anyone else, despite what his friends might think. That is, until his best mate from uni drags him out of bed far too early on a Saturday morning after a night of drinking to go to a farmers market, of all places. It’s there that he proceeds to make an utter fool of himself in front of the hottest alpha he has ever laid eyes on. There’s truly no coming back from that, is there? OR The one where omega Louis makes love matches, alpha Harry makes cheese, and meddling friends might finally make their dreams of finding their soulmate come true.

Hometown | allwaswell16 | High School - College/university - driving - heartbreak - memories - friendship - happy ending - angst - 2k On the day Harry gets his driver’s licence, he drives through the suburbs, heartbroken that he can’t drive home to Louis.

fever dream high | wildestdreams | friends to lovers - childhood friends - a/b/o - fluff - angst - smut - mutual pining - High School - 30k "Excuse me, what?" Harry licked his lips, carefully looking him in the eyes. "I will spend your heat with you so you're ready by Monday to play your game." "Harry," Louis began, suddenly at a loss for words. "I couldn't ask you to do that." "Why not? You just said you trust me." "You're my best friend. There's no one I trust more than you." "Then what's the problem?" "Well, friends don't usually help you through your heats or ruts, so excuse me for being a little skeptical." or A High School ABO AU where Harry and Louis are best friends and nothing more until things start getting a little complicated and they're faced with feelings they never wanted to confront.

We are the same, you run in my veins | 28sunflowers | a/b/o - non-traditional a/b/o- soulmates - wolves -pack dynamics - 4k When the time for Louis to become the Alpha leader of his pack comes, he can’t rise to the occasion for not being yet bonded. A series of trips to neighbouring packs in search of his soulmate is fruitless until he meets one of the other packs’ Alpha heir. Harry. The world seems to stop turning for a second and then it shifts, clicking into its axis. All the distress and wrongness he felt until that very moment suddenly disappears. Louis is finally whole. But two Alpha leaders from different tribes soulbonding is something unheard of before.

Divinely Blessed | thinlines | a/b/o - non-traditional a/b/o - established relationship - PWP - 17k “I heard you, Ni. But what do you mean?” “What do you mean what I mean?” Harry rolled his eyes as he shoved his alpha friend down onto a seat. “Did you mean you lick someone out or…?” “Nah, mate! It was me! I got licked out!” Harry could only stare at Niall in horror. Alpha Harry prides himself on having the bravest and most caring omega who might or might not just fulfill his sudden curiosity.

This chemistry like candy to me | CuckooTrooke | a/b/o - kink discovery - mpreg - male lactation - smut - 8k "It's just... Are you aware, that, uh... You're- You're kind of leaking." Harry feels his blood run cold. The heart that was thudding so loud and fast drops to his stomach, and his shoulders hunch in embarrassment. "Excuse me?" Harry asks once he manages to gather himself and recover from the shock. He automatically steps back but since he's already squeezed in the corner, it doesn't do much to put any distance between them, "Who the fuck do you think you are?" "Wha- No. Oh my god, I wouldn't- No," The man says as he realizes the misunderstanding, and wildly gestures to his chest, "I mean your- Your chest. Is leaking." OR Harry is 8 months pregnant with a poor balance and traitorous nipples. Unfortunately for him, that is precisely when he meets a beautiful alpha in a packed London Tube. Fortunately for him, the said alpha might just be the best thing he has ever come across.

#28th appreciation #fic rec #my fic rec #my reads #monthly fic rec #monthly reads #completed fics #larry fics

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fanficmemes · 3 years

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Hey guys!!! Thanks to our lovely anon/blog historian, Soupy, we now have a recorded history!! Blog lore, my beloved. I'll try and start adding in our new things too, but to any newbies out there, come take a look :):):):)

About the lore for this blog, i cannot remember everything, but i can do something about the cursed asks lore and history, since i just scrolled all the posts in the tags!

31 Jan 2021: an anonymous send an ask asking what people actually mean when they tell a ship if "pedophilic". This start a big number of asks about real survivor and how fucked up is fandom water down the word, purity culture, and consequently story time about harassing people in fandom for purity culture.

1 Feb 2021: someone speak about how much fucked up fics helped them. This probably opened the possibility of cursed asks. The same day, someone other send an ask about a terrible person known for harassing people about the sexuality of a character. The person is called "train fucker".

2 Feb 2021: anonymous point the attention on the train fucking thing. The cursed ask tag is created.

In the following hours, always in the cursed ask tag, people discover the fandom was Death Note and the guy was apparently in real attracted to trains and planes. Hell break down, memes are created.

History is made.

One of the characters will later become protagonists of the tag already existed. PKD already was knew since the 22 Jan 2021, when they sent an ask about the color asks and you had the intuition the tags he was probably someone with a piss kink and the tag "chronicles of piss" was created.

Cursed ask history part 2:

At this moment on time,the tags is still not clearly used. One of the First post tagged as such, the 9th Feb, is an anon answering to the ear fucking conversation about micropenis, while all the other posts are not tagged. The day after PKD enter the cursed asks tag, while the others ask still stay out of it. People start sending the stories they read.

12 Feb Hagrid/Hedwig fics are discovered. Owl fucking anon appear. Someone suggest a friendship between them and mlp guy.

Also mlp pony guy is a lore being who did not appear before in the #cursed asks, but already had their history in the simpler ask tag and in the previous cancel scale period, that we could call the ancestor of #cursed ask.

The First post tagged as cancel scale is from the 2nd Jan 2021. It was an anon answering your post of the same day "alright guys scale 1-10 how screwed r u if it ao3 history and bookmarks get released".

This is the gold era of this blog lore. The philanthropist, wound fucking discourse, rpf bdsm and mlp guy (with the first ask behind paywall) appeared during the first month and a half of the year, mixing at the end with the cursed ask tag.

Cursed ask history part 2:

12 Feb Hagrid/Hedwig fics are discovered. Owl fucking anon appear. Someone suggest a friendship between them and mlp guy.

Cursed ask history part 3:

The philanthropist appeared the same day #the cancel scale started. With their iconic "i am a shameless philanthropist and so my bookmarks are public. I eat dead doves for breakfast. Come on down to the buffet y'all! You want some wound fucking? 8-yr-old omega abortion? I got you fam, watch me scramble these eggs" they left a forever sign in this blog. Still to this days asks are written to know if they are good. They obtained a 12/10 in the cancel scale.

Wound fucking discourse started, also the same day, by CB answering "is that where the wound fucking comes in??" At a ask about vivisection and medical experimentation. Discourse about what classify as a wound and how it works continued trought the day.

Rpf bdsm is thought to have beat the philanthropist with their mix of rape, underage, incest in a foursome, huge age, rpf tentacles and, mostly, someone getting turned into a pickle and his partner fucking himself with it.

This also started a string of asks about people being transformed in object used for sex.

Rpf bdsm would appear again later that day to specify the pickle fic was a rpf.

Cursed ask history part 4 (i think? Already lost the count)

Mlp guy. The one and only. Always in the terrible 2 Jan 2021, they first appeared in the tags of an answer to a marvel ask. #Hey HEY mlp guy #u know who u r #i'm afraid to look at this ask #like yeah we saw some shit tonight but this blows that outta the fuckin WATER #y'all would dead ass have to pay me to post it

Someone noticed the tags and asked about it, and a strong sexual tension between everyone and the unpublished mlp ask started. Someone ended up paying, cause the ask was later published as last post of the day and terrorized every follower of the blog. It was published as screenshot of the ask, and is not even put in the #cancel scale.

MLP guy stayed so in the apex of the cursed asks for some months, till the Pokémon ask by soupy was published the 9th may 2021, taking home a 15/10. MLP guy made a Tumblr profile, @therealmlpguy, in retiliation, and reblogged answering with a new terribly cursed fic. CB have still not voted it, so who have the worst cursed ask is still in question.

The day of #cancel scale the blog fanficmemes lost many followers, but the story was, as we know, not finished.

Cursed ask history part 5

I like to stay an half cryptid of this blog, so i will not tell my blog of origin, but i can tell you I am Soupy. Also i need to know if i am actually considered a cryptic of the blog and if i need to make a lore post about myself XD.

This is starting to get hard cause i cannot reread what i already sent, but the end of the tunnel is near.

We already told about owl fucking anon in the cursed ask tag, but their story is a bit more longer. The cursed ask was actually their big return, and they are probably one of the most proficious lore making, having also a part in the creation of the PKD legend. They should really have their own tag.

How? Well.

The 17 Jan 2021, when the big part of the cancel scale was done and the elders of the lore created, they sent an anon ask about what the cancel scale made them remember. It was a fic, red when they were ten or eleven, about someone fucking an owl while the owl was on their period. Consensual, and apparently the authors were two teen girl who write only character x owl. Their mom proofread. CB answered with their profile picture, edited so that it red "i can't believe it's gotten even worse!" Instead of "i can't believe it's not canon".

This post created, if we want to say, PKD, cause their first ask, that assigned them piss kink, was yes about the color asks (that, in case someone does not remember, was CB asking what colors people assigned to them), but had as explanation "if you keep posting stuff like the owl period whatever". So the owl fucking anon indirectly created, the 22 Jan 2021, PKD.

Owl fucking anon continued their ascension to lore of the blog.

The 12th Feb 2021 sent an ask were they were surprised someone had found Hagrid x Hedwing fics, and than sent anther 9 parts ask about the story of how they red lot of cursed shits thanks to an old tumblr blog that had the links, and how from there they found an author who only published Hagrid x Hedwing, and how that introduced them to FF smut.

(it is also discovered they are only 15, baby, please, i am noone to talk with the shits i red at the time but i hope you are ok).

They are now consacrated in the memory of the blog.

Cursed ask history part 6

Before continuing with the history of the cursed asks, is now time to finally give a small talk about PKD. We know how they originated, but how they become so famous?

Probably is the fact they appeared so many time during the last months. Being it for cancel scale, cursed asks or just normal asks, they continue to give us company with their exploration of piss kink fic. Is true they soundly negate having the kink the first months, but after lot of memes and people speaking about it, the 25 Apr 2021 they finally admitted of having the kink,and discovered it reading an a/b/o Captain America fic.

I would suggest to read all the posts, but they stopped being tagged halfway through, so is half in the specific #chronicles of piss and half in the #cursed ask

Cursed ask history part 7

The big lore is finished, and now only the later history stay.

#cancel scale posts and #cursed asks post lived side by side for some days. The owl fucking one of the 12 Feb was actually the last cursed fic published in the cancel scale post, leaving the tag only for some history reference later.

#cursed asks saw the appearence of every type of cursed possible to thought, with scat and nipple fucking between the different tags. At the start there was no specific day chosen, but later, for CB schedule reasons, Saturday was assigned as cursed ask day, and some week later it was moved to Sunday.

And here we are, today, to see what other cursed things we will bring in this world

Cursed fic History part 8

The cursed fic History have been covered, but i still think is important to talk about some of the before time tags that created the good ecosystem for the creation of #cursed ask.

The most famous is #the lube discussion.

It started the 23 Aug 2020, when CB wrote a post about FF using the word "supple" in smut without the thing being actually supple. In the tag, they added #also #that does Not work as lube.

Some anon asked what was being used as lube, that was answered with "one was peanut butter. I will not discuss the other". This started the bug lube discussion, were everyone talked about what they continingly see used as lube when it cannot be used as lube.

Between the classics soap and blood, we see some more daring one as mud, yogurt, aloe vera, years, milk, hot sauce and the more intersting, cannoli (have no idea if they are talking about the cream you put in cannoli or some american thing i don't know).

Nothing reached cursed material, but it put the first seed for the blog.

#blog lore #my dearest soup #my response to your first letter will be posted swiftly #I got distracted bc I forgot that we don’t know each other irl #and I was gonna press some flowers for u #(they’re still being pressed but I’ll send a pic I forgot that I can’t send real flowers over text #but again thank you so much for doing this #also I really wish I would’ve tagged shit better #maybe I wanted to go back and reread chronicles of piss #but nooooooo I just had to forget about it halfway through #anyways here we go #cursed asks #the lube discussions #chronicles of piss

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missscarletta7 · 3 years

Text

The Broken Crown- Chapter 4

Enjoy chapter 4!

Summary: All Margaret Shelby ever wanted, was the opportunity to write her own story. Only now is she beginning to realize that her brother may have already written it for her...

OoOoOo

"When your dreams all fail,

And the ones we hail, Are the worst of all,

And the blood runs stale"

~Demons~

OoOoOo

1919

Maggie was so excited. She dragged Cara toward the pub the moment their school day was finished.

"Why are we going into the Garrison?" The blonde asked curiously.

"You have to meet the barmaid who works here," Maggie explained.

"I've seen her," Cara informed her. "What's so special about her?"

"We've become good friends." It was true, after such a long period of time had passed without seeing her older sister, Grace inevitably filled the gaping space that Ada had left behind.

"Should I be jealous?" The blonde teased.

Maggie flashed a loving smile, "No one could ever replace you."

When the dark-haired girl opened the pub door, the first thing they heard was Grace's melodic voice singing. "-As I've never loved before..."

Maggie spotted Grace serving drinks to the regular customers. Unfortunately, one of those customers was Ross, who was sitting with a group of men who would hang around the betting shop. Cara was quick to notice him too, her body immediately tensed.

"Since first I saw you on the village green..."

"Sorry Mags, I forgot my mum wanted me to fix stitching on some dresses," This was one of the few times Maggie had ever seen Cara looking embarrassed, "Maybe next time, yeah?"

"Come to me ere my dream of love is o'er..."

The dark-haired girl nodded, not wanting to refute the her friends claim, and watched Cara hurriedly exit through the doors.

"I love you as I loved you when you were sweet..." Maggie moved herself over to the row of empty barstools and took a seat as Grace was finishing her song. "When you were sweet sixteen."

Grace then walked behind the bar while Maggie applauded at the performance. "Hello Maggie," Grace greeted happily, grabbing a dirty pint glass off the bar. "Don't look behind you,but a handsome young man is staring at you."

Maggie felt her stomach turn, responding, "Let's change the subject."

Grace smirked, "How was school?"

"Dull," The girl said truthfully, "Harry out again?"

Grace nodded, "It's been slow."

"What have you been doing today?"

"I had a meeting with the gentleman who will be installing the pub's brand new phone."

"Neat." Maggie beamed at the thought of the new technology.

"Your brother is trying to go legitimate." Grace informed her, "He wants to make this place seem a bit more respectable."

"Which one?" The dark-haired girl asked.

"Arthur." She answered back unenthusiastically, "Though he doesn't seem too interested in fixing anything. I mean, look at the state of these." The barmaid picked up a carton of cigarettes that was ripping apart. "Where do these even come from?" She asked, hoping this question would lead to where the guns may be hidden.

Maggie just shrugged at her question. "How should I know? I think they have a few warehouses in town."

Grace nodded, taking in the information, before noticing a customer beckon her over, "I'll be back." She told the girl.

Maggie sat by herself for a few moments before she felt a presence inch closer to stand beside her. She knew there would be a confrontation at some point, she had done so well in avoiding him. She didn't have a chance to say anything before Ross spoke first, "I had instructions to give this to you."

Reaching into the pocket inside of his coat he pulled out a folded piece of parchment, placing it on the bar he slid it towards her. She was surprised but nevertheless relieved when he said nothing else and walked back to his table. Taking the note, she unfolded it to read the message that was scribbled out. As she read a smile crept onto her face. The message was from Ada.

OoOoOo

In the parlor, Maggie had been writing in her journal when Polly descended the down the stairs. "Put your shoes on," The older woman ordered, "Johns called a family meeting."

Watching Polly walk across the room, Maggie raised her eyebrow, "Thought I wasn't allowed at family meetings."

"John says it's not that kind of a meeting," Polly said, exiting into the tiny kitchen. Maggie happily closed her book and slipped on her black boots which were resting right underneath the old coffee table, before following her aunt into the kitchen.

"Pol?" Maggie asked worriedly when she noticed the woman standing rigidly by the table. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Polly said after a moment, "C'mon, we don't want to be late." Polly moved to enter the betting shop with her niece in tow.

"Where's John?" Tommy asked his aunt, agitated his brother was not at his post.

"John's in the Garrison, says he wants a meeting about a family matter," Polly informed him, placing her hat on her head. "After he's said his piece he'll come back and take his place with Scudboat."

Maggie tried to follow her aunt, but was stopped by Tommy's outstretched arm, "Where are you going?"

"To the meeting. John told Polly I could come," Maggie explained to him.

Though Tommy didn't look completely persuaded, Polly called on the large man taking bets. "John will be here in ten minutes"

"Five," Tommy corrected before the family walked out of the shop onto the cobblestone pavement.

"What does John want to talk about?" Tommy asked his aunt.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Always been one for dramatics, our John" Polly replied jokingly causing Maggie to chuckle out.

"You're in a good mood," Tommy noted to the smiling girl as he pulled out a cigarette to smoke.

"I like going to the Garrison," Maggie responded.

"She likes talking to that barmaid." Polly translated her nieces' words.

"You and Grace seem to chat a lot," Tommy spoke, exhaling a breath of smoke.

The girl shrugged. "I like Grace, she likes my writing," quickly adding, "We're friends."

"You trust her enough to share your work," Tommy said, impressed by the sudden growth of his sister. "I'm thinking of asking her to be my secretary," Tommy suddenly informed the ladies.

"Only a secretary?" Maggie asked, raising her eyebrows cheekily.

He flashed her a ghost of a smile, "Never you mind."

"Secretary, eh?" Polly finally spoke up as the Garrison came into their view.

"We're going, legitimate Pol." Tommy reasoned, "What's more legitimate than a secretary? Or maybe I’ll make her a bookkeeper. Arthur mentioned she’s good with numbers and helped him fix the books." Polly said nothing and this seemed to spark something in the gangster, "Got something to say?"

"Just don't let your cock do your thinking for you Thomas," Polly warned. He remained silent, but a small smirk was fixed on his face causing the aunt to roll her eyes.

When they entered the pub, it was empty, except for Harry, who stood behind the bar drying some glasses with a white rag. They saw Finn leaning against the outer wall of the private room, which Maggie assumed John and Arthur were already in.

"Stay out here Finn," Polly ordered the eleven-year-old who tried to enter with them.

"But Mags gets to go in!" The boy protested, yet his words went unheard. This made him look jealousy at his sister, who had stuck her tongue out at her little brother as she walked into the snug with the rest of the family. Both John and Arthur were already seated, and she took a place right next to Polly.

"All right John, there's only one man-," Tommy spoke, before declining the drink Arthur poured for him continuing, "There's only one man guarding the house. What's troubling you?"

"Aunt Polly, Maggie, you two know what it's been like since Martha died." John began.

Maggie gave her brother a sad smile as Polly took his hand and said, "God takes the best first."

John looked to his sister, "Mags, you've been a big help with them, but the truth is my kids have been running bloody rings around me." With hopelessness in his voice, he continued, "Running barefoot with the dogs until all hours."

Maggie's heart ached for him, but Tommy was not having it, "Pol, give him ten bob for some new shoes. Is that it, John?" He asked his brother impatiently.

"Tommy it would be better to do this without you," Polly scolded before turning her attention back to John. "Now what's your point?"

"What the kids need is a mother." John spoke again slowly, "So that's why I'm getting married."

Everyone in the room exchanged glances of surprise. Polly was the first to speak, "Does this poor girl know you're going to marry her? Or are you just going to spring it on her all of a sudden?"

John replied matter-of-factly, "I've already proposed, and she said 'yes'."

"I think that's great John," a smiling Maggie announced. Finally! She was officially off babysitting duty.

"I think there's a shell about to land and go bang," Tommy stated mockingly, before lighting the cigarette hanging in his mouth.

Hesitantly John spoke again, "It's um- its Lizzie Stark."

"Oh, eww," Maggie breathed out, crossing her arms as her family cackled at her expression.

Polly managed to compose herself, "John, Lizzie Stark is a strong woman and I am sure she provides a fine service for her customers-"

"I won't hear the word! Understand? Do not use that word." He told them angrily.

Tommy sighed out, "What word is that, John?"

"You know what word that is," John growled out.

"Everybody bloody knows" Arthur finally spoke out and pointed at his sister, "Shit, even Mags here knows."

John gritted out, "Everybody can go to Hell."

"Whore. That word?" Tommy finally supplied. "Or prostitute? How about that one?"

Fury flashed in Johns' eyes, "Right I want it known, if anyone calls her a whore again, I will push the barrel of my revolver down their throats and blow the word back down into their hearts."

"Well, that's not dramatic at all," Maggie mumbled out her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Men and their cocks never cease to amaze me." Polly berated, "John, Lizzie Stark never did a day's work vertical- "

"She's changed!" John insisted, "All right?! People change! Like- Like with religion-"

"Lizzie Stark has got religion, eh?" Tommy interrupted.

"No! No, she doesn't have religion, but- well she loves me." John asserted, "Now listen Tommy, I won't do it without your blessing. But of all the people in the world- I want you to see it as brave."

"Oh, it's brave all right," Arthur muttered before taking a swig of his drink.

"Brave is going where no man has gone before. And with Lizzie Stark, John, that really is not what you'll be doing" She told him, unable to hold back the laughter.

But he ignored her, looking back at his older brother, "Listen, Tommy, welcome her to the family, as someone whose had a hard life. All right because I need someone. The kids need someone."

Tommy looked as if he was about to give his reply before Finn pushed open the door forcefully panting out, "Tommy, we've been done over!"

"What?" Arthur asked in disbelief.

Quickly Maggie followed her siblings and Polly, who all practically ran out of the Garrison. Not stopping until they all were back in front of number seventeen, Watery Lane. "You and Finn stay outside," Polly ordered once they were outside the entrance of the betting shop.

Maggie was about to object until Tommy echoed their aunts' instructions and followed the rest of his family inside. The pair of Shelby's eventually moved from the noisy street to the alley where the car was parked. Finn carefully crawled onto the hood and contorted his way over the front window. Maggie followed her brother, stepping up to sit on top of the hood, letting her feet lightly kick the metal of the vehicle that protected the thin wheels.

"Look, Maggie," Finn giggled and the girl twisted her upper body to see her brother playing with the steering wheel, "I'm Tommy!"

The girl smiled, "If you're trying to be Tommy, you should work more on your scowl." She told him jokingly. Overdramatically Finn made a scowl but immediately broke character by breaking out in even more giggles, triggering Maggie to laugh as well.

Suddenly Tommy was at the entrance of the alleyway in front of them, he looked instantly distressed. "Maggie, Finn." He began slowly, "Both of you stay exactly where you are."

"What's wrong?" she asked him worriedly. Did something happen inside?

Raising his arm out to her spoke out cautiously, "Mags, as careful as ya can, I need you to slowly slide off the hood."

She did as she was told, while Finn kept snickering, "I was pretending I was you." The child told his brother, but Tommy ignored him instead he directed Maggie to move against the dingy brick wall.

Once he felt like his sister was out of danger he went back to the child in the car, "Which door did you open to come in Finn?"

"I didn't," He told his big brother proudly. "I climbed in."

"I want you to climb out exactly the same way you climbed in, okay?" Tommy instructed, but Finn disobeyed and opened the driver's door.

Maggie watched as Tommy ran to grab an object that had been on the side of the door, yelling out, "Clear!" before flinging it to hit the brick wall on the opposite side of the street. Maggie yelped out at the sound of the explosion, which caused working men to drop to the ground. "That's why you should never pretend to be me, okay?" Tommy told Finn, visibly shaken by this incident. Tommy then took a deep breath and pulled both of his younger siblings close to him.

OoOoOo

Polly and Maggie had just entered the washhouse Ada had informed them she would be visiting. It was a large space, but luckily there were not very many people who decided to do their laundry at the establishment that afternoon. Alone in the corner of the washroom, sitting on a stool, was a woman with a long brown coat, wide black hat, folding trousers onto the small table beside her.

"Need help?" Polly asked the woman eagerly.

The woman looked up to see her family members and smiled, "You got my letter." Ada grinned and stood up with a bit of difficulty, Polly was the first one to embrace her.

Once the aunt and niece pulled apart it was Maggie's turn. Though the hug was more on the awkward side, due to the sizable stomach that was in the way. She muttered into her sisters' ear, "Fuck, you're huge!"

"Oh, shut up." Ada happily retorted, smacking her sister's arm lightly.

"What's with the glasses?" Maggie laughed and pointed at the large spectacles on her sister's face.

"Freddie wants me in disguise when I go out now." She spoke with a bored tone and pointed to the strange-looking eyeglasses. "Can't bloody see anything with these."

Maggie grabbed a pair of socks, which she assumed was Freddie's, from Ada's hand, "Here let me help you." She told her sister and began to fold the newly laundered clothing.

"Has Freddie got you hiding somewhere near?" Polly asked hostilely.

"It's fucking rat hole," Ada spit out, "the entire flat is about the size of your room, Mags."

Maggie felt sad for her sister. Sure, the Shelby family didn't have much to their name, but they were better off compared to most of the population in Small Heath. "Is that Copper still looking for Freddie?" Ada inquired to which Polly nodded.

Ada cursed and placed a hand on her large stomach, "I just want to live in peace with my family. But instead of thinking of me or the baby, all he cares about is the bloody cause. Freddie even gave someone two hundred bloody pounds."

Polly leaned in closer to the pregnant girl, and with a hushed tone asked, "Who?"

OoOoOo

Maggie walked down the hall from her room to Tommy's, she was hoping she could borrow a pen since hers ran out of ink. Before she opened the closed door, she could have sworn she heard noises. Had her brother come home early?

"Tom?" She asked, opening the door, but that wasn't who was in the room, "John?"

Being caught, the third oldest Shelby stopped his rifling through their brothers' things, though seemed relieved it was only her, "Mags-"

"What are you doing here?" She asked before she noticed that his eyes were watery, "Has something happened?"

"The weddings off," He informed her with an irritated tone and moved to the dresser drawers.

"Oh." Was all she could manage to say awkwardly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't," he told her bitterly, shaking his head then went back to rifling through the dresser flipping over Tommy's clothes. "It ain't your fault I'm a fucking idiot!"

"You're no idiot, John," she assured him yet he just scoffed at her words.

"Never fall in love Maggie, leads to nothing but fucking agony."

“What does falling in love even feel like anyway?” She surprised herself when she asked.

John stopped and turned his red eyes to her for a moment before continuing his search, “You know it… it's like this feeling in your gut.” He told her somewhat uncomfortably, “Your heart beats a little faster, your mind always wanders back to thinking about them, no matter what you're doing; when you eat, when you sleep, when you work… Why the fuck are you asking me this?”

“No reason”, Maggie said quickly. "What are you even looking for, anyway?"

He didn't respond to her question, causing her to become frustrated. "Fine, don't tell me." Maggie walked over to the nightstand, picked up the first writing device she saw and left the room.

OoOoOo

The next evening Maggie had fallen asleep on the sofa in the tiny parlor of their home, at least until she was shaken awake by her aunt. "What's the matter?" she muttered out, quickly sitting herself up. Was something wrong? Had the Lees come back?

"Nothing, love" Polly reassured her, "I left a new dress on your bed, go put it on."

"We're going out?" The girl asked, confused, no one had told her they had prior arrangements.

"Yes," Polly nodded, "Now c'mon, we don't have that much time."

Maggie rose from her spot, "Where are we going, Pol?"

"To a wedding," The older woman huffed impatiently and made her way up the stairs to the bedrooms.

This confused Maggie even more, "Whose?"

Not two hours later Maggie had gotten her answer. She and Polly met Ada near the Lees campground and walked into their enemy's territory with no trouble at all. They approach the crowd of witnesses just as Johnny Dogs begins the ceremony. Ada stopped to stand beside Tommy.

"Let's stand over here, love," Polly said, guiding Maggie past her siblings to get a better view of the union. She watched on as Johnny officiated, taking notice that her brother actually looked happy to be up there. Her attention was taken off the bride and groom when she spotted Ross standing about ten feet away with the rest of the Peaky Blinders. Smiling softly at his familiar face, she waved, her stress alleviated when he did the same.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Johnny said happily as all the witnesses cheered at the new couple's first kiss.

As the night went on the partygoers were all in a festive mood. Sitting on a wooden barrel, Maggie watched as everyone mingled and danced. Tommy was sitting and chatting with the matriarch of the Lee family, Arthur was in the middle of what looked like a drinking contest, and John danced to the music with his beautiful new wife, Esme. Even she had started to sway to the music as the firecrackers sounded off over the happy noises.

"Mags," Ross greeted her, walking up next to stand next to her seating place.

"Hello," she replied, followed by an awkward pause, "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you." She told him after a few moments.

"Understandable." He responded instantly, "I've been a wanker and not just to you." Taking another puff of his cigarette, he exhaled, "I'll talk to Cara."

Maggie was surprised by this proclamation, "Really?"

"I'll sort it out." He nodded looking at the others dancing, and with a smile continued, "I miss walking with you two."

Maggie returned the smile, "We miss you too."

Ross stuck his hand out, "Care to dance?"

Maggie felt her face flush, and waved her hands in protest, "Oh, no I couldn't."

"C'mon, it's a party." He urged, with his hand still outstretched. Smiling, the girl cautiously took it and was led to the crowd.

Feeling like an idiot, she tried to keep up with the fast-paced music, but it seemed like her feet couldn't move fast enough. She felt someone clumsily bump into her backside nearly knocking her over. "Oi! Watch- Oh sorry love." Ada slurred out.

"It's alright," Maggie assured her sister, regaining her balance.

Ada then awkwardly cupped her little sister's face with both hands, and with a very stern tone warned, "Don't you ever let a man call you a 'Fucking Shelby' you hear me." She then rounded on the man next to her and jabbed a finger close to Ross’s face. "You hear me."

"Don't you worry, Ada," Ross guaranteed her, which seemed to be good enough for the older Shelby girl whose demeanor quickly changed back to her delighted drunkenness, dancing away from them.

As Ross spun her around, she caught a glimpse of John and Esme, sitting together and happily getting to know one another, "Seems like love at first sight." She heard Ross say.

"Seems so," Maggie replied happily. Very soon her attention was drawn to Tommy and Arthur trying to get a drunken Ada under control, "Oh no." She breathed out, walking closer to her feuding family members.

"Come and look, Esme!" Ada shouted, "Come and look at the family you joined!" The music ceased and now everyone's attention was on the intoxicated woman. "Come and look at the man who runs it! He chooses his brother's wives for them!" Ada shouted out for everyone to hear. She wasn't finished though, the woman then pointed at her younger sister, "Have you got some old perverted man lined up for Maggie?!"

Maggie felt her stomach drop at the thought, she felt everyone's gaze turn to her as she remained frozen in place. The only comfort that she felt was when Ross put her arm around her waist, as if to protect her. Tommy just stood in front of Ada looking at her stoically, but the mother-to-be wasn't done yet. "He hunts his own sister down like a rat, and he tries to kill his own brother-in-law!"

"Ada, that's enough!" Arthur tried to intervene.

"And now he won't even let me have a fucking dance! Not even at a fucking wedding!"

"Sit her down!" John barked out.

"Calm down Ada," Polly kept repeating, trying to soothe her. "Holy Shit. Water, right."

"Not now Ada," Arthur whined, obviously devastated the party was now unavoidably cut short. "Bloody hell, you do pick your times."

Tommy rushed over to Ada placing his coat over her and assisted Pol with leading her out of the vicinity and into the family car.

Maggie turned to her friend, "I have to-"

"Go." Ross finished for her.

Maggie rushed towards her family, who all made their way to the car. "It's too early!" she heard Ada cry out as she was ushered into the vehicle. Maggie too jumped into the front seat next to her brother.

"It'll be ok, love." Polly soothed sliding in next to her, before turning to the driver, "Step on it, Tommy."

OoOoOo

"Freddie," Ada kept repeating as she laid down on the sofa in the small parlor. "I want Freddie!"

"I know," Maggie sighed out uncomfortably, moving a sweaty piece of hair out of her sister's face.

"I can't do it, Mags. I can't do it on my own." Ada whimpered.

The younger girl's heart ached, "Hey, look at me, you can do this," She assured her, "You are so strong, if anyone can do this it'll be you."

Luckily for them, Esme had finally arrived moments later.

"Ada!" They heard Polly scream before she re-entered the home. "They're getting the word out to Freddie. He'll be here, love." She assured her niece, who grunted out as yet another contraction commenced.

"I think it might be the wrong way 'round," Esme told them, "I attended three sisters."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Polly agreed.

Maggie squirmed in place nervously, "What does that mean?"

"We should lean her forward," Esme suggested and Polly nodded, helping Ada up.

"C'mon, it's not that long to go, darling," The aunt encouraged the screaming woman. "Push, two, three!"

"Holy shit," Maggie muttered out, as she watched a new life was making its way out of her sister.

"Keep going, that's it!" Polly cheered before pulling out the baby completely. "It's a boy, Ada," Polly told the exhausted woman over the newborn's cries as Esme cut the cord connecting the mother and son with some old scissors.

Polly cleaned the new baby boy off tenderly with a small rag before returning him to Ada, who was beaming at the small life in her arms. Maggie heard banging from the front entrance and if she had not gotten out of the way fast enough Freddie may have run over her. Maggie smiled at the sight of the little family. The feeling didn't last long though, because the front door opened once again, and she felt herself being pushed aside the wall by a copper. Esme could be heard yelling, the baby boy began to shriek, and Ada sobbed, clinging to her newborn to her chest.

"Freddie!" Ada cried out as the group of officers dragged the new father out of the home.

"Tommy," Polly said darkly before letting out a string of curses in Romany before storming out of the house.

#peaky blinders #peaky blinder fanfic #shelby sister #tommy shelby #ada shelby #polly gray #oc #arthur shelby #john shelby #1920 #esme lee #finn shelby #peaky blinders fanfiction

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punnyasitgets · 3 years

Note

[cha cha slide voice] reverse!

Freeze! Everybody clap your hands!

Ok so Catwoman Guardian of Gotham was a disaster so I'm taking it into my own hands. Only Bruce and Selina are swapped and Alfred still exists, not. The weird maid lady and Bruce is Not a bloodthirsty murderer

This got Very long so it's under a cut

Selina's parents were murdered by Joe Chill and she vowed to never let anyone feel the same pain she did, hence why she later became Catwoman

Bruce grew up on the streets with his big brother Thomas taking care of them both, but Thomas ended up killing a guy in a mugging and got sent to prison and left Bruce on his own

Catwoman hears about a number of high-profile thefts (museums, aristocrats) springing up and starts trying to track down the cat burglar and ends up interrupting a burglarly from a wealthy woman's penthouse

She chases the burglar down and they have a fight on the rooftops where they kick the everloving shit out of eachother but the burglar throws her off the roof and when she gets back up he's gone

Next night, she attends a charity event and meets an activist and fundraiser by the name of Bruce Wayne and they have a nice chat and hit it off

In the middle of it, a waiter bumps Selina in the side right over where her ribs got cracked from the other night and she doubles over so Bruce helps her out of sight and asks what happened

She tells him she tripped down the stairs of her house but he does Not believe it and ends up sticking by her the rest of the night, at the end of which Selina is like. "He's nice I think" and invites him out for lunch soon

Jump a day or two and Selina runs into the burglar again but this time he's got full body armor and a bat motif and she is Not Happy With This Development

Bruce stole a ton of armor and weaponry from the GCPD and made his own suit because Selina rly messed him up the last time they met

So they fight and Bruce hits her in the side and it floors her and he is like. Wait A Minute, but she recovers and he's forced to run

And then over a period of a month or two, Bruce starts hanging out with Selina in the day (lowkey stalking her to see if his wild theory is right) and while over at her manor he spots a bloodstain on her shirtsleeve from a wound that bled through the bandages she was wearing and when he questions her she says she cut her arm open on a nail accidentally and it's not a big deal but he's just. Hm

Also during this period, Catwoman keeps showing up to stop all of Batman's robberies and he's really getting sick of it because he's been using the money from his stolen goods both to like, feed himself but also to support a gang of homeless kids in the neighborhood he lives in and to help provide food for the local orphanage and it's getting Really Hard To Do That When He Can't Steal Stuff

So basically he knows she's Catwoman and Selina is his friend and he's just. I Have An Idea

Batman starts going out more often just to taunt Catwoman while she's on patrol and he starts going to other rogues like Two-Face and Cobblepit to egg them on and he actively breaks Bane out of prison and the Riddler out of Arkham just to set them loose

He's basically manufacturing a crime wave to try and wear Catwoman out and it's working

She's really exhausted because of all this and every time she has to make an appearance in public she's all tired and struggling to keep it together and Bruce makes a point to be there and to cover for her whenever she's too overwhelmed

Eventually Catwoman gets severely injured during a fight and she's too far from the Cave so, not really having another option, she shows up passed out in Bruce's apartment bleeding out and he's all surprised and helps her and gives her impromptu medical care but never pulls off her mask

Selina wakes up on his couch and he's asleep in a chair he pulled up next to her and she's like :] and leaves him a thank you note before going

So Batman has basically become priority one but he keeps causing so many new problems to spring up that she can't actually go after him while he commits a robbery spree, and every tine she deals with everything else he goes to ground for weeks on end

All the while Bruce is there being Supportive Friend Of The Year and they keep going out to eat and they spend events together and it's Grand

Eventually Bruce asks her out! And she's like. Oh No because while she likes him, she genuinely doesn't know if she can handle being in a relationship at the moment but she doesn't want to say no so she gives a tentative yes and so they're dating

Luckily he is a very understanding man and whenever she has to dip out to be Catwoman or when she's too tired to go out he's all "oh it's fine, I can reschedule" and it's a Very Big Relief

Batman goed to ground after another round of Mess With Catwoman and he stays that way for like three months and she puts all her rogues away so for the first time in a While she has proper free time to spend with Bruce and it's lovely! And shes like. "If this is how our relationship is, I don't want it to end" but because she's Catwoman and she doesn't know that she could hide it from Bruce if they were married and so one night she shows up in his apartment as Catwoman and shows him that she's Selina and he's just "!!!!! Oh that explains a lot, that's really awesome"

He swears he'd never tell anyone about her identity and makes a joke about how because Selina makes herself seem so ditzy at parties, nobody would believe him anyway and so Selina proposes to him the next night and they end up getting married and Bruce moves into the manor ❤️

Unfortunately Batman comes back and he pulls a pro gamer move which involves releasing every inmate from Arkham and Blackgate, including but not limited to her entire rogues gallery

So she's having a Time and literally just can't handle everything and every time she does well against a rogue Batman swoops in out of nowhere to divert her and really it's exhausting and she's working herself to the bone

Eventually she manages to wrangle most of them but the Joker is still on the loose and Batman keeps evading her and she Has Not Slept For Four Nights

While she's in the Cave, Alfred makes a comment about how at night it always gets so nerve wracking, especially since Bruce tends to leave after she does and Alfred is worried he might get caught up in something dangerous considering Batman and the crime wave and Selina is like

"He leaves the house at night??? [wh]" And Alfred gets confused tells her how he can never find Bruce in the manor from around eleven pm to two in the morning so he assumes Bruce goes out to visit friends or to deal with personal business and he tells her abt how he asked Bruce about it and he told Alfred that he and Selina had already talked about it

And Selina is just. "He was lying to you, I had no idea he was going out" which makes her Very Suspicious

She can't Do anything about it because she's trying to track down supercriminals but she checks the manor security feeds and she can't find any trace of Bruce leaving which is Concerning

Basically she ends up finding the Joker and stopping him from bombing the city and he gets sent back to Arkham, but before she can go home Batman shows up and they facedown on the roof

Batman goes all "I really didn't want to do this but you gave me no choice" and then starts trying to kill Selina

He gets a bunch of good stabs in but Selina seems to get the better of him and so he runs and she follows him into an apartment building but loses him in the hallways

She spots a bomb behind one of the doors and realizes the building is about to explode so she gets out of there just before it does and Batman corners her with a gun on a nearby roof

He tries to kill her again but Selina manages to get close and hits the gun away

Batman tries to run but she grabs him by the cape and yanks him back and manages to rip his cowl off before he gets away, at which point she sees that it's Bruce and she's Horrified

And it finally clicks that Batman has been trying to get every other criminal in Gotham to either kill her for him or wear her out so that he can do it himself, which would Also be killing Selina Kyle, and since she doesn't have any other heir, Bruce would get her fortune

And she's all "why would you do all this" and he gets really angry and starts telling her all about the people that aren't as privileged as her and he basically tells her that he wants her money so he can use it to help the people living in the East End and the Narrows, since Selina and the other aristocrats of her stature didn't know the problem like he did and refused to help

So Selina is just baffled that he'd go this far and he apologizes to her genuinely before he tries to kill her one last time because now that she Knows, this is his last chance to get away with the plan

It doesn't work, Selina fights him off and manages to get cuffs on him but he gets away and Selina goes home and Divorces That Man Immediately but also realizes that while he was living with her he'd been stealing things like jewelry she never wore or fancy paintings from rooms nobody ever went into and she is just Not Pleased

But she also allocates a ton of money towards charity projects focused in the more rundown areas of Gotham and actively starts funding all sorts of orphanages, soup kitchens, clinics, etc

She tries to track Bruce down but he's just Gone and so she lets it go even though she's very heartbroken and sad that he tried so hard to kill her

#bat and cat swap #batman #catwoman #dc comics #gaysonlyocean #adobe decrees #tysm rat 🥺

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terrm9 · 3 years

Text

The Ray Women

Ethan and Chiara visit her family in San Francisco for the first time.

Set in the renovations period between Book 2 and Book 3.

This is the fourth part of the mini series The Couple & the Others. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 can be found here.

Words count: 4 200

Author’s note: The final part is here! I do not think I have much to say, other than THANK YOU to Ruby @starrystarrytrouble for this beautiful moodboard and for reading the last part back then!

Warnings: mention of death (it’s Chiara’s background, there is no way I could have avoided that), other than that fluff

Ethan let out a long exhale as soon as they stepped out of the airport hall and he felt the first rays of San Francisco sun on his skin.

There were several reasons why he never considered to leave Boston and its reasonable climate was most definitely big part of those reasons. Boston was... normal. Bearable. San Francisco was hot and the wind was barely there and the sun was too bright and-

He turned his head to look at Chiara and decided to snap his mouth shut before he could mutter something about the hell being colder.

Chiara, with the wide smile on her face and eyes closed, the whole face turned up to absorb as many of those annoying rays as possible, looked exactly as she should at the moment. Like she was finally home.

It was no secret that Chiara loved warm weather and complained about the one in Boston for the good part of the year („How does your ass not freeze in this damn city?“) and until this moment, Ethan didn’t really think about it. But now, the situation was reversed and only now he realized that he would most likely never agree to live in San Francisco, because he wouldn’t bear the heat.

And Chiara was undoubtedly dedicated to stay with him in Boston, even though she could hardly bear the cold.

„Why are you staring at me?“ she opened her eyes suddenly and tilted her head slightly to get a better look at Ethan.

Deciding not to get into discussion about weather and how it spoke volumes about the difference between them – especially not now, when Diana was about to come to pick them up any minute – Ethan answered with a statement that was not at all untrue.

„Because you are beautiful.“

Chiara let out an amused laugh at that and squeezed the hand she was holding, but it didn’t escape Ethan’s notice that her cheeks flushed and not from the shining sun.

The moment of silence and unspoken confessions between them was quickly interrupted by a delighted shriek coming from behind them and arms – bare arms that didn’t look bare because of the tattoo sleeves decorating them, Ethan noticed - wrapped around Chiara’s shoulders just a moment after.

„Alicia!“ Chiara screamed when she turned around and hugged her sister tightly, the moment lasting long enough for Ethan to absorb the only Ray he hasn’t yet had a chance to meet.

Chiara talked about her younger sister a lot ever since they agreed to visit San Francisco – or rather, she warned him about Alicia.

„She is wild.“

„Should that surprise me?“ Ethan didn’t even bother to look up from his medical journal. „She is your sister.“

„Oh no, you don’t get it. She is really wild. Alicia is the copy of my mother, the exact younger version of her. And she is... she is out of this world. The laws of nature do not apply to her. She is loud and gestures too much and speaks her mind too freely and she doesn’t walk, she bounces and she... she is wild, Ethan.“

And it went like this for weeks. Even the flight from Boston was filled with Chiara’s occasional „please do not be surprised“ and „it is who she is, it is nothing personal“.

Ethan met Diana once before, although the circumstances were so tense they both tried to forget it. Chiara was fighting for her life and the whole hospital was fighting to find a cure in time – and Diana flew to Boston, her voice shaking and eyes wide and she pleaded, begged Ethan to save her daughter because she wouldn’t survive losing another child.

Neither of them wanted the first meeting to be that way, but life had its own way in creating surprises and so Ethan knew that Chiara inherited her mother’s hair but not her eyes‘ color, he knew what her voice sounded like and that she loved her children more than life.

All that Diana remembered about Ethan from those three days she spent in Boston back in November was that his voice was soothing and calm while his eyes were terrified and just as pleading as her words and that he managed to save her little girl.

Chiara didn’t lie when she said that Alicia was a copy of Diana – her hair, just as Chiara’s – were the color of a summer sky seven minutes before the sun set completely, but unlike her mother’s or sister’s, hers were not falling on her shoulders in soft waves. Her hair were much longer, falling almost to her waist in dozens of dreadlocks. Several piercings on her face – her lower lip, her eyebrow and her nose – attracted attention and Ethan had to fight his sudden urge to ask her if the upper part of her body is hot and her feet are cold when he noticed her outfit, made of a tank top and high-waisted shorts combined with black leather boots.

She is barely 20, he kept telling himself, an obvious explanation of the difference in their points of view. And she is wild, as Chiara reminded him so many times.

„So you must be the famous Dr. Ramsey, huh?“ Alicia turned to Ethan so fast he almost didn’t manage to look away from her. „Nice to finally meet you... in person.“

She winked at Chiara at that, earning herself an annoyed glare from Chiara, something Ethan wasn’t used to seeing often.

„Ethan is just fine,“ Ethan nodded, shaking Alicia’s hand – as impossible as it felt, even smaller than Chiara’s. „It is very nice to meet you too, Alicia.“

Alicia didn’t even try to be subtle as she took Ethan in and he tried his best to hold her gaze, to not give her any reason to doubt him as the right person for Chiara.

Finally, Alicia sighed dramatically, the sound that startled Ethan visibly, as he had not a single clue of what that sigh was supposed to mean – did he disappoint her already?

„Mom was supposed to pick you up but she had some work to finish in the atelier, so she sent me.“

She turned on her heel at that and without sparing as much as another glance, led the couple to her car.

And saying that Ethan was nervous would be an enormous understatement.

*** *** ***

Whether Alicia set up some kind of test on Ethan and he passed or she was just trying to make him feel uncomfortable – knowing rather well that nobody else would – and it stopped being fun, Ethan didn’t know. He knew, however, that there was no trace of tension or hostility in Alicia’s behavior from the moment they stepped into the house.

By the time Diana came home and joined them, Ethan has seen the whole spectrum of Chiara’s annoyed glares, along with her embarassing teen-years photos and love letters she wrote to Milo Ventimiglia when she was eleven, believing that he would read them one day.

„She‘s always had a thing for older men,“ Alicia winked at Ethan at some point and part of him wanted to feel embarassed, but it took one look into Chiara’s diary filled with Keanu + Chiara or Chiara Reeves notes and yes, Alicia was right.

Chiara has always had a thing for older men. (And he should be glad.)

Sitting in a cosy living room, Ethan didn’t feel uncomfortable, not in the slightest. He felt welcomed and overly happy that he finally had something to tease Chiara with in return.

The room was bright and filled with so many photos, Ethan felt like in an art gallery for a moment. There were pictures on the ledge of a fireplace, on the walls and on every shelf. Pictures of babies and toddlers and kids, all with the same red hair and wide smiles; wedding pictures of Chiara’s parents; pictures of a man Ethan never got to know but recognized in an instant, the greenness in his eyes so well imprinted to Ethan’s mind, as Dorian’s oldest daughter was the only child to inherit the colour.

Pictures of a happy family, of a family Ethan so long wished to have and that was took away from him at the age of eleven. With an ache squeezing his heart, he realized that Alicia was barely thirteen when the happiness of their family was taken away from her. Just a child, just as he was all those years ago.

„Dorian would love to talk to you, if he was here,“ Diana smiled at Ethan, breaking his thoughts.

„He would?“

„I am sure,“ she nodded, the smile not – never – leaving her face. „He always missed a rational brain in this house – I am an artist with my body and my soul, my head always somewhere far away, ignoring the basic laws of this world. He would be so delighted to talk about science and medicine with you and I am sure by the end of your stay, he would just nod and nod and say „A good man, this one“, without even trying to give you the typical talk about his precious daughter deserving only the best,“ she laughed at that and Ethan tried to laugh too, but the lump in his throat made the task impossibly hard.

It has been seven years in which the Ray women had to learn to live their lives without Dorian and Liam, but the way they talked about them today, with so much love and gratitude, it made Ethan feel as if they never truly left the house.

„Yes, and I would just ask him something like Dad, aren’t you gonna fight for me?, and he would just laugh and tell me that he didn’t buy Dr. Ramsey’s book all those years ago just to scare him off now,“ Chiara chuckled.

After exchanging some more stories of Chiara’s childhood, Diana decided to start cooking a dinner and just as she was leaving the room, she said: „You kids stay here and catch up some more,“ which was an innocent statement, truly, but it left Ethan feeling rather awkward – was he supposed to leave with her or did she count him as a kid too? Considering the fact that his age was closer to Diana’s than Alicia’s, he could hardly be sure about anything.

In the end, he stayed with the sisters that seemed like they were not physically capable of not talking, the only moment of silence falling over the room when Alicia left to make them all a coffee.

But it didn’t last long and for a moment Ethan wondered if Chiara has talked that much naturally and only learned to control herself around him.

Was he changing her personality?

„I met Marc the other day,“ Alicia spoke again while handing Chiara her coffee, her tone light.

Ethan felt his jaw tense at the mention of Chiara’s ex boyfriend name and despite himself, he held his breath while waiting to see Chiara’s reaction.

„You did?“ Chiara asked with her eyebrow raised, sipping the hot beverage slowly. „How is he?“

„Handsome as always,“ Alicia smirked, sighing dramatically again. At this point, it didn’t even startle Ethan anymore. „He still looks like Harry Styles with those long hair.“

Ethan has never heard the name Harry Styles before but seeing Chiara’s amused grin and the way she just playfully bumped Alicia’s shoulder with hers – and that was the only reaction she gave away at Alicia’s description of her handsome ex – Ethan slowly, subtly took his phone out of his pocket and seeing that the Ray sisters paid him no attention, he decided to do his research on who the famous Marc resembled.

Harry Styles was... young. And rather good looking. With the dark hair and bright eyes, it would be easy to say that Chiara had a type (if Marc really look like that), but that was not enough to calm down that weirdly uncomfortable feeling that tried to raise up his throat.

Marc was as old as Chiara and it was no secret that even all those years after the break-up, the two were rather friendly. And he looked like this Harry Styles guy.

As much as Ethan hated to admit it, there was a name for that feeling, the name known to him but no, he was not-

He shouldn’t feel jealous of Chiara’s ex.

But Marc was young and handsome and did Chiara feel the need to talk less around him, less than she wanted? Did Chiara feel that need with Ethan?

This was stupid, Ethan knew. Chiara chose him and that should have been enough.

But Marc probably didn’t hate San Franciso’s weather as much as Ethan did.

Ethan became so lost in his own stupid, not at all rational thoughts, that he didn’t notice how Chiara left the room to help Diana in the kitchen. He only noticed Alicia’s intense gaze on him, amused smirk on her lips and maybe there was a trait that both Ray sisters carried proudly, maybe Alicia’s ability to observe was just as great as Chiara’s and maybe – probably – she knew exactly what was on Ethan’s mind at that moment.

*** *** ***

„So what do you say?“ Chiara couldn’t help but ask the moment she closed the door.

It was not that she wanted her mother to tease or test Ethan, but was her family really giving up on her so easily? Were they all just ready to give Ethan their blessings and wishes of luck with Chiara, without as much as making sure his intentions are pure?

It was not fair towards him, she knew. Alan has been nothing but kind and exceptionally nice to her, always. And Bryce did make Ethan sweat at the stupid brunch all those weeks ago.

Still, she just wanted to see him flush and stutter. Just once. Just for fun.

"He is as handsome as the pictures you have been sending," Diana grinned at her oldest child over her shoulder. "Maybe even more in person."

"You know that is not what I am asking," Chiara whispered, not wanting Ethan to hear the conversation. It was not that she didn't agree with her mother, but anyone could appraise Ethan's good looks. And Diana was not anyone - her opinion mattered to Chiara more than she'd like to admit.

"I know Ethan is a great man for you, darling. He makes you smile so much I can see these little wrinkles around your eyes," Diana gestured at the corner of Chiara's right eye, too close for Chiara's liking considering she was holding a knife in her hand. "For so long I have only seen dark circles around them. Anyone who can make you this happy is more than welcome in our family."

Chiara exhaled softly and watched her mom cut the vegetables, mulling over her next words in her head.

Before she could decide on what to say next, however, Diana smirked and spoke again.

"Not that I was worried. I spoke to Bryce few weeks ago. About you and Ethan. And he made it clear that your relationship is one he approves of."

„You did what?“

It shouldn’t surprise her, she knew. Bryce and Diana called each other so often at this point, Chiara was pretty sure Bryce asked Diana for an advice before his own date last time he went on one.

„Yes, he called me after that lunch you all have had back in December? Or was it January? I am not sure, but it was the first time Ethan joined you and your friends.“

That damn brunch.

„He called you to let you know that he roasted Ethan already and so that you do not need to do that?“ Chiara chuckled, putting her question as a joke.

„Exactly!“ Diana exclaimed happily and unlike her child, she was not joking.

„And you just... believe him?“

Diana shrugged, turning to Chiara wholly now, her smile only partly amused. Mostly soft and affectionate.

„You know I love Bryce as my own kid. I know you love him as your own brother. Has Bryce ever hurt you?“

Chiara shook her head without any hestitation because no, no matter how many people did hurt her – Ethan included – Bryce never did. Never.

„He wants you to be happy and he would never let you date anyone who wouldn’t make you so. And I wouldn’t either. Ethan makes you happier than I have ever seen you, Chiara, and that is all a mother needs. For her children to be happy.“

Not needing to hear more, Chiara wrapped Diana in a tight hug, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

„And he looks damn good, too,“ Diana whispered into her hair before any of them could start to cry.

*** *** ***

Ethan was standing at the desk in Chiara’s old room, smiling softly at yet another photo of a wide-eyed, smiling redhead child with a hefty book in her hand. The plan for the second day of their visit was to see all of Chiara’s favorite spots in the city.

„Uhm, Ethan?“ Chiara’s voice resounded from behind his back and it was the unfamiliar hitch in it that made Ethan turn around rapidly to face her.

„Yes?“

„I... this is stupid probably and I will totally get it when you won’t want to go but, uh,“ she took a deep breath, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides, tension around her almost visible.

„There is one place I want to go to before we start the day and it would mean so much to me if you wanted to go with me but it is probably very morbid from me to want you to go and-„ the words left her mouth at such crazy pace they almost sounded like one very long word instead.

And suddenly, it became very clear what she was trying to say, even though she didn’t know how to go on.

With two steps Ethan closed the gap between them and gently put her hair behind her ear.

„Let’s go,“ was all he whispered before taking her hand and letting Chiara lead their way.

Chiara asked Ethan to give her a few minutes of solitude with her dad and brother and left him to stand under the huge oak tree while she sat down slowly, gently in front of the grave she used to visit every day.

For a long moment, she didn’t even know what to say, how to start. If at all.

She just kept staring at her crossed legs, letting the tears to fall freely.

How could it be that she had the privilege to have eyes to stare with and legs to stare at, while the mere privilege to be alive was taken away from them?, she wondered.

„Hi dad, Liam,“ she spoke at last, her voice just above a whisper.

Ethan didn't want to eavesdrop. It was not polite, not appropriate, it was invading Chiara's privacy.

It was also impossible not to do.

The place was small and quiet and the three he was standing under was too close to the place Chiara was sitting at and what was he supposed to do, sing? Whistle?

That would hardly be any more appropriate.

And so he heard everything Chiara said and he was sure he was not meant to hear any of that.

„Ethan is here with me,“ he heard her say. „I wanted you to finally meet him. I know the last time I was here, I was not overly happy about him, but he got back from the jungle and he is forgiven. So could you forget how I called him an utter asshole and just... be nice?“

Ethan’s whole body tensed and a regret washed over him like an icy shower. He couldn’t be anything but ashamed by the fact that Chiara already shared him at this place and that she probably hated him at the time.

„You would love him, dad. He is so smart, like, genius smart. As smart as you were. And he respects me more than anyone has ever respected me before. You always said that if the man does not respect my career, he does not deserve me, dad and if that is true, then nobody deserves me as much as Ethan.“

He heard her chuckle and there was a long moment of silence before she spoke again and with some kind of internal terror Ethan realized that he didn’t even try to stop hearing what she was saying anymore.

„And I am sure you would like him too, Liam. He is a great target of jokes and teasing.“

Another silence.

And then Chiara said something Ethan so desperately wished he hadn’t heard, something that made him hate himself for listening and even more for what he heard and he just wanted to run away, far away and hate himself in hiding.

„You know... I cannot say this to him, because he is not very keen on this kind of things and I don’t want to scare him but guys, I love him so much.“

*** *** ***

Chiara didn’t know how many times she thanked Ethan that he visited the cemetery with her, but she was sure it was not enough to express how grateful she was.

The least she could do was to make sure that their next stop would be her absolutely most favourite coffee shop in San Francisco and Ethan would get his morning coffee just the way he liked it.

Something was off, however. Ethan was extremely quiet the whole time and even though she was used to his moods at this point, it surprised her here, today. It was kind of their vacation, their free time, something they both so desperately craved.

Chiara could see that he was lost in his thoughts, brows furrowed and his gaze pointed somewhere behind the window. And doubts started overtaking her, because of course it was too much to take him to meet her dead father and brother. It would be too much for everyone.

Before she could decide on how to apologize for dragging him there, Ethan beat her to it and spoke first, although his gaze was still pointed elsewhere.

“I must apologize.”

Only then he turned to her and her confused raised eyebrow was the push he needed to finish the thought.

“For-“ he stopped, biting his cheek, mulling over his next words and by the expression on his face, even those he speaks next are not the ones he wished to find. “For making you feel like you cannot express yourself when you are with me.”

“Oh?” Chiara shook her head slightly, her confusion growing even bigger at the odd statement.

Ethan exhaled, suddenly aware of the place being rather empty. There were no groups of teenagers, no kids, nobody that would muffle his words and his wild heartbeat.

“I overheard some of the things you said to your dad back then,” he admitted slowly, softly, quietly and he was not proud of himself for not even trying to not to overhear it.

The confusion in Chiara’s eyes was quickly replaced by comprehension and just after that, panic.

“Oh,” this time, the sigh that left her was full of understanding.

It all clicked now. It all made sense and Chiara so desperately wished it didn’t, because she loves him and he heard and now he is scared.

She tried to come up with a response that would make everything make sense, her head starting to hurt from the pressure she put on her brain to just come up with something, damnit.

Chiara opened her mouth several times without any sound leaving it and she was internally panicking and Ethan was not even looking at her.

Until suddenly he was.

“I love you too,” he blurted out, the words a little bit slurred.

The third “oh” that left Chiara’s was so soft, had there been the teenagers or the kids, Ethan would have missed it. But he didn’t.. He heard it and it took all of the air of his lungs away, because it was almost nothing, mere two letters and yet they carried such meaning it made his throat tighten.

“You do?” she whispered at last.

“Yes, I do.”

“And it doesn’t scare you?”

“God,” Ethan laughed, pulling her closer to him and putting a long, lingering kiss on her forehead. “It scares me more than anything has ever scared me before.”

Chiara laughed softly, her warm breath tickling Ethan’s neck and she pulled away just enough to tilt her head and look at him and in her eyes, those emerald greens, so warm, so soft, so beautiful, Ethan saw more than Chiara could say at the moment, in those depths he saw that this woman, his Chiara, his light, loved him more than anyone has ever loved him before and it warmed his chest in a way he didn’t recognize and it was that moment when he knew.

There was one thing that scared him more than love. Than being loved and loving Chiara.

Losing Chiara.

And he knew it then, he knew he would fight his fears of that unknown warm feeling every day, every second of those days until it didn’t scare him anymore, because losing Chiara was not an option. Not anymore, not ever.

#open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x chiara

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storiesforallfandoms · 4 years

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not yours ~ machine gun kelly

word count: 2104

request?: yes!

“Hi. Could you please do a Colson Baker imagine where Casie has something important going on at school and only the reader is there to cheer her on without Colson which causes Casie to get upset and immediately lock herself in her room crying when they get home. When Colson finally gets home, reader confronts him and he says something hurtful like “she’s my kid, not yours so back off” and maybe the reader has been apart of Casie’s life for years and loves her like her own so it hurts even more”

description: after he misses his daughter’s big opening night, colson says some hurtful things to the woman he loves, and has to be brought back down to earth by his eleven year old daughter

pairing: machine gun kelly x female!reader

warnings: swearing, angst

masterlist

Casie was so excited to tell Colson and I that she had gotten a big role in the school play. Colson was excited, too. Casie was always more into sports than the arts, so it was a surprise to even hear that she had auditioned for the play, let alone that she had gotten a big role.

Colson vowed that he would be there no matter what. He even bought the two of us front row tickets to see it. He was beyond excited, and so proud of his baby girl.

But then, the night of the play came along and he received an important phone call from his record label. They wanted to have a meeting as soon as possible about his new album. He tried to push the meeting to another day, even just to the day after, but his label was adamant about having the meeting that evening, just an hour before the play.

“I’ll be quick,” Colson told me. “I’ll go in, pitch them the album, then leave. Worse case scenario, I miss maybe the first scene. You can fill me in.”

“Are you going to tell Casie?” I asked him as I watched him frantically prepare for his last minute meeting.

“No,” he decided. “She doesn’t need to know. I’ve spent a vast majority of her life on the road, I’ve missed so much, I don’t want her to think I’m putting my career over her again.”

“You’ve never done that,” I assured him, “but you should tell her just in case. Wouldn’t it be better if she knew, in case you’re late?”

Colson shook his head. This wasn’t exactly a surprise to me. I knew Colson was stubborn, and he was so devoted to Casie. I decided to take him at his word - he wouldn’t be long, he’d be there for Casie. He left for his meeting, promising again that he’d be to the play just in time for the opening of the play.

So, when I found myself sat in the front row, alone, just minutes before the play was supposed to start, and I was unable to get a hold of Colson, I wasn’t too surprised. I was worried for what Casie would say or think, but I wasn’t surprised that I couldn’t reach him.

When the lights went down, I tried one more time to reach him, but was sent straight to voicemail. I sighed heavily and put my phone on silent and slipped it into my pocket.

My heart broke to see that Casie was taking the stage right away as the play started. I watched her scan the audience, excitedly looking for Colson. When her eyes landed on me, I tried my best to smile and wave at her. I could see the hurt in her face to see the seat next to me empty. I wished I could do something more, but I knew this was it. I just had to be here for her, and hope that Colson would show up eventually.

When the show ended, I stood by the door that lead to backstage to wait for Casie to come out. I was the last person waiting when the door pushed open and the tear stained face of the eleven year old poked out from the door and looked up at me.

“He couldn’t even come to this?” she asked, her voice still shaking.

I opened my arms and hugged her tightly. She buried her head in my chest and I felt her body shaking as she cried. I wished I could make some sort of excuse for Colson to try and make things right, but even I was angry with him in that moment. I knew his career was important, but he was always saying how he never wanted to make Casie feel like she was second, and that’s exactly what he did when he missed her play.

The two of us drove home in silence. The minute I unlocked the door, Casie took off for her room. I heard her door close and the sound of her lock turning. I sighed and tried to call Colson again. Yet again, I got his voicemail.

“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice sounding calm, “so you missed Casie��s play. She’s really beat up over it. She locked herself in her room and is crying. You’re gonna have to do something huge to make this up to her. Hope you’ll be home soon.”

About half an hour passed when I heard the front door open and shut again. I was sat on the couch watching Netflix when Colson appeared in the doorway, a look of guilt on his face.

“She’s in her room,” I told him, not taking my eyes away from the screen. “Although good luck getting in. She wouldn’t even let me in.”

“I feel like complete shit,” Colson sighed. “I kept trying to leave, but they kept asking me questions. And Diddy was there, and I didn’t want to leave a bad impression on him - ”

“It’s not me you have to explain to,” I cut him off, pausing my show and rising from the couch. “Colson, you really broke her heart tonight. She’s been crying since the show ended.”

“I know I did,” Colson said. “I didn’t mean to. I meant to be there.”

“Then you should’ve been,” I snapped, my anger starting to rise. “I know that this next album is important to you, and I know it’s hard to try and turn down the record label, but you could’ve tried harder to move it just this once. Or you could’ve talked to Casie about it instead of hiding this from her. She was crushed, Colson, you should’ve seen her.”

“Yeah, this album is important, (Y/N). I can’t just blow off my record label, they have the power to completely tank my album or put it in development limbo. This meeting was important, I couldn’t pass it up.”

“Your daughter is supposed to be important, Colson!”

“She’s my daughter, (Y/N), not yours! Don’t tell me how to fucking parent!”

Hearing Colson raise his voice caused me to back down just a little, but the inclusion of Casie not being my child, or the implication that not even Colson viewed her as my child, felt like a knife through my heart.

Colson and I had been together for so long and, even though we still weren’t married, I considered Casie my own child, and she considered me a second mother. Colson had always said how happy he was that the two of us got along, and wanted nothing more than for his two favorite girls to like each other. He knew how much it would hurt to say that, and he said it anyways. He wanted to hurt me, just because I was telling the truth.

I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes and got close to Colson, so close that I could’ve gotten into his face if I wasn’t a solid foot shorter than him. “Then be a fucking parent and go talk to your daughter, asshole.”

I brushed past him and hurried up the stairs. I heard his footsteps following me and managed to slam the bedroom door shut and lock it behind me before he could get in.

“Don’t be childish, (Y/N), let me in!” he called.

“No,” I responded. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

I grabbed a bag and began throwing clothes into it. I had no plans as to where I was going, but I officially didn’t want to be in the house with him anymore.

When I opened the door again, Colson looked from my angry face to the bag in my hand. “Where are you going?”

“Somewhere far away from here,” I said as I pushed him away from me and made a beeline to the door. I couldn’t stop, or else I knew I’d turn around and stay. “Go talk to your daughter before you lose her for good, although right now, you fucking deserve that.”

And with that, I slammed the front door behind me as I left.

~~~~~~

I didn’t know where to go. Truthfully, I didn’t want to go anywhere. Not to stay for a long period of time. I just knew I didn’t want to be there with Colson anymore. What he said had really hurt, and he knew that it was going to. The fact that he still said it absolutely broke me.

I decided to park my car for a while by a beach. I was sat back in my seat, watching the waves crash against the sand, when my phone began to ring. I wasn’t shocked to see Colson’s name pop up, and I debated on not answering it. But part of me wanted to hear what he had to said, wanted to defend my actions and my decision to leave if he decided to fight over it.

I answered and put the phone up to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey,” came Colson’s voice. It was much softer than earlier, and I could hear the guilt in it. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m parked by a beach,” I admitted. “Just...needed to go somewhere to think.”

I heard him sigh with relief. “Okay, as long as you’re okay. Are you...are you coming back tonight? I think we need to talk about what I said.”

I thought long and hard about the answer to that question before deciding, “Yeah, I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

We both hung up and I sighed. I started the car and drove back to the all too familiar house. I decided to leave my bag in the car, in case things went wrong with mine and Colson’s “talk”.

He was waiting for me in the living room, an ironic turn of events. Except Colson wasn’t watching TV. His leg was bouncing, anxiously, undoubtedly waiting for me to come home. The minute I walked through the door, he stood up.

“I’m so sorry for what I said,” he said immediately, starting to approach me but then becoming hesitant. “I didn’t mean it at all, I hope you know that.”

I crossed my arms. “Which part?”

“All of it. Saying Casie isn’t your daughter, that you shouldn’t tell me how to parent, calling you childish. You were right, (Y/N), I should’ve pushed harder to postpone the meeting, and if they kept fighting I should’ve just cancelled it. The album can be postponed, but I can’t miss anymore of Casie’s milestones.”

I looked down at my feet, blinking away tears again as Colson’s words came to my mind. “I know she’s not actually my daughter, but she feels so much like she is now that...you saying that really hurt. It made me feel like I’ll never be a mother figure to Casie, or that I’m not allowed to be because I’m not her actual mom.”

“No, baby.” This time Colson didn’t hesitate to approach me and wrap me in his arms. “No, that’s not true at all. Casie loves you like you were her mom, and I know you love her like a daughter. I was upset when I said what I said, it wasn’t right for me to take it out on you like that. You were right to call me out like that, I’m sorry I upset you.”

I rested my head against his chest and let him hold me for a long time. Tears were still streaming down my face, but I didn’t feel as upset anymore. Just being there with him, and hearing the sincerity in his voice as he apologized, was enough to bring me out of my down mood.

“Did you talk to Casie?” I asked him after a prolonged moment of silence.

“I did,” he said. “She was the one who convinced me to call you. She also pointed out how stupid I was being and told me that if I let you get away that she’d steal the car and come get you herself.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped my mouth. Colson’s chest vibrated against my ear as he laughed as well.

“She’s still mad with me, but she deserves to be,” he continued. “It’ll take some time, but she told me I’ll be able to fix my fuck up eventually.”

“She won’t stay mad at you for long,” I told him. “She loves you more than anything.”

“I know, I love her, too. And I love you.”

I smiled up at him. “I love you, too, Colson.”

#machine gun kelly #machine gun kelly imagine #machine gun kelly x reader #colson baker #colson baker imagine #colson baker x reader #mgk #estxx #imagine #one shot #request

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clairecrive · 3 years

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“A promise”- Remus Lupin imagine

A/N: so this is my first Remus and hp imagine ever, so I’m sorry if it sounds off. I’m open to constructive criticism if you have any. Hope you like it anyway!

Pairing: Remus x bff reader, Sirius x reader, Remus x girlfriend OC, Lily x James

Warning: none I guess, angst with fluffy end so

Summary: as you grow it can happen sometimes that people change and so their relationship with you. And as you’ve overheard something your best friend agreed to, you feared that that’s exactly what happened to your relationship. It is really though?

Flashbacks are in italics

"So you’re leaving? Just like that?" You ask when he sits down on the couch in front of the one you were sitting in. You had heard him talk with his girlfriend about moving after graduation and of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. What bothered you was that she wanted to leave England.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh don't be daft Remus, you know what I'm talking about." he really seemed clueless but the fact that he had taken such a big decision and hadn’t even told you yet had hurt you. It was something one would immediately tell their best friend, was it not?

"I don't, seeing as my girlfriend asked me to move in her and I reckon there’s nothing wrong with that." But of course, in true Remus and y/n fashion, whenever one of you bit the other answered right away.

"Your girlfriend wants to move on the other side of the globe Remus!" And so you snapped, surprising all of your friends around you beside the man of the hour and your boyfriend Sirius since both of them knew you like the back of their hands.

"So?" he asked causing you to scoff

"Don't you remember?" your voice got very quiet almost as if you didn't want him to hear

"We made a promise to always be together," you explained after seeing his puzzled expression.

Realization washed over his face and you knew the memory of you two in the back of his yard played in his mind. The day, at 11 years old, you promised that no matter what, you'd never leave the other alone.

For as long as you could remember, you and Remus had always spent the summer together. Since you attended different schools, you didn’t have a lot of time to spare to see each other as much as you’d like during the school year, so as soon as it ended you tried to spend every moment you could together. Of course, now that both had received the letter from Hogwarts, things were going to change. You couldn’t wait to finally attend school with your best friend.

So here you both were, swaying on the swings in the park near your house while Remus was on the ground next to them reading a book. The boy could always be found with his nose buried in a book but you never minded much seeing as it could be said the same for you.

However, since the letter arrived, your mind was filled with excitement for this new adventure that awaited you but also, you couldn’t help but have a lot of questions about the future.

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” you asked him not stopping the swing.

Remus didn’t answer you right away but you knew you had caught his attention.

"I don't know. I've never thought about it."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah I mean we all know my... condition isn't going make things easier for me."

"Is that why you don't like to think about the future?" He just nodded but you knew it was because he didn’t like to talk about it so you quickly changed the subject.

"I don't like it either you know, but I do hope you'll be in it."

Your bond with Remus wasn’t exactly a secret. Everyone who knew you, was aware of your tight knit relationship. However, being both shy and reserved, you never really outed your feelings for each other with words. Your constant presence at the other's side was enough of a statement.

It was rather unusual for both of you to openly speak about it like this so while you looked in front of you while swaying on the swing, Remus was busy trying to hide his rosy cheeks.

"Well, I thought that was a given." He said loud enough so you could hear over the metal sound of the swing. Now it was your time to blush.

"You promise?" Stopping your legs, you got the swing to slowly still. Reaching your pinky towards him, a gesture so very common between you whenever you wanted to seal a deal, you wait for him to do the same.

"Promise." And the deal was sealed with the same seriousness as it was a legal binding contract.

Seemed like one took it more seriously than the other though.

"We were only 11 y/n..." Remus said tentatively. He looked taken back and this possibly hurt you more than his words.

So what if you were both eleven at the time? Your age didn’t take away any ouch of importance from the promise you made. You were dead serious about it and still stood by your words. Didn’t he?

"Yes well, I was serious when I promised you than I'd never leave you alone. I should have known though that all it took was a cute girl for you to push me aside." Now, that might have been a tad too far fetched but you’d always had a fliar for the dramatics and being with Sirius didn’t help that in the least.

"Oh don't be a hypocrite now, y/n. If Sirius asked you, you would have done the same thing." Rolling his eyes, he pointed at Sirius who was currently sat on the couch behind you. You were standing in the middle of the common room but fortunately most of the students seemed to in class and those who had a free period fled as soon as they heard you arguing.

"No, I wouldn't. Because you mean the world to me and I'd never leave you behind." You boasted tired of hearing him misjudging you." It's nice to know how you feel though." And with that, barely able to contain your tears anymore, you stormed out of the room leaving a confused and angry Remus behind.

The truth was that this had nothing to do with your partners. You loved Sirius with all your heart and were happy when Remus seemed to find what you have with his best friend with Sarah. You were genuinely happy for them, Remus deserves to be happy and there was nothing you wanted more for him. Even if that meant he had to leave you behind…

Now that you were looking at the whole thing with a clearer mind, you started to realize that Remus was right. You were being a hypocrite indeed. Your relationship with Sirius had flourished beautifully since you’d started dating in third year and while you hadn’t already talked about it, you knew you’d probably end up living with him in his apartment. Lily and James were practically already married and Peter… well Peter was Peter. So where did that leave Remus?

If he didn’t move with Sarah that would mean that he’d be alone. Sure, their houses will always be open to him but it wouldn’t be the same without her by his side. You knew that.

So, you realized, at the end of the day, you just wanted him to be happy. And if you loved someone you should set him free. You still had Sirius and everyone else and it’s not like you’d never see each other again. Of course, being apart from him was going to be hard for you but it was a sacrifice you were willing to make. He deserved it.

Sighing you stopped, knowing that you owed him an apology. But when you turned around to go back to the common room, you saw Remus walking towards you. You didn’t hear him following after you stormed out but he was walking rather quickly to catch up with you. He didn’t expect you to stop though so he almost knocked you over, his arms wrapped around you were the only reason why you hadn’t toppled over.

“I’m so sorry y/n, I didn’t realize you had taken it this way. I swear it’s not like that, you know how much I care about you,” Remus was muttering frantically in your neck, your grip on you tightening and you could help but chuckle at how sweet and wonderful human being your best friend.

You pulled away slightly, just enough so you could look into his eyes while speaking,not that Remus allowed you to pulled away that much.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing Rem, it wasn’t fair of me to hold that against you. It’s only right that you live your life how you want and with the woman you love. I just want you to be happy.” You said while caressing the crease in the between his eyebrows. You knew how much he hated arguing.

“What about our promise? I also was serious at the time, I don’t want you to feel like you don’t matter as much to me because you do. You know how much you mean to me.” He continued wanting to be 100% sure that you were okay.

“I’ll be okay Rem, I’ll just have to come to term with the fact that I’m not going to see your annoying sprout every day.” You joked to ease his worry and mirrored the smile he gave you.

“I’m not going to disappear, you know. I’m going to write you every day, you’ll be more annoyed with me than you are now.” Keeping an arm on your shoulders, he lead you back to the common room where the others were waiting for you.

“As if that could really happen.” You retake your sit beside Sirius that shots you a wing while Remus leaves a kiss on your head before sitting down next Sarah.

Yeah, you had a feeling that you were going to be alright despite the distance.

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