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giorno-plays-piano · 4 years

Text

Sleep tight

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, stalking, home invasion, non-consensual drug use, allusion to kidnapping.

Words: 4163.

Summary: You know someone tried to break into your apartment, but no one believes you since you live in the very same building as famous Captain America. Who is willing to risk it?

P.S. Inspired by the Door Lock.

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You were coming back from work late again, carrying a paper bag with fresh chicken nuggets, French fries and two butter croissants you intended to leave for the morning. It was your little ritual - every time you worked long hours you went to buy some fast food afterwards instead of cooking youself a dinner. You had neither strength nor desire to spend your evening in the kitchen.

Funny, you thought, how many people were walking the same street as you, and you felt like you were alone in the whole world, nonetheless. Every day was exactly the same: you were waking up feeling groggy and exhausted, making youself coffee and leaving for work where you spent most of your time; you looked for excuses to stay late just because you didn't want to come back to your empty apartment where it was always eerie silent. Then you read some book you ordered from Amazon or Indigo, had a glass of water and went to sleep. Your life was like an endless limbo or a time loop.

Watching a few school girls giggling and taking out there cellphones and cameras, you sighed. That poor Steve Rogers living the same building as you had it much, much worse. At least you didn't have any crazy fans following you and making photos of your windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of you.

"Hey you there! What are you doing?" Someone's grumpy voice cut through the silence, and all those girls suddenly ran, laughing nervously and clenching their cameras.

It was one of your neighbors, a man in his 60s who was living two floors beneath yours, who walked to the building with a grocery bag in his hand.

"I swear to God next time I'm gonna take their phones and call their parents right away!" He grunted, shaking his bold head.

"I'll be there to give you a hand, Mr. Jones." You smiled at him, and he let out a chuckle, opening the door for you. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear."

Well, today wasn't that bad. Those girls couldn't do much harm. You remembered the day when you saw huge scary men dressed in black walking the corridor to Captain's apartment - it was way more frightening than a couple of silly students making photos of his balkony. But, regardless of how dangerous it could be to live so close to probably America's most famous superhero, the rent was doubled in a week and became three times higher in two months. You were lucky your landlady was a very compassionate woman who didn't raise the price immediately after he moved in this building.

Opening the door to your apartment with a key, you took off your shoes and put the bag on a little side table. God, you wanted to sleep so bad.

Barely eating a few nuggets you went to bed without opening the new book you bought.

The next morning you didn't feel much better, though. It was like you went to bed at 5 am instead of retiring early. Your mind was hazy. You were almost squiffy though you hadn't been drinking alcohol for a month or so.

Damn, you needed to do something about that lifestyle of yours. It was obviously unhealthy.

You spent one more day in the office doing useless work no one cared about. Coming back home felt as lonely as never before, and you almost cried in the dark before taking a hold of yourself and entering the building. There were no girls with the cameras today.

Laying on your bed, you stared at the glass of water on your nightstand. You didn't even remember refilling it in the morning. How much did you remember at all before arriving at work?

Oh no, you weren't going to live like that anymore. No more working overtime. No more fast food. No more weeping in your room with the lights off. You were a decent human being who didn't deserve to live like a recluse. Tomorrow evening you were going to dress up and go for a glass of wine in that little restaurant you were passing by every day. And in the weekend it would be good to give a call to your cousin and ask for a visit.

You hummed, looking at the clock glimming in the darkness of the room. It was already midnight, but you didn't feel even a bit sleepy. It was odd. Staring at the ceiling, you tried counting sheep but failed miserably after two hundreds. It was then when you heard someone's footsteps behind your door and chewed your lips. Was it Mrs. Abebe who lived next to you? She was never coming that late. Not that you remembered.

You were probably imagining things since the sound of footsteps died, but you didn't hear anyone opening the door or, in fact, moving at all. You were simply tired from all that stress.

That was what you were thinking when you heard someone inserting the key into your lock. You stilled, your eyes almost popping out of the sockets. What was happening? What was that?

Then the sound of the lock opening made you jump.

"Who is that?!" You screamed at the top of your voice and grabbed the lamp from your nightstand. "Who's there?!"

Then everything went silent once again, the door still closed in front of you. You couldn't hear any footsteps, couldn't feel anyone's presence just behind the door as if no one tried to force it open just a few seconds ago. You didn't know how much time you spent standing there, a heavy lamp in your hands to strike down the intruder, but no one had opened the door.

In the end, you clenched your teeth and slowly moved forward, pressing your ear to the cold metal - there were no sounds coming behind it whatsoever. Then you glanced through the peephole and saw only a row of doors just like yours. The stranger was gone.

You couldn't sleep after that, of course. You locked the door again, moved your heavy drawer to block it, and started calling the cops. Whoever was it, a thief or some creep, you didn't want to sit there and wait when someone gonna break into your apartment.

Police did nothing, of course. There were no cameras in the corridor to check whether someone was truly walking there, and, except that, they could help little with your situation. The camera outside showed no one entering the building, too.

In fact, they were so skeptical after hearing your story they almost made you cry. Why would anyone want to break in? You had pretty much nothing valuable except for a few gadgets and a little bit of money.

"No one would risk coming close to the place where Steve Rogers lives, ma'am," one of the cops informed you, irritated at your persistence. "You probably imagined it in your sleep."

No, you didn't. You heard it with your own ears, and no policeman could make you doubt that. You didn't care whether that freak was afraid of Steve Rogers, you just needed to be safe.

Next morning you didn't go to work. Instead you called a locksmith company and looked through all those smart lock that cost a fortune, but they were so much better than the pathetic one you had. The guy you were speaking to informed you that, actually, you story wasn't uncommon - New York was full of burglars. He calmed you down a bit by saying that it was probably some rookie who didn't ever hear about Captain America living in the same building.

The smart keyless lock you got installed was pricey but offered a great protection, the guy claimed. As you still shook from what happened earlier, you called your cousin, nevertheless, and went to live in her place for the whole week. Just thinking of what could happen to you that night brought you nightmares.

Who was that? What did that person need from you? Was he really hoping to get anything valuable without even knowing who lived there? Why did they come at night and not during the day when you were at work? God, you were scared to learn the answers.

You were no longer walking the streets alone as your kind cousin brought you to and off work, watching that no one was following you. It was a great relief to know there were no scary dudes around, but you couldn't be calm still. You barely slept at night.

Your cousin was too worried to let you go and live by yourself again even with the new lock installed, so you decided to stay with her for one more week. You just needed to get a few more things from your apartment since last time you left in haste. Of course, you didn't go there alone, your cousin and two of her male friends coming with you just in case something was to happen.

You screamed when you saw your new lock smashed to pieces, its black plastic parts laying on the floor right in front of your door.

This time police couldn't say anything about you imagining things, and the investigation had finally started. What scared you even more was that Mrs. Abebe had sweared the lock was in perfect condition when she returned home yesterday, and she didn't hear anything at all last night, a few other neighbors saying the same. No one knew how it happened and who could it be.

"But I just don't understand how could someone try this right under Captain's nose." One of the policemen huffed and puffed.

"Steven Rogers has been on a mission since last week." A woman said angrily, watching the guy with disgust. You vaguely remembered her name was Kate and she lived on the same floor as Steve. "Please don't tell me you need Captain America just to make you do your job."

With so many people expecting someone to break into their homes and fearing for their lives, it was easier to demand installing cameras in the corridors everywhere in the building. More than that, a few cameras were installed in your apartment too. A new biometric lock was now attached to your door, but you weren't sure it could keep you safe. It all felt unreal.

Of course, you were living with your cousin. She not only didn't protest against it, but refused to let you go anywhere at all. The only place you were still coming to was the office your worked in, and she was bringing you there and driving you home all the time.

The police said that the criminal didn't leave any fingerprints anywhere, and, most importantly, they didn't see any stranger entering the house the day your lock was smashed. It probably meant it was someone who stayed in the building. When they said that, Mrs. Abebe moved out the apartment the very same day and came to live with her son. You felt both pity and guilt. If you weren't there, she could live in that place peacefully like before.

Although the stranger didn't show up, the old policeman handling your case said something was very wrong there, he could feel it in his bones. This person wasn't a simple burglar, for sure. Although the policeman asked you to come back to your apartment - of course, under the watchful eyes of his team ready to defend you - to somehow provoke the criminal, you didn't agree. You valued your life too much to become a bait.

You just wanted to keep living with your cousin, especially when you were finally able to sleep again. You still felt groggy after, but you didn't consider it too important after all that happened to you.

However, you had to change your mind when one day you woke up and saw the toilet seat up. There was no man living at your cousin's place, and she didn't let anyone come over for a week at least.

The stranger had found you. He sneaked into the house all the same like before, but now it was also your cousin's life at stake, not just yours.

You cried and wept and prayed until you were a complete mess, your head heavy from the shouting. It wasn't a burglar who followed you - it was a stalker. The policemen were deeply concerned with the truth, but they gave you hope - stalkers rarely left their victim under such circumstances, and they were most certain they would capture the intruder the next time this psycho showed up.

You agreed to return to your old apartment. What else was there to do to keep your dear cousin safe?

It was as empty and silent as before, but now the atmosphere turned sinister. You were afraid to touch your own things, thinking of the sick bastard who touched them - the one who touched you in your sleep. No one had told you about it, but you were certain this person had been there with you many times before you caught him. Your routine had been very much the same during the whole year, and they knew it and used it to their advantage. Your stalker had seen you, touched you, done something to you. He was there all the time, and you didn't know. The cameras police installed showed everything that was happening in the apartment except for bathroom, so you tried to avoid going there as much as you could. Yes, you were on display all the time, but you weren't ashamed. You were ecstatic that cops were watching you every goddamn second.

When it was time to get to bed, you were too nervous. The police expected your stalker to show up, and although you had acquired the gun, you didn't feel safe even the slightest bit. Holding the heavy piece of metal in your shaking hand, you gulped down water from the glass and layed on the bed, watching the door. No one would hurt you. You had a gun, a group of cops waiting right next door, and your cousin who rented a room in a hotel next to your building. You were safe. You just had to stay awake before this sick motherfucker showed up.

But when he did, you slept very soundly with your head on the pullow, your gun on the bed sheets close to you.

When you woke up, that morning became your worst nightmare. Your gun was gone. The toilet seat was up again.

How outrageous you had been when you found out all your supposed guards had fallen asleep last night, drugged by something they didn't even know. Of course, there was nothing on the cameras. In fact, there were no cameras left in your apartment and the corridor whatsoever because your stalker had them all removed without even showing himself. How did they do it? What superhuman being did they had to be to twist both the police and you around their finger?

Well, maybe it was exactly the case. This intruder was too extraordinary. What if it wasn't you they were after? What if they were really trying to challenge Captain's America authority? And you were just unlucky enough to become a victim. You were picked most likely because you had a routine you had been following for a long time, and it made you an easy target. In the end, this intruder didn't rape you. He didn't hurt you. He didn't steal from you. He was coming to, what, lay close to you on the bed? Put up a toilet seat? No, it wasn't your attention he was after. He wanted to be acknowledged by the hero everyone was crazy about. Maybe he was like those girls who kept making the photos of Steve's balkony.

Once the realization hit you, everything became so much better. If he wanted the attention of Captain America, he would get it, Kate had assured you. How did she discover what was happening and how she could make him aware of your situation you didn't know, but soon those scary men dressed in black were walking the corridors of the building instead of policemen. Cameras were set up again while you were guarded at all times. Captain was returning tomorrow, you were told.

They wanted you to stay in the apartment, still. Actually, they clearly implied that you'd be put there regardless of your own wish because it was for the best. They were not some incompetent policemen, they said. You'd be protected regardless of what was going to happen to your stalker. This time you were ready to believe them - these guys looked like they could crack man's skull with just one hand - but your cousin insisted you had to do something, too. Funny enough, she gave you a teddy bear and told there's camera inside it. You could see everything it recorded with your phone.

Well, it couldn't hurt, could it? You placed the bear on one of the shelves just to make her feel better.

But nothing happened during the night. For some reason, you slept like a rock again, but there was no indication the intruder had been in your apartment. You called your new guards, and they confirmed everything was clear. They were confused with your sleeping habits, though. It was odd you could sleep so soundly during such moments.

Well, maybe that was it. Captain America was coming today, and now the intruder knew they were going to have his full attention. Maybe it was enough for them, and you would be set free after all those weeks of torture.

"I still can't believe he didn't show up last night." You said nervously and wiped your forehead with the back of your hand. "I know it's stupid, but I feel like someone's going to jump at me when I'll be leaving the building."

"It's not stupid." Your cousin sounded concerned. "You're the bravest person I've ever met. I'd ask all those guys to go fuck themselves if they wanted me to spend one more minute in that place."

"I know, I know." You forced a smile as if she could see you. "But nothing happened, you see? I really think that... person wanted Captain, not me."

"You can't know it for sure, honey. You have to be careful before they catch that motherfucker, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I promise."

"Good. I'm going to buy some food, so I'll give you a call in half an hour."

"Sure! Please take care too."

"Of course!"

She hung up, and you were left alone with your thoughts again. You stared down your phone, thinking about all the things that happened to you. You wanted to know who was doing it to you more than anything else. Who was that person? The police said it was most likely to be a man in his thirties. What was his name? How did he look? What made him do all these things to you? Did he mock you for your stupidity when you didn't even realize he was always so close to you all that time?

Rubbing your eyes, you thought of the cameras and that teddy bear sitting on a shelf. Suddenly, you got curious how you looked in your sleep, what that intruder saw when he entered your apartment late at night. You opened the app on your phone without a second thought and pressed your finger to the screen to see the recording.

It was peaceful. You didn't snore and didn't move on the bed, laying there as if you were dead. Your drool wasn't running onto the pillow, and you were oddly glad you almost looked like a sleeping beauty. Well, at least at night your face didn't look so tired.

Then you saw the door on your screen moving. You chocked on air, staring at the tall muscular man entering your apartment so carelessly like he lived here too. What was this? How could it happen? They said no one entered your apartment last night. They said no one was even close to your door!

The man was wearing a cap that didn't allow you to look at his face, a dark blue bomber and jeans flattering his muscular figure. He was even bigger than those men guarding you, and you gasped when he stared directly into the camera as if he knew there was one in the teddy bear your cousin brought. But nothing shocked you as much as the face of the stalker.

It was Steve Rogers, the very same Captain America everyone loved and respected. He took of his shoes quietly and then left his bomber on the rack. When he turned his face to the camera, he was smiling and walking closer to it slowly like a predator knowing its prey couldn't escape.

He took the stuffed animal in his hands and brought it closer.

"I'm so glad you're watching, honey."

You whimpered, a tear running down your face. No, it couldn't be true. It just couldn't. He was supposed to be the hero, not some deranged stalker ruining your life.

"Sorry for being later than usual, but you've made it a bit harder for me, you know that?" His smile was so sweet it could make you think he's talking to his fiancee, not some girl he was stalking for god knew how many months. "But don't worry, I'm not blaming you. I know it's been tough for you too, honey."

He glanced back at you sleeping on your bed and came closer to you. You held your breath and clamped a hand over your mouth in horror.

"It's actually my fault because I shouldn't be doing this before marrying you... but I just couldn't help myself. You're not mad at me, are you?" You realized he was laying down the bed with a teddy bear in his hand, and then you saw him kissing your forehead. "I know you're not. Thank you, sweetheart."

Looking at your phone with terrified and tearful eyes, you felt like you couldn't take it anymore, but something inside you forced you to keep watching when Steve had gently lowered the straps of your top and planted an open-mouthed kiss on your neck, massaging your breast. You wanted to drop the phone to the floor, to throw it out the window, to break it against the wall, yet all you did was gawking at the recording with watery eyes and sobbing. He was insane. You saw it in his eyes - he wasn't going to question his own actions. Steve Rogers was sure he did the right thing when he broke into your apartment.

"You probably gonna have some questions when you'll see the recording." He continued as he put the toy on the bed to make you see better all the things he was doing to you. "You have never woken up at night because I've been giving you some medicine, but don't worry, it's perfectly organic and doesn't do any harm to your body." You felt your stomach twisting. "Sometimes if you forgot to drink water from the glass I had to press a cloth dampened in chloroform to your face. I don't like doing it, so please remember to stay hydrated before going to bed, honey."

You wailed like a child, rubbing your eyes with one hand and having a phone in the other. Why was it happening to you? What had you done? You had never met Steve Rogers in the first place. How did he know about your mere existence?

"But I won't need to keep doing it since our honeymoon is so close. Once we get married, we won't have to do anything like that anymore. I know you're tired of waiting, and I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier." He kissed the top of your head and inhaled the scent of your hair. "We'll be leaving tomorrow. As for tonight, you'd have to sleep alone, but I'll be right here with you, so please don't worry."

Confused, you saw him moving with the teddy bear in his hand - the man left your bed and put the straps of your top back on your shoulders, covering your body with a blanket. He kissed your cheek one last time before returning the stuffed animal to its place and putting his bomber and shoes back on, but then...

Then he layed down on the floor and got under your bed. Though you kept watching the recording, you saw nothing else before the sun rose and you started waking up finally. You played the video further on, but nothing was happening still except you walking out to meet those men who were supposed to keep you safe. When you came back, you ate your breakfast and called your cousin.

You dropped your phone on the bed and stared at your legs, shaking so much your knees were knocking together.

He was still waiting for you under your bed.

Part 2

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki @helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin @void-hoechlin @abyssaint @lovelydarkdaydream

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#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #dark steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers #captain america #yandere

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switchbrainedholylime · 4 years

Text

O, Canada

A small gift of Renga fic to @emmettspeakz

Reki laid on the floor awoken by the sun’s rays. He and Langa had just ended up having an impounti sleepover at his workshop since he stayed up until 3 in the morning fixing up their boards. The redhead looked over at Langa who muttered to himself in his sleep.

“Oui, j'aimerais le pain au chocolat (Yes, I’d like the chocolate croissant). Oui, l'école va bien (Yes, school’s fine)...Papa, quand nous reverrons-nous? (Father, when will we meet again?)...Adieu,” Langa opened his eyes only to see a very confused Reki. “What’s wrong?”

“You were just sayin’ some weird stuff in yer sleep.” Reki answered.

“Oh, was I talking in French again? Sorry, I grew up in a resort town between Quebec City and Montreal, where there’s a lot of French-speakers. I speak French, English, and Japanese.” Langa yawned, “Sometimes I speak another language in my sleep.”

“Really? That’s so cool.” Reki’s eyes glistened.

“My adopted dad Oliver-”

“Wait, wait, hold on. You’re adopted? Since when?” Reki’s glistening eyes turned to confusion.

“Yeah, haven’t you ever wondered why I don’t look like my parents?” Langa pointed to himself. “My biological dad gave me up to his two friends Oliver and my mom when I was...4? Yeah, that sounds right. He was really busy with work; he’s a UN representative for Canada and he felt it’d look bad on his part to have a bastard kid so he swept it under the rug. Though it might come out if I go through with Miya on competing in the Olympics in a few years.”

“That sucks, I had no idea...,” Reki sighed, “Who am I kiddin’? I’m practically in the same boat. My dad works at a black company. The old man gets maybe four hours of sleep a week if he’s lucky. I never want to end up like him, just tied to an office chair.”

“What do you want to do?” Langa asked.

“I don’t know. Skate, I guess.” Reki yawned.

“Yeah, but even skilled skaters like Cherry and Joe have day jobs. Hell, even Adam does and he runs the circuit.” Langa brought up.

“Man, don’t bring up that bastard’s name this early in the morning.” Reki groaned. “Besides, I got that job at the shop.”

“We both know that’s not gonna pay the bills,” Langa pointed out.

“True.” Reki sat up, “Our English teacher said the career survey’s due on Monday. Ugh, I still haven’t got a clue.”

“You’re pretty good with your hands and handling tools. You don’t want an office job, and I can’t blame you. Maybe technical school?” Langa suggested.

“Joe mentioned that last week. He said he’d be glad to write a letter of recommendation for the trade school he went to, but I don’t know if I’d like to work in a kitchen.” Reki looked over at his tools. “Maybe a handyman? I’d probably like fixin’ things up a whole lot more than I would be at my dad’s place. Just thinking about being a boring salaryman makes me wanna puke. Dad always looks so miserable, like someone just yanked his soul out of his chest.”

“So sort of what you looked like after skating with Adam?” Langa asked. “Except all of the time?”

“Please don’t say that bastard’s name. It’s too early in the morning.” Reki moaned and rubbed his eyes. “Or ever say it,”

Langa laughed lightly as Reki pouted. “Hey, I wasn’t joking!”

“I know.” Langa smiled and then planted a small kiss on Reki’s cheek. “My biological father and I meet up to have dinner once every six months. I only recently mentioned that I was dating you in a text and he told me he wants to meet you.”

“I’ll need to brush up on my English then.” Reki sighed.

“I’m sure Boyer-sensei will help.”

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

Their English teacher was a brunette American woman they called “Boyer-sensei”. She had a larger frame and was pale. She walked around collecting the career survey forms from her students. As usual, Reki was looking at his phone, texting with Langa about a new skate trick they saw on Instagram.

“Reki Kyan. Langa Hasegawa.” Boyer-sensei looked down at the redhead and blue-haired skaters. “Do you have the forms I passed out last week? The student council wants them to be collected by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yeah,” The couple handed them to their English teacher.

Boyer-sensei was genuinely shocked. “You never have your homework done.”

“Are your standards really that low for us?” Langa appeared distraught.

“Yes, they are.” Boyer stated firmly as she read Reki’s list. “A repairman...construction worker...hold on, are you really Reki Kyan? You’re not an Auton, are you?”

“What’s an Auton?” Reki asked.

“It’s a monster from Dr. Who.” Langa explained. “They create replicas of humans. Do you not have Dr. Who available in Japan?”

Reki was quiet for an awkward moment. He wasn’t sure. “Well, I figured it was a weird nerd reference.”

“Anyway, Boyer-sensei, most skaters have day jobs. I’m NOT giving up skating anytime soon.” Reki grinned and winked over at Langa who smiled back.

“I guess that makes sense. I-I just never thought the day would come where you have a single brain cell or atom of responsibility in your veins.” Boyer-sensei was floored. “The world really is ending.”

------

A few weeks later, the day finally arrived where Reki would have to get into a decent pair of dress clothing for the first time since...ever. Cherry and Joe helped Reki pick out a traditional red yukata that didn’t feel trashy as his regular look but not so stuffy it made him visibly uncomfortable.

[SNOW (LANGA): Just got in his rental from the airport. I gave his coiffeur your address. We’re on our way.]

[REKI: Cool. Waiting outside.]

Reki stood at the edge of his driveway tapping his skateboard nervously. He tried to imagine what a fancy-ass version of Langa would look like in a suit with the UN logo.

A vintage red BMW pulled up. He instantly recognized Langa who was in a iron pressed dress shirt and khakis. The coiffeur was a local man he recognized as a regular at S and the shop, but he was silent the entire time.

Next to him was a man with Langa’s exact same hair, face, and height. The only difference the eye and hair color along with the fact that he wore glasses. He had blond hair and purple eyes. His dad didn’t look that old. He looked like he was in his early twenties. He was even more well-dressed than Langa and Reki combined. A satin beige suit, Italians handmade shoes, slightly wavy hair that smelled like fresh-brewed coffee.

Shadow looks older than this guy. Reki blinked, his face full of confusion. Did he say father or brother? Reki was almost positive Langa said father, but how young was he when he had him? Two?

Reki shook his head. Just don’t blow it, don’t sound like the moron you are in front of this fancy-dancy foreign guy.

“Hey, Langa! Got a fancier ride than usual?” Reki greeted them with a smile.

Langa blinked at his and the other man. “Yeah, you wanna get in.”

The moment Reki got in there was an awkward silence. Reki sat in the middle of the two Canadians. The redhead had a million questions but the air in the backseat was so thick.

“So you smell like coffee.” Renga stated as Langa shake his head. “That’s a good thing. I usually smell like sweat and Mountain Dew. I actually took a shower today and brushed my teeth.” Reki smiled brightly.

“Good, glad to know.” The diplomat smiled nervously. “My name’s Matthew Williams, PhD, Canadian UN diplomat.”

“I’m Reki Kyan...I like to skate. I work part-time at this skate shop with Langa. We’ve been dating for...I think four months.” The redhead explained.

“I’ve heard from Langa’s mother. Thanks for teaching Langa and being with him. So is there skate hotels you like to frequent?” Matthew asked.

“Does the hospital count?” Reki asked.

“I wouldn’t exactly give it five stars. Langa, has Japan been treating you well so far?” Matthew asked.

“Yeah, most people are pretty nice. There’s no Tim Hortons, but I’ve gotten addicted to Ramen. Still would love a donut every now and then.”

“That’s the place where they sell donuts instead of fries, right?” Reki looked over at his boyfriend.

“Yeah,” Langa replied.

“Man that sounds delicious!” Reki smiled.

“So Langa, your mother told me that you and Reki had a falling out a month ago because of this shady person called Adam.”

“Yeah, it was pretty bad.”

“You know I’ve made people...disappear before for ignoring me, causing me trouble, just being an obnoxious brat of a twin brother who tormented me since 1867 until I couldn’t take it anymore.” Matthew stated with a mixture of innocence and sinstery. “I could make this ‘Adam’ person disappear, too. I’ve made good friends with Russia since we used to share a border back when Alaska was part of the Soviet Union.”

“What do you mean ‘disappear’?” Reki’s eyes widened. “Wait, how old are you? You were around during the Cold War...that’s um, Langa?”

“Alaska was annexed by the US in the 1950s.” Langa stated.

“Right, I knew that.” Reki nodded. “Uh, so wouldn’t that make you seventy or something? Like my grandpa’s seventy-three and he’s got really bad teeth.”

“Reki, why don’t you tell him about your career survey?” Langa smiled.

“Oh, I’m planning on going to technical school.”

“That’s nice.”

There was an awkward silence between the trio.

“So...are you going to charge me anything for making Adam ‘disappear’? You’re not going to get in trouble for that, are you?” Reki asked.

“I have diplomatic immunity.” Matthew replied, “Laws don’t apply to me.”

“Well, I won’t lie it is tempting.” Reki bit his lip.

----------

1 week later

Reki, Langa, Miya, Shadow, and Cherry relaxed at Joe’s Italian restaurant as the TV played the noontime news.

“Politician Ainosuke Shindo has been found in his mansion dead since yesterday morning. It’s suspected that the killer used radioactive poison to taint his food. If you have any information, please contact the police.” The newswoman stood outside of Adam’s mansion that was taped off.

Everyone looked over at Reki and Langa.

“What?” They stared around at their fellow skaters.

#ooc #aph canada #canada #sk8 the infinity #renga #langa #reki kyan #cherry #joe #adam

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andy-loves-corgis · 4 years

Text

All of The Lights - Ch 9 (TRR AU)

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: lots of pining.

Rating: M (I can’t make them not curse I guess…).

Word count: ~ 4,000

Notes: I’m a bitch and I have no right to ask for forgiveness, only thank those who are still putting up with my bullshit!

WARNING: Read the Prologue! Every chapter has TWO timelines, Before (about a year before the Prologue) and After (two years after the prologue), if you don’t pay attention to that you might get confused!

Iris

And I would give up forever to touch you

BEFORE

There were voices muffled by the clatter of pans and cutlery at the kitchens, but somehow Savannah’s voice seemed to rise above all the noise pointing at the TV.

“Just look at her.”

Drake did, it was a sequence of pictures from the past couple of weeks, all the royal functions Riley attended alongside Liam, Leo, and Madeleine; the three women on the morning show were analyzing if Riley was there with Liam or just as a maid of honor for Madeleine. In each photo Riley sported her noble grin, he knew it was the fake one because when she smiled fully you could spot the smallest of dimples on her cheeks.

“She looks miserable.” Savannah continued looking for his reaction.

“No, she doesn’t” Drake brushed her off and finished his orange juice in one big gulp before getting up. “Riley is a big girl; she can make her own decisions.”

“Are you going already? I thought you didn’t have classes at all today”

“Well, first…” he kissed the top of her head “… I still work, and Liam texted me to meet him this morning.”

“Oh, because you’re soooooo important!” Savannah laughed rolling her eyes.

Drake pushed another croissant in his mouth and left the kitchens, feeling in the air that the cold was preparing to go away. The competition season would start soon, and he would hate to wake up in the early hours of the morning – as he used to during this events-, to cold weather. He spotted Liam with his black zip-up jacket waiting for him, with a couple of men from the Royal Guard; Drake took his time to pull up the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Hey. Thought you wanted to talk” Drake said greeting his friend.

“I need to blow off some steam, thought it would be good to go for a run. Are you out of shape?” Liam teased.

“As I remember, we did the Army training together, I was the fastest on our squad.”

“Nah, I let you win,” Liam said, and Drake laughed.

“Start running, then. Your highness.” Drake challenged him with a smirk.

After 20 laps, Drake notices signs of fatigue in Liam.

“Come on!” Drake teased, turning on his back but still running ahead of Liam.

“Jesus, what are you made of, Walker?” Liam laughed, throwing his head back almost in exhaustion.

“Whiskey and one-night-stands.” Drake laughed and stopped as soon as they reached their starting point, both leaning on the wall to even their breaths.

“Yeah, about that…” the prince took a big gulp of water from his bottle and turned to his best friend. “What happened at Leo’s bachelor party?”

Drake looked puzzled.

“Did you blackout?”

“No, not at all, actually” Drake knew Liam was trying to keep it cool, but he could see right through him. “You were alone with Riley for some time… did she say anything?”

“Liam, I spend a lot of time alone with Riley, I really can’t see your point…”

“Did something happen?” Liam wasn’t bothering to hide anymore.

Blinking a few times, Drake finally understood where the conversation was heading.

“I won’t bother to answer you, Liam.” Drake stopped leaning on the wall “Riley and I were friends since we were kids.”

“You know she’s completely off-limits, right? Even if we wore broken up, it’s Bro Code.” Liam tried to sound casual.

“Like when you slept with Erika?” the color was drained from Liam’s face when Drake finished his remark.

“You already know what happened” his answer was strained. “She was playing you and took advantage of the fact that I had too much to drink that night after a fight with Riley.”

Drake preferred to believe his longest friend.

“It doesn’t change the fact that I caught both of you naked in bed and never told Riley, that alone could remind you the WE are friends too.” Liam stayed silent after this. “I don’t know if my answer was enough for you, but I have work to do.”

“I… forget what I said, Riley has been weirdly good-behaved, she just makes me unsure…”

“That’s… your problem, Liam.

Drake shrugged and shook his head. He knew he shouldn’t give the literal back to the prince, but it wasn’t like he could handle another minute of awkwardness.

Concentrating was hard in the first hour, he kept reliving the moment where he opened the door of the room Erika was staying, how she was curled up on Liam’s chest. The surprised look on her face, from her to Liam; how she begged for forgiveness.

After three hours he figured he wouldn’t get any work done, so he decided to find Riley and see if she wanted a ride to Valtoria, he was scheduled to select the horses there for the next competition; he wasn’t surprised to find her along with Savannah at the dancing studio.

“I thought I smelled Tiger Balm,” he said as soon as he opened the door. “Should you be doing that already?”

Savannah was sitting on the ground with 3 pairs of ballet shoes and a sewing kit; Riley was right across her in a perfect split.

“You always liked the smell” Riley smiled dodging his question. “See… if you sew an elastic instead of silk, it will allow you more movements.”

“What are all these shoes?” Drake asked.

“Riley gave them to me so I could practice for the presentation” Savannah gave him a toothy grin.

Drake side-eyed Riley, the girl just clenched her jaw, sat back, and got up.

“Oh my, I just forgot I had to meet Maxwell… See you soon, bye!” Savannah exclaimed sensing the change in the atmosphere.

Drake waited until he heard the door closing behind his sister

“We had an agreement on gifts,” he said to her back as she pretended to look for something on her gym bag; he heard the clinking sound of her painkillers shaking in their bottle, she shouldn’t have been training so soon.

A long exhale followed.

“I bought them to myself, but it doesn’t seem like I’m going to wear them anytime soon, does it?” she was in a sour mood grabbing the orange bottle more forcefully than she should.

“I’ll count them as birthday gifts.”

“They are just fucking ballet shoes, Drake!” she turned with her jaw clenched, her blue eyes glimmering. “Helping Savannah is literally the only thing I’m holding onto right now.”

Her fists were balled on the side of her body and her whole frame was slightly shaking.

“Riley” Drake changed to a much softer tone. “Is everything alright?”

She closed her eyes for a second too long.

“Define ‘alright’.”

Drake didn’t say anything else, his hands just circled both of her upper arms and pulled her to his embrace, he felt in his chest as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, containing her tears. Even as a child, Riley hated crying in front of anyone.

“Hey, New York is just around the corner, ok?” Drake said and a sob escaped her mouth. “Soon you’ll be oceans away.”

Her sobbing was uncontrollable now.

“I’m not going.” Her voice was muffled by his chest.

“Wait… what happened?” he took a step back and his heart clenched at the sight of her watery eyes.

“I burned my acceptance letter two weeks ago, it was just bullshit, Drake. Everyone knows I can’t escape this place.” She forcefully wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek.

A small part of him, a part he would hardly acknowledge, was relieved to hear she wasn’t leaving; although, there was another part of him that was dying to see her like that. He always imagined Riley as an exotic bird inside a golden cage.

“You shouldn’t have done that!” he pulled her back to his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Things are going to be fine; I can’t tell you how, but they will, even if I have to make them be, ok?”

She sniffed on his chest.

“´k”

“Hey, let me take you back to Valtoria tonight, I’m headed there anyway” he moved back just a little to see her quickly drying her eyes.

“Yeah, that would be good, thanks.” She gave him a small smile.

“Be ready at 6 pm”

Drake left the room with a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach. Getting back to his office, he tried to concentrate on the paperwork for the next competition; stopping a little early than 6, he scrolled through his Instagram and something caught his attention, a smile spread on his face as he realized how he could lift Riley’s mood.

For some unknown reason, his legs were shaking while he waited for her outside his truck, it got worse once he saw her leaving the castle, wearing just jeans and no makeup on.

“Ready?” she asked, she sounded a little more cheerful than in the afternoon.

“Yeah” he opened the door and helped her hop in his Silverado.

As he drove far from the palace she seemed to relax, even more, concentrated on the changing blue sky as the night fell.

“We’ll need to stop somewhere first…” Drake started uncertain, regretting his words as soon as he said them.

“Where are we going?” she looked at him puzzled. “Are you gonna kill me and dispose of my body in the woods?”

Drake rolled his eyes and threw his cellphone on her lap.

“Sometimes I think I should…” he joked but stopped to study her face as a crease appeared between her brows.

“Are you serious?” she looked at him suspiciously. “Is this a prank? You would NEVER do this…”

“I can head right to Valt…”

“NO NO, we’re going” she reached for the steering wheel.

“You’re a danger even in the passenger seat, York” Drake pretended to slap her hand; he couldn’t help but smile at her excitement.

He parked his truck in front of the Wood Wheel and Riley hopped off the car like a child anxious to get into the park.

“Am I allowed to record?” she asked grinning.

“No” he stated, pulling his guitar from behind his seat. “I’m only doing this because I hate owing you.”

“Whatever you say, Walker…”

Getting inside, they were welcomed by the smell of Al’s greasy fries, loud chatter, and someone finishing a song on the makeshift stage at the right corner.

“Look if it isn’t my favorite costumer and again, he brought his girl that knows how to drink.” Al greeted them from the counter.

“Al doesn’t understand the term ‘friends’” he threw Riley an unapologetic look and she shrugged, making a beeline to the bar and grabbing a glass of wine for her and whisky for him.

“Drake’s gonna sing today!” Riley stated excited sitting on the stool.

“Oh, is he?” Al looked at him puzzled as Drake rested his guitar on the floor.

“I lost a bet” he mumbled grabbing his glass.

Al snorted, cleaning another glass.

“I have a free slot in half an hour, I’ll be waiting” Al mocked him.

After his second glass, he felt more at ease, especially after watching Riley chat cheerfully with Al, the remnants of her sadness not showing anymore.

“Ohhhh, it’s your turn, I’m so excited! I’ll get to check another one of the items on my bucket list for this year!” Riley clapped unable to contain her excitement.

Drake exhaled loudly and turned to grab his guitar when he felt Riley’s small hands on his biceps.

“Hey” her voice was hoarse, maybe for all the wine, she was drinking. “It’s going to be great.”

“It’s pretty packed, isn’t it?” Drake averted his eyes to all the occupied tables in front of the stage.

“It doesn’t matter, pretend it’s just us. Like we’ve done a hundred times”

He nodded and gulped despite all the encouragement from Riley.

Trying not to look at anyone on the tables, he silently sat on the stool with his guitar and adjusted his microphone.

“Hum, hello everyone. My name is Drake and I lost a bet.” The crowd laughed and brown eyes met ocean blue.

With a sigh, his fingers hit the strings.

I've been roaming around Always looking down at all I see Painted faces, fill the places I can't reach

You know that I could use somebody You know that I could use somebody

Someone like you, and all you know, and how you speak

He tried to focus solely on his fingers hitting the strings, the hot light above him, muffling any sound of the crowd singing along, or the way his heart skipped a beat by his unconscious choice of song.

Off in the night, while you live it up, I'm off to sleep Waging wars to shape the poet and the beat I hope it's gonna make you notice I hope it's gonna make you notice

Someone like me

Although it wasn’t a matter of someone, more of a matter of somewhere, some other reality, because, in this one, this was just a song, it had to be just a song.

Drake finished the last notes with everyone in the bar singing along and clapping after he finished, completely flushed, and not from his whiskey.

“You were AMAZING!” Riley almost shrieked in excitement. “this was the best night EVER! God, I want to pee… wait a minute and we can go.”

Riley didn’t let him say anything before rushing to the bathroom.

“Your girlfriend is something else!” Al laughed pouring him some whisky.

“I’ve already told you, she’s not my girlfriend.” He drank half of his shot in a big gulp.

“Ok, but have you told her?” Al looked at him mischievously. “Because she was sitting right there where you are, looking at you like a lost puppy crazy to follow you home.”

“She’s not remotely interest… Hey York! Should we go?”

Riley was back with a half-drunk smile.

“Sure!”

The ride to Valtoria was peaceful, a recomforting silence with the radio buzzing old songs while Riley closed her eyes feeling the chilly night air on her face.

Drake parked his car on the west wing of her estate, where she could get inside by the kitchen door and he would be just a short walk from the staff’s rooms. He made sure to help her out of the car, not prepared to be that close to her.

“Thank you for this night” her voice was above a whisper.

“That’s what best friends are for” he winked and for a split of a second, he thought he saw her smile falter.

“Yeah you’re a great friend” she kissed his cheek for a second too long. “Good night, Drake.”

“Good night, Riley.”

He watched as she moved towards the entrance, turning to glance at him before entering, a pang in his chest hit him heard. He hoped he was having a heart attack.

AFTER

“No! You’re not putting any animal down without me saying so!” Drake almost shouted on the phone, Yanis, one of his assistants pretended he wasn’t witnessing the awkward moment. “You’re going to wait for me to get there then we talk. Bye!”

Drake almost threw his phone on the table and exhaled loudly.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, what happened?”

Yanis fidgeted on his seat.

“Hum, Lady Riley was here a while ago, she said she needed some files”

Shit, he forgot to hand them to her.

“Damn, if you see her, tell her I’ll have them delivered to her quarters today.

“She actually asked you to meet her at 3 pm, somewhere called South Wing.”

“Yeah, ok, anything else?” the boy just shook his head and got up as fast as he could.

Drake exhaled again; he didn’t want to scare the boy. He was one of the good ones sent from the company that now took care of the Royal horses.

He remembered how was to enter his office again after everything happened. Drake actually couldn’t remember how one thing led to another; how coming back from the hospital turned to join the taskforce against The Sons of Earth, then sharing a whiskey with Liam when they finally caught the bastards. Applying again for his job as an official Royal Veterinarian, now to a company, not Liam.

Everything got back to normal. Then she came back.

He gave up on his report and decided to do some handwork to pass the time.

Riley’s back came into view as soon as his feet reached the grass; she seemed too absorbed by the view in front of her to notice Drake getting closer.

“Hey,” he said, and she was startled by his voice.

“Ohmygod… sorry, my mind was elsewhere.” She shook her head.

He followed her eyes to the window, they were facing the south wing of the castle, right beside the grand ballroom, the wing housed the conservatory and a dance studio, where right now a bunch of noble preteens were having a ballet class.

“Do you still dance?” Drake caught himself asking.

Riley chuckled and shook her head.

“I don’t dance at all.”

“At all? I pretty much saw you waltzing a couple of times since you came back.” She turned her head to face him and gave him half a smile.

“Waltzing is like shaking hands, you do it because you have to.”

“So, you’re telling me that you haven’t gone out clubbing in NY?” Drake questioned almost amused.

“Well, it was considered risky behavior for a person like me” she let the sentence hang in the air. “But yeah, I barely danced two songs in the past two years.” She shrugged like it was no big deal.

Drake stayed silent for long seconds, thinking through the sentence he wanted to say.

“You should do it; I know there’s a part of you dying to.”

He didn’t mean it to sound so personal, he just couldn’t help it; Riley blushed and looked at her feet before clearing her throat.

“Did you get her last address?” she changed the subject.

“Oh yeah, here it is” he offered her a folder with the little information he had gathered on Savannah’s whereabouts. “you’re not paying anything for it, right?”

“No, I beat up a PI at poker in New York and he owed me a favor for letting him go in his car.” She laughed to herself.

“Why does this story sound so much like bullshit?”

“His name is Damien Nazario, he was there with his girlfriend and another weird couple, you can look up for him online.” She smirked, “And for the record, I’m really good at poker.”

“So… poker wasn’t risky behavior?”

“We need to beat our vices one at a time, Walker” she laughed a little more truthfully. “So… that was another thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

Drake tensed.

“I went to the Wood Wheel yesterday and ended up bumping on Cassidy” Drake’s stomach clenched and Riley blushed from the awkwardness of the situation “Sorry, I didn’t know she was your girlfriend, she seems really nice though… hum, I obviously didn’t say anything and…”

She started twisting her fingers.

“And…?”

Riley sighed and leaned on the window,

“Look, I know it’s too much to ask, but no one never knew we were together…” it was almost painful to have the words together thrown at him. “well, aside from some people in the court… but, we could pretend it never happened so I wouldn’t lose my favorite bar.”

“You want me to lie to my girlfriend?” Drake rose a brow to her.

“No, I’m just asking for you not to blatantly tell her” he held his gaze on her shameful eyes. “Look, Wood Wheel is the only place I can drink without being bothered by people knowing me or paparazzi showing up. If she asks you, you do what you want to do, but think for a moment that we can bury whatever happened to us and just move on. This is the perfect chance.”

Whatever happened to us. Ouch.

“Okay… It’s not like I would want her to find out.”

Riley nodded not looking directly at him.

“Well… I got to go and email this stuff to Damien; I’ll tell you as soon as he gives me a lead.” Riley tried to brush off the awkwardness with a half-smile.

“Okay” Drake silently answered.

Returning to his office he got his phone back, noticing there were a couple of calls from Cassidy.

“Hey, Cass,” he said as soon as she picked up.

“Hey, Drake! How’s your day going?”

“Pretty normal, how about you?”

“Well…” she started and he heard the sound of the pans behind her. “the Chef is a little moody today, but the movement is low, not many tourists, so I’m now consuming Cordonian gossip.

“Oh… why?”

“I mean, in Greece we don’t have an ‘active’ Royal Family, sometimes I even forgot they existed, but here they are like celebrities.”

“Hum” Drake huffed not wanting to get to this conversation so soon. “Most of them are just assholes with money.”

“About that… Is ‘Lady Bitch’ related to Riley York?”

There it was.

“Yes, she’s her mother. Why?”

“Oh, I met Lady Riley yesterday… at Wood Wheel.” She finished like it was a surprise to find the noble there. “It seems like Al knows her, he even let her go out for a smoke with a glass on her hands.”

“I saw her there a couple of times in the past, before…. The whole thing”

Before I pulled her half-dead body from the ocean.

“Do you know her? She dated Prince Liam, you’re friends with him, right?”

“Yeah, I know her, everyone kind of know each other, is a small circle.”

That was safe.

“Hope she comes back to the bar when is our night, she looks like she tips well.” She laughed and he tried to follow. “Oh, I gotta go, Matt is calling me. Bye!”

“Bye…”

The rest of his shift was spent reliving the conversation.

He exhaled loudly. Drake didn’t like lying, and it felt like he was lying all the time, even if Cassidy would never think about Riley and him being anything but acquaintances; if he was being true to himself, he had been feeling close to suffocating ever since Riley came back, things were simpler then, now everything was gray, except for one of those exotic blue-ish flowers that always caught his eyes on the way back to his room.

Not even the chilly air of the garden was calming his nerves, then he noticed a light that wasn’t supposed to be there, the south wing was usually dark by that time at night, the only other times he recalled someone using it at was way back…

When Riley still danced.

He stopped dead in tracks near the window, watching as she executed a triple spin, only to stumble on her feet; he could see her frustration, her brows joined as some strands of hair fell from her bun to her face. Giving up, she sat on the floor and started to untie her shoes, she gave a long sigh when the music coming from the speakers changed drastically.

The sweet strings from Dramarama’s cover filled the room; she looked as surprised as him, they used to hear that song at full volume in his car right when he started driving. Now barefoot on the wooden floor, she got up and started to shake her shoulders timidly, then her hips followed… her legs and her arms.

Do you wanna eat? Do you wanna sleep? Do you wanna drown?

Just settle down, settle down, settle down.

I’ll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills

I’ll give you anything you want. Hundred-dollar bills.

The song related morbidly to her, but it seemed to give her strength, totally lost on the beat; jumping around and biting her lips she untied her hair and let it fall loose shaking her head.

It was when a full-blown smile took over her face, with dimples and all.

Seeing those little dimples on the corner of her mouth as she smiled to the roof with her head thrown back, swaying hips and arms, he remembered why storms were named after people.

I just love you guys!

@saivilo; @kimmiedoo5; @pug-bitch; @bee1arw; @laurmillen; @axwalker; @world-of-dreams-and-muse; @rtinaz; @iplaydrake; @notoriouscs; @mind-reader1; @annekebbphotography; @walkerismychoice; @tmarie82; @blackwidow2721; @thequeenchoices; @missameliep; @jovialyouthmusic; @perksof-everything; @choicesmacmakes; @carabeth @drakenazario; @drakesensworld; @moneyfordiamonds; @ao719; @lynne1993; @ilovedrakewalker23; @msjpuddleduck; @drakewalkerisreal; @violinist3121; @wannabemc2; @gibbles82; @furiousherringoperatortoad; @jens-diamondchoices; @rainbowsinthestorm; @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore; @emceesynonymroll; @addictedtodrakefanfic; @texaskitten30; @dcbbw; @i-bloody-love-drake-walker; @mom2000aggie;

#drake x mc #Riley York #liam x mc #all of the lights #trr au #maxwell beaumont #hana lee #the royal romance fan fiction

37 notes · View notes

lallemanting · 4 years

Note

i was just rereading “whatever makes you feel the sun, chase that” because i love it SO MUCH and i would be forever indebted to you if you wrote a tiny thing about lucas and eliott traveling after they get on the train together

my darling anon! thank you so much for this sweet message and request 💛💛 I honestly had no intention of returning to this version of Lucas and Eliott but then I got this request for a “tiny” thing about their trip and wrote nearly 7k words so…whoops? I really hope you enjoy!!

part 2 of whatever makes you feel the sun (chase that) // also on ao3 here!

Lucas leans back against the rough material of the train seat and just looks. He allows himself that, as Eliott sleeps lightly next to him, because he hasn’t really before.

Every look has been plagued by fear, deep and unyielding, the kind that arrests your heart and makes each beat painful. The kind that was sent away, if only briefly, by a pair of stormy eyes and a sweet voice. Eliott.

It feels a bit like breaking out of the water after holding your breath for too long. Lungs burning, heart racing, a panic sitting there, beneath the skin, that fades as the air hits your face and the water drips away and there’s oxygen ready to gasped in, ready to fill your lungs again.

It’s almost drowning, but being saved at the last second. It’s learning to breathe again.

Eliott’s eyes are closed and his mouth is hanging open, just a little, as the sunlight fights its way past the built-in shades the people in the seats in front of them have pulled down. The light casts over him making lines on his t-shirt and his hair is messy, mussed from being pressed against the headrest of a train seat. But he’s beautiful all the same.

He’s beautiful, really, in the kind of way that makes people look twice (Lucas certainly did). The kind of beauty that’s intimidating at first, that left Lucas reeling when he reached for him in that club, when he said he remembered Lucas of all people, just from a glance on the beach.

But it was his smile, the disarming way he laughed, the light that seemed to shine even when in complete darkness that sent Lucas chasing after him.

Eliott shifts in his sleep, his head falling onto Lucas’ shoulder and Lucas smiles, wide, as his heart hiccups in his chest. He turns his face to press a soft kiss to Eliott’s forehead and lets him sleep on.

Lucas’ phone buzzes a few times in his pocket and he pulls it out to see several texts in his group chat.

Le gang

Yann

hey lulu, you okay? haven’t heard from you in a few hours

assuming you found your man

or I was right about the serial killer thing

but just know if you don’t respond soon I’m going to have to call the police and tell them to start looking for a handsomeman named eliott

Lucas

why do you assume he’s handsome

Arthur

He speaks!

Yann

I have faith in your taste bro

so I assume that means you found him?

Lucas

I found him

Arthur

And you’re with him now?

Lucas

on our way to amsterdam

Basile

👎👎👎

Yann

whoa bas

why are you thumbs-downing our boy?

Arthur

more like 🥳🥂🍆💦❤️🌈

Lucas

arthur wtf lol

Basile

im not thumbs-downing our boy

i just still think it’s unfair that i was the one who was supposed to get with someone this trip

and lucas got someone instead

Lucas

sounds like jealousy to me

Yann

Bas shut up

Arthur

Yeah Bas shut up

Also Lucas do you really need me to spell out those emojis for you?

Lucas

no I got it lol

Yann

point is we’re happy for you

even bas

Lucas

even bas?

Basile

Fine yeah

even bas

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

Arthur

that’s the spirit

🌈🌈🌈

Yann

🌈🌈🌈

Lucas

you guys are dumb

but thank you

really

Yann

you don’t need to thank us lu

we love you

Arthur

We do!

Basile

we do

Yann

now get back to your man

Lucas

love you guys too

It’s after lunch now, and Lucas can feel his stomach protesting as the only thing he’s had to eat so far that day is a croissant Eliott had bought him at the train station while they waited for the next train. They’re headed to Amsterdam still, since Eliott’s got a friend, who he’d told Lucas was also apparently named Lucas, that’s letting them crash in his and his boyfriend’s apartment while they’re on their own trip to Spain. They’d transferred an hour or so ago from a smaller, suburban train to this larger one that will take them all the way to Amsterdam.

Lucas thinks they’re probably nearing Brussels, one of the major stops before Amsterdam, and he finds himself wondering if Eliott is the kind of person who wakes when moving vehicles come to stop, even if just for a moment. There’s so much still that Lucas has to learn about him. And yet, this right now, is the closest he’s ever felt to trust, to being his whole self. Lucas’ stomach growls again, but Eliott shifts once more, his head nestling even closer in the crook of Lucas’ neck, and Lucas knows he won’t be going anywhere until Eliott wakes.

It’s a few hours, and stops later (it turns out Eliott is very much not the person who wakes up every time the train reaches a new station), when they finally reach Amsterdam. It’s late afternoon, nearing evening, when they step out of the station and into the sun, and Lucas feels his lungs expand as he breathes, really breathes, in the new air. His chest feels light, still unaccustomed to not feeling as though he’s been dragging around a weight in the form of a secret. A lightness in freedom.

He flinches slightly, as Eliott takes his hand, but it’s muscle memory, desire that’s been told for so long to quiet down and hide away that it feels uncomfortable at first to let it be seen.

Eliott must notice because he asks him, quietly, “Is this okay?” waiting for Lucas’ nod to interlace their fingers.

But Lucas does nod, and he whispers yes, Eliott and his chest fills with something new, or maybe it’s just his heart expanding. He squeezes Eliott’s hand back.

They wander for a while, hand in hand, along the canals and to a fries shop Eliott’s friend had told him was the best in the city. So they get some, Eliott going overboard on the sauces, and eat them sitting next to the water, legs crossed and knees touching.

“Can I ask what changed?” Eliott asks him after wiping a bit of sauce off his cheek and kissing him so slow and deep that Lucas had almost dropped the fries he’d been holding.

“You mean why I decided to come?”

Eliott nods, biting into another fry.

Lucas pauses, turning his gaze out away from Eliott and across the water, watching as a boat passes them, the people inside shrieking with laughter.

“There were two reasons,” he says softly, turning back to catch Eliott’s eye. “One, I was tired of being so scared. I didn’t want to have to live with fear and I guess I realized I didn’t have to.”

Eliott smiles, soft and kind. A look, Lucas is quickly realizing, that’s a natural one on his face.

“And the second reason?” Eliott asks.

Lucas grins and leans in, his lips so close to Eliott’s they’re almost brushing, the promise of his touch making Lucas’ head spin.

“You.”

Eliott kisses him.

They wander for a few more hours, grabbing dinner at a restaurant with cloth napkins where they’d actually sat down, ordered wine. It feels a little like something out of a movie, something Lucas had always wanted deep in his heart but never admitted to himself.

“Our first real date,” Eliott says when Lucas raises an eyebrow at the price. “I want to spoil you.”

Lucas rolls his eyes, but can’t hide the blush that coats his face. “You haven’t even asked me out!” he protests.

Eliott only looks at him at him.

“I did you one better,” Eliott says, reaching across the table and brushing his fingers across the back of Lucas’ hand.

“Oh, did you?”

Eliott nods.

“I asked you to run away with me and you said yes.”

Lucas flushes, catching Eliott’s fingers in his hand and bringing his hand up to kiss the back of it gently. “I did,” he whispers back. There’s really nothing else to say.

They spend longer than they should at the restaurant, even splitting a dessert – a gooey chocolate lava cake that has Lucas nearly melting into the floor and Eliott, after swiping the bill out from under Lucas’ hand, tells him they should make their way to his friend’s apartment.

It’s set back a bit in the city, down a side row behind some shops. The evening is settling into night, the last dregs of summer sunlight disappearing as the sun fully melts beyond the horizon, but the world is buzzing still, the night fresh and young and full of hope.

Eliott punches in a code at the door on the street and leads Lucas up a narrow set of stairs to the fourth floor. The hallway is dark and damp smelling, the stairs an old, twisted set of terrors, meaning that Lucas is breathing heavy by the time they reach the top.

Eliott finds the key tucked between a piece of loose molding and a flap of peeling wallpaper just where Eliott’s friend said it would be and puts it in the lock, the key twisting almost deafeningly, and the door swinging open.

The apartment is a studio, a kitchenette just to the left of the door and two large windows facing out onto the street, a small table and chairs placed between them. A mattress is pressed up against the wall across from the door on the floor and a small couch and tv are just to the right of the entrance. In the back corner Lucas sees a door which he can only assume leads to the bathroom. It’s dark, the light from outside nearly gone, and Eliott flicks the switch next to the door, bathing the room in a harsh yellow light from a single bulb placed in the middle of the ceiling.

“God, I hate overhead lighting,” Eliott says, moving to throw down his backpack and switch on the lamps next to the couch and the bed before returning to the door and switching the bulb back off. “There, that’s better.”

Lucas smiles, dropping his own bag into one of the seats at the table and turning to look out the window at the people walking through the city below them, each of them living lives so separate from their own.

“I’m just gonna, uh, use the bathroom,” Lucas hears from behind him and then the sound of a door clicking shut as Eliott goes in.

Lucas sighs and leans his forehead against the cool glass, but something picks at his brain that won’t let him relax. Not yet.

He fishes out his phone from his pocket and types out a message, one he’s typed out time and time again but hasn’t sent yet. But now, he feels like he can.

Lucas to Maman

I wanted to let you know that I won’t be coming home for a few weeks. I’ve decided to extend my trip. I met someone who I like very much and I want to be able to spend more time with them. With him.

He’s a boy Maman. His name is Eliott and I think you’d like him very much.

I’m sorry if this disappoints you. I love you and I’ll try to call you tomorrow. X

He hits send before he can think about it too much and puts his phone down on the table, plugging it in. There’s other things he wants to focus on tonight.

Across the room, Eliott emerges from the bathroom, looking at Lucas leaning against the table and smiling sweetly, his hands digging into his pockets, his shoulders hunching in what Lucas is learning is a nervous gesture.

Nervous. Around him of all people. Lucas will never get used to it.

“So what do you want to do tonight?” Eliott asks him, pulling his phone out of his pocket and swiping it open. “My friend recommended a few bars we could check out or I think there’s this one we passed on our way here…”

Lucas pushes himself off the table and walks across the room towards Eliott stopping just in front of him, close enough to reach out and touch.

“Or,” Lucas says, taking the phone out of Eliott’s hand and tossing it onto the couch, “we could stay in.”

Lucas reaches out and grabs the hem of Eliott’s shirt loosely, his fingertips brushing the skin at Eliott’s waist. Eliott inhales sharply and stumbles back, cursing as his hip makes contact with the couch.

“Yeah, god, okay, we can definitely stay in,” he says.

He reaches out to grasp Lucas’ face, his touch light against his cheekbones and Lucas leans into it, closing his eyes as Eliott closes the distance, their lips brushing together for the hundredth time that week, but something feeling new all the same.

It’s overwhelming in the best way, the feeling of Eliott so close, the way he’s holding onto Lucas like he’s a precious thing, not fragile but important. Something to be handled with care not out of fear of breaking, but affection.

Lucas leans into him and grasps onto Eliott’s hips, pulling him closer to press them together, Eliott angling his head to kiss him deeper, his tongue swiping at the seam of Lucas’ lips, turning the kiss hot and messy.

Lucas gasps, Eliott taking advantage of it to walk him backwards towards the mattress. Lucas’ hands run along the skin of Eliott’s stomach and around towards his back, pulling at his shirt as they move.

“Off,” Lucas whispers against Eliott’s mouth and Eliott is quick to comply, pulling the shirt up and over his head, giving Lucas only a second to take him in with new messier hair before he’s on him again.

“Your turn,” Eliott says, pulling back to kiss Lucas’ jaw, behind his ear and down his neck as Lucas shivers, tugging on his shirt. Lucas quickly pulls it over his head.

And really, Lucas thinks, it shouldn’t be this good, it’s not supposed to be this good, with someone he only met a short time ago. Lucas has never imagined it could feel like this, especially not so soon.

There was a nervousness, a hesitation in name only, when they gotten together the first time, only because Lucas was new at it, still is new at it. But Eliott had smoothed it away with an understanding smile and a readiness to only go as far as Lucas was willing, as far as Lucas would take him.

But somehow, Eliott’s never really felt like a stranger, and his body has never really felt completely new. Lucas knows they’ve only just met but there’s always seemed to be this place they existed together, from the moment they locked eyes across the beach, that only they could get to. A frequency only they can tune into, hidden away from everything else that beckons Lucas to break the so-called rules he didn’t even realize he’d been imposing on himself.

With Eliott, it’s just easy. And the parts that aren’t so easy Eliott is so calm and kind and understanding that it makes it easier to work through, to discuss and then deliver. It’s the kind of respect and desire, the kind of want with a preference that makes it clear Eliott, somehow, miraculously, feels just as lucky as Lucas that they found each other. A feeling that translates into comfort and vulnerability.

(And maybe, Lucas thinks as he recalls his words to the boys when he told them, it feels just a little bit like love . But it can’t be.

Can love happen so fast? )

They collapse on the mattress and fumble at the buttons on their pants, Eliott straddling Lucas to pull them off with his boxers as Lucas lies among the pillows.

“Shit,” Eliott inhales, his eyes roaming Lucas’ body, “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

Lucas can feel himself blush, still not used to the kind of compliments Eliott doles out so freely. He’s not used to beautiful either, something he’d never thought of himself as, something he’d never thought someone would think of him. And yet here, hovering over him is the most beautiful man Lucas has ever seen and he’s looking at Lucas with the kind of fierce adoration that makes Lucas forget everything else and Lucas finds he believes him. Somehow, Eliott’s words cut through the rest.

Eliott makes Lucas okay with being brave is the thing. It’s not that Lucas wasn’t capable of it before, or that he’s doing everything now for Eliott, it’s that suddenly, somehow, Lucas can finally see himself making brave choices, trying new things, trusting himself to know what he wants. It’s that seeing the way Eliott has trusted himself and in his feelings has made it easier for Lucas to accept his own. Take on new challenges because he wants to, leave the fear behind.

Life, for Lucas, has been full of new experiences lately.

Eliott leans down to kiss him again, deep and encompassing, pressing Lucas into the mattress with the kind of fervor that leaves Lucas shaking.

“Wait,” Lucas gasps, grabbing Eliott’s hips as Eliott freezes and pulls back. “No, don’t stop I just…” Lucas presses back against him and flips them, coming to straddle Eliott’s waist. “I want to try something.”

Eliott blinks, once, twice, his eyes dark as his gaze roams Lucas’ face. “Yeah, okay,” he whispers, his voice hoarse.

Lucas kisses him, Eliott’s mouth soft and wet against him. Then he moves his way down Eliott’s neck, his chest, his stomach pressing searing kisses to the skin as Eliott pants beneath him. When he reaches the waistband of Eliott’s boxers he looks up and finds Eliott looking back at him with something akin to awe on his face.

“Okay?” he asks, his mouth pressing the question into Eliott’s waistline.

“God. Yes. Please ,” Eliott pants out and Lucas can’t help but grin that he’s reduced eloquent romantic Eliott to single syllables.

“Okay,” Lucas replies, hooking his fingers in Eliott’s boxers and pulling them down, Eliott breathing out a punched out moan as Lucas returns and presses a kiss to his inner thigh.

Later, as Lucas lies in bed, a sheet pulled up around his hips, Eliott produces a joint from his bag and waves it excitedly at him as Lucas rolls his eyes.

“What? It’s Amsterdam!” Eliott says as he lights it, throwing open the window so the sounds from the street below float into the room.

“You’re so stupid,” Lucas says, but he can’t conceal his laughter, the way his happiness bubbles up, uncontained.

“So, you don’t want any?” Eliott asks, lifting an eyebrow as he takes a drag.

“I never said that,” Lucas says quickly and opens his arms beckoning Eliott to him.

Eliott returns to him quickly and they lay there, passing the joint between them, wrapped up in each other, Eliott’s fingers tracing patterns on Lucas’ arms. It’s quiet and peaceful and Lucas can’t help but lean into the soft comfort of Eliott’s embrace, so relaxed and at ease it’s like he’s had it forever.

Is that what it is?

They wake late the next day, Lucas wrapped in the warm circle of Eliott’s arms, a brief spike of panic coursing through him until he remembers he has nowhere to be, nothing to hide from. He can just be.

He relaxes even more when he finally convinces himself to check his phone while Eliott’s in the shower and finds a text from his mother that takes away the last of the burden.

Maman to Lucas

You could never disappoint me my darling son.

I love you. Call me when you can.

If his happiness is evident on his face, it’s only reflected in Eliott’s as he laughs when Lucas grabs him the minute he steps out of the bathroom, hugging him close and pressing his face into his neck.

“I’m so happy you found me,” Lucas whispers.

Eliott pulls back and pecks him gently, once, twice, three times.

“I think you’re the one who found me.”

They can agree to disagree.

Eliott drags him to a bakery his friend recommended and then across the city to the Van Gogh museum, telling Lucas it’s something they simply have to see. Lucas takes a brief stop to call his mother, who answers with her voice soft and warm, assuring Lucas she loves him and asking him to pass the phone to this Eliott boy .

Lucas tries to protest but Eliott hears from where he’s sitting and grabs the phone from Lucas’ hand, talking and laughing with Lucas’ mother on the other end. Lucas gapes at him when he hands the phone back and Eliott just shrugs, telling him, she just made me promise to take care of you. I told her not to worry.

Lucas can only shake his head as he brings the phone back up to his ear, just to have her tell him that Eliott sounds like a wonderful boy and again that she loves him. And Lucas really doesn’t blame Eliott when he looks a little smug after that.

Once they get inside the museum, Eliott spends the whole time raving about color and brushstrokes and genius and Lucas understands almost none of it, but he doesn’t care, as long as it makes Eliott happy. Eliott gets a little quieter, for a moment, when he talks about Van Gogh’s personal struggles, the way pain had come and never quite left, so Lucas reaches out and takes Eliott’s hand, squeezing it, and leans over to lightly kiss Eliott’s shoulder.

He doesn’t say anything but he knows Eliott understands from the way he looks back and smiles. It’s a smile like that, private and reserved just for Lucas, that makes the feeling in his chest expand just a little.

Can it be named yet?

And just like that, their days in Amsterdam fall away. Lucas loses count at some point, how long they’ve been there, their time so full of Eliott’s laughter and Lucas’ heart beating and kissing, that they start to blend together.

Kissing.

Lucas knows he’d never really been kissed before Eliott and certainly not like this. Lucas learns quickly that there are many different kinds, many more than he’d ever imagined and it seems like Eliott is on a mission to try out them all.

There’s kisses on his mouth and his cheeks and his jaw and his neck and searing ones that leave marks all over his body. There’s kisses in the street and in parks and on benches and pressed up against walls. At some point Lucas wonders if he should be getting used to these kisses, the way Eliott’s mouth feels against him, but then Eliott kisses him again and everything else is gone from Lucas’ mind and all he can remember is Eliott .

And even when they leave Amsterdam behind, Eliott seems to want to try everything all over again in each new place as if somehow the feeling of Lucas’ lips would have changed depending on the coordinates. Lucas wants to make fun of him, he really does, but then Eliott kisses him and it turns out he’s right. They’re all different. Every single one.

From Amsterdam they head to Belgium, stopping in Antwerp for a few days before making their way down to Brussels. Eliott takes a video of Lucas spinning around in the city center and when Lucas watches the video back he can hardly recognize the boy in it, his face full of the kind of joy Lucas didn’t think himself capable of.

He sends the video to the boys only to have them all tease him about Eliott being the perfect instagram boyfriend. But later, Yann texts him separately and tells him it’s good to see him so happy, and Lucas can’t help but hold Eliott a little tighter that night.

From Brussels, they make their way up to Oslo and then back down to Germany where they make stops in Hamburg, Berlin and a few other small cities that Lucas can hardly remember the name of, culminating in a brief stint in an off-season ski lodge in the Alps because Eliott found a number and a discount online.

It’s seeing Eliott standing in the midst of a vast sea of green, swearing at the miles still left to climb that makes the thing in Lucas’ chest finally take root and sprout vines that weave around his heart, turning the feeling into something unescapable, something that’s been nurtured enough to grow.

But there’s no fear as the vines begin to flower. Instead, it’s mostly wonder. And-

Lucas can’t think about that yet.

From there, there’s a quick flyover to Madrid, since Eliott had promised himself he’d get back to Spain and found cheap last minute flights. It’s become common along the way for Eliott to come to Lucas wide-eyed and excited, full of ideas and plans, and for Lucas to just say yes. He trusts Eliott, he does, and finds he really doesn’t care where he goes as long as he’s with Eliott.

Then they head back to Italy, starting in Venice, where Eliott insists they have to take a gondola ride because it’s romantic . Lucas balks a bit at the price but sees the way Eliott’s eyes shine with the thought, so he figures out a solution. In the end, they share a gondola with a pair of American students and an older British couple that had been standing near one of the pickup points so they can all split the cost. Lucas worries it’s not close enough to what Eliott had in mind. But as they sit there, fingers intertwined on Lucas’ lap, Eliott whispers, it’s perfect, in Lucas’ ear, and he can’t help the way his heart races.

(It doesn’t hurt that the older woman tells them they’re a beautiful couple as they go to leave the boat. Eliott thanks her, but Lucas only manages a deep blush.)

And that feeling in Lucas’ chest grows with every touch, with every kiss, with every new place Eliott takes him. It’s a feeling that’s a bit like luck, and a bit like awe, and a bit like adoration and longing and desire and choice all wrapped up into one. And Lucas thinks he knows, but he hasn’t dared to say it.

This has to be love.

But it’s Rome, finally, that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

It’s the final stop on their nearly 6-week trip, culminating in a flight back to Paris the next Sunday morning – only three days away.

They’d splurged, just a bit, on a 3-star hotel because Eliott, after staying in their fair share of cramped hostels, had begged Lucas for a queen bed just so he could hold him, away from anyone else. And Lucas had been hard pressed to turn him down.

They’re in the middle of the Roman Forum when it hits him, a new kind of panic. Somehow, being surrounded by things so ancient and grand makes Lucas think of the things he’d been holding back on. The stories around him stitched together mostly in memory, and Lucas finds himself wondering if that’s what this will be too, a memory bolstered only by ticket stubs and material remnants rather than the person he lived it with.

It’s the word that’s been crawling out of his chest, trying to force its way out of his mouth every time he looks at Eliott. The feeling that had been demanding a name, the thing that Lucas isn’t quite sure Eliott reciprocates. Love.

When they leave on Sunday will things change? Will Eliott want this, want him when grand spontaneous adventures are no longer a part of their daily life?

Lucas is aware, in a way, that none of this is normal. He knows he and Eliott have moved fast. Faster than he’d ever thought himself capable. One minute scared and alone by his own self imposition and the next alive and wanting under Eliott’s gentle honesty and daring gaze.

But Eliott had never signed up for this, for anything longer than these six or seven weeks. He’d called that first dinner in Amsterdam a date, yes, but there’s been no labeling beyond that. When they land in Paris will Eliott expect them to go back to being strangers?

He holds the panic in, putting on a brave face for the rest of the day as Eliott continues to drag him around to all must-see spots on his list. He manages for most of it but then something must slip, as it’s wont to do, and without meaning for it, Eliott notices.

They’re walking down the street, on their way back to their hotel after dinner, when Eliott grabs his arm softly to stop him, and twists around so they’re facing each other on the sidewalk.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice gentle as he holds Lucas’ hands.

Lucas shakes him off but keeps his eyes on the ground, something stopping him from looking at Eliott. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Eliott presses, making an aborted attempt to reach out to Lucas again only to catch himself. “Because if I did something to make you upset…”

“It’s nothing you did . And I’m not upset.”

It’s unfair to put this on Eliott, to expect him to take on Lucas’ fear again, to take on Lucas at all. He wishes that he could forget, even just for a day or two, that there’s an hourglass suspended above their heads, counting down the hours they have left. But he can’t.

“Okay,” Eliott says slowly, “but if something’s wrong, I’d want you to tell me…”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Lucas says, but his voice cracks as he feels the familiar tightness at the back of his throat, the shaking start in his hands.

“Baby,” Eliott says as he steps closer, cradling Lucas’ face in his hands and tilting his head up, “why are you crying?”

And that feeling in his chest starts at Eliott’s words, at the way he’s holding him, at the way he called him baby . Lucas can’t hold it in any longer.

“What happens when we get back to Paris?” he whispers.

Eliott stills. “What do you mean? You’re going to start uni and I’m going to get a job and we’ll figure it out from there, right?”

“But what about with us?”

“I mean, sure, I’ll have to take the bus to come and see you but it’s really not that far and you could always stay at my apartment if you needed on days you stay over late or…” Eliott looks at him, confused, and Lucas can’t speak, needs a minute to process what Eliott’s saying. “Is that not what you want?”

“No, I just,” he pauses, breaths. “So you’d still want to be with me once we’re back home?”

“Yes, of course,” Eliott says quickly. “Why would you think anything else?”

“You just never said,” Lucas replies, his hands coming up to rest over Eliott’s on his cheeks as he presses their foreheads together. “I don’t know, I thought that maybe it was just a summer fling or something for you.”

“It’s not. Is it to you?”

“No, never.”

Eliott smiles and then kisses him, so fully, so completely that Lucas sways where he stands, feels it all the way down to his toes.

“Would you like to put a label on it?” Eliott asks as he pulls away.

“Maybe,” Lucas says, grinning.

“How does boyfriend sound?”

“Perfect.”

And then they’re kissing again. Here, in the street, another new kiss for Lucas to check off their list.

They break away for a moment and as if Eliott can hear his thoughts, as though Eliott knows him better than he realized, he asks him, “Is that all?”

Lucas pauses, knows that he could say no, move on and hide away the feeling that’s been battling its way to the surface for weeks. Or he could let go, give himself over to it, say fuck fear, and say it, to hell with the consequences.

But this time the fear doesn’t feel like drowning, it feels a little more like skydiving. The kind that comes when you’re waiting to jump, when all you have left to do is leap.

“There might be something else.”

“Okay.” Eliott looks concerned, but runs a thumb across Lucas’ cheekbone.

And this is it – the moment of falling and hoping the parachute carries you down.

“I love you,” Lucas says, his voice surprisingly strong for the way his hands shake.

Eliott looks at him for a moment, eyes big, before a small smile starts to spread over his face, lighting up his features as he stands there. And then–

“I love you too.”

The parachute opens behind him and Lucas lands safely on the ground.

They somehow make it back to their hotel, their time nearly doubled as Eliott takes advantage of every opportunity to press Lucas against a wall and kiss him, the kind that sends sparks down Lucas’ spine and makes him never want to let Eliott go.

They barely make it inside their room before Lucas is on him, pulling Eliott close and reaching to rid him of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against him.

“Whoa, slow down,” Eliott says, laughing as Lucas tries to kiss him again.

“No,” Lucas mumbles from where he’s kissing Eliott’s neck. “I want you now.”

He hears Eliott groan and then he pulls Lucas’ mouth back to his own so he can kiss him again. His kisses are sweet and open-mouthed and remind Lucas that Eliott runs warm in all the best ways, his touch like fire on him.

“Okay,” Eliott says finally, as he pulls back panting. “Okay, you’re going to have to stop kissing me if you want me to ever take my clothes off.”

Lucas giggles, but backs off, hands raised, as he makes his way over to their bed, stopping to dig something out of his bag.

“Okay,” Eliott says again as he walks over to Lucas, now only wearing his boxers, “you need to catch up.”

“So help me,” Lucas whispers, reaching up to pull Eliott to him, and kisses him again.

They sway on the spot, Eliott’s hands running all over Lucas as he holds him, tilting his head to kiss him deeper, biting gently at Lucas’ bottom lip and taking advantage of his gasp to lick into his mouth.

It’s somehow gentle and intense all at once, the kind of toe-curling eagerness that sends Lucas’ head spinning. They break apart only for Eliott to pull Lucas’ shirt over his head and for Lucas to step out of his pants before they fall on the bed together, legs intertwined.

Lucas can’t think of anything but Eliott’s touch and his mind only knows one word – Eliott, Eliott, Eliott . Eliott surrounds him so completely that Lucas finds himself wondering how Eliott is managing to touch him, to hold him like that only to lose his thought when Eliott trails a hand down his back and pulls his hips closer.

Lucas moans at the contact and Eliott pulls away to bite a mark into his neck, Lucas writhing at the sting and the soothing swipe of Eliott’s tongue. Lucas runs his nails lightly down Eliott’s back and presses his fingers under the waistband of Eliott’s boxers and knows, as Eliott pants on top of him, that he’s going to ask. Lucas is ready.

“What do you want to do?” Eliott asks, his voice deep, his eyes dark.

Lucas wordlessly reaches down next to the bed and produces a condom and lube from where he’d thrown them earlier. Eliott’s breath catches.

“Are you sure?” Eliott asks him.

“Completely sure,” Lucas replies.

And then Eliott is on him again, ridding them both of their boxers and moving back to lean over where Lucas is spread out on the mattress. His touch is gentle, his kisses deep as they move together, their skin burning in all the places they’re pressed together.

Lucas , Eliott pants out as Lucas runs his hand down Eliott’s body, as he bites at the skin just below Eliott’s ear. Eliott , Lucas whispers back as Eliott touches him and takes him apart, bit by bit. Lucas has never known something like this – the overwhelming way everything becomes Eliott .

They come together finally, Eliott moving slowly as Lucas adjusts, his moans sprinkled with okay? and does that feel good? as Lucas moves below him. Lucas nods and whispers back a choked out yes as the feeling overwhelms him and the heat spreads fast and low in his stomach. Eliott’s all over him, his hands everywhere, Lucas just trying to hold on as their rhythm builds and starts to get sloppy, as they pull each other closer. And that’s enough, as Lucas’ back arches off the mattress and Eliott follows close behind, clutching Lucas to him as the waves ride through them.

They lay, after, clutching each other as their breathing settles. Eliott only leaving the bed to grab a cloth to wipe Lucas off and then lifting the covers to settle them under the blankets, pulling Lucas onto his chest.

It’s only after Eliott presses a kiss to his temple, whispers you’re beautiful into his hair and lies back on the pillows, his breath evening out as sleep takes over that Lucas allows himself to think it, really believe it, for the first time. Because, in the end, they’re the only ones who get to decide.

It is love.

Sunday comes just as Lucas knew it would. There’s packing and checking out of the hotel and a frantic run to the airport shuttle to make their flight in time.

When they get to the airport, they get through security, buy a snack and go wait at their gate just like anyone else. Only Eliott refuses to let go of Lucas’ hand unless he absolutely has to. Lucas can’t help but smile every time he finds Eliott reaching for him.

It’s easy somehow, even though Lucas will miss the spontaneity of their lives during this trip, to be excited for what’s to come. For a life where they’ll be together, not just in front of each other, but surrounded by the people they already know.

There’s grounding there somehow, a firmer foundation that will make Eliott feel less like a dream and more like reality. At first, it scared Lucas to think about them without the rosy glow of this fantasy thing. But the more he thinks about it, the more he knows it will be a relief to no longer have to pinch himself and expect that it’ll wake him up.

Because Eliott isn’t a dream. He doesn’t just exist in this vacuum of worlds they’d explored together. But neither does Lucas. And somehow, it’s even more exciting to imagine what they’ll be when life picks them up again and takes them along for the routine of the everyday. Vibrant, but in other ways. In the variety of them.

Eliott takes his hand again as they board the plane and Lucas lets him lead them to their seats. Eliott’s out, almost as soon as the plane takes off, and Lucas finds himself shifting so that Eliott’s head falls to rest on his shoulder as he sleeps on, the weight sending a smile to Lucas’ face.

The thing in his chest shifts as the plane flies through the air, flowering now with something new, born of love and desire and longing. It replaces any fear left behind, chases it away to dark shadows and keeps it at bay for now, as Eliott shuffles closer to Lucas in his sleep.

So when the pilot comes on and announces their descent into Paris, Lucas finds nothing waiting there for him in his heart but love–

–and hope.

#skam france #elu fic #elu #elu fanfic #hope you like it!#my writing

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smkkbert · 4 years

Text

Last Wish (2/15)

Oliver feels like his life is crumbling when his best friend reveals that she is sick. Desperate to help her through the toughest time of her life, Oliver puts all his energy in fulfilling the wishes on Felicity’s bucket list. His hardest challenge - Felicity’s last wish on the list is getting married.

Previous Chapters: 1

* * *

Those few times that Felicity had treated herself with a vacation in some nice hotel, she had always made the best of the inclusive breakfast deal. Sometimes, she had even ordered three different breakfast menus to eat in bed. A day only started right if there was a good breakfast. It needed something hefty and something healthy, and it needed something for the sweet tooth, something to tread herself.

Since her appetite hadn’t been the best lately, Felicity had figured that she had to stimulate it a little. That was why she had called that new café that had opened downtown a couple of weeks ago and had ordered five different international breakfasts. Plates with apple pancakes by an original recipe from the Netherlands, French croissants with three different kinds of marmalade, sweet and spice pork inspired by a Thai dish, saltenas filled with vegetables as served in Bolivia and Scottish haggis with fat-fried eggs were all spread on the kitchen counter. They smelled deliciously, or at least Felicity guessed that it would be delicious. The lack of appetite caused her to only feel nauseated though.

With a long sigh, Felicity put her fork down and lowered her face into her palms. The queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach was accompanied by a terrible headache. She had suffered from it for hours now as it had started yesterday when she had started packing some of her stuff. She was lacking energy, causing her legs to feel heavy and her muscles to grow sore quickly. Packing her stuff and moving out of her townhouse would take incredibly long like that because she knew that she could only use like twenty minutes every other hour to pack. Being on her legs for too long was hard, and she had to spare her energy as long as she was still living here without any help.

Felicity looked at her fingers that were still twitching. Still twitching, she thought with a shake of her head. She guessed she could be lucky that they were still twitching. Sooner or later, she would lose all sensation in her arm, and she wouldn’t be able to move it either. The same would happen to her other arm and her legs. She’d lose all control over her body. Her nerves would give out completely. For her own sake, Felicity just hoped that her breathing gave out sooner rather than later.

When Felicity had cancer the first time, she had been so exhausting. Some days had been so bad that she hadn’t even made it out of bed. Her mother had needed to help her to turn around in bed to find a different position to sleep. She couldn’t even say if it had been the cancer itself or the therapy that had made her that tired. Maybe it was both. She really couldn’t say.

The news of being sick again hadn’t really shocked her which she knew sounded terrible, but there had been a part of her growing up that had always known that it was going to come back sooner or later. She had always felt like the cancer was still with her, dangling over her like some sword of Damocles that threatened to fall down onto her anytime.

It wasn’t hard to come to terms with being sick and make peace with the fact that she was going to die soon. It was telling the people closest to her, the people she loved and wanted to protect from any heartbreak, that was so hard.

The way Oliver had looked at her after she had talked to him yesterday had been more a punch in the stomach than the actual confirmation of cancer had been. He had just looked so lost. He looked like she had ripped the floor out from under his feet and shoved him into some black hole where he was just falling and falling without any stop.

A knock at the door made her twitch slightly before she released a breath of relief. She guessed every distraction, as short as it might be, was good for her right now. If she thought too long about how Oliver was feeling and how he was processing this news, she’d only call him or go to him, and she couldn’t do that. Oliver needed time to process this, and she wanted to give that to him.

“Coming!”

Felicity tried to slip off the stool and hurry towards the door, but there was nothing that worked as quickly as it had before. There was no hurrying anymore, and there was no quickly anymore. Everything took its time now, and she had to live with that somehow, she guessed.

The inability to do anything at her usual speed – may it be moving or talking or even thinking – was what had tipped her off onto realizing that something was wrong. She had been at work two weeks ago when she had gotten a call that the Department for Applied Science had reached a breakthrough. Usually, she would have jumped from her chair and even taken the stairs all the way down to the department. Instead, she had found herself troubling to get out of the chair. Once she had managed to stand on her feet, she hadn’t been able to hop around as happily as she usually did. She had barely managed to lift her feet.

The truth with cancer was that, although everything was taking a sharp way down, some days were better and some days were worse. Today was probably a three on the scale of bad days. A five had been the worst so far. It probably wasn’t going to take too long until she would reach a nine. A nine was bad, but it was still bearable somehow, at least for a short time. It was the ten that Felicity feared because the ten was so bad that you wanted to die.

What Felicity hated even more than her inability to move quickly or to talk as fast as her tongue wanted to was her inability to think as fast as she usually did. A lot of times now, she found herself troubling to even follow the simplest plot of TV shows. Her brain had always been the very thing she had been proud about, and now it seemed to be her downfall.

By the time Felicity reached the door, she felt out of breath and exhausted. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to catch her breath a little. Straightening her shoulders, she opened the door then.

“Hello, Felicity.”

Quickly, Felicity straightened up even more despite the pain it caused in her back. She grabbed the lapels of the morning robe she had put on after waking up and wished that she had invested the little energy she had to put on some real clothes. It would certainly make this situation certainly a lot easier.

“Moira,” she said with surprise, “and Robert.”

Moira and Robert always looked like a power couple. Even today, that they weren’t dressed up as much as they often were when Felicity saw them together during any official occasions related to Queen Consolidated, they looked like a power couple. There was just something in the way Robert stood half next and half behind his wife, the color of shirt matching the dress Moira was wearing, that made everyone see how perfectly powerful they were together.

“I had no idea you would be coming by,” Felicity said, feeling her heart starting to race and her cheeks turning red in a deep blush, “otherwise I would have cleaned the house or gotten dressed.”

Felicity looked down on her barely covered legs and the thin fabric of the morning robe. Some stains of fat and other food that had dropped onto the fabric were showing. She didn’t usually mind looking not that perfectly dressed. Compared to Moira and Robert, who always looked like they had just been styled for two or three hours, she just felt that she looked incredibly shabby, and she really hated that feeling.

“Don’t worry about that,” Moira said, lifting a hand, “we would never judge you or anyone for not being dressed on a Sunday morning.”

“We have a son, who doesn’t get dressed before noon, no matter the day.”

Felicity chuckled, knowing it was true. As the owner of some nightclubs, Oliver’s working hours were usually quite late. He spent most of the day in bed and only got up in the early afternoon. Even when he did, he didn’t get dressed immediately. Instead, he ran around the Queen Manor in boxer briefs and a shirt though the shirt was basically an extra only on some days.

All the times that Felicity had slept at the Queen Manor, Robert and Moira had been perfectly dressed. No matter the time, they had always looked flawless. Even in their own home, they always seemed to look like they expected some important visitors. Felicity had no idea how they did it, but they really did.

Looking in their smiling faces now, Felicity did notice a little flaw after all though. Something was disturbing the perfect image she had of the couple. It took her a moment before she realized it, but their smiles weren’t reaching their eyes. There was a sadness there that was usually hidden beneath the surface, always there, but never really visible. At least most people wouldn’t see it.

“You know.”

It wasn’t a question because there was no doubt about it. Felicity could see in their eyes that they knew that she was sick. There was grief there because, unlike their son, they seemed to have reached acceptance already. It was impressive, but Felicity guessed it just showed everything they had been through already.

Moira took a step forward and hugged Felicity closely. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders and her hand stroked over Felicity’s hair lovingly. Felicity had never really considered Moira the motherly woman which wasn’t really fair to her because she had certainly done a great job raising Oliver. He was such a wonderful man.

When Moira pulled back, she brushed a gentle kiss to Felicity’s cheek. She put her hands to Felicity’s shoulders then and smiled at her softly.

Felicity couldn’t say why, but she wasn’t able to hold Moira’s gaze for much longer. She looked at Robert. He had been standing there with his hands pushed into the pockets of his coat the entire time, not saying anything. Felicity had felt his gaze on her skin though. It had been impossible to miss it.

“I am sorry,” Felicity whispered, looking at him, “I know that you put a lot of hope in me, but I guess I won’t be able to do all the stuff that you envisioned me to do and-“

Robert shook his head and lifted his hand like Moira had done before. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. He released some kind of helpless burble before he looked at his wife, seeking her help.

“There is no apology needed,” Moira told her, moving her hands down Felicity’s arms to squeeze her fingers, “and we didn’t come here today to talk about the company or any of that.”

“Oh.”

Felicity couldn’t hide her surprise as she had been sure that that had been exactly what they had come here for today. The company was very important to them which didn’t come as a surprise. After all, they had invested so much money, time and heart into this company, and it also carried their family’s name, so it was a big thing.

Massaging the back of her neck nervously, Felicity looked back over her shoulder. All that breakfast was still spread on the kitchen island. The entire living area probably smelled of all the different foods, causing it to stink terribly. Her townhouse hadn’t experienced a gush of fresh air in the last two weeks. She hadn’t cleaned up or even put away the dirty dishes since that either.

“Well, come in.”

Felicity didn’t just step aside and let them in while she was holding the door open for them like she would usually do. Instead, she gritted her teeth and took a couple of steps towards the couch table. As quickly as her current state allowed it, Felicity grabbed all the glasses, plates and cartons of takeaway.

“Please sit down, I will just-“

“You really don’t have to do that, Honey,” Moira said, but she took the offered seat on the couch, “we don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

Felicity shot her a quick smile before she dropped everything that she had been carrying into the kitchen sink. She was sure that some of the porcelain and glass she had dropped there shattered into pieces. Felicity didn’t care. She wouldn’t need any of that stuff much longer anyway.

“Can I offer any of you anything?” Felicity asked, turning around to them. “Like coffee or tea or maybe water?”

“No, no,” Moira replied, shaking her head, and patted the empty spot on the couch next to her, “just come here please.”

Felicity hesitated, looking back and forth between Moira on the couch and Robert in that single armchair that was placed on the other side of the table. They both looked friendly and comforting. They looked like parents who wanted to sit their child down to talk to them about what they were planning on doing with their life. They wanted to do so because they were really interested, not because they wanted to judge.

Taking in a deep breath, Felicity crossed the distance towards the couch and sat down there next to Moira. She made sure that there was still some distance between them though. She didn’t even feel dressed well enough to sit close to Moira Queen.

Moira smiled at her comfortingly. Felicity could see that she had to say something, but she was also sure that Moira didn’t know how to say it. She looked away from Felicity briefly, only to look at Felicity for a short moment before she turned her head once more. A small smile spread on her lips and, when Felicity followed her gaze, she saw that she was looking at the pot of soup Oliver had brought her yesterday.

“Raisa’s special chicken soup.” She turned her eyes back at Felicity with a smile. “Did it help?”

“It probably would if I had tried it,” Felicity replied, fumbling with her fingers in her lap. “It’s just that I have trouble eating. I mean I can’t really keep anything inside for longer than an hour and- sorry.”

Felicity felt another blush spreading on her cheeks, and she quickly lowered her gaze. The list of mistakes she made during the first and only visit of the Queens in her home was probably growing even longer by each minute that passed. She seemed to be particularly silly today of all days.

“Oh, I have raised two children,” Moira said, “I know a lot about puke, trust me.”

Lifting her gaze to Moira, Felicity found the Queen woman smiling at her softly. Although Felicity had barely ever seen Moira anything but friendly, she had always been quite strict. Today, there was nothing of that strictness visible though. There was a warmth coming from her that made Felicity feel better despite the messy circumstances surrounding their meeting here.

Felicity had seen Moira when she had been the most vulnerable. She had been there with the Queens when they had learned that Thea hadn’t made it through surgery, and she had spent them some company in the dark and lonely time that had followed for them. She knew that she could be herself around Moira, even now that she was sick.

“How did Oliver take it?” Felicity asked eventually. “Is he okay?”

Moira shot a look at Robert, who leaned forward with a sigh and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked tired and exhausted. He probably hadn’t slept much last night which told Felicity everything she needed to know. She knew that, when Oliver was suffering, he was turning up the music as loud as possible and exhaust himself physically in the gym at Queen Manor.

There was a reason he had chosen to build a nightclub after he had lost Thea. It had helped him cope because it had brought some distraction, and it had allowed him to listen to loud music without getting into fights with his family for keeping them awake all night.

Oliver had been devastated after he had lost Thea. Although his little sister had been quite a long younger than him, they had been very close. Born into a high society family hadn’t always made for the easiest life, he had told her once, so they had leaned on each other as much as possible.

After her death, Oliver had started leaning on her Felicity instead because she was probably the closest thing to a sister he had. Now he was losing her too.

“It’s hard on him,” Robert said, “but he will come around eventually. I think he needs some time for himself, but he will be back and support you through everything that’s ahead of you now. He knows how much you need him in this… situation.”

Situation. The word echoed through Felicity’s head. She really had quite the situation here.

“John has talked to him,” Moira added after a moment, “and he is watching over him and making sure that Oliver doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Felicity nodded slowly, knowing exactly what Moira meant. After Thea’s death, Oliver had lost himself so much that, at times, he had gotten onto his motorcycle and chased through dangerous streets with high speed. It had been like he had wanted to kill himself.

It hadn’t been until he had almost lost control of the motorcycle while she had been riding on the back of it with her arms wrapped around his torso tightly that he had finally admitted that he was doing it on purpose. He needed that rush of adrenaline. He needed to get himself into danger. A little part of him had just had trouble understanding why Thea had died in a car crash when he was breaking speed limits and jumping red lights. It hadn’t been fair.

The truth was that Oliver had always reacted strongly to heartbreak and loss. He was a man that acted on emotions a lot of times even if he didn’t want to regret it. With his height and his muscles he looked strong, but he was quite vulnerable on the inside, not that he would ever admit that.

“I am really sorry for letting him down,” Felicity whispered, apologizing once more although she already knew that Robert and Moira wouldn’t want to hear any of that, “because I know how heartbreaking this will be for him and-“

“Honey, you don’t have to apologize.”

Moira took Felicity’s hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Instead of letting it go after that, she held it between her fingers and rubbed her thumb over the back of Felicity’s hand almost soothingly.

“You are not letting him or us down,” Robert added softly, the way a father would talk to his daughter when he assured her that there were no monsters under the bed after she had woken up from a nightmare, “you could never let us down.”

Felicity wasn’t sure if that was true. It felt different to her. She felt like she was letting them down, and it didn’t matter that it was a serious disease that prompted her to do it. It just felt like this. She couldn’t help it.

Moira seemed to sense that Felicity wasn’t convinced. She moved closer towards Felicity, wrapping an arm around her back and pulling her closer.

“Felicity, you have helped our family through the hardest time we had.”

Her voice trembled slightly. She didn’t even have to say her daughter’s name or say that she was dead. Just thinking about the fact that she had lost one of her children was enough to cause her physical and emotional pain. How could it be any different? Losing a child was against nature. It was not how the circle of life was supposed to work.

“You have been a rock for Oliver as well as for Robert and me,” Moira continued, “and you have become part of our family. We lost a daughter that night, but we also gained one.”

Moira’s words touched Felicity. Since she had lost her mother years ago, Felicity didn’t have a family. She had been like a one-person-family. With the Queens, she felt like she had found a new home though, people who cared about her and that she cared about in return. Having Moira confirm that she felt the same way just meant a lot to Felicity.

“You are a part of our family,” Robert confirmed with a slow nod of his head, “and in families people watch out for each other and take care of each other, especially when one of them is in need of help.”

Felicity shot Robert a brief glance before she looked back at Moira.

“Oliver told us that you want to go into a hospice.”

Felicity nodded her head. “Yeah. I mean… I don’t know where else to go. I can’t stay here, not alone. It still works now, but it won’t stay like this for much longer. I don’t want to burden anyone with the task to care for me and the hospices are good as far as I have heard. I think it’s the right step. It will be a good home with professional people to take care of me when I can’t do it anymore.”

Swallowing down hard, Felicity looked from Moira to Robert and back at Moira again.

“I don’t know, but I really think that the tumor must have taken your mind,” Robert said, cocking his head, “because that is not going to happen.”

Felicity already opened her mouth to say something, but Moira squeezed her hands and shot her husband a strict glance. Apparently, she wasn’t too happy with his choice of words. Whatever they were trying to tell her, she felt that she could say it better.

“Felicity,” she said and the tone of her voice already sounded more meaningful than it had before, “you were wondering who was taking care of you now and where your home is going to be. You might have find the answers to that already, but we want to offer-“

“-and when she says offer she means that we have already decided not to take no for an answer,“ Robert interrupted his wife, “just so you know-“

“you a different option,” Moira continued, only shooting her husband a brief glance that was as strict as it was amused, “because for us, it’s clear that your home is going to be with us from now on, and the people who will take care of you are going to be us too.”

To say Felicity was baffled by this would be an underestimation. She had expected a lot of things, but she hadn’t thought that they would offer this. She would have understood if they had offered to pay for her townhouse and maybe hire a nurse, but taking her home with them and watching her die was something completely different.

“Look, this is really nice of you,” Felicity said, “but this is going to get ugly pretty quickly. Having someone in your house who is going to die is not a cakewalk and-“

“Neither is spending time with three people who have just lost part of their family,” Robert interrupted her, “and yet you have been with us every single day and tried to cheer us up or to just give us a little more hope on life.”

“If you feel like you owe me anything, I can promise that-“

“It’s not that,” Moira replied with a shake of her head, “it’s like I said before. You are part of our family, and we take care of our family. If you feel better about it, we will hire a nurse that will take care of you, but you will live with us. We don’t want you to be at a foreign place, surrounded by strangers.”

Felicity felt her throat growing shut, overwhelmed by her emotions. It was sweet of them to offer this, but Felicity couldn’t possibly take this. It was too much, and it would only make this a lot harder for Oliver and his parents to cope with her death. They just didn’t see that yet.

“Before you say anything,” Moira hurried to say when Felicity opened her mouth, “let me remind you that I raised two kids, and you know who stubborn Oliver is. He is definitely taking after me in that, only that he is a very light version of me.”

Felicity looked at Robert, who nodded his head in agreement. They would let her argue with them about this. They had already made their decision and nothing would change their mind.

Well, Felicity was sure that if she insisted, they wouldn’t force her to live with them. They just knew that, deep down, Felicity would prefer spending her last months alive surrounded by people she loved instead of strangers. She was just fighting their suggestion because she wanted to protect them, even if that meant that she had to relinquish a better place to spend the next few weeks, the last weeks of her life.

If Moira and Robert wanted this so much, did she even have a right to say no for their own protection? Felicity doubted it.

“Does Oliver know about this?” she asked cautiously because she knew that this should be as much his decision as his parents’. “Does he know that you are here and offering this to me?”

“Not yet,” Moira said softly, “because we wanted to talk to you first.”

“Oliver won’t mind this though,” Robert added, “I think he will appreciate the time he gets to spend with you.”

Felicity wasn’t sure that was true. Oliver might think that he would appreciate it, but it wasn’t like this was going to be fun. Felicity remembered how her grandmother had moved in with them when she had been diagnosed with dementia, and it had been so hard to see someone you love turning unrecognizable. She had seen her grandmother breaking at the disease, making everything she had been fall apart.

Even if Felicity told Oliver that, she wasn’t sure that he would agree with that though. You never truly understood it until you experienced it yourself. You needed to see it with your own eyes and feel it in your own heart before you could really comprehend it.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say yes,” Robert suggested, “and spare yourself the energy of arguing with my wife about it. You don’t stand a chance.”

“He’s right,” Moira added, nodding her head, “the easiest for all of us would be if you just agreed. Robert and I could set up everything in like an hour, so you can come with us as soon as you want to.”

Felicity’s throat was burning from the tears she was holding back. It was a big decision to agree to this, but she could see in Robert’s and Moira’s eyes that it wouldn’t change anything. They would come here every day if necessary because they really wanted her to agree to this.

“Okay,” she whispered, unable to speak louder, “but only when Oliver agrees, and you will kick me out if it gets too much for you, okay?”

“It won’t become too much for us,” Moira promised and wrapped her arms around Felicity in a tight hug. “Thank you for letting us do this for you.”

Felicity doubted that Moira and Robert had really understood what they were getting themselves into here. As sweet as it was that they considered her their daughter, they would be losing this daughter soon. Losing Thea had certainly been bad, but at least it had been over in one night. This was going to take longer. It was going to be a slow process that threatened to pull you with it if you weren’t careful.

Deep down, Felicity knew that she would still have to watch out for the Queens now. Her own life and her own pain didn’t matter anymore as it was over rather sooner than later anyway. The Queens would have to go on with their lives after her death, and they wouldn’t be able to do that if they lost themselves in the process of taking care of her during her path down and out of life.

Moira was still holding Felicity when there was a knock at the door.

“I will open,” Robert said quickly and got up before Felicity could even think about it, “I got this.”

When Robert opened the door, Felicity felt her heart skipping a beat as she saw Oliver. He had his hands pushed in the pockets of his jeans. His shoulders were hunched, and his face showed a mixture of like two dozen different emotions that Felicity couldn’t name.

“Dad.” Oliver’s voice showed surprise as did his face. He frowned at his father since he certainly hadn’t expected to find him here. “What are you doing here?”

“Your mother and I had to discuss some future plans with Felicity.”

Robert’s answer obviously didn’t help Oliver to understand anything. His frown just deepened, and he hesitated visibly when his father stepped inside and invited him in with a gesture of his hand. Oliver just stayed where he was and looked past his father at where Moira and Felicity were still sitting on the couch, Moira’s arm still wrapped around Felicity’s torso.

Oliver stepped in slowly, his eyes focused on his mother. As soon as the door closed behind him, he looked back at his father again.

“What future plans?” he asked. “What do you mean?”

“Oliver, your father and I have decided to offer Felicity to move into our home,” Moira explained, “because we think that our home is the better place for her to be in this time of her life.”

Oliver stared at his mother for a long moment before he turned his gaze to look at Felicity. The expression in his eyes was unreadable. Felicity couldn’t say what he was thinking, but she felt herself in need to give him a way out of this. Queen Manor was his home, and he should feel good there.

“Of course it’s your decision,” Felicity said, “I mean I have already found a room in a hospice, and it’s a good home. Your parents’ offer is generous, but it’s such a big thing, and I am not sure that-“

“Your place is with me,” Oliver interrupted her and his voice was determined, “it’s with us.”

Felicity’s breath got caught in her throat. Twenty-four hours ago, Oliver had looked like he had had a stroke at her news. She had thought that he would need at least a week to discover from the shock. Instead, here he was, a hundred percent sure that he didn’t want her to spend the rest of her life in a hospice. He wanted her to spend the time she had left with him, and if Felicity was really honest, she was relieved that it was the case. There was nobody that she wanted to have by her side more than Oliver.

“Thank you,” Felicity whispered, trying to bite back the tears that were welling in her eyes, “I know how hard this is going to be for you too, and I-“

“I, uhm, I guess I-“

Oliver sucked in a deep breath, and Felicity could almost see his muscles tensing. He had caught himself from the shock he had suffered from yesterday, but he still hadn’t found back onto his feet. He was still struggling, but he wanted to try.

“We will leave you two alone,” Moira whispered and squeezed Felicity’s hand. “Call us whenever we can do something for you.”

Felicity nodded her head. “Thank you.”

Moira brushed her fingers through Felicity’s hair and leaned in to kiss Felicity’s cheek. When she pulled back, she was still smiling warmly, but there was a little bit of sadness in her eyes. Maybe she had started understanding that every goodbye now was a little preparation for the big goodbye they would have to tell each other in a couple of weeks.

When Moira walked to the door, Robert approached Felicity. He put a hand to her shoulder before he leaned down and kissed the crown of her head. It was a warm and fatherly gesture, and Felicity smiled at it.

“See you soon, Felicity.”

“See you,” Felicity whispered back, “and thank you, the both of you.”

The Queens smiled at her once more before they left her townhouse hand in hand. The door fell shut. The sound was quiet compared to the loud silence that followed.

Felicity pressed her lips together and rolled them over her teeth. She took in a deep breath, straightening her shoulders, before she found the courage to turn her head and look at Oliver. He stood in the middle of the room like a lost puppy, his hands still pushed into the pockets of his pants and his shoulders hunched so much that it looked like he was trying to hide himself between them.

“I have to apologize,” he said eventually, “because the way I reacted yesterday-“

“Oliver.”

“No, please let me say it.”

Oliver took in another deep breath before he crossed the distance towards her. He sat down on the couch next to her, taking the spot his mother had had before. His eyes were locked on hers even when he took her hands and held them in both of his.

“I am sorry for how I reacted yesterday,” he said, shaking his head, “because I know I shouldn’t have run away. I should have been here for you. You have always been there for me, and I didn’t do the same for you. That’s not okay.”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders, shooting him a half-hearted smile. “Don’t worry. I told you it’s okay to go, and I meant it. Besides, you are here now.”

“And I am not leaving again,” he whispered, “I promise.”

The tears that had been welling in Felicity’s eyes before rolled down her cheeks now. She tried to wipe them away, but Oliver was quicker. He brushed his thumbs over her soft skin, wiping away the tears.

“I don’t even know why I am crying,” Felicity said honestly, “I am okay. I-“

Her voice broke. She hated to admit it, but her entire situation was terribly confusing for her. She wasn’t sure what she wanted and what she was thinking. She wasn’t sure if she should be scared because for some reason, she wasn’t. At least she wasn’t scared for herself.

In Oliver’s eyes, she could see sadness and compassion. He suffered from all of this, and he suffered even more so at how confused and how in pain she was. He suffered for both of them, and so did Felicity.

Oliver’s arms wrapped Felicity tightly as he pulled her into a close hug. Felicity almost felt like her ribs threatened to crack at the pressure his muscles put on her bones. Felicity didn’t care though as her own arms wrapped around Oliver’s neck just as tightly, she guessed. She pressed herself as close to him as possible, pushing her face against the side of his neck and breathing her in.

Oliver was all she had. He was her best friend and her family. He was the most important person in her life. While she would have understood if he couldn’t have been by her side through all this misery, she was more than relieved to know that she wouldn’t lose him. She needed him much more than she wanted to admit to him or even to herself.

“We will grab some of your stuff tomorrow, okay?” he whispered, tightening his arms around her once more. “We will spend today here, watching TV together and trying to get something into your stomach. Then we will fall asleep on the couch. Tomorrow afternoon, when you are fit enough, John and Lyla will come by and we will pack your stuff.”

Felicity nodded her head. As hard as it would be to say goodbye to her home, she knew that it was better to get this over with quickly. It was like ripping off a plaster. The more quickly you did it, the sooner it was over and you could progress the sting.

“I am here for you,” Oliver continued to whisper, his hands still stroking over her hair, “and I will be here for you no matter what. You are not going to lose me.”

He whispered the words again and again like a mantra. Felicity closed her eyes and only focused on his words, letting them sink in. It was a good feeling to know that, while everything would start crumbling now, at least this one thing wouldn’t change.

As Oliver continued to whisper the words, Felicity wished that she could say them back. She wanted to tell him that she was here for him too, and that she would continue to be here with him no matter that, but she knew it would be a lie. He would lose her, and neither of them would be able to prevent that from happening.

* * *

“Thank you all for helping.”

Felicity had thanked all of them at least a hundred times already, and Oliver was sure that she was still far from stopping. She would thank them a thousand times more if they gave her a chance to do so. That was just who Felicity was.

“It’s nothing,” Lyla said, “we are glad that we can help.”

“Absolutely,” John replied, putting a hand to Felicity’s stomach, “because we are your friends. If you need anything, we are always here.”

“Oh, yes!” Sara said, nodding her head firmly in a way that made her dark curls jump all around her face. “Especially when I get to place with your tablet.”

John nudged his daughter’s shoulder gently, and Sara gave him her best angel’s eyes. When he tapped his forefinger against the tip of her nose, she giggled. The father-daughter duo was always a pleasure to watch.

“Really, we have to thank you for being allowed to help,” Lyla explained, “because without kindergarten, we really needed something for Sara to do. She has been driving me insane these last couple of days. It’s even too hot to go outside and play for long.”

“You’re saying,” Felicity said, fanning herself with her hand, “the weather is killing me.”

Oliver felt his heart tightening at her words as it just hit the bullseye a little too much. He wasn’t ready to think about it.

As he watched Felicity closely like he had the entire time since he had come to visit her yesterday morning, he could see how exhausted she was. She had tried to hide it, but he could see it in her eyes. She blinked repeatedly, probably feeling dizzy. Not even the deep breaths she took seemed to help with that.

Slowly, Oliver approached Felicity. Putting his hand to her back, he called for her attention. Felicity turned around to him and almost lost here balance there for a moment.

“Maybe you should go to the mansion already to catch some rest,” Oliver suggested, “and we can finish this here tomorrow.”

“I’m fine.”

Oliver didn’t believe her. The fine layer of sweat on her face, the way her body was trembling slightly and the twitching of her lid just gave the truth away.

“Felicity-“

“I am not going to let you do all the work,” Felicity whispered, shaking her head, “it’s already a lot that you are helping, but I am not going to lie back and let you do this alone. It wouldn’t be fair.”

Oliver cocked his head and perked up his eyebrows in disbelief. Sometimes, as smart as Felicity was, she really didn’t make sense.

“Do you remembered who cleaned up after all the parties I threw after Thea’s death?” Oliver asked. “I give you a little hint. It wasn’t me because I was lying in bed with a terrible hangover.”

Felicity puckered her lips. “I guess I faintly remember that I might have had a little hand in cleaning up your mess.”

“See?” Oliver asks. “Now it’s my turn to clean up yours.”

He could see that Felicity was struggling. A part of her knew that it was best for her to go to the mansion and catch some rest as the day had been really exhausting. She just wasn’t the type of person to lean back and let others work.

Shaking her head, she turned away from him and continued packing some stuff from the couch table into the moving box. Why did she have to be so terribly stubborn?

Oliver looked outside through the open door to where Lyla was pushing one of the moving boxes into the trunk of her car. She caught his gaze and frowned, wordlessly asking what was wrong. Oliver shot a meaningful gaze towards Felicity before looking back at Lyla and shrugging his shoulders. She winked in response. She would help him with this, and, since she was a mother, she was probably a lot more creative about this.

“The first car is packed,” she said, coming back inside, “so we could go to the mansion and unpack some stuff.”

Felicity shot a look at Oliver, knowing exactly what this was about it seemed. Oliver lifted his hands as a sign of innocence. It was a white lie, he guessed, because it was for Felicity’s good. It was for her health.

“Sara could also need something to eat,” Lyla added, fanning herself some air with her hand, “and I could use a little break too. It’s really terribly hot.”

Felicity still wasn’t exactly convinced, but she probably knew that she didn’t stand a chance here. If she didn’t agree, they would only tell Sara to convince Felicity, and there was no way that she would be able to resist the big, brown eyes of that little girl. Nobody could resist Sara. She had a superpower.

“Fine,” Felicity said with a sigh and put the vase she had just wrapped in some paper into the box, “I’ll go and take a nap, but I will come back.”

“I won’t fight you on that,” Oliver promised, stepped forward and kissed Felicity’s forehead. “Just take a little rest. That is all I am asking.”

Felicity nodded her head and smiled at him briefly before she turned away and walked to the car already. There was something miserable about the way Felicity moved with her shoulders slumped and he head down. It broke Oliver’s heart to see her like that when she was usually such a happy and energetic woman.

Before Felicity got into the car, she shot another look back at Oliver. He smiled at her encouragingly, and she nodded her head. It was her wordless way of saying that she understood why he wanted to take her rest, and she actually agreed with him.

When the car left, Oliver released a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding and closed his eyes for a moment. Coming here yesterday had taken a lot of strength from him. He was trying to be strong for Felicity because she needed all her strength for herself right now. He wanted to help her with that, but it was so damn hard.

“She’s tough.”

Oliver shot John a brief glance, but he couldn’t hold his friend’s gaze. It was too much as the expression in his eyes told Oliver that John could see how hard this was for him. Just like Felicity hadn’t wanted to admit that she needed a rest, Oliver didn’t want to admit how hard this really was on him. It would be impossible to come back from a confession like that.

“She is the toughest person I know,” Oliver agreed, nodding his head, “and I have no idea where she is taking all that strength from.”

It really was a miracle to him that a woman who had experienced so much bad in her life could be so positive and so strong. Oliver had had a good life, at least mostly, and still he felt like this was making him crumble. He was mad at the universe on Felicity’s behalf. He didn’t understand why it would rob the world of her of all people.

“I will pack some stuff from her wardrobe,” Oliver hurried to say, feeling the need to distract himself from his thoughts, “so it would be good if you could continue here.”

“Alright,” John replied, nodding his head.

Oliver went into Felicity’s bedroom. It was full of light which was just so fitting for Felicity. She was a person with so much light that it was even enough for others. She had been his light for so long. He could just hope that it had sparked some light in him, so he could light her darkness a little now.

Shaking his head, he shook off those thoughts. He really needed distraction. His head and his heart were still trying to process all of this, and it was anything but easy. He had to take one step at a time, and for now that meant no step at all.

Oliver opened Felicity’s wardrobe and grabbed some piles of pullovers to drop them into one of the boxes. One by one, he emptied the shelves and stuffed Felicity’s clothes in the box. He was surprised how many clothes she really had, especially how many pants and pullovers. Most times, she was wearing dresses or skirts. Although Felicity was far from shallow or anything like that, she always made sure to look great.

When Oliver reached the bottommost shelves where Felicity seemed to keep all kinds of stuff, he kneeled down to grab the different items one by one and put them into another box. He had almost emptied it completely when he reached as far back as he could, making sure that he wouldn’t forget anything. He wanted Felicity to feel a hundred percent comfortable in the mansion, so she couldn’t miss any of her stuff.

His fingers took hold of something and when Oliver lifted it in front of his eyes, he saw that it was a pink book or album. He wasn’t sure yet. A photo of Felicity back when she had been a child of maybe seven or eight years glued to the front. She was sticking out her tongue at whoever was taking the photo, her nose scrunched up and her eyes sparkling with amusement no matter how annoyed she tried to look.

Nosy as he was, Oliver opened the book. With letters that had been cut from a magazine, the words MY WISH BOOK were written on the first page. Something told Oliver that this was something really private, and maybe it was even too private for him to just read it without Felicity’s permission. He just couldn’t stop himself. He was a terrible person like that.

I want to celebrate Christmas, which was written on the next page. A Christmas tree with lots of decorations was painted under it.

Sleigh Riding was written on the page after that and the print of some movie still was glued to it. The two words had been crossed though and with a handwriting that looked a lot more like it was the one of a teenager than a preschool kid See the Northern Lights were written over it.

Oliver continued to read some of the pages, and it looked like Felicity had started writing down her wishes and had crossed them from time and time to replace them with new ones. Oliver wasn’t sure if she had fulfilled the wishes she had crossed or if her priorities had just changed through the years.

Frowning, Oliver wondered if this was Felicity’s bucket list or however to call it. Even if it hadn’t been written down with that purpose, maybe he could use it to make her wishes come true.

Oliver put the book into the box and marked the box with a little X at the edge, so he would find the book again when he was at the mansion. Something told him that he could really make good use of this. Nobody should die without their biggest wishes coming true.

* * *

@fannaz @promiseyoullbepatientwithme @bytemegeekette @felicity-said-just-in-case @phanseptiic @orangeisorange @mspotatohead14 @whentheheavenfades @emmaamelia95 @smoakingskye @seaolicity @ourwritinginvein @1022bridgetp @felicityqueenforever @leagueofolicity17 @yryssss @myhauntedblacksoul @sherlock44 @sinceriouslybea @olivyflavescentdeer @olicitys-castle @ofnothingcharming @vaelisamaza @smoakedandcharmed @alexisa1206 @mysaudadespt2 @florence-bubbles @addictiontelly @queens-of-arrows @memcjo @hysterical-for-joshifer-blog @oswinelevenforever @olicitylovemaking @bandanab310 @mymusiclove101 @lynslogic @scarletqueen23 @olicityshipper19 @alex-wesley @arrows-4ever @unabashedlynerdypatrol @louehmysoul @ligiapimenta @chattyyana @charlie-leau @coal000 @samcrowleys @ishippolivia @julianegomesqueen @malafle @miriam1779 @charlinert @melaux @ontheolicityship @myshipperlife @wrightainsley @lexi9515 @ladygreenwood @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl @morinamel @mje-thomas @kebarry @canadianheartgirl @nannett2307 @almondblossomme @kathrynelizabeth89 @imdfabulous @mrt2501 @arsipaci14 @salasvia @brandis91 @cainc3 @morganmiguess @pr0fessi0nal-fangurl @iamisalima @nessafrancis-blog @jonhdiggle @niki-is-amazing @universed-posts @hopeful-warrior @senoritaswiftie @bellemmie @green-arrows-of-karamel @iheartarrow @olicityovereverything @oliverfel4 @olicity-in-the-heart @fullychippedcreation @geemarie @everything-but-normal-cat @myarroworld @tjmartinez @pleasantfanandstudent @j69confessional2 @scentedcolorpirate @icanica74 @tjmartinez98 @certainmentalityface @tatianadamaceno @ryelew @wildwillowzepplin @missafairy @letsplaymurde-r @lipizette @positivepiper @nuttymilkshakehologram @laksagirl @turnupthemusicandscream @pumpernickle93 @onceuponanolicity @1106angel @jaspertown @fadinglands @morganashimi83 @mochababychristy @omglovechrissie @mariejr88-blog @thetaufactor @onceuponanolicity @speakandseethetruth @bri206 @aglasgo @geemarie @pineprincess @nerdgirljen @eternal-olicity14 @allyouhadtodowas-stay-stay-stay @lovelycssefan @tsseract @flowerandsunshine @dcnmarvelgamergeek @blondeeoneexox @monetsmark @bb-olicity @mashamarty @rulerofsilence @erika-amber @nothingmorethanmyotps @kayleenyc @tonto16 @olicityfluv @olicitea1990 @haahaaa2408 @pattid1 @faegal04 @24karatgem @wrldtravler @readerkas @olicity-beliver @greencoffeecups @snorlaxishere

(If you want to be tagged or untagged, just let me know. :))

#arrow #olicity #olicity fic #olicity fanfic #last wish

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thotsforvillainrights · 4 years

Text

~Library Study Session~

Au: League University

Part: Four

Theme: General

You changed into a pair of soft gray joggers, your most comfy T-Shirt, and a simple hat (or hijab depending on reader), and exited the bathroom. “Hey before I head out to lunch, can we please discuss the bathroom situation?” You called Dabi’s attention. He looked down at you from the top bunk in confusion. “What bathroom situation???” He was genuinely confused. You sighed and pointed out the door. “It’s literally empty. Like I get this is the first day and all, and we’re both still unpacking but you’ve been here a bit longer than me. Don’t you have some decorations to put up in there so it won’t be so barren?” You expected to get an answer but instead you were met with laughter. “You’re hilarious Y/N, yknow that? Decor! As if that shit is necessary. Look, I know we shared a little tender moment earlier, but it’s a bit early to be asking me for things. Besides, I don’t see the point in decor. I can use that money on food instead.” Dabi then went back to mindlessly scrolling on his phone. You sighed and shook your head, then you headed out the dorms to search for the cafeteria. It took quite a bit and at some point you had to stop and ask a sweet scaly boy for directions as he was on his way to band practice apparently. Finally you found your destination and you entered quickly, eager to fill your stomach with more than just the croissant you had earlier that day from the library cafe.

It didn’t take long to find Magne or Toga because Toga spotted you first before you could even finish walking across the floor. “Y/N!” She shouted loudly (embarrassing you a bit), and she dipped/darted past other people towards you. Toga gave you a tight hug and pulled back to look at you. “It took you like 15 minutes longer than it should have to get here haha! Anyway, come with me! We got a good seat by the window this time!” She wasted no time in grabbing your hand and leading you to the table where Magne was happy to see you. “Y/N how your first day hun?” Magne asked as she kept chowing down on some soft serve ice cream. “Oh well...I wouldn’t say it was too bad. The classes are okay, and I met a few people but like, eh. I’m looking for just a little bit of excitement or relief, but instead I need to get some studying done!” You groaned as you leaned down to lay your chin and arms on the table. Toga giggled and munched on her fries while Magne reached across the table to give you a reassuring pat on the head. “Yeah it’s actually rougher during the first week here instead of after it. That’s because you’re getting used to your schedule and classes. Everyone knows not to chill during the first week of college here because it’s the time you can use to get ahead of everything first. After that, then you can relax once you know what’s around the corner as far as classes and assignments are concerned. Anyway, you can come study with us this evening if you want to.” You looked at her and smiled.

“Yeah, I’d really appreciate that.”

Magne nodded and kept chowing on her ice cream. “Wait a minute...that’s desert. How long have you two been here waiting on me since that phone call?!” You sat up straight with worry riddled on your face. “Haha, calm down Y/N! When we called you, we had just made it to the cafeteria and sat down. Magne just always eats her desert before her food.” Toga explained to you. “Now let’s go get some food while she finishes her ice cream!” You nodded and followed Toga’s lead to the buffet style line. You both grabbed your plates/bowls and some utensils to eat with and proceeded to follow the line of people in front of you. There were so many food options and the drink machines were immaculate. You could almost see why the tuition was so high there...almost. Anyhow, you both took a seat and by that time Magne was able to get up and get her food as well. The three of you ate till you were silly (with you having eaten more than them). “Okay, let’s go ahead and go to the bathroom before heading to the library.” Magne directed and you nodded alongside Toga. You already knew where the library was, so it was no issue to chat and talk once the three of you were on your way there. It was nice to not have to focus on your surroundings so much, and log information of destinations in your brain.

Well...until you made it to the library and realized there were like 4 floors.

“What the hell...?” You mumbled as you looked at the directory sign in the middle of the main floor. “You didn’t notice it this morning when we went to the cafe for croissants?” Toga asked you and you shook your head. “Uh no. The only thing on my mind was food at the moment.” She giggled at your response and Magne playfully rolled her eyes. “C’mon to the elevator around this corner. We like to use the 3rd floor to study since the huge windows have a good view of the sunset at this time. Also, the top floor is reserved to student meeting rooms and the computer labs. The second floor is mainly book like the 3rd, but the second floor has this really weird mildew smell that no one can locate.” You made a disgusted face as you followed Magne and Toga into the elevator and to the 3rd floor. Once up there, Magne quickly turned to you and placed her hands on your shoulder. “I don’t know if he’s up here, but be extra quiet just in case he is...” She warned you before turning to face forward and leading the group to one of the window tables. “Who is he supposed to be?” You whispered to Toga and she groaned quietly. “The goblin of the library...Kai Chisaki...” She whispered back. ‘Goblin’ you thought to yourself as you took a seat at the table. It wasn’t long before the three of you quietly discussed your classes and your study plans. You even gained an opportunity to talk about how Dabi helped you with Mr. Giran’s homework. Shortly after that, you developed a tactic to help each other study where you really needed. Then you guys ended up watching some funny compilations on YouTube and trying your hardest not to laugh. There was no issue there. It was only when you began packing up to leave did the real problems arise.

You accidently ended up dropping your poor laptop on the hard floor and it made a deafening clack when it hit the ground. You wanted to scream out but you remembered the rules. You would simply suffer in silence as Toga and Magne mourned the possible loss of your laptop beside you. Unfortunately the laptop falling to the ground was far too much. “Shh...do you hear those rapid footsteps??? He’s coming! Y/N, run!” Magne whisper yelled at you before she and Toga quietly took off to hide behind one of the extensive book shelves. It was too late for you when you looked up and realized there was a very annoyed boy standing in front of you. You gasped and pointed at him. “Hey I know you! You’re the other guy that made honor roll in Mr. Giran’s class last semester!” You whisper yelled in amazement. He was the other boy from the picture that Dabi showed you earlier. He was also very pissed off...

“Excuse me but I don’t know you. Judging by that face of yours and the fact you clearly didn’t know the rules about silence here, I’m simply going to assume you must be one of those freshmen that joined up today. I’m Kai Chisaki and I really don’t care who you are so there’s no need to introduce yourself. What you need to be most concerned about is the clear and obvious rule in this library: silence. This is essential to not only me, but to the other students as well. I would advise you to take note of this rule and adhere to it, less you be reported to the administration and be banned from this building for the rest of the semester. And believe me, I will do it if I have to. Consider this your first and LAST warning. Good day.” He gave you an aggressive (and oddly quiet) earful before silently stomping off towards the other end of the room and to one of the back tables you could assume. “Geez...” you frowned and turned your attention back towards the laptop on the ground. Toga and Magne quietly came out from their hiding spot and helped you scoop up some of the apparent broken screen chips on the ground. “Let’s get outta here before the gremlin comes back and tells us we’re breathing too hard.” Magne spoke in annoyance. You nodded and quickly followed the pair into the elevator, not wasting a single breath until the door closed signaling your descent back to the main floor. “Damn that was scary! But at the same time, I can’t see why you call him the gremlin of the library. He’s kinda not as atrocious as I thought he’d look.” You said. “Hun we don’t call him that because of his looks. We call him that because he’s literally always here! I mean, at this point he must live there. At least that’s the rumor going around school. None of the other students have ever seen him leave. This is especially considering the library is 24/7.” Magne explained to you. Toga piped up to add to the conversation.

“Kai Chisaki is pretty much known around here for how serious he is about his grades. Word around campus is that he’s never passed a class with anything lower than an A before. There have been so many student that would come to him asking him...no BEGGING him to tutor them but the answer is always ‘no’ from him. Even the professor AFO’s son came to him and offered a shit ton of money to be tutored. Chisaki turned him down immediately! It’s absolutely insane.” Magne nodded at Toga’s words. “Yeah, and he’s reported like 20 students in his entire time going to school here. Each of them got banned for a semester or two from the library. At least two of them got banned for the rest of their time at this school. One of them got it so bad that they dropped out of school and Chisaki never batted an eye even knowing he was the reason for it all.”

“Yeah! Kai is ruthless! He’s a med student and on his way to med school after he graduates from here. I think there’s nothing in his way of passing there either.” Toga added. Magne shook her head in disagreement. “No you have to look at it this way too: It takes more than just good grades to get into med school. You also have to have empathy I heard. Chisaki severely lacks that, so he’s probably not going to get into med school until he shows some form of kindness towards people.” Magne added and Toga nodded. “Anyway, don’t worry about him. He’s an asshole. As long as you got us, we’ll make sure Chisaki can’t hurt you! Besides, we can always get together in the dorms and study together there too. We can be as loud as we want to there...I mean except for dead week. But you get the picture!” Magne reassured you and gave you a quick hug while Toga did the same. The elevator stopped at the first floor and let you guys off. Magne and Toga walked you back to your dorm and left you to properly morn the loss of your old laptop while Dabi laughed at you from his spot on the top bunk. “Hahahahha, freakin idiot!” You glared at him but it didn’t do much good to stop his teasing.

“Looks like I need to get a new one.” You sighed in defeat.

»—————————–———————————————————–✄

Instagram: @pastelbattydraws & @pastelbattystore

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNMJH7vHL7APNobUykhK4w?view_as=subscriber

#league university #league university au #au #lov #league of villains #magne #toga #overhaul #spinner #dabi #Giran

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edourado · 4 years

Text

Together, ch vi

Based on a true experience. I might post photo evidence later, if prompted.

Hope this pleases, eases anxiety, and makes you hungry - like it did to me.

Much love ♥

----------

Frank now made a lot of popcorn. A lot.

They did their best to establish a rhythm that would help them not lose their mind during quarantine: Frank had his runs on the crack of dawn, Karen would watch many YouTube videos on exercise, yoga, pilates, meditation, hiit, full body workouts, a whole variety.

The dogs also brought more activities for them. Lady had to be walked, Pooka had to be trained, they both had to be bathed, vaccinated, fed, taken care of.

Frank was still finding things to tweak around the apartment, Karen spent a lot of time cataloguing hers and Frank’s books, arranging them in alphabetical order, making a list of which she wanted to read and what order she wanted to read them.

Still. Twenty-four hours in an apartment, seven days a week, there was still plenty of time to spare.

So they watched movies and tv shows and documentaries and YouTube videos about this or that. And Frank always made them popcorn.

Sometimes they found movies that they really liked, sometimes they would strike up in conversation only a few minutes in, and eat their popcorn while the TV went on, ignored. Sometimes they would fall asleep, sometimes Frank would pin her down on the couch and she would wrap herself around him.

A lot of variables, one constant: popcorn.

He would always get a bag of lose kernel, saying that the microwave stuff had a “weird smell”, and would spend a few minutes standing in front of the stove, the dogs sitting eagerly at his feet, until there was a beautiful, amazing smelling bowl of popcorn in his hands, that he would take to the couch, where Karen waited for him, remote control at the ready.

“This kitchen has never seen so much action before, I swear”, she said one day, while he stood making his popcorn and she dumped cake batter on a pan, ready to take it to the oven.

Their breakfast came from the bakery at the corner, where they were now regulars. Every day, Frank would buy coffee and something to eat - bread, croissants, bagels, a new item the chef added to the menu. Karen would go and buy donuts, cake, pastries and supplies for her own kitchen experiments.

Lunch was sometimes ordered in, when they felt like eating sushi, fried chicken, chinese, thai food, something that they were not equipped to make themselves.

Dinner was, most of the time, the leftovers of lunch. And sometimes it would be popcorn.

Most of the time, though, they would cook. Karen had a notebook filled with recipes, that she said she got from her mother, who collected recipes from family, neighbors, celebrities, magazines.

“I don’t even know how I have this”, she told him one day. “I definitely don’t remember packing it before I left Vermont, but I did.”

Frank also had a few recipes under his belt, but they weren’t written down.

And they already had a few favorite of their own, and would go through them depending on their mood, on the weather, on the supplies they had. Some, however, they tried only once, like this thing that looked like something canned, but wasn’t. A gelatinous thing that didn't require any gelatine, savory sort of cake that could be eaten cold or warm, according to Mrs. Page’s notes. Karen tried it one day, and one bite was enough for them to decide they would not be trying it again.

“It’s not even the taste”, she said, washing the dishes afterwards. “The texture threw me off, what even was that?”

“Maybe you missed something?” Frank suggested, putting the clean dishes away - he never let them just sit on the sink. They had to be immediately properly stored in the cupboard.

“I triple checked. It was definitely right.”

The lasagna was a success. So was Maria’s pasta, and Frank’s own pancakes.

He rolled his eyes when she said both Matt and Foggy liked her triple chocolate cookies.

“Oh, if Matt likes them.”

.:.

They were both lying on the hammock one afternoon, a big bowl of popcorn sitting on Frank’s stomach, the dogs snoozing inside, by the window.

The popcorn had been intended to go with a movie, but Karen then noticed how nice it was outside, and the color of the sky was beautiful, so they decided to watch the sunset instead.

She was making brownies, a simple recipe she knew since she was a kid, and the batter had tasted amazing. However,

“Oh no!” she said, and moved quickly to get out of the hammock and back inside, startling Frank, who had his eyes closed and his arm around her.

“What?” he asked, sitting up.

“The brownies”, she said simply, hurrying back inside, and that’s when he smelled it. Burnt.

“Shit!” he heard her say, and tried to peer inside without getting up.

“What happened?” he asked, spotting her sitting in front of the the open stove, trying to maneuver the pan inside.

“I don’t know, it just… Overflowed.”

She sounded frustrated.

“Oh, crap”, she went on. “There was baking powder in the flower, I got the wrong one!”

“Is it all ruined?” he asked.

She tried to put another pan under the original one, to catch the batter that was spilling, and decided to leave it in the oven for the rest of the remaining time.

It didn’t smell good. The batter that had fallen into the oven itself burned to a crisp, filling the apartment with a nauseating smell. Frank opened all the windows and Karen sprayed lavender water around.

When she did take the thing out of the oven, the brownie looked a mess. And she wanted to toss the whole thing, but Frank noticed that the crust looked actually pretty good in the original pan. Trying a piece, he lifted his brows, surprised.

“It’s still good.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not, try it.”

And it was. It had spilled, and it was not pretty, but aside from that, it was a very good brownie.

In the end, she had scraped the spilled parts from the extra pan she had put in the oven, cut the thing in little pieces and transferred it to a different container, throwing the burnt parts into the trash. Frank called her back outside, to resume her place next to him in his hammock, and they finished the popcorn and nibbled on the honest to God very tasty brownie.

“I’ll make another one”, she promised. “With the correct flower, and it’ll look and taste amazing, you’ll see.”

He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes again, glad he didn't have to lie to appease her feelings - something he had been fully prepared to do.

.:.

A few weeks later, after they had stocked their pantry with fresh groceries, he smelled brownies again. Looking over, he saw her sitting in front of the oven, Lady sitting by her side, Poka squeezed between them, his tail lazily going from side to side, watching the oven.

A few minutes later, and she walked over to him, with a plate full of beautiful, wonderful smelling square pieces of brownie.

“Told ya”, she said, happily, after he tasted it and assured her that it was very, very good.

Frank smiled, got another piece, and ignored the dogs pleading eyes.

#kastle #kastle fluff #kastle ff #Frank Castle #Karen Page #the punisher #daredevil #quarantine drabbles

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sarah--goff · 5 years

Text

Sabaism: chapter 17: Down To A Tea:

Tick, tock, tick tock

The sound draws you from your slumber.

You open your eyes to find yourself standing in the Outskirts overlooking the labyrinth where your adventure had begun.

“What the-”

It looked to be early morning, the sky streaked in purples and pinks, in the anticipation for the sun to rise fully. It was eerily beautiful.

The wind was blowing right through you .

You shiver, holding your arms until you feel a rush of warmth melt over you. You look down at yourself, seeing you’re now wrapped in the blue cloak.

You turn to the loud ticking, overriding your thoughts.

Tick, tock, tick, tock

Jareth was leaning against a tree, one hand behind his back, the black antique clock he used to time your run was above his head. The thin hands on the clock face read 6:30. He was gazing over the Labyrinth .

“Good morning?” you raise an eyebrow, pulling the cloak further around you.

He inclined his head in acknowledgement in your direction with a quiet smile, still overlooking the labyrinth with distant eyes.

You yawn into the cloak.

“You could have just woken me up you know, no need for the theatrics” you mumble, finding yourself also starring sleepily over the labyrinth.

“Why am I here anyway?” you sit on a stone rock just in front of the tree.

He didn’t reply straight away.

“Sometimes I come here when I need to think,”

Jareth took his eyes away from the view to rest on you softly.

“I didn’t mean to summon you, I’m sorry, you can go back to bed if you wish” he raised his hand gently for a crystal.

“No, no, it’s ok, I’m here now i might as well stay, if you want me to?”

He smirked at your uncertainty, tilting his head back against the tree again, to lift his eyes to the Labyrinth “yes, I want you to”.

You sit in silence, not that you mind, in your sleepy state.

It was nice, peaceful.

There were birds calling in nearby trees, flowers blooming under the arriving sun, the labyrinth’s outer walls sparkled.

You don’t remember the Outskirts like this the last time you were here, but of course your mind was on other things at the time, like how on earth you were going to make it through the Labyrinth and getting home.

Now, it looked all the magical being it was, your heavy eyes stay resting on the view, just taking the time to drink it all in. Little by little. you unpick the small details you hadn’t noticed before against the orange streaked sky.

You give an involuntary content sigh as you curled your knees against your chest.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks softly

You shrug then shake your head.

“Not really, but I think I’ve had more than enough sleep already, I’ll be okay for now”

“You had a lot on your mind I imagine”

You lock your fingers over your knee cap “things have...been a lot to take in, yeah”

In truth, you were wide awake for most of the night, only dropping off occasionally to snap awake again.

The bed felt too strange for you to relax in, to the point where you found yourself missing your old knackered single in your bedroom. Whenever you shifted, you expected to hear the creaks and groans under the floorboards but faced silence.

Apart from that, your mind couldn’t switch off.

Every time your eyes closed you found yourself staring back at the high, crumbly walls of the Labyrinth..

How could anyone ever sleep in a place like the Underground?

There was so much you didn’t know or hadn’t seen, or wanted to see again, just to check this was indeed all happening, not just a fever dream. Even after everything you’d experienced , part of you still couldn’t believe it was quite real.

“What about you?” you swivel to face him.

“Similar to you, but most likely for different reasons” the Goblin King tugged the corner of his mouth up.

You gave a nod, not that you really understood

“Right”

There was a pause. You didn’t really know what to say.

“And you’re alright?” he looks down his nose, awaiting your answer.

You gave another shrug. Alright . Were you alright?

“I’ve done my crying” you say definitely, but that’s all.

“hmm”

Not the answer he was looking for apparently.

You bite your lip looking at the dirt, rolling a stone under your shoe “so, what were you thinking about?”

“Beg pardon?”

“You said you come here to think, what does a Goblin King come all the way out here to think about this early in the morning”

“This and that” he pushed himself off the tree, sucking his teeth, “how about breakfast, since we’re already here, are you hungry?”

You felt your stomach gurgle, suddenly reminding you you hadn’t eaten since the night you ate the soup.

You gave a sheepish smile “I could eat”.

Jareth chuckled between stretching his arms out in front of him, allowing you to briefly see the pale skin and lean muscle under his leather layers.

He tugs you to your feet, indicating to follow behind him as he began to walk.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“Just looking for flat ground” he mumbled, scanning over the dusty earth.

He stopped short suddenly, making you bump into him, “ oof ”.

“Here should do it”.

Three blue and pink tinged bubbles expanded from his fingertips.

Jareth popped two of them, blowing the third in your direction to allow you to pop it curiously. It made a nice change to be outside the bubble for change.

You watch it burst into a chair to accompany another identical chair and a round table for two.

“Wait you meant we’re going to eat, here , here?”

“It’s a fine morning, I don’t see why not” Jareth shook out a checkered tablecloth gracefully sweeping it over the table and placed down two sets of cutlery glinting in the sun and a plate each.

You couldn’t argue you supposed, it was a good view after all.

The wind had since died down to only a soft breeze and the morning chill was wearing off, though you still kept the cloak over you, mostly because you forgot to ask for pyjamas last night, well aware you were still dressed in your days old clothing.

He pulls out one of the chairs, standing behind it, gesturing for you to sit.

“Ms. Hazel,“ the Goblin King bobbed his head, blonde strands of hair lightly shifting forward.

You roll your eyes, taking your seat while he tucked in your chair.

“Now then, what would Ms. Hazel like for breakfast?”

He took his own seat so you were facing each other with the labyrinth on your left.

“oh, um... cereal?”

Jareth began to laugh “of all the things in the world, Sloane Hazel would like her cereal”

your cheeks warmed “well...whatever” you mumbled.

What did you eat for breakfast in the underground? In fact, what did you eat at all, nevermind breakfast? You sorely hoped it wouldn’t be leaves and berries like in the fairy-tales.

“I tease, of course you can have whatever you wish”

“Well, what are you having?”

“Me? Well now, how abouuuut,”

He rested his chin on his gloved hand, elbow propped up on the table. His fingertips tapped against his cheek as he mulled over the idea like it was an important decision until he broke into a smirk.

“Hmmm, I know -“

A cloud of inky purple smoke and glitter flashed over the table.

Assorted china plates and silver dishes clunked onto it in unison, covering practically the every inch, all shapes and sizes- holding the most wonderful eye catching things. You could pick out the smell of eggs and bacon before anything else. Your mouth watered.

“-a bit of everything”

Not like the stories at all.

He had gloat on him, not under-passing an opportunity to show off his abilities. You let him, consumed with the food.

“How-” you go to ask but catch the words in your mouth. Nothing’s impossible.

Jareth stood to pluck a fluffy piece of toast from a silver tray “well, go on then, help yourself”

Your fingers hovered over the dishes, unsure where to start, and this was only breakfast!

You pluck a ration of bacon, scoop some scrambled egg and a piece of toast, pouring yourself tea into teacup- though you wish it was coffee instead.

Jareth began to cut into a tomato, flicking his eyes at your little plate momentarily.

“There’s no need for modesty here, Sloane, I mean it, have anything you want, I can’t imagine how hungry you must be by now, you’ll need the strength”

When you eye his plate you see he’s helped himself generously, a full English and a half even.

You shrugged, embarrassed.

"I can hear how hungry you are. The least I can do is feed you” Jareth pretended to find his food interesting, looking at his fork, “you’ve fed me enough times...”

You were hungry, more than you had been at the lake.

Fuck it,

you don’t care if it’s poisoned or drugged or whatever. you help yourself to another ration, a buttered croissant.

You bite into a particularly appetising piece of toast with a fried egg on top that had the brightest yellow oke you’d ever seen.

“ oh my god ”

You begin to chew slowly, until you finish.

ugh so good , definitely a step up from CocoPops

You quickly dab your chin with the back of your hands at the grease sliding down, hoping he didn’t notice.

“I feel disgusting” you said with a happy sigh, sitting back.

The Goblin King laughed beside you “welcome to the Underground” you clinked teacups.

Jareth sliced into a delicately powdered pancake, how the hell he had room for that you didn’t know.

“Would you like some?” he waved a piece on his fork at you.

Your stomach heaves “no, stop, I’m going to burst” you giggle “you’re spoiling me”

“What’s wrong with being spoiled? “ Jareth says lightly, spreading jam over a hot-cross bun, “when was the last time somebody made you breakfast?” he bit into it, tilting his head.

The question catches you off guard.

“oh, um...”

You had to seriously think about it.

By the time you woke in the mornings Brian and Kari were already at work. You only had enough time before school for cereal, weekends were pretty much the same story, you had to rush off between rehearsals and studying or you just lazed in and missed breakfast altogether, you don’t even recall breakfast made for you at Christmas or your birthday, most likely because neither Kari or Brian were particularly good cooks anyway.

“Well…okay fair point” you reach for the teacup, having your third cup.

You didn’t want to spoil the moment or the effort that he was at least trying to make, but your inner voice can’t help but nag at you. And for once you listen to it.

“I know what you’re doing- thinking you can butter me up with breakfast”

“I have no idea know what you mean”

Jareth pretended to find his butter knife interesting, avoiding your eyes but he couldn’t help the smirk spread on his face

“ -that wasn’t the plan at all, but is it working anyway?”

“yeah” you nod.

You leave it at that, not being hostile, but still letting him know you’re not so easily fooled, he was right earlier, your run in the Labyrinth was over. You were finished dancing to his tune.

You couldn’t be bothered to start another argument, especially if you wanted answers out of him later, so for now, you let it lie.

You turn your head in time to catch a flock of birds cross the sky, you could see the hubbub of the Goblin City in full swing even from all the way up here.

It was something close to feeling as though you were watching the world wake up and begin the day, the pair of you admired the sun over the Labyrinth in content silence.

The sounds of the insects in the thin clumps of grass, like cicadas, filled your ears. The clock above chimed the hour.

“This is really nice”

“I’m glad” he teased

“No, I mean it, it’s lovely”

“So do I, I’m glad ”

Jareth had a lingering triumphant smile on his face, his bejewelled broach at the throat kept shining in your face under the light. In fact, all of him seemed to sparkle today, you had to keep forcing your eyes at the ground or just behind his ear to stop yourself being caught staring at him.

You arch your back, stretching, “do you come out here a lot? Eat as well?”

“Sometimes” the Goblin King considered the view for a moment, speaking in it’s direction rather than to your face.

“I’d rather be out here, in the open, than eat alone at a long dining table in a drafty castle, wouldn’t you?”.

“oh... yeah, probably”

You looked at your plate, embarrassed. That sounded quite sad.

You never considered the Goblin King would be lonely. Was he lonely? Weren’t there other people here? Just goblins? No there must be, I saw some, remember?

You rack your brains trying to picture their faces but everything you remember seeing- or thought you’d seen- in the ballroom was slightly blurred, plus they were wearing masks.

You scratched at your wrist where the seal was. It was angry red and irritating. You scratch it again, feeling as if it was burning into your skin.

Jareth rested his knife and fork on either side of his plate “is that hurting you?”

“No, it’s just itchy”

He wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin, beckoning for your hand “here”

You gave it, “can you stop it? it’s driving me nuts”

“i can but you won’t like it”

“just do whatever you have to do” you wince at the urge to grab his butter knife scratch your skin off.

You assume he’s going to pull out a crystal or whatever but unexpectedly, Jareth plucks off his gloves by the fingertips.

He opened his mouth, putting the pad of his thumb to the inside of his cheek. Jareth held it there, looking up, humming under his breath.

“I don’t-”

Jareth closed his mouth, pressing his thumb to the seal on your wrist.

“well that’s disgusting “ you shake your head looking away trying not to flinch at the fizzing sensation as he pressed the saliva into the wound.

“Would you have rather I’d have licked your wrist?”

Jareth bobbed his eyebrows suggestively making you blush deeply “n-no” as you try not to picture exactly how that would look and feel.

“That any better?”

You take it back, the redness all gone, just leaving the skin glittery like his own “yeah actually”.

He waves his hand, and you watched as the plates and dishes slowly faded in front of your eyes.

The Goblin King held a crystal by his fingertips, elongating it until it stretched to form a yellowed newspaper.

Jareth sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other.

The Goblin King reading a newspaper. Well how about that.

You giggled, earning you a look from over the paper’s rim “am i amusing you?”

“No it’s just-” you gesture to the paper and then shake your head “you’re being so usual”

The Goblin King smirked, continuing to read, pretending to be unfazed as he scanned the paper “am I normally unusual?”

You bit your lip thoughtfully, how could he be so unaware of how ‘Other’ he was, in his get-up and looks down to the way he moved?

On the other hand, you suppose he was considered normal in the Underground, meaning you were the ‘Other’ one in this scenario.

“You’re the most unusual usual person I’ve ever met” you said confidently

“Congratulations to me then” Jareth shuffled the paper, going back to reading.

You rest your head in your hand, staring at the view. How could anyone grow tired of seeing this?

You wish you had something of your own to read, one of your mum’s faded paperbacks or something it would be so perfect right now.

At least reading would be something to look forward to now that you had “ forever ”. You could read all you wanted without being interrupted by essays. The thought gave you a warm feeling in your stomach.

You settle to watching the world go by for a while and pretend not to notice him sneaking looks at you, he may as well have cut two eye holes in the paper like in the films. Honestly .

In this moment, sitting on top of a hill peering over the kingdom, under the sun, you were quite sure you could get used to this.

Jareth sighs, folding the paper twice and making it vanish.

“I can’t read like this, too many distractions” his eyes dance at you.

You give him a sideways glance.

“Sooo…” he says in a sing song voice “so, first day in the Underground. Well, first day free and conscious anyway”

“If you’re trying to soothe me over you’re going to have to stop saying things like that” Jareth continues without changing his tone.

“What do you want to do first? I was thinking about a tour today, you’ve already had the full experience of the Labyrinth . Or would you like to see your room before?”

Your ears prick up, “ my room?”.

Maybe he was trying to divert from the inevitable that he promised , or make you forget but the idea.

You never even considered having a place of your own. A whole bedroom in a castle just for you.

My room .

“The tower room’s served its purpose, I’m sure you’d want your own space anyway, give you a chance to settle in”

Settle .

“Y-es”

“Right then” he slapped his thighs, jumping up.

You stood, accepting the arm he offered you.

“Oh wait, do you want this back?” You pull the cloak off your shoulder but he stops you, tugging it back up again.

“No, no, you keep it, I rather think it suits you”

Jareth gave an approving nod even though you knew you probably looked like a mess right now. Actually, the idea of washing properly sounded promising

“My room it is then” you nod, picturing what it would look like.

You think he’s about to pull out a crystal and poof you there but instead the pair of you stride over to a large slate boulder nearby. Jareth nudges it aside with his foot, revealing a trapdoor underneath.

The Goblin King looks from the trapdoor in the earth to you, with a wicked beam “after you”.

The trapdoor opens and you could see the beginning of a slide. Oh no .

“You have these things everywhere?”

“A whole network tangled under the labyrinth”

“well that’s...good to know”

“It’s the quickest and most fun way to travel”

You begin to back off, remembering the last time you were down one of these.

“ Fun ”, was not the right word at all.

“I think I’ll throw up” you said in a small voice.

He threw his head back laughing “nonsense you’ll be sound” Jareth grabs a nearby mat, setting it down at the mouth of the slide. “Now, i’m certain the Above are familiar with how this works”

“Yeah, you sit on the mat and slide down, hardly rocket science”

“Hmmm” Jareth looks under another rock, “it appears I only have one mat -you don’t mind sharing do you?” his teeth gleamed predatory like.

“Can’t we just use one of your crystals” you fold your arms, knowing exactly what he was up to.

Jareth folded his arms leaning an elbow on the rock, “Mmm you said you wanted to “see Underground properly”, and this is the most ‘proper’ you can get” he crossed one foot over the other.

You stare at the slide, disappearing into the darkness.

“Now, now I think someone's coming down with a case of Scaredy Cat”

That did it. Your shoulders immediately square, whatever effect he was looking to have it worked, you would not show vulnerability in front of the Goblin King. You knew it was a ploy but you went along with it anyway.

It’s just a slide, you went through a whole labyrinth and you’re scared of a slide?

Jareth winked, as if able read to your thoughts “now- are you in, or are you out?”

You sighed, caving in “not like I have much choice”.

“That’s the spirit” Jareth takes your hand, helping you to crouch without toppling over to seat yourself on the mat.

“I’ll get you back for this you know” you mumble under your breath.

You sit with your knees up, stomach doing flips at what’s about to happen. You inch forward, trying to give him as much space as possible so he doesn’t have to be so close to you in already a small proximity.

You try not to jump when you feel either side of his legs slip around yours as he shifts to get comfortable. Looks like your efforts were wasted.

Oh god .

You felt yourself flush, the warmth rushing through you, that same buzz you felt whenever he was close, just like when you were in the ballroom.

“You do trust me, don’t you?” he murmurs by your ear suddenly, hot breath making your hairs stand on end . You felt a pool of warmth in the pit of your stomach.

You nod, although you want to say “ no, you’re a reptile and I definitely don’t trust you” , but the words die in your throat. You nod, and try not to think about his body heat near you .

“Good” he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, making your heartbeat speed up. Before you can register anything else he’s already pushed off from the mouth of the slide, hurtling the pair of you forwards.

The speed automatically reels you backwards, you find yourself pressing into him.

The darkness unsettles you at first but you remind yourself you’re with the Goblin King this time, you’re quite safe.

You turn a sharp corner, making you yelp and clap your hands over your eyes. You are scared, fuck your pride you should have just said no.

You instinctively press further against him, as if trying to escape the whole ordeal altogether, feeling his own chest vibrate with chuckling. Jareth crosses his arms further around your own.

“Look up, Sloane”

You shake your head, feeling sick.

“Look up, you’ll love it I promise”

You cautiously squint open an eye above you, seeing little purple and white lights whizz overhead.

You blink, trying to focus on them, immediately forgetting your fears.

“What are they?” you say loudly into his ear against the rushing wind.

“Roots. Of the trees in the Labyrinth, look-” he momentarily takes his arm off yours but you yelp, pulling it back in case you fall forward.

Jareth’s other arm stretches across you further so he can free the other, pointing to the roots

“touch them” .

You shakily reach a hand out, grazing your fingers along the tree roots that rush past you, at your touch, they spark a rainbow glow that makes you shiver and tingle at the fingertips.

“Woahhh” you gasp, giggling. You turn your hand over as if expecting it to glow itself.

“Magic. Pure magic” Jareth trails his own hand across the roots, causing the dark to light up with colour and spark.

You do it again, pressing your palm against the roots further, revelling in the tingling feeling.

Actually, this was kind of fun. You felt light, like you were flying, you laugh tilting your head back so it echoes all around you as you zip through the darkness. He joins in.

Man, this felt amazing! Why didn’t he just give you this earlier?

“not too much!” Jareth takes your hand off rapidly

You hear him say something only the lines of “ dangerous ” and “ imbalance ” but it sounds as if he’s underwater.

You giggle and touch it one more time daringly with the tip of your finger to irk him, earning your shoulders to be pulled back roughly against him.

“ minx ” he says, humming in your ear heavily “you better be good, you know” you can feel Jareth’s lips on the very tip of your ear, long strands of hair teasing your cheek.

You’re immediately pulled back into focus, your entire face ignites and you’re extremely glad neither of you are touching the roots or you’d be bright red for all the world to see.

Suddenly Jareth holds you by the shoulders tighter, voice returning to usual pitch.

“Here we go, sit tight”

You go rigid, ready for impact.

Ahead of you, a trap door swings open, evading light into the darkness.

The mat flies off, the pair of you land on cushions as you had before.

The trapdoor behind you swings shut.

This time, instead of a dark cave, you’re in a large circular stone room. You’re in the castle, you must be.

You blink, standing and realising little over 50 pairs of eyes on you, gawping.

A guard, who you mistook for an old man at first -had it not been for his long ears and snout-nose- pushed his way through the mob, to bow to Jareth, panting.

“Sire! The girl ! She’s escaped! From the tower!”

“Hello” you poke your head around Jareth’s tall figure, causing the little creatures to step back in unison with a hushed gasp.

The guards’ ears flap up like a dog’s, scratching his head in confusion.

Jareth exhaled, putting a hand to his temple patiently, indicating these kinds of incidents happened all too often.

“I know, Candlewick, I let her out”

You side-eye him. He coughed, correcting himself “I mean invited”.

The Goblins didn’t try and hide their curiosity, gawping at you and pointing.

You stare back just as much, but not for too long, some were quite unsettling to look at.

So this is what goblins look like. Well, they weren’t far off the fairytales. You were grateful Jareth looked nothing like them at least.

One prodded your elbow making you swat it away

“hey!”

They just grinned, delighted by your reaction, edging each other on, pushing one another towards you.

In a way they were like small children, really , really ugly children.

Unexpectedly, one small one pinched the back of your ankle, making you yelp. Their yapping peals of laughter echoed around you.

“Ow!” you grasp your ankle, “what was that for!” you hopped on one foot, only amusing them further.

Jareth threw his head back laughing, putting his hands on his hips, “oh yes, I think you’ll do just fine here”

You gave daggers at the goblin laughing behind its paw at you.

Jareth leaves your side to shuck his cape and fold it over a circular seat of some kind.

He motions for you to follow him out of the room and you don’t hesitate, well aware of the beady red eyes boring into your backs.

“is it always like this?”

You walk down a dimly lit corridor that stretched out before you .

“Nevermind them, outsiders are few and far between here, they’ll get used to you”

The pair of you stride in unison along a hallway.

You felt awkward in the silence apart from your patter of footsteps, the sound of his boots drowning out your trainers.

You peak at them. Look at that heal! No wonder he always towered over you!

You should probably say something.

Ugh small talk .

Jareth exhaled air from his nose “this the first I’ve seen you so quiet. I got more out of you in the Labyrinth”

“i was just thinking”

He sucked his teeth “sounds dangerous”

You nudged him in the ribs with your elbow “only because you know I’m smarter than you”

“Not smart enough to solve a labyrinth apparently”

That earned him a forceful shoulder shove.

Jareth, only too delighted, shoved you back, just as hard, with a daring twinkle in his eye again .

You bite the bait, pushing him again.

Jareth gets carried away, giving full force with both hands unexpectedly so that you miss your footing and clang against the stone wall, hitting your head with a comical donk

“Oh shit ” you clutch your head, crouching from the stinging “oh fuckkk that hurts”

“sorryareyoualright ” Jareth garbles, crouching beside you, looking genuinely frightened.

There’s a pause. You stare at each other for a second too long until you both burst out laughing -you between the wincing.

Jareth pulls you to your feet carefully while you rub your head .

“I’ll go easier on you next time” he mimes a shoulder punch teasingly to mask his doubts.

You feign rolling your eyes, the pain in your crown ebbing away, “I let you have that one”

“I should be careful then next time ” Jareth plays along

“you may not be so lucky”

“could be absolutely fatal” he agrees

“I’ll let it slide for now”

“Very generous of you”

He holds out an arm for you to take. Well there was the awkwardness taken care of .

Maybe he should slam me into walls more often

You bite down on your cheek to stop a giggle at that thought.

You realise you’ve passed through multiple corridors, all with the same high ceilings, under hung candelabras and torches fitted to the walls.

“I don’t know how I’m going to find my way around this place “

You crane your neck looking for little unique points in every corridor to remember each by but they looked exactly the same, maybe that was the point.

“You will. The trick is not to look too hard”

“That doesn’t make sense at all”

“Sometimes we find the things when we don’t go looking for them”

Suddenly remembering what the Wise Man said you blurt “sometimes the way forward is the way back”

Jareth side-eyed you at that unexpected response, “exactly” .

You still didn’t understand but maybe Underground logic was no logic, just spontaneous, it seemed to be how things were around here.

“Up here”

You climb a flight of steps, coming to a corridor.

It’s funny, the castle never looked this big from all the way in the Labyrinth, but then neither did the Labyrinth itself at first glance and oh boy how wrong you were about that.

Through the centre of the corridor was a red rug like a river covering the flagstone floor.

“And here we are” Jareth stops short at a large round door.

“In here?”

He smiles “I don’t see any other doors” turning the large doorknob, creaking it open.

He lets you slip inside first and you gasp.

It’s not the stiff, medieval drafty room you expected at all, it’s much cosier.

You blink a few times as your eyes adjust in the difference in light.

Your mouth parts in astonishment.

“wow” you say softly.

The room isn’t huge but roughly the size of your living room at home , definitely bigger than what you were used to.

“You are my guest, you didn’t think I’d stuff you any old place did you?” Jareth tsked but you could tell he was awaiting your appraisal.

He had an arm crossed over his chest, elbow resting on it and tapping his cheek with his finger expectantly.

You pivot on the spot to see everything.

In front of you was a small grid window with what you assumed to be your bed situated in front of it, a little larger than a single, covered in assorted pillows, floral sheets and knit throws.

On the thin bookshelf was a few dusty hardbacks that you would definitely be investigating soon.

Candles tall and short sat everywhere , some new, some ancient, judging by the wax dripping.

The few paintings hung on the walls were slanted at an angle.

Overall, it gave a chaotic feeling but in a strange way it was also calming, your own little hide-away. It was perfect.

By the ribbons, bells and pearls hung from the candleholders and draped across the furniture, it was as if a slice of the ballroom had been cut and squashed into the room.

“Do you like it?” he breaks off your thoughts “if not there are oth-”

“no, no its fine”

He was trying after all you supposed, probably going off a generic girl’s interests. You could hardly blame him for not knowing what a modern teenage girl’s bedroom looked like, your previous was hardly a model.

“It’s lovely” you say with a genuine smile.

Judging by the clean and fresh smell, the room was most likely unattended for sometime and then suddenly upheaved.

“You haven’t seen the best bit yet” The Goblin King tugged at the curtains you hadn’t immediately noticed, peeling them back to let in more light and reveal another window.

Your eyes widen.

“oh wow !” you join his side.

From here you have an amazing view of the Goblin City as well as the Labyrinth and in the distance fields and hills with what looked like cattle grazing in them.

It was a pretty place, you could see that much.

The orange and black streak sky you had grown used to seeing in the Labyrinth was replaced by light blue against purple and pink clouds.

It looked like something from a painting but it was here, it was real. You realised suddenly how close the city was to the castle when you had mistaken it for much further away when you were standing on the Labyrinth’s walls.

It also made you realise, with a pang in the stomach, exactly how close you had been to winning, since you could see the very Junk Yard you had been standing in days ago before you fell into the Oubliette.

The city was so close, you could smell the tell-tale chimney smoke, even with the closed windows.

You can hardly take your eyes off the view.

A wooden desk , doubling as a vanity, sat strategically in front of it. Your mind ran wild just imagine the inspiration you’d have sitting here.

“this is amazing”

“I’m glad”

You turn, catching your own shocked expression in the mirror of the dark wardrobe. Beside it, stood a thin coat rack, hanging up dad’s jacket that someone had thankfully collected.

You shuffle your feet, remembering why you were desperate to be here in the first place.

“So um, about settling in...” you trail off sheepishly.

Jareth nods, understanding without embarrassing you, “of course, I’ll leave you to it”

He moved to the door to leave when you peeped inside the wardrobe curiously, to find nothing in it.

“uh wait a second, do you have any clothes for me?”

Jareth clapped his forehead “oh right. I forgot” .

He tossed a crystal until it popped and sprang into various items of clothes, landing neatly folded on your bed.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I had to guess your sizes” .

You’d make do.

“...and the uh, is there a bathroom around here ? I could use a shower or something” you gesture to your dishevelled state, you hadn’t washed properly since before you arrived.

The idea of a hot shower sounded amazing, unlikely, but amazing.

“It’s waiting for you” he pointed at the opposite end of the room, “behind the door”

“I have my own?” your eyes follow his finger, noticing the wooden door tucked away. How can such a cosy little place fit so much?

“that wasn’t there just a sec-”

“Things aren’t always what they seem”

The Goblin King tossed a crystal at you which you instinctively caught, and he vanished.

“why didn’t I think of that?” you mumbled with a yawn, ditching the crystal on the bed and pulling the curtains together again.

You shuck off the cloak, hanging it up next to dad’s jacket.

When you enter the ‘bathroom’, you expect to find a dismal bucket of cold water tied to a string to douse yourself with, but to your surprise, it’s close enough to something you would expect to find in the modern houses back home.

A free standing bath stood in the middle, with a shower behind it and on the left a mirror and sink with assorted brushes and cosmetics.

A crystal bulb hung from the ceiling, though you guessed it was magic illuminating it , not electricity.

Bath or shower?

Shower.

You undress and hop in, turning the tap and adjusting the temperature accordingly.

Ahhh.

You notice various soaps awaiting you and pick one, reading ‘ ginger spices ’ using it to scrub profusely, almost feeling every bit of grim and dirt from the labyrinth wash away.

There was a twinning pair of shampoo and conditioner bottles that you each squeezed into your hands and lavished in your hair one after the other, filling your nose strongly of something unidentifiable but sweet.

You take your time until you feel properly cleansed.

The seal on your wrist still glowers white but the pain is completely gone.

Oh god , you let out a giggle, bouncing around the bathroom, remembering Jareth’s saliva on your skin. Did that really happen?

When you climb out your clothes are gone, replaced by two fluffy towels awaiting you, still warm as you envelope yourself in them and step out of the room feeling practically brand new.

For a minute you forget where you are and almost go to switch on your radio like you would at home when you stop yourself.

You tied the towels around you further to inspect the clothes on the bed and pick out an outfit.

You shift among the shirts and long skirts you finally find a blouse and to your relief some trousers. At least Jareth had decent taste you had to give him that. No jeans though. Sigh.

You collect the rest to put away in the wardrobe when you notice the underwear lying beside them.

They hadn’t been there earlier. He must have slipped them in.

Oh for the love of-!

You hold them distastefully by the tips of your fingers, pinkish white, lacy compared to your usual get up.

You shake the crystal, hissing into it “you’re taking the piss” as if he could hear you. You toss it back onto the bed.

You grit your teeth and slip them on anyway, cursing him under your breath, “ prick prick prick ”

They fit well. Almost too well.

You dress in the trousers and blouse , inspecting yourself in the wardrobe’s mirror.

You turn side on and lift your arms up and down. The trousers are tight like Jareth’s but not uncomfortable, you could see why he wore them so often.

You leave your hair to dry naturally.

You sit on the corner of your new bed, instantly relaxing into it and lying on your stomach.

So this was it, your bedroom, in the castle, your new home. You re-take it all in again.

Your eyes rest on the large metallic gold clock on the wall opposite with two daggers for hands. You notice the addition of the 13th hour rather than your regular clocks at home. So strange

Time.

Forever.

How long was forever?

What were you going to do all day now that there was no school, or responsibilities or friends...or family.

No. Stop it. Can’t think like that.

How boring would eternity get?

You rolled over your back.

Just the concept was boggling.

What if Jareth got bored of you decided he didn't want your company anymore and cast you away?

What the hell am I even doing here?

You unhooked the window, flopping down to inhale the fresh air while marvelling at the view .

You weren’t thrilled by the circumstances of your situation, but you weren’t about to bawl your eyes out over the loss of your aunt and uncle, come on, don’t kid yourself.

You take a frilly white pillow from under your head and hold it to your chest, staring up at the ribbons and pearls hanging from the ceiling.

Your fingers dig into the pillow and you sigh. You felt guilty for not feeling guilty. Not in the slightest. This was your adventure. Yours.

Jan would know what to do in a situation like this.

What would she make of Jareth?

At least she’d approve of the idea that you had some sort of spark with someone of the opposite sex for the first time in forever, even if he was a little older than the boys she’d tried to push you towards.

You smiled to yourself.

Oh yes, you definitely knew what Jan would say about Jareth, things that you would never ever repeat aloud. You shook your head and tutted. You found yourself agreeing with her.

You could almost hear Jan’s tinkling laughter

“enjoy it girly!”

You were attracted to Jareth, any person with two eyes in their head would be attracted to Jareth, he only needed to smirk or make eye contact or flaunt that smarm but that didn’t mean you automatically trusted him. You barely knew him after all. Well, kind of.

Yeah, and ?

And…

You sighed, back at square one with the way you felt all over again.

If only you could phone her. But the lack of electricity had already won that battle. No more conversations with Jan, ever again.

No, nope, no more tears, you can’t change things so get on with it for god’s sake.

That’s what Jan would say, she’d take you by the shoulders and shake you:

“What’s wrong with you? You live in a castle, Slo, with a devastatingly handsome man and living in your literal dreams, you want to throw that away?” You shake your head to yourself “thanks, Jan” you mumble .

A knock at the door interrupts you

“Sloane?” Jareth pokes his head around the circular door, “did you slip down the plughole?”

you roll your eyes, locking the window again “I’m ready if that’s what you’re asking”, you ignore the sarcasm.

You see he’s changed clothing again, dressed in black and blue like the night you first met him, the tall collar emphasises his height as well as the hair.

“apparently”

The expression on his face was something you couldn’t quite read, but it had lightened.

You slip on dad's jacket "let's go".

Thankfully he uses a crystal rather than traipsing all the way back through the castle.

You blink then turn in the rising wind, finding yourself on the drawbridge outside the castle.

You crane your neck, able to see your own room’s window from here that you had been standing in moments ago.

“There’s not much of the castle to see”

Jareth admitted throwing and catching a crystal absent minded

“-so I thought we’d start here, who knows where the wind will take us”

The pair of you crossed over the bridge to potter down some steps and into the city.

_*_

You decided the Goblin City was a place you wouldn’t be frequenting often, you could see why Jareth stuck to the castle.

It was a dirty place, hardly a ‘city’, run ragged, but it was unusual, and therefore in that respect captivated your attention.

Sometimes you spotted the tail end of a creature but mostly the place was deserted.

You’d passed the odd palace guard, but apart from that, there seemed to be hardly anyone around.

Was it always this quiet? You initially got the feeling it would be a more chaotic place.

You couldn’t tell how long you’d milled around but evening looked to be approaching soon. You shoved your hands in your pockets, as Jareth filled you in on where everything was bakeries, taverns and the like.

Having felt you'd seen pretty much everything in the city, t he pair of you began to circle back towards the castle, narrowly avoiding the awkwardness of seeing the ending of the Labyrinth at the gates of the Goblin City.

The castle’s windows were lit up in yellow torchlight.

You reach the drawbridge, making your way inside again, approaching the hubbub from inside.

“It must be rammed in there” you say more to yourself as the noise of voices and cries grow louder with every step.

“Goblins” Jareth bobbed his head nonplussed at the calamity.

" goblins ?" you repeat dryly following behind uncertainly “what are they still doing here?”

The door swings open inviting an uproar of noises.

You clap your hands over your ears “ jesus god”

but it did nothing to muffle the whoops of laughter and racket of things either being dropped or launched into the walls.

The goblins were chasing round the room, singing out of unison or irritating chickens. Chickens?

Jareth did nothing to stop them as you had initially thought he would. Rather in fact, than thundering and silencing the room, he seemed entertained by the ruckus.

He laughed throwing back his head, then ducking without blinking as a rock was launched in the air.

He flopped onto the round seat you’d seen earlier, throwing a leg over the side and just laughed more though you didn’t get the joke.

“you don’t mind?” you cried to be heard over the noise, sitting on the steps leading up to be what you imagined what his throne, since they didn’t look too dirty.

He shrugged, watching them, tapping a staff against his boot “it’s fun”

“fun?”

clearly you both had different ideas of fun .

How he put up with this you did not know.

The mess they’d surely make...you’d taken Jareth for a spick-and-span, silent, strict guy.

A merry goblin whizzed past with a red flag bobbing up and down, attached to its little helmet that covered its face.

Jareth had a drink in his hand that you hadn’t spotted until a second ago.

He caught your glance “like to try some?” he held out his own cup to you

“what is it?” you take a sip

Jareth rolled his eyes “apple juice”

You swallowed and then shuddered at the foul taste, pushing the cup away “ugh that’s disgusting”

“it’s not for it’s pleasantness believe me”

“I’ll stick to the water, thanks” the glass appeared in your hand.

“to the latest Underground citizen” he raised his cup at you in a toasting fashion

“to me”

_*_

The one thing you noticed was that the singing didn’t stop. Jareth even left the throne and began merrily clapping his hands to a tune or two making you giggle. Maybe he wasn’t such the stoic character you’d taken him for in the Labyrinth.

Although it was total and utter chaos , you found yourself fascinated even if the goblins were obviously stupid.

Real life goblins.

That part still you couldn’t get over.

Strange, they seemed totally juvenile, not cunning and devious, not likely to eat children or guard bridges like the books said. Or was that trolls? More or less the same thing, right?

You sighed, realising this was the kind of thing you’d have to get used to thinking through. And I thought talking to a bird was crazy

Another thing you noticed was the odd amount of clocks all shapes and sizes dotted around the throne room, all reading different times. Every now and then one or two hands would creep forwards or even backwards .

Would it be the same time at home? Was the Underground like Australia or something, different time zones? Or would it be the same as it was in England but like an alternative universe whatnot?

You’d already yawned into your elbow twice and was ready to call it a night, enough education for one day.

You sneakily creep out of the throne room without interrupting the “fun” . Jareth would have probably convinced you to stay longer anyway and you could barely keep your eyes open to continue to watch the charade as it is.

Besides, the new bed’s call was strong.

The aimless wandering of the Goblin City had worn you down thoroughly, it was a wonder how you managed a whole day of classes once upon a time.

At least tonight you’d sleep well.

Your footsteps echo down the corridor. By some miracle, you began to recall your steps from earlier this morning. Not so difficult after all.

You pass a black clock, telling you it was almost midnight.

You climb the stairs, trailing your hand up the banister sleepily. You pad along to the hallway coming to rest at your round door, closing it behind you softly.

With a low groan, you flop onto the chair at the desk. You prise off your shoes and gazing out the grand window at the rising smoke from the chimneys in the Goblin City.

Further beyond that you could see tiny lights in the Labyrinth, candles perhaps? Though who could be lighting them though, or what rather.

You shivered and swiftly closed the curtains, grabbing what you assumed were your pyjamas from the drawers.

You crack your back, loosening your trousers .

The door swings open, bumping against the wall, making you jump out of your skin

“what the-” You hurriedly yanked your trousers up .

Jareth staggered in, singing under his breath, he moved to the coat rack to lean against it, giggling slightly. His eyes fell on you , unfocused, and grinned.

“Good evening Ms. Hay…Hazel…well this is a nice turn of events” he giggled again.

“Jareth? What are you talking about” you sigh, buttoning your trousers discreetly, “look I had a nice day and it was cool to see the goblins but I’m shattered, okay?”

“You…in my chamber no less” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and you folded your arms, not in the mood for his games again.

“you’re in my room actually” you gestured to the walls around you “remember?”

“Oh” the goblin king nodded to himself and then squinted around in the lack of light.

“ah. I thought…the colours were different”. he frowned, rubbing his temple “I must’ve spelled m’yself to the wrong chamber”

"Well you can just spell yourself out again. Wait, are you…” you notice that he seemed to sway backwards and forwards on his feet.

“...are you drunk ?" you ask, but you were not, in fact, surprised to say the least.

His hand slips from his hold on the coat rack and you automatically stepped up to catch him in time from falling flat on his face “woah, careful!”

He laughs over you and you catch the strong sense of alcohol on his breath, face inches from yours.

you pull back wrinkling your nose “you are drunk”

He gave you cheeky, hazy smile. He looked up at you under his lashes “merely had a cup or two…”

“I doubt that “

You struggle in his sloppiness to keep him upright.

You sigh, maneuvering him so that his arm was slung over your shoulder whilst you kept your own around his waist.

This was the first time you’d held him so close since the ballroom.

Jareth looked down at you with a conflicted expression, trying to clear something in his mind or making up his mind whether to say it.

“My rose,” he lamented, “do you forgive me?” he couldn’t look you in the eye partly because he couldn’t focus properly or most likely the guilt that was scrawled across his face.

“Forgive you” you say drily “for what?”

“For everything…thi-this whole, wretch…wre...wretched business” he slurs hiding his face in his elbow miserably.

Despite the awkwardness of trying to keep him upright in his theatrics, you smile at the irony of it all, if only he was sober enough to hear himself.

You give a chuckle at the thought , would sober Jareth be horrified with his inebriated softie self?

“You’re laughing at me!” he says, hurt. “Are my feelings funny to you? My sincerity a joke?” he sneered

“No! I was- look , I forgive you okay? Now will you just sit down ” you helped him to sit on the chair with a thud.

You assess the situation, wanting desperately to kick him out and crawl into bed but the way he kept slipping from being upright without your support ate at your morals.

“I can’t let you leave like this , knowing you you’d probably spell yourself into the Bog and drown or break your neck down the stairs”

Jareth giggles, slumping across the desk and you ran a hand down your face . “fine. fine you can stay, you absolute mess”

In the light spilling in through the curtain’s crack you can see he looks like a wreck, hair matted, make-up smudged across his face.

“Wait there-”

You dash to the bathroom picking up your brush and returning.

You pull him up again to his confusion and begin to drag the brush through the long knotted mess “jesus what did you do?” you mumble. You hold it by the ends so it wouldn’t pull on him.

“i would give you coffee, or something to sober you up with, but I doubt you have that lying around here”

He watched you intensely in the mirror on the desk, never blinking or taking his eyes from you.

“you always take care of me” he says quietly, in a half confused, half statemented tone.

You tip up a smile “did I have a choice in either situation? The Goblin King isn’t so high and mighty after all” you bring the brush up again then sweeping it down.

“you take care of me” he repeated “always”.

Your eyes met in the mirror and you stop brushing.

You hum under your breath, shaking off the stare

“you have nice hair”

You ran a hand through it experimentally, making him shiver violently .

Jareth pushed himself up, or tried to, clumsy and uncoordinated under the influence of the alcohol.

Despite your weak attempts to keep him in place he was stronger than he looked and managed to stand momentarily before sprawling forward over you again.

"Why do you hate me Sloane?" He asked, his face within inches of yours. "I only wanted to make you happy."

“I don’t hate you” you huff under his pressing weight to seat him on the foot of the bed

“you just-“ you huff “-have a funny way of doing things”

You lean him up against the post of the bed but he loses balance and instead falls flat on his back onto the bed.

You try to pull him up again but you’re not strong enough and just leave him.

So much for sleeping. Your legs were killing you after all the walking

“Scooch over” you motion, and plopped yourself down on your bed that he was currently hogging

“that's more like it," Jareth giggled.

On his back, looking so vulnerable and exposed, he looks angelic, hair spread out around him. His eyes slide open catching your staring and smirks. Of course he smirks.

“Won’t you kiss me goodnight?” he said, playful look in his eye “just a little one”

You didn’t mean to keep appealing to his ego and inwardly cursed yourself.

“I don’t think so” you raise your eyebrows “just because you’re drunk and helpless doesn’t mean I have amnesia”

“Ah ha! What a little liar!” he whoops “I think someone’s just a chicken” Jareth teases making clucking noises

“Oh really, you’re going with that one”

“Chicken it is then,” He says provokingly in a sing song voice.

Jareth continues to make the stupid noises and even the wing movement, still lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

“ wrong ” You protest, voice wavering but it only amuses him further “that’s- that's just cheap.”

“Chicken, cheap,” he giggles like a child.

The Goblin King manages to lie on his side, resting his head on a pillow he had his arm looped around, facing you.

You subconsciously hugged your arms more tightly to yourself, as if doing so could fend off his brazen gaze. A gaze that kept shamelessly lowering and making your heart speed.

“You know, it is high treason to refuse your king” he winks .

The smooth fucker, even when drunk he manages to be flawless in a kind of rough around the edges way.

You threw back your head laughing at his typical self, flopping against the pillows on your back beside him.

Jareth suddenly rolls over on you in a flash, as he slid an arm around your waist catching you off guard. His body pinning you down having you completely cornered.

“What are you-“

“I can see you want it,” his hand cupping your cheek, you flush deeply having nowhere else to look or escape.

“that tell-tale breathing, that flush on your chest, the shifting-” he pushes the tip of his nose into your throat making your breath hitch, trailing down to the base .

“No” you breathe but your mind had other ideas, clouding your judgement Yes! Yes! apparently so did your own body by its burning response down there.

“ No ,” you repeat more forcefully liar liar .

You push him off gently but you still can't shake the intensity of that look “You’re-I’m- you’re drunk”

The Goblin King gave a lopsided grin “very well” and removed his hands immediately and rolling back over to put them behind his head, nestling his face sleepily in the crook of his elbow.

What the hell was that.

You’re not sure who the question is aimed at.

You part your mouth to say something then close it, and then part it again.

You sit up , leaning on your elbow to stare at him. Jareth hummed under his breath, blinking a few times at the ceiling hazily.

You sigh. oh what the hell

“It’s not like you’ll remember it anyway”

Before you even know what you’re doing or change your mind, you lean in, heart thudding and pull him in by the jacket lapels.

Jareth seems to spring out of his drunken state, suddenly fully awake and eagerly aims for your mouth, but you turn your head so he only snags your cheek.

You still manage to catch the warmth of his breath and the tip of his soft lips.

You draw away, but he removes his hands from behind his head to cling to your forearms pulling you in closer for more.

“ohhhh no, uh-uh!” you laughed wriggling away from his wandering hands. You push his head back onto the pillows.

Jareth can’t fight back, too inebriated and pouts against the plush cushion with his arms folded “ ’snot fair” he mumbles.

You can’t help but giggle at his sulky state “good night you royal pain in the arse”. You pull the cover over him.

“Mmmf” he rubs his eyes and turns over.

You shake your head and it’s not long before he’s snoring.

You sigh, no bed for you tonight.

You manage to whip off a blanket from under his leg and tug one of the pillows out from underneath him forcefully.

He’s spread himself diagonally, giving you little to no room left so you settle for the floor. At least the rug is thick.

It’s not ideal, but did you have much choice?

You close your eyes, begging for sleep after an exhausting day.

The noise startles you.

What in the hell

It was Jareth’s snores. Oh for the love of-

You clap your hands over your ears. This couldn’t be happening. Why is it so loud!

You lie on your side, firmly closing your eyes hoping to just drift off but the snoring is relentless.

“ Jareth for fuck’s sake ” you say aloud

you imagine stuffing one of the pillows in his mouth. Ugh! Would it be wrong to shove him off and pretend he rolled over too far in his sleep? No you couldn’t, that would be so mean, those stones would hurt.

Cosmic! Just cosmic!

#Labyrinth #labyrinth fanfiction #Jareth x Reader #Labyrinth 1986 #reader insert #jareth the goblin king #jareth labyrinth

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star-spangledstud · 4 years

Text

THE CURE KEEPER - prologue

You’re sweet, airy and relaxed. Basically, you’re everything he isn’t. Maybe that’s why he likes you so much. The only problem is that he really doesn’t know you at all. He doesn’t even know why you’re always hanging around the tower, and he sure as hell doesn’t know you have something that can change him forever.

Pairing: Bucky x (female!)reader.

Chapter summary: Your meeting with Bruce goes better than expected.

word count: 1200-ish

warnings: none

A/N: No Bucky yet, sadly. I just felt like I needed to set the tone a little before he shows up :)

Café Américain, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 12 August 2017, 9:44 a.m.

The glorious scents of roasted coffee beans, freshly baked croissants, and creamy apple pie greet Bruce Banner’s nose the second he sets foot in the cafe. He’s never been there before, but he’s seen the city its located in once or twice in his life, and it brings back memories from many, many years ago that greet him around every street corner. The soft swish of somebody flipping the Sunday newspaper, it’s cover donning letters in a language he can’t read along with several colorful pictures, and the grumbling of the espresso machine near the counter, make him feel at ease.

He’s comfortable, perhaps too comfortable given the circumstances, but he likes the quaintness of the place, the vintage records and black and white photos on the wall and the central piece, a moon-shaped mint green bar with glasses on the top and hanging from ceiling racks in various shapes and sizes. It makes him feel normal, like for a moment, his alter ego doesn’t exist. He knows that’s why you chose this place, to ease the constant turmoil in his head, and unbeknownst to you, you’ve done a good job.

It’s more crowded than he expected for a Sunday morning, but the sun is out and there’s only a soft breeze, so it shouldn’t surprise him to see this many people out this early in the morning. A family, three young kids including one toddler and their parents, is seated not too far from him, and he’s worried their seating arrangement might interfere with what he’s there to talk about. He chooses not to dwell on the possibility of a toddler overhearing sensitive information in a language she can’t possibly understand at her age.

Still, he can’t completely shake the nerves that settled in the pit of his stomach, because he hasn’t seen you since he was in Phuket, and that was years ago. He can’t help but rub his hands together in anticipation when he searches the cafe’s walls for records he recognizes. He takes a seat near the back and orders two coffees; one for the both of you, and hopes you show up on time. The drinks, supported in pastel mugs, are piping hot when the waitress brings them to his table, and he contemplates waiting for you before taking his first sip.

It’s half-empty by the time you arrive.

Your eyes immediately find him in the back of the cafe when you enter two minutes before ten. Your eyes quickly scan your surroundings, and relief washes over you when it looks just the way it looks every Sunday and feels the same as well. The barista, whose name you came to learn after your fifth visit, greets you with a wave and a small smile before she returns to the customer in front of her. You return the gesture.

You’re not surprised to see two still semi-hot cups of coffee when you take a seat. There’s almond milk in yours, just how you like it, and the steaming beverage warms your insides when you take your first sip. You’re wearing a plain black baseball cap on your head as a precaution, just like you do every week, but Bruce recognized you the second you opened the cafe door. If he were in the mood to laugh at your version of a disguise, he would, but the seriousness of the situation prohibited him from expressing happy emotions at any capacity.

Hair in a color he’s never seen before spills from underneath the cap, and he supposes that’s another part of your disguise. Then again, you were only a teenager when you last saw him, and you’d since grown into a beautiful young woman.

“Morning, Angel,” he hums before taking a sip.

“I need your help,” you say, ignoring the code name he used to address you.

He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, hyper-aware of the I HEART AMSTERDAM t-shirt you’re wearing. You’re trying too hard to blend in as a tourist, he thinks, but then again, he himself is by no means a master of disguises. He leaves that up to the professionals while he works behind the scenes.

“Witnesses, really? You know me better than that.” He sounds offended, you pay it no mind.

“Pawns, I’d call them,” you mutter, “they help me blend in. I was going to pick central station, but I wasn’t sure where you’re at with your... friend.”

Bruce can’t say he’s thrilled by the way you’re leaning in further to talk to him. His body does the same, hovering over the small round table in an effort to hear you better.

“It varies,” he admits, “I’ll take what I can get.”

You sip your coffee and nod, eyes scanning his features. He still looks pretty much the same, but the fine lines that settled around his eyes and on his forehead weren’t there the last time you saw him.

“I messed up and I need your help,” you spill, “need to get out of here.”

“What happened?” He asks.

“I took something,” you bite your lip, “something I wasn’t supposed to take. I mean, it was just out in the open. They practically gave it to me.”

“What are you talking about?” He hisses, “Took what? From who?”

You lean back and take a sip of coffee, savoring the bittersweet taste on your tongue, “I can’t tell you, obviously. Information’s classified, bla bla bla. Come on, you know the drill.”

“Angel,” he pauses to take a breath, “how bad is it?”

“Green,” she chuckles dryly, “it’s very, very bad. Anyway, let’s just enjoy our coffee for now, alright? Did you order breakfast? I’m kind of feeling some waffles, or maybe some fried eggs.”

“I really think you should tell me what’s going on,” he says, “I can’t help you if you don’t.”

You sigh. You knew this was going to be a problem the moment you decided to ask for his help. The constant questioning, curiosity. Of course, he isn’t just going to let things go without at least trying to pry some answers from you. Nothing slips past Bruce.

“Angel,” he pleads when you flag down the waitress, “please. I came all the way down here, the least you could do is tell me why.”

“Green,” you warn him, “I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need your help. No offense, but you’re kind of my last resort.”

“None taken,” he grimaces, “you’re lucky I promised her.”

You inhale sharply, taken aback by his statement for a small moment. Then, you turn to the young woman who stands beside your table. Without looking at the menu, you list off your order. With the tilt of your head, you urge him to do the same, and with a grunt, Bruce asks for a grilled cheese sandwich and another coffee. You decide on orange juice instead, eager to wash the bitter taste of your previous beverage out of your mouth.

Instead of continuing the conversation, you dig a book out of the messenger bag you slumped over your seat. Bruce rolls his eyes when you slam the worn copy of Lolita onto the table, but you ignore him when you open the tattered pages and begin to read. Perhaps you haven’t changed as much as he initially thought, he muses.

“Eat up,” he says as soon as the food arrives, “we’re leaving in ten minutes.”

You smile and nod, eager to dig into your plate of fruity waffles. You manage to put the book down long enough to eat. That has changed, he thinks.

You aren’t really surprised to see how easy it is to convince him to help you. He’ll always have a soft spot for you even if he refuses to admit it.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook, either. You still owe me an explanation.”

Maybe he has changed, after all, you think. He’s more confident than he was when you last saw him, has a new way of carrying himself like he’s done with taking shit from people that offer him nothing in return. Good for him. You suppose it’s about time.

“I never said I won’t tell you,” you smirk, “just that now’s not the right time for me to be spilling all my secrets.”

He hums as he bites into the buttery smooth grilled cheese sandwich, savoring the flavor of fresh tomatoes and perfectly aged mozzarella.

“What am I supposed to tell Tony?”

“Green,” his code name spills from your lips, “I am your niece, remember?”

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes imagine #avengers imagine #avengers fic #captain america fic #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier imagine #winter soldier imagines #winter soldier fic #jammywrites #bruce banner

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zankivich · 5 years

Text

In My Blood: Wolf!Shawn x Black Reader: A coffee shop/baker AU

a/n: Look. I’ve been reading fanfic a long ass time. And I’ve been reading supernatural fanfic just about as long. And I dead ass have never in my 21 years encountered a story where the point of view, where the story, is centered on a black woman. So, we gone change that today. I am absolutely obsessed with this. It honestly started out pretty horrid, so I’m so happy she came together. I hope y’all like it! Let me know tbh.

Trigger warnings: mentions of sexual situations, conversations regarding race/hint at police brutality, cussing

It rained the day you moved in. This would go on to become your new normal though so you thought you might as well get used to it. Moving to a new town was always hard. It helped a little bit that the town was so small, tucked quietly away in the midst of trees and general greenery, it was just extremely different from your norm. You’d been a doctor in a large city for a few years where the hustle and bustle of corporate medicine had taken its toll on you. You wanted an intimate setting of clientele, not squeezing people in just for the sake of money and greed. So, when you saw an ad looking to basically apprentice someone into their practice so they could retire, you took the leap and left.The nearest hospital was a bit of a drive, forty-five or so minutes into the city, so the clinic usually served most people for their day to day problems. It was perfect.

So, you packed up all of your shit and moved to this tiny town, the kind of town where people noticed when someone new arrived. It was also the kind of town where when the Black girl moved in with her shea butter and head scarfs, people might feel inclined to take pause. The good news was that you were unapologetic and quite ready to make yourself comfortable. One might say you were ready to take on the world.

One day when you were still settling in, but couldn’t take unpacking another box you went for a walk to try and get used to the new town around you. The first thing you stumbled upon was a cute little coffee shop with this beautiful image of a wolf as its logo. You quickly stepped inside. There were a few people sat around tables with their earbuds in typing away on laptops. The counter was large and took up most of the shop with a big display of baked treats sitting proudly beside the register. There was no line, but you could clearly see a guy cleaning up at one of the tables so you stepped towards to the display case to see if anything caught your eye.

“I’ll be with you in one moment!” He called moving so quickly he was practically a blur.

“Oh no worries, take your time.”

You were stuck between a chocolate croissant that looked like it was the size of your head and a cinnamon bun of equal proportion when he finally stepped up the counter.

“So sorry about that, what can I get you?”

You looked up and honest to god your heart must have skipped a beat. First of all your eyes went to the average height of any other human you’d ever talked to you, which barely cleared the abs of this ridiculous human being. And then there was the color in his cheeks which stood so starkly on his jagged jawline. His eyes were honey brown and he had these beautiful curls that seemed to take on a life of their own. He was absolutely beautiful. And huge. And warm looking in the apron that was slung around his waist. Honestly what the hell?

It didn’t help that he seemed to pause when he saw you too. As if anything you had going on could cause the kind of reaction this man was creating within you.

“Uhhhhh...H--Hello.” You stammered awkwardly, brain completely fried.

WORDS WORDS WHAT ARE WORDS?

“You’re new here.” He murmured teeth nipping at his bottom lip.

“Yea. I um I just moved into town over the weekend actually. I’m working at the clinic with Dr. Savage? I’ll be taking over for him eventually.”

He hummed and it was like windchimes.

“Ah, I didn’t know Dr. Savage had actually found someone. He certainly didn’t mention you.”

“Should he have?” You asked slightly confused.

“Oh, we just go way back. He’s a family friend, and really important to the community. I always stop in and bring him breakfast after the rush here.”

“Ah.”

He stared at you for a second and you stared back and it wasn’t awkward, but more charged, more like both of you wanted to say something that you couldn’t find the words for. Eventually he smiled and his teeth glinted sending your heart into another round of unsteady rhythms.

“I’m sorry. You must be waiting for me to actually do my job. What can I get you, honey?”

Jesus. Christ.

You smiled. “I think I was actually trying to figure out if I should try the chocolate croissant or the cinnamon roll. Which would you recommend?”

“Both.” He said instantly. “You should have both.”

You chuckled. “Please. They’re massive. I could never finish them.”

“You can take them home with you.”

“I could always just come back to try the other.”

“I’d rather you come back knowing what you want.” He murmured.

You paused for another moment, his statement seeming to be layered. There was also something about his eyes, so warm and inviting, that it was incredibly difficult to say no. You were a black woman after all, you’d been raised to say no. What was up this guy?

“Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll surprise you instead? Would you like a cup of coffee too?”

You nodded slowly. “Can you make a white mocha?”

“‘Course I can.” He grinned showing off his teeth once again.

You thought it best you just go sit down because you were beginning to feel lightheaded.

It was hard not to get swept up in his energy. He was wearing a white t-shirt that hung on his body beautifully. His shoulders were broad and twitched endlessly under the fabric as he shuffled around behind the counter. You suddenly wished you could draw or paint, because surely he was deserving of such a treatment.

When he stepped back up to your table his hands were completely full. He was balancing two plates in one palm and a massive cup of coffee on the other. You were starting to get the sense that portions weren’t really a thing here. You also couldn’t help but noticed that nothing looked too big when he was holding it in his hands. But nothing could have prepared you for him to set down your treats and then immediately plop a squat beside you.

“I want to see your first reaction. Everyone in town is old and comes here every day.” He smiled.

You swallowed. “Well I guess if you’re gonna join me for breakfast you could at least tell me your name.”

“I’m Shawn.” He chuckled reaching his oven mit sized hand out for yours.

“Y/n.”

His hand was warm. In fact he seemed to radiate heat like an oven. But, you couldn’t tell if that was you sweating like an idiot or if he just really was that warm. What a shit show.

“That’s a beautiful name. Now try your croissant, please?”

He gently nudged the plate forward until it bumped against your hand. You rolled your eyes playfully at him before pulling at the flaky bread with the chocolatey center and popping it square in your mouth. Holy fuck it was good. You thought that maybe it was hard to fuck up a croissant, but surely it had to be just as hard to make the best one. Your face must have shown how good it was because he smiled at you big and warm like. It was so incredibly rude.

“Wow, that is so fucking good!” You giggled.

“That means I’m doing my job well. Thank you, it makes me happy. You uh got a little something on your lip though.”

You frowned and licked quickly at your lips in the hopes of ridding the offending mark only for him to shake his head softly at you. It caused one of his curls to flop down in front of his face. Wow was he beautiful. You dipped your head down both to try and find the chocolate as well to not have to look him in the eyes anymore, and still you couldn’t get it. How pathetic.

“Here, c’mere.” He mumbled leaning forward in his chair.

His large palm caught your cheek in his hand as his thumb rubbed softly at your lip. He was warm. Warmer than warm and it made your heart beat loud and fast in your chest. Your lips parted and you felt air whoosh past them. You swore that his eyes got brighter in that moment, that they actually got more honey and less brown. It was incredible.

“I--I’m so sorry. That was really inappropriate of me.”

“No uh...you’re okay. Thank you for not letting me walk around all day with shit on my face.”

He chuckled softly so you did the same.

By the time you’re stuffed with various forms of sugary breads and he’s refilled your coffee twice, you realize that your plan to explore the town had much more turned into exploring the attractive man in the only coffee shop around apparently. You were reminded of your pact with yourself to absolutely not get into a relationship in your first year here. Not that Shawn would have any interest in you in a non-platonic way, but it did mean you probably shouldn’t get your hopes up. So, you politely got your leftover sweets put in a box and got out of there as soon as you could. When he asked if you would be back the next day you just shrugged your shoulders and told him maybe before practically running for the door. You had to stay away.

***

Your first day at the clinic finds you up at six in the morning. You wanted to give off a good impression, so you made coffee in this funky old coffee maker in the corner. You cleaned up some of the mess that had been lying around and even checked the email where it looked like Dr. Savage had struggled to get working. You managed to set him up a couple of social media accounts and even took his older logo of a wolf howling at the moon and updated it slightly using one of the random editing websites online.

By the time your boss arrived it had been quite a productive morning and you were happy to see his eyes light up at all that you accomplished.

“We’re gonna be a good fit, I think.” He said to you.

You agreed.

Before the open sign had even been flipped, the bell on the door clanged as someone entered the space. Dr. Savage rose slowly from his chair and went to check on it leaving you with a stack of paperwork to start thumbing through.

You hear the soft chatter of voices and then footsteps as your boss lead someone back to your area. At first you figured it was just a customer that had arrived a little to early, but it didn’t take long for you to pause at your desk as the familiar timbre hit your ear.

“Y/n, I have someone to introduce you to.” Dr. Savage called.

“Actually, I think we’ve already met.”

And there he is. It was raining outside, a near constant for the tiny town, leave his curls floppy and wet atop his head. This didn’t stop him from running his fingers through the strands and sending that dumb, perfectly straight smile at you now did it? You looked at Dr. Savage with what was sure to be a gaping mouth before peering back at Shawn. Bitch if you don’t get your shit together.

“H--Hello, Shawn. It’s nice to see you again.” You smiled.

He nodded. “You never came back to the shop. I thought maybe I’d made a bad first impression.”

“Actually you uh...you made quite a good one. I’ve just been trying to settle in a little more.”

And trying to stay far away from white boys with smiles like yours.

“Well that’s good at least. I’ve got a new recipe I’ve been meaning to try out. You’ll have to stop by and test it for me.”

Dr. Savage snickered and clapped his hand on the back of Shawn’s beautiful, burly shoulder.

“Stop flirting with my employee and come to my office will you? Y/n, if anyone rings can you handle it?”

Shawn’s cheeks took on a brilliant red hue that matched beautifully with his golden eyes. It softened him somehow. He was so big and so muscular, and yet you had the feeling that you could crawl into his arms and wouldn’t mind somehow. Shit.

“Of course. I’ve got it handled!”

Shawn smiled sheepishly at you before allowing Dr. Savage to pull him along to his office. You shook your head and turned back to your work wanting to to have all of the medications and tools ready for the appointments that you had coming in that day. It wasn’t even a minute later that someone was walking up behind you and placing a cup and box on the counter. You turned to look up into those warm eyes of his again with a smirk on his lips to match.

“White mocha and a cinnamon roll. I figured I might see you this morning so…”

“Oh Shawn you didn’t have to--”

“Wanted to. Good morning, honey.” He breathed before heading back to Dr. Savage’s office. “Let me know if it’s better than the croissant.”

With the door closed, you can finally focus on something other than the beautiful man from the coffee shop. Once you establish your rhythm, you’re able to send all of the reminder emails for the appointments for the week, schedule the few people who do call in, and organize the supply closet. When a client actually does come in, you help them with their paperwork, get it filed, and do the preliminary check ups and vitals. By the time Dr. savage is actually meant to see the patient, Shawn is already gone. There’s a tinge of disappointment when he’s not around, before you remembered that you weren’t in high school anymore and that you actually had a job to do. Idiot.

The rest of the day is busy with clients, paperwork, and billing. Dr. Savage doesn’t take his lunch break, so neither do you. By the time the sun had gone down you’re exhausted, and the two of you work smoothly side by side to clean the clinic for you to do it all over the next day.

“So uh...How do you know Shawn?” You murmured eyes completely on the broom you were sweeping with.

He chuckled softly. “I’ve known the kid since he was born. I’m what the town calls an elder. I know mostly everybody. I worked very closely with his father when he was elder as well.”

“Was an elder?”

“Yes. Shawn’s father actually passed away a few years ago. He was what you would have called our town leader. And with his absence, Shawn has had to step up to the plate. So I look after him to offer guidance. This isn’t exactly the sort of thing they provide you training on.”

“Hmm...well, why does Shawn have to take over the town? Like what if he didn’t want to?” You asked.

“It’s not really an option. It’s in his blood.”

That was odd. Suddenly you were seeing Shawn in a bit of a different light. He was no longer just the cute baker barista down the street. Apparently the expectations for him were far greater. He didn’t even look old enough to be a town leader. And the thought that he might not even have a choice did something strange in your heart. You felt...protective of him. There was this weird feeling in your stomach that you should fight Dr. Savage on what he’d said, that Shawn should get to do whatever the hell made him happy. And you didn’t know how to reconcile these thoughts with the fact that you’d only just met him. It didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense.

***

It was another dreary weekend. The clinic being closed meant that you had plenty of free time to fix up your new house. Because you had only moved clear across the country to be here, you didn’t exactly have furniture. So, armed with your rainboots and headwrap you braved the horrid weather in search for a desk and a new bed frame so that you might not have to sleep on a mattress on the floor anymore.

There was only one furniture store in town that happened to double as the all around convenience store for the town. You were hopeful that it wouldn’t be too expensive, as you were trying not to blow your entire savings. First, you headed straight for the beds peering inquisitively at the frames and trying to determine which would actually be better. Adulting for you often times meant bullshiting your way through situations, and you frankly had no clue what made for a good bed or not.

While you were searching you heard the rowdy laughter that typically came with testosterone. A chill ran down your spine as you were blasted back to the past of middle school boys tugging on your pigtails on the playground and running off in fits of giggles. This group was certainly not those middle school boys though. They were all huge. You peered curiously at them as they rough housed and pushed playfully at one another. Something had to be in the water in this town because every single one of them you saw was bigger than the next. A man with red hair shoulder checked another man with shoulder length brown hair sending him into a display of pillows and knocking a couple of the over onto this floor. This only caused the lot of them to laugh harder, and that’s when he stepped out.

“Can we try not to act like wild animals in the store please?!”

Shawn pushed through the crowd of them, everyone immediately straightening up as if a sergeant in the army was addressing them. It was like night and day, the difference. His command of them was quite frankly a little startling...and a lot hot.

“Bro, we kinda are?” The red haired one snickered, only to get playfully slapped upside the head by Shawn.

“Not funny jackass. You’re skating on thin ice for breaking the door to begin with. Now let’s get a new one and get the hell out of here.”

He was wearing a black long sleeved sweater that molded to his body like a fucking dream and smoothed down into black skinny jeans and matching boots. Where the hell did they find this guy at? Shawn reached for one of the pillows before standing up straight and immediately looking you dead in the eye. You were definitely caught staring. Nice.

“Go pick out the door, and I’ll meet you all the cash register.” He mumbled already making a beeline for you.

You peered down at your bright yellow rain boots and thermal leggings and cursed whatever thought you’d had that morning to be cozy. This man looked like a greek god on the cover of GQ and you were serving nothing but childishness.

“Hi.” He spoke warmly waving at you in a way that sort of clapped his hand together.

He stepped closer to you, leaning on one of the bedposts and pointing that wicked smile at you.

“I’m beginning to think this town might be too small, if I keep running into you like this.” You smirked.

“You don’t like running into me? I’m hurt.”

“I suppose I don’t mind it. Surely you must be getting tired of me though?”

He shook his head. “On the contrary, I think I don’t see you nearly enough.”

It had its intended effect. You giggled like a schoolgirl. Ugh.

“You getting a new bed?”

“Y--Yea. I uh actually just packed up and moved here with whatever could fit into my car, so I’m kind of in need of a few things at the moment.”

“Oh...So you’re sleeping on the floor right now?” He frowned suddenly leaning closer into your space.

You caught a whiff of what smelled like sandalwood, spice, and musk. It was incredibly intoxicating. Literally where did he come from?

“I have a mattress, but yes I guess you could say that.”

“We have to find you a bed. C’mere I think I know a good one.”

He grabbed your hand, you were starting to figure out that personal space wasn’t really a thing when you were six feet tall and built from steel, and quickly pulled you over to the neatly lined boxes of frames.

“Wait, Shawn. What about your friends? You don’t need to help me.”

He shook his head. “Those guys will take forever to figure out what door we need. I’d rather spend it helping you. Trust me.”

There was a dark brown wooden frame that on the box looked pretty beautiful. Shawn picked it up gently with both hands as if it was nothing and presented it to you.

“When I broke mine a few months back this is the one I got. It’s really good. Sturdy.”

You peered up at him, because up was the only way to see his face, and probably gawked him. You didn’t want to know what he had been doing that caused his bed frame to break. However, a part of you wanted to know every detail. He seemed to pick up on the implications if the reddening in his cheeks was anything to go off of, and quickly laughed and tugged his curls more perfectly into place.

“N--Not like that. I uh it was an accident actually. I was moving the furniture around in my room and it just didn’t end well for me.” He smiled sheepishly. “But uh, this one’s real good. And since I’ve got one myself I could probably help you put it together.”

“Ah. So, you think I need a man to help me put my furniture together?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. N--No! No that wasn’t what I meant all!”

He looked good flustered. The strong aggressiveness that he showed the group of guys from earlier was non-existent when he was stammering and looking so panicky. You absolutely adored it and couldn’t help the laugh that fell from your lips. He placed his hand to his heart and took a deep breath at your reaction.

“Geez you scared me . . . I like your laugh by the way. It’s beautiful.”

And just like that the power dynamic was flipped on its head as you were trying not to squeal and he was trying not to piss you off. It was quite the shit show.

“Thank you. I like your smile.” You admitted.

He beamed at you, eyes warm and full of nothing but kindness. You were struggling to remember why you shouldn’t ask him out immediately. He was sort of perfect. And it was just kind of obvious that he might be a little into you too.

“Thank you. I would love to help you put this together if you want that. Not because you need it, but just because I wish someone would’ve helped me put it together myself. And maybe I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you either.”

You bit your lip and peered down at your boots. As per the usual, you were quite grateful for your melanin, but it certainly came in handy when your cheeks were warming up at the sweetness he was laying on thick.

“I’m actually pretty useless when it comes to putting furniture together, so I guess I wouldn’t mind the company either.”

He smiled again, dipping his head to make eye contact with you.

“Yea?”

“Yea.”

He helps you find a desk and then has the audacity to carry them both to the cash register without breaking a sweat. You notice his group of friends eye the both of you as he not only waits for you to pay but then quickly follows you outside to help put them into the car. When the trunk it just barely closed and your backseat is full with your desk, he walks back around to your car and quickly produces his phone.

“So, I have a meeting with my friends back there and that damn door, but what if I came over this evening? Like around five? I don’t want you sleeping on the floor another night.”

“Tonight?” You checked. “Are you sure? We could always do another day.”

“Of course not. I’m free as soon as we’re done. Just text me your address and I’ll come help. I’m looking forward to it!”

“O--Okay.”

You exchanged numbers and he sent you a smile and a wink before walking away for you to hyperventilate in your car. Truly a shit show.

***

You nearly jumped when the knock on the door came. You’d been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the last three hours trying to make sure your place wasn’t a complete and total mess. Shawn had made no indication that there would be any funny business or that he might try and make a move on you, but that didn't mean you weren’t interested in creating an environment that was conducive to just that. You weren’t consciously breaking your rule of not dating someone, however...if he wanted it bad enough? He could get it.

You opened the door and there he was wearing a t-shirt that left little to the imagination again. He leaned against the frame, teeth glinting for no damn reason and radiating warmth like no other.

“Hi.” He whispered eyes raking you up and down.

You had traded your leggings for some shorts that had shrunk in the dryer and a sweater that showed off your cleavage. Subtle enough to just be an outfit, but obvious enough for his eyes to take pause when he looked. You were, however, still wearing your headwrap that sat on the front of your head in a beautiful, intricate knot.

“I didn’t get to tell you earlier but uh...I really like your head scarf. It’s pretty.”

God this boy was trouble.

“Thank you. Please come in.”

There wasn’t much to show him in terms of your house. It was small and cozy with a pretty big layout. The living room took up much of the space, with your bedroom and bathroom past the tiny kitchen. He followed silently behind you as you pointed to the spaces around you, following way too closely behind if the heat on your back was anything to go off. God, you wanted him closer.

In the bedroom you worked to pull out all of the pieces. You didn’t even pretend that you could offer much besides organizing them in order of the letters in the manual. The best part was apparently watching Shawn struggle at something. As good as putting the frame together before had done for him, this time still did not come naturally. He spent at least twenty minutes with two metal frames in his large hands just squinting and huffing at them as he attempted to get them to fit together. It was incredibly adorable.

“So where are you from anyhow?” He asked still frowning at the pieces.

You grinned at him. “I’m from North Carolina. The better of the Carolinas. Born and raised.”

“Yea? And what made you wanna come to our tiny, rainy town?”

“I went to med school back home, and I worked in a big city for a few years. The pay was great obviously but..I don’t know I just felt like I was trying to get as many bodies in as possible just to make the hospital more money, and I didn’t really get to connect with my patients and take care of them holistically you know? So, when Dr. Savage said he was looking for someone to essentially take over his practice and provide care for a town where I would get to see people grow up and evolve, it just felt right. If I’m honest I think it was gut reaction. I kinda felt like something was tying me here before I even made my decision.”

He peered over at you and his eyes did that thing again where they seemed to get even lighter. The urge to reach out and touch him was nearly unstoppable in that moment.

“I think I know what you mean.”

It was another one of his weighted statements that you’d give anything to understand.

“What about you? Baker extraordinaire by day and it sounds like town leader by night?”

His back straightened at that and he quickly dropped eye contact with you.

“Who told you I was a town leader?”

“Dr. Savage did. He said that you might not have a choice. That it was in your blood.”

You were standing propped against your dresser and you couldn’t help but notice that his jaw got tight and and more pronounced beneath his perfect skin. It was similar to the way he had looked speaking to his friends earlier. There was a maturity and an intensity there that made his edges seem sharper. It wasn’t that he was intimidating necessarily, but that you knew he could be if he wanted to. Shawn had been so soft and so endlessly kind to you since you met that it was a little odd to see him not be that always.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.” You murmured playing awkwardly with your fingers. “Don’t be angry with Dr. Savage. I made him tell me. You can be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry. Hey, look at me.” He paused to wait for you to follow his directive. “I’m not angry. I just want you to know things about me from me, alright? This town can be very gossipy and it’s not always accurate. I just want you to know the things that matter.”

“Okay. So, tell me the things that matter.” You shrugged.

He smiled again and the edges softened out.

“What do you want to know honey?”

His favorite color was hunter green, although in the fall he could be persuaded to a mustard yellow. He liked to have cereal as his midnight snack when he couldn’t sleep. When he was a kid he tried to hop a fence and it left a gnarly scar on his abdomen. He liked reading books in bed. He started working in the coffee shop when he was twelve, and his favorite thing to bake was baklava because it was hard and it took a long time to make. The recipe was his mother’s and she’d had it passed down for generations.

“I only make it for special occasions. We don’t even put it on the menu.” He explained.

“Maybe you could make it for me sometime. I don’t know if I’m special enough, but I’d love to try it.”

“Yea, maybe.”

Somehow, someway he gets the bed together. And he helps you put the mattress into the frame. While you put the sheets back onto the bed he gets the desk put together too, which was arguably much easier. By the end you both collapse side by side on the bed peering over at each other as if you’d been doing extreme physical labor instead of simply putting a bed together.

“That was so much work.” You whined. “Thank you. I never would have gotten that damn thing put together.”

“I’m so glad I could be of service.” He chuckled. “Now you can rest a lot easier.”

“You have to let me thank you though. I’d cook dinner, but I don’t have all of my dishes yet. Do you want to order takeout?”

“Are you sure you want me to stay? I don’t want to intrude.”

“No I--I want you to stay. As long as you want to?”

“Yea. I’d love to.”

You stare at each other far too long. It’s not normal. You want to want to stop, but you don’t. And it doesn’t help that he keeps pointing those eyes of his at you and completely clouding your judgement. You physically have to get up off the bed to break the spell. It’s a bit ridiculous.

There’s chinese takeout and really shitty wine. You sit on your couch together side by side, both sitting crisscross applesauce though your legs look far more toddler like in comparison to his. You talk a lot. In all honesty small talk had always been your weak spot. You never knew what questions to act, how to respond, or how to behave. But, with Shawn it was different, which felt so cliche you could feel your ancestors rolling their eyes at you from above. You didn’t have to think super hard because you were genuinely curious about so many things. And he was more than willing to talk nonstop to you about them. And he asked you about your life, and what home was like, and what kind of music you listened to. On top of him being endlessly attractive, and this odd sort of pull that you felt towards him, you thought that he might be the first friend you’d made in town.

“I was so nervous about moving here.” You sighed when the wine had loosened your muscles and you were both leaning way to close into each other’s space.

His eyebrows furrowed in interested. “How come?”

“Well it’s not like this little town of yours is crawling with black people.” You snorted. “I don’t know my mother was always so protective of me and so nervous about what this world could do to me. When I decided to move, she just wanted to know that I would be taken care of. And I guess some of her worries rubbed off on me a little. It’s one thing to be the outsider because you’re new in town. It’s another to also be the outsider because no one looks like you.”

There was a frown on his face now. And you found that you didn’t like it. You liked him happy and soft and warm and nothing else. Your hand came off your glass before you’d even registered it and you almost touched his face to try and smooth out the lines. But, you quickly pulled away before it got that far. This didn’t stop him from somehow getting closer on the suddenly very small couch.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about here. I would never let anyone hurt you.” He murmured feverently.

You chuckled a little, head rolling back against the couch so that you could peer up at the ceiling.

“That’s sweet and idealistic. I don’t know if you noticed, but there aren’t exactly a lot of ‘knight in shining armor rescues the black girl from the cops’ type fairytales. It’s okay though. I’ll be okay. I can take care of myself.” You hummed.

You were still staring up at the ceiling when you heard him sigh and nestle himself deeper into the couch too.

“I keep forgetting that I can’t share everything yet.” He whispered to himself. “It’s not the right time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, never mind.”

There’s silence for a little while except for the even pulls and pushes of you both breathing. Sleep starts to cloud the edges of your mind and you can’t be bothered to do anything that isn’t snuggling closer to Shawn’s warmth. He was like a walking blanket and campfire rolled into one, but with abs. The perfect sleeping companion. The last thing you heard him say before sleep took over was:

“I just want you to feel safe here. It’s all I want...you deserve to be taken care of.”

***

The next week is completely focused on work and getting settled into your new home. The morning after you and Shawn put the bed together, he had run off quick, fast, and in a hurry apparently late for some meeting. It didn’t offend you in anyway, although it was a little weird. You spent the day deep conditioning and doing laundry. Shawn didn’t text, so you didn’t either. It seemed as if things sort of hit a standstill.

Apparently Shawn still visited the clinic every morning to drop off breakfast and speak with Dr. Savage. Monday morning you missed him because Dr. Savage had asked you to take the bills to the post office. You came back to a breakfast sandwich and your white mocha with a note that said good morning honey. It seemed like a pattern was forming. But then, when you texted him thank you the response wasn’t anything more than a simple, “you’re welcome”. You were thoroughly convinced that it was something you said that night. And if you had to guess? It was definitely talking about race. You never censored yourself when it came to shit like that, cause if the guy you were hooking up with couldn’t handle it, you weren’t fucking interested.

By the time Wednesday rolled around you had told yourself that it didn’t matter. Just because you weren’t going to date didn’t mean you couldn’t play the field a little bit. And perhaps getting Shawn off your mind was exactly what you needed.

There was a bar in the heart of town that everyone seemed to go to. You thought maybe you could go out, drink a little, maybe make a friend or two. After work, when the sun had gone down, and all of your work for the day was done, you put on a pretty outfit of a long flowy skirt and an army green tank. You’d swept your hair up into a high bun and tied it with a pretty scarf to match.

Sally’s pub had obviously been there for years and years, but there was a clear attempt to keep it updated and modern, which worked lovely. There was a huge bar in the center that wrapped around the back of the building with an open floor for dancing, pool tables, and general hangout space. For a Wednesday night, the bar was pretty packed leading you to wondering if this was the place everyone went for fun.

You took a seat at the bar, ordered yourself a long island, and sat around to people watch. The good news was your bartender was pretty talkative and willing to take pity on you for the evening.

“Haven’t seen you around here before.” He said placing your glass in front of you. “I’m Cal.”

You grinned. “I’m new in town!”

“I wish I had a really funny joke to tie in John Mulaney, but alas I’m just a shitty bartender.”

He was the tall and burley type with copper like skin, but his shoulders and biceps were massive and his arms leaning on the counter took up a ridiculous amount of space. You took a deep sip of your long island and send him a smile.

“Well I don’t know about that, I’d say you’re at least a mediocre bartender!”

“Oh why thank you! That’s so sweet of you to say!” He chuckled. “Well since you’re new in town, I guess I can help fill you in on all the town gossip.”

“That’s awfully nice of you.”

He tells you about the different groups that are seated around the bar. There was a group of women that were the moms of town who tended to get a little more wasted than their husbands might like. There was the group of barely 21 year olds who tended to get a little rowdy sometimes, but were generally harmless. And then in the back of the bar by the pool table was the only group you didn’t want to see that night.

“That’s the town pack. They make sure everyone’s safe and what not.”

You saw the redhead first. Only because he was trying to smooth talk some girl who was watching one of the other guy’s play pool. Then there were all of the other guys from the furniture store strung about the booths drinking beer and joking around with each other. Shawn, for whatever reason, was nowhere to be found. Not that you cared. Cause you definitely didn’t care.

“Make sure everyone’s safe?” You asked, eyes still on the group. “What do you mean?”

“Well it uh It used to Manny’s but, when he passed Shawn took it over. He’s always been an alpha, but having to take over younger than expected was a lot for him. He mentored all the rest of them when they turned, even though he was going through it ten times worse himself. Brian and Geoff are the betas. Matt, Zubin, and Sterling are all omegas. There are female betas and omegas too but they tend not to hang at the bar, just because the guys’ shenanigans typically bore them. It’s the largest pack for quite a ways away though, so they make sure nothing bad happens.”

You paused and took a look back down at your long island. You’d drinken about half of it, but surely you weren’t that much of a lightweight.

“I’m sorry? I think I’m not hearing you right.”

He simply raised an eyebrow and laughed at you.

“No one’s told you yet, huh?”

“Told me what?”

“Sweetheart, this is a werewolf town.”

It was actually the most ridiculous thing you’d ever heard in your life. You kept looking around for someone to pop out and tell you it was a joke, and yet no one came. He really expected you to believe that you’d somehow stumbled into some straight twilight shit.

You chuckled. “Okay sir. Sure.”

You brought your long island back to your lips to take a deep sip. As you were setting the glass down the door to bar opened and the whole crowd cheered exceptionally. Your bartender peered over towards the door and grinned down at you.

“And our alpha arrives.”

He practically glided along the floor shaking hands and clapping people on the back. Everyone knew him and everyone seemed to love him. And he smiled and spoke to them with all the grace of a natural born leader. It sure was nice to know that he could be nice and respond to someone. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and he looked absolutely delectable. It accomplished nothing but pissing you off.

“Can I get another one of these?” You mumbled knocking back the rest of your drink quickly and moving the glass back towards him.

He peered at you curiously before reaching for a larger glass.

“How about I make you something special to take the edge off?”

You nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. Sounds great.”

The bastard doesn’t even recognize you the whole time he’s making his rounds despite being the only black person in the bar. You make a mental note to down the whole drink and go the fuck home. If he was such a fancy hotshot why did you seem to see him literally everywhere?!

As Cal was making your drink though, Shawn finally made his way to the bar in search of a drink of his own.

“Hey Cal! How’s your mom doing?” He asked leaning on the edge of the bar in a way that made his arms bulge.

Ugh.

“Hey Shawn. She’s doing a lot better, her heart isn’t causing her as much trouble. She can actually walk around on her own now.” Cal smiled. “Let me finish up this drink here and I’ll get your IPA.”

“Hey thanks! Sounds good.”

Shawn was the on the opposite side of the bar, but the second Cal went to place your drink in front of you, his eyes went straight to you.

“This is what the mom’s usually order.” He explained as you took a sip of the bright pink concoction. “There’s some tequila, rum, rose, and cranberry juice. Enjoy responsibly and all that jazz.”

“Is this gonna land me on my ass?” You asked.

He simply smiled at you. “Only if you can’t handle your liquor.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying...drink up, sweetheart.”

You giggled a little and took another pull of the truly strong but delicious drink only to look up and see that Shawn’s eyes were still on you and now Cal.

You kept your eyes on your drink, but it was useless. The second he had his beer he was headed straight for you.

“Hi!” He cheered quickly popping a squat right next to you instead of going to his friends. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

You rolled your eyes into your drink but threw him a tight lipped smile regardless.

“Yea, trying to make some new friends, I guess.”

He peered over at Cal who making a drink for someone else.

“I see that. You uh...you haven’t been at the clinic any of the times I’ve come in this week.”

“Well, I’ve been busy getting things prepared for Dr. Savage to retire so…”

“Oh. No, yea that makes sense. I just, you now, after that night you weren’t at the clinic on Monday morning. And then you didn’t text.”

“Neither did you.” You snorted.

Shawn took a pause then peering at you a little closer. You kept your eyes on your drink refusing to make eye contact. Subtlety wasn’t exactly your strong suit.

“Are you--Are you angry with me?” He asked.

You sniffed and shrugged, your shoulder so cold that the whole bar seemed to drop a few degrees.

“Look it’s no big deal alright? Whatever I thought was happening clearly isn’t happening. I’m a big girl I’ll get over it. I’m just not really interested in putting myself in a position to be toyed with.”

The whole time you had both been sitting facing the bar, knees tucked under the counter, but at your speech he turned so that his knees were facing you and turned your bar stool--way too easily one might say--so that yours faced his.

“What are you talking about? What have I done? Talk to me.”

His eyes were warm and inviting again, his jaw clenched just tightly enough to make it even more prominent. He wasn’t technically trying to invade your space, but he was so tall on the tiny bar stool that he kind of did anyway.

“You didn’t do anything. You practically sprinted out of my house the next morning and then radio silence? No text, no call, nothing. Like I said, it’s not a huge deal. I guess I just thought you were more interested than you are. That’s on me. I shouldn’t have shared so much of myself.”

You kept your eyes on your drink as you took one too many sips in the last five minutes. You were hoping he might get the hint and just get up and leave, because you were far more hurt than you’d let on. That night had meant a lot to you. You hadn’t felt so comfortable around anyone like that before. Shawn wasn’t just easy to talk to; he made you feel safe. He made you feel like anything that came out of your mouth was worthy of being listened to. You had almost thought that maybe all your worries about the move had been silly. He was the first person to really listen.

His hand on your knee brings you out of your thoughts and when you look up his eyes have turned more honey than brown once again.

“You think that I don’t like you? That I was leading you on?” He sputtered. “Y/n I’m crazy about you.”

“What?”

“I--I really did have to go that morning. I had a meeting with the guys, and I didn’t anticipate staying over so I had to rush because I overslept. I was going to text you, but a lot of shit has been going on lately. So, I thought I’d see you at the clinic that next morning! I brought your favorite breakfast and everything, but you weren’t there. I left a note, and I sort of thought you’d text me or something to hang out again but when all you said was thank you, I guess I got a little insecure. I just...I’ve been trying not to fuck this up because I think I like you more than you could even understand right now.” He sighed. “It looks like maybe I did just that though.”

“Wait, so you’re not like...intimidated because of the whole race thing?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. I couldn’t be more serious right now. I completely understood where you were coming from that night. I mean as much as I can as a white guy. That could never run me off. I promise you.”

You peered over at him trying to measure the level of bullshit he might be feeding you. The problem was his eyes were so soft and his face was so sincere. Even if you wanted to be mad at him, it felt like fighting something instinctual. It felt like something internal was telling you not to be mad at him. It was unlike anything you’d ever felt before.

“Okay.” You sighed. “I believe you.”

“Good. Can we maybe start over? I’ve been meaning to ask you out on a proper date. We can just talk, get to know each other.”

“Sure uh..when did you have in mind?”

He grinned sheepishly. “Is now too soon?”

You snorted. “What about your friends over there? Haven’t they been waiting on you?”

Shawn peered over his shoulder at the group of guys up in the corner, but quickly shook his head.

“They’ll be fine. What do you say? Can I take you to dinner?”

His eyes were hopeful, a glint in them that was pulling you in deeper and deeper. How dare he.

“Fine. It’s probably for the best, I was starting to get a bit tipsy with this drink.”

He took your hand and led you away from the bar, a room full of eyes locked in on both of you. You got the feeling that walking around with Shawn was bound to come with attention whether you liked it or not.

You go to one of the diners in town, the meal completely irrelevant to the company. It is exactly as it was when he was at your apartment. He makes you laugh and he asks you questions about your life, your friends, your past relationships, the things that make you happy. You talk about your favorite books and his favorite books. You learn that he loves music and plays guitar. He told you of his first kiss at the eighth grade dance in middle school with Julia Potterman and how their braces clashed together. You told him of Andrew Jackson who grabbed your boob at your first dance because his older brothers told him to. You laugh and you laugh until the diner is ready to close.

“Can I walk you home?” He asked when the bill had been paid.

You nodded softly. “Of course.”

He takes your hand in his, fingers intertwined, and leads the way back to your house. You feel like you’re just floating along with his fingers keeping you tethered to the earth. It’s incredibly soft and sappy but you just can’t help it. When you get to the door, you don’t want him to go. And that’s when you know you’re in deep.

“I’d uh I’d invite you in, but I have work in the morning.” You murmured stepping up onto the front steps.

He smiled. “It’s okay. I understand. Maybe I could stop by at the clinic around lunch time. You know just in case you’re hungry and don’t want to eat alone.”

“Ah. You know I do hate eating alone.” You chuckled.

“Yea? Me too.”

You bite your lip and watch the way the street light catches his cheekbone perfectly. He tugs his curls back into place and it brings attention to both his face and his arms. He knew exactly what the hell he was doing. When he takes a step onto the first step, just one below the one you’re standing on, he’s suddenly leaning over you with those eyes of his and those fucking arms. You peer up at him and maybe you bat your eyelashes a little bit who’s keeping track. He leans down and skims his nose against yours, fingers trailing teasingly along your hips.

“Can I kiss you goodnight?” He whispered, voice husky.

“Mhm.”

Kissing him is heaven. It is ridiculous, the way he feels. His hands on your hip, and cupping your jaw cause sparks to shoot across your skin. And you only want to be closer, need to feel him more. Your arms thread around his neck, lipps molding perfectly to his. He has the audacity to bite playfully at your bottom lip causing you to gasp, lips parting just enough for his tongue to slide between. Your heart thuds unevenly in your chest. Who gave him the right to kiss like this?

His fingers bunched up in your skirt and before you knew it you were flying through the air as he lifted you like a piece of paper. You didn’t like to think of yourself as light. You had hips and thighs and an ass and none of these things came without the consequence of some lbs. If you hadn’t drooled at the prospect of him leaning like a greek god against your door way, him wrapping your thighs around his waist like you were a rag doll would certainly do it. Jesus.

Your back hits the front door and he’s not letting up, keeps dominating your mouth in a way no one else ever has before. You can feel your skirt riding up, can feel his hips pinning you to the hard wood of the door, and it’s simply too much for you to bare. You pull away with a gasp, and he honest to god growls against your neck. It causes a twitch in your stomach that cannot be started if it won’t be finished.

“God, your lips are incredible.” He whined breathing just as uneven as yours. “Wow.”

“That was...yea.”

You barely make it back into your home alive. Even getting out of his arms and to the door means nothing when he’s still pressing chaste kisses against your neck. He leaves you with his famous good night, honey before skipping off and leaving you to collapse just inside the door. Wow.

***

“So Mrs. Stenson will be in around three today. She’s been having knee troubles for a few years. It may be time for another cortisone shot.”

“Mhm.”

“And, if you could check her mobility as well as that would be wonderful.”

“Of course.”

“And if you wouldn’t mind kicking me in the face that would be great too.”

“Not a problem.”

“Y/n you are not even listening!”

You peered up from checking the door for the umpeetenth time in the past fifteen minutes to Dr. Savage staring at you like a crazy person. Woops.

“Sorry. So sorry. Mobility and cortisone for Stenson. I’ve got you!”

He raised an eyebrow and stared at you for a moment, making your cheeks feel warmer as a result.

“What is up with you?”

“N--Nothing!”

And just like that the bell over the door dinged as your lunch date and general mind fuck of the month walked in.

He wore a navy blue button up and black ray bans which was a stark departure from his usual t-shirts at the bakery. You found him even hotter than normal.

“Hi.” You murmured voice way too light and high for your liking.

He beamed back at you. “Hi.”

You were just sort of standing there smiling at each other like idiots when Dr. Savage figured he’d had enough of whatever was taking place in front of him.

“Shawn, may I have a word, please?” He asked.

Shawn nodded not even bothering to take his eyes off you. “I’ll be right back and then we’ll go okay?”

“Okay.”

You set your notes back at your desk, putting away all of the files that were still out from the morning. Then you spent some time in the mirror trying to make sure that you looked good enough for your lunch date. You wore a yellow sundress and play aimlessly with the straps that criss and crossed along your back. Eventually you went snooping wondering exactly what they were talking about.

“How much longer are you going to let this go on?!”

“I don’t know, alright? I just need to make sure. I need to know that it’s real! I don’t want to ruin her life, if it’s not real.”

“It’s not about any one life, Shawn; you know that. Your father taught you that all decisions need to be for the good of the town!”

“Don’t fucking tell me anything about my dad!” He yelled.

A few moments later the door bursts open and Shawn looks flustered and angry. It’s a new look for him, and it’s not one you enjoy seeing on him. Your heart ached to see him in a state of anything but happiness. And you couldn’t explain it, couldn’t make it make sense. You just needed for him to be okay.

When he sees you he makes quick work of taking your hand in his and leading you out of the clinic. You intertwined your fingers with his and leaned your head against his shoulder. By the time you had rounded the corner, he was already more calm than he had been when you found him.

“I’m sorry about losing my temper. I am usually in much better control I just...sometimes Dr. Savage likes to use his relationship with my dad against me to get me to do things I don’t want to do. It’s a sore subject.”

You nodded up at him giving his arm a squeeze.

“Well maybe you can tell me about him sometime. When you’re ready. If you’re ready.”

He peered down at you, eyes completely returning to their softest form. Your heart similarly turned to goo.

“How do you do that?” He sighed.

“Do what?”

“Make everything better.”

You just shrugged. “I don’t know. Just like you when you’re happy.”

He smiled and kissed your forehead. The audacity.

And so became the norm. Every morning Shawn came for his meeting with Dr. Savage to talk about townsfolk stuff, and he always brought you breakfast. Usually he stuck around long enough to make you giggle like a school girl unless you were real busy with work. At lunch time you went together to the diner, or went and ate packed lunches in the park if the weather was good enough. Dinner times were a hit or missed only because Shawn tended to get busy with whatever the hell he did at night, but he always stopped by when he could. And when he did, dinner usually got long forgotten when he pulled you to the couch to kiss for what felt like hours. Whatever it was, you were in it together.

***

A boy comes in. He’s fifteen, maybe sixteen at the oldest, and he’s absolutely sweating buckets with apparently muscle pains from hell. You take his temperature and it’s a hundred and four degrees. You’re ready to get him into an ice bath until Dr. Savage comes into the room. He gives him a glance over and isn’t nearly as concerned as you are.

“How long has the fever set in?” He asked.

Eric winced on the table. “Since yesterday.”

Dr. Savage nodded and grabbed his pad of paper to write something down.

“Eric, listen to me. You need to go home and get some rest. This fever will break in a day or two. When that happens you’re going to want to call this number, okay? You’re going to have a lot of questions, and this is the person who can answer them. It’s going to be alright, son.”

As Dr. Savage was walking around the room to grab the paperwork you couldn't help but notice that the phone number written down on the sheet of paper looked oddly familiar. The problem was it was 2019 and who the hell had time to memorize phone numbers? But, you could have sworn you had seen it before somewhere.

When Dr. Savage came back and the boy had left, you refused to stay silent.

“Doctor...why would you send that boy home without even a prescription for ibuprofen? He had a serious fever.”

“We see that in our boys here at his age all the time. It’s just the sign of his changing. He knew it too, that’s why he came here. I do greatly appreciate your concern, but I assure you he’ll be fine.”

“His changing? Doctor are you trying to convince me that his fever is due to puberty?”

“You’ll understand in due time. I promise.”

It was so incredibly weird. You didn’t know what to make of any of it. Who the mysterious number was. Why Dr. Savage seemed to be keeping you in the dark. What the hell any of what he said actually meant. Whatever it was, he certainly wasn’t going to give you any answers. You made a deal with yourself that you’d reach out to Eric yourself after seventy-two hours. But, it wasn’t even a full two days later that you saw him, at Shawn’s shop no less while you were grabbing breakfast for you and Dr. Savage. He seemed absolutely fine. He was cleaning dishes from the tables and taking them back to the kitchen area. The fever had completely broken. It was strangest thing in the world, although somehow not strange enough to confront anyone over. It just become one of those things you thought about at night. Nothing more, nothing less. When a few more of the town’s boys came in with similar symptoms the exact same thing happened. One second they were in agony and the next they were fine. You had no clue of what to make of it.

***

He texted you on a Saturday to put on your rain boots because he was taking you for an adventure. You had to tell him that you weren’t interested in any white nonsense, before he was able to convince you to go with, “i promise to keep the white nonsense to a minimum, honey”. Your kind of man.

“Where are we going?” You asked as he waved your intertwined hands back and forth in the space between you.

He smiled. “I’m taking you to my happy place.”

His happy place was the farmer’s market in the city outside of town limits. The rain was a fine mist that day and Shawn wasn’t even wearing a jacket. His body just seemed to radiate heat unlike anything you’d ever seen before. You found it difficult to complain when he wrapped his arm around you beneath the umbrella you were sporting.

The people there knew him by name. He took you to all his favorite little booths which were mostly the fruits.

“I like trying to find new ways to make different baked goods for the shop. My dad used to bring me here as a kid and every recipe I’ve ever made comes from here.” He explained.

You watched him move around, towering over everyone he came in contact with. The large apples, grape fruits, oranges etc. all looked miniature in his hands. But when he was holding a strawberry to your lips and looking at you with nothing but joy while you ate, he couldn’t have seemed softer to you. He was kind of perfect.

“So...What do you want to eat? Pick anything.” He said arm waving out over the sea of people selling their own produce and other foods.

“What do you mean?”

“I figured we could come here, buy some ingredients, and I could cook for you. Or, we could cook together. Whatever you want.”

Wow.

“Where in the hell did you come from?” You sighed wrapping your arms around his waist in content.

He leaned to kiss you and smiled softly.

“Didn't you hear? I was made for you.”

***

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” He asked head nestled softly against your stomach as you lied in bed.

“Tomorrow is deep condition day.”

“Deep condition day?”

He lifted his himself up so that he was half on top of you, eyes as honey brown as could be. Damn you were so soft on him already. Just looking at him made you smile.

“It’s gonna take all day?” He frowned.

You giggled. “Yes, baby it takes all day. This here is a project. That’s why we don’t let you random white folk put your dry ass hands in it.”

He seemed to take that and ponder it for a second. Shawn had already grown used to your satin caps and satin pillows and tied scarves. He took it all in stride, was just as willing to ask questions and to understand as he was to just let you be yourself. It meant all the world to you.

“Hmmm...well can this random white folk hang out with you while you do it? I promise to keep my dry ass hands to myself.” He grinned.

“Hey now… I never said you had to keep your hand to yourself, just keep them out of my hair.”

“Ahhh. So, can I put my hands...here?” He murmured letting his fingers meld to the curve of your jaw.

“Yes.” You hummed.

“And can I put my hands...here?” He asked letting his hands run down to the curve of your hips.

“Uh huh.”

“And can I…” He whispered face leaning closer and closer towards yours.

You never let him finish before sliding your lips together.

Sure enough, the next day, instead of leaving only after having prepared you an adorable breakfast, Shawn followed you to the bathroom. His long legs stretched out against the length of the bathroom watching as you let the cold water seep deep into your curls before the host of products began to enter. He watched you condition, comb, and dentangle every strand before applying the deep conditioner that would sit for the vast majority of the day.

When the conditioner was in, and you’d covered your plastic bag egg head with a cap, you spend the entire day watching netflix crime documentaries and making out on the couch. It was the best deep condition day you’d had in months.

He let you lie on his chest and he traced shapes into your back underneath your t-shirt. He told you how good your hair smelled and sometimes when a drop of water would run down your neck he would chase it away with his thumb. It never ceased to make your body run hot.

When you finally went to rinse, Shawn ordered dinner for the two of you. You sat on the couch in one of his t-shirts, and slowly detangled and two-strand twisted your hair. By the time dinner arrived, you felt soft and warm and kind of obsessed with him. You couldn’t even think about food. You just wanted to be near him, just wanted to touch him.

“Thank you for spending today with me.” You murmured. “Not a lot of men want to sit around all day just watching a girl deep condition.”

He smiled at you. “I just want to be with you, y/n. Doesn’t matter to me what we do.”

“Yea?”

“Yea.”

You rolled your eyes and snuggled deeper into his arms.

“Where is the hell did you come from?” You whispered not sure who you were asking in all honesty.

“I was right here waiting for you. What took you so long?” He murmured.

Wow.

***

You had started to learn about each other’s bodies. His lips mapped whole stories across your body, made your breathing uneven and your thighs tighten. He never took it further than that, but he did let you rile him up. And riling him up turned into your favorite pastime. When your teeth would graze his earlobe and that growl would rumble in his chest, fingers tightening on your body in the most delicious of ways, it would send you to this ultimate buildup of a moment only for him to suddenly decide that he needed to go. At first it was fine, but the more he kept building you up and leaving you hot and cold, the more you began to get a little bit frustrated.

It was a Saturday night, and Shawn was going to spend the night, so you had taken full advantage of straddling him on the couch. You’d been hoping on pushing the envelope a little more, but the second your fingers edged underneath his shirt, his hands came to wrap around your wrists.

“Babe.” He whined eyes closing. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

You wiggled your hips slightly above where he was poking your ass through your shorts.

“I think I get the hint.” You chuckled. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” He hummed thumbs rubbing softly along your hips.

“Well it’s just that...I think you’re attracted to me.”

He smirked, eyes running up and down your body.

“Yea.”

“And I’m attracted to you. And I don’t want to be too forward, if you have like a policy or something. Cause like if you do, that’s totally fine! I mean your body, your rules. You deserve autonomy ya know?”

“Baby?” He murmured squeezing you playfully. “You’re rambling.”

“Ah yes . . . Why aren’t we--do you like not want to?” You huffed and took a deep breath. “We haven’t had sex yet.”

“Oh.”

You winced. “Well it--it’s not a huge deal. It’s just been almost two months. And while it has been a wonderfully refreshing to not have someone trying to get into my pants on the first date...I guess I’m kind of trying to get into yours now.”

He stared at you with conflicted eyes like he sometimes did. There was something brewing under the surface, you just didn’t know what. The more you were around Shawn though, the more you became able to read him. Sometimes you got more out of what he didn’t say than what he did.

“I uh... I don’t know what to say.”

“Do you...maybe you’re not attracted me to in that way?”

His eyes widened. “Not even remotely. Trust me. I want to.”

You stared at him in complete and utter confusion. You were trying to understand and take his word for it, but none of this was matching up. Things with Shawn rarely did.

“You know sometimes you say things to me that don’t add up, and just expect me to believe them? It’s getting harder and harder to do that.”

You climbed off of his lap needing a little distance between the two of you. It wasn’t the thought of him not wanting to. If he genuinely had a reason that is. Sometimes it just felt like Shawn was flirting with the line of lying to you, as if he was purposely keeping important details for himself. You hated it. It drove you up a wall.

“Hey...I’m just--I’m trying not to hurt you y/n.”

You rolled your eyes. “Boy please. What exactly do you think you’ve got in your pants that is going to hurt me? Try again.”

“You don’t understand!”

“Then make me understand, Shawn! The coded riddles and town secrets shit is getting old.”

“I--I can’t. It’s not time yet.”

“See that is exactly the shit I’m talking about. Time for what? Why are you always acting so shady?”

He groaned and crossed the room reaching for your hands to pull you close. His forehead pressed against yours, and he smelled so incredibly good. You couldn’t deny that there was something drawing you to him, that there was a part of you that wanted him in ways that you yet to understand. But, you hadn’t gotten through life thus far letting people mistake your kindness and your heart for naivety and you certainly weren’t about to start now.

“Please just...give me some time.” He whispered against your lips. “I don’t want to rush this.”

“Fine. Take all the time you need. But, I can’t sit here and be lied to and played with while the whole fucking town seems to be in on the joke.”

“Y/n that’s not--”

“I think you should go.” You cut him off pulling your hands away. “I want you to go.”

He stared at you with hurt in his eyes and you had to stave off the instinct of reaching out and making it all better for him. You had to decide that you deserved before all else. It was the only way you’d been able to survive thus far.

***

Shawn: What are you doing tonight?

y/n: Minding my business.

Shawn: I want you to come over tonight. To my place. I’m gonna tell you the truth.

Shawn: I miss you

You paused peering down at your phone. It had been over a week since you’d asked Shawn to leave your apartment. It hadn’t exactly been radio silence, since he’d been trying to get in contact with all week, but you weren’t really interested in the half assed excuses anymore. You had planned to wait until he was ready to tell you the truth. You just weren’t prepared for him to cave that quickly.

y/n: no more bullshit?

Shawn: no more bullshit. Please come.

He sent you the address and another plea to show up. You weren’t quite sure what was leaning you towards going. There wasn’t exactly anything that pointed towards him suddenly being honest with you. The problem was you were kind of falling for this asshole, and so wanting to be realistic and wanting to be with him weren’t lining up.

The house you pulled up to was far larger than anything you’d seen in the town thus far. It was nestled in the woods, all dark mahogany walls and big wide windows. It was big even by your standards, let alone for small town baker. You parked the car and headed for the front door where he seemed to be already waiting for you. He opened it and you could feel the nerves rolling off of him in waves. There was almost a sadness about him to. A sadness that had you stepping far closer to him than you should have.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head softly. “Nothing yet. Come in.”

He led you straight to a kitchen that was wide and vast just like everything about this place. You made a note to ask him about that later. Also, in the kitchen were the two guys from the bar: Brian and Geoff. Suddenly it was three on one and the atmosphere in the room had you stopping in your tracks.

“What’s going on?” You asked refusing to take another step forward.

“This is Brian and Geoff. They’re just here to make sure everything goes okay.”

“That sounds like exactly what the killer says in the movie where my black ass gets the ax.”

Shawn sighed and stepped closer to you.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how intimidating this might be. I’m just trying to make this go as smoothly as possible. No one is going to hurt you okay? I promise you.” He murmured feverently. “Trust me.”

“Christ, Shawn. Just tell me what you were going to tell me.”

He nodded and paced quickly around the kitchen before settling in front of you once again.

“Remember those cases you started having with the teen aged boys who were breaking out into sweats and muscle pains?”

“Yea. Dr. Savage said it was just them changing or something.”

“Exactly! And remember how he told you that I was the town leader and how I had to step up after my dad died?”

You nodded. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“It has everything to do with it, y/n. Everything! I’m--I’m not just some town leader okay? People don’t just say hi to me when we’re walking around town because of who I am, but because of what I am.”

“Well what are you?” You asked, more confused than ever.

“I’m . . .I’m a wolf. My dad used to be the leader of this town, and my family is a long lineage of alphas. I’m not a town leader, I’m a pack leader.”

Time seems to hit a standstill as you stare at him. There’s a whole lot of emotions that flicker through you in rapid cession. Shock. Confusion. Acceptance. Anger.

“And that is my cue to leave.” You snorted turning for the door.

“Y/n I am telling you the truth!”

You turned on him rage coiling deep in your stomach.

“Did you put Cal up to this too? What the hell is the matter with you Shawn?! I mean why, why are you playing with me like this?”

“I can prove it!”

“Excuse me?”

“I can prove to you, that I’m a wolf.”

You simply did not have the time or the patience to continued to be toyed with. Shawn wasn’t taking no for an answer and proceeded to tug his shirt over his head.

“Okay what in the Black baby Jesus are you doing?!” You groaned as he began to work on his belt.

“I like this outfit. I don’t want it to get ruined.”

You peered over at his friends who were now just peering over in amusement.

“Are you aware that your friend is crazy?”

“Why yes, we absolutely are.” Brian snorted. “But jackass is actually telling the truth.”

“Turn around. It’s not actually all the pretty.” Shawn mumbled as he got rid of his jeans.

“Which part, you turning into a big dog, or you taking your underwear off?”

Geoff laughed. “Wait, I like her. Where have you been hiding her at?”

“Not now, assholes! Will you please, please just turn around?”

Your rolled your eyes as far back into your head as humanly possible before turning your back to the man who you’d thought you were falling in love with, but who was turning out to be almost certainly off his fucking rocker. You were about to start throwing out more snarky comments when the most horrendous sounds began to occur. It gave you the more visceral reminder of the time you had broken your arm by falling off your bike, the bone scraping so graphically against the concrete that your stomach lurched just thinking about it. But this was somehow worse. This sounded like bone scraping against bone, joints popping in and out. You wanted to turn, but something inside of you kept you frozen exactly where you stood.

The next thing that you registered was something pushing gently against your back. And when you turned, oh so hesitant, sure enough behind you was a fucking wolf. A huge, up to your chest, head the size of your body, fucking wolf. You still couldn’t believe it. You blinked over and over again willing for it to change. Everything in your life had been so straight and narrow for so long. Elementary school. Middle school. High School. College. Med school. Simple cause and effect. Every illness had a response, had something that you could offer it. Logic had always been your MO. But this. What the hell was this?

“I don’t…I don’t understand.” You whispered.

The wolf nudged its head against your stomach and wined paw reaching up to slap at your waist. He nearly knocked you over. You let your fingers slide through his fur, hair incredibly thick and lucious. When he leaned up on his legs you could see his eyes and that was what got you. Even in his wolf state, those eyes were unmistakably Shawn. They were warm and brown, the shade of honey much brighter. It was him though. That was your Shawn.

“Holy shit.” You gasped. “It’s really fucking you, isn’t it?”

He barked and nuzzled his head deeper into your arms.

Holy fucking shit.

Suddenly he was out of your arms and stepping back around to the other side of the kitchen. He barked at Brian and Geoff who easily translated.

“He’s gonna change back now. He wants you to wait for him in the living room, if you’re not too afraid.”

You weren’t sure that you would’ve made it to your car if you wanted to. You felt like your legs might give out any moment. It was a struggle even to make it to the couch. The whole time, you were trying to rationalize what your eyes had just seen, and trying to figure out how to make the puzzles pieces to fit together. There was a fear that maybe there was no logic to be had in this scenario. Perhaps the most logical answer, was the one that made the least sense in your head.

Shawn stepped into the room a few minutes later in nothing but a pair of sweats. Geoff and Brian were nowhere to be seen anymore, but that didn’t stop him from taking slow and deliberate steps towards you with his hands raised.

“Are you afraid of me?” He asked.

You stared at him trying to reconcile how his large body could be even bigger, and furrier to boot. It just was unbelievable.

“I...I don’t know.” You mumbled. “I don’t know about anything anymore.”

He sat on the couch, keeping an entire cushions distance from you.

“The reason that I had Brian and Geoff there was because...I don’t want you to be afraid. I guess in hindsight I didn’t think about how three random white guys might be all the more intimidating. I--I wanted you to feel safe. And I wanted them to be in their human forms just in case. I’m so sorry y/n. I wanted to do this all differently, but I couldn’t lose you. I’ve been trying to fight my instincts to satisfy, to do whatever you need for days, and it’s been killing me. I needed to do whatever would make you happy.”

“Holy shit, this is really happening, isn’t it?” You chuckled humorlessly letting your face fall into your hands.

“It is. But uh...you’ve got some choices to make so unfortunately there’s more.”

All you could do was groan.

“How could there possibly be more? If you tell me there are vampires walking around too, I’m having myself admitted.”

“Not exactly.” He chuckled dryly. “You’ve been feeling something since we met right? There’s a--a pull between us. It feels instinctual. Maybe you have a sense for what I’m feeling without me ever having to say it. You uh might feel the need to do whatever would make me happy, even when it’s not within your control.”

You raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Yea. How did you know?”

“It’s not a coincidence. You and I...We’re mates.”

“We’re what now?”

“Mates. It’s sort of means we were created for each other. Like destiny or fate or whatever. Usually werewolves mate with other werewolves but not always. My mother’s human for example, and she still mated with my dad. You said you felt something pulling you to this town, like it was decided before you even consciously thought it. That was me. That was us.”

He now looked just down right sheepish. This man was essentially telling you that he was a dog and your soulmate all in one night, and has the audacity to try and smile at you while he did it. Your mind felt like it was about ready to explode. You couldn’t even fathom all of the information he was trying to make you take in. four years of med school had nothing on Shawn.

“So what we’re just...meant to be? Like we’re stuck together forever?” You asked.

You knew immediately that he’d been dreading you asking that question by the look of defeat on his face. And just like that the need to fix it came roaring back in your gut. It felt oddly nice to give that feeling a name now.

“N--No. It doesn’t mean that. If you decide that you hate me, or that this isn’t what you want for yourself you don’t have to stay with me. There are some cases of mated pairings not working out. It’s usually pretty terrible but...I would never make you stay if you didn't want to. I love you too much for that.”

Somehow out of all the things that he’d said that night, of all the feelings he’d made you feel, he was still able to shock you.

“Did you just say…?”

He reached for your hand and intertwined your fingers.

“I love you. It’s a bit different for me because I knew we were mates the second we met but...I don’t think being human could have changed anything. You’re just, you’re you. I meant it when I said I was crazy about you. I love every moment we get to spend together. I love your sense of humor, and how you’re probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. I would love to just be with you, if you’ll have me. No secrets. No half truths. No running off anymore. It would be just you and me, forreal this time.”

It felt good to hear. That part was undeniable. But you couldn’t help but feel incredibly overwhelmed by it all. Not just the “i love you”, but the fact that the first time you moved out of your home state you stumbled straight into supernatural shenanigans. When you had asked for Shawn to be honest with you, you figured he was maybe hiding an erectile dysfunction, or even a secret job as a hitman would have been less shocking.

“This is . . . a lot, Shawn. I don’t even know what to say to any of this.” You admitted.

He nodded softly eyes downcast. “Of course. If you want to go home, I understand. And if you don’t want me around anymore, you can just text me or something.”

You didn’t know how to explain not wanting to be alone. You couldn’t reconcile needing the space to think, and yet wanting him to be close by while you did it. It wasn’t fair to you or to him, but you found that now that you knew the truth, your instincts toward him were even harder to fight. You just wanted to be with him.

“Is it weird to not want to be alone right now?” you mumbled.

He reached hesitantly forward, tapping on your chin till your eyes met with his.

“No. Nothing you’re feeling can be weird right now. I just told you I’m a wolf, y/n.”

A chuckle passed your lips and you paused not sure if it was okay to laugh or not.

“It’s okay. You can laugh. I’d rather you laugh.”

“Can I--Can I stay here tonight?”

His eyes widened. “Yea. Yes, of course. You can stay in my room. C’mere.”

He leads you through the house, all wooden floors and wooden walls. There seemed to be a lot of patch ups, from what you weren’t sure, but you even passed the door you’d seen him get at the store all the months ago. It made you curious how violent wolves actually were. It was difficult to imagine Shawn as being anything other than kind and warm. Then again you’d never imagine him to grow four legs either.

“This house is so big.” You noted as he led you up the stairs.

“It’s been in my family for generations. The pack usually lives here. When my dad passed away, my mom couldn’t be here anymore, so I took over and she moved into an apartment.”

“Wait, so they all live here? Where are they?”

He shrugged pulling you into the last room at the end of the hall.

“I had everyone leave but Geoff and Brian. I thought it might be a little intimidating.”

His room was obviously the master bedroom. It was far bigger than yours, with the king size bed to match. There was a guitar in the corner next to the night stand. He had a picture of him, his dad, and his mom on his dresser. There were cookbooks and pastry books galore all on a shelf. It felt like him. It was so obviously him that you somehow felt immediately at home.

Shawn moved to his dresser pulling out one of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants. He then walked into his closet and pulled out a pink satin pillowcase before pulling it onto a fresh pillow and lying it next to the clothes.

“Here you go. You can change in the bathroom.”

You eyed the pillow curiously. “What’s that for?”

“Oh,” He scratched nervously at back of his neck. “Well I just remembered that you had one at your house. You said it was for your hair, right? So it doesn’t get messed up? I bought one off amazon so if you ever came over you wouldn’t have to worry.”

You stared at him, lips parted, because what in the entire fuck? Your eyes flickered from the pillow and back to him, heart doing another unsteady gurplunk in your chest. He had to be stopped.

“Is that...is that okay? Did I get the right one?”

You nodded. “Yea it...it’s perfect. No one’s ever done that for me before.”

“I just wanted you to feel comfortable here.”

Another layered statement. Another round of intense eye contact. He was sure to be the death of you one way or another.

You changed into the clothes and ran some mouthwash through your cheeks before stepping back into the room. Shawn was just sort of standing there with his hands in his pockets like he didn’t know what to do with himself. In your mind, you wondered how anyone that beautiful and chiseled could be so goofy.

“What now?” You asked.

“Nothing! I just didn’t know if you’d want to sleep alone tonight. You can if you want. I meant what I said about giving you space.”

You looked over at the bed and then at him before shaking your head softly.

“Don’t wanna be alone.”

The sheets are soft and they smell just like Shawn. The satin pillow is kind of perfect and when he turns the light off it’s almost like all the other nights you spent together. You’re almost able to forget that he’s just flipped your entire world upside down. It doesn’t help that you feel better being in a room with him, than you’d felt in a week. It doesn’t help that when he was describing all of the reasons why he might love you, they matched perfectly with how you felt about him.

“I can hear you thinking.” He murmured into the dark.

You gasped. “What?!”

“Not like I can read your mind.” He snorted. “More like, I hear your heart rate increasing. I can feel your body language. Usually it’s the wolf instincts, but I think I’m just attuned to you at this point.”

“Oh...I guess I was wondering, when you didn’t want to have sex with me? You said that you didn’t want to hurt me. I still don’t get what you meant by that.”

He goes quiet for a little while, and you’re sure that you’ve struck a nerve. When he releases a little breath, you find yourself doing the same.

“Well it’s two things. I guess it’s why I started to freak out when you called me town leader?

I didn’t want you to know what I am. I didn’t want you to have to come into my world. I--I knew that you were my mate. I knew that I loved you, but every second you were in the dark you were safe. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“Safe? Does that mean that now that I know I’m not safe anymore?”

“No. I would never let anything or anyone hurt you. Not now, not ever. There’s just always a chance when you’re dealing with wolves. We’re protectors. Of the town, of our pack, of our families. That typically means there are things that one might need to be protected from. The closer you are to us the more likely it is to need protection. But I’m alpha for a reason. No one would ever touch you.”

You’d been laying their long enough for your eyes to adjust to the dark. You could see the firm set of his jaw to match the seriousness of his tone. Before you had even consciously made the decision, you were flipping over onto your side and nuzzling into his side. He quickly lifted his arm for you to slide beneath. The warmth he gave put your mind way too at ease.

“Tell me the other part.”

“The other part is...I’m kind of really strong. Inhumanly strong, obviously. And I just want to make sure that when I’m intimate with you that you don’t get hurt. Mated love making is...intense.”

You peered up at his face with raised eyebrows. “What kind of intense?”

“Remember what you thought happened to my bed to make it break? That kind of intense.”

Hmm. Hot.

You hummed. “Well I guess it has been so long since I’ve got laid, I’d welcome you throwing my back out at this point.”

“Not funny.”

“Not even a little bit?”

“Me breaking your back? No not in the slightest!”

“Well no one said anything about breaking it Shawn! I simply implied a little soreness and tenderness after a good dicking.” You snorted. “You werewolves. So touchy.”

“Oh my god. I’m in love with an actual dork.”

……

*Ten minutes later*

“I just want to point out that when I said no white nonsense, being a fucking werewolf was automatically on that list”

“Sweetheart, go to sleep.” He hushed.

“Yea, okay.”

****

*six months later*

“Babe have you seen my lucky head scarf! I’m gonna be late!”

“Did you check your hair drawer?!”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes! Coincidentally that was the first place I looked!”

“Well stop being sarcastic to me and just come downstairs!”

It was your first date completely running the clinic by yourself. Dr. savage had been slowly edging himself out over the past few months, but not without letting you in on the town secrets. Little did you know that being able to accept Shawn as a werewolf meant having to take care of all the werewolves. The clinic would be their safe haven if anyone got too hurt to heal, which apparently shouldn’t happen often because they healed super fast. A learning curve did not begin to describe all the shit you had been over in the last few months.

In the end it had been way too easy of a decision. You had woken up the next morning in Shawn’s arms and he had just stared at you with hopeful puppy dog eyes--which definitely held a new meaning now. You couldn’t leave. You didn’t want to. It had taken a while for you to get used to it all. He was incredibly gentle and understanding with you. And thus there you were...wrapped up in continuous white nonsense. Because love. Or whatever.

“Shawn,” You whined thumping down the stairs. “I really do need my scarf, babe. My edges are rough.”

You headed straight for the kitchen only to see your boyfriend standing there with a cinnamon roll the size of your head with a candle sticking out of it in his hands, smile big and wide on his face. It had turned out to be your favorite after all

“Happy First Day!” He cheered.

Usually the kitchen was crawling with people in the morning, everyone trying to get their breakfasts in before going off to their respective days. This morning it was absolutely bare besides the two of them. You had gone on to notice over your months dating Shawn that when he wanted to be alone with you, he was going to be, and anyone else around wasn’t even an option. Again. Hot.

“What are you doin’?” You murmured playfully stepping up to claim your prize.

And it wasn’t the cinnamon roll. You had him put the plate down and quickly wrapped your arms around his waist. He took your cheeks in his hands, warm as always, and pressed a kiss to your lips that left you a little breathless.

“I wanted to celebrate my baby being the badass doctor in town.”

You giggled. “When you said you were letting the other guys open the bakery today, this was not what I was expecting.”

“You didn’t think I’d make you your favorite breakfast? I’ve been bringing you breakfast for almost a year now.” He chuckled.

“Hmm...it’s been a good year.”

“I would have to agree. I have your scarf. What do you say I drive you to work today before I head to the bakery. And after your first full day, I want to take you out just the two of us.”

Your eyes widened. “Really? No one else?”

“No one else. Just you and me. I’ve got a lot of plans for you today.”

“Oh really? What kind of plans you talkin’ bout sir?”

“The throw out your back kind of plans.”

“Well those just happen to be my favorite kind...C’mere.”

The End.

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes smut #shawn mendes fluff #Shawn mendes fic #Shawn mendes fanfic #Shawn mendes fanfiction #Shawn mendes x you #Shawn mendes x y/n #Shawn mendes x black reader #shawn mendes au #Shawn mendes angst #Shawn mendes oneshot #Shawn mendes series #Shawn mendes blurb #wolf au #wolf! shawn

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lianneoelke · 4 years

Text

The Vancouver Island & Sunshine Coast Loop: A Solo Cycle Tour of BC’s Finest Retirement Communities. Part 1

It all started with a vague feeling that I should DO something before going back to work. One last hurrah. I took a day or two to plot all the locations I wanted to hit, because when I plan our trips (and let's face it, Brian, I'm always the one doing the planning), I want to do everything. Go everywhere. Usually BB Gun is there to keep me grounded, but this time I was on my own. So why not try for it all: Vancouver to Salt Spring to Savary and back on a bicycle in just over a week. Whenever I mentioned my itinerary people would say "wow, that's gonna make for long days". And I thought, yes probably. But what am I going to do with myself all day on my own, if not bike? I had time to extend the trip if necessary, but I know myself. I don’t accomplish much without a deadline. So let's shoot for the proverbial stars. If I miss, I might hit the moon. Or a truck.

Such a keener. I zipped down the hill from our house and crossed my favourite bridge (Canada Line Bikeway: what a treasure), then navigated the chaos that is Richmond. I will always be salty at the lack of biking infrastructure in that city. After tackling the Alex Fraser bridge, which isn’t so bad after rush hour, it was a quick ride to Four Winds Brewing (closed, unfortunately), then left onto quiet, flat, rural roads, which lead me to Tsawassen.

Gavin and I took the ferry to Swartz Bay, then Salt Spring Island. The hill up from Fulford Harbour was a big wake-up call. As were the many hills leading to Ruckle Park. I did not pack light. Still, it was only the first day. Far too early to regret the book, hammock, and cans of wine stuffed into my panniers. I was slightly concerned with the many signs claiming Ruckle Park was full. That seemed odd for a Wednesday, so I carried on to the park anyway. I refilled my water and happened to meet another solo female cyclist also looking for a site. We found one, and decided to split it.

Earlier that day I realized I had put my tires on backwards. Like a ding dong. The tread should be going the OTHER WAY. But I could fix this!

So pumped right now.

After a pleasant evening of reading, wine, and conversation with my unexpected bike buddy, Lynn, I woke up to a deer roaming the campground. I had chocolate and instant coffee to get me back to Fulford Harbour, where I had proper coffee and one of the best samosas of my life. Lynn, on a day trip to Victoria, joined me. I was happy for the company. Our timing was perfect and we caught the early ferry. We took the Lochside Regional Trail from Swartz Bay to Victoria: a beautiful, mostly flat ride though rich grandparent territory. We stopped for lunch at Canoe Brewpub in downtown Victoria.

I had a top notch beet salad and a side of fries. I never regret a side of fries.

Lynn and I parted ways after lunch. I rode the Galloping Goose trail out to Langford. The trail was full of pedestrians and unnecessarily slow cyclists (if Gavin, fully loaded and shaped like a brick, passes you on a hill, he is going to JUDGE you). Eventually I left the Goose and followed Google Maps through Thetis Lake Regional Park.

I too was enchanted at first by the charming name and dappled sunlight. I quickly learned, however, that Thetis Lake Regional Park is a hellhole for cyclists. Worse than Richmond. Richmond. The path wasn’t clearly marked and I found myself stopping, checking the map, and backtracking every two minutes. The loose gravel was a pain, especially on tight corners and steep hills, which I was barely able to walk Gavin up, because the ELEVATION in Thetis Lake Regional Park is absolutely UNNECESSARY. A truly regrettable experience.

Once I finally made it out of that wretched labyrinth, I was only minutes away from Tessa’s place, which included a hot shower, Tessa, and most importantly: Sokka.

This little ragdoll kitten is a huge fan of bikes!

And walks!

And backpack rides!

I had a great time hanging out with Tessa and watching Sokka play with anything and everything. I would die for this cat.

Day 3 began with an unfortunate but necessary backtrack through the nightmare that is Thetis Lake Regional Park, where I was instantly turned around and disheartened. I eventually found my way back to the Galloping Goose, then the Interurban Rail Trail, which took me through Saanich to the Mill Bay Ferry to cross the Saanich Inlet. No way was I going to haul Gavin up the Malahat. No. NO.

I followed the Rotary Route through rural roads, some with shoulders and some without, and stopped in Cowichan Bay. I followed Tessa’s excellent recommendation and hit up the bakery, where I bought a pretzel, cinnamon bun, almond croissant, and cookie: my second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, and afternoon tea. Bakery stockpiles became a daily routine. I was LIVING for CARBS.

The plan that day was to bike from Langford to Nanaimo, which was, as they say, a “big day”. The distance didn’t bother me as I knew what 100km with a loaded bike felt like, more or less. What did bother me was the elevation. It was impossible not to be taken aback by the sheer AUDACITY of each hill standing in my way. They came. They went. They came again and again, hour after hour. I dreaded each downhill because I knew I’d have to make up the elevation.

It took half the day to realize there was nothing I could do about a climb except put Gavin into granny gear and keep going. It took as long as it took, and then it was over. There’s something wonderful in realizing that even the sweatiest hill is temporary, a blip. And every now and then I’d find an unexpectedly beautiful flat stretch and have the road to myself for a minute, and everything reset.

At Ladysmith the Rotary Route spit me out on the Trans Canada highway, which I rode for a handful of kilometers. I thought the highway would be dicey, but I was pleasantly surprised by the (mostly) wide shoulders and reasonable grade. Traffic whipped by, but I found it invigorating. The hardest part was keeping Gavin under the speed limit. I'd take the Trans Canada over Thetis Lake Regional Park any day. After the highway I hopped on some less busy roads, although the rush hour traffic picked up in the afternoon. I ended up in Nanaimo for dinner, where I found a perfect Mexican restaurant and local craft beer. After 116km, I felt surprisingly... normal.

The day wasn’t over yet, however. The last 14km were a roller coaster, and not because of the elevation. When I left downtown Nanaimo, the bright blue sky faded to dull grey and I had suddenly run out of steam. Gavin was heavy. Time slowed. Moments like these, however, are why I travel with candy, and a bag of Swedish Berries saved my life. I ended up at Dave and Ann’s place with high spirits.

I enjoyed a campfire at the lovely lake while the sugar rush faded, then fell asleep to the soft rustle-thud of ripe apples and pears falling to the grass. Tomorrow would also be a “big day”, but with more on the line: catching the 3pm ferry from Comox to Powell so I could get to Townsite Brewing before they closed.

#cycletour solocycletour cycling bicycle vancouverisland BC britishcolumbia camping canada

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thetokenmuggle · 4 years

Text

Sailor Moon Au

“You good?” Jane asked poking M’s dimple to get him to pay attention to her. “You kinda zoned off on me there,” she said pouting. M laughed, a muttered apology escaping his lips.

They were sat in their, well Jane’s booth at the arcade, Tara had managed to drag Enzo along to the library, Lucas was sat at one of the racing games surrounded by his fans. Minah and Tyler were sat two booths behind them spying - well trying to spy, M was pretty sure if the people you were spying knew you were there it wasn’t too effective.

Jane hummed taking a sip of her iced tea, she looked at M with a small frown on her face. “But seriously M if something is bothering you, you can tell me,” Jane said softly, wrapping her hand around his and squeezing softly. “We are a team,” she said. M smiled kissing the top of her head, memories of her giving up on - well delaying - being the new ruler of the Silver Millennium to stay on earth with her friends, with him.

“Its nothing serious,” M said as Jane’s eyes narrowed. “Really,” he said with a laugh, “I guess i just -” he said pausing trying to figure out how to explain what he was feeling, he was still trying to process everything that had happened over the last couple of months.

“M i wouldn’t care if you were upset because Tyler ugly Gucci sweater was hurting your eyes, I would want to know,” Jane said as an affronted hey could be heard behind them. “Now tell me before i steal the rest of your fries,” Jane threatened.

“I just… wonder what happened to the rest of them,” He said, he didn’t need to say who the them was, especially not with prying and disapproving ears nearby. The only reason Enzo managed to sneak back into the fold was because Tyler was weak for his pseudo younger sister and still held onto a lot of guilt of what happened to her during the silver millennium.

Jane sighed pressing a soft kiss into his skin before lifting her head. “I am sure they are okay,” she said giving him a small smile. “They get to live their lives out as normal people, its what they deserve after being effectively brainwashed for over a century,” she said. M nodded, thinking about his knights was hard because he missed people he barely knew. “If you are meant to find each other, I am sure it will happen just like it did with us,” she bopping his nose. “Trust me, earth boy,” she said with a grin. “I am Sailor Moon after all,” she boasted.

“Of course if the Sailor Moon tells me to trust her then what choice do i have,” M teased. “Anyway we better get you home,” he said. “It’s the first day of your senior year tomorrow,” M said laughing as Jane’s face scrunched up in disgust.

“Don’t remind me,” She huffed. “Why can’t summer last forever,” she whined.

“I think it might be bad for the planet, you know ice caps melting and all,” M teased as Jane huffed. “But seriously it will be fine,” he said rubbing her back. “Before you know it the year will be over and you will get to graduate with your best friend… and Tyler,” he said.

“I won’t see you as much,” Jane pouted. “Are you sure you have to go university?” she whined. “You could just work at the arcade full time and be there in the afternoon to make my day better,” she said, “Or better yet you could work at the school, i think you made a great gardener, the perfect distraction for when i don’t want to pay attention in class,” she grinned.

“You’ll still see me,” M assured her. “And maybe you could just study hard so you can go to the same university as me next year,” M offered.

“Well that is a given,” Jane said as if it was the most obvious thing the world. “Us going to university together was never in question it’s just can’t you do a gap year so we can start together,” she said as her phone rang out, she picked up and rolled her eyes. “It’s Etienne,” she said her nose scrunching up. “I better get going,” she frowned. “We are still meeting at our normal spot tomorrow morning right?” she asked ignoring her phone completely.

“Of course,” M nodded smiling softly, “I’ll bring the coffee, you bring the croissants,” he said. Jane grinned pecking his lips before getting up. “Text me when you get home,” he said standing up as well to walk her out.

“I will, I will,” she said doing a mock salute. “Tyler and Minah our date is over so you can come out now,” Jane called out to her two friends who stood up looking annoyed.

“And we care because?” Tyler said rolling his eyes. “We were on our own date,” he boasted as Minah turned to look at him with a disgusted face.

“You wish you overgrown chipmunk,” Minah with an eye roll. “And i’ll take a caramel frappuccino M, since you are offering to bring coffee tomorrow, it’s my first day of senior year as well you know,” she said turning to face M, a smirk that had bought many a man to their knees on her face.

“Oh, I’ll have -” Tyler started.

“Don’t even try it, Lee,” Jane said with a glare. “Should we tell Lucas we are leaving?” she said looking over towards the small crowd that had gathered around the younger boy. Minah scoffed looking over at the group, shaking her head as she glared at the group of girls.

“Pathetic,” she spat. “I better go save him before he is stuck trying to appease those idiots,” she said with a scowl. Minah wasn’t exactly a fan of Lucas’s mini fan club, in fact, she had called them rabid vultures on more than a few occasions. “Honestly he is too nice to his own good,” she muttered.

“He got it from me,” Tyler said boastfully as Minah once again rolled her eyes. “What? i taught him everything he knows,” Tyler said proudly. Jane had told M about how Tyler had pretty much adopted Lucas after he was revealed as the third Sailor Scout, even changing schools to guide him.

“You taught him nothing,” Minah said rolling her eyes. “If anything you’ve been a bad influence on him, poor baby looking up to you,” she said. “But since you care so much about your protege go get him,” she said pushing Tyler forward. Tyler stumbled turning only to glare at Minah before marching forward to Lucas.

“You know M we are friends,” Minah said out of nowhere causing M to look at her as if she had grown a second head. “I am just saying if you are lonely you don’t need to find-” she started but stopped a frown. “We are you, friends, as well,” she said. M didn’t need to look over at Jane to know she was beaming, her best friend and her boyfriend being friends was all she wanted. M was saved from replying when an annoyed Tyler returned with a laughing Lucas.

“What happened?” Jane asked looking at the two amused by their respective moods.

“Well Tyler came over to get me,” Lucas started, “And you know Tyler, he was being nice and most of the girls were charmed by him but - “ he said before breaking into a fit of giggles, M had to chuckle there was something funny about this deep voice giant boy giggling. “But Stephanie, you know the girl with glasses, she said -” he continued to speak. Tyler scowled beside him, elbowing him. “That she wasn’t interested in old men and that he should be home at the nursery home instead of bugging me,” Lucas said.

Jane and Minah began to giggle before Tyler narrowed his eyes. “You two shouldn’t laugh, she called you two hags who are clearly trying to hook up with Lucas,” he said. M tried not to laugh at the way both Jane and Minah’s face fell and morphed into a pure murderous rage.

“As if!” They both said at the same time. “No offence Lucas, you are very cute but i already have my man,” Jane said kissing M’s cheek as to prove a point.

“And i would never,” Minah said a look of pure disgust on her face. “You are like a brother to me, that is just no -” she said shaking her head. “As the leader of the Sailor Scouts, i say no more Stephanie,” she huffed. A chorus of agrees came from Jane and Tyler respectively.

“Let’s just get going, I don’t want that deluded woman’s words to ruin my night,” Minah said linking arms with Lucas. “And you and I, my sweet boy are going to have a long discussion about why you shouldn’t let those idiotic kids leach off you,” she said as they walked off.

“I think we should go to my grandfather’s temple tomorrow,” Tyler said following after them. “Do some sort of spirt cleanse to make sure you don’t attract any more bad vibes,” he added. M watched after them with an amused smile, Jane’s friends were certainly something.

“I guess this is where we part old man,” Jane said turning around to face him.

“Yeah, if Tyler is an old man then i bet get going back to the crypt,” M joked. “You better get going, i heard little old ladies like you need their beauty sleep,” he said causing Jane to glare playfully. “But seriously between Etienne and Luna if you don’t get home soon, I’ll seriously fear for my life,” he joked.

“Fine,” Jane sighed. “I guess i will have to go home to save you from my stepfather and cat,” she said in mock seriousness. With one final goodbye kiss, Jane raced off after her friends leaving M to go in the opposite direction back to his own apartment.

M sighed as he walked into his apartment block, he had finished a quick grocery shop for the basics and was ready to curl up on his couch and read a good book or maybe browse Netflix and see if they finally recommend him something he actually wants to watch. He considered walking up the flight of stairs, recently he had been taking the stairs because it was ‘healthy’ realistically he had been wearing shorts more often and as sad as it was he wanted his legs to look good but he tonight he is just going to take the easy way out and go on the elevator.

Stepping into the elevator, he pressed his floor number and moved into a corner, placing his shopping bags on the ground. He leaned back relaxing his little corner as the doors started to close when he saw two people racing forward to the elevator shouting for him to keep the door open. M stepped forward stopping the door from shutting just long enough for the pair to get into the elevator.

M stepped back letting the door close with full force. “Thank you so much,” a female voice called out. M turned to look at the panting pair in front of him, his eyes widening with recognition there in front of him was Daehyung and Eunha. While they look almost identical to their previous incarnations there were a few subtle differences, the biggest being the blonde hair that Daehyung always had has been replaced by light brown locks. Eunha perhaps looked a year or two younger then her past version had.

“Ah yeah no problem,” M said awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “What floor?” M asked unable to stop staring at the twosome. It was a peculiar sensation to be in such a small space with them given his last actual memory of them was fighting against them (there was, of course, his very last memory of seeing them die but he was under Beryl and Metalia’s control so everything was fuzzy and honestly was that memory even he is own, he wasn’t sure).

“The Ninth,” Daehyung spoke eyeing M curiously, M wondered momentarily if there were some remnants of his past memories left maybe he recognised him somehow. “Is that your package?” Daehyung asked cocking an eyebrow as he eyes raked over M.

“Daniel,” Eunha said, it sounded like a warning. “Stop it,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“I was talking about that,” he said nodding to M’s groceries. “Though if our elevator saver would like to show me any of his other packages i wouldn’t mind,” Daehyung said, well Daniel said, winking at M. M blinked in response, he’d never known Daehyung to flirt with him, he was in whatever it was with Sungjae before and from his rather limited memories of the silver millennium he was more interested in Tyler.

“Daniel,” Eunha repeated shaking her head. “Can you please stop flirting with every guy we run into? Wasn’t it bad enough you got rejected by that one guy just before?” she asked. M had to stop himself from laughing at the face Daniel pulled in response.

“I do not flirt with every guy,” Daniel huffed, “I have standards, thank you very much,” he said very much affronted and offended. “And i wasn’t rejected, that other guy just didn’t understand me,” Daniel said, “stupid shortie,” he muttered under his breathe. “And our saviour over here hasn’t said no,” he said wagging his eyebrows at M causing M to break out into laughter. “Well that’s rude,” Daniel said, stepping back as Eunha patted his back sympathetically.

“No its not like that,” M said quickly, “I am very flattered and if i was single and gay i would definetly take you up on whatever you were offering,” M said as Daniel looked at him with a confused look on his face. “But i am straight and taken so -” he shrugged.

“What a waste,” Daniel said rolling his eyes.

M coughed, “And since we live on the same floor I should introduce myself, Hi i’m M,” he said with a small wave.

“We have to introduce ourselves to everyone who live on our floor?” Daniel questioned. “Ah how exhausting,” he whined with a pout. M tried not to smile at the difference, just a few seconds he was a confident flirt and now a cute whiny baby. “Fine,” He sighed. “I am the Daniel Choi and this is my cousin Emily,” he said, gesturing to Eunha who was staring down, the tiniest hint of a blush on her face.

“The Daniel Choi?” M asked curiously. The previous version of Daehyung was very arrogant, always boasting how he was better than well everyone, so he wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel was the same.

“Yes the Daniel Choi,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes. “I am a model, a very famous one at that,” he said sounding offended. “But i don’t suppose you would know that,” he said looking at M, “I should figured out anyone who would wear that shirt wouldn’t know anything about fashion,” he huffed.

“Daniel,” Emily said shaking her head. “I am sorry about my cousin, he doesn’t do well with meeting new people,” she said glaring at her cousin who only rolled his eyes in response . “It’s nice to meet you M,” she said, turning her attention back to him. “I am assuming M is short for something?” she questioned.

“Ofcourse it is,” Daniel exclaimed. “Who would name their child after a letter?” he said with an eye roll,,” And if they were why would they choose M and not a better letter like A or Z or Q,” Daniel said. “M is not a top 10 letter is all i am saying,” he ranted.

“You have ranked the alphabet?” Emily asked looking at her cousin incredulously. “And again i am sorry about my cousin M is a perfectly acceptable nickname,” she said politely to M.

“Not really but i figure a lame letter E would be last,” Daniel said as if it was something important, “Or like W, i don’t know? but D would definitely be at the top,” he said matter o’factly.

“Why is E last?” Emily whined childishly, “Lots of good things start with E?” she said pouting.

“Sweetie,” Daniel said condescendingly, “You are an expectation to the rule, name another good thing that starts with E?” Daniel challenged.

“Earth?” M interjected, “It's a pretty good place if you ask me,” he added as Emily turned to Daniel a victorious look on her face. A mumbled no one asked you escaped Daniel’s mouth. “And to answer your question yes M is short for something,” M said to Emily.

“Shock horror,” Daniel said mockingly.

“Anyway to apologize for my cousin being rude … again,” Emily said, sounding very tired. “Would you like to have dinner with us?” she offered sweetly.

“Emmy,” Daniel warned with an almost growl, “Sweetie, my lovely baby cousin, you can’t just invite random men to our apartment,” Daniel says in a sarchaningly sweet tone. “Especially not straight ones,” he practically spat. “And you don’t even think of accepting, she is a highschooler,” he said to M. From the murderous look he was receiving M felt like Daehyun was back in the room with him.

“Daniel,” Emily snapped, “Firstly I am not inviting a random man, I am inviting M, one of our new neighbours, to dinner. Secondly you invited random men to our house all the time, all types of men , “she said, putting particular emphasis on all types of men. “And lastly you are high schooler too Einstein,” she huffed.

“Excuse us,” Daniel said to M, before pulling Emily to the opposite side of the elevator. M watched as the pair had what looked like a very intense conversation, given the confined space they were in he was impressed with how much he couldn’t hear. The discussion ended with Daniel pulling a face before stomping back over to M head hung low.

“Would you like to come to our apartment for dinner because apparently we need to have some friends in this apartment,” Daniel grumbled reluctantly. M looked over Daniel’s shoulder to see Emily giving him a thumbs up.

“Uh well I would love to but i’ve already eaten,” He said, frowning at how that sounded like a lame excuse, “But I could hang out for a little bit, if you want?” M offered. “It might come as a shock to you since we just met but I don't exactly have many friends in this apartment either,” he said. A voice from the back of his head sang out that he didn’t have many friends in general but no one needed to know that.

“Ofcourse,” Emily said with a nod just as the elevator dinged signalling they were on the ninth floor.

“Great, I’ll just drop these off in my apartment first,” M said, lifting up his groceries bags. “Would you like me to bring anything over?” M offered.

Daniel and Emily shared a look, before sheepishly grinning at M. “Well you see we haven’t really finished unpacking,” she said scratching the back of her neck. “So maybe you could bring some plates?” she said, looking down trying to hide her embarrassment with her hair.

“Sure no problem,” M said with a smile. “If you ever need help unpacking I am a pretty organized person,” M boasted as he stepped out of the elevator, Daniel and Emily followed suit stepping out. “By the way what apartment are you?“ he asked.

“906,” Emily answered. M nodded in response, he should have figured that out Mrs Bennett, a nosey old lady who M was not fond off in the slightest had moved out to live with her daughter and her ‘adorable’ grandchildren, a bratty pair of four year olds who once broke the apartments elevator with their experiments.

“Okay i’ll see you guys in a few minutes,” M said as he stepped in front of his apartment, Daniel spared a second glance before sauntering down the hallway. Emily gave her an apologetic smile before following after her cousin.

M stepped into his home, a cozy (read small) one bedroom apartment, reaching out and flicking the lights on M moved to kitchen area dropping his groceries on the bench. He pulled out his phone contemplating whether he should message Jane about the latest developments. It seemed his choice was made for him when his phone chimed letting him know he had a message.

moon princess🌙 : got home safely ✌️

moon princess🌙 : minah says she got home safely as well.

M pulled his lip between his teeth as he tried to figure out how he should tell Jane about Daniel and Emily. He briefly considered not telling her just yet, after all what would be the point of potentially stressing anyone (Tyler) out but Daniel did mention Emily was a highschooler so there was a very slim chance she would end up at the same school as Jane and her guardians.

tuxedo m 🌹 : did entienne give you a hard time?

tuxedo m 🌹 : and that is good to know ….🤨

tuxedo m 🌹 : i have some news…

moon princess🌙 : he did 🙄 sometimes he is such a hypocrite

moon princess🌙 : and it is!! I was very worried about her, you know after she put her arm around lucas i seriously thought stephanie might have followed her home..

moon princess🌙 : hmm is it good news?

tuxedo m 🌹: he is just trying to look after you, he is a little misguided but he means well

tuxedo m 🌹: and true you hags wouldn’t be able to handle an attack from her

tuxedo m 🌹: i am not entirely sure… maybe

He didn’t get a chance to finish responding when his phone started to ring. M sighed, pressing answer, “M are you okay? What is going on? Do I need to come over?” she asked in a rush, M smiled imagining Jane ready to fight whatever imaginary enemy she thinks M had run into.

“Jane, I am fine,” He said loud enough to get Jane’s attention. “It is just,” he said taking a breath, “ you know how i said if i was meant to find the shitennou i would, well i did,” he said glancing towards the door. “Well two of them anyway,” he added.

“Oh,” Jane said, “Hang on a second i have to put this on speaker Luna is demanding to know what is going on,” she said, M could hear the eye roll through the phone. “Okay done,” she said, in the background M could hear Luna telling Jane off. “Anyway, so which two? Please tell me its not Sungjae and Daehyung,” Jane whined. “If they are a couple again I swear,” she growled.

“She means because they were pretty dangerous last time,” Luna said seriously. M put his own phone on speaker moving about his kitchen, putting the perishables in the fridge.

“Well yeah but also if i see Minah sad it’s on sight and also i don’t need to remind anyone here how annoying Tyler Lee can be,” Jane huffed. M winced as memories of the Sungjae and Daehyung romance came to mind, from what he could recall from his time on the ‘dark side’ was that the relationship was toxic and actually left him feeling sorry for Daehyung.

“Well you got one of them, it’s Daehyung and Eunha,” he said as closed as his fridge. “But they go by Daniel and Emily now,” he said. “Apparently Daehyung, well Daniel, is a model these days,” he said hearing Jane snort in the background. “Still cocky as always but seems nice enough,” he said. “He even hit on me,” he said.

“He did what now?” Jane said. “Should i be worried?” she asked, it sounded like she was joking but M heard the tiniest hint of panic in her tone.

“Of Course not, “ M said softly. “And yeah I think he just flirts with a reasonably attractive guy,” he said with a shrug knowing full well neither Jane nor Luna could see him.

“I am gonna ignore that reasonably attractive guy comment because we both know you are hot,” Jane said causing M to laugh. “So Daehyung, i mean Daniel is a model and Eunha?” she questioned.

“Emily seems pretty nice to be honest,” M said, “which isn’t that surprising all things considered,” he shrugged. She had only joined the shitennou because Daehyun was did, technically she wasn’t even a shitennou. Even as a villain she was more mild, she wasn’t nearly as ruthless as the others. “She is a highschool student, I am not sure which school she will be going to so i figured i’d give you a heads up,” M said.

“So they don’t have any idea about who they were before?” Luna interjected, “Are you sure they aren’t acting?” she asked.

“Well i am pretty sure they aren’t,” M said, “I am going over to their apartment now to see what they are like,” he said.

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” Jane asked, sounding more than a little concerned. “You don’t have to rush into this friendship,” she said. “You don’t have to be friends with them just because they came back,” she said.

“I know,” M sighed, “but I want to get to know them, they are different from how they were before I am sure,” he said. He just knew deep down they weren’t evil anymore, Enzo wasn’t so there was no reason for them to be. They were just two people who looked like someone he used to know. They weren’t Daehyun and Eunha, they were Daniel and Emily and he wanted to know them.

He could hear Jane sigh and what sounds like Luna being muffled by a pillow, “Okay,” she said. “But stay safe and keep me posted,” Jane added. M could tell she didn’t really agree with what he was doing but he was grateful she wasn’t pushing it. After that there wasn’t a lot to be said so with one last ‘love you’ the call ended and M grabbed some plates and headed to apartment 906.

He was about to knock on the door when it swung open and Daniel stood there leaning against the door frame. “Emily is cooking,” he said simply before giving M the once over. “Look i am sure you are nice but there are a few things we have to go over before you are allowed in,” he said pushing himself up and letting the door close behind him.

“Firstly and most importantly if i even hear a whisper of you trying to anything with my cousin i will destroy you,” he said cooly. M nodded ready to bring up the fact that he had a girlfriend but was cut off by Daniel. “Secondly, don’t bring up our family situation infront of Emily,” Daniel said. M frowned nodding, now that he thought about it was a bit peculiar that they were living together with no actual adult figure. “Look, her mother isn’t the greatest and i don’t need some noodle shaped man reminding her off that,” he said.

“I won’t,” M said. Daniel hummed a muttered ‘you better not’ escaping his lips. “Is there anything else I should know before you let me in?” he asked hoping that didn’t seem rude, he was pretty sure it looked a little odd, him just standing there with plates in his hands while Daniel in his Celine shirt and fitted black slacks told him off.

“She is never about going to school tomorrow so maybe keep the school talk to a minimum,” Daniel said with a shrug. “And that is all i can think off right now,” Daniel said, scrunching his nose up as he thought. “Just be cool, Em for whatever reasons thinks we need more people in our life so you know don’t mess that up,” he said.

“You know she is lucky to have a cousin like you,” M said trying not to laugh at the way Daniel’s face suddenly change, the tiniest hint of a blush made its way onto his cheek.

“You don’t need to suck up, “ Daniel said as he composed himself, his confidant mask back on. “Come on in, we need the plates,” Daniel said with eye roll as he opened the door. M grinned stepping into their apartment. Yes he knew he was meant to be here.

#story time #sailor moon au

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