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#and when it comes to the 29TH and I don’t have to worry about it I WILL be so happy!!!!!!!
daydadahlias · 3 months
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not to sound mentally ill at 1:30 am on a Sunday night but. when I find leftovers that past!me put in the fridge bc she meal prepped for the week, or when I find sticky notes with reminders on them to brush my teeth or shower that I wrote for myself knowing I might be awake until 1 am again and forget, or when I see that a past version of me has already done an assignment last week so I don’t have to do it tonight,, I just want to say thanks to her for taking care of me.
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maybankswhore · 1 year
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high infidelity — xavier thorpe.
pairings: xavier thorpe x reader , tyler galpin x reader.
summary: your relationship with tyler got rocky when he started distancing himself from you. xavier just happened to be at the right place , at the right time.
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do you really wanna know where i was april 29th? do i really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?
You remembered that night vividly. You were wearing your favorite sundress because Tyler loved when you wore it. Your makeup had been done to perfection and you were bouncing off the walls , excited to finally spend time with Tyler. He had just been so busy lately , always leaving before it got dark , kissing the top of your head and darting away as soon as he got the chance.
You were never one to be insecure or worried about what Tyler was doing. You trusted him. You did.
Until he didn’t show at all. Your makeup was ruined by how much you cried , barely making out the letters on your phone. Tyler sending five messages in a row with some lame excuse , promising he’d make it up to you and how much he loved you.
You got up from the diner he was supposed to meet you at — the one your parents had dropped you off at expecting your boyfriend to bring you home.
You sat outside in tears somewhere that was towards the side. You cried not only because he cancelled , but because you felt as though the relationship wasn’t as strong as it used to be. He wasn’t as interested in you anymore. He never complimented you or made time for you. The two of you had been together for a year and for 5 of those months , he was acting as though you were just another customer — another friend.
“You okay?”
Your eyes glanced up and saw Xavier Thorpe. His hair pulled back in a bun showing off the features of his face well. His hands were shoved in his school jacket as he looked at you with curiosity , minimal concern , but curiosity. He knew you , how couldn’t he? You had always knew how to get the boy’s attention — even with normie Tyler Galpin on your arm.
Swallowing thickly , you wiped your cheeks with the back of your hand. “I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay.” He commented , gesturing towards your tattered appearance.
Tearing your eyes away from him , you shrugged. “’M okay. Really.”
Silence hovered over the two of you for a minute. You didn’t bother looking back at him , assuming he’d walk away by the lack of conversation.
Your eyes shot up when he cleared his throat. “Want to come in with me? Was gonna take it to go but I think I found a reason to stay.”
you know there are many different ways to kill someone you love. the slowest way is never loving them enough.
Your relationship with Tyler was deteriorating. Fast. He spent most of his time with Wednesday and yours with Xavier. You noticed how fast he seemed to like her — how often you’d catch him looking at her when she wasn’t looking. Clear admiration and affection was on his face for her , though everytime you brought her up he’d shrug it off , lean it for a kiss and promised he loved you and nobody else.
You just didn’t feel it.
“You should just break up with him.” Xavier sighed as he rubbed your back comfortingly.
The two of you had discovered that you both had the same things in common. He loved to paint , and you loved museums. He liked action movies , and you liked popcorn. Everything the two of you were , just fit in together. You liked to talk , and Xavier loved to listen. Always.
The pit in your stomach grew darker. “I don’t know.” You mumbled and shook your head. “Maybe I just need to try harder or–or maybe if I dye my hair he’ll notice it and think I’m pretty again. . . like her.”
Xavier frowned. His hand grabbed at your face gently , turning you to look at him. “You are pretty. You always were. You don’t need to look like Wednesday , Y/N/N.” His eyes searched yours and you weren’t sure what it was. Your hand had absentmindedly found itself cupping the fingers he had around your face , your skin inviting the warmth of him to surround you gently. “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.” Xavier said confidently.
Your cheeks turned red at the compliment. Sparks erupting around you as you looked at him with big eyes. “You’re just saying that you—”
“I mean it.” Xavier cut you off.
He shook his head with a sigh as he looked at you. Face fallen with little warm tears trailing along down your cheeks. He tutted , pinching your chin with his fingers while the other hand wiped them away quickly. “Pretty girls shouldn’t be crying.” Xavier said , barely above a whisper— but you heard him.
His words caused your heart to swell. And you didn’t know if it was his big , green eyes looking at you as though you really were that beautiful or the way your face felt like it had been set on fire the moment he had touched you. Though whatever it was , clouded your judgement , and before you could stop to think about the consequences , your eyes fluttered shut and your mouth pressed itself firmly against his.
The moment you kissed him , it was all over.
do you really wanna know where i was april 29th? do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life.
“I think we need to break up.” You rushed out , glancing around the shop to see if anyone was listening. He was on break — barely realized you were there before you began pulling him out the door and towards the alley.
Your hands were shoved in your coat pockets as yoy avoided his lingering gaze. You didn’t want to look. You didn’t want to see any hurt or betrayal— you had already done enough and your heart wasn’t his anymore. It was sad , but it was reality , and you had to face the music.
“W-What? I thought. . . I mean I know it’s been weird lately but I—”
You scoffed. “You thought what , Tyler? Skipping dates. Flirting with Wednesday in front of me— I was just supposed to accept that? Act like everything was fine? Well it wasn’t! It wasn’t fine.” You didn’t mean to get so angry. But he knew this was coming. He had to have known.
“I wasn’t flirting with Wednesday.” Tyler laughed dryly. “I could say the same about you and that freak Thorpe.”
The mention of Xavier brought a crimson color bright on your cheeks. With a quickening heart beat , you simply shook your head. “You don’t get to turn this around on me Tyler.”
Tyler didn’t say anything. He just looked at you and knew. He knew.
“You. . . you’re breaking up with me for him?” He said it like a question , his voice trailing off at the end. His mind tried wrapping around where everything went wrong— how it happened. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Sure , he knew he hadn’t been the best. But he was doing it for them— for his mom. He was doing something good and you didn’t even know about it. “What? Did you fuck him?”
“Tyler!” You gasped at his accusation. The aggression in his tone made your eyebrows furrow. “You have no right to turn this around on me! Not after I tried so hard for months. Months!”
“You aren’t saying no.” Tyler scoffed.
“I kissed him.” You admitted , swallowing thickly. Tyler’s eyes dropped , his words seemingly meaningless , were actually true.
“You were. . .” Tyler put his hands on his hips as he looked away , blinking away tears. “You were with him last night then? When I tried calling you.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you love him?”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
You paused and gave him a sad smile. You felt guilty for what you had done. It was wrong and you should’ve been thinking more clearly. But you couldn’t erase it. You couldn’t take it back.
All you had was forward now , and you felt like this was how it was supposed to be.
“He brought me back to life.”
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janaispunk · 1 month
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constellations in his eyes
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pairing: Dave York x f!reader
summary: Your fiancé stands you up on your birthday. Dave doesn’t.
word count: 736
tags/warnings: infidelity, shitty boyfriend, angst, fluff, kissing, able-bodied reader, reader has hair, no use of y/n
a/n: this is based on the song high infidelity by taylor swift and written for @beskarandblasters’s taylor swift drabble challenge. i love taylor and this song and dave, so this was very fun 🫶🏻 check out the whole challenge masterlist here!
follow @janaispunknotifs for fic updates and find my whole masterlist here :)
dividers by @saradika-graphics <3
(apologies to everyone who’s waiting for the next safe and sound chapter, i promise it’s almost done 🫠)
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It’s your birthday, April 29th.
Rain is soaking through your dress, the drenched fabric clinging to your skin, wet strands of your hair sticking to your forehead. Unfamiliar lips are pressed against yours. You don’t remember the last time you’ve felt this happy.
You’re supposed to meet your fiancé for dinner tonight. When you call him, you’re already seated at the table, waiting for him to meet you there.
“Give me a break,” he sighs at your demand for an explanation, “I’m sure you’ll find someone else to buy you dinner.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know what I mean. None of those guys from your office available tonight?”
“Fuck you.”
You slam the phone back onto the table, swallowing down the angry tears that are starting to well up in your eyes. You have been dealing with his unreasonable bouts of insecurity and jealousy because you’re working in a male-dominated field for way too long. You had hoped that he would get over it eventually, but it had rather gotten worse, mixed with remarks about how he made more money than you and how thankful you should be that he took care of you.
After staring down at the table for a few moments, you pick your phone back up again. If this is what he thinks of you any way, you might as well give him a reason to.
“Hey. Can you come and pick me up, please?”
Of course Dave could. You’re often assigned cases together, are often huddled up in the office when it’s already dark outside and your colleagues have gone home. You like working with him, like how quiet but straightforward he is, how he understands your way of thinking. You like him.
You’ve been out for drinks before, to celebrate successfully solved cases, but nothing more, no matter how many times he hinted at being interested in more. Because you’re not that kind of woman, despite what your fiancé apparently thinks.
Until now. It’s your birthday and you’re gonna spend it with someone who actually likes being around you.
When you walk out of the restaurant, he’s waiting for you, his brow furrowed in concern, immediately asking if you’re alright. You nod, mumbling something about a change of plans, nothing to worry about. You can tell that he doesn’t buy it.
He’s walking you down the block to his car, one hand at the small of your back. You feel yourself melting into him and his calming presence beside you, into the self-assured way he’s taking charge.
Neither of you had expected the sudden downpour, soaking the both of you to the bone within seconds. You stop in your tracks, staring at him in surprise for a second, before you burst out laughing.
You stumble over your own feet as you try to keep walking and instinctively grab his arm. He turns in your direction and steadies you, an amused smirk on his face, his hands a heavy weight on your hips, his touch burning into you.
You lean in and kiss him before your mind catches up with your actions. He stills for only one moment before his lips start moving against yours with a caressing urgency that makes your heart clench with longing.
Your hands cling to him, to his shirt underneath your fingers that’s just as drenched as your clothes, to the broadness of his shoulders that’s sending a rush of excitement through you. The absurdity of the whole situation makes you giggle against his mouth and you feel the rumble of his own laugh more than you hear it while his arms are wrapping tighter around your waist.
You don’t care that you’re in the middle of the sidewalk, that rain is still pouring down on you, that this is not the man that you’ve agreed to marry.
Because when you open your eyes, he’s already looking at you, the lights of the city reflecting in his dark pupils, like constellations that you want to get lost in. For the first time in forever, you feel seen. Your fingers burrow into his hair and you pull him closer again, connecting your lips with his once more.
When you reach his car, he opens the door for you and asks if he can take you home with him. You say yes.
None of it feels real, but you feel more alive than you’ve felt in a long time.
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thank you for reading! if you liked this, please consider reblogging, commenting, sending an ask or interacting in any way. it’s really what keeps writers going <3
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Rage
charlie bushnell x ex!reader
warnings: angst, allusions to cheating, swearing
summary: reader and charlie break up and she releases an album
a/n why do i love this (i still love charlie i just needed some angst smau) 😭 also if ur names harper i’m sorry (lets pretend dior's 19 ok? ok)
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liked by treepaine, user04 and 19,834,692 more celebgossip actor charlie bushnell spotted with harper elle. that doesn’t look like y/n l/n to us. comments are closed
diorrr
yn? u ok did u see the post? n/n pls answer me im worried yn if u don’t answer me in ten minutes i’m coming over about to leave the house read 19:45
leah my bae
yn u ok? i just saw what happened pls talk to me im gonna be there with dior read 19:51
rolling in the deep
hey i just saw you alright? i’ve given leah some food for you delivered
walkie talkie
yn i sent some flowers with dior hope ur ok delivered
char 🫶🏻
yn pls let me explain it was a mistake
you have blocked this user
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liked by dior.n.goodjohn, leahsavajeffries and 23,089,54 more thisisyn men suck (other than my dad, my brother, my grandpa, aryan and walker) view comments
conangray fr (i’m not a man) ➔ thisisyn lmao ly dior.n.goodjohn the last pic is apple juice cos leah’s a baby ➔ thisisyn ^ hearts4yn charlie when i catch you ynloml pretty ➔ thisisyn all u ynismywife charlie start sleeping with one eye open walkerscobell is that a swear word i see 🤓 👆 ➔ thisisyn get out of my comment section aryansimhadri when’s the next album coming out ➔ thisisyn you literally already know??? user08 NEW ALBUM???? cinnamongirl motherrrrrrrr ➔ thisisyn childdddddd
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liked by aryansimhadri, iamcharliebushnell and 3,457,890,211 more thisisyn my new album RAGE will be out on 29th june, womanizer my lead single will be out 16th june. view comments
oliviarodrigo omg the cover looks beautiful dior.n.goodjohn i’ve been waiting for this 🤭 leahsavajeffries new filming playlist??? aryansimhadri i’m gonna cover this walkerscobell r u smoking honeymoon the cover 😍 user34 charlie get out of the likes hearts4yn THE DIG AT CHARLIE? ➔ user46 wdym ➔ ynloml she’s releasing her single on his birthday harperelle nice cover ➔ ynloml get tf out ➔ hearts4yn the audacity harperismywife slut user6 she’s not even pretty harper’s prettier
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liked by honeymoon, taylorswift and 121,476,392 more thisisyn haters track 6 is for you 🫶🏻 view comments
dior.n.goodjohn she fr is not better liked by creator leahsavajeffries bout to make sure someone else is hurting liked by creator aryansimhadri claiming traitor ➔ thisisyn u might have to fight leah on that 😶 ➔ walkerscobell and me user6 ew hearts4yn CANT WAIT
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liked by iamcharliebushnell, harperelleismywife and 120 others harperelle in greece view comments
harperellefan fav couple hearts4yn hope ur happy ➔ harperelle i am actually ynloml charlie i just wanna have a word 🤗 🔪 ynismywife omfg user34 anyone else remember when yn and charlie went to greece
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liked by dior.n.goodjohn, aryansimhadri and 56,981,392 more thisisyn i loved performing my album RAGE for the first time. brooklyn you're an awesome crowd! view comments
dior.n.goodjohn ur literally amazing babes ➔ thisisyn u were stunning frfr walkerscobell I GOT DEATH THREATS FILLING UP SEMI TRUCKS ➔ thisisyn POP OFF leahsavajeffries you shouldve heard aryan singing 😭 im sending u the vid ➔ thisisyn YES PLEASE hearts4yn the way everyone was screaming fck charlie 🤭
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liked by thisisyn, dior.n.goodjohn and 3,489,211 more concerttours yn ln performs surprise song, brutal from her album “life lately”, in dublin. comments are closed
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liked by leahsavajeffries, aryansimhadri and 9,743,511 more ynupdates crowd at vancouver were seen yelling “f*ck charlie and harper” but yn ln is soon to tell them that “he chose someone else and i’m not holding him accountable for anything so why should you” view comments
hearts4yn mother is def mothering ynloml this is class ynismywife honestly she’s so pure for that
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liked by walkerscobell, dior.n.goodjohn and 12,784,813 more thisisyn i got them by my side so why would i need you?
(i’m allowed to quote my own songs) view comments
dior.n.goodjohn can’t believe walker stole my noodles, keep an eye out buddy ➔ walkerscobell i’m scared liked by creator hearts4yn not the line from lonely
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liked by aryansimhadri, walkerscobell and 1,674,811 more thisisyn why don’t i have any 0.5’s of aryan 😭 view comments
dior.n.goodjohn pls send me the picture of leah 🙏 ➔ thisisyn just sent ➔ leahsavajeffries can’t believe it aryansimhadri i’m just better ➔ thisisyn should’ve posted the photo of sleeping ➔ aryansimhadri no pls
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liked by thisisyn, walkerscobell and 12,765,911 more celebgossip charlie bushnell and harper elle have broken up rumours say that she cheated on him. comments are closed
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liked by taylorswift, leahsavajeffries and 34,520,921 more thisisyn my ep, REVENGE, comes out this friday !!
i’ve always thought of revenge as the younger sister of rage, i genuinely wanted to change revenge to rage (deluxe) but i’m glad i didn’t because now i can show u guys revenge as itself. view comments
dior.n.goodjohn summer anthem walkerscobell playing this during set rickriordan adding to my play in the show playlist taylorswift this is so rep coded honeymoon talent aryansimhadri too many covers i have to sing hearts4yn mother ynloml can’t wait !!
a/n deciding to leave it there cos i’m too sleepy and have like seven drafts to work on 😭 and can’t wait to see my husband in two days we were literally not fed enough last episode
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trillyke · 6 months
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Please read this post to know how I will proceed with the event on my page:
I've been doing pumkin hunting in the last few years and I am slowly running out of funny locations to hide them, and I also miss the OG way of trick or treating so:
🎃 On the first weekend (20th-22nd October): Visit my page and when you see that my porch light is on, knock on my door each day. By knocking on the door, I mean send an ask OFF anon saying ‘trick or treat’ or make up a fun poem, pun or something - your choice. 1 new gift each day!
Porch light on? What is that? As the tradition says, when the porch light is on, you are welcomed to trick or treat. When it is off, don’t even try. A little banner will show, if my porch light is on (located in the sidebar image on my tumblr) I will also pin a post several times each day, when my light is on, and also when it is off.
🎃 On the second weekend (27th-29th October): I will do pumpkin hiding for the same treats - a second chance to get my treats before the event ends! (I will post more info about it before that weekend)
🎃 How many treats can you collect from me: I have 3 treats, 1 each day - same 3 treats on the first weekend as on the second.
🎃 What if you missed a day? Don’t you worry, I will release all the treats after the event.
So all in all, from Friday on, keep an eye on my blog, and if my porch light is on ask for a treat off anon. Come back each day, as I have 3 treats to share during the event! Have fun! 🎃
For more info about the event please visit @simblreenofficial
To get my treats from previous years please check this post!
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For You, I Would Ruin Myself | Dieter Bravo x f!reader
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Pairing: Dieter Bravo x f!Reader Rating: 18+, MDNI as usual. Summary:  Your career probably just ended last night. Stuck in a long standing but now loveless relationship, your priority was your Hollywood comeback and finally getting the recognition you worked so hard for.  Falling for your controversial co-star, Dieter Bravo, and the resulting scandal was not something you ever saw coming. Word Count – 10k Warnings: infidelity, language, a very light sprinkling of smut, drug mentions, alcohol mentions, references and discussions around eating issues and previous eating disorders, jealousy and resentment, mentions of exercise,  one passing reference to previous suicidal thoughts (no detail), un beta’d, age not specified but potential implied age gap if you squint. Look, I don’t know what happened here, something just took me over this weekend and then I had ten thousand words before I knew it. Banners & dividers are not made by me and are from the talented @/saradika
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“You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love The slowest way is never loving them enough Do you really want to know where I was April 29th? Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?” High Infidelity - Taylor Swift
Today
Your phone is in genuine danger of overheating. Notification after notification, missed call after missed call roll in. You can’t face it.
You turn over on the sofa you collapsed into last night, bury your face in cushions and half-heartedly scream.
No one can hear you, but somehow it helps.
Your career might be over.
Everything in you says you need to be on this; you need to respond; you need to have your lawyers and your agent and a goddamn crisis consultant probably. Your reputation, your future, it's all at stake right now.
Hollywood won't be kind to you for a public scandal like this, not when you cheat on someone like Alex, not when it's with Dieter Bravo.
You don’t want any of it.
The doorbell rings. Once.
Twice.
Incessantly. There’s only one person who would do that, who would ring the bell in quite that rhythm.
You sit up, rubbing your eyes. He’s not going to go away.
You groggily make your way to the door, only half aware you’re still in last night’s clothes, still probably have last night’s makeup on your face which you’ve now smeared even more.
You want to say he’s seen you in worse shape, but you know he hasn’t. You know you’ve never let him see him like this.
Dieter Bravo is standing on your porch with what can only be described as a sheepish expression. He’s in an infuriatingly comfy looking t-shirt you want to bury yourself in and looks like he’s not long crawled out of bed himself. His hair is wild and unruly, how you like it. It makes you think of how he looks up at you sometimes, eyes wild and a salacious grin on his face, all too proud of the way he’s artfully taken you apart with his fingers, his mouth, him.
“So, you’ve seen it then?”
“Baby, I -”
“Hey, congrats,” you say flatly, “I think you’re probably trending on Twitter now.”
“I’m sorry,” he says without preamble, “I didn’t think this would – how are there even photos?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“They’re being -”
“Dieter, it was always going to be different for you. Different rules, right? You can afford to screw up, hell they expect it. I- I had other expectations put on me. I’ve uh, clearly failed to meet them and I’m going to have live with that.”
Dieter touches your arm gently, grazes his thumb up and down your forearm and stares right into your eyes.
“If you ask me to, I’ll deny it,” he says seriously.
“Hard to deny photos, babe.”
“Photoshop, deep fakes, rehearsing a scene. If you need the out, I’ll do it.” And he will, even if it shatters him in the process. And you’re sure it would, because if you could just deny it, it would damn well break you.
“It’s too late for that.”
“I didn’t want this for you, for us,” he says. “Not like this.”
“Makes two of us.” You take a deep breath. “Do you want to come in then?”
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What does that song you used to love say: it was only a kiss, how did it end up like this?
It doesn’t start with a kiss, of course. It starts with distrust, with indifference and frustration.
This was your big opportunity, the role you’ve waited for and it happens to be filming in a beautiful location. You’d begged your agent to find you something new, something mature and intelligent and more than the secondary roles you’d played since your unexpected hiatus all thoseyears ago. You needed more than the pigeonhole Hollywood wanted to push a former child star into. You are tired of being seen that way, feel too old for it frankly, you needed to do something new.
Dieter Bravo needed a redemption arc; after Cliff Beasts 6, after his drug habit became public, after his breakup with Annika who seemed a more public stabilising force. You knew his insurance alone for this film had no doubt taken far more of the budget than it should have. You knew he was trouble. You just didn’t care enough to pay attention to that.
You should have known it would end in disaster.
Before - Day 1 of Filming
Alex is calling his manager again, for another audition, another tour, anything to be out there more. You heard him talking to his manager last week, heard the disappointment that both the album sales are drying up and that movie studios aren’t interested right now either. He has a premiere in a few weeks, they’re hoping that will reignite interest because otherwise it’s not looking good.
He’s a better musician than actor if you’re honest.
You’ve known Alex for the entirety of both of your careers. You were both pushed, or pushed yourselves, into the vicious celebrity beast when you were only children. Alex still has that All-American charm, that safety in his eyes you relied on when you were younger. You’ve been together for more than ten years.
 Everyone loves your relationship.
Except maybe both of you right now don’t love it so much anymore. In the past seven months something has changed; a bitterness has crept in, taken root around Alex.
It’s not that he’s a bad person.
You just don’t think he loves you anymore and it’s killing you. The absence of love is a vine, choking your neck and constricting with every breath.
Every compliment feels bitter; like you’ve deliberately chosen to get some lucky breaks and take his opportunities from underneath him. The work you’ve put in, the sacrifices and accomplishments you’ve made are ignored and turned to mere luck.
It doesn’t matter that the positions were once reversed. You had four-year hiatus from Hollywood that he didn’t - his star rose and yours fell. During those years, people forgot your own accomplishments as you became just Alex Wood’s girlfriend. You’ve been playing catchup with your peers in the years since you started working again and now you’re finally getting somewhere. It’s just that you think Alex has a problem with that.
If you’re honest, Alex Wood very clearly does not want to be known as your boyfriend first, and a celebrity second.
Right now, you’re waiting in your trailer, running lines for your first actual filming scenes with Dieter Bravo for this film that means so much to you.
You’ve heard of Dieter for years but never crossed paths before.  You’ve read about him; the good, the bad, the downright ugly.
This film is a big studio drama, a high budget picture; one that your agent thinks will catapult you to award nominations and you understand Dieter’s agent believes will help undo some of the damage of Cliff Beasts and the subsequent period.
You’re worried about this. Too worried.
Dieter seems like a liability. In your chemistry read, he was almost aloof until the cameras started. He seemed utterly uninterested in even really speaking to you, and you were dubious of him. You’re not sure how someone can seem so lazy, so unbothered about everything and then turn out such heartfelt performances. Okay, he hadn’t had as many of those roles recently, but you know they are in his repertoire.
You need this role, you love the script. It means something to you - your character took root in your heart, you want to represent them well. You’re not sure Dieter is in this for the same reasons.
He hasn’t done anything to indicate that. He’s been pleasant, quiet but professional. It’s only day 1 of filming though.
Alex is only here for the rest of the day - he flies home tomorrow morning. He promise he would help you with this scene, but now he’s busy on the phone and shows no sign of wanting to end the call. They’re talking about cross fit now for some reason, so you stand up and decide to see if maybe Dieter wants to run through the lines, or anybody really if he says no. There’s only a short time before you need to go film this after all.
You wave at Alex to say you’re leaving. You want him to stop, want him to care you’re leaving but he just nods.
Before - Day 2 of Filming:
Dieter Bravo is nothing like you expected. You’re sitting in his trailer, running through an updated script for the day’s scene. To your surprise he’s been alarmingly respectful so far. You’d heard that in Cliff Beasts 6 he propositioned pretty much everyone.
“I think for this line,” he says slowly, “we should be facing each other. I know the script says you’re facing away, but it would feel more natural, don’t you think?” You’re amazed he even has suggestions; you’d expected very little interaction with him off camera.
“Are you really going to wear sunglasses inside?” you ask incredulously. Is he hungover, or strung out again, or is he just that pretentious?
“Yes,” he says, “Did you hear what I said?”
You run through the lines, rolling your eyes at Dieter’s answer. “Take them off, Dieter, they’re not in the script and if you want to face me I’ll need to see your eyes.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Just did.”
“Ergh. Look, why did you sign on for Cliff Beasts?”
“Do you know how few films were being made during Covid? I needed to work, needed to do something, get out of my house and a big franchise like that? The money was good., They courted me, they wanted me. I mean, I knew the script was – I knew what the script was. I didn’t think it would all end quite like it did.”
“I bet.”
“So, you saw the documentary then?”
“I might have scrolled past it on Netflix once or twice, might have accidentally played it for a few minutes.”
“None of it worked out in the end. Annika, any of it. You -” He shakes his head.
“I know.” You’ve seen the press, seen the news reports and blogs and just why Dieter needs the comeback himself. Why perhaps the version you’re seeing is not the same man in Cliff Beasts 6, or the man from Hunger Strike. Maybe this Dieter Bravo is an entirely different man.
“So, what did you do for all those years anyway?” he asks suddenly, snapping to attention and focusing right back on you.
“Huh? Lockdown? Well, I-“
“No. You quit the industry right, for years? Well you came back but …” he trails off.
“Yeah, I guess. I didn’t consciously quit, but it was the right move for me at the time.”
“Drugs?” he asks without judgement. You can’t blame him for that assumption. You’ve been amazed others haven’t come to the same conclusion.
“No, I dealt with some other forms of self-destruction though.” You’d be dead if you hadn’t walked away then, that’s the truth.
You were young and burnt out and anxious. You thought it was normal to count every calorie, to exercise until your head hurt too much to continue. You thought it was normal to throw up with nerves all the time, to be physically ill due to exhaustion, to criticise every part of your body and let others do it too, to hate your voice, hate your mind. Hollywood could be an insidious bedfellow and you’d let it set root in all your insecurities. You almost died for it.
The only way to survive was to walk away, find a way through to recovery. You’d even gone to college, studied an entire degree in another country and enjoyed the relative anonymity of your life there.
You’d truly missed acting though; missed how it made you feel. You’d been your family breadwinner from an early age and so it hadn’t ever felt like a choice you had ever made for yourself.
After several years away from acting, a lot of therapy and after suitable encouragement from loved ones, you chose to re-enter Hollywood, but on your terms. You made a choice when you never had thought it was even a choice before.
Since returning, you’d been involved several indie films, you even returned to your TV roots for a recurring role as your first break back. You worked your way back into Hollywood’s good graces with small roles, hard work and undeterred focus, and this - this was the result.
“And now?” Dieter asks carefully.
“I’m good, I think.”
“Well, dating that all American boy, you’ve got how many Instagram followers? You must be pleased, your comeback’s working.”
“It’s not like that. I like acting,” you say emphatically, “I like getting to wear another character for a bit, tell their story, y’know? And screw social media!”
“I get that. You’re uh - not what I expected.”
“Same.”
“Hmm, yeah?” He places to an arm on the sofa, his hand so close it’s almost touching your collarbone. He’s wearing rings and some sort of beaded bracelet, loosely tied around his wrist.
“So, um, let’s try it your way,” you say, taking a deep breath. The trailer feels hotter somehow.
When he scoots closer to you on the sofa in his trailer, his thighs lightly touching yours and looks in your eyes, you can kind of see it.
His eyes are crazy beautiful.
You can feel heat swimming at the bottom of your stomach. You notice how his eyes darken, how he licks his lips for just a second.
Fuck, he’s a good actor.
Before - Week 2 of Filming
Alex hasn’t called you in three nights. He said he needed to prepare to write his new album and so he’s been on a trip with his band to Nashville for the past week.
The night before he left, he told you that he was concerned you were trying too hard with this new role, that you needed to be less - less you because everyone would think you reeked of desperation. He told you to relax and smile more.
His words have haunted you ever since.
Maybe you’re not ready for this, you think, maybe you are trying too hard.
You can’t talk to Alex though because he’s too busy with his band to text you back either, it seems. He has enough time to update Instagram though.
You’re not sure if you miss him or not.
“If you weren’t here, what would you be doing?” you ask Dieter as you sit in your trailer, in full costume running through yet another last-minute rewrite. The director was taken by a particular view at sunset and demanded the scene was rewritten to incorporate this completely.
“I’d have another gig,” he replies confidently, “I don’t think I like being out of work too long these days.” You think back to what he said just a fortnight ago about why he took Cliff Beasts 6.
“I meant if you weren’t acting,” you clarify.
“Oh, painting,” he replies without hesitation.
You stare at him with surprise. You hadn’t expected him to answer properly at all; you’d asked Alex the same question once and he’d said he’d always be this way, always have these jobs, just how Dieter had started out his answer.
Dieter had taken your flippant question seriously though and with confidence. Painting? You haven’t thought about that before, hadn’t thought of Dieter doing that before. You can’t help looking at his sizeable hands for a second, wondering what he would like painting.
“You paint?”
“Yes. It’s - it’s all art, all of this. I guess that’s who I am.”
You don’t say anything for a moment, just think about his words.
“What about you? What did you do in your temporary retirement?”
“I wrote a little. I think if I didn’t do this then I’d want to write.” You pause, before adding, “Am I- am I trying too much?” You need to know, and you trust that Dieter will tell you the truth.
“In this role? No. Why?” Dieter looks at you with vague distraction, as though you’ve completely pulled him out of character, away from wherever he was for the moment.
“No reason.”
“Why?” he repeats, pouting at you. Is that - is he flashing the puppy eyes too?
You roll your eyes. “Alex just said something.”
“Oh,” he replies knowingly, “that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Why not?”
“He strikes me as the type.”
“The type to do what?” you ask, genuinely curious.
Dieter just shakes his head. “C’mon, then. Show me what you were thinking we should do with this scene.”
Before – Week 3 of Filming:
You’ve learnt a lot about Dieter in two weeks. He favours comfort over style off set; loves a robe and you’ve never seen him wear denim or hard pants outside of when the role requires it. Which as he is playing a former biker gang member is most of the time he’s on camera. It honestly should not be legal for him to look as hot as he does in this role.
He’s surprisingly warm, not as stand-offish as you heard. At least not with you.
Most days you run lines together or drink coffee together in your trailers.
Dieter’s mostly sober now, or at least sober from drugs he tells people. He smokes a lot and you’ve seen him in the hotel bar several times in the evening but he seems in control.
There are no rumours though, no issues. The man is a consummate professional. Not what you expected after Cliff Beasts 6.
You feel like you’ve known him forever.
He might even be your friend. He can only be your friend.
You try and swallow down the way he makes you feel both in and out of character, the way when his hands brush against you at the crafty table it makes your whole body shiver and you’re sure you’re blushing.
You can’t let this go anywhere.
You cannot be that woman.
You try and avoid him for the rest of the day. Run lines with a different cast member, refuse to get a snack for the rest of the day.
Fate has other ideas though when the two of you end up in the same elevator at the hotel. You know you both are on the same floor and that’s at the top floor of this frankly enormous hotel.
“You avoiding me?” he asks casually, standing close to you. The whole elevator is empty but he’s taking advantage of the opportunity to still be as close as possible.
It’s like he knows.
“Dieter, I - we -” You can’t find the words, you don’t know how to say this. What if it’s all in your head and this tension isn’t there? What if it’s just being lonely and pathetic?
“I heard something about you, from Jake the other day,” you say, caught in a wave of bravery. Jake is another of your co-stars, a veteran Broadway actor turned screen actor. He’s playing your brother in the film and the two of you get on particularly well.
“What did he say?”
“He said he’s worked with you before.”
Dieter nods.
“He says that you never run lines or scenes with people. He asked how I got you to agree? He couldn’t believe it when I said I’d just asked and you said yes. So, why did you say yes?”
“Honestly? I wanted to have sex with you - still do.” His bluntness surprises you, but really it shouldn’t. This, right here is Dieter Bravo.
“I’m with someone,” you reply weakly.
“You’re not happy though, are you? I think you want me too. I think you know it.”
How are you only on floor seven? How are there still so many floors to go? Then you’ll be on the same floor and what do you do? Watch him go left and you go right and never talk about it ever again?
“It’s nothing to do with you,” you say as primly as you can. “And we’re very happy.”
“Oh, you look it.”
He is so close to you and you can’t help leaning against him, feeling that solid weight behind you.
“Sometimes, it’s okay to be selfish,” he says in a low voice. “Take it from me.”
“Expert in that, are you?”
”Well, a lot of people would say that I’ve devoted most of my life to some form of hedonism.”
“That’s a strong word.”
“They were some pretty strong drugs, pretty girl.”
“Dieter-”
“Uh-huh, sweetheart?”
“We can’t,” you say. You have Alex, it’s not fair, it’s not right.
“What do you want? Do you want me too?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“When was the last time you were selfish, huh? Did something just for you?” His voice is smooth, low, irresistible. “Why don’t you let me help you? Trust me, I’m very good at this.”
You open your mouth and shut it, unable to argue. You do want him, you know you do. The elevator sounds and the door opens, bringing you out of the moment.
You immediately step out into the hallway and then you freeze.
  You want to say something, but you don’t have a script for this. This is one of those moments; you’re at a bifurcation. Go right and never know what could be, but know it’s the expected pathway. Or follow him, choose something else. Be selfish.  
   You turn and face him, look at his darkened eyes, at the way they’re almost imploring you.
You move just fractionally closer, position your face closer to his. Just a little more and you’ll be kissing. 
He meets your lips first, takes away that first move you’re too hesitant to commit to. He breaks the boundary for you.
He closes his eyes after a second, deepens the kiss.
 This was inevitable.  You think you knew this was going to happen the moment you looked into his eyes on day two.
You follow him to his room.
Before - Week 4 of Filming:
“Shit, ouch,” you say as your hip is pushed into the door handle of your trailer.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, dragging you with him and back to your sofa.
His hands are on your hips, pulling you onto his lap as he runs his fingers over the hem of your top, traces underneath the fabric to the edge of your bra. Thank God you chose to wear your good bra today.
You can feel him, feel the hardness against his trousers. It makes the heat between your legs even worse.
He smirks when you shudder as he moves his hand down your torso, down to the edge of your skirt and you’ve never been more grateful you decided against jeans when you hurriedly got dressed this morning.
It’s not even six am, you’re due to get into costumes soon - too soon.
Time doesn’t feel like it’s real right now. All that matters, all that counts is the feeling of Dieter’s lips on yours, on his fingers slowly working their way down your underwear, circling that bud of nerves and finding just that exact spot, exact motion that makes you gasp.
“That all for me, darlin’?” he asks, smirking salaciously.
Screw going to the costume department. All that really matters is how he brings you to the edge, brings you past the point of no return, knows all of the ways to make you gasp and see white, see stars.  You think he likes watching you like this - observing when the tension in your body releases and you collapse boneless into his arms.
Does Dieter do this on every set? Is this real, you want to ask, or is this just the film, just the characters taking over you both? Where do Dieter and you begin and your characters end?
It feels real to you, it feels so fucking real.
Before - 6 weeks into filming
Alex has a premiere in LA so you fly out to go with him. It’s for a movie he was in last year. He played the brother of the main character in a cult action franchise. It was the last job he seemed to enjoy and the last big offer he had.
You want to stay where you are, want to carry on filming, stay with Dieter, but you don’t. The guilt has been following you around for weeks because every day you’re more and more sure that this is not a fling.
You know Dieter Bravo more than you think you’ve ever known anyone else. It’s not just the sex, it’s not the way you both desperately crave crawling into each other’s skin, desire and need everything about each other. Yes, there’s a physicality to it, but there’s more too. At least for you. You’re afraid to ask him if it’s the same.
You talk though. Not small topics, but real and honest conversations. You talk in your trailers with sex drunk eyes, you talk in your hotel rooms in sweaty messes.
 You feel like you know him, the real him. The Dieter who likes to paint and yes, is a bit of disaster but he feels like he’s yours. He fits your broken edges and you fit against his.
You don’t want to lose him when this movie is over.  You don’t want him to become an acquaintance you just wave to at premieres and make polite small talk with.
You’re terrified it’s different for him though; you know his reputation, the way he’s floated through life without commitments. Annika was his longest public relationship and he’s admitted to you it was his longest relationship overall too. It didn’t seem to end well. What if he doesn’t anything more now?
Dieter isn’t yours to keep, even if you want to.
So you leave Dieter for Alex’s premiere and go and play the dutiful girlfriend.
For all your concerns that Alex resents you now, that the distance between the two of you is insurmountable because your relationship only works when your light is duller than his, he has been in your life for such a long time. He’s interwoven into almost all your highs and lows. Extricating yourself from that is harder than it sounds.
Alex was there when you were ill; when you almost died and needed to leave the public eye. He was there through the unglamorous side of your life; through you crying over a bagel, through hours and hours of therapy. Your recovery had required so much attention and he had never complained, he was always there. He loved you. You were good together. He’s been your only serious love your whole life.
Is the past enough to carry on now though?
You’re not sure if he loves you, you’re not sure if the two of you will survive the year.  Even without Dieter, you don’t think it would be likely.
Alex doesn’t seem happy to see you when you arrive in LA, even though he wanted you with him at the premiere.
 He scowls when the photographers ask for a shot of you, ask about your film, tightens his grip around your waist.
You stop answering questions they ask you, direct them back to Alex with your widest smile.
You try and look at him with adoration, devotion, to make him the star tonight.  You try and ignore how foreign his hands feel on your waist, try and stop comparing them to Dieter’s.
“I love you so much, baby,” he says as you walk into the cinema after the cameras are gone.
You smile a little wider, look at Alex with what’s meant to be devotion. You practice your role.
You’re thinking about Dieter the whole time.
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You have missed your home. The small but eclectic bungalow in LA that’s all yours – a renovation project over the years. You’ve missed your bed, missed your shower, missed hearing the same old birds in the morning.
You’ve really missed your coffee machine the most.
Alex hands you a steaming mug of coffee just how you like it when you walk into the kitchen. He’s scrolling through his tablet as you sit at the counter.
“The reviews are good,” he says, beaming as he finally looks at you.
“Yeah? Of course they are.”                                                                  
“This reviewer said my scenes were a standout.” He points at the article on his tablet proudly.
“Alex, that’s great.”
Alex nods and then flicks to another window. “There’s some good photos of us too,” he says, leaning over so you can see his screen.
He clicks onto the next article and his expression changes. It’s about you. The article frames Alex as your long-term boyfriend and how great it was you flew over with your busy schedule to join him. You think that Ollie, your publicist, will be pleased with the press to be honest, will be happy that the article says the movie you’re shooting now is already tipped to be an award winner when it releases. You immediately you clam up at the thought you’ve taken away from Alex’s night, from him. You didn’t want to do that.
His frown has grown the more he reads the article.
“Huh,” he says, ”you look a little different in this one.”
“Different?” you ask in surprise because it looks the same as the photos in the previous article.
“‘S not a bad thing really, baby.”
“What do you mean?”
You look at the photo more closely.
Oh.
 It’s a bad angle, that’s all it is, right? Maybe you should have skipped lunch yesterday, you’re just a little bloated and the dress was tight anyway and - you can’t look at it a moment longer.
“Oh,” you say, “I mean- the dress was -“
“Exactly, don’t worry about it.” Alex kisses you on the cheek and returns to his scrolling.
Before - Week 7 of Filming:
You turn up the speed on the treadmill in the hotel gym. You hate this. You hate this. Since Alex’s premiere, you haven’t missed a day at the gym.
Dieter walks in. He looks infuriatingly casual in his wildly patterned, comfortable trousers and grey t-shirt. Is he wearing Crocs?
If you wore an outfit like that, the paparazzi would have a field day.
“You haven’t come to see me since you got back.” He sounds miserable, like a grumpy toddler.
It’s true, you haven’t. You can’t blame him for those photos, you can’t blame what’s happening between the two of you, but you’ve clearly lost focus. For Alex to say what he did, you know it was really bad.
It’s not just that though - things have clearly got bad again and if that’s the case you don’t want Dieter to see you, not until you’ve sorted things out, not until you’re ready.
You jump onto the edge of the treadmill, one foot straddling each edge of the machine as you press the stop button.
You’re out of breath as you look at him.
“I just needed to get some training in,” you say.
“There’s other types of training,” he replies, a salacious smirk on his face. And that’s clearly the problem, you’ve spent too much time with him and haven’t left yourself enough energy to train and keep yourself in the right shape. This film matters to you, this all matters so much to you.
“Hey,” he says sharply before softly adding, “What’s going on, sweetheart?”
“I - I -” You sigh and step off the treadmill. “I just need to take better care of myself.”
“Care of yourself? What do you mean? Why don’t you let me take care of you, huh? You know I can,” he says with a crooked grin.
“Don’t, please.  Look I know this is just a set-hook up for you, okay?” You whisper, looking around the empty gym, “But this all matters to me. This role, this everything. I’m screwing up, I’m not prioritising correctly. I - I can’t make it any worse.”
“So this is just a hook up?”
“It’s not?” You look at him seriously then.
“I mean, yeah, it uh - it’s nothing, casual - yeah.”
“I thought you wanted it that way.”
“When did I say that I wanted that?” Dieter demands.
“I thought it - I didn’t know it was real for you too.”
You started this conversation with the intention of breaking up with him and now it’s turned into the two of you trying to define your relationship? You step off the treadmill, pinch your forehead. This is too much.
 This conversation has derailed, become messy. You thought Dieter wanted to keep things casual, you thought that met his expectations but looking at him now you’re not so sure.
You can’t do this. This relationship, whatever it is, has distracted you, has removed focus.
Your head throbs and you grip the edge of the machine, look down at the floor.
“Hey, forget us for a second. Just tell me what’s really happening with you,” he says. “What’s wrong?”
You can’t look at him. “It’s stupid.”
“I had to read the whole script for Cliff Beasts 6 and I still took the part. In my defence, I need the money and the plot made more sense when I was on coke.”
“I just didn’t look right in the photos of Alex’s premiere, I’m probably one pound from the costume department putting a photo of me on a target board because they’ll have to alter everything.”
”Stop right there. You’re fucking hot, okay? And what are you talking about with the costume department?”
“Dieter, while people might be fine with you walking around Crocs, they expect me -”
“Fuck that.”
“Even Alex said -”
“Wait, this is what this is about? Fuck him. Actually, don’t.”
“Dee, this is serious.”
Dieter looks at you carefully. “Oh, this is what you meant, isn’t it? The other methods of self-destruction, you - ”
“Don’t.”
“C’mon,” he says. “Let’s get out of here. Please?”
You take the hand he offers.
Before - Final Day of Filming:
“I can’t believe it’s the last day,” you say as you lie back against the pillows, still gasping. You turn to face Dieter on the other side of the bed, pleased to note his body gleams with sweat like you’re sure your own does.
You don’t want this to end.
You want to see his home in Sherman Oaks, you want lazy mornings and coffee with him. You want to be able to kiss him outside and not care.
Since you came back from Alex’s premiere, since your confrontation at the gym, you’ve finally understood that this isn’t just the movie for him. That it’s real for you both.
It’s real. It’s something.
You trace the lines of the triangle tattoo on his arm, run your fingers down to his wrist, interlace your fingers with his for a second, lean in to kiss him.
“I don’t want to lose you,” you whisper.
He looks at you; his eyes dark and heavy, his hair mussed and unruly. There’s a vulnerability in his expression. You had always expected Dieter Bravo to be someone who knew what he wanted, who would be assertive, confident and maybe even selfish. He can be those things certainly, but his puppy dog expression is a little too well practiced. He is insecure and needy too, has more layers and vulnerabilities than he ever conveys to the public.
“Who says you’ll lose me?”
“When this is over… when we go back home. I don’t, I don’t know how we do this. If you even want to.”
He props himself up on an elbow, turns himself so he’s facing you too. “If I want to?”
“We’ve never defined this, never said if it’s more than a fling while we’re shooting.”
“Oh, you have a lot of flings on set then?”
“No,” you say, feeling your cheeks heat. “Do you?”
“What are you asking me this?” he replies, a little defensively if you’re honest. Of course he’s had flings on set before, you know he has,
Is this real? That’s the only question you need an answer to, that’s what you really mean.
“What happens next?” Close enough.
“Well,” Dieter says, leaning over to kiss your shoulder, pepper kisses up to your jaw, “that’s up to you.”
“Me?”
“I can’t put this - this burden on you. If what we’re doing right now was exposed, I’d ride it out no problem. But you - sweetheart, they’ll ruin you. I don’t want you to - I don’t want to destroy your life by being me. And I will.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” you say bravely, “maybe I’d let you. Maybe I want you to.”
There’s an underlying safety in your responses, in Dieter’s words. You have a feeling if you tell Dieter right now that after this shoot ends, you never want to be with him again, he’ll accept it. He might not like it, you hope he wouldn’t like it, but you know he’d accept it.
That’s why you’ll continue this, you know that.
You think of the way he was with you was after realising why you were in the gym following Alex’s comments and that disastrous premiere. He hadn’t judged you, hadn’t tried to tell you that everything in your head was wrong, argued that you looked a certain way. He knew what battles with internal demons were like, so he knew how to support you.
He never actively draws your attention to his efforts to ensure you eat each day, that you don’t overexercise, but you know what he has been doing. Plus, he made his own point about his feelings on the situation in his own very Dieter Bravo way. With his mouth, with his hands, with him.
You know this situation should feel dangerous and wrong, but it’s the safest you’ve ever felt, the most real you’ve ever been.
“I don’t want this to end,” you say after a moment. “But I don’t want to ruin my life, ruin my career either.”
“So we won’t. Won’t end it, won’t ruin you.”
“‘S not that simple.”
“It can be. We can make it that simple,” he says, moving so that he’s over you, so that he can trace kisses back down to your throat, down to your breasts.
“I need to talk to him when I get back, need to end things, do this right.” Or more right at least, you know what you’ve been doing hasn’t exactly been kind. It doesn’t matter if you’re not in love with Alex anymore, it doesn’t matter if the barriers between you are insurmountable, he deserves an explanation.
“Really?” he asks, an apprehensive expression on his face.
“Can you give me some time to do that?” you ask. “Then - then we can do this without the guilt, right? Without wrecking any of our lives? Just give me a little time?”
“Yeah,” he says softly, “I can do that.”
He meets your lips again, kisses you hard and says everything neither of you can say with his actions instead.
Before - 1 Week After Filming:
It’s like Alex knows what’s coming. Ever since you came home from the shoot, he’s wanted to make things right.
“I was an asshole to you after my premiere,” he says to you when he picks you up from the airport, “I’m sorry. Really sorry”
You want to say more, you want to say his words were dangerous and did he want you to relapse, was that his secret unspoken intention? You want to tell him that his jealousy has broken the love between you both beyond repair. You want to scream and ask whether he realises that he’s only happy when he’s more successful than you? You want to analyse and pinpoint when the two of became so separate; mark it on a calendar, file it as evidence.
Things improve though. You can’t help but wonder if it’s because neither of you have booked any jobs right now, both of you are in that quiet period between auditions and confirming your next roles where every day is a temporary vacation. They’ve always been some of your favourite times with Alex before. When things are good with you both, they’re good.
It can’t last.
Dieter Bravo is the leading man in your mind all the time. You email him, text him, call him, sneak over to Sherman Oaks when you can. You even add him to your google alerts, you don’t want to lose sight of him.
You haven’t seen him since shooting wrapped and you feel unmoored. If you thought that the absence and ending the film would dull your desire for him, make you rethink matters then you were wrong.
You need to find a way to end things with Alex, to move forward. You want to move on.
It’s your birthday and despite your desire for a quieter celebration, somehow your team have organised an overly lavish event.
It’s good to see old friends from your hometown though, old co-stars you haven’t caught up with for a while.
It’s just it’s midnight and your feet hurt, and you’re exhausted and tired and really you want to go home.
You want to sneak over to Sherman Oaks and spend the night with Dieter.  You’d like to have him standing next to you right now, have his hands on your waist. That’s your birthday wish.
Instead, it’s Alex with his arms around you and then he’s speaking and you’re only half-listening, only half-there because you can see Dieter in the corner of your vision.  He’s standing with Jake and he’s here, he’s here and you want to go over to him, but you can’t.
You’re not paying attention, don’t realise the room is so quiet until you notice Alex is on his knee and no - no.
Dieter looks away from you.
It’s the worst place, it’s the worst time. It’s the wrong guy.
There are too many people. They’re staring expectantly and this is your nightmare. If Alex knew you, he’d know that. He’s smiling up at you almost triumphantly though.
Why, you wonder, why now?
Whatever happens, whatever you do next is probably going to be one of the worst things you’ll ever do to one of them.
You giggle nervously, eyes darting around such a crowded room who are all cheering you on.
“Baby?” Alex asks, a sudden look of panic on his face.
He looks younger for a moment. You’re instantly taken back to when things were different. When Alex fought for you, supported you, when he held you hand when you cried after therapy appointments. It was a time you’re sure anyone else would have left you in, but he loved you and looked at you with love. You remember how secure he made you feel, how safe when the world was terrifying and all you wanted was to hide away.
Because you’re a coward, because you’re guilty, because you’re scared you say yes when you should say no. The word constricts around your throat immediately, you can taste bile in your mouth.
Alex kisses you as you see Dieter walk away.
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“Please, please talk to me,” you plead, standing in Dieter’s porch.
“I don’t think there’s anything to say, is there?” He looks terrible; he’s wearing a shabby robe over what look pyjamas, a glass of whiskey in one hand, the other leaning against the doorframe.
“I panicked. There was a crowd.”
“Oh, well, that changes everything,” he exclaims bitterly, shaking his head.
“I told you what I want, I asked you to give me time.”
“Time to break up with him, princess, not fucking marry him!”
“I am not marrying him.”
“That’s not what you said last night.”
You wipe furious tears away and shake your head. “I know I screwed up, I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. ”
“Are you gonna string me along forever? I mean, dammit!  Are you still fucking him ? Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you tell me which of the two of us is the one who can make you cum the best, huh?” He throws his glass tumbler in his hallway. “It’s like Annika, you, you’re both the same. I was fine before, I was fine before she got me into my feelings and you - you! You know you’re not that special. I could - I could go out and I could find someone else. Someone who will break up with their boyfriend, better yet someone who doesn’t have one!”
“Dee, I said I’m sorry.”
“I’m just your idiot, aren’t I?” he asks helplessly, “It really fucking sucks being on the other side of this you know. Karma is a bitch.”
“No, you’re not. I’ll make it right.”
“Yeah? Do me a favour, don’t call me before you do.”
”Okay,“ you say in defeat. That’s fair, you can’t do this to him. You can’t do this to yourself either.
As you turn away to leave, he grabs your arm, pulls you back.
“Hey, don’t cry, please don’t cry,” he says gently, softly saying your name to sooth you. “Don’t go, don’t leave like this. I’m an asshole, you knew that already though. I’m just - that killed me last night. Don’t go. Please.”
So you don’t.
Before - Last Night:
Alex is staring at you like you’re a stranger. Every version of you he held in his mind has just died behind his eyes.
It doesn’t matter for a second, it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t love you, that your relationship is dead already because you’ve hurt him, humiliated him. You never wanted to hurt him like this.
This is a nightmare. You swallow nervously and pinch your leg, remind yourself you’re still here, you’re still breathing.
“Well,” he says to you with a cruel smile, “you really wanted to lose the America’s sweetheart label, huh?”
“Don’t,” you say carefully, clutching your bag tighter to your stomach like somehow the flimsy thing will shield his words.
How has this happened? How has this got out so quickly? You had a plan.
Five minutes ago, everything was fine, everything was normal. You were at the premiere of the movie you’d had a secondary role in before your movie with Dieter. It felt like such a long time ago since you had been on that set, but it was great to be back with the cast and crew again.
This was always going to be your last public event with Alex. You’d told him you needed to have a serious talk this weekend. You’d even messaged Ollie, your publicist, and told him to prepare for the communications, the statement about what would be your amicable break up.
 It wasn’t supposed to go like this though.
The article, though that might be a generous term for it, wasn’t live while you were walking on the red carpet but by the time you entered the movie theatre, it felt like everyone had seen it.
Your phone has been ringing incessantly and everyone is still staring at their phones, then you and then back to their phones.
You want the ground to swallow up.
You’re just grateful you’re in the lobby, away from prying paparazzi and cameras.
It’s posted on a Alex fan blog - one who wasn’t an official journalist, who wouldn’t have contacted your publicist for a comment and therefore didn’t give an opportunity to your teams to squash the story, Their only focus, only priority was Alex. Now you’re their biggest enemy, so now they’ve exposed you.
It’s more than just a veiled rumour, an allegation, there are photos. Grainy screenshots of what looks like CCTV footage of you and Dieter at the hotel on location, you’re kissing in the hallway - how could you have been so careless, who would have given these to the blogger? There’s a photo of you walking down Dieter’s street that day after your birthday party too, a photo of you hours later with mussed hair and a slight mark on your neck and - you can’t look at any more of them. This has been weeks in the making.
“How could you do this?” Alex asks, a furious and heart-breaking mix of anger of hurt on his face, in his voice.
“Alex, this isn’t the place,” you reply quietly.
“No, it is the place. You fucked Dieter Bravo? How long? How long it’s been going on? It looks, it looks like -”
“Can we please go talk somewhere else. I want to talk to you, I want to-”
“Fuck that. Fuck what you want. Clearly you’re getting enough of that.”
“Alex, please!”
“I don’t know you anymore. Who are you? We used to make fun of guys like him.”
“He’s - don’t. He’s not what you think, he’s  - please, don’t say that. You don’t know him.”
“Well you clearly do, huh? You know, you always want to come across like such a nice girl, but it’s fake, right? You’ll do anything for that Oscar, to get famous! You’re a good pair, the drugged-up sell-out and the ambitious slut!”
“Alex, stop! Please, just stop.”
“Hurts, right? Being exposed like this in front of everyone. Why? Why would you do this to us?”
“It wasn’t mean to happen, but you and I know we’ve been broken for a long time and I just -” You tail off, not sure where to go from there.
“You said yes. When I proposed you said yes.”
“It was in front of everyone, what other option did you give me?”
“You know what? I don’t want to hear it. I stuck by you when you were had nobody, were nobody. I was there with you when you were a suicidal anorexic wreck. I supported, thick and thin, baby. I would have married you. But, hey, I’m not Dieter Bravo so I guess that’s not enough.”
It would have hurt less if he had hit you. How could he bring that up, hurt you that way? Mention the parts of your past that he knows your team have kept out of the public for years. For a second you think see regret on his face before it hardens to something you don’t recognise.
”Nah, I’m done. Doll, you really are the fucking worst,” he says.
“You know what, baby, so are you,” you reply, acid on your tongue and a shrug in your shoulders.
You need to get out of here right now. You can’t hold it together one minute more.
You turn around and push your way through the shocked crowd.
You think you might have just left your career in the lobby with Alex.
Today:
You can’t have this conversation in yesterday’s clothes. You leave Dieter in your living room while you go and change, wash your face, try to do something with your hair.
It’s a marginal improvement.
When you emerge, Dieter is still there. Part of you thought he might have left already. He walks from your kitchen back to your living room with a steaming cup of coffee and a granola bar.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” he asks, handing you the mug and the bar. You don’t want to eat, can barely bring yourself to even think about drinking but Dieter’s face says he won’t let it go until you at least try.
You take a sip, grimace, put the cup down and take a bite of the granola bar. You are surprisingly hungry, despite the sick feeling in your stomach. When even was the last time you ate?
“What do you know?” you ask after a moment. “Did you see - how did they even get pictures? How are there even pictures?”
“I‘ve seen the article. I uh, I saw the video from last night too. Alex was - he definitely got some attention.” An unpleasant expression crosses Dieter’s face.
“Oh.” You didn’t know that had been filmed, no doubt someone had uploaded phone camera footage, or live streamed it, and it had gone viral by now. It makes sense.
You think of Alex’s angry outburst and scowl. You haven’t even told Dieter everything about that yet, your team had kept all of that out of the public domain for years.
“Fuck him for doing that in front of everyone.” His eyes are angry, scanning you over like Alex’s words could have left a physical mark.
“I humiliated him, Dieter. We humiliated him.”
“Do you regret this - regret me?” he asks, looking away from and running a hand through his hair.
“No.” You don’t. You can’t regret him. He’s changed your life, opened you up to something you never knew you needed, never realise you didn’t have.
“Our agents, publicists, all of them are talking. I think maybe the lawyers too because of the photos,” he says after a moment, “I guess they’ll come up with a plan, let us know what’s next, how we manage this. I find it’s best to leave them to that, we can - we can just be here.“
“Right.” You’d almost forgotten you were a commodity, not your own person in Hollywood.
“Hey, we’re not ending this, okay? Right? Unless -”
“No, no,” you say, panic rising because you can’t go through this and lose him too. You just can’t.
You pull him closer to you, let him wrap your arms around you, slip your hands under his t-shirt, up his back. There’s something comforting in his warm skin, in the way you can fit together.
You kiss him, gently at first. He meets your kiss fiercely, saying everything neither of you can with his lips, with his tongue instead. You can almost taste the fear and desire and apologies between the two of you. There’s something else though too.
He pulls away first, takes your hands in his. “Alright then. Forget everyone else, we’re doing this.”
You meet his lips again, pull him closer to you. Your world has just flipped upside down but he’s here and he still wants you and oh, how you want him too.
You need him.
Just as you start to guide him to the sofa, to find the safest, most basic language between the two of you, you hear a slam behind you.
You spin around in horror, only to find Becca standing there, a tray of coffees in one hand and an unamused expression on her face.
“Well, you two have absolutely ruined my week, haven’t you? Do you know how many calls from Ollie I’ve had since last night?  I have never heard a man simultaneously sound so angry and so upset before and I actually watched Hunger Strike, Dieter. ”
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If your relationship with Dieter had ever sounded romantic to you , all ideas of that quickly fade once it’s reduced to arguments and fierce debate between two teams.
Neither side can agree on a statement, if there should be a statement, on how to present the two of you, or not.
What both sides can agree on though is that you both royally screwed up by not telling anyone in your respective teams that this was happening. They also agree that the publicity for you is a lot worse. For Dieter, it seems to have weirdly improved his publicity with some journalists instead, except with Alex fans. They are not fans of Dieter right now, but they probably hate you more.
There are a few articles though, Dieter’s publicist says, that are asking if this is a relapse, if Dieter is back on his vices of sex and hard drugs, if perhaps a rehab stay is needed. It all supports his rock n’ roll image though, the longstanding bad boy actor.
“I’m way too sober for this conversation, it’d honestly be better if I was still coked out,” Dieter says by way of justification, “And if you can’t tell, I don’t need rehab because I’m sober, okay?” He looks for a second like maybe he regrets this and then his eyes meet yours and he settles.
His publicist seems to consider that Dieter’s actions while sober are only marginally better than if he’d relapse. Perhaps that’s what they expect of him. The thought chills your bones because this is his team. Surely they have to believe in him.
“Your co-star, Jake, has reached out, said he’s willing to support you both if the two of you want it, and only if the two of you do. He’ll need to know our angle of course first to decided what, and if, he’ll say anything. It’s good to know there could be support. I think his team are pretty pissed,” Dieter’s publicist says from the computer screen. All you can think is that  Jake is an angel.
You never thought you’d face a scandal like this.
“I don’t know if that will help, but it’s good to know. Look, this will pass, all of this” Ollie says to you kindly, precariously balanced on an ottoman in your living room that was only ever intended as decorative. “Tomorrow, next week, there’ll be another break up or inappropriate social media post, or something and they’ll move on. The important thing is to limit damage right now until then. If you had told me this was happening, we could have prepared, could have had plans in place. ”
“I did tell you I was breaking up with Alex this weekend.”
“You missed out that it was because you were hooking up with your co-star.”
“I may have omitted some minor details.”
Dieter coughs at that, meeting Ollie’s resulting scowl shamelessly.
“Oh, yeah?” Ollie says, looking back at you and shaking his head.
Dieter has an arm snaked around your side, but you notice his other hand is twitching, tapping the edge of your sofa impatiently. He needs to smoke, needs a moment away from this.
“Look, let’s take five, come back and decide the plan and just ride this out, right?” you say, looking at Dieter with what you hope is a meaningful expression.
Ollie nods stiffly, disconnects the video call and walks into another room. Usually that’s your study or sometimes yoga room, but today it’s Ollie’s crisis room. You half expect to see old conference phones, flip-boards and sharpies if you walk in there.
You point towards your garden with Dieter, making the universal symbol for cigarette.
Once you’re both in your garden and alone, you exhale. Dieter immediately lights a cigarette, inspects it carefully.
“I fucking wish i had something stronger,” he mumbles.
“Are you okay?” you ask. “No one has asked you if you’re okay. They’ve asked me, you’ve asked me, but no one asked you.”
“This is - not an issue for me. I’m pissed off that they’re - the shit they’re saying about you. Look I’ve had all the bad publicity, this is nothing to me. I mean it’s a little ironic that certain people jump to conclusions I’ve relapsed, the one time I haven’t. Thing is, it all goes with my public image now, right?”
“But if it’s not true -”
“You know it, I know it, the people who matter know it.” He takes a drag of his cigarette. “I didn’t want the story out like this though. Ollie says you’re already losing jobs, losing sponsorships,” Dieter says sadly.
“He also said it won’t last, remember?.”
You reach out to take a drag of his cigarette and lean against him for a moment.
You stare out at the lush, all too manicured lawn ahead of you. You know what the days and weeks ahead look like; the crisis management, the careful words and avoided cameras.
Weeks ago, Dieter had told you that this would ruin your life if it came out the wrong way, that he would ruin your life, and you said it sounded like a challenge. Even so you knew it was bravado, that was why you’d both agreed not to expose yourselves like this. This is a nightmare scenario; you feel a mix of humiliated and angry and hurt right now.
You don’t regret him though, you can’t. And even if you have ruined everything, ruined your career and all that hard work, for him? Maybe that’s okay, maybe that’s not so bad a price.
For a moment you wonder what today would be like if you hadn’t taken that role, if you and Dieter had never met. Would Alex have proposed? Would you still be feeling like your loveless relationship was slowly destroying you, like you would never be good enough? Would you have even realised how numb and sad and alone you were, how much you minimised yourself for others?
If Dieter’s here though, maybe it will all be worth it.
He wraps an arm around your waist.
“I’m not worth this,” he mumbles, kissing your shoulder.
“You are.”
He is.
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Show Me Yours | Matty Healy [47]
chapter forty-seven, act six: be my mistake
masterlist
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August 29th, 2016
The bruise on her cheek can’t be hidden, the outline of her father’s hand a constant reminder of the weight she bears on her shoulders. Luckily the guys aren’t here and the meal they were supposed to be having was pushed back. Gabby had helped her with that. Telling them all that she was ill and wanted to be left alone.
That’s why Tommie is confused when she hears the familiar coded knock that Matty had made up and forced everyone to do before they entered the flat. Keys jingle in the door and it opens to allow light in from the hallway.
“Tommie?”
She purses her lips and sinks lower into the sofa, part of her hopes he’ll leave, that he’ll think she’s not sure. But then his steps get closer and begin to round the kitchen counter. She closes her eyes, makes sure her cheek is pushed into her arm curled around a pillow and waits.
“Tom?”
The sofa dips as Adam lowers himself onto it, “Tommie. Wake up, come on.”
“Go away.”
“Gabby said you weren’t feeling well. You alright?”
“Fine.”
“I know where you went, you know.”
She slowly peels one eye open to look up at him, “You do?”
“You made the mistake of telling the worst secret keeper in the world where you were going.”
She groans and shoves her face into the pillow, he can faintly hear a ‘bloody nan’ from the muffled cushion. 
“How did it go?” She remains with her face shoved into the pillow and suddenly Adam is fifteen years old again, catching the train to Wales after his ten year old cousin has called screaming and crying for him to save her. He remembers that day in so much detail. The way she couldn’t breathe over the phone, the whispered breaths so her father who was passed out in the other room couldn’t hear her. Her grandparents and mother had been away for a family wedding that said no kids. She was alone, with no one.
“Tommie?”
She finally gives in and turns her face, he winces the moment he sees the purple mark. “Oh, Tommie.”
“I don’t wanna talk about it, okay?”
Adam places his hand on her shoulder, rubbing up and down her arm. He can see the tears welling up in her eyes.
“To-”
“Why can’t he just love me?”
The moment the first tear falls a whole wave follows and she’s a sobbing mess as she clutches onto his hand. He drops to his knee in front of the sofa, hand cupping her face to wipe away her tears. “He loves JJ, and Juliet, why can’t he love me? I-I stalked his wife, he’s such a good dad to them. Why couldn’t he be that for me? Do you know how many of my footy matches he missed? Do you know how many school plays he promised to be at and never showed up? How many parents' evenings he missed? How many birthdays, christmases… He’s been at every single one for that little brat.”
“Who gives a shit?” Adam says and her cries stop, knocked out of her from her shock at this new side of him. “Look at yourself, Tommie. You are an amazing woman, with people who care about you and turn up for you, you don;t need to worry about daddy deadbeat. I bet his life is miserable, I bet his wife hates him and he’ll give up eventually because he’s too lazy to break the cycle, he always has been. You know this.”
He helps her to sit up and wraps his arms around her, “You’re not alone, Tommie. I’m here.”
⋆。 ゚☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚☾ ゚
July 9th, 2017
She freezes, hand hovering over the zip for her bag as she meets George’s eyes. “What are you doing?”
He looks around, all her stuff has been packed up from the bus, Button sits patiently by the door with her favourite toy in her mouth. “Tommie?”
She just shakes her head slowly and glances behind him, “It’s just me. What happened?”
“I can’t, George. I can’t do it anymore. Matty’s going to die, and I can’t- I won’t…. No.”
She tries to swallow the lump in her throat but it causes her to choke instead. George is at her side as she descends into a fit of coughs. He rubs her pack helping her to sit on the bed. “I-I-I won’t have him die in my arms. I won’t be the one to find him, George. I can’t.”
He pulls her into his chest as she sobs, her hands curled into fists around his shirt as her tears soak the collar. “Shhh, shhh, Matty is- he’s gonna be alright.”
“No. He’s gonna kill himself, George.”
“I’ll talk to him. I’ll hold him down if I have to.”
“I’m going, George. I’m going home. I’m leaving the band.”
“You can’t- we need you, Tom.”
She shakes her head, “You don’t.”
“Of course we do. You’re Tommie, our Tommie, the band isn’t the 1975 without Tommie McDuff.”
She purses her lips and sniffles, “Please don’t make this harder for me.”
He looks at his shoes, still holding her tightly to his side, one hand brushing through her hair, “I’m sorry,” He mutters quietly, “I’ll fix this.”
“It isn’t your job to fix him. Don’t put that weight on your shoulders.”
He shakes his head and plants a kiss on her hairline, “I’ll fix him up, I’ll make him better, then you can come back, and we can go back to normal.”
“There’s no normality after this, G.”
She pulls herself from him slowly and clears her throat as she rises to stand and grips her bag. 
He watches her glance around as she heads for the door, he stands, hand catching her arm just before she enters the front end of the bus. “Just remember that you’re not alone, Tommie. I’m here.”
⋆。 ゚☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚☾ ゚
August 5th 2017
Phoebe left not too long ago to head to the studio. Max and Button have been sleeping for the past hour and Tommie’s been drawing her sorrows in ben and jerrys. 
There’s a knock on the apartment door and she raises her head to look at it, but then they knock again, and again, and then again. With a huff she abandons the ice cream and heads for the door.
Pushing herself up onto her tiptoes she stares through the peephole at a familiar brunette. “Ross?”
He grins as she swings open the door, holding up two plastic bags and shaking them around. “Hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Phoebe told me you were ill.”
She nods, “Yeah, something like that.”
“What’s wrong?” He sets the bags on the counter taking out the stuff inside. He seems like he’s bought an entire seven-eleven. There’s two boxes of dr pepper, crisps in every single flavour, two tubs of ice cream, many different bars of chocolate and those cookies she tried once in New York and fell in love with.
She chews on her bottom lip and watches him carefully, “Tom?” He glances over at her when she’s quiet. He knows her, knows what her silence means and the hesitation in her eyes. 
She nods her head towards the living room and he abandons his food to follow after her. Button perks up as he passes and trots over for attention, Ross allows her to have it for a moment and the moment he stops to give his full attention to Tommie the dog goes back to sleeping.
“Caleb and I broke up.”
“Fina-” He cuts himself off with a forceful cough, “Oh no, are you okay? What happened?”
His fake voice gets a laugh from her and she shakes her head, “He got me… pregnant.”
“Oh… oh.” His eyes glance towards her stomach and she smacks his arm. “What is it?”
She almost straight out says dead. But refrains and lifts her shoulders to sit a little taller.
“I got an abortion. That’s why I’m ‘ill’.”
“Are you okay?”
She nods and fiddles with the sleeve of her jumper. “Guess so. I mean, I didn’t really want it, so I guess I’m not that upset.” She looks across to Button, “Besides, I got my handful with that child.”
Ross almost makes a joke about Matty being her child too. Almost. But he catches himself in the last second. “But, are you okay now?”
She nods, “I’m good, I’m really good. I’m actually kind of happy. Happier than I have been in a while.”
Ross smiles at that, his big tooth golden retriever smile she loves so much, “That’s good.”
She nods, “Just a little lonely I guess? You know. I’m so used to having you guys around, now it’s just me and Pheebs, and these guys.”
“You don’t have to miss us, Tom. We’re all a call away, you know we’d drop anything for you, right?”
She nods and accepts his embrace falling into his chest. “I just got so used to being with you all every day, I mean we’ve barely been apart for five years.”
He agrees, “It is kinda weird not having you with us, on tour. Matty’s moodier than usual, George won’t talk to him unless it’s to yell at him and Adam is just… he’s grumpy.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shushes her and shakes his head as he holds her tighter, “Don’t apologise for putting yourself first, it’s about time. I’m glad you’re happy. It makes me happy knowing you’re happy.”
She moves herself to kiss his cheek and thanks him quietly as she closes her eyes.
“You don’t have to be lonely. You’re not alone, Tommie. I’m here.”
taglist
@thereisaplaceintheheart, @indierockgirrl, @sofaritsalrightt, @julezs-bl0g, @eaglestar31, @sophinthealpss, @noacfemcel, @if-my-heart-bleeds, @befrwime, @fallingforel, @sexorchocolateorpillowsorclouds, @3terna15unshin3, @1975sophie1975, @thesocraticjunkiewannabe, @littlesoldierelleora, @procrastinatinglikeapro, @beatr2x, @byyourside28, @plantinghobbies, @sinarainbows
-let me know if you want to be added :)
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euphoricfilter · 1 year
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Star girl || JJK ~ teaser
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Pairing: Jungkook x F. Reader ~ ‘Stardust’ couple
Genre: Fluff || Angst || Smut || Established Relationship || Non-idol au
Summary: Sometimes life just feels like too much, where the solace of the night no longer feels as healing as it once was. Luckily Jungkook is there when everything feels like too much.
Tags/ warnings: fluff, angst, unhealthy habits, boyfriend kook is there to make everything feel better, smut in the forms of: unprotected sex (don’t be stupid, this is fiction), holding hands during sex :(, it’s all just very soft and healing, creampie
Notes: this is part of the ‘Stardust’ universe, however it can be read as a standalone.
✯ ✯ ✯
You’d always believed the night to be cathartic, something almost healing about simply living while people slept. Expectations washed away of an evening with a shower, dampened mood sated with soft sheets and far fetched dreams.
Where the moon was your only friend, no words needed between the two of you, as you simply lived among the stars. Street lamps bleeding muted orange light into your room, curtains pushed open so you could watch the world and wonder what it be like to explore the milky way.
It’s daunting how catharsis can mutate into something a little more wretched. How loneliness can creep up on you, how it lurks in the shadows during the day— following you with silent footsteps. How it slowly consumes a little more of you with each passing night. How you don’t seem to notice the clouds that take over the sky, how the stars in your universe don’t seem to shine as bright as they once were.
You don’t miss the jingle of keys outside your door, nor do you make any move to sit up when you hear your boyfriend milling through your apartment in search for you. You’d have felt an ounce of shame if Jungkook hadn’t seen what can happen when you get into a bit of a tizz, locking yourself away so you didn’t have to be a functioning member of society.
“Oh, pretty thing” Jungkook coos, bed dipping under his weight as he sits by your feet. Gentle not to startle you.
You pull the duvet down under your chin, “Kook?” you murmur, watching his lips tug up into a soft smile; a look of understanding washing over his features.
“Hey, baby. You doing okay?” a silly question on his part, but at least he knew you were alive.
You nod, albeit hesitant. “Why are you here?” you murmur, eyebrows creasing.
“You haven’t answered any of my calls, I was worried” his hands finds their way to your thigh, touch ever so soft.
Your gaze flickers over to your phone, pulling your arm from under the cocoon of your blanket you tap on the screen, “It must have died, I didn’t notice. Sorry” you turn your attention back to your boyfriend.
“How about we get you washed, and then I’ll cook us something yummy?” he offers.
You throw the blanket back over your head at the sound of running water. Jungkook’s voice echoing throughout your bathroom as he hums a song he’d probably been listening to on his way over to your place.
“Come on” Jungkook tugs the blanket from your body, and goosebumps raise up the skin of your arms.
“Why are you shirtless?” you frown, fingers skimming the edge of your blanket.
“We’re taking a bath together. I put extra bubbles, just for you”
Release date: Sunday 29th January @ 11pm China standard time
Star girl can be read here
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spaceman-earthgirl · 1 year
Text
Supercorptober 2022 Masterlist by spaceman-earthgirl
Prompts are based on this list by @kmsdraws
1. Summer
The superfriends are trying to plan Kara and Lena's wedding...the couple have to break the news to everyone that they couldn't wait and already got married.
2. Swift
Lena surprises Kara with a trip to Midvale.
3. Drunk
Lena turns up drunk at Kara's apartment late at night.
4. Office
The superfriends play hide and seek. And Kara and Lena end up hiding in a closet together.
5. Orange
Esme and Kara tell bad jokes. Lena's found herself a family.
6. Leaves
"I flew into a tree."
"No shit, Sherlock, I want to know why you flew into a tree."
or Kara flies into a tree because of her crush on Lena.
7. Night
Kara gets worried when she doesn't hear from Lena, so she goes to check on her best friend and finds her asleep on the couch.
8. Rain
"Hey, Le- oh, gosh, you're soaking, what happened?"
or Lena goes to Kara's apartment after she gets caught in a storm
9. Fresh
Lena surprises Kara with a pecan pie for her birthday.
10. Ice
Lena is always cold, and she uses Kara to keep herself warm.
11. Forest
Lena and Kara go camping. Lena hates it.
12. Evening
Kara and Lena have their first night out together since having a baby. This fic was based on this amazing art by @sheltereredturtle
13. Peace
Lena has made peace with the fact that her feelings for Kara are unrequited.
14. Soaring
Kara gushes to Alex about kissing Lena.
15. Warmth
Kara and Lena's plans are ruined because of the rain. So they make different plans instead.
16. Sparks
A follow up to Peace, where supercorp kiss after Kara thinks they've been dating for a month while Lena thinks they're just friends.
17. Cafe
Lena's having a bad day, which turns around quite dramatically when she meets her soulmate.
18. Secret
"Lena’s pretty sure Supergirl has just walked into Noonan’s. And no, she doesn’t mean Supergirl, with the cape and the skirt, but Supergirl who apparently wears glasses and a cardigan in her free time."
19. Suit
Kara decides to wear a suit on her wedding day. Lena loves it.
20. Kara
"Every time Lena’s phone lights up, and she sees her best friend’s name on the screen, it makes her heart stutter stupidly in her chest and it makes her smile like a schoolgirl with a crush."
21. Broken
Lena comes up with a solution when Kara and Esme struggle to be in the same room together because of their powers.
22. Skull
Lena comforts Kara after she's had a nightmare.
23. Spice
Lena's been working too much lately and Kara's barely seen her, so Kara surprises her with lunch.
24. Lena
"Maybe getting older isn't so bad if you kiss me like that."
or it's Lena's 29th birthday.
25. Comfy
Lena's 8 months pregnant and just can't get comfortable. Luckily her wife is there to help.
26. Acorn
Kara and Lena go to a farmers market together. Kara is not a fan of all the healthy food.
27. October
"I can't believe you chose today of all days to tell me you love me."
Or it's Lena's birthday, and Kara tells her best friend how she really feels.
28. Holiday
Kara gets caught stealing Christmas cookies during Kara and Lena's first Christmas together as a couple.
29. Bonfire
It's the annual Danvers family bonfire night, and all of Kara's friends and family are there with her.
30. Spell
Kara's in the hospital wing when in walks an injured Lena Luthor.
or a Harry Potter au where Lena's family has a bad reputation but that doesn't stop Kara befriending Lena. Also, Lena has a cat.
31. Spookycorp
“You can’t punch a ghost, Alex! And what about clowns? You don’t know what’s going on under that face. And don’t even get me started on zombies. They’re dead, so you can’t kill them again!”
or Kara and Lena visit a haunted house and Kara is scared.
285 notes · View notes
emjayewrites · 11 months
Text
Flashin’ Lights In A Midst of Darlin’ Nights (3/?)
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A fated encounter in The City of Lights changed the lives of an actor and singer forever. And with those darlin’ nights comes even more delights.....
Synopsis: Will Poulter can count on his hands the amount of times he’s been rendered speechless, yet that was until he met singer-songwriter EmJaye. He soon finds himself speechless and dazzled every time he’s in her presence. For Mahalia-Joy, Will hooked her in with his quintessentially British banter. However, in this ruthless industry, a couple needs more to hold onto besides quick laughs and simple awe.
Pairings: Will Poulter x EmJaye (Mahalia-Joy Washington)
Warnings: cursing, adult content, mentions of drugs/alcohol. (Rated 18+)
Taglist: @vargskelegore, @pocfansmatter, @afro-hispwriter,  @unfriendlyblkhotti3, @sarcasticmrfox, @blackpearlbutterfly, @melancholymelanin, @mochachocolatteyaya, @goldentriostan, @multi-culti-girl, @chaneajoyyy, @mauvecherie-writes​, @4ftwonder, @jasmindaughteroftheworld, @valkryienymph, @colorfullydone, @earl-aive, @queenshikongo3, @blackreaderatrisk, @pulparindos, @cocobutterqwueen, @xsweetdellzx, @certifiedlesbianbaddie, @realhotgurlshit,   @aieshawilliams2001, @imatrisk
A/N: I do not know Will or his family personally. This is solely fiction and any similarities are coincidental. EmJaye was previously mentioned in a Yahya fic, but her character arc is completely different/changed to fit this fic. Thank you all so much for showing me love for this story! I missed writing and I’m happy to be back. If you would like to be tagged, please comment or DM me. Enjoy this chapter.
New York City, NY, London, UK & Los Angeles, CA — Mid/Late July 2022
Will reclined on the plush sofa in his London home, his injured knee propped up on a soft cushion. It had been a long day, starting off with a early gym session with his trainer, Dr. Benjamin Carraway, and the whirlwind of events and appearances afterward had left him longing for a moment of tranquility. His body served as a reminder of the injuries he had acquired over the years. The torn ACL and ligament in his ankle, the sprained rotator cuff — battle scars from his dedication to his craft. As he settled in, his phone buzzed with an incoming FaceTime call. A smile brightened his face as he saw EmJaye's name lighting up the screen. 
With a swipe of his finger, he answered the call, and her radiant face filled the display. 
"Hey, Will," she greeted him, her voice filled with concern. "How are you feeling? I saw your text about having a rough day and dealing with those old injuries.”
Will chuckled softly, appreciating her thoughtfulness. "I'm hanging in there, sweetheart," he reassured her. "It's just a little sore today. Nothing I can't handle."
EmJaye's brow furrowed slightly, worry evident in her eyes. "I don't want you pushing yourself too hard."
"I know, and I appreciate it," Will replied, his voice filled with affection. "But you don't have to worry, Mahalia, I've learned to take care of myself. Besides, I have you to keep me in check."
A playful smile danced on EmJaye's lips. "Well, that's true. Someone's got to make sure you don't get too carried away."
Will feigned a dramatic sigh. "You know, I'm starting to realize that maybe I’m getting too old for all this," he said.
EmJaye's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Old? Please, you're just getting better with age," she retorted with a laugh. "And speaking of age, when's your birthday?"
A mischievous glint sparked in Will's eyes. "Well, I'll have you know that I'm twenty-nine. But not for long," he added with a smirk. "I’ll be the big 3-0 on January 28th next year."
EmJaye's face lit up with excitement. "No way! I’m turning twenty-six on January 29th!" she exclaimed.
Will's smile widened, their connection deepening with the realization of their shared birthdays. "Well, it looks like we have another reason to celebrate together," he remarked.
"That’s crazy,” she said in amazement. “Anyways, I may have something special to share with you."
Will leaned closer to the screen and he noticed that she was in the recording studio. "What is it?"
EmJaye's eyes twinkled mischievously as she placed her phone against a keyboard. From this new angle, Will was able to see the rest of the recording studio as well as her sound producer. “Do you want to hear something from my album?”
“Seriously?!”
She chuckled at his disbelief and shock. “Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m debuting a new single on Jimmy Fallon’s show later this week. I figured you’ll want to hear it.”
At a loss for words, Will gasped at this amazing opportunity she'd shared with him. “I’d be honored. Let’s see.”
“Alrighty then.” She gestured to her producer and he began playing a snippet of her latest single. The melodious sound filled the air, and Will's eyes widened in awe.
“I've been holding back, playing it safe, But now it's time to let go, find my own space. Gonna rise above the noise, break the chains, Embrace the unknown, no fear remains....”
When the song broke into the chorus, he watched intently as she mouthed the lyrics, her body moving in rhythm with the tempo and bass of the beat. As the music slowly dissipated, she let out a nervous giggle.
“So? What do you think?”
"Mahalia, that sounds incredible!” he exclaimed, his admiration evident in his voice. “Your voice, the lyrics...."
Her cheeks warmed from his praise, a mix of excitement and vulnerability washing over her. "Thank you, Will. Your support means the world to me. It’s still cookin’ though; we may change the hook and second verse, but I can't wait for you to hear the full song."
“I can’t wait,” he grinned. “I’ll try to watch your debut performance too.”
Her nose crinkled adorably in confusion. “Wait, how would you do that? I thought some American TV shows weren't available in the UK."
“I’ll find a way,” Will shrugged nonchalantly. “Better yet, if some things get switched around, I may be in L.A. by the time this week is over, so I can always watch from my hotel room.”
Their conversation meandered from music to their day-to-day lives. Will shared stories of events he attended in London, and EmJaye spoke passionately about her upcoming projects and the creative process behind her album.
“That single will be called ‘Get In The Way’”, she told him, slouching in her seat. “I have about a quarter of my songs and features done, but there’s still so much to do.”
Their conversation continued to flow effortlessly, and Will couldn't help but express his longing to see her again.
"I miss you, Mahalia," he confessed softly, his voice filled with sincerity. "Paris feels like a lifetime ago, and I can't wait to see you in Los Angeles later this month."
Her heart swelled at his divulgence, making her feel delirious and giddy. EmJaye adored how comfortable Will was with his feelings and his entire being. He never made her feel unsure or uneasy.
Her eyes softened, and a gentle smile graced her lips. "I miss you too, Will.”
Will couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation and excitement. The connection he shared with EmJaye felt deeper than anything he had ever experienced, and he couldn't wait to explore where it would lead.
With their conversation drawing to a close, they exchanged promises of continuing to stay in touch before saying their goodbyes and ending the call.
Leaning back in his sofa, Will raked a slow hand through his hair, smiling from ear to ear like a crazy fool.
             _______________________________________________
As the days flew by, Will and EmJaye stayed true to their promise of keeping in touch. They exchanged messages, photos, and even recorded video snippets of their daily adventures, bridging the distance between London and New York City.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, EmJaye found herself preparing for an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The anticipation swirled within her as she did a last-minute rehearsal of her performance, eager to share her new single, "Get In The Way," with the world. Donning honey blonde hair and an orange jumpsuit, she and her sound technician checked the microphones and her earpiece as the stagehands prepared for her performance.
EmJaye took a moment to compose herself backstage. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, electrifying her nervous system, and causing her chest to rise and fall with rapid breaths. The thought of sharing her new music with millions of viewers only heightened her anxiety, and even though she enjoyed making this song, she craved for the public to love it just as much as she did.
Minutes ticked by until the lights dimmed, and one of the show’s producers cued her to go. She stepped onto the stage with confidence, her vibrant presence dazzling the audience.
“And now singing her debut single, ‘Get In The Way’, please welcome EmJaye!” greeted Jimmy Fallon, earning her screams and shouts.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Will watched the performance and interview in his hotel room with a mixture of pride and longing. As the opening chords of the song filled the room, Will's attention was immediately enchanted. The vibrant melody intertwined with the smooth, richness of her vocals, created a mesmerizing blend that resonated deep within his soul. He marveled at her, unable to tear his gaze away from the screen. Seeing EmJaye shine, her talent and charm evident for all to see, only intensified his feelings for her.
But it wasn't just her voice that enthralled him. Will couldn't help but notice how stunning she looked, her new hairstyle framing her face in a way that accentuated her radiant beauty. The way her bouncy curls cascaded around her shoulders and honey-blonde hair that complimented her rich brown skin left him wonderstruck.
The camera panned to the audience, and the thunderous applause washed over her, a testament to EmJaye's captivating stage presence. He could see the confidence radiating from her, the way she commanded the stage with an effortless grace that only added to her allure.
After the performance, EmJaye took a seat next to Jimmy Fallon, her smile lighting up the screen. The chemistry between them was undeniable, their playful banter drawing laughter from the audience. Will couldn't help but be proud of EmJaye, how she effortlessly connected with people, her genuine personality shining through.
As the interview progressed, Jimmy couldn't resist asking about EmJaye's recent trip to Paris and the connection she had formed with Will.
A blush graced EmJaye's cheeks, a delicate hue that made her even more invigorating. “Now, Jimmy...”
Her trailed-off statement earned her hoots from the crowd and she ducked her face behind her hand.
“We saw the pictures of the two of you on TMZ,” said Jimmy as he displayed a copy of a photo of them together at the sneaker store in Paris. “You guys look cute. Are you guys friends or....more than friends?”
EmJaye ignored his question at first, staring directly at the camera.
"Paris was a magical experience," she finally admitted, a fond smile playing on her lips. "I had the opportunity to explore the city and create lasting memories. That’s all I’m saying, Jimmy, sorry.”
Jimmy frowned at the answer but decided not to broach the subject further. Will let out a pleased sigh at her decision to remain coy and private about their budding relationship.
When the interview came to a close, Jimmy expressed his excitement for EmJaye's upcoming album and newest single. Will's heart swelled with pride, knowing that he would be there to support her every step of the way, and as the screen faded into a commercial, Will couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He missed her deeply, longing to hold her in his arms and celebrate her success together. Yet, there was also a sense of anticipation, as he knew their reunion in Los Angeles was drawing near. 
Comic Con loomed on the horizon, and the excitement bubbled within Will's chest. The opportunity to promote Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, surrounded by passionate fans and immersed in the world of pop culture, was a dream come true. In the midst of it all, his mind wandered to the moments he would share with her.
He found himself daydreaming about their time in Paris — the laughter, the stolen glances, the effortless connection they had forged. The memories replayed in his mind like a movie, reminding him of the joy he felt in EmJaye's presence. Reaching for his phone, he dialed her number, smiling widely as her familiar voice greeted him on the other end of the line.
         ______________________________________________
EmJaye's plane touched down in Los Angeles, and as she stepped off the aircraft, the warm California air greeted her with open arms. Making her way through the busy airport, anticipation swirled within her. Her footsteps quickened, her eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face. And there he was, Will, standing tall and handsome amidst the sea of people, a smile spreading across his face as their eyes met.
They embraced tightly, their arms wrapping around each other as if they were two puzzle pieces finally finding their perfect fit. The warmth of his touch and the softness of his lips on hers whispered promises of the adventures that awaited them.
“How was your flight?” he asked as they parted.
“Not too bad,” she responded, adjusting the straps of her shoulder bag. Noticing her struggle, he extended a hand to help.
“Let me get that for you,” he states, taking the bag swiftly before she could react. “Do you have any others?”
“I have a few, but my driver should’ve gotten them by now,” EmJaye told him.
To their surprise, there weren’t many paparazzi snooping the premises for a photo and they managed to avoid them once word got out that one of the Kardashian sisters landed at LAX.
Walking towards the exit, they immediately found her awaiting SUV and hopped inside, and she let out a sigh of relief. With her flight from LaGuardia to LAX delayed by one hour, EmJaye thought that they wouldn’t have enough time to reach Van Nuys Airport to catch another flight to San Diego. Luckily for them both, they were on the highway in ample time, arriving at the next airport by the skin of their teeth.
“You didn’t have to wait for me, y’know,” EmJaye told Will as they walked into Van Nuys Airport from a private entrance. He gave her a dismissive wave. “I’m serious, Will, I don’t want you to get in trouble with Marvel.”
At this, Will let out a hearty chuckle. “I’m not going to get in trouble, Mahalia.” To ease her worry, he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close to kiss her cheek. “Besides, I told Feige and Gunn that you were hitching a ride; they’re cool with it.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “They are?!”
“Yes,” Will concurred softly. “We have a lot of space on this plane anyways.”
The private jet was settled on the tarmac as if patiently biding its time for their arrival. Emblazoned on the side, in huge font, was the Marvel logo. Jogging up the stairs, EmJaye reveled at the sleek aircraft.
Stepping inside the luxurious private plane, her eyes widened in awe at the sight before her. The plush seats, elegant decor, and the unmistakable air of exclusivity enveloped her.
“Fancy,” she drawled in delight, touching the wooden accents. “Marvel got that money-money.”
As she made her way through the plane's cabin, she spotted Chris Pratt, the charismatic star of the Guardians franchise. His infectious energy seemed to radiate, lighting up the whole space with his charm. He greeted her with a warm smile, instantly putting her at ease. His genuine warmth and playful banter made her feel like she was part of their tight-knit family.
Next to Chris sat Karen Gillan, whose captivating presence as Nebula in the film had left a lasting impression on EmJaye. Karen's vibrant red hair and fierce gaze mirrored the strong spirit she portrayed on screen. EmJaye admired her talent and found herself drawn to the kindness in her eyes as they exchanged introductions.
Pom Klementieff, the embodiment of Mantis's gentle yet powerful aura, greeted EmJaye with a warm hug. Her serene presence and contagious laughter instantly made EmJaye feel like they were old friends. Pom's genuine enthusiasm for the project and her fellow cast members was evident, and EmJaye found herself embracing the positive energy that surrounded her.
Maria Bakalova, a newcomer to the Guardians family, extended a hand in greeting. Maria's humility and down-to-earth nature resonated with EmJaye, and they quickly struck up a conversation about their shared passion for storytelling.
Amidst the group, Chukwudi Iwuji, a respected actor known for his versatility, exuded a calm and grounded presence. His warm smile and genuine interest in EmJaye's journey in the music industry made her feel seen and appreciated. Chukwudi's wisdom and grace created an atmosphere of profound respect, reminding EmJaye of the power of collaboration and the beauty of shared experiences.
Once their baggage was safely stored onboard, the plane soared through the skies and the conversations flowed effortlessly. Surrounded by these talented actors, she realized that she was not just joining Will on this adventure but becoming a part of something much bigger.
Comic Con greeted them happily, and as the plane landed in San Diego, EmJaye felt a surge of excitement. She knew that this journey was about more than just a film or a single event — it was about the connections they had formed, the stories they had yet to tell, and the impact they could make together.
At the convention center, the energy was electrifying. Fans gathered in droves, dressed as their favorite characters from the realms of comics and movies. Hand in hand, they ventured into the vibrant storm of Comic Con. The crowd buzzed with excitement, their eyes drawn to the magnetic couple strolling through the halls. Fans recognized them, their voices rising in joyous exclamations and the flashing of cameras capturing the magical moments.
They explored the various booths, their steps synchronized and their laughter contagious, EmJaye couldn't help but be swept up in the whirlwind of the event. It was a world unlike any she had experienced before, a celebration of pop culture that ignited the passions of fans from all walks of life. News outlets clamored to have them interviewed together with journalists lining up, hoping to capture the chemistry that emanated from the couple. But amidst the flurry of attention, EmJaye and Will remained grounded in their choice to decline.
In between Will’s interviews and panels, their love bloomed amidst the chaos. They stole moments alone, hidden from prying eyes, where their lips met in tender kisses, their affection a flame that burned brightly. 
The fans' excited cheers echoed through the halls as EmJaye and Will navigated the venue. She noticed the gleam in Will's eyes as he interacted with his fans, his genuine appreciation for their support was evident in every word he spoke. She admired his dedication and humility, realizing why he was so beloved.
As the day wore on, EmJaye and Will found solace in each other's presence, seeking refuge from the intensity of the event. They retreated to a quiet corner, their hands entwined as they shared their mutual excitement for what lay ahead for the two of them. The love that had blossomed in Paris had now spread its wings in the city of dreams, captivating hearts, and inspiring dreams of their own.
A smile played at the corners of his lips as he leaned in closer, his voice a soft murmur. “Are you enjoying yourself so far?” wondered Will as he carefully tucked a wayward strand of hair back in place. “By the way, did I mention that you look gorgeous? I love your hair.”
“I am.” Her smile mirrored his own and she tilted her head slightly, appreciating the sincerity in his words. "Thank you," she added. "I wanted to try something different, and I'm glad you like it."
Their eyes locked, a gentle warmth filling the space between them. EmJaye's heart fluttered, affection swirling within her. The desire to kiss Will was undeniable, an unspoken longing in the air.
But before their lips sealed in that tender moment, a familiar voice broke the spell. "Hey, lovebirds! Mind if I join the party?"
Startled, EmJaye and Will turned to find Chris Pratt, grinning mischievously, making his way toward them. They exchanged a knowing glance, a combination of amusement and mild frustration dancing in their eyes.
"Chris, always finding a way to interrupt," Will chuckled, releasing EmJaye from his embrace, though their hands remained intertwined. "Of course, join us."
Chris playfully nudged Will on the shoulder. "Just making sure you're not getting too carried away. We've got interviews to do, buddy."
EmJaye couldn't help but laugh at the banter between the two friends, and she admired the genuine friendship that Will shared with his co-stars.
Following behind Chris, they made their way back to the rest of the group for their interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“I found them, y’all!” announced Chris as he entered the room.
The journalist from Entertainment Weekly greeted them warmly, eager to delve into the world of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 and the dynamic between the cast members.
Will took his seat between Chukwudi and Maria, a smile playing on his lips as he glanced at EmJaye who sat away from the cameras, her presence a source of comfort and inspiration. The interview commenced, and the questions flowed seamlessly, drawing out laughter and insightful responses from the cast.
The journalist couldn't help but notice the undeniable chemistry between Will and EmJaye, their stolen glances speaking volumes. Sensing an opportunity, she decided to steer the conversation toward their budding romance.
"So, Will, there have been some rumors swirling about your connection with singer-songwriter EmJaye. Care to shed some light on that?" the journalist asked, a playful glint in her eyes.
Will's smile remained intact, but a subtle shift in his demeanor indicated a guardedness. He glanced at EmJaye, a mix of affection and protectiveness shining in his eyes. "I understand the interest, but I prefer to keep my personal life private," he replied, his tone polite yet firm.
EmJaye admired Will's commitment to safeguarding their relationship from prying eyes, and understanding the importance of maintaining a balance between their public and private lives.
The interviewer nodded, understanding Will's boundaries. "Fair enough, Will. Let's shift gears then and talk about your experience filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. What can fans expect from the film?"
The conversation flowed seamlessly from that point on, with the cast members delving into their characters, the intricate storyline, and the excitement of being part of such a beloved franchise. EmJaye beamed with pride as she listened to Will's passionate descriptions and watched his enthusiasm light up the room.
After an exhilarating day at Comic Con, EmJaye and Will found themselves in each other's company. Their connection had deepened, and they craved a quiet moment away from the hustle and bustle, deciding to head out for a romantic dinner. They approached a quaint Filipino restaurant tucked away on a charming street, the scent of delicious cuisine wafted through the air, enticing their senses. Will held the door for EmJaye, and she walked inside.
The ambiance was cozy and inviting, with soft lighting and intimate seating arrangements. They were greeted warmly by the restaurant staff and led to a private table adorned with flickering candles. They settled into their seats, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
An attentive waiter soon approached, presenting them with menus filled with delectable dishes. Will chose to try the chef's special, a flavorful fusion of local ingredients, while EmJaye opted for a vegetarian delicacy that caught her eye.
As they awaited their meals, they engaged in lighthearted repartee, effortlessly transitioning from the joys and challenges of their respective careers to their dreams and aspirations. When their meals arrived, they delighted in the exquisite flavors that danced on their tongues, savoring every bite. The food served as a backdrop to their conversation, adding to the richness of the evening.
Will reached across the table, his hand gently grazing EmJaye's, his eyes sparkling with adoration. "This has been such a perfect day," he confessed, his voice filled with genuine warmth.
EmJaye smiled, her heart brimming with happiness. "I couldn't agree more. Thank you for this beautiful experience," she replied with gratitude.
EmJaye and Will’s lips drew closer for a passionate kiss, yet the familiar buzzing of their phones shattered the peacefulness of the evening. They reluctantly pulled away, their brows furrowing in confusion.
Her eyes widened as she read the message from her publicist, her heart racing. "Will, you won't believe this," she whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"What is it?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing. 
EmJaye held up her phone, showing him the tweet and an article that had just been published by People Magazine. A rush of emotions washed over them as they saw the headline, "EmJaye and Will's Blossoming Romance: Caught in a Moment of Passion at Comic Con!"
Their breath caught in their throats as they stared at the photo accompanying the article — a stolen shot of their kiss, captured by a stealthy paparazzo. The world had caught a glimpse of their private moment, and they were thrust into the spotlight in a way they hadn't expected.
Will broke the silence. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," he said, his voice laced with a touch of irony. "We knew this would happen eventually, but it's still a shock."
"This can't be happening," EmJaye murmured, her voice trembling. "It's surreal seeing our private moments exposed like this.”
Will's hand found hers again, offering support and reassurance. "I know, sweetheart. It's overwhelming, but we'll get through this together."
After the initial shock subsided, they realized that they would have to face the consequences of their newfound exposure. They understood that their personal lives would now be scrutinized, analyzed, and speculated upon by the media and the public.
Exhaling a deep breath, EmJaye looked into Will's eyes, determination shining through. "No matter what happens, we'll stay true to ourselves," she vowed, her voice filled with resolve.
Will nodded, his grip on her hand tightening. "Absolutely. Our relationship is built on trust and honesty. We won't let outside forces define us."
With their phones still buzzing with messages and notifications, they made a silent pact to confront the situation together. Their publicists would guide them through the storm, but EmJaye and Will would hold onto their connection, staying grounded amidst the chaos.
Hand in hand, they left the restaurant, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. The world may have discovered their romance, but EmJaye and Will knew that their love was worth protecting.
TO BE CONTINUED....
78 notes · View notes
finelinevogue · 2 years
Note
Do you think hho!Harry would talk about the pregnancy at the concerts now that everyone knows?
oh for sureeeee harry would try to slip it in his show conversations any chance he could:
June 29th 2022
“How are we doing tonight Stockholm!” Harry shouted into his microphone, you smiling along backstage.
Harry was walking around on stage and not giving a care in the world what anyone thought about him, well apart from you.
“You’ve got a sign down here. Can I read it?” He asked the fan, using his spare hand to gesticulate everything he said.
“It says. ‘Harry. Help me name my baby.” The crowd cheered and the fan who he was speaking to was shaking quietly, confused at how this was happening to them.
“Should you even be in the crowd, that tight, pregnant?” He asked worried. “Are y’doing okay?”
You smiled at how kind and concerned he was for the pregnant person, because it reminded you of how he was like around you. He was obviously a lot more loving and protective around you, considering the baby was half his, but it was lovely to see him interact with other pregnant people.
“You’re doing okay? That’s great. So, naming your baby huh? Boy or girl?” He asked.
“Girl!” The person shouted back and Harry smiled.
“Ok, girl. Well, the only baby names I have in my head right now are the ones Y/N and I have discussed for us but I’m not giving them away, so…”
You laughed warmly, thinking back to the night where you had discussed names together.
Harry laid on his side facing you, his palm flat on your stomach as he ran his thumb softly over the skin. You were laying on your back, looking up at the cream ceiling above. Your head was tilted to the side to face him.
“What about Georgia?” Harry asked, looking between your eyes and your lips because he was so spoilt for choice.
“Reminds me of this girl that was mean to me in school.” You giggled at the dumb explanation.
Harry furrowed his eyebrows and put on a pout, so you asked him why. “I don’t like the thought of someone being mean to you.”
“Well I’ve got you to defend me now, too.” You reminded him, knowing nothing could knock you down anymore when Harry was by your side. You cupped your hand over his cheek and his warmed into it.
“Mm.” He hummed happily, pressing the corner of his lips to the palm of your hand. “So not Georgia then, but what about Hazel?”
“Hazel? I like that.” You nodded, smiling brightly at the thought of after a ten minute conversation you might’ve already found the name for your child. “And if it’s not a girl?”
“It will be.”
“How’d you know, hm?”
“I can just feel it.”
Harry thought about it, pacing the stage for a moment before returning to the awaiting fan.
“Okay, I’ve thought about it.” Harry said, pinching his chin with his thumb and pointer finger. “And Y/N is the best name I can come up with, and the best names are always reversed for the best people.”
To that your heart fell more in love with him.
651 notes · View notes
khaleesiofalicante · 1 year
Text
“Tell me something,” Max said. 
“A story?” David asked. 
“Not a story,” Max clicked his tongue. “Tell me something about yourself. Something no one else knows.”
“Everyone knows everything about me,” David sighed. 
“Come on. There has to be something! What’s something no one knows? Something I’ll never find on the internet.”
David thought for a moment and then smiled. “My birthday.”
“Everyone knows your birthday,” Max groaned. “It’s literally on your Wikipedia page.”
“Speaking of Wikipedia, did you edit my official page and include ‘babygirl’ under the Also Known As section because that’s a crime against the crown-”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m sure your dad would guillotine me,” Max rolled his eyes and nudged the boy on the side of stomach. “C’mon, your highness. Tell me something.”
“My birthday,” David said again. “It’s not real.”
“Huh?” Max said. 
David just shrugged. 
“Are you telling me you weren’t born on February 28th?” Max demanded. “That’s some bullshit because you are such a fucking pisces-“
“Still a pisces, not to worry,” David reassured. “But I was born on the 29th.”
Max blinked. “February 29th?”
“Yes.”
“Like on the leap day?” Max asked. 
“Yes.”
“Dude, that’s so fucking cool!” Max punched his shoulder. “Do you, like, throw a huge fucking party once in four years? Do you invite David Guetta to DJ?”
“I do neither of those things,” David chuckled. “People don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Papa thinks it’s a bad omen,” David shrugged. 
“Bad omen?” Max frowned. 
“I don’t know,” David shrugged again. “He often tells me I couldn’t even be born right. Although I suspect, he wasn’t just talking about my birthday.”
Max was quiet for a minute. “Every time you say something about your dad, it makes me wanna punch him a little more.”
David looked alarmed. “I hope you won’t, Max. You will be arrested.”
Max shrugged at that. “My dad always says if I’m gonna get arrested for something, it better be for something that'll make him proud.”
“Your dad is weird,” David chuckled. 
“Ditto,” Max smiled. 
David smiled back. But not a lot.
Max didn’t like that. He liked it so much better when David was smiling. Properly.
“We should celebrate together,” Max said then. “The next one. It’s in three years, right?”
David nodded. “Won’t you be in New York?”
“I’ll come here,” Max shrugged. “Or you can come there.”
“I would love to visit New York,” David sighed dreamily. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“You know people feel the same way about Paris, right?” Max chuckled. “You live in Paris.”
David smiled again. A little one. 
Dammnit. 
Max didn’t know what he was saying or doing wrong. But he couldn’t get a real smile out of this boy. It bothered the fuck out of him. 
“We should go back,” David stood up. “They will start looking for me.”
“Yeah. Okay,” Max mumbled and got up too. “I’ll try not to punch your dad when I see him again.”
“Thank you,” David said, looking genuinely relieved. 
Max chuckled at his reaction. "You wouldn't punch him if you get the chance?"
David put his hands into his pockets and gave a little shrug.
"Seriously?" Max asked. "You don't hate him? Not even a little bit?"
"There is so much hate in this world, Max," David said. "Why on earth would I want to add to that?"
Max blinked at that.
"Loving and hating and all of these big emotions consume a lot of energy," David told him. "I don't know how much of that I have left in me. But whatever I have, I don't want to waste it on hating someone. I want to love."
Max's heart did a little flip. What the fuck? He shoved his hands inside his pockets too. He chuckled and shook his head.
“What?” David asked. 
“I don’t think you were born wrong,” Max said honestly. “You were born on a day that only happens once in four years. You were born special, David. You’re fucking special.”
David’s face softened at that. He smiled. 
A real smile. 
Happiest of birthdays to my special boy who loves like no other 💛
47 notes · View notes
damonjuicyscock · 6 months
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Playlist- Chapter 8: Too fast for love (90s Noel Gallagher X Reader)
Pairing: 90s Noel Gallagher X Reader
Warnings: language, a few spelling mistakes, but that's all.
Words: 3189
Summary: Los Angeles 1994, the Whisky A Gogo gig. Noel leaves, Y/N is worried. They're all searching for him, and all see that Y/N is still in love with Noel. How will it end ?
A/N: Heya Y'all ! Here's chapter 8. Yup, I got inspired as you can see. I can't wait for you horny lovies to read the next chapter ! I hope you are all doing fine and are taking care of you. Don't forget that you're loved and you're important. I'm saying this because there's probably people reading these fan fics who need to hear this.
Enjoy !
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“Living on a jet
Making love to someone else's dreams
Say it again
She puts her legs up, well, calls it good luck
Do you know what I mean?
Oh-no, oh-no
Do you remember?
Well, I remember
Dream machine, so damn cool
She can turn on the night
The more that she gets
The more that she needs
Do you know what I mean?
Oh-no, oh-no
Do you remember?
Well, I remember
September 29th 1994- Los Angeles- Whisky A Gogo
Too fast
Too fast for love
Too fast, you're too fast for love”
Wow, I was in LA. It was spectacular, knowing I would probably never have come here in my life if I wasn’t with the band. But I was so damn happy to be there. And Oasis would play the Whisky A Gogo, which was something absolutely massive.
Such good bands played there before like The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Blondie, Mötley Crüe… And now Oasis would become one of the greats. Or at least, we thought. That was until the guys mistook cocaine with meth, that would lead to several sleepless nights and two splits.
That’s quite some good white powder! want some Y/N? Liam asked
Huh no, thanks. I answered
Ye’re not taking cocaine? Noel asked
Nah, I never did, and I’ll never do. You might think that’s fun, but this thing is actually shit. I prefer my weed.
Suit yerself. Noel answered
And knowing what happened and the state they were in, I did well. I tried several times to dissuade Noel from taking cocaine or other drugs like this, but I couldn’t do more than that, I was no one to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. But that night, I should have tried harder. Especially when I discovered it was meth.
The gig was chaotic. They were all so wasted that they were playing several songs in one. Liam insulted the public, sniffed meth between songs at the back of the stage, threw his tambourine at Noel’s head, Noel’s vocals were terrible… Don’t do drugs kids.
After the gig, the brothers almost fought physically, I had to stop them. Liam was pissed off, and Noel was furious.
I fucking quit, I swear.
Noel, please calm down.
How am I supposed to fucking calm down when our only fucking chance to be known in the US was wasted because of this fucking dickhead?!
Do you even hear yourself talk? You’re talking about your brother Noel!
I knew ye would take his fucking side.
I’m not taking any side Noel; I’m just not letting you talk about your brother in those terms! You will have other chances. This time just think about not fucking doing meth.
Oh so that’s me fault then?
Come on Noel, try to think straight, you’re being paranoid! I never said it was your fault.
He had his fists balled up. I approached him and I took them in my hands, which seemed to soothe him.
Ye’re right, I’m soz.
Hey, it’s okay, you need some sleep. Come on, let’s go back at the hotel. We’ll go in our room, and I’ll roll us a joint, okay?
He nodded and we did as I said.
Once in the bedroom, I rolled a joint while Noel was preparing two G&T’s while being on the phone with Maggie. I started smoking when he finally hang up.
Our kid disappeared. He said
What do you mean by he disappeared?
After we argued, he apparently just vanished with his fucking towel around his neck.
Knowing him, he probably went out for a few scoops. I answered
Well I don’t want to involve the cops, me.
Who said we would have to involve them?
Well, knowing him, he’ll probably start a fucking fight.
Not necessarily. Let’s just… focus on you right now, okay? Come and sit on the bed with me. We’ll just drink, smoke, cuddle and relax, okay? That’s what you need right now. Liam is a big boy Noely.
Ye’re right.
He sat beside me, and we drank our G&T’s, then we laid down smoking a few joints silently, cuddling. And I made the big mistake of falling asleep. Yes, I was asleep in his arms, but the morning after, he wasn’t there anymore.
*
September 30th 1994- Los Angeles:
I woke up at 9am, alone in the bed. I started calling and looking for Noel everywhere in the room and finally thought he may be at the hotel’s restaurant. He may be decided I should get more sleep. But did he?
So without knowing what was expecting me, I took a shower and put some clean clothes on before going downstairs to join Noel who still wasn’t back.
And when I arrived, I was met by the others, and Noel was nowhere to be seen. Even Liam was there.
Heya guys.
Mornin’ Y/N. Bonehead answered
Did y’all manages to get some sleep?
Yup, and that’s a failure. Guigsy answered
Yea, a fuckin’ one. With all the scoops I had, I should have been able to fuckin’ sleep. But no. Liam said
You took too much meth Li’. I answered
Probably yea.
Where’s Noel? I asked
Huh… Guigsy hesitated
What is it? I asked
He’s fucking gone Y/N. Liam answered
What do you mean by he’s gone? I said, starting to panic
He’s gone like bye-bye, adfuckingdios, au revoir.
No shit Sherlock! I know what gone means, I mean where the fuck is he?
Okay stay calm Y/N but… we don’t know. Tony said
What the f… where’s Maggie?
She’s in her room, on the phone.
Well you all seem so concerned about the topic, so I’ll go see her.
She won’t have more information than us ye know? And we’re concerned ‘bout it. Tony answered
Yeah, nevermind.
I never had this much adrenaline in my body. It’s like I literally flew to Maggie’s room, hoping she would know more.
I didn’t even knock at her door and burst inside her room.
Where the fuck is he Maggie?
Y/N please, calm down. She answered
How can I calm the fuck down when I don’t know where Noel is? I fucking fell asleep with him next to me and the morning after he just fucking vanished?
Listen, all I can tell you is that he came to me late last night, asking me for all the money I had, if I could give it to him and his passport. He said he wanted to fly back to England.
He wouldn’t leave us here!
You mean he wouldn’t leave YOU here. Listen Y/N, I gave him 700$. We tried to join his mother and his other brother, but they didn’t answer yet.
That’s probably because they’re sleeping! I exclaimed
Okay, that’s enough Y/N, we’ll talk when you’ll be calm. Now let me do my job. Go smoke some weed or something.
*
I spent the afternoon smoking weed and cigarettes and drinking away my worry.
I was fucking wasted but it was working. And soon, I was joined by Liam.
Drinking away yer sorrow won’t work. Already tried it and that’s shite.
I’m not… Well yeah, I’m sad in a way, and disappointed… but mostly, I’m fucking worried. He could have talked to me for fuck’s sake!
I know. He answered, ordering a drink
I was so drunk I started saying things I shouldn’t have.
I fucking love him Li’. I fucking love him and it would fucking kill me if he didn’t feel the same.
I already know all this, love. And I know he loves ye too. The way he looks at ye says it all. And even if he didn’t love ye like that anymore, we all know ye’ll still be living ‘cause ye don’t need anybody. Stop moaning, it’s not ye.
I chuckled.
You’re right, it’s not me. But I can’t stop worrying.
I know that, me.
Come on, buy me another scoop and let’s have a toast. Your concert yesterday may not have been the best, but you still put on a good show.
Damn yea we did, and we will in the future.
I don’t doubt it.
Liam bought me another drink and we drank a toast.
Here’s to future concerts where we’re going to have a fucking blast and give it our fucking all!
And here’s to future concerts without meth and with cocaine instead, shall we?
Ye’re fuckin’ right, I’ll never try meth again, me. I want to be able to fucking sleep and sing well fer fuck’s sake.
*
The morning after, I woke up shitfaced and in my undies. I opened my eyes, holding my head. Then I heard snoring next to me. I turned my head and saw Liam, at his best, his buttocks sticking out of the blanket. I put my hands over my mouth in shock.
Oh you’ve got to be shitting me! I exclaimed
This woke Liam up.
Shh, don’t speak so fucking loud! He growled
L-L-Liam, you’re naked.
And so what? Ye’ve never seen a Gallagher naked? ‘Cause I’m sure ye’ve seen Noel naked countless ti…
Liam! I shouted
Alright, fine! I’ll cover me model body.
Ah ah, very funny Liam! Please, tell me we didn’t…
Didn’t what?
Well you know…
No I don’t.
For fuck’s sake Liam, tell me we didn’t have sex!
Liam looked at me and burst out laughing.
Ye’re a beautiful girl Y/N, but no, we didn’t have sex. Ye’re like a sister to me. And believe me, if we did, ye’d remember it!
Your humility will get the better of you one day, you know that?
Yea, I know. Now listen, ye look like ye’ve had a blackout, okay? What I can tell ye, right, is that we had a lot to drink last night at the bar, we had a lot of fun, then at some point ye didn’t feel well, ye wanted to get some fresh air and ye threw yer room keys down a fucking drain, so I told ye we were going to sleep in me room. When we got there, ye threw up on the head of someone who was in the pool, he started to shout at ye, so he had a problem with me, meanwhile ye were laughing yer head off and flipping him off. When we finally got back to the room, ye went straight to the bathroom and ye took a cold shower without undressing, so afterwards, I had to take yer clothes off, ye threw yerself on the bed in yer underwear and fell asleep. As fer me, I just like to sleep naked, that’s all. Is it good fer ye?
Huh yeah… I really did that? I asked
Oh yea ye did. I’d never lie to ye Y/N.
Soz…
Don’t. it was fun.
Okay… I’m… I’m gonna go see if Maggie has any news about Noel.
Yea. But ye should get dressed fer it. A little fucking decency, at least.
*
And a few minutes after, I was in Maggie’s room. She still didn’t have news from Noel, but she was having a few ideas on how to find him.
He doesn’t have a credit card with him, but he has a phone. I could trace his calls and it would tell us where he is.
Why didn’t you think about this before? I asked
Listen, we were all in a bit of a turmoil and we needed a bit of peace and quiet to think things through, and in the end, it just came to me. That’s what counts, isn’t it? Please Y/N, don’t be a pain in the arse.
I won’t be a pain in the arse! that was just a fucking question Maggie! I just wish I knew where Noel fucking was so I could go and find him!
You’re not going to like what I’m going to tell you but… if anyone’s going to go looking for him, it won’t be you. For safety’s sake, and we can’t lose anyone else, especially you. Liam and Noel would kill me.
I don’t give a fuck about my safety Maggie! I want to be part of it, don’t take this away from me, I’ll be the only one he’ll talk to.
If by “don’t take this away from me” you’re talking about your reunion, I’m not taking this away from you. You’ll have it, just not like this. You’re too important Y/N, we can’t send you to where he is, I’m sorry. But I promise you I’ll find him, and I promise you a reunion, that’s for sure. I know how much you love him. I know how you’re in love with him, and there’s nothing more beautiful than love, so no, I can’t afford to lose you, wherever he is. Because I think Noel loves you the same way, and I have no right to take THAT away from you. I can’t let you go because, depending on where he is, it might be dangerous for you, knowing that he's not in London nor Manchester, so places you know or at least a bit about. I swear, Noel would make me regret it.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I was too stressed, and everyone had apparently found out about my love for Noel. Only Noel didn’t seem to see anything.
Alright.
Good. She answered
That’s when Maggie’s phone rang, giving me hope. She answered, repeating “alright” and “thank you” several times before hanging up.
So? I asked
He’s in San Francisco. Tim will go.
*
October 14th 1994- Minneapolis
Noel was supposed to come back, their next gig would be this night. I hadn’t been able to sleep all night. I was lying in my bunk on the tour bus thinking about him. He’d gone for tea with Liam to have a chat, and it was only right that they should meet up before our own reunion.
At 9am, I decided to get up and get dressed, and went out for a cigarette. And then I saw him, approaching me. I ran to him, and he opened his arms and hugged me tight.
I’m so fucking soz… He said
You scared the shit out of me Noely… I answered
I know.
Why did you do that? I asked
I took too much drugs, I needed some time to clear me head and I needed to think. I was so mad, I needed to teach our kid a lesson.
You could have least taken me with you! I chuckled
Don’t worry, I was in good hands, and I was even able to write a song.
Oh really?
Yeah, it was a way to thank Melissa, the girl who welcomed me and let me stay at her place in San Francisco.
I smiled, but I was only pretending. Deep down, I felt that something had happened between this Melissa and Noel, and I didn’t like it at all. Imagining Noel with someone else was breaking my heart.
That’s a beautiful thing you did here Noely, will you play it to me after the gig tonight?
We’ll see, if ye’re good. He answered winking at me
But during the gig, this song was running in my head. Noel and Liam had started singing Rock N’Roll star and Noel’s guitar case caught my eye. I had to find a paper. I had to find this song. And when I opened it, there it was. It was called Talk Tonight. So I read it. And I knew Noel by heart. This time I was sure when reading it that things had happened.
Oasis finished their set and left the stage. I was sulking. My heart was in pieces.
What did ye think? We were great, right? Noel asked
Yeah, not bad. I answered
Not bad? I gave me fucking heart and soul!
Yeah, you might have. I answered dryly
Okay, what’s wrong? Why d’ye have a cob on?
Not here Noel.
Yes here!
No! I shouted
Okay, then follow me upstairs, we’ll smoke a fag.
We went upstairs and found a door leading us outwards. I lit my cigarette myself when he was about to do it, so instead, he lit his. I remained silent.
Oh come on, are ye going to talk or are ye going to give me the silent treatment?
I knew I would cry if I talked, but I had to.
Did you fuck her? I asked, my voice trembling
What?!
Come on Noel, tell me the truth.
Why does it matter?
Just answer the fucking question Noel! I answered, on the verge of tears
Yea, and so what?
You’ve got to be shitting me! I shouted
What’s yer fucking problem Y/N?
Tears started rolling down my cheeks, I was sobbing hard. My heart hurt and I almost couldn’t breathe anymore.
Are you fucking blind or are you doing this on purpose? I’ve been sending you explicit messages for almost two fucking years now and you can’t see anything? Can’t you see that I fucking love you to death Noel?
Are ye fucking kidding me? Ye are the one who fucking left me Y/N!
I didn’t, you did! Yous stopped calling overnight after an argument, you fucking broke up with me!
I never explicitly told ye that I wanted to break up with ye! I was a fucking roadie fer fuck’s sake! Ye should see and know what a job that is!
You’re fucking lying to yourself, that’s brilliant!
I’m not!
Don’t you dare tell me that you didn’t even have two fucking minutes to call me because that’s not true! You’re the one responsible! You left me! You broke my heart!
Oh so ye think ye didn’t break mine? When I came back to Manchester and me mam told me ye’d left and I came home, alone, in that empty apartment, Ringo wasn’t even there… I suffered, I suffered enormously. And then a few days later, I decided to find ye, to come and see ye, because me fucking life depended on it, I had to see ye! I had to see if ye were happy!
I fucking wasn’t! So that’s my fault then? You want to play it like that?
Oh come on Y/N, I never said…
Fuck you Noel! Fuck you!
Wait Y/N, I…
Fuck off!
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heynikkiyousofine · 1 year
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Here’s a little sneak peek for my InuKag royalty au, “Crowned Jewel” coming Jan. 29th! 💕
Stomping down the hall, Inuyasha growled, ignoring the worried looks from the staff. After dealing with stubborn guards about their new post along their southern border, against the Great Forest and having to reassure many villagers about the new precautions, he was ready for some answers. Knowing his parents would still be awake, he stormed into his parent’s chambers, shocked to see the peasant girl from earlier, seated very close to his mother.
“What the fuck is she doing here, in your personal chambers?” He barked, narrowing his eyes at his Father, who promptly stood in front of the girl. Her fear filled the room and he heard faint words from his mother, reassuring her that he wouldn’t harm her. She’s scared of me? Freezing, he focused on his father’s approach.
“Language, son. You know your Mother doesn’t like that kind of speech.” Toga spoke softly, no doubt noting the girl’s fear as well. “What goes on in this room is none of your concern.”
“None of my concern?” He sputtered, his anger rising once more.
“We will work on your hair while my husband deals with our son.” Izayoi rose, grabbing a small comb from the vanity nearby, “Darling, will you send me Lady Sango when you are finished?”
“Of course, dear.”
Inuyasha watched silently as his mother, the literal queen, degraded herself by combing through the matted hair, something a servant should be doing and the woman’s eyes lowered to her lap. Her fear morphed into embarrassment, her hands clasped tightly together and Inuyasha wanted to snarl at the sight.
His demon thundered inside of him, his emotion ranging from confusion, to shock, to fury and back again. Inuyasha needed to get a grip on the bastard, before his father put him in his place. What is going with me? It’s like I can’t control myself since she appeared.
“Father, tell me what is going on, please. Why is she suddenly so important?” He demanded, his fists clenching.
“Now, Inuyasha, please leave us be and everything will be explained in due time.”
“I don’t understand what is so secretive? What did that phrase she spoke mean? Why are you calling for Sesshomaru and the others in the middle of the night? You’re not taking her in as a concubine, are you?” He knew he was beginning to ramble, but could no longer control himself. “You wouldn’t dare do that to Mother, would you?”
“Inuyasha!” Toga roared, his eyes flashing red. Taking a step back, Inuyasha swallowed his smart remark, knowing his father would never raise his voice, unless he was trying to refrain from losing his temper. “I would never do a thing like that to her, you very well know the Inu ways. She is mine as I am hers, so no. The girl is not a concubine. She is a guest in our home and she will be treated with the utmost respect. You will do well to OBEY MY COMMAND, AS I AM KING.”
Shit, he’s serious. Backing down, Inuyasha glanced at the woman, her eyes still downcast and his mind tumbled. Miroku was correct, something else was happening.
“Darling, Lady Sango please.” His mother’s soft voice called out.
“I’m heading out now.” Toga sighed, “Come son, we need to leave the ladies.”
He nodded silently, giving into his curiosity once more, peeking over his father’s broad shoulders. Surprised, he met the woman’s gaze once more, reminding him of the crystal blue ocean he loved to visit as a child. He felt the same feeling from before, layers of his soul being stripped away to reveal his bare heart for her. Just who is she?
Swiftly turning on his heels, Inuyasha headed in the opposite direction from his father, heading straight for the monk, who he was sure would know what to do next. He was going to find out who the hell the blue-eyed beauty was and why she was here.
39 notes · View notes
truetgirl · 2 years
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Third to last one of these. Man it’s uh. Been a month, all of a sudden. Well, hopefully reading this will be as nice a distraction as writing it stands to be. Well, in any case, just a reminder these are in no particular order. I have soemthing for the last one the 29th with a bit more to say than most, but really the only order consideration all month is to start and finish strong lol. But yes, today we have:
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Bumbleby!
Once more, if you know me, probably could have seen this one coming. Also, to anyone tempted to tell me “you said canon ships for this series and this isn’t actually canon,” I beg you, please, for the love of god, revisit the lessons of your elementary school reading classes and build up those comprehension skills. Fiction will be so much more interesting, I promise. Also I apologize for how ramble-tastic this gets, I had a very hard time remaining any kind of concise while still getting in the points I want to talk about.
What compels me with these two is something I see get referenced a lot with them, but not as often discussed in its own right, and that’s the theme of forgiveness. What it means to forgive yourself, to forgive a loved one, to deserve forgiveness, to not deserve it, to know how to give it... It’s in every part of their relationship after the volume 3 finale, and I think that’s worth digging into.
So, basic context for anyone not aware of their story. Blake and Yang meet when they arrive at a school where they’re to learn how to kill monsters. In the first couple days there they become partners, then part of the larger unit of team RWBY. Over the course of their school year the girls, of course, get to learning about one another, and it’s revealed that Blake was once part of a civil rights group that drifted into radical and violent action, which she was part of for some time, but recently abandoned when they started crossing too many lines for her. By now, at least locally, they operate more like an organized crime syndicate.
After all of that comes out, Blake tries desperately to figure out what her former comrades are after and how to stop them. In doing this she nearly burns out completely, not letting herself rest or unwind basically at all for several days on end. Yang, ultimately, is the one who snaps her out of it a bit with a speech and a personal story about how even if you don’t want to stop, you have to be willing to slow down so you don’t burn yourself up, consumed by an obsession. Then they dance together at a homecoming party. It’s very sweet and gay.
If you ask me, that’s the first bit of forgiveness playing into their story, right there in volume 2, at pretty much the very first opportunity of their shared characterization being a thing that exists. Yang, very wisely, suggesting that Blake just take it a little easier on herself. Blake holds herself very responsible for actions taken by her old brothers and sister in arms, and it’s eating her alive. One of the first ways we see Yang caring for Blake, in the whole series, is by asking her to ease up on herself and let herself rest for her own sake. Forgiveness of the self, even in such a small form, in there right from the start.
Skip forward to the finale of volume 3 and the fall of Beacon and, well, shit just goes sideways for EVERYBODY at this point. Blake is worried Yang might be “too much like an old partner” after an incident where Yang was tricked into attacking an “unarmed” opponent for what seemed, to everyone but her, to be no reason. Who is this old partner? Well, after many glimpses of him across the series so far, he finally enters the story proper.
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Adam. Blake’s old partner from the White Fang, and her abusive ex. Pictured above is him nearly killing Blake, who can hardly even try to fight due to her utter panic upon seeing him, and then vowing to leave her alive long enough that he’ll destroy everything she loves before killing her. Might I remind you, this is in revenge for her leaving him and the White Fang behind. Basically, in the simplest possible terms, he’s vowed to make Blake suffer because she dumped him, and he’s a manipulative, possessive, abusive prick.
And, unfortunately, he starts making good on his threat almost immediately when Yang shows up and rushes in to save Blake,
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he sees how afraid Blake is for Yang, says he’ll start with her,
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and then he takes Yang’s arm.
After the fall, the member of team RWBY scatter to the four corners of the world. For Blake and Yang (and Weiss too but that’s not what we’re talking about rn) that means going home. It’s not far for Yang, and honestly fair enough because the girl is in fact recovering from the most traumatic injury she’s ever sustained. For Blake, well, it could scarcely be farther. She runs to her parents’ home in Menagerie, which is on the other side of the world.
And I do wanna stress something about that: she ran. Ruby set off on a quest to do good in the world. Weiss was forced to come home by her father. Yang was brought home to recover from her injuries and figure out life as an amputee. Blake is unique in that she just flat out ran away. Weiss remarks to Yang later, in volume 5, that of course Blake ran. She had finally let down her guard and opened up to people again, and the second she did all of her worst nightmares came true.
She blames herself for Yang’s injury, she blames herself for the White Fang’s actions after having played the role she played in making it what it had become. Even Yang, who has been there for Blake all along, resents her. But not for the loss of her arm, or the actions of the white fang. Yang is hurt and angry because Blake left her.
See, that’s Yang’s great anxiety. While Blake worries she ruins everything she touches, Yang is deeply traumatized by the knowledge that her mother just up and left her as a baby, before they’d ever even gotten to know each other, for reasons that seem somewhere between stupid and nonexistent. She lives with the constant fear that she’s not enough, or too much, or whatever will drive people away.
But ultimately, after Blake was apart from her team for nearly a full volume longer than the rest of them spent apart, they do come back together. Her father and Weiss have helped Yang tremendously along the path that leads to her forgiving Blake, but she still has to be the one to do it. Similarly, Sun has helped Blake well along the road to forgiving herself for the things that she did not do, but she has to make the final push herself.
Throughout the first episodes of volume 6, the two of them awkwardly try to find their old dynamic with each other, but it’s not the same and they both know it. It takes a while of Blake being overly helpful and still feeling pangs of guilt, and of Yang just wanting her partner back and seeing her as the whole person she still is, that she doesn’t need to be protected as though she’s fragile and weak. By the late episodes in the volume they’ve started to get that chemistry back. They’ve largely managed to come to terms with themselves and each other, and apart from a comparatively minor (nut no less important) conflict from which they reconcile in volume 8, surely that’s all there is to be said here, right?
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Nah, we still got Adam to wrap up. “But how,” I hear you wail, “How is he relevant to a discussion of forgiveness?!” And I answer, very simply: sometimes people do not deerve to be forgiven, and showing that in a context where it contrasts with people forgiving each other and themselves for their mistakes and anxieties? Exquisite.
Adam manipulated and abused Blake for years. He treated her like she belonged to him, like that was only natural, and he used her to do things that would horrify her the moment she stopped to think about them after getting away from him. That Yang forgave Blake for the things she did out of pain and fear is vitally important, in that it drew into greater clarity for her how wrong what Adam had done was. I really believe that volume 3 and earlier Blake, if she’d been confronted with Adam under different circumstances than she eventually was, may have begged him to forgive her, would have forgiven him, because the man is an effective manipulator and his hold on her was still a lot more present.
Even in volume 6, though she never offers him any forgiveness or absolution, she still tries multiple times to let him walk away. Yang, too, is willing to follow Blake’s lead on how to handle the situation after she arrives, despite her personal grudge against Adam. They give him a chance to stop and walk away, but they do not pretend that they can forgive what he’s done to them. “Being the bigger person” and forgiving someone can, in some cases, be good for the one doing it. But other times they don’t deserve it, they’ll never deserve it and their victims have every right to refuse to give it to them. And, in this case, when he keeps coming at them, every justification to do this:
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To forgive the people who you love, and who truly love you? To accept each other, mistakes, anxieties, and all? It’s one of the hardest but most rewarding things you can do. And, equally, when you’re wronged time and again, but still feel care for the one doing it? It can be hard to admit that they don’t deserve your forgiveness, that what is best for you is to “take the low road” as it’s so often framed. Blake and Yang embody the power of forgiveness, both in what they give to each other and withhold from the man who hurt each of them, in different ways. They show how they care by taking each other back and their love growing stronger after terrible things hurt them and drove them apart, and that’s some good shit, if you ask me.
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kittyt-hexxed · 1 year
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Grayson’s True Prodigy (Sevika x POC!Reader) - Ch. 7
Masterlist
Next Upload Date: November 29th
Act 1: Chapter Seven - It’s Time to Say Goodbye
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Warnings: Canon Character Death, arguments, kind parent attempting to be strict, stages of grief (Denial/Anger), Earth Magic, Final thoughts in death, blood
Summary: After the explosion, your dad tells you that you can’t see Jayce anymore making you lock yourself in your room… Not knowing that your whole world was about to come crashing down.
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If the doctors hadn’t given you medication to help you sleep, you would have stayed up thinking about what happened. It jarred you to know that you could feel when a spirit died. It added a darker turn to your otherwise bright spot. You were currently getting ready to be discharged from the hospital. It was much later than you were supposed to be picked up, but you assumed it was because of Jayce’s trial. Your father had arrived to get you and brought a change of clothes for you to wear. You smiled when you realized it was one of the cotton dresses you requested a few months ago. The unnatural fabrics had started to irritate your skin so your dad got you new outfits. ‘I spent most of my day here.’ You sigh as you glance at the clock. You slip your shoes on just as a knock sounds at the door.
“Come in!” You call out, and your father peeks his head into the room.
“You ready to go, little one?” Your dad asks. You nod your head and stand up, silently walking over to him. He guides you down the hall and to the front desk where they wish you well. You nod and leave the hospital with your father. You hadn’t said anything since leaving and you could tell that your father was nervous about it. You just couldn’t shake the feeling from yesterday. The only thing keeping you from crying was the thought that you and Grayson could be leaving as soon as tomorrow.
“It looks like it’s going to rain today.” Your father says casually. You blink and glance up to see the rain clouds forming. ‘Ah, if I don’t get my emotions in check, it’ll rain a lot sooner than it’s supposed to.’ You head inside the manor but before you can run to your room, your father asks you to follow him to the lounge. Puzzled, you do as you’re told and find Caitlyn sitting down by the fireplace.
“Y/n!” Caitlyn shouts as she shoots up from her seat. She hurries over to you and gives you a hug in greeting.
“Hey, Caitie.” You greet her, “I’m sorry for worrying you again.”
“Worried? You scared me half to death!” Caitlyn hisses, “When I saw the blood, I-I thought you were seriously injured.”
“I’m sorry.” You sigh.
“Girls.” Your father interrupts, “We need to have a serious talk.” You and your sister share a glance before sitting down. You shuffle your feet, thinking that this would be about you. Every time your mother said those words, you were being punished. ‘Getting dad to do it? That’s a new low, mother.’
“After what happened yesterday, you are not to see Jayce Talis.” Your father says sternly, “He was not banished from Piltover, but his violation of the Ethos cannot and will not be overlooked. Not to mention that he’s the reason Y/n ended up in the hospital.”
“But, father, I’m okay! The doctors said that-!”
“-NO!” Your father slams his hand down, making you and Caitlyn jump. You gape at him, shocked and a bit scared of his reaction. ‘He’s never raised his voice like that before.’
“Jayce is a… misfit.” He sighs and lowers his voice, “He’s not someone either of you should be around. Especially not when you’re the heirs of the Kiramman name. You should be spending time around someone like Brianna. She’s a talented artificer and an excellent example of what your lives will be like in a few years.”
“What if I don’t want to be like Brianna?” You cross your arms with a glare, “Does no one listen to me when I say that I don’t want to be a part of the family business?” Caitlyn snaps her head in your direction with a startled look.
“Y/n-” Your father starts but you cut him off.
“No.” You stand up, “You can stop me from seeing Jayce but you can’t force me to be someone I’m not! I’m not like Caitlyn! I don’t want to go hunting on the weekends and I don’t want to be part of this stupid high-society bullshit!” You shout in frustration.
“Y/n! Don’t you dare say that word in this house!” Your father shouts at you. You stare at him in silence before turning and heading for the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Your father demands.
“My room. I just got out of the hospital.” You retort, opening the door and slamming it shut behind you. ‘I can’t wait to leave with mama. I’m going to leave this whole family behind forever.’ You scowl.
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Grayson let out a deep breath as she filed away the last of the paperwork for Jayce’s case. The last twenty-four hours have been nothing short of a nightmare for her. Her best friend’s kids are being hunted down as the suspects for the explosion, her daughter found out she can sense when someone dies, and her deputy was walking around like he owned the place. She knew Marcus was trying to prove himself to her after a few mistakes he’s made in the past. ‘His heart is in the right place, but I don’t think his head is.’ She grumbles to herself as she takes a sip of her coffee. It was moments like this that made her question her decision to accept the position of Sheriff.
People always complimented her for her work. The crime rate in Piltover was little to non-existent and even the issues in Zaun weren’t as prevalent as they used to be. The reason for that was because Grayson stayed on top of everything. She made sure to double-check all reports and finalize any files before they were closed. If she didn’t do that, there would have been more people in Stillwater than there were supposed to be. It also resulted in frequent runs in the forest when she needed to de-stress. Y/n coming into her life had been the greatest blessing the Gods could have given her. Her daughter reminded her to not get consumed by her work and the last six years have been the best. ‘I’ve finished packing everything to leave and my resignation letter has been written. I’ve got to figure out what to do about these kids, and then I can go home.’
A knock sounds on her office door, forcing Grayson to let out a tired sigh. She gets up from her chair and opens it to see the one person she didn’t want to. Marcus. ‘What does this man want now?’
“Permission to enter, Chief?” Marcus requests.
“Permission granted.” Grayson says before turning and walking back to her desk, “What can I do for you, Marcus?” She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him, but that came with the territory. She leaned against her desk and picked up her coffee mug, a gray lion’s head. Y/n had made it for her when she was taking ceramics lessons to appease Cassandra.
“I think I’m on the trail of where those kids are, Chief.” Marcus says in earnest, “I went back to The Last Drop, grilled the owner, and had some of the Enforcers search the place. He definitely knows where those kids are. He’s protecting them!” Grayson froze, her coffee sloshing over the rim and burning her hand. She slowly raises her head to see the eager grin on Marcus’ face, and she felt all of her training with the monks fail. Anger rushes through her and she slams her cup down, grabbing Marcus’ uniform in her fist. She whirls around and shoves him against the desk with a snarl. Marcus’ eyes go wide as he stares at her enraged face.
“What the hell were you thinking, going into The Last Drop?!” Grayson shouts at him. She was livid. She had everything handled, and the last thing she needed was Vander’s decision. She knew he would much rather turn himself in than let any of the kids take the fall. They spent many hours in the bar chatting about their kids and what they’d do for them.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Grayson hisses, getting into his face.
“I was getting results!” Marcus bats her hand away and moves from the desk, “You heard the Council!” That was starting to really get on her nerves. ‘Damn the Council! They’re too blinded by their egos to care that these are children they’re hunting down!’
“You’re a fool.” Grayson says bluntly. She could feel her spirit growl in agitation about the situation. Enforcer presence in the Undercity wasn’t accepted, especially at a time of unrest like this. The only reason they didn’t have an issue with Grayson is because they knew she was a fair judge. When she had first come to Piltover, she spent a lot of time in Zaun and that’s how she became friends with Vander. They knew her well enough to understand that pissing her off was a bad idea… courtesy of a drunken bar fight in her younger days. Conveniently, the person she had gotten into a fight with was Vander.
“There is no stopping what happens now.” Grayson sighs in frustration. The extreme measures Marcus had taken caused more harm than good. Enforcers throwing people through doors or beating them up in alleys for answers is not what she taught them. Unfortunately, prejudice didn’t work off of logic and could make even the smartest person act like a fool. A hissing sound from her delivery tube causes her to turn towards it. As if he heard her, the message vial Grayson had given Vander pops out. ‘He made his decision. This could be solved by the morning and it will calm the Undercity folks to have the Enforcers out of there. This might just fix Marcus’ mistake.’
“Maybe it’s not too late.” Grayson vocalizes her thoughts as she reaches for the vial.
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Grayson had a feeling that something wasn’t going to go the way she hoped. The call to return to her homeland and protect it felt too strong. When she returned to her apartment from the hospital, she reworked the entirety of her Will and made sure that everything was where it needed to be. This wasn’t anything new to her. She was always adjusting it and making sure it was up to date, especially after she got closer to Y/n. Being the sheriff came with dangers that she always had to be on the lookout for. Her life could end in a moment and she didn’t want to leave her daughter without anything. And for some reason, she dwelled on this thought as she marched to the Undercity. Her daughter stayed on her mind as she wondered what she’d find waiting for her at Benzo’s shop. The handwriting in the vial was similar, but not quite Vander’s, so it wasn’t him who sent it.
When she reached the shop, she found the door open with Vander and Benzo standing inside. She could hear a kid’s voice yelling through the door as they banged on it, and Grayson felt her heart clench. Her theory had been right, and if she knew her best friend… he was going to take the fall instead.
“I’m guessing that’s for me.” Grayson announces her presence to the men. Vander’s head jerks up in surprise and Grayson can’t help but feel remorse for this whole situation. If it was the other way around, she knew he would be feeling the same. She was bound by her oath to the Council, and they both knew that. No matter how badly she wanted to sweep this under the rug, she couldn’t.
Grayson gives Marcus a nod and he walks into the building ready to make the arrest. In a way, she felt grateful that Marcus was here. She didn’t want to be the one to take his kid away from him. Yet, like she knew he would, Vander stepped in Marcus’ way.
“You gonna let us make the arrest or not?” Marcus snaps at him.
“You’ll oblige a doomed man one last smoke.” Vander bites back before lighting up his pipe, “Won’t you?” Those words were like a punch to the gut. Grayson knew there was a high chance he’d turn himself in, but she didn’t want to believe it. The Undercity wouldn’t survive without him. There’d be no way to restore the sunken city to a healthier time without him. At that moment, Grayson found herself doing something she never thought she would.
“I’m not putting you away, Vander.” Grayson denies.
“The Council needs its pound of flesh.” Vander reminds her.
“Without you down here, it all falls apart.” Grayson stresses to him. She didn’t want to put away a kid, either.
“Benzo will handle things.” Vander lets out a small chuckle, “He may not have my devilish charm, but he runs a tight ship.”
“Vander, no! You can’t do this!” The teen shouts from behind the door, banging against it once again. Grayson frowns, her own daughter flashing into her mind.
“You won’t be coming back for a long time.” Grayson tries again. She could get them to be lenient with a child. She could convince them to have her do community service instead of sending her to prison or banishing her. Councilor Heimerdinger would agree to give a lighter sentence to someone so young. But for an adult? Especially a Zaunite? Vander would be lucky to get ten years in Stillwater.
“I know.” Vander says as he approaches Marcus and holds out his hands. The banging and shouting starts up again and Grayson tries to tune it out.
“Mama? Have you ever been in a situation where you had to do something you didn’t want to?” Y/n looks up from the file she was reading.
“Many times, sweet one.” Grayson nods her head, “I find myself torn between my vows as a daughter of the Hirana family and the oath I swore as Sheriff.”
“You mentioned the vow before our lineagefasting… What is it?” Y/n tilts her head.
“As you know, the Hirana family protects the balance between the spirit and physical realms. When you reach a certain age, you can choose to take the family vow that officially pledges your service. You become more than a spirit walker. You become a Shaman, which means you help every spirit in crisis.”
“Wait, is that how you found me? Because I was a spirit in crisis?” You gasp.
“I found you because my spirit led me to you. You weren’t in crisis. Not at that point.” Grayson shakes her head, “Some people have a spirit they haven’t connected to because they blocked it. Especially in Zaun. Those spirits end up in crisis because they’re unbalanced. Sometimes, I have to arrest those people for crimes they commit, and I’m unable to help them.”
“Why?” Grayson questions, but she already knew the answer. ‘Our children mean everything to us. I would turn myself in to protect Y/n. I would die fighting if that meant she gets to live to see another day. I don’t blame you for this decision at all, my friend.’
“It’s the only way.” Vander utters, “You, of all people, know what I mean.” Marcus guides Vander out of the shop and Grayson follows. Suddenly, she felt her spirit perk up and it was a feeling she knew all too well. ‘Danger.’ Grayson couldn’t stop her Vastaya form from coming forward. Her claws tore through her leather gloves and a deep growl wracks her body as she yanks her mask down. They would be more of a hindrance in a fight than a help.
“Chief?” Marcus glances at her in confusion as she removes her helmet. Free from their prison, her ears flick around furiously trying to pinpoint where the danger was coming from. The sound of racing footsteps from behind her forces her to grab hold of the earth and push them out of the way. The three men yelp in alarm as they’re moved and something flashes past them. Grayson’s eyes widen and she raises a wall of rock in time to block an attack. ‘Shit. It’s fast. Too fast.’ She immediately moves to the men, shoving them behind her as her hackles rise.
“What the hell?!” Marcus shouts when he sees her eyes. Grayson ignores them, crouching down and letting her claws pierce the ground.
“Whoever you are! Whatever you are! Come out!” Grayson snarls angrily. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the gravity of the situation set in. If she didn’t have her magic, she would’ve been dead by now.
“Why do we train so hard?” Y/n pants as she wipes the sweat from her face.
“There are things in this world that will kill us if we’re not careful. Twisted Spirits. Demons. Monsters. Carnivorous plants. And, sometimes, they can kill us even if we’re prepared. I want you to be unkillable and always ready for a fight.”
“You believe I’ll be in fights like those someday?” Y/n’s eyes go wide, “Like Orum?”
“We don’t know what you truly are, my sweet fae. Who knows what your nature will lead you to… or lead to you.” Grayson says grimly.
‘Y/n… I don’t know if we’ll be going to Ionia, my sweet one.’ Her ears shift forward at the sound of footsteps and she can see someone emerging from the mist. Grayson’s eyes widen when she recognizes the man in front of her.
“Silco?!” Benzo spits out from behind her, “You animal! Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of!” She shoots up to stop him, but he hits her hand away. His soul flares and Grayson felt her heart shatter.
“Benzo, stay back!” Vander shouts desperately.
“You never did know when to walk away.” Silco deadpans. Grayson snaps her head to the side and springs forward, knocking Benzo out of the way. Something hits her hard, throwing her back at Vander and she hits the ground with a grunt. As she does, whatever creature it was circled back around and attacked Benzo.
“NO!” Grayson and Vander scream together as blood sprays over the cobblestones. The spirits told her it was hopeless but she still had to try. She hits the ground in anguish and forces herself back up and Silco stands there with a dull expression, “Hm. Stubborn to the end.” He looked different from the last time she saw him, but that was years ago. The last thing she had heard about him was that he and Vander severed ties. But, it was the thing next to Silco that caught her attention. The humanoid figure was grotesque with pulsing purple veins and abnormally glowing eyes. ‘I don’t sense any magic from it. What the hell is this thing?’ Grayson thinks as dread fills her veins. ‘It moves too fast for me to see, and my reaction times aren’t quick enough.’
“What’s the meaning of this, Silco?!” Grayson shouts, “What the fuck are you doing?!”
“Hello, old friend.” Silco responds coldly, “I’m here for Vander. And, not to be a drag, but, you’re supposed to be dead.” With that, the creature next to him vanishes and Grayson finds herself dodging a series of attacks. Her heart was racing with those words. ‘Whatever happened between him and Vander, it seems like he’s here to settle the score… and I’m in his way.’ Her heart drops at the realization. With a roar, Grayson fights the creature not only because her life was on the line but because she was being called to do the one thing she was meant to do. Protect.
Grayson was vaguely aware of Vander screaming in the background, but all of her focus was on this… thing. She managed to land a few blows but they didn’t seem to phase it, and her magic wouldn’t respond fast enough to keep up. No matter how hard she fought, deep down, Grayson knew she was going to die here. She couldn’t feel her injuries but she knew they were there by the way her reaction time became slower, and she found herself fighting back tears. Because back in Piltover, in a little room in the Kiramman manor, sat her daughter waiting for her to return. Waiting for Grayson to come and tell her that they were leaving and never coming back. To take her away from a place that wished to break her down. So, before she succumbed to the building injuries, Grayson shouted the one thing she desperately needed her daughter to hear.
“Tell my daughter that she’s perfect just the way she is! That I’m sorry I won’t get to see her become the woman she’s meant to be! Please, spirits, let her know that I love her more than life itself and I don’t regret being her mother!” Grayson barely managed to dodge another attack, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to dodge the next one. ‘I love you, sweet one.’
“GRAAAAY! NOOO!” Was the last thing she heard.
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Vander fell to his knees as he watched his best friend get murdered. Benzo’s death had already wounded him, especially knowing that Ekko would be crushed, but he hadn’t known him as long as he knew Gray. And to see her body hit the ground, blood pooling around her, broke his heart. They met when they were only teenagers, getting into a drunken bar fight that ended with them buying a drink for each other. Before Silco. Before Benzo. They were as thick as thieves until she decided to join the Enforcers’ Academy with the sole purpose of protecting the people she cared about. Vander had cursed her out, socked her in the jaw, and Gray let him. When he had gotten his anger out, she told him that she wanted to change things… and she did.
The Sheriff before Grayson could barely control his own subordinates and was an ass at protecting the people. When Grayson took the oath, it only took a year before things got all cleaned up. And, Vander admired her for that. It was because of her that Vander ended up taking the mantle as the Undercity’s leader. After the senseless violence, she had come to him as a friend and told it to him straight. Neither of them wanted any more death on their hands, especially when Vander became the foster father of four children. He had more to protect than himself.
“Good Gods.” Vander breathes out in shock. The words she had shouted into the air rattled in his mind. ‘Her daughter.’ He thinks miserably. ‘Her daughter will never see her again. All because of me.’ He wasn’t foolish. He knew that Grayson was protecting them the moment she let her Vastayan form come through. It was a secret she kept close to her chest with Piltover being so unfair towards her kind. She wouldn’t have pulled it out if she didn’t have to risk it.
His best friend had spoken of her plans to resign and return to her home. She had asked him if he wanted to come along and introduce the kids to a new life, but he declined. Zaun was their home, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get them to leave it behind. But, she had laughed and brought up how excited her daughter was to leave. Vander knew about the girl’s upbringing and how Grayson had rescued her from her birth mother. He had caught a flash of them walking through the Undercity one morning, and Grayson admitted it was to get a tattoo. Vander laughed so hard that Grayson nearly clocked him to shut him up. Her daughter sounded just like her when she was younger.
“What the hell have you done?” Marcus’ voice sounds, “This wasn’t the deal!”
“Deal’s changed.” Silco responds. Vander knew that monster was approaching him. Yet, he couldn’t look away from his friends’ bodies. He felt nothing but grief and anger as he glared up at that thing. He would make sure that whatever it was… died a painful death.
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You were all seated around the dinner table in awkward silence. Well, it was an awkward silence between you and Caitlyn because your parents were talking to each other. After your outburst in the lounge, you stayed holed up in your room until dinner time. You spent the whole time furiously packing up your things. You didn’t want to be here anymore and you couldn’t wait to leave with Grayson. You planned to pack up everything you would be bringing to Ionia and donate the rest of it to the orphanage. In the process of packing, you realized that you didn’t have a lot to bring with you. You had your souvenirs from your trip around the world, a few personal keepsakes, and a couple of other items. Everything else you had in your room, you had zero attachment to. ‘Like Piltover and my family. Zero attachment.’
You push the beef around on your plate in disgust. You had finished all of the fruit and vegetables given to you, but the meat made your stomach turn. It hadn’t started until recently. You found yourself getting sick every time you ate meat of any kind, even seafood had started to do the same. You could only stomach fruits and vegetables that were sustainably harvested. How could you tell the difference? You weren’t sure, but all it took was one look to know.
“Y/n.” Your mother’s cold voice breaks the silence.
“Yes, mother.” You look up from your plate.
“Stop playing around with your food.” She says sternly, making you sigh. You place your fork down and cross your arms over your chest. No matter how tempted you were, if you even dared to put an elbow on the table, you’d be in trouble.
“Now. What were you doing with Jayce? You were spending a lot of time with him.” Your mother interrogates you. ‘I knew this was coming, but around the dinner table? She’s trying to trap me in a corner… I can’t believe she thinks I was the reason Jayce got away with it!’
“I was studying his textbooks from the Acadamy, mother.” You say innocently, “If you remember, the professors turned me away saying that it was too soon for me to learn. Since Jayce had access to the library, I asked him to let me study through him.”
“You weren’t aware of anything he was doing?” Your father speaks up.
“No, papa. I spent my time in the living room, and Jayce kept his study locked. Whatever he was doing, I was not informed of it.” You shrug. Your papa didn’t do anything wrong. You knew it was because of your mother, but it still scared you a bit.
“Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Kiramman?” You all turn to see your butler standing in the doorway, “You have a visitor.”
“A visitor at this time of night?” Your mother stands from the table, “Who is it?”
“It’s Deputy Marcus, ma’am. He seems to be a bit shaken up.” Your butler responds. He was new and you had yet to learn his name since you rarely saw him. You and Caitlyn share a glance for the first time since you sat down. Without a word, you two scramble out of your chairs and hurriedly follow your parents down the hallway. You made sure to stay back far enough that they wouldn’t realize you were following them to the foyer. You could hear the sound of Marcus’ boots on the tile as he paces back and forth. Caitlyn grabs your hand and you two duck behind the wall of the stairwell. This was a common place for you to hide and listen in as a kid. You heard too many family secrets and important information when you were practically invisible to your family.
“Marcus? What’s going on?” Your mother questions. Marcus stops pacing and you notice that his hands are shaking slightly. He clears his throat and clasps his hands in front of him.
“There’s… no other way to say this than um…” Marcus takes a shaky breath trying to steady himself, “The Sheriff… Grayson… is… d-dead.” He struggles to get the words out, but when he does, you feel your heart drop. You barely hear Caitlyn’s gasp, your ears ringing as you stare unseeing at Marcus. ‘No. No, mama can’t be dead. Mama can’t be dead. He’s lying. Marcus is lying!’ Rage ignites in you, burning away the approaching numbness, and you find yourself racing forward.
“LAIR!” You scream and shove Marcus who staggers backward from your surprising strength, “YOU’RE LYING! SHE’S NOT DEAD!” You continue to shove him, screaming in rage at the audacity of this man, and he didn’t even stop you. Hands hook under your arms and you’re getting dragged back as you continue to kick and scream profanities at him. You can feel tears stinging in your eyes as you desperately try to hold them in.
“YOU SICK FUCK! I’LL KICK YOUR ASS! I’LL-!” A hand covers your mouth, and you hear your father’s voice in your ear.
“Enough, Y/n! What has gotten into you? Let the man speak!” Your father hisses and you wrench yourself out of his grip with a glare. Your mother had a shocked look on her face but you didn’t care about any of them right now.
“Whatever you’re going to say? Spit it out.” You snarl fiercely as Marcus shuffles in place. Now that you were properly looking at him, you can see the haunted look in his eyes. Marcus hesitates, staring back at you before his eyes flit around to the others.
“This isn’t something you children-!” You glare at your mother before refocusing on the man in front of you.
“-Say it!” You demand and Marcus grimaces. You watch intently as his hand slips into his uniform pocket.
“We went to make the arrest for the suspects in the explosion, and we were attacked as we were escorting the perpetrator out.” Marcus forces out, “Grayson… Grayson fought them but they… they killed her and the perpetrator. I-I only survived because of her.” Before you can say anything, Marcus pulls his hand out of his pocket and something glitters in the light. Your throat seizes up as he opens his palm and the necklace you made her sits there. You inhale sharply and you numbly walk toward him, feeling like you aren’t in your body. You shakily lift your hands out and Marcus drops the necklace into your cupped hands.
“Grayson told me you made that for her, and I thought… you might want it back.” Marcus says softly. You stare down at the glittering blue petal and swallow hard at the bloodstain covering part of it. You had given this to Grayson as a gift after she gave you your necklace. You thought it was fair since it was a petal from an Ionian sapphire rose that had crystalized when you touched it. That was the first time she had cried in front of you. You panicked, thinking that she hated it until she enveloped you in the tightest hug ever. That encouraged you to gift her with a meaningful gift whenever you could.
You felt a tear run down your cheek and your breathing started to become staggered. And when the light caught the petal, it made something crack inside of you. With a sob, you fell to your knees while clutching the necklace in your hand. ‘She’s gone. She’s gone. Mama’s gone.’ Hands. Hands grab at you, pulling you up off of the tile and you let them. Once you’re standing, you stagger to the stairs, eyes blurring and unblurring with tears. If they were screaming at you, you couldn’t hear a thing. The only thing you could hear was the last thing Grayson had said to you. That night in the hospital replaying over and over in your head.
When you got to your room, you were exhausted. The tears had stopped for now, but you knew that wouldn’t be the last of them. You blankly changed into your nightgown and crawled into bed, bundling up with your blankets and stuffed animals. You kept running your fingers over the petal with the necklace chain twisted around your fingers. You were tired enough to pass out, but you couldn’t go to sleep. Not when the morning would come and you wouldn’t be greeted by your mama. And then a realization set in. You forced yourself to take a deep breath to soothe your lungs.
“Spirits.” You croak out, “Spirits, please come here.” Your room lit up as dozens of spirits appeared to heed your call.
“Please tell the Masters of Hirana Monastery that the Great Gray Lion has left the physical realm.” You whisper, “Tell them to come immediately… for the funeral.” The spirits’ lights blink before vanishing and you close your eyes in relief knowing that the message will be delivered. Your chest felt heavy, your head felt empty, and yet you didn’t feel like you were in your body.
The presence of a strong spirit makes itself known outside of your window. You force your eyes open as the lock to your balcony clicks open and a gentle breeze blows into the room. You watch dully as the spirit you saw yesterday drifts into your room. She gives you a sad smile.
“Messages can be carried on the wind, and I come to you with an important one from a Great Lion. One that may bring you some comfort in this time of grief.” She speaks delicately.
“From a Great Lion?” You gasp, a feeling of hope sparking.
The spirits nods, “While engaged in battle, she pleaded with the spirits to carry a message to her daughter. I’ve come to you, Daughter of the Great Lion, to give you this message. These are her last words.”
“Please.” You plead weakly, “Please tell me what she said.”
With a tap of her staff, a small torrent of wind fills the air and you nearly choke when you hear Grayson’s voice, “Tell my daughter that she’s perfect just the way she is! That I’m sorry I won’t get to see her become the woman she’s meant to be! Please, spirits, let her know that I love her more than life itself and I don’t regret being her mother!” You find yourself crying again. Those words were painful to hear knowing that it was the last thing she ever said. You… were the last thing on her mind.
“Th-Th-Thank- you!” You stutter through the tears.
“Know this, young spirit… She died with honor.” The spirit comforts you but you only cry harder. ‘Of course, mama would die with honor. That’s who she is… was. She was a protector. My protector… and now she’s gone.’
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