#somebody said WHAT about bly?????? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lesbianlotties · 3 years

Link

Journeys end in lovers meeting - Sam/Deena - Fear Street x Bly Manor AU - Chapter 2

Chapters: 2/10 Fandom: Fear Street Trilogy (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Fraser/Deena Johnson, Sarah Fier/Hannah Miller (Fear Street), Christine "Ziggy" Berman/Nick Goode, Samantha "Sam" Fraser & Deena Johnson Characters: Samantha "Sam" Fraser (Fear Street), Deena Johnson, Kate Schmidt (Fear Street), Simon Kalivoda, Josh Johnson (Fear Street), Constance (Fear Street Part 3: 1666), Christine "Ziggy" Berman, Nick Goode (Fear Street), Alice (Fear Street Part 2: 1978), Sarah Fier (Fear Street), Hannah Miller (Fear Street), Solomon Goode (Fear Street) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, The Haunting of Bly Manor AU, Not Canon Compliant, Haunted Houses, Ghosts, Character Death, Minor Character Death, Canon Lesbian Relationship, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Eventual Smut, Happy Ending, Au Pair Sam, Gardener Deena, Housekeeper Kate, Cook Simon, Josh and Constance as troubled kids, Ziggy and Nick in an unhealthy relationship, minor Cindy/Alice, Martin cameos, special appearances of all the Shadyside killers as ghosts, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, The Rest Is Confetti Summary:

The year is 1994. Samantha Fraser recently moved to Shadyside, and she desperately needs a job that will help her leave her troubled past behind. She starts working as au pair at Shadyside Manor, where she is not the only one tortured by ghosts. Grief, regrets, guilt, innocent victims, and an ancient curse. At the center of all of it... love.

Chapter 2:

Sam hadn’t been kidding when she said she would deal with the kids by herself. About nine years as a teacher were worth it. She knew exactly how to balance patience and authority, and exactly when to crack a smile. It wasn’t time for smiles though. It was time to let the kids of Shadyside manor know that their days of self-government were over. Sam was brought there to bring them an education, and that included rules, discipline, and consequences to their actions.

So, if they locked her in a closet, there would have to be a sort of punishment. If they were responsible for the muddy footprints that appeared on the staircase of the house, there would also be a punishment. Nothing too severe, of course. Sam knew even the word punishment seemed too hard for kids. But she knew this would be her only chance at asserting her position in that place.

That was how, after breakfast, Sam found herself with nothing to do while Josh and Constance worked on cleaning up the stairs. Luckily, she was quickly approached by two of her coworkers.

“So, since you have put the kids to do my work,” Kate said. “Why don’t you come hang us for a bit?”

Simon pulled out one of the chairs from the table and with a flourish offered it to Sam, “Miss Fraser, would you care to join us for a mid-morning shit-talking session?”

“Oh, sure,” Sam chuckled nervously and accepted the seat. “And you can just call me Sam.” She couldn’t help repeating herself. She didn’t exactly have good memories attached to her name. She only ever wished to be just Sam.

“Don’t creep her out, please,” Kate told her friend and two of them took a seat as well. “So, Sam, what do you think of the house so far? And the kids?”

The new au pair took her time to answer. “The house is… big. It’s uh, I mean, sure, it looks scary. But once inside, it doesn’t feel as bad as the rumors make it out to be, you know?”

Kate nodded firmly, seemingly satisfied with that answer. Simon grinned playfully and leaned forward on the table as if about to discuss a secret, “You don’t have haunted houses in Sunnyvale?”

Sam chuckled bitterly at that. Apparently, it wasn’t a secret for anyone the place she came from. If only they knew the full story. “No we don’t,” she looked down and shook her head. “Sunnyvale has its different types of hauntings though.”

“What about the kids?” Kate blurted out.

“The Sunnyvale kids?”

“What? No! Constance and Josh,” Kate scoffed, and sent an unimpressed look in Sam's way.

“Oh, right,” Sam laughed nervously. She desperately hoped she wasn’t blushing in embarrassment. Kate was staring at her very intently, studying her. But it was, somehow, not getting exactly the effect she was hoping for in Sam. Because yes, maybe Sam was deeply intimidated. But she could also tell that Kate’s harshness came from a place of being protective of the kids and caring about them. “They seem great, really,” Sam eventually replied. “Constance is bold and Josh is an introvert, but I’ve dealt with kids like that my entire life. I’m going to try my best with them though, that’s for sure. I just… have to get to know them.”

At that moment, Kate and Simon exchanged a look. Sam had no doubt it was true that those two had been best friends for a long time. It seemed like a really important conversation was silently happening between them. Finally, Simon spoke up.

“No, you haven’t worked with kids like them,” he replied, suddenly very careful with his words. “No offense, you know? But, bold and introverted mean different things in Sunnyvale and Shadyside. Here they mean something more along the lines of survivor and traumatized.”

A not completely discreet cough from Kate got him to stop talking. “No, I know, I’m sorry,” Sam was quick to apologize. They weren’t completely wrong. “I know, it’s just, well… I don’t know anything… I mean, what, uh, why…” She ended with a sigh and slumping in her chair, knowing there was no right way to ask the questions she had in mind.

“Constance’s parents died two years ago,” Kate said. She was speaking almost in whispers, but it nearly startled Sam, who didn’t think she’d get any sort of explanation. Afterward, she would hope she hadn’t. “Cindy Berman and husband. Plane crashed. Then, last year… her aunt. Christine killed herself here on the property. Really gives you some perspective into all the fucking rumors, doesn’t it?”

Afterward, Sam was beyond speechless. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a thing to say. That’s when Simon joined in.

“And Josh, he… uh, well, he is not one of the Bermans,” Simon was struggling to explain. “Look, he has his own fucked up past, okay? But I can’t tell you more because Deena would totally kick my ass. It’s their story to tell, you know? The past is the past anyway.”

Sam nodded thoughtfully. At least, she hoped she appeared thoughtful. Not too thoughtful though. Just thoughtful enough for someone that has perfectly normal reactions to hearing the name of a very particular co-worker. That momentary panic at least gave her an idea of how to reply to the tough conversation. A change of subject.

“What about you guys?” Sam asked. “How did you end up working at the manor?”

Instantly, Kate seemed to relax. “I just like bossing people around,” she grinned, earning laughter from the other two. “My aunt used to work here. Alice pays well enough. And if you don’t get scared easily, it’s not a bad place to live in.”

Sam smiled at her and then looked at Simon, noticing how he didn’t look half as relaxed as Kate this time. “What can I say?” he smiled in a way that kept a lot hidden. “It pays the bills. It’s close to home. And I fucking love food.”

The au pair decided it wasn’t time to push for more information. Instead, in that brief moment of silence, she turned her head to look through the door at Josh and Constance working on the stairs. They were doing well, but their day was far from over. From her point of view, she had no way of seeing the man standing on the other side of the stairs. Tommy Slater had been standing there for longer than he could remember. He was still wearing his red flannel shirt, still holding on to his axe, still looking impossibly sad, cold, and lonely.

As she made her way to the greenhouse, Sam tried to convince herself she wasn’t nervous at all. She had no reason to be anxious at all. Deena Johnson was another one of her coworkers. Sure, maybe she pulled Sam out of a pretty embarrassing breakdown the previous night. Yes, maybe she had an incredible smile that almost painfully reminded Sam of feelings she had spent a lifetime running from. But… she reached the greenhouse before coming up with a reason not to be on edge.

“Hi?” she called out, tentatively stepping inside the place.

“Over here,” a voice replied from the back of the greenhouse. A voice that was like no other Sam had ever heard.

“Um, hi, Deena,” Sam approached her slowly. “It’s me, uh, Sam.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Deena replied, a small smile on her lips. She stood up from the ground, where she had been kneeling down to work on one of the multiple plants that filled this space. “What do you have there?” Deena asked, nodding toward the plate Sam was holding in her hand.

Sam looked down, as if she had forgotten what it was she was carrying. “Simon,” she blurted out.

“Oh. He looks a little bit different than I remember.”

That made Sam laugh nervously. “I mean, it’s your breakfast,” Sam said. “You didn’t come down for breakfast and Simon asked me to bring it to you.”

Deena nodded slowly, and accepted the plate from Sam’s hands. Then she moved to one of the two chairs at the back of the greenhouse and sat down, inspecting her breakfast.

Afterward, Sam might chastise herself for it, but at the moment she couldn’t help but blurt out, “You’re welcome.”

That earned her an annoyed sigh from the gardener. “Listen, you don’t have to do this,” Deena said.

“Do what?” Sam wondered, taking a seat on the spare chair.

“Play nice with us, with me,” Deena explained, nearly whispering the last part.

“I…” Sam stuttered, she was definitely taken off guard. “Well, we are coworkers now, we live under the same roof, I think-”

“I think you have no idea what you got yourself into. This place, and everyone here, is doomed,” Deena interrupted her. “You’re Sunnyvale, we are Shadyside trash. I know your type. I only hope you’ll run away before the kids get attached to you.”

For a moment, all Sam could do was stare, frown silently at Deena, as the other woman nonchalantly got started on her breakfast, as if she hadn’t just put Sam’s entire mood upside down. It was interesting though, the way Deena chose not to mention the fact that she skipped breakfast just to avoid a set of blue eyes that were too dangerously pretty to wander into Shadyside.

Sam jumped out of her seat, and took a deep breath to reign in her feelings. “You don’t know me at all,” was all she said before walking out of the greenhouse.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur of hard work, mostly for the kids. Surprisingly though, at one point they stopped looking so bothered about it. Josh wasn’t the kind to complain out loud, but Sam noticed from the way his shoulders relaxed and his lips almost started to smile. Constance, on the other hand, was pretty content complaining as much as possible, but she seemed happier doing something new, entertaining, and different from studying. They especially seemed to enjoy working outside.

Sam had wanted to avoid the unkind gardener as much as possible, but she had already planned this, so there was no turning back. This was part of the kids’ education, hard work, and Sam was proud of her methods. The one thing she wasn’t proud of was the way the gardener was making her feel. Her plan to avoid Deena had backfired. Deena, Kate, and Simon were lounging in the garden, while Sam guided Josh and Constance on their work.

As hard as she tried, Sam couldn’t stop herself from second-guessing what her new coworkers were talking about. Were they talking about her? Good things? Did Kate and Simon feel the same way as Deena? Were they criticizing her? Those smiles on their faces, was that a good or bad sign? Deena’s posture on that chair, the way she held a cigarette, played with the delicate chain hanging from her neck, teased her young brother, locked eyes with Sam precisely once… did it mean anything at all?

The rest of the morning went by easily. Sam dragged Josh and Constance back to the house to continue cleaning, and they had to comply. Tragic as it seemed, they couldn’t complain to anybody. Kate, Simon, Deena, even Alice in the safety of her own home, they all would have supported Sam’s teaching methods at best, would’ve laughed in their faces at worst.

Things couldn’t be perfect though. Sam would scold herself for letting her guard down at all. She had been in one of the bedrooms, assisting Constance with cleaning the windows, when it happened. One second it was just a window, showing the green grounds around the property, nothing more. Then the next second, all Sam could see was his face. Dark. Just a shadow. Furious. Disgusted. Head tilted. Observing her. Unforgiving. Horribly familiar.

Sam let out a yelp of surprise and stumbled backward. She caught herself before falling down to the floor, but not before Constance saw her. At first, the girl chuckled, but she sounded somewhat genuine when she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m- uh, I’m okay,” Sam replied, voice trembling. “Give me a minute.”

She was out of that room before hearing the girl’s reply. She couldn’t move fast enough, but her legs were trembling. She couldn’t shake that image of her mind. Her own particular ghost. The monster that she hadn’t been able to leave in Sunnyvale. Following her reflection everywhere she went.

Sam stumbled down the stairs and out of the house. She finally found refuge behind one of the big bushes on the sides of the entrance. A place where she could break down in peace. She couldn’t stop the tears, and she could hardly breathe, and she was so scared.

“Are you okay?”

The question makes Sam choke one of her sobs. Of all people that could have caught her at this moment…

“I get it,” Deena cautiously added, from a safe distance away. “I swear I had the same reaction after I met Constance.” She could barely see Sam, hiding behind the bush, but she guessed that privacy was exactly what the blonde wanted. “If Josh’s the problem though, just let me know. You aren’t allowed to, but I can totally kick his ass.” That earned her a tearful chuckle from Sam, which was a very good sign. “Just so you know though,” Deena added, “That’s usually my spot for having an emotional breakdown. Now I have to go to this other corner and there are spiders and shit in there, no privacy at all.”

This time, there was a genuine laugh coming from Sam. The tears had stopped, and she managed to find the strength to look over her shoulder, show her face to Deena and say, “Thank you.”

Deena softly shook her head, dismissing Sam’s need to thank her. “You’re doing better than most people could,” she said. Seeing Sam smile sadly, acknowledging her tear-streaked face, Deena insisted, “I mean it.”

There was a pause then. Sam opened her mouth, desperately wishing she could say something else. All she wanted was to ask Deena how she could be so kind and so cruel as if a switch was flipped inside her. But Sam feared that saying more than two words would make her cry again. Deena took that as her cue to go on with her day.

“Back to work then,” Deena said, starting to march back into the house. “Stay strong, Sunnyvale.”

Definitely done with her tears, Sam was having trouble holding back her smile. She tried to sneak another glance at the gardener, but Deena was gone, leaving behind only a pleasant warmth in Sam’s heart and a firm smile on her face.

Nine years of teaching had taught Sam a lot. She knew how to handle kids, that was for sure. The unruly ones, the proud ones, the ones that struggled, and the ones that shined brightly. Simon had been right when he said she had never worked with kids like Josh and Constance. Still, she was prepared to deal with Josh picking up spiders from the garden, and trying to scare her. She didn’t lose her ground even when Constance’s attitude sometimes made Sam feel like she was the teenager out of the two of them.

What she did that day wasn’t the worst Sam had to do for one of her students. Still, it was pretty awkward explaining to Deena how her younger brother had massacred the rose bushes to give the flowers to Sam.

When the two women arrived at the scene of the crime, it was a huge mess. Josh had picked a few roses for Sam and destroyed the rest. He must have been pretty aggressive to earn that small limp he had when he walked toward Sam a few minutes earlier.

The teenager fell to second place in the forefront of Sam’s mind though. She was slightly more preoccupied about the furious gardener gripping the broken stem of a rose as if it were a knife.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Deena yelled, not for the first time in the past minute, and tried to walk away.

“Hey,” Sam stopped her with a firm tone and a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll deal with him, it’s my job.”

Deena took a deep breath. She was pretty much shaking with anger still. She pursed her lips, suddenly aware of the way she had been yelling at the innocent au pair for god knows how long now. She wasn’t good at apologizing though. She slumped her shoulders and exhaled.

“It’s just… he should know better than this,” Deena said bitterly. “We are lucky to be living here. He knows he has to stay out of trouble.” She looked up into Sam’s blue eyes and the careful attention she found there nearly turned her breathless. “That was the deal,” Deena added softly, taking a moment to gulp nervously. “I made a deal with Cindy Berman years ago, when we had nothing. Josh and I could live here, and I’d pay her by working on the grounds of the manor.”

Sam nodded slowly, with a barely-there smile that let Deena know she had listened, and understood. “It’s okay,” Sam said. “I don’t think it’ll be a big deal. I won’t say anything if you don’t.” The two women exchanged a smile. “It’s just a few flowers-”

“It’s not just a few flowers,” Deena protested immediately.

“I know, I know,” Sam quickly said. She was tiptoeing the line between fearing Deena’s temper and being endeared by how protective she was of her plants. “They’re also a weapon, apparently.”

Deena tilted her head in confusion. “Ah,” she said when she looked down at the rose’s stem she was still holding in her hand. She couldn’t say anything else though. Sam had taken the initiative to reach out and gently pry open Deena’s fist to take the stem away. That’s when they both noticed there had been thorns involved. “Shit,” Deena cursed.

“Um,” Sam mumbled pensively as she stared at the couple of red spots on Deena’s hand. “You know, to be a teacher, you have to learn a thing or two about first aid. Do you want help?”

Deena was already shaking her head. Her wild curls shook with her movement. “No, it’s okay- fuck!” She exclaimed in pain the moment she tried to close her hand again. Now there were a few drops of blood on her palm. “Fine,” she grumbled.

Deena was so upset about having someone bandaging her hand, that Sam found the whole process much easier than she had expected. It was a little bit like dealing with a kid, not that she would ever admit such a thing to the gardener.

“So, you really like those roses, huh?” Sam asked while cleaning up the little wounds in Deena’s palm.

“They’re some of my favorites from the entire property,” Deena shrugged. “I like all these plants more than most people, that’s for sure.”

Sam nodded, picking up the bandages. “Why would he do this?” she asked. “Josh, I mean. He doesn’t seem to be the type to vandalize the gardens.”

“He isn’t. There was one bad fucking influence and…” Deena replied. Her words were hiding a lot, but her resentful tone warned the au pair against making any further questions. Instead, Deena looked up and added, “or maybe… he just really likes you, Sunnyvale.”

Sam laughed at that, and ducked her head to avoid those gorgeous brown eyes. Surprisingly, she decided to admit something right then and there in the otherwise empty kitchen of the manor while holding on to Deena’s hand. “You do know I’m not even from Sunnyvale, right?”

“What?” Deena asked. She looked caught off guard for the first time since Sam met her.

“You guys don’t fact-check your gossip, huh?” Sam chuckled. “I was born here, in Shadyside. I moved away when I was little, after my father died, but… I guess, now I’m trying to find my home, you know?”

“Right,” Deena replied.

She blinked slowly, and her eyebrows furrowed into a small frown as she took in the information, the significance of Sam sharing it with her, and the unknown reason why the word home sounded so perfect coming from Sam’s smiling lips.

After a brief silence that felt like it stretched for hours, Deena cleared her throat. “Well, uh, thank you, for giving me a hand,” she said. The mention of her hand made both women realize that this entire time they hadn’t let go of each other’s hands. They pulled away from each other quickly, but nothing could have wiped the smiles off their faces. “It’s not the worst I’ve dealt with so I better get back to work. I guess I’ll see you around… Sunnyvale.”

Sam didn’t even attempt to hold back her grin. Distantly, she wished she wasn’t blushing too much, but that was it. She turned around to watch Deena walk away from the kitchen. Then she was rewarded with the sight of Deena looking back at her once before crossing the doorway.

When she was alone again, Sam leaned her back against the counter and sighed. It was a mixture of contentment and exhaustion. She had tried her best to maintain a good impression in front of Deena, and now she could finally relax. She was starting to understand her better too, how Deena’s boldness came from a good place of being protective over her brother, and maybe even over the whole property. Sam’s exhaustion though, didn’t come from anywhere near Deena, the teens, or the house. She was only realizing how absurdly debilitating it had been to keep up a false version of herself at all times during those years in Sunnyvale. Slowly but surely, she was leaving all that behind.

Sam took a deep breath and straightened up. Then she started to walk out of the kitchen following the path Deena had walked a minute ago. She didn’t have to look back before crossing the doorway, she just kept walking. This way, she missed Ryan Torres’s presence in one corner of the kitchen. Lonesome, unknown, fumbling with the knife he still carried at all times.

“Josh! Constance! You guys are way too old for this kind of game!” Sam was yelling as she walked around the house. She didn’t understand how Kate hadn’t heard her yet.

She wasn’t scared. Just because they had turned off all the lights and she was only barely familiar with the house didn’t mean she should be scared. The kids wanted to improvise a game of hide and seek to avoid going to bed? Fine. Sam wasn’t scared of the dark. In the darkness she couldn’t see her reflection and whatever cursed company she would find there. If she had to drag a couple of teenagers to their beds from their ears then so be it.

When Sam caught sight of the curtains of one room moving strangely, she hurried towards it and pulled at it, but there was nobody there. She sighed, disappointed, stressed, but not scared, not yet. She heard footsteps behind her, and when she turned around, she distinctly heard the front door of the house open. Chills ran through Sam’s spine. It was unsettling, but not too bad, right? She would be deeply upset if she had to chase a pair of teenagers out in the middle of a storm, but it could be worse.

It could be worse… Maybe it was much worse than she imagined. That was the thought going through Sam’s mind when, very slowly, she turned back around to face the window again. At first, it looked like a blur. Then, she feared it was that same ghostly silhouette that followed her everywhere. Somehow, it was worse. Somehow, the figure moved closer and it became clear. There was a man standing on the other side of the window. Tall. Dark hair. Hazel eyes. Smile that never, under any circumstances, would have been mistaken for friendly.

Sam took a step backward, so did he. Then she took off running. Not in the direction some might have expected. She wasn’t running away to hide. She ran out of that room, taking the fireplace poker from its stand and gripping it with force as she rushed out of the house.

“I’m going to call the police!” Sam yelled while the rain poured down on her. “I’m going to call the fucking police!”

She ran toward the window where she’d seen that man. He was nowhere to be seen but, as if it was all part of a pattern, she stumbled across the worst possible scenario.

“Sam?” Josh mumbled. He was just standing there, shaking with cold, drenched from the rain… then he just crumbled down, falling to the ground, unconscious.

#update!!! please read and share and leave comments and i'll love u forever!!#fear street #sameena #sam x deena #deena x sam #sam fraser #deena johnson #fear street fanfiction #my fic

21 notes · View notes

love-jesus-but-i-drink-a-little · 3 years

Text

The Haunting of Bly Manor (Dani x Jamie) fanfiction (ao3):

Tell It To Me Singing - Five pictures of a perfectly strange life

God Knows How She’ll Survive The Gush Of You (Spilling And Spilling From The Basin Of Your Hips Like Warm Bathwater) - Dani and Jamie's second time. Basically, an excuse to write a smutty little fic

Beneath Your Skin (Inside Everything That Glows) - Jamie meets a blonde au pair at the dinner table and is destined to fall in love

Let Me Stay Tender Hearted (Despite Despite Despite) - A 20k one shot of sweet, sad, and comfortable moments in between scenes

Another Day Spent Slipping Away From You - A smutty short one-shot about wondering hands and eager mouths

Oh My Soul Let Me Be In Your Now (Look Out Through My Eyes Look Out At The Things You Made) All Things Shining - Post Dani's death. grief & healing

Singing Praise To One Pair Of Hands - Basically, a super gay short one-shot about Jamie's hands

I dreamed Of Understanding The Sky (Or Touching Your Skin Somewhere Beyond The Bit Of Darkness) - Dani and Jamie just want a moment in which they are not interrupted, when they can sink into each other for the first time in weeks

I Don't Know About The Lake (But Every Time You Say My Name You Make Ripples In Me) - A three-part piece in which Dani Clayton is something uniquely designed for Jamie to crave and love and cherish, and Jamie is the home Dani's been always searching for.

Fear Feels Like This (A Clenched Fist Where Yyour Throat Used To Be) - Sometimes, the only way to coax Dani out of deep dark misery of fear and loneliness and dense scary jungle is with soft kisses and determined hands and idle fingers ready to ground her back to earth. Jamie knows how to do it. Every. Single. Time.

She Pins You To Doors, Not A Goddess Anymore (She Still Looks Like Religion. She Kisses You Godless) - A Tumblr prompt from a sweet anon: "I give you a prompt: Damie and snow :) And if you have other fics where snow is involved please can you share them?"

Fire Under Feet Hot Blood In Your Belly (It’s Not Something You Ever Thought Of Doing) - A vague attempt at plot more like an excuse to indulge in Damie's smut with added cheekiness, because they are idiots in love

Who Were You Before They Touched You (Pressed You Into The Quiet Concave Of The Earth) - A vague attempt at plot more like an excuse to indulge in Damie's smut with added angst, because they were scared before they were happy

Come Here (Let Me Love Those Bruises Out Of You) - A vague attempt at plot more like an excuse to indulge in Damie's smut with added feelings

Was This The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships (And Burnt The Topless Towers Of Ilium)? - A vague attempt at plot more like an excuse to indulge in Damie's domestic smut with added fluff

Today I Love You Like Salt - Five times Dani learns something about Jamie and five times they heal through touching

You Moan Gospels Around Her Fingers (Between Your Teeth) - (6/6) Five times Dani and Jamie could have slept together and one time they actually did

You Demand The Labour Of Love (For The Same Reason The World Made Wheat But Not Bread) - Jamie wants to know about Dani's past, so Dani tells her. A small one shot about best friends, secret desires and accidental kisses that make Jamie slightly jealous

You Dream In Pink (And Wake Up With Fairytales Caught On Your Tongue) - A long one-shot in which Jamie is trying to figure Dani out, Owen and Hannah are soft and Dani is a soft nervous wreck

You Wake (Aching How You've Longed For Touch For So Much Of Your Bodied Time) - A small one-shot of anxious but lovely life and a glimpse of Viola's own awakening

It's Only Water It's Only Fire It's Only (love It's Only Slaughter We're Only Liars, It's Only Blood) - Small moments of hurt and slaughter and pain, but also of love and of kisses and of a life well spent

A Knife Making Love To A Wound (The Sweet Scrape Of A Match Lighting The Lamp Of Her Mouth) - If Dani and Jamie had a chance of a miracle, they'd do it all the same

The Last of Us Part II (Ellie x Dina) fanfiction (ao3):

A World Made Of Numbers (Echoes Of Light Shining Out Of The Midst Of Nothing) - A long one-shot about Ellie's time in Jackson. It's very poetic and comfortable and they play like children, without the pain

Crashing Waves On An Empty Beach (Two Drowning Lovers Lost At Sea) - Ellie is not alone

I Love Your Rough Edges And Soft Parts That Bleed (I Choose Solitude Over Cold Kisses) - Ellie goes back to Jackson and Dina is too happy not to take her back. Also, there is shower sex

Under Her Touch (All Of Me Shudders) - (unfinished) Five times Ellie and Dina had to run for their lives + one time they didn't

Because Nothing Makes Me Happier (And Nothing Makes Me Sadder) Than You - Dina's POV on small events leading to the main story

You Deserve A Dark Haired Lover With Soft Eyes And A Heart Full Of Love - Ellie and Dina meet again

You Are My stubborn compass (Always Pointing Me Back Home) - Sex in abandoned apartments, cute apocalypse girlfriends, and some violence

I Am Always A Stomach Full Of Teeth And Need (It Is Greedy And Hungry And Today I Taste Like Wine) - Ellie can't look herself in the eyes but she can't stop looking at Dina. She can't stop kissing and touching her either

The Leather And The Lace Of You (Your Flushed Cheeks & What Set Them Ablaze) - Ellie is angry and Dina is the only one who knows how to calm her down

What Is Stronger Than The Human Heart Which Shatters Over And Over And Still Lives - Ellie and Dina are stupidly in love, picking a name for a baby is hard and Ellie is a gentle dumbass

A Cathedal Of Light And Your Eyes An Open Pasture Of Colour - Ellie and Dina are in love. There is also bonfires and guitars and quiet songs and passionate sex

I Wrote My Own Story And Still Said All The Wrong Things (All The Shouting I Did About Your Mouth) - A story about big cities and small girls and broken bones and soft kisses

I Hope One Day Somebody Loves You So Much That They Do Not Waste Their Time Trying To Fix You - Five times Ellie asks Dina to tell her a story + one time she doesn't

Sore Muscles Have Always Been A Sign Of Growth (My Heart Looks Like A Bruise And I Almost Don’t Mind) - Ellie and Dina are incredibly horny and it's hard to focus on anything that isn't each other

I'm In Love With My Anger My War-Won Body Tense And Vicious - Some in-between moments, some first meetings, some mutual pining

Maybe Home Is Somewhere I’m Going And Never Have Been Before - Ellie has one destiny and it's Dina, and she's too blinded by revenge to see it

189 notes · View notes

roman-writing · 3 years

Text

no great revelation (1/8)

Fandom(s): The Haunting of Bly Manor / Star Wars

Pairing: Dani Clayton/Jamie Tyalor

Rating: T

Wordcount: 6,236

Summary: Jamie just wants to enjoy a drink after a hard day's work on the Telosian Restoration Project. The last thing she needs is to get herself caught up in a mysterious woman with a lightsabre at the local bar.

Aurthor’s notes: Please don’t expect anything from this story. I’m just doodling in between writing ch11 and ch12 of ‘bring home a haunting.’

read it below or read it here on AO3

“The great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.”

— Virginia Woolf, The Waves

—

See, here’s the thing: she didn’t look like a Jedi. In fact she didn’t look much like anything. Any other time, and Jamie would have spared her a brief albeit appreciative glance before moving on. Today however, Jamie did what could only be described as a double take.

The bar was crowded, and the night was young, and Jamie still had dirt under her fingernails from a day’s hard work beneath the Telosian sun. An Ithorian had just jostled Jamie’s elbow as he pushed by on his way to the bar, ignoring her tired grumble of, “Watch it, hammerhead,” when she’d spilled a bit of the local ale she had been nursing. She was wiping her wrist dry on her drab Corps-issued boilersuit, when she caught sight of her by the bar.

Or rather. Saw it. A lightsabre. Clear as day. Clipped to this woman’s belt, poorly concealed beneath a cloak clasped together at one shoulder. Jamie nearly spilled her ale again. And that was when she really gave this woman a closer look.

Blonde. Pretty. Maybe a little too pretty. Definitely not Jedi material, however. For starters, her clothes were all wrong. She looked like she’d just stepped off a cruiser from the Core Worlds in those nanosilks. She moved as though too aware of the weapon she bore, her hand drifting to her waist every now and then before gripping her fingers in a fist and trying — and failing — to look nonchalant. And to polish it all off, she kept glancing around as though afraid that every tavern patron was about to grab her by the arm and haul her from the building.

A nervous tourist, perhaps. Someone unused to travel. Or maybe a mule. Someone unlucky enough to owe a debt to Czerka.

Jamie’s scant money was on the latter. Which of course begged the question: a mule smuggling what?

Over the top of the bar, the holo feed flickered with the latest news from across the galaxy. Yet another infringement on the Treaty of Coruscant as Imperial Sith forces seized a planet along the border of the Outer Rim. From her vantage point in the far corner of the tavern, Jamie pretended to watch the feed idly as she sipped at her ale and studied the woman askance. Across the way, the woman was crowded away from the bar and closer towards Jamie’s corner table as thirsty patrons with credits clamoured for a drink, while the bartender — a Kel Dorian with a rusting breather mask that had seen better days — struggled to meet demands.

Two more people entered the crowded tavern and began shouldering their way towards the bar. Jamie’s hand froze in its journey lifting the glass to her lips. Slowly, she set the drink down and leaned back in her seat, lowering her hand in a nonchalant manner to rest against her thigh. The small mining laser strapped to her leg wasn’t useful for much outside of cutting bits of wire or rope. It would even go through narrow branches in a pinch, if Jamie were too lazy to go trudging off for a proper thermal saw. But it would certainly give somebody a nasty burn if applied with a generous disregard for the health and safety manual.

Not that starting a fight with two Czerka pillocks was her idea of a relaxing evening after work. Especially not with her history with the Hutt Cartel. The last thing she needed was yet another galaxy-spanning underworld corporation painting a target on her back.

Pillock One was hassling other patrons, lifting hoods to get a better look at faces and pushing his own ugly mug close enough that said patrons leaned away. Meanwhile, Pillock Two was holding a chip in his outstretched palm, which projected a tiny holo displaying what appeared to be a very large amount of credits as a reward for any who cooperated with their search for a newcomer on the planet. The mini-holo flickered with the Czerka logo and a sign-off from the Official Head Pillock himself: Peter Fucking Quint.

This day could not get any worse.

Jamie slouched down a few more inches in her seat. Definitely Not A Jedi Mystery Woman near the bar had only just taken notice of their newly arrived friends, and tugged up the hood of her cloak with a panicked expression. Jamie refrained from rolling her eyes, but only just. By the time the Czerka reached the woman, Jamie was well and truly ready for the worst.

“You there.” Pillock One grabbed a hold of the woman’s shoulder and spun her round. “Not hiding, are you?”

He reached up to push the hood of her cloak back, but she jerked away. Her expression was firm, but Jamie was close enough to see the tremble of her fingers. “I’m just passing through.”

“Not much of a tourist joint, Telos IV,” Pillock Two said. His voice was muffled behind the bulky helmet he wore, emblazoned with a chipped Czerka logo on one side.

The woman lifted her chin slightly, pulling her cloak more firmly around herself. “The gardens here are famous across the galaxy.”

“You don’t strike me as the type to get your hands dirty,” Pillock One sneered.

“Or maybe she does,” Pillock Two said, and he put the chip away, the mini holo vanishing as he did so. The woman shrank away from them, her back pushing against the edge of the bar.

All right, so the mule theory was out with the bathwater and the last of Jamie's sanity, it would seem.

Don’t get involved, Jamie, she told herself firmly. She grit her teeth and tightened her grip on the mining laser.

The bartender leaned forward and said, “If you don’t mind, you’re scaring the customers.”

“Shut the fuck up, or I’ll hook up your mask to an oxygen tank,” Pillock Two snapped.

The bartender immediately shuffled back, and the other patrons that had previously been crowding the bar followed suit, creating a vacuum of space around Jamie’s little corner of the tavern. Which, of course, meant that Pillock One looked in her direction, as she was now the only person who hadn’t moved away.

Fuck.

“She’s with me.”

All three of them froze at the sound of Jamie’s voice. Pillock Two turned to regard her as well, and over his shoulder Jamie could just make out the woman cautiously leaning around him to get a look at who had spoken.

So much for not getting involved.

“She was getting us some drinks,” Jamie continued. She managed to catch the other woman’s attention and exchanged a significant look.

The woman nodded. “Yeah. I was just - uh -”

She gestured towards the bartender, who by now was no doubt pressing an emergency transmitter for the authorities located beneath the bar. Jamie would know. She’d had to press it herself once or twice when things got too rowdy around these parts. Not that it happened often. Just often enough.

Pillock Two pointed to Jamie’s glass. “Looks like you’re still making your way through that one.”

“What can I say?” Jamie gave a shrug and remained seated. “I’m thirsty.”

Pillock One sauntered over to her table. Jamie glared up at him from her seat, maintaining eye contact even as he reached out and tipped her glass over so that ale foamed and spilled all across the table.

“Go ahead and drink, then,” he said.

“She’s been on Telos with me for a week already,” Jamie countered, ignoring the slow drip of ale onto her work boots. “Whoever you’re looking for came here — when? On yesterday’s shuttle from Praadost?”

Pillock One grit his jaw so tight Jamie could see the muscles bunch up there.

She bared her teeth at him in a smile. “Thought as much. Now, fuck off and let honest people drink in peace. Yeah?”

For a long tense moment it seemed that would be the start of a very long evening, in which Jamie ended up back in her flat upstairs nursing a bag of ice against her face if she were lucky. Then, Pillock Two thwacked his companion on the shoulder with the back of his hand.

“The bounty’s getting away, while we sit here wasting our time,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Pillock One stayed where he was, glowering at Jamie until Pillock Two made his way back towards the exit. Only then did he follow suit, but not without taking inventory of her appearance. And of course Jamie had to go and wear her Corps-issued boilersuit to the pub, with the AgriCorps logo stamped all over it. Absolutely phenomenal choice there.

When they’d finally left, Jamie heaved a great sigh and let her head fall back against the chair for a second. Then she rose to her feet and crossed over to the bar. The woman eyed her warily, then seemed confused when Jamie ignored her utterly in favour of leaning against the bar and speaking to the bartender, “Ho’kyn, you got a towel?”

The bartender gave her a relieved nod in thanks, and immediately poured her two fresh ales. He slid them across the bar along with a stained dish towel. Jamie took them, pushed one into the woman’s hands, took the other for herself, and sank back down into her usual corner table seat with a drawn out groan. She used the towel to mop up the remnants of her previous drink before chucking it back towards the direction of the bar. The woman had to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit square in the face.

“You going to sit or not?” Jamie asked, and she kicked the leg of the other chair as an invitation.

Nonplussed, the woman just stood there, clutching the full glass of ale between her hands as though it were a lifeline. Then she perched herself at the very edge of the seat, so that she seemed fit to flee at the drop of a hat.

“Thank you,” she said eventually.

Jamie hummed around a sip of her ale, then lowered her glass. “Might want to hide that a bit better next time.”

“Hide what?”

Jamie gave her a significant look, then let her gaze wander down to the woman’s waist, where the glint of metal was clearly visible through a gap in her cloak. Face flushing, the woman jerked the cloak more tightly around her midriff and sent Jamie a glare that lacked any real edge. Before she could hide the lightsabre, Jamie could clearly see this close the faint glow of kyber through the hilt’s decorative casing, blue as the woman’s eyes.

Or - well. Blue as one of the woman’s eyes. The other was a strange sort of brown, like the gleam of light through amber.

Must’ve been some kind of cosmetic augment. Except there were no microfibral lines or data ports to suggest further connections that would make such augmentations useful in any capacity.

“So,” Jamie said, leaning her elbows on the table and cradling the glass of ale between her palms. “What does Czerka want with a pretty thing like you from the Core Worlds?”

The woman shot her a bemused scowl. “I don’t know. I don’t even know who those people were.”

“Well, you’re awfully convincing. I’ll give you that.”

Jamie’s comment was summarily ignored, and the woman asked, “How do you know I’m from the Core Worlds?”

“You’ve got a Core accent thicker than a Senator’s.”

The woman’s mouth dropped open to protest, then shut again without saying anything. Instead she took a sip of the ale, holding the glass precariously from the top rim. Jamie watched this with some amusement, half expecting the glass to be dropped along the way. By some miracle it wasn’t.

“Let me rephrase the question,” Jamie said. “Why do you have a bounty on your head?”

Her shoulders bunched up around her ears, and the woman cast a furtive look around to see if anyone had overheard their conversation. The other patrons had, indeed, moved back into their space now that Czerka was out of the building, but nobody was paying attention. That was why Jamie liked this corner. Nice and private.

When the answer wasn’t forthcoming, Jamie slouched back in her seat. “All right. A guessing game, then. Does it have something to do with that stolen lightsabre on your hip?”

“I could’ve bought it,” the woman countered.

Jamie gave her a slow grin. “You really couldn’t have.”

“And why not?”

“Because the people who trade in lightsabres aren’t the kind of people you walk away from.”

“Are you,” the woman asked warily, “a Jedi?”

Jamie gave a derisive snort. “Not even close. Trained in the temple, sure, but I was a shit padawan. Can’t lift a pebble with the Force. Got tossed out of Tython as a failure early on, and they passed me around various Service Corps branches until I ended up here to work on the Restoration Project.”

“Oh. Right,” she said in a tone that meant she didn’t actually understand the situation at all.

Jamie tapped her chest where the AgriCorps symbol sewn onto the corner of her boilersuit. “I’m a glorified gardener.”

The woman gestured towards a nearby window, through which the leafy horizon of Telos IV was darkening in the encroaching dusk. “I’d say you’re doing a pretty good job,” she said with a weak smile.

“Oh, sure,” said Jamie dryly. “Only took us three hundred bloody years. And I still find shell fragments from the orbital barrage some days. Fucking Sith.”

With a shake of her head, Jamie took a sip of her ale. Across the table, the woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“But you know,” the woman asked after a lapse in the conversation, “how to use one?”

“What? A lightsabre?”

The woman nodded.

“Well, I can hold one without chopping my own fingers off, which is more than most people can say. Never got past Shii-Cho before they yanked the practise blade from my hands and told me I was out.” Jamie made a jerking motion with her thumb over her shoulder as if throwing something away.

“I never knew what happened to people if they never made it to being a full Jedi.”

“Yes, what glorious lives we lead,” Jamie drawled, and she lifted her ale in a mock salute before draining it and setting the glass back on the table. “Listen, I suggest you lie low for a few days. Sneak back aboard a transport, and then move on before Czerka realise you’ve gone. Just -” Jamie offered a wry smile and said, “- head back to the Core.”

The woman was gazing down into her half-drunk glass of ale. “I can’t. The Core Worlds are — I can’t.”

“It’s either that, or -”

And Jamie didn’t finish what she was saying. Instead, she pointed towards the holo feed over the bar, where the news was replaying the spread of red across the galactic map, like a virus creeping ever outward from the Sith homeworld of Korriban. The woman glanced up towards the holo feed and flinched as if she’d been struck across the cheek.

“Cold War won’t last forever. And when it breaks, this is the last place you want to be.”

The woman frowned at Jamie. “And what about you?”

“I don’t get much of a choice,” Jamie said with a bitter chuckle. “The Council of Reassignment sends me where they send me.”

“That sounds terrible,” the woman replied softly.

A few more patrons trickled in through the front door on the far end of the long room. Jamie spared them a quick glance before dismissing them. Just the authorities answering Ho’kyn’s call about the Czerka assholes, no doubt. A handful of officers in tired uniforms and tired expressions behind their opaque half-face shields. They approached the bar and exchanged a few words with Ho’kyn, who gestured back the way they’d come.

“It is what it is,” Jamie replied, training her eye after the officers, who had begun talking to a few patrons and scribbling down notes on the pop-up screens from their forearms. “Difficult to make a living as a Force sensitive outside of the Council’s jurisdiction. And they look after me in their own way. It’s not -”

Jamie trailed off and cocked her head to one side. The holo feed over the bar now bore a description of her newfound acquaintance in the scroll text along the bottom of the usual news. There was no picture attached, but it was clear who the authorities were talking about. Jamie read the scroll text in a bored kind of bemusement.

Until it got to the part about being wanted for murder, that was.

Jamie’s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. Sitting up straight, she glanced over at the woman, who had tracked where she was looking and whose face had gone white as a sheet. Another glance over her shoulder towards the group of officers slowly making their way from table to table. They weren’t as efficient as Pillock One and Pillock Two, but they would get here eventually.

With a surreptitious jerk of her head towards the holo feed, Jamie asked quietly, “That right?”

Eyes wide and hands shaking around her glass of ale, the woman stared at Jamie. Her voice wobbled when she spoke, coming out broken and erratic, “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to - He just - He attacked me out of nowhere. I swear it wasn’t -”

“Fucking hell,” Jamie muttered under her breath. She dragged a hand down her face and shook her head. Then she sighed. “Who are you?”

“Dani,” was the immediate answer.

“Dani,” Jamie repeated in a dull tone. “What the fuck have you gotten me into?”

Worrying at her lower lip with her teeth, Dani said, “Not to seem ungrateful, or anything, but I don’t exactly remember asking for your help.”

Jamie mulled that over for a second, before conceding with a nod of her head. “Fair,” she said. Then she abruptly rose to her feet. “Right. I’m off, then. Good luck.”

“Hang on -! No, wait -!”

When Jamie did not, in fact, ‘hang on’ but instead turned to leave, she felt Dani grab her by the wrist, and she went stock-still.

It was like an electric shock. The wave of it traveled up her arm and hummed between her teeth loud as a thunderclap. It was like standing atop a great mountain, and the wind tearing at her clothes and hair. It was like waking up six feet beneath the ground, gasping for breath and breathing in dust until she drowned in it. It settled over her like a pall, a mist, a cool kiss at the back of her neck that roved down her spine and coiled in her gut. It was like a set of floodgates being unleashed, like being dragged along the current to some great unknown destination, vast and sweeping as the stars.

“I’m sorry. Please,” Dani whispered, gazing up at her with wide eyes, her voice like a riptide. “Help me.”

And Jamie gaped down at her. Like an absolute moron.

Not a Jedi. Not at all. Not a Sith, either. At least, not like any Sith Jamie had seen in the holo feeds. All black robes and black masks and red gold eyes that seemed to pierce the veil between them, as though reaching through space and time to claw back the very essence of whoever dared perceive them. And Jamie might not have been the strongest Force sensitive on the books — not by a long shot — but she was Force sensitive. She knew what the Force felt like, and that was —

“Shit,” Jamie hissed. Taking a moment to compose herself and draw in a deep breath, she grabbed hold of Dani’s hand in return and tugged her upright. “Come with me. Pull your hood back up. Keep quiet. Do what I say. And don’t make me regret this.”

Scrambling to do as she was told, Dani pulled her hood up and trailed in Jamie’s wake. Jamie squeezed them around the back of the bar, bending her knees just slightly so that they were a little less conspicuous. Ho’kyn shot them a puzzled look as they passed.

“I wasn’t here,” Jamie muttered to him.

The sharply pointed feelers on his face clicked. “Back door’s locked. You know the combination.”

“Cheers, mate.”

It was a quick duck and weave through the cramped kitchens and storage rooms, a race past the walk-in freezer, and then Jamie was punching in the combination code to open the rear door. The two of them spilled out into the back alley. Piles of trash had been stored awaiting disposal in the recycling unit that came every three days. Clouds of steam puffed from the vents in the walls, creating white trails that rose into the night sky.

Dani squeezed her hand tight. Jamie squeezed it back, but then Dani gave her hand a tug and pointed towards the main street down the way. Flashing lights and parked vehicles. More authorities congregated on the front step of Ho’kyn’s tavern. When the heavy metal rear door to the tavern slammed shut, one of the officers shone a torch down the alleyway towards the noise.

Acting quickly, Jamie pushed Dani up against a nearby wall by the door.

“What are you -?” Dani gasped.

“Just -” Jamie stepped in close, close enough to block Dani from view, “- trust me. Keep your head down. Pretend like we’re -”

The circle of light hit them. Jamie could feel Dani wince, could feel Dani duck her head and bury her face in Jamie’s shoulder, gripping the fabric of Jamie’s boilersuit along her back as though she were a human shield. They were barely touching, but still Jamie felt the heat of Dani’s skin beneath layers of pastel nanosilk, the sweep of her panicked breaths against Jamie’s collarbone. A few stray strands of blonde hair tickled her nose, and Jamie had to fight the urge to scratch at her face.

To say nothing of the cold length of a lightsabre pressing against her inner thigh. And not in a good way. In a ‘This Will Burn A Hole Through My Leg If I Move’ way.

After what felt like a whole planetary cycle, the light moved along, the officer clearly disinterested in a couple groping one another behind a seedy bar. Jamie waited a few rapid heartbeats longer before pulling back. Dani peeled her hands away from Jamie’s back, looking small. In the dark, her mismatched eyes seemed to gleam owlishly. Especially the pale brown one. Almost golden. Like something that belonged to a nocturnal animal.

“This way,” Jamie murmured.

When she began guiding them further into the shadow of the alley, Dani asked haltingly, “Why -? I mean - where are we -?”

Jamie reached the expected set of metal grated stairs leading up to the second floor above the bar. “My flat.”

Dani followed without further question, nervous and silent, all but hugging Jamie’s back when Jamie fumbled the passcode to unlock the door at the top of the stairs. They stumbled inside and Jamie only breathed easier when she’d shut the door behind them, locked them, then hit the control panel to lower the alusteel shutters over the windows.

The apartment was small and dark and not at all quiet. By now Jamie was used to the noise of the nearby streets and the tavern beneath her feet. Her neighbours weren’t exactly gems, either. Another slap of the control panel, and she turned on a few lights and the news holo feed along the wall screen to generate some more noise so that it would be more difficult for them to be overheard by anyone snooping.

Jamie turned around to find Dani standing stiffly in the middle of the living room. Which was also a kitchenette. And the entryway. And technically the guest bedroom. There was no wall separating it from the actual main bedroom. Beyond that was a door leading to a bathroom, and another door leading to a very cramped closet, which bore nothing but spare sets of Corps-issued boilersuits in various states of shabby, and a few personal outfits that weren’t much better off.

“Your place is - uh -” Dani started to say, gesturing weakly around her.

“Pure shite,” Jamie finished for her. “Thanks. I know.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“No? And were you ever going to get around to telling me about the whole murder thing?”

“Yeah, actually, I was waiting until after we’d finished our drinks. I thought it would be a good segue into a friendship,” Dani retorted in a tone so sarcastic that Jamie had to quell an answering smile.

“All right,” Jamie stepped forward, motioning towards the couch for Dani to take a seat and make herself comfortable. “Why don’t you start from the beginning.”

Dani did not take the invitation; she remained standing, thumbs tucked into her fists, shoulders tense, jaw tense, gaze downcast.

“Do you want another drink?” Jamie offered quietly.

Dani shook her head. “No. Thank you.” She flexed her hands and said in a dull voice that lacked its previous fire, “I was recently employed by Lord Wingrave of House Thul. He - uh - he needed a governess to teach his young niece and nephew at his family estate, and my background is in education. So, I thought it was a - it was supposed to be a good opportunity for me.”

“Until it wasn’t,” Jamie said.

Dani nodded. “Yeah.” She sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand before continuing. “It turned out he has unsavoury friends and -” she wrinkled her nose, “- debts.”

“What kind of friends?” Jamie asked.

Dani didn’t answer, but her eyes darted just for a moment towards the holo feed, where a fleet of Imperial II-class Star Destroyers were raining down hell on fleeing Republic ships.

Well, shit.

“Poor choice of friends,” Jamie muttered under her breath.

Dani hummed a note in agreement.

“Then what happened? Did you hear something you weren’t supposed to? Find something, maybe?”

Dani’s head jerked up to look at Jamie in surprise and — for some reason — suspicion. “I did,” she said slowly. “I found a - a box.”

Rolling up her sleeves for no other reason than to give her hands something to do, Jamie asked, “What kind of box?”

“Why does everyone keep going on about that box?” Dani asked, her expression suddenly going steely in a way that did not seem to become her. “What is so important about a glowing little box?”

“It glows? Listen, I’m not - Woah! Hey! Be careful where you point that thing!”

The lightsabre had appeared in Dani’s hand in a movement too fast for the eye to track, as if it had always been there, as if it belonged there. The blade was still sheathed, but gone was the awkward hesitance with which she had worn it before. She levelled the unlit hilt towards Jamie with a tilt of her wrist, and her face was hard yet frightened.

“Who are you? Why do you want to know about this box?” Dani asked, and her voice was surprisingly even for all the tremble in her clenched fist. “Answer me.”

Jamie had her hands held before her, as though that would somehow help deflect a fucking lightsabre. She tried to drift sideways to get out of the way, but Dani trained the hilt on her as though it were the muzzle of a blaster rifle.

“The name’s Jamie, but I’d prefer it if you bought me dinner before pointing any weapons at me,” Jamie said blandly. She immediately regretted the quip, when Dani’s hand tightened around the hilt of the sabre and her thumb drifted over the activation button.

“Okay! Okay!” Jamie scrambled back a few steps, nearly tripping over the edge of the couch, but Dani followed closely after her. “It just seems to be a bit weird, is all. Glowing boxes and corrupt Lords. Y’know. Unless Wingrave was in the habit of collecting items of luminous quality. I don’t fucking know. I’m just trying to get a picture of what happened, so that I can -” Jamie gave a wave of one hand towards Dani, “- help you. Remember? Remember that part? Me helping you?”

If the furrow in Dani’s brow was any indication, she was not convinced by this argument.

Jamie motioned to the lightsabre. “Also, you’re holding that the wrong way ‘round.”

With a blink of confusion, Dani glanced down at the lightsabre in her grasp, tilting it to one side for a better look. The moment she did so, Jamie leapt forward, grabbed the hilt of the sabre, and tried to wrench it free. A scuffle broke out, and it was not the most dignified scuffle Jamie had ever taken part in. There was a lot of swearing — admittedly, mostly from herself — and a lot of yanking at the lightsabre hilt in futile desperation like a game of tug of war. Except instead of a rope, they were tugging at a weapon that might accidentally extend a nigh unstoppable plasma blade with one wrong movement.

Eventually, Jamie managed to hook a foot behind Dani’s ankles, causing her to fall to the ground with a graceless yelp. Unfortunately, Dani did not let go of the sabre as expected, and Jamie was dragged down with her. Jamie grunted in pain when a sharp elbow connected with her ribs. With one final yank, she managed to wrest the lightsabre free.

Dani panted beneath her, flushed and half pinned to the floor between Jamie’s knees. Her hair was splayed loosely across the carpet, and she glowered up at Jamie with equal parts impotent fury and fear.

“Right,” Jamie said breathlessly, ribs still aching. “Now that that’s all sorted, can you please tell me about this glowing box? And spare no detail.”

In answer, Dani’s jaw took a stubborn set. Sighing, Jamie pushed herself upright, then offered Dani a hand. Dani stared at her for a moment before allowing herself to be hauled to her feet, where she brushed down the back of her nanosilks.

“When was the last time you cleaned your floor?”

“Can’t remember,” Jamie answered honestly.

Dani wrinkled her nose and began to card fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it. When Jamie held out the lightsabre, palm up, in a silent offering, Dani went very still. Hesitantly, she reached out to take it, but Jamie pulled her hand back slightly before she could do so.

“Be careful,” Jamie warned. “This thing isn’t a toy. You’re more likely to chop off your own leg by accident than you are to actually injure someone else. And don’t point it at me again! Or we’re going to have words. Got it?”

Jamie waited for her to nod, then held the lightsabre out again. Dani took it, and her shoulders relaxed incrementally once she had it back in her grasp.

“Now,” Jamie said. “Weird glowy box?”

Dani sighed and ran the same hand through her hair that held the lightsabre. Jamie had to suppress a wince. After everything she’d said about being careful, too. Bloody idiot.

“I don’t know what it was,” Dani admitted. “I overheard a transmission. Something about putting the box where the children could get it. So, naturally, I investigated. I found it on a shelf in their playroom. I picked it up, and -”

She trailed off with a helpless little gesture.

“And?” Jamie pressed.

“And I don’t know,” said Dani, clearly frustrated. She paused to hook the lightsabre back onto her belt, but it took her a few tries to make it work. She almost dropped the weapon in the process, and Jamie took a step back just in case the bloody thing went unsheathing itself into the floor. “I woke up and I didn’t know where I was, or how much time had passed, or -”

“Which is when you looked down and found a dead man at your feet.”

“What?” Dani frowned at her. “No. That was later.”

“Right. My bad,” Jamie said dryly. “Describe the box to me.”

“It was about this big.” Dani held up her hands to indicate an object that could comfortably be held in one hand. “Sharp edges. Some kind of black gold metal, but nothing like I’d ever seen before. It looked hollow, but it was heavy. Like the light inside of it had weight.”

“Was there writing on it? Marks of any kind?”

“Yeah, but nothing I could read.”

“Would you recognise them if you saw them again?”

Dani shrugged. “Sure. I guess.”

“Do you have this box with you now?”

At that, Dani’s shoulders went all tense again and she pursed her lips, her expression growing guarded.

“Forget I asked,” Jamie said with a dismissive wave. With a sigh, she leaned down and began unlacing her work boots. She chucked them into a corner and then flopped onto the couch, placing her feet up on the cushions. “All right. Last question for the night. Did you know that you’re Force sensitive?”

Dani stared at her as though Jamie had sprouted an extra limb. And then she laughed. It was, in all honesty, a very nice laugh. Nothing at all like the nervous smile from the bar. Her smile now had lines at the corners, and she shook her head.

“No,” said Dani, still laughing. “No, I’m not.”

Jamie hoisted up an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I’m not,” Dani repeated more firmly this time, her smile fading. “There’s nothing - I’m not special. I’m a governess. I’m from a small town on Alderaan in the middle of nowhere. I teach kids about galactic history and how to share toys.”

Jamie pointed to herself. “And I’m a Rim Rat, but that didn’t stop the Jedi from hauling me off to the Temple for training until they realised I was a waste of time.”

“I’m not -!” Dani’s voice had started to climb, and she quickly lowered it to a hush. “I’m not - like that. My family is normal. I’m normal. We don’t have any kind of history or - or anything.”

“You’re telling me you didn’t feel it?”

“Feel what? What are you talking about?”

Sitting up abruptly, Jamie leaned forward on the couch. “When you touched me earlier. In the bar. You grabbed my hand, and I felt — That was it. That was the Force. You were like a - a circuit. Like an exposed wire. You didn’t feel it?”

Dani was staring at her now and there was no laughter. Only a dim and dawning horror.

“No,” Dani croaked. “I didn’t feel anything.”

Jamie huffed out a short and mordant laugh. Then she said, “Liar.”

“I’m not -” Dani inhaled sharply and sat down on the edge of the couch furthest from Jamie. She crossed her arms. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

Jamie shook her head and gave an incredulous chuckle. “Fine,” she said. “Fine. Here’s the plan: I have no idea what’s going on -”

“Great start,” Dani muttered under her breath.

“- but I know some people who might,” Jamie continued.

Dani’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the catch?”

“Catch?”

“I’ve just spent the last two weeks being chased across half the galaxy by criminals and authorities alike. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little skeptical of your sudden eagerness to help. So,” Dani leaned forward and fixed Jamie with a pinning stare, made all the more unsettling by her mismatched eyes. “What’s the catch?”

“The catch,” Jamie said, lying back against the couch cushions, “is that my friends are a pair of Jedi on Tython. And the Council doesn’t really think of discretionary funds as a necessity, so I don’t have enough money to get us both there.”

Dani’s face went a little pale. “Can’t they -” she swallowed before continuing, “Can’t they meet us somewhere else? Somewhere halfway, maybe?”

Slinging an arm behind her head, Jamie asked, “Why? What’s wrong with Tython? I mean — apart from the obvious of it being one of the most boring rocks in the known galaxy.”

“Nothing,” said Dani, very unconvincingly. “It’s just - That’s a long way to go. And I’m not exactly swimming in credits either.”

Jamie studied the way Dani tried to hide the wringing of her hands beneath her cloak, the way Dani noticed what she herself was doing and hid her hands behind her back even as she gave Jamie her best imploring look. Which, granted, was very effective. She certainly had some eyes.

Gentling her tone Jamie said, “Hannah and Owen are good people. Better friends than I probably deserve. The most they could be accused of is spending too much time with their noses buried in the library or in a kitchen recipe.”

“It’s not - I don’t doubt that. It’s just -” Dani breathed in deeply and then continued in a rush, “I don’t think people will like me going to the central planet of the Jedi Order.”

“Why would they even care?”

“Because,” Dani said slowly, not meeting Jamie’s gaze. She wrung her hands together in her lap, staring down at her own fingers. “The man I killed was a Jedi.”

Well, then.

Things just got complicated.

“Perhaps you were expecting some surprise, for me to reveal a secret that had eluded you, something that would change your perspective of events, shatter you to your core. There is no great revelation, no great secret. There is only you.”

— Darth Traya, The Sith Lords

#the haunting of bly manor #thobm #dani clayton/jamie #damie #star wars au #no great revelation #roman writes #star wars

22 notes · View notes

lewis-winters · 3 years

Note

Your Conjuring AU just reminded me of your heartbreaking but lovely Haunting of Hill House AU. You said there was a Pacific one for Bly Manor? I'd be interested in hearing it! Or any more thoughts on the Hill House one tbh

I did do the THoBM!The Pacific AU, but it's in a separate reblog of the post.

As for the THoHH!BoB AU...

Tab being carried out of the house the night Nix dies, told to close his eyes but disobeying and opening them only to see the bloody image of his father running after them, begging them not to leave him here alone. He carries that image around with him every day of his life. No matter how hard he tries to deny the truth, he knows what he saw that night. He knows what they all had to leave behind.

Lieb and Eugene have the same relationship Shirley and Theo have in the original series. Mostly because I just wanna see that "Did you just punch me in the boob?!" moment. But also I think this is a side to Eugene we don't really get to see in fics? Somebody who's so separated from everyone but his work that he's just... drifting, aimless. Bit of a frat boy, sleeping around but never really making a connection because he stops it before it can even grow.

Lieb, on the other hand, is so unerring and set in his ways because if he drifts from it he might lose his mind. That constant push and pull from the original sisters of one floating away in a bid to regain control again (Theo is supposed to represent the Bargaining stage in the five stages of grief) and the steadfast stubborn anger of the other (Shirley represents the Anger stage) just works for Eugene and Lieb so well. Even in just the BoB show itself.

Eugene is a medic and, in this au, a child therapist. He bargains with death every day. Lieb, on the other hand, is relentless in his pursuit of some sort of justice, except sometimes there's no justice to be had. For his experiences in the war and, in this AU, the death of his father.

Dick talking to Nix's ghost the way Hugh talks to Olivia's? Ugh. The pain. The idea of all five of his children hating him but him loving them so fiercely that he continues to live without Nix for the rest of the years when the option to join him in Hill House is Right There.

But Dick talking to Nix's ghost every time he's alone and trying to parent their kids. Growing up, they all believe he's going nuts, but in reality he's mumbling to himself about whether or not he should talk to Eugene about his drinking problem or if he should help Don in his search for a new therapist, all with Nix's spectre answering and being all sweet, he can pretend that Nix is actually here, alive, and within reach.

Also this exchange:

Dick: You're killing our babies, Lew. You're killing them!

Nix: But I'm so alone. I'm so alone here. I don't want to be alone anymore.

The end is the same, Don saves his siblings but dies in the process, and Dick follows, joining Nix in the house and making sure he's never alone anymore. The others move on-- or maybe they don't? Maybe, like the original housekeepers, they come back in their last dying days and let themselves be swallowed whole so that they can all finally be together, like they were always destined to be.

#ask #bob aus #winnix #horror #bob hohh au

11 notes · View notes

burninghoneyatdusk · 3 years

Text

2020 Year in Review

Rules: answer some questions about 2020 and tag some people!

Tagged by: @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold & @marauders-groupie 💛

Top Five Three Films you watched in 2020:

I watch way more television than movies so this is all I can think of at the moment 🤷🏼‍♀️

1. Little Women

2. Emma

3. Taylor Swift: Miss Americana

Top Five Ten TV Shows in 2020:

1. Bridgerton

2. The Haunting of Bly Manor

3. The Boys

4. Buzzfeed Unsolved / Watcher Entertainment

5. Never Have I Ever

6. Sex Education

7. Spinning Out

8. Normal People

9. Outerbanks

10. Babylon Berlin**

**The way the bellarke fandom is sleeping on this show is horrendous

Top Five Songs/Albums of 2020:

1. Evermore (album, Taylor Swift)

2. Folklore (album, Taylor Swift)

3. Before You Go (song, Lewis Capaldi)

4. If the World Was Ending (song, JP Saxe & Julia Michaels)

5. To Die For (song, Sam Smith)

Top Five Two Books of 2020:

Ooof I only read 2 books this year which is sad, but here’s to 2021 being better on that front. I’ll give a shout out to them anyway because they were great.

1. King of Crows (Diviners #4, Libba Bray)

I feel like the Diviners series is one of the most underrated YA series. This book wasn’t my favorite in the series but the series in general is incredible. It’s essentially a paranormal mystery series set during the 1920s with plenty of romance and found family vibes.

What makes it great is that it doesn’t shy away from the more grim realities of the 20s. Rather than glamorizing the time period, it’s told through a really diverse cast of characters who are all forced to come together because of various circumstances (if you know of my love for six of crows, then you know why I love this). Also, the imagery and prose in this series is phenomenal. 11/10 recommend it and I think a lot of people are missing out.

2. Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1, Cassandra Clare)

Sigh. I feel like I have to preface, as always, that if you didn’t like the original shadowhunters series, PLEASE give the other series a try. I hated the first, but the others (The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices) are some of my favorite series. That being said, I think the Last Hours might become my favorite shadowhunter series just based on book 1 alone. I binged this in less than 48 hours because I couldn’t put it down and without spoiling anything I am SO excited for book 2 based on the ending of this one. I think Cassandra Clare’s writing grows better with each book/series and this is no exception.

This series takes place in Edwardian London and the some of the main characters are children of the Infernal Devices characters, with some new ones as well. Compared to the other series, I really loved the cast of characters as a whole rather than rooting for a single ship.

Top Five Eleven Fanfictions of 2020:

I’ve read way less fic than in past years just because I read less of it when I’m writing more, but here are some favorites, all bellarke fic. I recommend you check out my bookmarks for all my favs, 2020 and otherwise

1. I Found Peace in Your Violence by @eyessharpweaponshot

2. sometimes (this has a hot, sweet taste) by @brimay

3. it’s a small world by virgohotspot

4. Intertwining your soul (with somebody else) by @stealing-jasons-job

5. The Courage of the Stars by @bookwormforalways

6. Let Me Out by @animmortalist

Yes I know there’s only one chapter so far but it’s amazing and my excitement for it is enough, I can’t wait for more

7. Surely You Must Know (it was all for you) by @elora-lane

8. comes and goes (in waves) by @brimay

9. Soul Fate Determination by @wellsjahasghost

10. I’ll Find You in the Morning Sun by @cominguproses13x

Okay I technically still have 10 chapters left because I’m an easily distracted slow reader, but this fic has blown me away, especially the prose and writing quality

11. Sugar by @asroarke

Five good/positive things that happened to you in 2020:

1. Fandom: I really dove into fandom this year because of my free time and despite the show being a disaster, making really good friends & watching @t100fic-for-blm grow has been awesome.

2. Writing: Along the same lines as above, all the free time allowed me more time to write than I’ve ever had. Prompts from @t100fic-for-blm also had me writing ideas I never would have thought of or explored. In 2020 I officially published over 400k words and although that will be hard to keep up with when things become normal again, I definitely will do my best to keep my writing up.

3. Health & Job: I’m lucky enough that I didn’t get sick this year, nor did any close family members or friends. Everytime I get frustrated with how things are going, I try to remind myself big-picture that I’ve been really lucky. I also am still working and have a steady paycheck this year which I know isn’t the case for so many, so I’m beyond grateful for that.

4. Redecorating: Maybe this is more just “buy stuff make me happy” lmao. I moved to a new city in summer 2019 and was still getting my apartment together when the pandemic hit. Since March, I’ve bought what feels like my first ✨adult✨ furniture pieces and my apartment definitely feels more like home.

5. My cats: Lol I’m honestly so grateful for these munchkins. I live alone in a studio apartment and also don’t know many people since I moved to this city recently, so having them with me while stuck in my apartment alone has really been a huge comfort and brought me joy.

#bellarke fanfiction #fic rec #the diviners #the last hours #personal #about #tag games #fandom

45 notes · View notes

writer1 · 3 years

Text

A regretful Wolf and his Beauty

Chapter Six

Beast!Rex x Fem!reader.

Summary: As punishment for his actions, young prince Rex was cursed to become a monster by a witch. The only thing that saved him from his fate was an enchantress, who gave him a condition. He has to find true love in order to redeem himself and he only has until the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. Rex's family helps you by guiding your way into his heart. Rex's fate now lies in your hands.

A/N: Hey, this is a collaborative fic between myself and @ahsokatano-thetogruta.

Warnings: Hurt, hatred of self.

Rex sees everyone around him shuffle as best they can towards him a bit more, but not too close as to make him feel uncomfortable. A small dessert fork hop over towards him. "Rex! I'm glad you're okay." The little fork smiles with relief that his Vod'ika is okay. It takes Rex a second to know who this is, but then he sees patterns along the handle. "Bly?" The small fork nods.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're okay Rex. We were all so worried as soon as you ran away from us." Rex feels guilty that he had run away from everyone, but he was also so scared and hated that everyone transformed because of him.

"I'm sorry this happened. To all of you. I should've just controlled my actions more, then…" Rex's ears press back against his head harshly, trying to avoid eye contact from everyone as much as he possibly can. "Then this wouldn't have happened to you all."

Everyone disagrees, shaking their heads as much as they can, seeming as they are now objects. "It's okay, Rex. This was never your fault." Bly hops over to Rex and leans against him, giving him as much of a hug as he can. Rex feels slightly better with a hug and his ears perk up slightly. His tail starts to wag from the happy feeling. Rex grabs his tail, feeling embarrassed that it's wagging in front of everyone.

“It’s okay Rex, you don’t have to be embarrassed.” Rex nods, hugging his fifteen year old brother with one hand carefully. He acts so much older than he is sometimes. “Everyone's right young one, this isn’t your fault.” Rex looks up to see another suit of armor, this one has a helmet that looks like a Kel Dor’s, Rex realizes that it’s Knight Plo. He’s followed by four little tea cups, one with a scratch through its eye. “Uncle Plo.” Rex whispers, the thirty-five year old Knight walks up to him.

He pets his head, not like he’s a dog but like he’s trying to comfort him. “It’s going to be okay, we’ll all figure this out. Together.” the little teacup with the scratch through his eye hops up. “Yeah Rex, we’ll all figure it out together, like Buir said.” Rex nods, recognizing the little teacup to be Wolffe.

“Thanks Wolffe, what happened to your eye?” Rex asks, and Wolffe flinches a little at the memory. “The witch threw a glass at me, it cut my eye, I can’t see out of it now.” Rex carefully picks Wolffe up, taking a closer look at his eye.

“WHAT!!!” Kix comes flying over to them, getting in between the two, he takes a close look at Wolffe's eye while Rex, Plo, and Wolffe’s brothers watch. Kix sighs. “I can’t fix it, even if we were human. You’re blind in that eye now, Vod’ika.” Rex whines, feeling bad for his Vod’ika. He pulls the teacup up to his face, nuzzling him.

“Thanks Rex, it’s okay. It’s just one eye.” Rex pulls him away, resisting the urge to lick him to comfort the kid, he has no idea why the urge came up and he’d rather not. “I hate that she hurt you, she already transformed us but she had to take your eye too.” A deep growl emanates from Rex’s chest, startling everyone, including himself. "Sorry…"

"It's alright, we have all changed so we are all bound to be different in some way." 99 shuffles over, the bad batch follows close behind him. 99 wishes that the young prince could see his smile, but being an old-looking broom means that he doesn't have a face. Rex nods, he understands that everyone has changed, but he feels bad because some of them don't have faces anymore and most of them don't even have anything that resembles that they were once people.

Ahsoka strokes the fur on Rex's finger, still hugging it. "Yeah, you're just a giant puppy now!" Her little face is too adorable and Rex just chuckles at her. "I guess I am, little Soka." Her smile beams brightly as she nuzzles Rex.

"I love how soft it is." She adds, making some of the others make little aw sounds at the young Togruta, because of how adorable she is.

Rex smiles shyly "It is?" Ahsoka giggles a little, nodding her head. "Yup!" A moment later, Rex's stomach growls loudly, making the little music box jump. He feels embarrassed and his cheeks heat up. 99 chuckles at Rex. “Looks like you're going to have to get the boy some food, Cody. We’ll all talk more tomorrow, it's starting to get late anyway.” Cody nods at the broom as best he can, shuffling over to Rex.

“Yeah, we’re going to bed once we get him something to eat, does anyone want to come to the kitchen with us?” Obi Wan, Kix, Jesse, Anakin, Bly, Fives, Ahsoka and Echo walk up to them. “Kiara and Padme offered to put Stutter to bed for us. He's tired, but Ahsoka isn’t yet, or so she says.” Fives explains, but Cody shakes his head.

“You four should be going to bed too, it's late. You too Anakin.” Obi Wan nods, agreeing with Cody. Fives and Echo have pleading looks on their faces, so does Bly, Anakin would too if he could, but Cody stands firm. “Can they… can they please come Cody. I need you guys around me, even if it isn’t everyone.” Rex pleads, making Cody sigh. He can’t say no with how much his Rex’ika is hurting right now.

Cody turns to Obi Wan, who nods in permission for Anakin to come. “Fine, you can all come, but as soon as Rex is done, everyone is going to bed. Understood!?” they all nod, including Rex, and start heading to the kitchen while everyone who can move head to their rooms, the ones who can’t are camping out in the ballroom for the night.

Rex and the little group make it to the kitchen, Rex is once again walking behind the others. “Rex! Cody! Somebody!” they both turn to see a talking Oven mitt with eyes and a mouth. Rex knows only one cousin that would be turned into an oven mitt. “Gregor?” Rex asks, but the Oven mitt looks at them, more precisely at Rex, with wide eyes.

“What the kriff is that monster!” Rex whimpers, dashing through the kitchen and out of the door, Cody feels absolute anger at his cousin. They just got Rex to feel better about himself, and Gregor might have completely destroyed it.

Obi Wan strokes Cody’s desktop, trying to calm him down, even though Obi Wan is just as angry. “Why the kriff did you say that to Rex, Gregor?!” Gregor raises an eyebrow at them. “What are you talking about? That's not Rex, Rex isn’t a beast! Wait, Cody?!”

Cody feels confusion fill him, then the realization occurs to him. He couldn't see who, but someone leaves the kitchen and the door shuts behind them, but his attention turns back to the situation at hand “Gregor? Where were you when everything happened?” The oven mitt floats over to the desk, not believing what his cousin has become.

“I came to the kitchen shortly after you invited Miss Ventress in because we got a shipment of supplies for waffles and strawberries. I wanted to surprise Rex. Not long after we brought the supplies in, I felt pain as I started to change. Then this happened.” Cody sighs, Gregor wasn’t in the room when the curse happened so he had no way to know that Rex was a werewolf, and no one checked the kitchen, they forgot about it at the time.

“Ventress was a witch, Gregor. She spilled a drink on Rex on purpose, Rex had a stressful and just plain bad day, so he snapped at her. She cursed us to be objects but Rex… His curse was much worse.” Gregor can’t believe it, they invited Ventress in out of the goodness of their hearts, how could she do this! Then Gregor’s heart sinks when he realizes what Cody means.

“You mean… That was Rex!!!” Everyone nods sadly, Gregor can’t believe that he said that. “I… I didn’t… I’m so sorry.” Gregor tears up, thinking about how what he said must have affected Rex.

“It's okay, Gregor. You didn’t know that it was Rex.” Gregor nods, he has to fix this.

xxx

Rex bursts through the kitchen door running away from everyone as fast as he could, but he doesn’t run all the way away this time, he runs down the hall a little ways. Tears run down his face as he still thinks about what Gregor said, this was the first time someone in his family actually called him a monster, and it made his heart ache. Rex sits against the wall, tail wrapped around his legs with tears streaming down his face and into his fur.

He sits like this for a few moments before he hears the kitchen door swing open. He flinches with fear, but then he sees Ahsoka. Seeing her big brother cry makes her feel sad. She hops over to him and presses herself against his leg. Rex puts his face in his knees as the memory of Gregor calling him a monster clouds his thoughts. "Don't cry, Ori'Vod. It's okay, he probably didn't know that it was you." She hears Rex sobbing into his knees.

Ahsoka doesn't know what to do, but then she walks in front of Rex and turns round the little key in the back of the box. Once it stops turning, it goes the other way and starts to play a relaxing song. Rex's sobs soon turn into sniffles and hiccups as he looks up a little bit to see Ahsoka twirling around on the spot and dancing to the tune. Ahsoka's older appearance makes the dance much more elegant and beautiful, allowing Rex's mind to relax and take his mind off of what happened earlier, so he sits contently watching his little sister dance.

Rex wipes the tears away as they start to dry and he smiles. His tail wrapped around his legs wags gently, letting Ahsoka know that she is cheering up her Ori'Vod. She smiles and giggles a little, but the song and dance soon comes to the end as the key has stopped moving. Rex smiles at her. "Thank you, Soka. I feel better now." Rex pats her head gently with one finger.

Ahsoka giggles again and then hugs his finger. "I'm glad, Ori'Vod." A moment later, the kitchen door swings open again, but this time it's Gregor who steps out and floats over to the two of them.

Rex whimpers, looking down at the ground. His ears press tightly against his head and his tail stops wagging, tears filling his eyes again. Gregor's heart breaks, he can't believe that he called his cousin a monster.

"Can you go back into the kitchen, Ahsoka. I need to talk to Rex alone." Ahsoka looks at Gregor nervously, she doesn't want to leave Rex with him after what he said last time.

"Come along Ahsoka, leave these two to talk." Obi Wan walks out of the kitchen, gently picking up the little music box. He carries her into the kitchen, allowing Cody to explain to her what had happened.

Rex stays sitting, looking down at his feet. He doesn't want to see the look of disgust that Gregor must have.

Gregor feels his heart break when he sees the tears in Rex's eyes, The oven mitt floats over to his cousin, landing beside him. "I… Rex, I am so sorry." Rex doesn't look up, and Gregor feels his heart break even more.

"Rex? Can you please look at me?" Rex obliges reluctantly, looking up at his cousin. He has tears in his eyes, and Gregor can see the damp fur under Rex's eyes. He knew that he had messed up. Badly.

"Rex, I'm so sorry. You aren't a monster." Rex just shakes his head. "No. You're right, I am a monster now." Gregor's heart shatters, he absolutely hates hearing Rex talk about himself like that. And knowing he caused this hurts even more.

"Rex, no! I was wrong! You aren't a monster. I shouldn't have said what I said earlier, I regret it so much." Rex doesn't say anything, but his eyes just fall to the ground again. "I…I understand if you hate me now and don't forgive me for what I called you." Gregor floats a little bit down to the ground and the guilt really sinks in for making his cousin, the Prince, feel this way.

Rex looks up a little to see Gregor turning around and slowly floating back towards the kitchen. Seeing the sad oven mitt made Rex's heart feel so somber, that Gregor thinks that he hates him now. Before he could float away any further, Rex gently cups his hands in front of Gregor and carefully pulls him into his fluffy chest. "I don't hate you, Gregor. You didn't know that it was me, but it just hurt me to be called a monster." A wave of regret washes over Gregor again.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking." Rex holds his cousin closer into him, being careful not to hurt him.

"It's alright, I know now that you didn't mean it towards me so we can put this behind us, yeah?" Gregor pulls away and looks up to see Rex smiling kindly at him. "Yeah." Gregor nods, he's happy that Rex could forgive him. Rex's stomach growls loudly, making the heat rise to his face. Gregor chuckles.

"That reminds me, the reason I came into the kitchen before was because I had a surprise for you, Rex." Rex's ears perk up, he smiles and his tail starts wagging. Rex groans, grabbing his tail. "That's really starting to get annoying." Gregor chuckles. Rex turns back to him, his look of annoyance turning to a smile.

"What's the surprise, Vod?" Gregor smiles at Rex. "Well I left the ballroom because we got a shipment in for Waffles and strawberries." Rex's whole body perks up, and his tail starts wagging faster. But Rex doesn't notice this time.

"Can you maybe make me some, Gregor? Please…?" Gregor smiles, outright laughing. "Of course, I can't let my baby cousin go hungry, now can I?"

"I'm not a baby." Rex grumbles, ears pressing back in anger. Gregor laughs at him happily, this is a normal conversation for them. "You will always be a baby to me!"

"You're only two years older than me!" Rex tells him angrily, but he secretly likes the normalcy of this conversation. "Well come on, let's get you some food." Rex nods, following the floating oven mitt back into the kitchen. Everyone turns to see Rex, they are all happy to see a smile on his face.

"Is everything good now?" Cody asks, shuffling over and pressing himself into Rex. "Yes, it's all good." He says, smiling towards Gregor who collects the ingredients for the waffles and strawberries, including some flour, eggs, butter, milk, baking powder and some sugar because he knows that Rex has a big sweet tooth.

He sets all of the ingredients down on the counter and then turns around to Rex. "Would you like to watch me make the waffles, Rex?"

"Yes please, that would be great to see how they are made." Being a prince meant that Rex didn't go in the kitchen a lot when the chefs were cooking because he would be sat down and ready for the food to be served.

"Great, would you mind grabbing a bowl for me please? It's a bit heavy for me to carry." Rex obliges and gets a large mixing bowl off of the shelf while Gregor grabs a spoon from the utensil pot. Rex places the bowl on the counter, stepping back to watch as Gregor puts all of the ingredients into the bowl and picks up the spoon, mixing everything together into a smooth batter. Rex is very intrigued, it all looks complicated but also very fun.

Gregor grabs a waffle mould placing it next to the bowl and then collects a ladle to make it easier to transfer the batter into the mould. He puts a ladle of mixture into each mould to make sure that they are equal in size. After the mould is full, Gregor heads over to an oven and places the waffles on a shelf. He grabs a sand timer for 15 minutes that'll let him know when they will be ready.

xxx

After the 15 minutes are up, Gregor grabs the waffles out of the oven. He takes them out, pulling the finished products out of the mould. "Can you grab a plate for me, Rex?" The boy nods, walking over and grabbing a plate out, he carries it over to Gregor. Rex is using the counter for support, practicing on two legs. He struggles a bit, but he manages.

Cody stays close by to catch him, just in case. So does Anakin and Obi Wan, Fives, Ahsoka and Echo are all watching along the side. Rex sets the plate beside Gregor, sitting down tiredly. "Great job, Rex'ika!" Cody tells him, making Rex smile. "Yeah, great job, Rex." Anakin walks over, patting Rex's shoulder. Rex smiles at his friend, thankful that both him and his big brother are proud of him.

Everyone who can give Rex a little applause, embarrassing him. Everyone who can't, which is Cody, Bly and Gregor, give him lots of encouragement. They tell him how good he did.

"Okay, enough embarrassing Rex. Are the waffles ready, Gregor?" The oven mitt looks up. "Oh, yeah, I just have to put the syrup on top of the strawberries and waffle." Gregor grabs the syrup, putting a good amount on the large stack. He made more since he figured that Rex is bigger, it makes sense that he'd eat more.

Rex sits down as he licks his lips, seeing one of his favorite meals. Gregor pushes it towards him, letting him eat it. Rex grabs a fork and a knife, fumbling to use them with his larger hands.

"It's fine, Rex. You can just eat off the plate." Rex looks down at Cody, ears drooping in embarrassment. He does not want to eat like an animal, at all. "It's fine little one, no one will judge you. We promise." Obi Wan tells him. "Yeah, Rex, it's okay, Ori'Vod." Fives tells him, trying to comfort his older brother.

Everyone nods in agreement. "Fives is right, we're your family. We aren't going to judge." Rex sighs, nodding at Anakin, he puts the knife and fork down. He leans in and starts taking bites out of the pile of waffles, using nothing but his mouth.

The others say nothing about it, they just talk amongst themselves. Bly, Gregor and Anakin strike up a conversation about what happened. While Echo and Fives have a nice conversation with Rex as he eats, keeping his mind off of how he's eating. They talk about everything from some prank the twins had pulled last week to a new book Rex had read. It was nice, it felt almost normal.

"How's the waffles, Rex?" Rex turns to Gregor, swallowing the bite that was in his mouth. "They are delicious Gregor, I absolutely love them." Gregor laughs. "I'm glad that you like them, I'll be sure to make you more in the morning." Rex nods quickly. "Yes please!" No one notices the way Kix is keeping an eye on Rex as he eats.

Rex finishes eating, but he realizes that he isn't full. He blinks in confusion, wondering why he wouldn't be full after so many waffles and strawberries. "I'm... I'm not full." He feels so nervous, he doesn't want to seem like he is being greedy after eating a lot already. His stomach growls ever so slightly and everyone just feels bad for him.

Kix thinks that he might know why Rex isn't full yet. "You might still be hungry because you are now physically like a wolf, so you can still eat some foods that you used to eat, but it won't be as nutritional as eating lots of meat. Which is the base of a wolf's diet."

Rex understands, but he feels bad that Gregor made all of those waffles but they didn't fill him up. "Sorry, Gregor. I loved them, but I feel like you've wasted your time making them for me and I'm not full." Gregor looks at Rex and shakes his head the best he can "No, it's alright Rex. I enjoyed making them for you and I'm glad you enjoyed eating them too. Would you like some meat now?" Rex feels weird about his mouth watering more than it was. It's almost as if his wolf-like instincts have kicked in. He feels shy but Gregor smiles and heads into the kitchen.

Sometime later, the sweet aroma of meat trails over to Rex as Gregor exits the kitchen carrying a plate of beef. "Here you go. I cooked it for you as well, the way you usually like it." Rex nods as he dives straight into it, feeling his hunger slowly go away as he finishes the plate of meat.

Rex smiles "Thank you, I'm glad you aren't mad at me that the waffles weren't enough." Gregor's expression turns into confusion. "I'm not mad at you in the slightest, Rex. You didn't know that you wouldn't be filled up with only these waffles, so it's not your fault." He smiles promisingly at Rex. "In the morning, I'll make you some more waffles and strawberries, along with some meat?"

"Yes please, that would be great thank you." Gregor nods. Smiling at Rex, who smiles back, Rex feels so lucky to have such a kind family. A moment later, Rex lets out a big yawn.

Cody chuckles "C'mon, Rex'ika. You must be exhausted. And I think we all are too." He looks around and sees everyone nod in agreement. "Let's get you to bed, Little one." Obi Wan places a hand on Rex's back. Rex stands up when Cody shuffles closer to him, so he steadies himself with Cody's help.

He tries to walk but he’s still wobbly, Rex does notice that he’s not as wobbly as before. Rex gets on all fours, he’s too tired to try to walk on two legs anyway. Cody carries Fives, Echo, Ahsoka and Bly.

Ahsoka has fallen asleep already, the three year old being exhausted. Fives and Echo are almost falling asleep to, leaning against each other, Bly is the only one out of them still fully awake. They walk up the stairs, Anakin and Rex are walking slow and sluggish. Rex stops when they get to his room, whimpering, he really doesn’t want to go in and see his destroyed clothes, another reminder of what happened. “It’s fine Rex’ika, we aren’t going to force you. You can sleep in my room.” Cody offers, and Rex sighs in relief.

“Thanks, Bubby.” Cody would have smiled if he could, They arrive at his room. Anakin followed because he wanted to tell Rex goodnight. “Would you all like to sleep together, tonight?” Cody asks, he's pretty sure that none of them want to sleep alone after what happened today. They all nod, especially Rex, everyone shuffles in to see Padmé, Kiara and Stutter already there sleeping, they wake up as soon as everyone walks in.

“Prince Cody, we’re so sorry. We must have fallen asleep with Stutter.” Both girls go to leave but Cody stops them. “It's okay, everyone’s having a sleepover here, would the two of you like to join?” They both nod.” I’m going to go and ask my parents.” Padmé tells them, flying off.

“Would you like to go and ask your parents Kiara?” The little feather duster tears up. “ I… I can’t find them. They went to grab something from town, but never came back.” “Well, don’t worry. We’ll find them, like I said you can stay here tonight.” She nods, wiping some tears out of her eyes, she flies over and presses against the desk. “Thank you, Prince Cody.” Cody does his best to nod.”you're welcome, but just call me Cody, okay?”

Kiara nods before flying over to Fives, who hugs her comfortingly. Rex grabs some extra pillows out of the cupboard, carrying them over and throwing them onto the floor. He lays down. “You guys can have the bed.” Rex suggests, but Kix shakes his head. “No, you are sleeping in the bed, you'll hurt your back otherwise.” Rex sighs, nodding. He lays down in the bed before Stutter, Bly, Fives, Kiara, Echo, and Jesse jump in, cuddling into Rex’s fur. Fives makes sure that he extinguishes his candles this time.

It brings Rex a lot of comfort, they all get comfortable, Obi Wan carries Ahsoka over while Anakin gathers up the blankets that Rex had, he bunches them up. Sitting against the bed near Rex’s face. Rex lays on his side while Stutter and Bly lay against his arm, Fives, Echo and Kiara lay against his stomach while Jesse lays on his shoulder.

Ahsoka sits on the desk beside him while Padme sleeps on Anakin’s shoulder once she returns. Kix sighs, but joins in next to his twin. They all fall asleep, while Obi Wan and Cody leave them be, it warms Cody’s heart that everyone would cuddle with Rex. He’s also thankful that Rex isn’t one to move in his sleep.

Obi Wan and Cody walk down the corridor to a different room to spend some alone time together. They've all had a busy and tiring day, so they are ready for some well needed rest. They find an empty spare room and share a look at each other before they go in. There's a bed, a wardrobe and a desk with a chair, so Obi Wan grabs the chair and sets it by the wall. He sits down in it and Cody shuffles closer in front of him. "How are you feeling, Cyare?" Obi Wan places his hand on Cody's table top.

"I'm alright, just tired is all Sweetheart. Today has been rough." Cody feels sad, playing the events from today over and over in his head. Obi Wan senses Cody's struggling emotionally, so he runs his finger over his scar that's in the form of a scratch on the table top.

Cody sighs, falling into a more relaxed state as Obi Wan continues to stroke his scar. "Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?" Cody wants to cry, feeling stupid about what is upsetting him, but maybe telling someone, especially his lover Obi Wan, will help him get it off of his mind. "I just...I find it so difficult now to get around to places. Now I can't walk anymore. I feel vulnerable and..." Cody begins to sob, unable to cry any tears.

"Oh Cody, it's going to be alright. We'll get through this together." Obi Wan continues to rub Cody's scar. "It's really difficult to feel anything physically, but I still feel things inside, like sensations. It's just strange. I don't feel like myself anymore." Obi Wan’s heart breaks, hearing what Cody is saying. He understands exactly what he means, Obi Wan feels the same way. He leans down, pressing his face against the top of Cody.

“Umm, what are you doing Sweetheart?” Cody asks, confused. Obi Wan pulls away, feeling embarrassed. “I… I was trying to kiss you, Cyare'' Obi Wan whispers, Cody can hear the embarrassment in his voice, but there's also sadness. Cody presses against Obi Wan’s leg. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I don’t mind, can you maybe kiss me again, please?” Obi Wan looks down at Cody, nodding. He leans down, pressing his face against Cody again. It’s the only way he can kiss Cody, he has no mouth. Cody finds the gesture comforting, even if it's not like the kisses they had shared before, it’s still better than nothing. Any kiss from his Obi Wan is amazing.

“I’m sorry, I can’t kiss you back Sweetheart.” Obi Wan strokes Cody’s scar, trying to comfort his boyfriend. “It’s fine, Cody.” The desk feels so bad, he can’t do anything for Obi Wan. He can’t even kriffing hug him!

“Do you still want to be with me, because you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I’d understand.” Obi Wan’s heart breaks. “No!! Why would I ever leave you?” Cody starts to shake a little. “Because I can’t do anything for you, I’m unable to do anything couples do. I can’t even hug you let alone kiss you.” Cody would be crying if he could, but all that comes out are sniffles and a few sobs, he’s trying to hold them back. Obi Wan stands up out of his chair, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around Cody the best we can.

“You aren’t the only one who’s changed in this relationship, Cody. I can’t kiss you either, I know it’s hard. I… I’m scared too, darling. I am so scared, I don’t even know what’s underneath my armor, is it just emptiness. Would I disappear if it was taken apart, would it even come apart or is this all me. Is there some disgusting mix of organs and metal in there?” Obi Wan shudders slightly at the thought, but Cody is there with him so he feels safe.

Cody presses into Obi Wan the best he can, trying to deepen the hug. "I still love you, Sweetheart. Nothing will ever change that, not even this. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Obi Wan. I...I really and truly do, Sweetheart. I'm just glad you don't mind me looking like this." Cody can't gesture at his new form, but Obi Wan presses his helmet onto the edge of Cody's table top.

"Of course I don't mind you looking like this now. I've changed too, so you aren't alone in this, I'll be right here with you. Always." Obi Wan traces Cody's scar again, making Cody sigh with contemptment. "Mm, that still feels nice."

Obi Wan chuckles. "I'm glad that you still love it." Cody nods as much as he can, but he just enjoys the moment. "Very much."

Briefly, Obi Wan's yawn travels around the room as his vision goes a little bit bleary. He tries to hide it, but he doesn't want to stop giving Cody love and affection. "You can get some sleep if you'd like, Sweetheart." Hearing Cody's voice makes Obi Wan jump a little as he fights to stay awake. "Yeah, that might be best."

He leans on Cody for support as he stands up and sits back down into the chair. Cody shuffles himself closed to Obi Wan again. Obi Wan yawns again as he tries to figure out what position would be best to sleep now he's sat up. He usually lies in bed with Cody when he sleeps, so it's different not laying down like he's used to. But then he has an idea. "Cody?" He places his hand on Cody's table top. "Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Could… could I rest on you while I sleep, please?" Obi Wan asks shyly, making Cody confused as to why he has to ask. "Of course you can, Sweetheart. There's no need to ask."

"Thank you, Cyare." Obi Wan smiles as he leans down gently as to not make a loud clattering noise of his armour, he folds his arms and rests his head on them. He looks to see Cody's scar, so he traces it with a single finger again. "You're welcome, Sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too, Cyare. I'll always love you, now and forever." And with that, Obi Wan struggles to stay awake much longer, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

xxx

Rex wakes up with a startled gasp, tears threatening to fall, he almost sits up before remembering that his cousin’s, brother’s and friends are on him. He looks around, sighing in relief when he finds everyone still asleep. They are all in the same positions as before, Stutter and Bly by his arm, Fives, Echo and Kiara near his stomach, Ahsoka on the desk and both Jesse and Kix on his shoulder.

Rex feels something on his shoulder move before Jesse and Kix hop down in front of his face, Kix is sporting a worried expression. “Are you okay, Rex?” Kix asks, and Rex can’t hold back the tears. “No.” He whimpers, his nightmare had been about the curse, except nobody else transformed. They were all disgusted by him, his whole family hated him. Even his Bubby. Jesse jumps into action, moving up to Rex’s forehead and wrapping his arms around him the best he could. Kix presses himself against where Rex’s cheek is.

“Hey, it’s okay Rex. we’re here, do you want to talk about it?” Rex shakes his head no, and the twins look at eachother. “Do you want us to get Cody?” Kix asks this time, but Rex shakes his head again. “No, I don’t want to be any more of a burden than I already am.” The twins look at eachother again. “You aren’t a burden Rex, we love you.”

“I love you too, but that doesn’t make me any less of a burden, I’m going back to sleep now.” Rex closes his eyes, but Jesse and Kix already know that they need to tell Cody about this tomorrow.

taglist: @captainrexisboo @ellie1366 @pinkiemme @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @lightning-wolffe

32 notes · View notes

loves-quinns · 3 years

Note

10 with your blogs namesake 🙂

10. “Happy you’re alive” kisses

Did somebody say hurt/comfort?

From these prompts

The rest of the night following the lake was, to put it lightly, one of the hardest nights of Jamie’s life. Knowing Owen was hurting, knowing Flora and Miles had been traumatized, knowing Dani had been traumatized, knowing she, herself, was hurting, knowing there was nothing she could do to make it better. So she focused on the one thing she could help; Dani.

After helping her and Flora out of the water, and finally prying Flora out of Dani’s arms to hand off to Henry, Jamie pulled her to her side and tried to lead her inside. She needed to get her warmed up, it was freezing and she was wet. They both were. Dani still had that far away look in her newly multi-colored eyes, and she hadn’t stopped shivering since Jamie had made first contact with her back in the lake.

After leading Dani into the house, purposely ignoring the wet footprints leading up the stairs, and into the bathroom attached to Dani’s bedroom, she was left with a decision. To leave Dani alone or not. She decided to air on the side of caution and turned to face Dani.

“Alright I’ll leave you to cleaned up then? I’ll be right outside?” She turned to leave the bathroom before she felt a hand grip her wrist tightly.

“Please,” Dani’s voice was pleading, barely above a whisper, “Stay with me. . .if that’s okay with you?”

Jamie turned back, relieved she had finally spoken, yes, but also terrified at the fear she could hear in Dani’s voice, and searched Dani’s eyes for a clear confirmation that it was what she wanted.

“Okay,” Jamie breathed out and defaulted to the thing she was best at, caring for others, “Okay,” she nodded and breathed out again.

She put her hands on Dani’s waist and lead her to sit back on the seat of the toilet before she turned to turn the water on in the shower. She looked back at Dani and was suddenly struck by how small she looked, shoulders drawn in a way she hadn’t seen since she first arrived at Bly. She moved to take the scrunchie out of Dani’s hair and comb it down so it hung around her shoulders. Dani’s eyes closing at the brush of Jamie’s fingers.

She knelt down in front of Dani next, moving to take her shoes and socks off. She looked up after noticing that Dani was staring directly at her, the one brown eye she now had still a shock.

“Do you need help, y’know, taking everything else off?” Jamie asked, still trying to be respectful of Dani’s boundaries. Dani, still staring directly into her eyes, nodded her head silently. Jamie stood again and pulled Dani with her, moving to help her with her purple sweater, now stained with the muck of the lake. She moved next to the button of Dani’s pants, pushing them down to the floor before breaking eye contact and turning back to the shower, making sure the water had heated up to a proper temperature. She finally helped Dani out of her bra and underwear, purposefully avoiding looking anywhere below Dani’s eyes.

“Alright then, in you go,” Jamie said, helping Dani into the shower. “Do you want me wait in the bathroom with you then? Or I can grab you some clothes from your room?”

Dani stuck her head out from behind the curtain, a move faster than she had seen her make since Jamie arrived back at the manor.

“No!” Dani almost shouted, “I just. . .can you join me? I just. . .I can’t be-I can’t have you too far away right now. I just- please?”

Jamie stood unmoving, her eyes never leaving Dani’s. She had never seen more fear in Dani’s eyes than her faced with the prospect of Jamie being out of her direct line of site. Not even the night when she told her about Eddie.

“Please,” Dani pleaded again.

“Okay,” Jamie breathed out, her hands moving to start unzipping her sweatshirt. She made quick work of the rest of her clothes before pulling back the curtain and making her way into the shower.

This should be more awkward, Jamie thought as she put her hands on Dani’s bruised wrists and direct her under the spray of the shower. She moved one hand to Dani’s cheek, directing her head back under the spray. Dani closed her eyes as she felt Jamie’s hands run through her hair for the second time that night.

When Jamie removed her hand to reach for Dani’s shampoo on the shower rack, she felt Dani grab her wrist and turned back to face her. Dani, slowly, barely breaking eye contact, brought Jamie’s palm to her mouth, placing a single kiss in the center.

“I’m glad you came back,” Dani stated, barely above a whisper, before looking back up into Jamie’s eyes.

Dani pulled gently on Jamie’s wrist again, so their fronts where pressed flush together, still searching Jamie’s eyes, before she leant in and kissed her softly. Jamie’s free hand immediately went to Dani’s side, before pulling away and resting her forehead against Dani’s, breathing her in.

“I’m glad I made it back in time, and that you’re, y’know, alive and safe.”

“Me too,” Dani breathed in response, before kissing Jamie’s cheek and burrowing her face into Jamie’s neck. Jamie wrapped her arms tightly around Dani giving her the comfort she needed, gently swaying them back and forth. It wasn’t long before Jamie could feel Dani shaking silently, sobs wracking her small frame.

“Shhh,” Jamie said against Dani’s hair, dropping a kiss there. “You’re safe now, I got you.”

Jamie knew the platitudes murmured into space weren’t much, but for now, it was all she had to give, and she hoped, prayed, it would be enough.

#thanks for sending this :)#may or may not have been inspired by the i care a lot shower scene rip #also my writing muscle is v rusty i apologize #answered #thobm #dani x jamie #damie #fic recs #i write!

19 notes · View notes

quinnfebrey · 3 years

Text

it could be love

pairing: Beca Mitchell/Chloe Beale, Jamie/Dani chapters: 1/? (ongoing) tags: the crossover i never knew i wanted, angsty fluff, bly manor canon divergent, pp au words: 11,827 summary: Jamie eyes the pink tint in her cheeks with amusement, but spares Beca the horror of bringing attention to it, and just asks, “What’s she like?”

For all the time she’s spent thinking about her, Beca is surprisingly speechless. She struggles through a bunch of adjectives that just don’t do Chloe justice, and then recalling the way Jamie had described Dani, she sighs. “Like sunshine.”

OR,

Beca learns to love again, in more ways than one.

excerpt:

The dinner itself is a quiet one, because Jamie doesn’t seem like the most talkative of people and Beca is six, but it might be one of the most peaceful ones Beca has had in her entire life. While Jamie might not say much in the way of conversation, Beca sees the way she does things for her to make up for it.

It’s little gestures like turning her fork in towards her, or sprinkling some cheese on top of her plate after doing her own, or refilling her water cup before they start eating, or asking her if she needs help getting the pasta on the fork.

While Jamie does not read her a bedtime story, she does tuck her in and give her a kiss on the forehead. Beca almost flinches when she leans in, and wonders when it became that she forgot what it was like to be kissed goodnight by somebody.

“I’ll be right down the hall, remember?” Jamie says, hovering in the doorway. “If you need anything, just give a holler, or come find me. Okay?”

Beca nods, chin scratching at the sheet that’s pulled all the way up her shoulders. “Okay.”

There’s a slight frown on Jamie’s lips, as if she knows Beca definitely won’t do that, and she says, “Really, any time, even if it’s in the middle of the night.”

“Okay,” Beca repeats, but this time she allows a little more acceptance into her tone, and Jamie seems satisfied with that.

The last thought Beca has as she drifts off to sleep is the striking realization that this house feels like a home. I intend for you to stay a long time, Beca, Jamie had said. And then she’d asked, Would that be alright?, and Beca thinks that it might be.

#on today's episode of is this a fanfic or just me projecting #jamie x dani #bechloe #beca mitchell #pitch perfect

35 notes · View notes

c-estmabiologie · 3 years

Text

nine terrible cups of tea (and at least one equally terrible cup of coffee) | the haunting of bly manor fic

Dani tries to master the art of making a proper cup of tea. It goes just about as well as you'd expect. (1987 - 1994)

Also on AO3!

One

“Really you could just throw a tea bag into your mug, pour some water on top, and call it a tea. But we’re better than that.”

Dani isn’t convinced but she tries her best to follow the steps as Jamie patiently describes them. She talks about making tea with the casual confidence of someone who believes that Dani can will a good cup of tea to exist. As if this isn’t the first time that she has tried to hold Dani’s hand through the process. Dani’s pretty sure it won’t be the last time either, but she tries to wield some of Jamie’s confidence as her own.

“If you want to be really proper, you can even warm the pot first with some hot water from the kettle and, you know, just dump it down the sink.”

Dani swirls the hot water around inside her teapot, feels it warm under her palms. It’s nice. Wasteful, but nice.

“What does this do?”

“No idea. Somebody probably decided that it makes the tea taste better.”

“Okay,” She drops two teabags in. One for herself, and one for the pot, according to Jamie who’s not leaving tea totally up to chance and Dani’s efforts; her arm is soft and cool against Dani’s as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder at their kitchen counter, each with their own pot of steeping tea.

“Now here’s where you might make a mortal enemy of a Brit: adding milk to your cup before or after the tea.”

“Does it have to have milk?” Dani asks, thinking Aren’t there people who drink their black tea black, like coffee? That’s a thing, right?

Dani can feel Jamie twitching a smirk beside her without having to look.

“It has milk if you’re making English tea.”

She remembers the looks she got from Hannah and Owen and even the children whenever she’d made an attempt at tea. She can’t remember when she’d added the milk. Jamie, for sure, must be exaggerating the offense.

"But which one’s the right way?”

“Hmm? Oh, I don’t really care as long as it’s the right amount of milk.” Dani realizes that Jamie’s already gone ahead and poured her own cup without her, milk and all, and she’s missed it. She pours her own tea and splashes in milk until its colour matches the tea in Jamie’s cup.

They look the same to Dani.

“Alright,” Jamie says, “let’s have a taste shall we?”

They taste the same to Dani, but Jamie’s brow furrows just a little as she takes the cup away from her lips. And then she starts laughing.

“Okay, how is that possible? We did the exact same thing!” Dani takes another sip from her own cup to prove her point. It tastes fine! It’s tea!

“I really have no idea, Dani,” Jamie’s still laughing. “You’re just shite at making tea.”

Two

Jamie's been trying to relax with a book in the bedroom when she hears the beeping coming from another room. Just three little beeps, then nothing. A minute later, the three beeps chirp through her focus again.

When it happens a third time, she finally puts down the book to shout.

“What is that?”

“What’s what?” comes Dani’s reply from across the apartment. Then the beeps make themselves known once more.

Then: “Oh. It’s the microwave. I got distracted.”

Owen had bought them a microwave as a housewarming gift. It was a convection microwave, he’d told them proudly, which apparently made it special because you could microwave your food on a metal tray if you wanted. The idea was that they could warm up their takeaway faster, or cook frozen dinners (Owen’s very generous way of chiding them for both being awful cooks). Jamie hated it. It was big and ugly and had faux-wood paneling on the side. She’d rather stick to making burned stews on the stovetop.

Dani appears in the doorway with a mug in each hand. She holds out one mug to Jamie.

“I made you tea.”

“What, in the microwave?”

Dani shrugs and sips from her mug.

“No.”

“It’s fine—”

“Absolutely not.”

Three

It’s a quiet-ish day at The Leafling and, to be honest, Dani is sort of enjoying the peace of arranging flower displays and curling ribbons. The sun is warm through the windows.

Jamie is laid up in bed with some sort of cold. She’s being a surprisingly big baby about it, too, Dani is surprised to realize. Her wife doesn’t like it when she can’t be useful.

Speaking of certain wives who shouldn’t be up, Dani can hear steps coming down the stairwell that connects the shop to their apartment. The shop’s back door pushes open a moment later and Jamie appears with jacket on and her curls stuff up into a hat. She’s pale and her nose is pink and tender-looking around the nostrils.

“What are you doing down here?” Dani demands in her most teacherly voice, but Jamie clearly has plans to go out, not back upstairs.

Jamie’s voice is raspy and hoarse.

“I need to go out to the shops and get some more milk. Ours is off.”

“I had some in my cereal this morning and it was fine.”

Jamie coughs into her collar.

“The date on it’s fine. But I add it to my tea and it’s curdled.”

“Oh.” Dani’d left the tea steeping for her before she’d come downstairs.

Then: “It’s probably the lemon doing that. In your tea, I mean.”

“There’s lemon in my tea?”

Dani nods. “There’s honey in it, too. It’s supposed to help with your sore throat.’

Jamie sighs, then sniffles, then seems to deflate a little.

“I’m gonna be honest: it sounds absolutely disgusting.”

But Dani insists that she at least give it a try (without milk), that it will make her feel better (it does, a little, admittedly), and that, who knows, she might like it (she does not).

Four

Summer heat hits hard, and The Leafling doesn’t have air conditioning. The ceiling fans do nothing more than push hot air around the shop. The plants slump in their pots (which annoys Jamie), and fat houseflies keep finding their way indoors, only to bang themselves relentlessly against the windows until they fall dead on the sills (which annoys Dani). Everything is slightly damp with sweat or condensation.

“This is something my ex-almost mother-in-law used to make,” Dani says, stirring the ice around in the pitcher with a wooden spoon.

“You know there’s probably a less complicated way to say ‘ex-almost mother-in-law’.” Jamie says. Her hair is sticking to her neck, and her gardening gloves feel like they’re being peeled off of her skin as she takes them off.

“She used to make it for my, you know, Eddie and me in the summer when we were kids,” Dani hesitated. “I don’t know. It just always reminds me of the best parts of summer.”

But when she looks up Jamie has a glass and is holding it against her cheek.

“You know,” she says, “I do know what iced tea is. It’s not exactly a foreign concept.”

Jamie is thoughtful as she drinks the tea slowly.

“So,” she says finally. “This is what makes Poppins think of summer.

“It’s kind of a funny taste isn’t it? Cold tea on purpose.”

Jamie gets up and pulls Dani into a hug that’s nice, but not altogether pleasant — their skin clings together and comes apart audibly in the heat and they both smell very strongly of themselves.

“Thank you for sharing it with me,” Jamie says into her shoulder.

“I’m going to go upstairs and put the kettle on.”

Five

“What is it?”

The gift sits on their kitchen counter, out of place and mysterious with its glass-and-stainless steel modernity next to their wooden cutting boards, cluttered and kind of oily spicy jars, and that obnoxious faux-wood panelled microwave.

“Owen says it’s a French press. He was really excited about some Danish company. Said it’s apparently great for beginners.”

Jamie makes a note to herself to somehow ask Owen to stop giving them gifts for their kitchen.

“I didn’t think Owen drank coffee.”

Dani looks thoughtful, “I don’t think he does.”

Owen’s gift doesn’t come with instructions, and neither one of them wants to ring Owen up to ask for help. Dani takes charge, grinding the coffee beans (which Owen had also generously provided) in the spice grinder… and then washing out the grinder and starting again when Jamie points out that the fresh grounds reek of coriander.

They aren’t sure if they’re supposed to give it all a stir once the water’s been added. Or when to press the plunger. Or how long it’s supposed to sit. Their first attempt produces faintly coffee-flavoured water. Their second, a grainy, chewable mess.

The French press gets relegated to a high shelf above the stove, behind a fern. Eventually it will pinch-hit as a flower pot and Dani will love how the glass reveals the root systems buried in the soil.

Six

“This tea tastes weird.”

It’s Dani who says it.

Jamie looks up from the arrangement she’s been working on. It’s wedding season and The Leafling has been swamped with orders for bouquets and table arrangements. Jamie’s been going back and forth on this particular order all week with a bride who seems unhappy no matter how precisely she tries to follow the bride’s vision. Frankly, it’s been pissing her off (the last time she’d come in and rejected Jamie’s work, Dani had sensibly stepped in to take over the conversation before Jamie could get their shop shut down for punching a customer).

“Are you sure you didn’t accidentally drink vase water?”

She picks up her own cup and takes a sip. The milk must have been added too soon and seized up the brewing. The tea tastes like nothing. Dani is watching her.

“Yeah, this is pretty bad.”

Dani says nothing.

“Oh shut up. I’m allowed to have off days, too, you know.”

“I didn’t say anything!” Dani says, but she’s smiling.

Seven

Jamie somehow manages to drink vase water.

Neither of them can explain how it got into her tea cup or where her actual tea had gone.

Eight

“Hey.”

The word is spoken into Jamie’s hairline and followed with a kiss. She smiles, half-awake, and reaches to pull Dani to her so she can kiss her properly. Her hand jostles a tray and something makes a precarious, jangling sound.

“What’s this?” she rubs at her eyes. It’s still mostly dark in the room.

“You’re up early.”

Dani’s at the side of their bed with a serving tray. She’s barefoot, still in her pyjamas and, from what Jamie can tell, still pretty sleepy herself.

"What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion.” Dani places the tray on the bed and climbs in next to Jamie slowly, careful not to tip anything on the tray.

"I just thought it would be nice to have the morning together. I bought scones.” Dani warps her voice around the word in a way that is definitely not the American pronunciation, but just as definitely not a passable approximation of Jamie’s accent. As Dani hopes it would, it makes Jamie smile.

“I see that. Scones.”

“Mm-hmm. And biscuits,” Dani never could manage that one without the secret sort of laugh that says that the Rich Tea biscuit that she’s picking up off a plate will only ever be a cookie to her.

It’s all lovely. The biscuits, the morning, Dani: lovely.

And then, of course, there is the matter of the tea.

A few problems that meet Jamie immediately as she takes a tentative sip. First, it’s cold. Second, even with what looks like an alright amount of milk (Jamie notes that Dani’s been getting better on this front)...it’s bracingly bitter.

She bravely takes another sip to avoid spoiling the otherwise perfectly cozy moment. Something solid dislodges itself from the bottom of her cup and hits her wetly on the nose. Jamie can’t help but splutter a little, and the thing plops back into the cup. It’s the tea bag.

“Uh, Dani?” Jamie realizes that she’s poking a bruise a little here, and Dani looks so happy next to her, breaking off pieces of scone with her fingers.

“How long was the tea left sitting?”

Dani’s brow furrows.

“I’m not sure how early you wake up these days,” she says. “I may have made it… a while ago. Is it okay?”

Jamie gently places the cup back onto the tray.

“It’s just a little on the cool side, that’s all.”

“Oh,” Dani tests the side of her cup with the back of my hand, as if to memorize what a little on the cool side means to Jamie.

“I can just warm it up in the microw—”

“ No. Let’s just enjoy our morning.”

Nine

“Does anyone who drinks this stuff actually enjoy it?”

They’re in bed, limb flung loosely over limb. On the TV screen, a woman sits tensely under a tree while another sticks her bare arm right into a beehive. Bees swarm up her sleeves and into her undone braid.

“I think it’s pretty nice,” Dani says, “It’s peppermint. It’s supposed to be relaxing.”

Jamie curls up against Dani’s chest. She cradles her cup between them, more for its warmth than for any interest in drinking it.

“It tastes like hot toothpaste.”

On the screen, the bee charmer has returned with a mason jar full of honey. She invites the other woman to have a taste.

“Do you think they’re gonna get together?” Dani says. Jamie considers the scene for a few seconds.

“Yeah. But it’s a little weird to go after your dead brother’s fiancée like that isn’t it?”

Her own mug empty on the bedside table, Dani picks up Jamie’s abandoned tea. It’s still warm and it’s left a warm spot on the blankets between them.

“I guess it’s a little weird. I still want them to get together.”

Jamie makes a sound that might be agreement, but her eyes are drifting closed.

She’ll fall asleep before the movie’s over. Dani will fill her in on the details she’s missed over breakfast, before they have to return the tape to the video store.

Ten

“It’s so nice to have someone cook for me for a change,” Owen says, pleasantly. It’s not often that he’s been able to come around to their place over the years (and lately it’s become even less often).

“You’ve always done so much for us,” Dani calls from the kitchen. Something clatters loudly into the sink. “We just want to return the favour.”

Owen glances at Jamie, who confirms with a nod that it was, of course, Dani who had had such a thoughtful idea.

“I’m just nervous to serve dinner to the accomplished chef and restaurateur Owen Sharma,” Jamie says. “I’ll have you know that if it were my idea, I’d have just gotten takeaway and arranged it artfully onto plates. Real plates, of course. Nothing but the best for our Owen.”

Dani comes in then with a tray and busies herself with setting up the table. Jamie clears away the half-melted candles and clutter to make room.

“I thought we could have some tea before dinner.”

The hesitation that hangs in the air is palpable mist off a pond.

Owen clears his throat and politely reaches for a cup.

“Did you make it, Dani?”

“She’s been practicing,” Jamie says, drawing one knee up to her chest and reaching over to get a cup for herself.

“She says I’m not allowed to be a judge anymore. Says I’m biased against her, but really my tastebuds are probably shot. So, you are her lucky new victim.”

They toast to friendships and loves that are never truly lost and gamely drink Dani’s latest attempt at a proper cup of tea.

“You know what,” Owen says after a moment. “It’s not that bad.”

“Really?”

“You hear that, Poppins?” Jamie says, with another half toast of her cup. “You did it.”

“Really?” Dani says again. She takes her own sip, searching the taste for what might have made this brew remarkable. It just tastes like tea to her.

“It’s good?”

Owen and Jamie both make non-committal sounds, but neither do they abandon their drinks.

“It’s not the most amazing tea I’ve ever had,” Jamie admits. “But it’s absolutely, absolutely a decent cup of tea.”

“You know what?” Dani says, “I’ll take it.”

#the haunting of bly manor #the haunting of bly manor fic #dani clayton #jamie taylor #jamie the gardener #dani x jamie #thobm

46 notes · View notes

lesbianlotties · 3 years

Link

Journeys end in lovers meeting - Sam/Deena - Fear Street x Bly Manor AU

Chapters: 3/10 Fandom: Fear Street Trilogy (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Fraser/Deena Johnson, Sarah Fier/Hannah Miller (Fear Street), Christine "Ziggy" Berman/Nick Goode, Samantha "Sam" Fraser & Deena Johnson Characters: Samantha "Sam" Fraser (Fear Street), Deena Johnson, Kate Schmidt (Fear Street), Simon Kalivoda, Josh Johnson (Fear Street), Constance (Fear Street Part 3: 1666), Christine "Ziggy" Berman, Nick Goode (Fear Street), Alice (Fear Street Part 2: 1978), Sarah Fier (Fear Street), Hannah Miller (Fear Street), Solomon Goode (Fear Street) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, The Haunting of Bly Manor AU, Not Canon Compliant, Haunted Houses, Ghosts, Character Death, Minor Character Death, Canon Lesbian Relationship, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Eventual Smut, Happy Ending, Au Pair Sam, Gardener Deena, Housekeeper Kate, Cook Simon, Josh and Constance as troubled kids, Ziggy and Nick in an unhealthy relationship, minor Cindy/Alice, Martin cameos, special appearances of all the Shadyside killers as ghosts, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, The Rest Is Confetti Summary:The year is 1994. Samantha Fraser recently moved to Shadyside, and she desperately needs a job that will help her leave her troubled past behind. She starts working as au pair at Shadyside Manor, where she is not the only one tortured by ghosts. Grief, regrets, guilt, innocent victims, and an ancient curse. At the center of all of it... love.

Chapter 3:

“We have to call the police.”

“No.”

“Why not?!” Sam exclaimed, throwing her arms up. She couldn’t believe Kate and Deena would refuse to call the police when a potentially dangerous stranger was wandering around the house. The three women were standing in the foyer of the house, but she took one look at Josh and Constance in the living room, sitting by the fire. Josh had a towel wrapped around him and he was still shivering. Sam was aware she barely knew them, but she felt so protective of them already. What Sam heard next, startled her out of her thoughts.

“Because the police would take his side,” Deena explained.

“Wait… you know him?”

“His name is Nick Goode,” Kate explained. Her shoulders deflated and Sam suddenly understood why they had looked so disturbed by her description of the man she saw outside the window. “He used to work here at the manor. He is a Sunnyvaler with a fucked up interest in this property and… in Christine Berman. We don’t know what he did to her or what he stole or what of shit he got himself into but one day he just… disappeared. The police, of course, blamed us. Blamed her. And… well… Christine killed herself waiting for him to return.”

“I’m going to call Simon,” Deena blurted out. She turned her back on Sam and Kate and moved to the phone. Sam couldn’t help noticing her hands were shaking. “It’s best if we all stay here tonight.”

“It’s pouring rain outside,” Kate pointed out.

“He can hold a fucking umbrella!”

While Deena made the call, Sam was lost in thought. Her hands were still tightened into fists and she made the conscious move to lose them. “Is he dangerous?” she asked Kate.

“No,” the housekeeper shook her head softly, but her distaste was clear as day on her face. “He’s just an entitled asshole.”

“Then I’m going out.”

“Sam, don’t,” Deena said, putting down the phone.

“It’s not raining that much,” Sam insisted, putting on her denim jacket and grabbing the fire poker again. “I don’t even need an umbrella.”

Sam walked out of the house, throwing a smile over her shoulder, which froze Deena in the spot. At least, until Kate slapped her arm.

“Deena, you go too.”

“It’s raining!”

“I’m going to kick your ass,” Kate rolled her eyes, she wasn’t fooled by Deena’s protests. She was just helping her friend, making her feel she was blindly following the new au pair out in the middle of a storm because she was instructed to and not because her heart told her to. “I’ll take care of the little shits. Go!”

Deena took a deep breath and glanced back at her younger brother. Somedays, it felt like they couldn’t recognize each other, but she would die for him, she would do absolutely anything for his safety. So, the gardener grabbed her jacket, her keys, and left the house. Kate stood in the doorway for a moment, until she couldn’t see Sam’s blonde head anymore. She had a bad feeling about all of this. She had been having a bad feeling deep inside her that she couldn’t shake for anything in the world, but she tried her best to ignore it. She shook her head a little, passed her hand over the back of her neck, and stood straighter. Then she walked toward the kids, determined to get them to bed before any more trouble could find them.

In the foyer, the only person left was Ruby Lane. She was hiding among the shadows, but even if she took one step forward nobody would see her, nobody ever saw her. She still wore that familiar skirt, and her blouse, and she couldn’t get rid of the razor blade in her hand. The sharp edge glinted menacingly, but it wasn’t half as frightening as her face. She used to be so beautiful, and now her features were dimmed, they had softened, lost some of their definition, but her angry, disgusted frown was still firmly in place.

Once outside and under the rain, which thankfully had slowed down considerably, Sam felt her determination waver slightly. But her bravado was renewed when she heard someone, not an attacker, catch up with her.

“Hey, Sunnyvale! Wait up,” Deena called out, and jogged the rest of the way to Sam’s side.

They exchanged a long look, studying each other. Apparently, Deena took a detour to go pick a shotgun from her truck, and she was currently carrying it as if it were an everyday occurrence for her. But, she was also frowning at Sam.

“So, what was your plan here, huh? Go out in the middle of a storm, chase a creep, and tell him that if he doesn’t leave you’ll give him extra homework?”

Sam scoffed, turned around, and started walking away, assuming Deena would follow her, or not. She understood that a large part of her bravado upon seeing Deena was just her desire to prove people wrong about the assumptions they might make about her. She didn’t stop to dwell on it for long, afraid of what else she might realize, but Sam did notice that with one look at Deena, her posture, her expression, she could tell the gardener wasn’t in one of her sweet moods and, instead, she was going to be, well, a little bit of an asshole.

“This is hardly a storm, it’s just drizzling,” Sam eventually said, raising her voice to be heard through the roaring of the wind around them.

“Really? That’s the part you’re going to respond to?” Deena chuckled, and hurried up so she was walking beside Sam. “I didn’t take you for the confrontational type, Sunnyvale. That’s all.”

Sam stayed silent for a moment. She was suddenly reminded of the last time, or the first time maybe, that she stood up to someone. The time that she faced her fears and fought back against a force that had been terrorizing her for years. Then she thought about how badly that had turned out, and how she was still dealing with the consequences.

“Well,” Sam cleared her throat, “I’m trying something new, I guess.”

“Oh yeah? I’d say-”

“What?!” Sam snapped. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Deena’s smug tone, and maddening smirk, and only mildly accurate remarks about Sam’s entire personality. Perhaps she should have considered the sharp-edged weapon in her hand when she turned around hastily to face the gardener.

Deena jerked her head back when she was met with the fire poker, but she was still smirking, much to Sam’s irritation. Deena slowly raised her hand and gently pushed the poker’s sharp end again from its previous aim at her face. “I’d say,” she repeated, “it looks good on you.”

For a second, all they did was stare at each other. Deena’s smirk softened into a genuine smile, whereas Sam’s frown only deepened, but she wasn’t as angry as she was perplexed. She tried parting her lips to say something, but nothing came. Eventually, it was Deena who broke the silence.

“Let’s go check the chapel,” Deena nodded her head toward the small building, and the two of them were on their way.

The two women arrived at the chapel just in time, because the rain was worsening again. Deena stood by one of the windows and grimaced. “It’s raining too much now, maybe we should wait it out here for a moment,” she suggested. Not that she seemed very happy about it. It was like every attempt she made to distance herself from the intriguing au pair completely backfired.

Sam was casually wandering around the place, taking in the details. It was a spot that had been skipped over during her tour of the house. “What are those candles for?” she asked.

“That’s all Kate,” Deena replied. “Shouldn’t leave them burning though. But she never listens.”

“Oh,” Sam mumbled and walked closer. She observed, a little mystified, the way Deena blew over the four candles, killing each of them.

“They’re for the dead,” Deena explained upon noticing Sam’s curiosity. “At least that’s what Kate says.”

“You don’t agree?” Sam wondered. She took a seat in one of the pews, and Deena followed her lead, sitting in the one in front of her, and turning her body so she could look Sam in the eye.

“They’re for the Bermans, I think,” Deena shrugged. “If we were to really light up candles for everyone we’ve lost, we’d run out of space in here.”

Sam hummed in understanding, and for a while, they were silent. Each of them was lost in their own memories about lost ones. Neither of them was aware of an additional presence in the chapel with them. Tommy Slater didn’t mind going unnoticed. He could barely see them anyway. He could only tighten his grip on the axe, rest his back against the wall, spend one more day, or month, or year, in the quiet corners of Shadyside manor.

Eventually, Sam broke the silence. “So,” she cleared her throat, “do you just casually carry a shotgun with you everywhere?”

Deena chuckled, and Sam couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. “It’s for rats,” Deena explained, “which includes Nick fucking Goode.” She made a pause, and because she liked the way Sam listened and smiled at her, Deena felt compelled to do something against it. “You don’t have to risk your life for… the kids, or the job, you know?” For us, Deena stopped herself from saying that.

“Don’t belittle me, Deena, please,” Sam said with a small frown.

“I’m not. I’m just trying,” to protect you? “to warn you, Sam.”

Sam pursed her lips and considered Deena’s words. The gardener was content seeing that Sam didn’t just immediately disregard what she was trying to say. “I dealt with enough shit in Sunnyvale,” Sam admitted quietly, but later added a smile. “Your haunted house doesn’t scare me, Deena.”

Her words ignited a bright smile to take over Deena’s face. The gardener, of course, immediately looked away, trying to get her expression in control. When she looked back at Sam, her smile was much smaller, but her eyes said it all. “What scares you then?” Deena asked.

“What scares you?” Sam said and squinted at her.

“Hey, I asked first!”

“Well, will you answer if I answer?”

Deena shook her head, but she was having trouble holding back her smile. Where did this adorably awkward school teacher come from? More accurately, how the hell did she end up in Shadyside manor out of all places, in Deena’s path, more precisely?

“Alright,” Deena relented, and leaned her head on her hand, ready to listen.

Sam smiled, and then took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “I suppose I’m scared of… hopelessness,” she said slowly. “I’m scared of giving up. Scared of having nothing worth fighting for anymore. Uh… does that make sense?”

The gardener blinked twice, trying to clear her mind. She hadn’t expected that answer. But it would have been foolish to expect an answer along the lines of heights or spiders. It was obvious that Sam Fraser was infinitely more complicated than she seemed at first sight. Deena had to use all her strength to keep herself from wishing to know more about the au pair.

“I don’t know if that’s more Sunnyvale or Shadyside of you, but yes, it makes sense,” Deena finally replied.

Sam beamed at her, and asked, “What about you?”

Deena had known her answer for many years, but she still put on a show about thinking about it. She really was thinking about it or, at least, about the right way to say it after what Sam just said. “I’m scared of hope,” she replied.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“I would never,” Deena shook her head. “I’m genuinely not very fond of everything that comes along with having too much hope. Broken promises, crushed expectations, being let down… letting people down. It’s best to save yourself from it all.”

Sam had been listening very seriously. When Deena met her eyes both of them had a little trouble breathing normally. The small chapel suddenly felt too crowded. Sam was beyond thankful that Deena had trusted her with her words, but she could tell in those sweet brown eyes that the gardener was growing uncomfortable. Before Deena could grow desperate enough to take back her words and her moment of vulnerability, Sam tried something. A tiny smile crept into her lips. “That sounds boring,” she said softly.

Deena raised a playful eyebrow at her. “It’s safe,” she said. She was relieved for the gently offered exit out of the heavy emotional place they had wandered into. “Don’t go making fun of me now. I still have a shotgun here, you know?”

Sam laughed wholeheartedly, and Deena easily joined her. The silence afterward was different, comfortable, and easy. Deena was leaning over the back of the seat, and Sam was leaning forward. That left them a little closer than they had expected. It became a little too easy to get lost in each other’s eyes. Those two pairs of eyes that were full of secrets and trying their hardest not to let anyone else see.

Then, very suddenly, the windows of the chapel were lit in bright light. Those were a car’s headlights. “Must be Simon,” Deena cleared her throat and jumped out of her seat. “We should go back.”

Sam nodded in silent agreement, and started following Deena out of the chapel. But halfway through she let out a quiet gasp. “Do you think I shouldn’t have left the kids in the first place?”

Deena fondly chuckled and gently pushed the anxious au pair out of the chapel. The two of them walked outside and closed the door behind them. The chapel was left completely empty.

The storm got worse, and this time it definitely didn’t show any signs of stopping soon. Luckily, everyone had made it back to the house. Constance and Josh had finally fallen asleep, not without a fight though. The adults were gathered in one of the rooms of the big house, seated close by the fire, drinking hot chocolate, and with blankets on their laps. Sam was finally warming up. She had put up her damp hair in a ponytail, and she was listening intently to her coworkers. The three of them were finally unveiling the tragic story behind Christine Berman’s death. Kate was the one to lead the story.

“After Cindy and her husband died, Christine had the reins of the entire property. Alice owned a chunk of it, but she’s never wanted to get personally involved with this place, I guess. The house can be scary but it’s still a big property with a lot of value. Christine and Alice decided to get someone to protect the place, you know, keep an eye on the property and the few of us living and working here. That’s when Nick Goode came into the picture. Supposedly, he was tired of the police department of Sunnyvale, and moved here in search of something different.”

“And there’s nothing more different to Sunnyvale than this shithole, isn’t it?” Deena joined in. Her jaw was tense and her eyes displayed a wave of anger in them that almost frightened Sam. “Nick and Christine started dating almost immediately and it wasn’t cute, let me tell you. They were obsessed with each other. It was a picture-perfect toxic relationship. He was so… controlling. It was almost scary. He decided everything they did, when, and how they did it. He had a say in everything she said, and wore, and did. It was fucking suffocating just to watch them from afar. She made him her everything, and when he was gone, well… she had nothing left.”

That’s when it clicked for Sam that the anger in Deena’s eyes was much more complicated than that. It was grief. It was regret. In some way, Sam wouldn’t be surprised if Deena blamed herself for not intervening in some way to help the other woman. The next one to speak up was Simon. The poor man tried his best to keep up his usual spark, but it was pretty much impossible. He was fidgeting on his seat, running his hand through his hair repeatedly, and moving his eyes across the room to avoid letting anyone see the way they watered at the mention of Christine.

“He went missing, one day. Nick was a weird dude, if we’re being completely honest. He always acted weird with the rest of us, he was shifty and shit. He was weirdly obsessed with this house. There’s no way he wasn’t hiding some dark shit. And whatever that was, it came back to bite him in the ass. He had to run away. He just disappeared, like the cowardly rat he is. But… you know. Christine lost herself after that. The police didn’t help either. They were convinced she had killed him or something. They harassed her half the time, and she tortured herself waiting for that piece of shit the other half of the time. But she… she was our friend, you know?”

In the end, Simon was biting his nails, his eyes were distant, and he was shaking a little, not from the cold. Sam nodded slowly, she felt like she couldn’t really breathe easily, and she couldn’t imagine how the others were dealing with it all. Kate took her turn once more to finish the story.

“Constance found her. One damn foggy morning. Floating on the stupid lake. Then Deena found Constance.” There was a pause, and none of them could avoid glancing at Deena, but the gardener didn’t meet anybody’s eyes. When Kate continued talking, her voice wavered, and soon enough her eyes were tearing up beyond any attempt to hide it. “That kid really loved her aunt, you know? I mean, Constance adored Christine. Even more after her parents… And then motherfucking Nick Goode even stood in between them as much as he could. Some days I look at Constance and it’s like watching a younger version of Christine. She’s so much like her. It hurts. Because, in the end, Christine wasn’t a happy person anymore. We don’t want that for Constance, you know? She hasn’t been herself for a whole year. But since you arrived… she’s fighting with you all day long, running, protesting, yelling, and I just think… that’s our girl, she’s not gone. She’s still a little shit though.”

When she was done, Kate was wiping away tears, and trying to take deep breaths. But at the end of her story, she had laughed tearfully, talking about Constance. Deena and Simon had joined in. Soon enough they were sharing all kinds of stories about the young Berman girl. Kate had known her almost her entire life, when she started babysitting for her. Deena and Josh arrived just a couple of years later. Simon joined in last. He was hired after the Bermans died, but before Nick Goode showed up. Sam listened intently to their stories. Somehow, they managed to make her feel welcome, and like a part of that mismatched family they had formed in that objectively unlucky place. She appreciated it. And she also realized that she had stepped into a story that was infinitely more complicated than she could have ever expected.

Maybe it was the drinks that Kate and Simon brought out at one point during the night. but Sam was getting a little dizzy trying to understand the tangle of limbs that were the housekeeper and the cook. They fell asleep pretty much on top of each other and it didn’t look very comfortable, but it made Sam smile.

“Are they… a couple?” Sam asked Deena in a hushed tone.

The gardener chuckled and moved from her previous chair to sit beside Sam on the sofa. They were the only two people alive awake in that house. “God no,” she shook her head. “That embarrassing sight is completely platonic.” She made a pause, enjoyed Sam’s small laugh, and then decided to take a risk. “Why you ask?”

“Just, uh, curiosity,” Sam replied.

“I hope you weren’t too interested, Sunnyvale. I’d hate to break your heart letting you know Simon’s gay.”

Sam smiled and shook her head. “I wasn’t… I’m not… it’s not like that,” she stuttered.

“Okay,” Deena nodded. She kept her smirk controlled, and tried to convince herself she was only doing this to tease the other girl, with no ulterior move or secret interest in her answer. “If it helps… so is Kate.”

Sam was staring into Deena’s eyes when the meaning of her words registered. The panic in the au pair was instant, and it worsened when she took notice of how close Deena was, how intently they were looking at each other, and how heavy were the additional questions hanging in the air between them. “Oh,” Sam croaked out, and attempted to clear her throat. “So… um… you, uh… why do you think Nick Goode would come back now? After abandoning Christine before.”

At first, Deena was quiet. She bit her lip, doing what she could to hide how confused she was about the contradicting feelings of relief and disappointment at the change of subject. Then she relaxed, leaned back on the couch, and searched for an answer. “He probably doesn’t even know she’s dead. People like Nick Goode aren’t happy losing. They want to have it all. No exceptions. He isn’t content just walking away,” Deena said. She was surprised by the clear as day understanding she saw in Sam’s eyes.

“He can’t just let her go. He has to feel like he still owns her,” Sam added. She looked a little dazed for a moment, but she was brought back to the conversation at hand when she noticed Deena agreeing with a nod. “But… that feeling doesn’t come from a place of love, does it? It’s the opposite, really.”

Deena shifted uncomfortably on her seat. “Yeah,” she agreed softly. She couldn’t stop staring at Sam though, and she had a strong suspicion that she was in serious trouble when it came to the things the peculiar au pair could make her feel.

Not too long later, Sam and Deena parted ways and walked to their respective bedrooms, not without a significant amount of awkwardness hanging between them. Especially when Sam nearly crashed against Deena when the brunette stopped in front of her bedroom, because then Sam was a little too aware of standing right outside of Deena’s room. She failed to save the situation by walking away in a flurry of apologies and “goodnight”s, waving so enthusiastically and looking back so nervously that she did crash into a wall and had to dismiss Deena’s soft “Are you okay there, Sunnyvale?”

Finally, Sam made it to her bedroom, locked the door behind her, and shortly later collapsed in her bed. She was restless though, tossing and turning in bed while her mind ran wild. She couldn’t help but flash back to several moments throughout the day she had shared with Deena. She thought about Deena’s smile, and Deena’s frown. About Deena’s obvious defense mechanisms, and Deena begrudgingly letting down her guard in front of her. Deena walking with the shotgun gripped firmly in her hand, Deena draped comfortably over the couch, stealing glances at Sam and boldly refusing to look away when Sam caught her.

Eventually, even though she fought her hardest to restrain herself, Sam’s imagination got the best of her. There was that one moment with the two of them seated close together on the couch. So close that Sam could still remember the warmth of Deena’s arm next to hers. So close that Sam couldn’t stop herself from imagining what would have happened if she had leaned in just a little closer, and then just a little more…

Before picturing exactly what would have happened, Sam made the terrible mistake of rolling to her side again, just to find out she wasn’t alone in bed. She came face to face with a sight that wasn’t that unfamiliar to her, yet it was the most horrible thing she could have imagined. She screamed and scrambled backward in bed until she fell to the ground. She stayed there, eyes closed tightly and tears streaming down her cheeks. She had just seen him. He was right there. He wasn’t in the mirror, he was in her bed, in Shadyside, and it wasn’t fair. She had turned around in bed to see him there more than enough times before. She ran away to avoid precisely this and it didn’t even work. He was there, blinding eyes, a disgusted snarl of his lips, a furious frown, strong arms covered in blood, and the watch on his wrist broken beyond repair. Why was her mind doing this to her?

Sam rocked back and forth on the floor of the bedroom until her breathing calmed down enough. She tentatively raised her head to take a look at the bed, and then the rest of the room. She was alone, completely alone, permanently alone.

Life at Shadyside Manor was complicated enough. But, tragedy and threats aside, Sam’s job was the kid’s education. The next day, there was still a soft rain falling down over the property. They didn’t have another option but to spend the morning cooped up in the classroom, and apparently, it was taking its toll on the teenagers. Well, at least on one of them. Josh was quiet as usual. But Ziggy was in a particularly sour mood. Sam could understand kids trying to act way older than they were. She had worked with eight years old Sunnyvalers who were already looking forward to being CEOs of their parents’ companies. But Ziggy… she was a peculiar case.

“Sam, you’re giving me a headache. Just fucking call me Ziggy, okay?” the teenager complained.

“The headache is mutual, Ziggy,” Sam replied, leaning against the desk in front of the room. “Now, could you please just answer the question?”

“What’s the point?” Ziggy scoffed. “Look, it’s not the first time some emotionally fragile girl tries to teach me arithmetic.”

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter! This shit is useless in the real world.”

“You need an education, Ziggy, if you ever want to have a life.”

Ziggy chuckled darkly, with bitterness beyond her fifteen years. She slammed a hand on the table in front of her and jumped off her chair. “Fucking maths won’t give me my life back!”

“Ziggy!”

Sam was startled. It was Josh who had called out the girl’s name, and he sounded really angry and not like himself at all. He stood up from his seat and walked slowly toward Constance, who immediately sat down and was suddenly very quiet and still. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she pretty much shuddered at the contact. Sam thought that was really odd, considering she was usually the extroverted and lead troublemaker in their dynamic.

“I apologize for Ziggy’s behavior,” Josh addressed Sam with an odd and unfamiliar formal tone. “I think she needs a moment. We’re just tired of spending the entire day in the classroom. You know, with the storm last night and everything, we’re restless. You get it, don’t you, Samantha?”

Sam tried hard not to visibly frown at the way Josh talked to her. It rubbed her the wrong way. She glanced at the clock and noticed there would have been only about twenty minutes left of the class planned for the morning.

“If you don’t call me that again, we can call it a day for now,” She said.

“Thank you very much,” Josh replied with a grin she had never seen on him before. Well, except for the day when he gave her those roses that made Deena so furious.

As the two teenagers walked to the door of the classroom, Sam addressed the young girl once more. “I expect a better attitude tomorrow, Constance.” It was like the girl didn’t even hear her. “Constance?”

Constance was already on the other side of the door, but when Sam repeated her name she stopped in her tracks. She turned around hastily. “Huh?”

“Did you listen to me?”

“What? Oh. Um… Yeah…” Constance mumbled, looking more than a little confused, and then she walked away in the opposite direction from Josh.

That night, things were much better. The rain had finally stopped not too long ago. During dinner, Ziggy had suggested watching a scary movie with such childish excitement that nobody could have said no to her. Even Simon, not without some hesitation, agreed to stay at the manor one more night, trusting that his neighbor, Mr. McQueeny, was taking good care of his mother.

All of them were having a good time. Ziggy was having the time of her life making fun of the character’s poor decisions. Josh reacted badly to the jump scares, but he proudly announced himself as smartest in the room for predicting almost every single plot twist. Kate and Simon were in a constant argument, because she playfully insisted that her microwaved popcorn was much better than the creative array of snacks he had prepared for their evening.

Sam and Deena were on a different couch, fondly watching the others enjoy themselves. Deena was about to make fun of Sam, who looked almost as scared as the main character of the movie, running for her life. The gardener looked at the woman sitting beside her and she was pleasantly surprised to find Sam meeting her eyes. Sam didn’t look away from Deena, even as her hand moved swiftly to find Deena’s hand, which had been resting on the space between them. The movie and their friend’s fuss continued in the background, but for a moment, Sam and Deena felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Deena couldn’t keep up Sam’s stare. She had to look down at their intertwined hands, to make sure it was real. She gulped nervously and looked back up at Sam. “Are you okay?” she had to ask, dreading that maybe the au pair was just scared of the movie.

Sam smiled a little, and nodded. She squeezed Deena’s hand a little, softly rubbed her thumb over the gardener’s knuckles, and then she let go. She returned her hand to her lap, but she looked happy in a way that Deena hadn’t seen her before. “I actually love these movies,” Sam confessed.

Deena chuckled. Although her hand ached to reach out for Sam again, she understood. “You’re full of surprises, Sunnyvale.”

The two women relaxed, but it was short-lived. A moment later, a loud thunder rattled the entire property, and the lights went out. Apparently, the storm wasn’t done with them. All of them gasped, some of them screamed. The lights came back on, flickered menacingly, and went out again. Everyone scrambled off their seats, Ziggy tried to scare Kate, Simon went off looking for a flashlight, the phone started ringing and everything was a mess. Lightning bolts illuminated the room, only briefly. But, in the commotion, nobody paid any mind to Ryan Torres. He watched everything unfold from a corner of the room. He couldn’t understand everything that happened, he couldn’t make himself be a part of any of it. He glanced at the knife on his hand, and another strike of lightning reflected on it. Still, nobody else noticed.

The ringing of the phone was driving them crazy while trying to deal with the power outage. Deena couldn’t stand it anymore. She marched to the other room and yanked the phone from the wall. “What the fuck you want?” she snapped at the innocent person on the other line. Everyone had followed her lead and Simon was shining a flashlight in her direction when everyone noticed the way the gardener’s face completely changed from annoyance to shock and devastation. “It was your neighbor, Mr. McQueeny,” she was clearly addressing Simon. Her face said it all. “I’m so sorry, Simon.”

#sunday update!!#i hope you like it! please share!!#fear street #sameena #sam x deena #fear street fanfiction #sam fraser #deena johnson #my fic

14 notes · View notes

bi-naesala · 4 years

Text

Why

Order 66 AU | Bly and Cody still follow the order but get freed later and become rebels | Former blyla | Background codywan | Angst

Also on AO3

Bly's sulking on his own when Cody decides to come bother him.

This place is too crowded for Bly’s tastes, that’s why he’s found an empty corner to sulk in.

Even during the Clone Wars he didn’t enjoy sharing his space with too many people - it reminded him of the chaos of the battlefield - but now it’s even worse.

It could be even worse, he supposes, as difficult as something like that could be. He could still be a mindless droid working for the Empire.

That fact that people would try to save him - save any clone - is still surprising for Bly, and he still doesn’t know how to feel about it: on one hand it’s nice to be free again, to be able to fight for what he thinks is right and not because of some order he can’t refuse, and of course it’s nice to be able to be with his vode again, at least those that are alive and free.

And yet, as he thinks about Aayla’s lifeless body on the ground, he can’t help but to think that maybe being a mindless droid would’ve been better.

He was the one who put her down.

He shot her not just once, but countless times. She had to die, and better to die by their hands rather than someone who would make her suffer.

It was an act of mercy in its own twisted way, and Bly hates it, hates it, hates it…

Somebody gently shakes his shoulder, and Bly finally remembers that he’s supposed to breathe.

“Hey vod, you alright?”

Bly looks up from where he’s been crouching for who knows how long, and he sees Cody leaning over him with a worried look on his face. He was another vod that has been saved from the chip’s grasp.

“I’m fine,” Bly replies, shoving off the hand. There’s a reason why he wanted to be alone, and he isn’t appreciative of Cody’s presence.

Things are strained between the two of them. No, Cody hasn’t done anything wrong for once, it’s just that…

Bly knows it’s wrong, and yet every time he sees Cody and general Kenobi hover around each other, he can help the pang of envy that takes over him.

Why is Cody more deserving of this and not him?

Cody sighs at that reaction, but at least there is no venom in his voice when he speaks, despite his words.

“You know I’m supposed to be the youngest, not you? ‘Cause you’re acting like quite the baby lately.”

He slides against the wall, sitting down beside Bly who, despite wanting to do it, doesn’t tell him off, and the two of them stay in silence, clearly waiting for the other to say something.

From time to time they see people passing by - life in a rebel base is never too static - but they pay them no mind, something Bly appreciates. The last thing he needs now is having to explain to whoever asks why they’re there and what they’re doing.

“So?”

“So what?” Bly replies.

To say that he’s unnerved would be an understatement. He just wants to be left alone, but for some reason the universe has decided that it hasn’t tormented him enough, and now he has to deal with Cody as well.

“I don’t know you tell me,” the other replies, defiant ‘till the end, “You’re the one who’s constantly making fusses, who skips meals and spends all his time alone, and when someone comes checking on you you rudely send them away.”

His expression softens, and this time he speaks more quietly.

“Tell me what’s bothering you, vod. I don’t know if I can help, but I’ll try.”

Look at him, ready to help people even though nobody asked. Bly wonders from who he picked it up from.

“What bothers me,” he says then, “Is that you’re constantly following the general like a lost tooka. It’s pitiful.”

He’s not being fair, Bly knows it, but he doesn’t want to be. Watching Cody and his lover being able to still be together reminds him of what he’s lost. How is he supposed to forget and move on when he feels a pang at his chest every time they smile at each other, when they radiate such a warmth for the other that even someone not force sensitive like Bly can feel it?

The worst thing is that they don’t even realize they’re doing it. For them, Bly is willing to bet, things haven’t changed much; this is simply a different war from the one they were previously fighting.

Cody’s stance becomes defensive, and his eyes harden again. Did Bly hit a sensitive spot?

“So what? I’m not doing anything wrong,” he defends himself. Weak.

Bly doesn’t want himself to do this, he doesn’t want to hurt his Kote, but his heart has been bleeding since he got that stupid stupid order and there’s nothing anyone can do to put remedy to that. He’s broken and nothing will ever fix him again.

He’s been suffering for so long he’s come to hate that his brother has what he doesn’t. It’s the living proof that things could’ve gone differently, but he hadn’t been strong enough for it to actually happen.

Rage erupts in his next words. He can’t keep it in anymore.

“Yes you are actually!” he exclaims, finger poking Cody’s chest, “Why do you still have Obi-Wan?! Why did the universe decided to let you have this one thing?! You’re not better than me!”

He goes on, pouring his heart out, uncaring of anyone that could be passing through. Let them hear, he doesn’t care.

“You don’t deserve Obi-Wan! You don’t deserve to have someone you didn’t do anything! You should be alone!”

There so much more he wants to say, so much more venom he wants to spy at Cody’s face, but as he catches his breath he finds himself suddenly void of any energy.

He’s so tired, of everything. He wants to wake up and find out this was all a bad dream. He’ll wake up and he’ll see Aayla, who will ask him what’s wrong, who will reassure him that everything’s fine, that they’re safe.

If only…

Cody looks visibly put off by this entire display. It’s pathetic, Bly’s aware of it.

He grunts as he turns around, not being able to bear the other’s gaze anymore.

The silence is tense around them, he can feel it.

He doesn’t know what Cody will say, but whatever it’ll be, he deserves it. He really shouldn’t have said those things.

Still, out of anything he could’ve said, he wasn’t expecting Cody’s question. Well, it’s not that what is unexpected, actually, but the broken tone in which he says it, the tone of someone who’s desperately trying to keep it together.

“Do you truly hate me this much?”

Bly takes his time to ponder that question, sneer evident in his face. Does he hate Cody?

If he were braver, he would have the courage to look at him in the eyes as he replies; instead his gaze is fixed on his closed fist - a fist that he could easily plant on the other’s face if he had less self-control.

“As much as I would like to,” he sighs, “… No.”

It would be so easy to hate him - he has everything Bly can never have, not anymore - but… Cody is his vod’ika, and he’ll continue being his vod’ika no matter what happens, despite everything. He can’t--

His thoughts are interrupted by surprise when a sob breaks through Bly’s sealed lips and another follows suit, until Bly’s crying uncontrollably against Cody’s shoulder.

His brother doesn’t know what to do. Normally he wouldn’t hesitate to bring him closer into a tight hug, but their relationship is a bit strained at the moment and he doesn’t want to make things worse. In the end he settles one hand on Bly’s shoulders, rubbing small circles, and he lets him cry - even though his shirt’s beginning to get wet, but that’s not important.

Should he say something? He doesn’t know. Since he’s most likely to set Bly off if he speaks, he decides that it’s better if he shuts up for once, letting him vent all his pain and frustration.

He knows it won’t magically solve everything, but he hopes that at least it helps.

Eventually, Bly stops sobbing, but he still stays there, face buried against Cody’s shoulder. He still hasn’t said a word.

Then, as quiet as a whisper, Cody hears him speak.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine,” he replies. It truly is not fine, but what good would talking about it do now? Bly is clearly hurting and Cody doesn’t want to upset him further.

Besides, he understands. He’s the only one who got lucky, but if things were different he bets he’d feel the same way: bitter and angry. Still…

“Next time you feel like this, come to me. Don’t go sulk somewhere like this. It does you no good.”

Bly weakly nods, sniffling.

“Ok… ok…”

He finally manages to find the courage to look at Cody. He’s smiling at him, the dork, trying to be reassuring.

Bly can’t help but to smile back.

“Thank you,” he says then. He means it. “And sorry again, I don’t… I don’t know what came to me.”

“I understand,” Cody sighs, “Just try to hang on, ok?”

At those words, Bly can’t help but to chuckle, going to ruffle Kote’s hair.

“Aw, look at you, acting all grown up,” he says, making Cody groan.

“I’m older than you shut up.”

“You admitted that you’re the youngest,” Bly points out. That’s something he’ll never let Cody forget. Damn it, he should’ve recorded it now that he thinks about it.

“No I didn’t,” Cody insists, stubborn as always, already pouting like he used to do when they were cadets back on Kamino.

“You clearly did, I heard you.”

“Impossible, I admitted to anything.”

At those words, Bly can’t help but to groan. He’ll never get him to admit it again.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying Kote.”

“Good thing you love me then, don’t you?”

It’s a risk, especially considering what Bly has yelled at him just a couple of moments before, but Cody feels daring. Besides, if this manages to put Bly in a good mood, why shouldn’t he do it?

Bly hesitates, thorn between telling him to go kark a droid or actually admitting it. In the end, he chooses the latter.

“Yeah… I love you Cody.”

He’s looking already better than before, that’s for sure, and Cody’s smile grows larger when he notices it. It’s good.

“I love you too, Bly.”

#commander bly #commander cody #sw #star wars #tcw #the clone wars #blyla #codywan #my fics #mine #clone husband

38 notes · View notes

spnwatch · 3 years

Text

Season 2: The Rankings

Whew. Oh boy.

They were still puttering about in season 1 to an extent. But now? Now they’ve really hit their stride. This season was a veritable chocolate box of delights and I ate my way through it. The overall myth arc was kind of nonsensical, but that emotional throughline? Christ. Spn buries SO MUCH emotional complexity into its leads, and they cashed in every cent in that two part finale. It packs one hell of a punch. And yeah, okay, I knew the broad strokes, the twists and turns. It’s hard not to be spoilered for a season of tv that aired over a decade ago. But reader! It mattered not!! I. Still. Wept. That’s when you know it’s the good kush. 1.) 2x12: NIGHTSHIFTER. This one just snagged the top spot by merit of its sheer ambition. Supernatural often feels like a very empty universe to me, just two guys and one car drifting from place to place. Which is fine, it makes for compelling TV, but they totally flipped the script here and this episode really dazzles precisely because of that contrast. It’s a huge, cinematic episode, a metropolitan setting full of uncontrollable elements, and it’s great to see Sam and Dean so profoundly vulnerable. The outside world is pressing up against the windows. They have sniper dots trained on them! They are, literally and figuratively, out of their depth! We’re not in Kansas any more, baby. God, I haven’t even mentioned the supporting characters. The entire mandroid rant deserves an Emmy. Victor Henrickson’s entrance! Heist movie antics! Agh! 10/10

2.) 2x07: THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Again this episode was a cut above precisely because it showed us what the brothers look like from the outside: sketchy as all hell. It’s so good when reality ensures, because it’s great to be reminded they lead objectively insane lives! Through Linda Blair’s eyes we get to see just how unknowable, feral and amoral they appear to the eyes of polite society. Put under a microscope like this, they’re scary guys! They’re just not socialised like normal people. They don’t really care about being arrested, or about the felonies. Getting arrested is an irritant above everything else. They’re still working the case from the inside. They’re professionals; excellent liars, and totally in sync with each other. The handwritten notes they pass, like delinquent school kids! A delight! The thrill lies in watching Blair slowly unwrap their strange logic, and unravel the mystery of both the brothers and the ghost. Ugh, what a great perspective shift. I’m 100% here for it. 10/10

3.) 2x09: CROATOAN. Ugh, this setting. Small Town Gothic, complete with eerie mist, hostile locals and creepy Stepford vibes. Sam really shone in this episode. He’s so soothing and giant, and it made his suffering at the end all the more devastaing. The real reason this episode ranks so highly is their conversation in the surgery. It just killed me. Dean’s sheer, bone-deep exhaustion, his admission that he’s tired of the life. Sam’s despair, because he knows Dean won’t leave. The performances were so steller. I can’t even really think too deeply about it because it makes me too crazy. 10/10

4.) 2x21: ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE: PART ONE. I loved this finale so much more than the finale in Season 1, LOL. It might just be because I’m more invested now, who knows. The opening of this episode is a piece of art: Boston playing on the car stereo, the rain, the small cafe, the lighting. Gorgeous. I love when they have to interact with ordinary people! It adds so much: texture, humour, personality! It draws things out of Sam and Dean that we just don’t see when they have each other to bounce off of. It was so good to see Ava and Andy again. “I just woke up in freakin’ Frontierland!” The gang’s all here, folks! This episode would rank higher, but recieves minus points for the long boring speech the demon gives Sam, and killing off the first gay in the show 0.2 seconds after her introduction. Anyway. The ending of course unzipped me; Dean cradling Sam’s dead body, muttering “It’s okay, it’s not even that bad.” The elation of their reunion, so devastaingly cut short! Sam, twenty two years old, bleeding out in the mud. The sheer, hopelessness of it all. The horror. My notes for the end of the episode simply read: “Dean oh Christ. Oh my God. Oh no.” It’s just one of those scenes that stay with you long after the credits start rolling. 9/10

5.) 2x20: WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE. I never thought I could be so profoundly upset by watching a man happily mowing a lawn. Dean’s trauma over the loss of his mother has undercut the whole show up until this point, and here it bursts to the fore. What really got me was the simplicity of it all. Just a sit-down dinner, an engagement. A beer on the porch. Fuck, he deserves it. He deserves everything. All the performances were great, they really served to show there’s a whole life in these AU characters. The fact it wasn’t all perfect was bizarrely more devastating. AU Sam’s weird straight hair and dorky jacket sealed the deal for me, as did his baffled terror in the warehouse. But even here, with no training and no idea what’s happening, he gets into the Impala! Because that’s his brother! Because I’m a huge baby I had to remove points because of how upsetting I found Sam’s quiet hostility towards Dean, HA. But that’s really just a testament to how well-realised their dynamic has become by the second season. 9/10

6.) 2x15: TALL TALES. Every single thing Sam does in any of Dean’s memories. Also alien slowdance set to “Lady in Red.” Also Bobby breaking them up like they’re petulant children. Gold, all of it gold. 9/10

7.) 2x11: PLAYTHINGS. So I’m a slut for a cool setting, obviously. Turns out, Supernatural did The Haunting of Bly Manor fifteen years ago. The swimming pool! The attic! Creepy dolls! The weird little playground! This episode has it all! I loved the saga between the ghost sister and the old lady, which would honestly make a killer movie in its own right. But I’m digressing. The main star of this episode was, of course, Dean’s profound and escalating sexual insecurities. “Well, you are kinda butch. People probably think you’re overcompensating.” FATALITY. I would’ve placed this one higher but the weird incestuous undertones kinda squicked me out... however, I did think we were meant to be creeped out by it, which is more than I can say for some other uh. Instances. It was, after all, beautifully paralelled at the end with the two sisters reuniting in death. “I can’t leave here, and you can’t leave me.” SHUDDER. Also, honestly, can Sam have one (1) breakdown on his own without Dean’s own emotional baggage taking over? Older siblings, smh. 9/10

8.) 2x22: ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE: PART TWO. This one ranks lower than part one purely because I thought the yellow-eyed demon’s overall plot was kinda nonsensical, and I cared not for John’s weird deux ex machina moment. Like do you expect me to feel sorry for that bitch? I don’t! Anyway, that being said, let’s move on to Dean’s eyes in the junkyard when Bobby asks him, “do you have that low an opinion of yourself?” They’re so flat. So dead, like a shark’s. He doesn’t need to say anything back, because it’s all over his face. That non-expression says it all. This is the culmination of the emotional arc that began with his savage beatdown of the Impala in episode 2x02. To call it survivor’s guilt wouldn’t even begin to cover what Dean goes through this episode. It’s all in Ackles’ performance; in the the way he yells, “What am I supposed to do now, Sammy?” The complete claustrophobia of it all. There’s nothing for it but to make the deal. Dean’s been moving inexorably towards this moment for the entire season. 9/10

9.) 2x13: HOUSES OF THE HOLY. What a kooky little episode! Magic fingers! Sam’s costcutter seance purchases! The scooby-doo placemat he uses as a makeshift altar! I love him, your honour. Obviously this episode has a lot of *~dramatic irony~* in it because of the later seasons, but it stands alone as a total banger. I was so gutted for Sam when the "angel” was revealed. So many good little Sam moments to be found in this episode. His soft, quiet little revelation that he prays every day. His awkward, earnest explanation to the horrified priest! Dean gets some great moments chasing down the would-be rapist down those dark, snow-covered streets. His speech to Sam where he explains his lack of belief is brief, but it’s a total gut punch. Rounding it off with Knockin on Heaven’s Door was just the cherry on top. 9/10

10.) 2x14: BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN. Ahaha I love the way Dean acts whenever Sam’s psychic powers come up. He treats him like a rebellious teen, it’s so funny. “What’s going on with you, Sam? Smokin’, drinkin’?” As if Sam’s behaviour was a) at all under his control or b) anything Dean wouldn’t HIMSELF do. Dean’s just like, this isn’t how I raised you! Truly hysterical. The whole sequence between Meg!Sam and Jo was fantastic and horrible. Sam’s huge physique is never threatening, but it really was in that moment. The interplay between them was totally spine-tingling. Meg’s impression Sam slowly crumbling away over the course of the episode was so compelling and I’m sure it will be a really fun rewatch now I know the *twist*. 9/10

Favourite lines this season:

The way Sam says “black cat’s bone” in 2x08

“You’re not gonna go kill somebody because a ghost told you to, are you insane?!” - Dean, 2x13

“Dean, this is a very serious investigation, we don’t have time for your blah blah blah blah.” - Sam (according to Dean), 2x15

“I’m fine, except for every single thing that’s happening.” - Ava, 2x21

#I feel like I'm exposing myself as a sam girl here #I love them equally I swear #supernatural #there's so much i left out like my comprehensive love for JO #what does she have? A KNIFE #I just didn't really dig NO EXIT as an episode sadly #spnwatch

10 notes · View notes