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a-constant-gay-panic · 2 years

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Babysitter

masterlist

pairing: steve harrington x older fem!reader

summary: steve has been babysitting your kids for quite some time now. he’s tried to stop and he knows it’s not right but over time, he’s developed feelings for you. even if you are technically still married.

warnings: swearing, legal age gap (both individuals are of age), divorce, cheating, slight sexual tension, very short steamy moment, fluff with a sprinkle of angst

word count: 2.5k

a/n: the steve fic that no one asked for but i wanted to make :) enjoy this ig?

disclaimer: i don’t fully know how divorces work and the whole legal routes of things so forgive me if there are some mistakes please-

(yes, your kids' names are arabella and alice. yes, they’re both inspired by songs. ‘arabella’ by arctic monkeys and ‘living next door to alice’ by smokie. i like them both so deal with it. but i also apologies if your name is eric or jennifer-)

— — — — — X — — — — —

“steve?” you call from your room, giving yourself a last once-over. you’re about to leave for court, finally about to discuss who gets custody of your children.

you get no response from the man in question and stand, ready to leave your room and get the show on the road. making your way downstairs, you hear your daughters, arabella and alice, squealing and giggling.

entering the living room, you’re greeted by the sight of steve harrington, your long-time babysitter, pulling faces and chasing your girls all around the place. he makes a roaring sound as he scoops arabella up and tickles her, causing alice to screech and grab a pillow, rushing to rescue her twin.

you smile at the sight of him and your kids, heart melting at their bond.

as if he can feel your presence, steve turns around, eyes comically wide and your daughters follow suit. you frown playfully at them but your serious demeanour soon cracks as you burst out laughing at the 3.

“anyone ever told you, you act like a kid, harrington?” you question as you walk further into the living room. “a few.” he says with a small laugh before his breath hitches slightly in his throat as he takes in your attire, the pantsuit you’re wearing complimenting all your features just right, causing his imagination to spiral.

“where are you going, momma?” alice’s voice is small as she looks over your neat outfit. “i’m going out now. that’s why steve is here, sweetheart.” you kneel down so you’re her height. “out where?” arabella asks, her eyebrows furrowing.

you sigh and look down, not sure how to approach the topic.

“you know how your dad hasn’t been around for a while now?” the two of them nod. “well, momma is going to go discuss a few things with him about it.” you explain carefully and they “ohh” and “ahh” at your words. it’s not a secret per say, but you've never told them exactly what's going on.

you had tried to avoid the subject but you knew you’d have to tell them eventually. part of you knew that you didn't want to talk about it due to your own embarrassment, after all, how is someone supposed to get over the fact that their partner cheated on them with someone who’s barely an adult?

yes, that's right, your bastard of a husband, went and slept with his 20 year old intern. cliché right? well to make it more stereotypical, his intern also happened to be his friend's daughter but you weren’t going to get into that.

the realisation when you saw a pair of underwear, which didn’t belong to you, under your bed was enough to make your blood boil. the anger and embarrassment being too much. you often suspected at times that he was cheating but you never had any proof so you decided to play it off.

you had quite literally kicked him out that night, screaming profanities at him and his mother while he blabbered about it being a mistake before slamming the door in his face.

you were livid. you weren't one for disloyalty so the day after the incident, you called your lawyer and soon enough, the divorce was being set into place.

now there you were, kneeling in front of your angels, telling them simply that their father wasn’t going to be around much longer. of course, you weren’t being completely honest with them. the court session was about custody over the kids but you didn’t want to worry them, choosing to rather hide some information for their sake.

looking at them, you can’t stop the tears forming in your eyes, worry clouding your mind. you pull them both in for a hug in an attempt to hide your expression but steve sees your pained look.

you make eye contact with him and he mouths the words, “are you ok?” you smile sadly at him and release your girls from your embrace, telling them to go play in their room while you speak to steve.

“but we wanna play!” alice pouts and arabella follows her actions soon after. “and you can. in your room. momma has some grown up things to tell steve.” you say with a smile.

once the two are out of earshot you can’t help but fall onto the couch, eyes stinging once more.

“hey, what’s the matter?” steve asks softly. you shake your head and look at him, a scared and defeated look on your face. “well my divorce papers are going well but there's still a possibility the girls will be split up or that i won’t get custody of either of them. i know it's unlikely, but still… it scares me.”

“shit… i had no idea you and eric were splitting up.”

‘lie.’

you thought. there was no way he didn’t know. he’s sure to have heard the countless fights and the cruel words you would mutter to your, soon to be ex, husband.

“it’s nice of you to pretend to be oblivious but we both know you were aware of our relationship.” the smile on your face has no trace of humour. “i’m sorry…” is all he says. you scoff and shake your head. “no need to apologise. it was only a matter of time. hell, the only reason i married him was because the thought of me having children with a man i wasn’t married to was too ‘taboo’ for my parents.” you admit.

steve sinks into the couch next to you, close enough for you to feel the warmth radiating from him. “don’t worry so much, ok? i’m sure things will work out… hopefully the court will see what a dick he is.”

you laugh at his words, grateful for his company now more than ever. you turn and see him already looking at you but instead of him averting his eyes like he usually does when he’s caught looking at you, he keeps the eye contact. you stare back and silently admire him. his eyes, the ghost of a smile still on his lips, the way his hair frames his face, him.

there was no denying that steve harrington was a gorgeous man, you’d always thought so. you had to stop yourself from making any moves or giving any signs of attraction, not only due to the couple year age gap and the fact you were technically his boss, but also because at the time and even now, you were still married by law and if you were to get caught, the amount of trouble it would cause is huge.

you snap out of it when you see him inching closer. quickly averting your eyes, you look at your watch and see that if you didn’t hurry, you’d be late.

“i should go… don’t have much time left.” you mumble as you get up, walking towards the door and grabbing your bag. steve coughs to cover his embarrassment and stands, following you. “yeah… i’ll see you later.” he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck as he watches you open the door and step out, shouting a, “bye darlings, i’ll be back soon!” and getting a, “see you!” in return.

you laugh slightly and look at steve. “call me if anything happens, alright?” he nods, “of course. good luck.”

the last image you see before driving off to the court house is steve standing in the doorway, alice and arabella on either side of him, all 3 waving.

the sight is enough to raise a lump in your throat, regretting not giving your girls a father like steve.

— — — — — X — — — — —

you grip the steering wheel tightly, blood boiling as you drive back to your house. the images surfacing in your mind coming and going with a vengeance.

“y/n.” your teeth grit together at his voice. turning around you plaster a fake smile on your face even if you’re throwing up inside.

there, in front of you, is eric and his new toy, jennifer. you cringe at their choice of attire; black leather makes up everything. “you realise this is a court, not a drug deal, right?” the venom in your voice is prominent and it causes a few eavesdroppers to glance at the 3 of you before muttering to each other.

“well at least we know the meaning of fashion.” jennifer fires back and you mentally facepalm. “you have no idea how childish that sounds…” you mutter to yourself. “how about you leave the talking to the grown-ups, ok?” you mock a little bit louder.

eric snickers and you look at him confused. “i almost forgot how much fire you have inside you.”

his words send shivers down your back, and not the good kind. jennifer glares at him and then you, not knowing who to be mad at in that moment.

“let’s just get this over already.” you spit out, hands curling into fists as annoyance and disgust creeps into your mind.

soon enough you’re walking out, head high and a weight lifted from your shoulders. that is, until jennifer grabs your arm, forcing you to turn around. “what do you want?” you ask, boredom written on your face. “you think you’re so big, huh?” she glares.

pulling your arm from her grasp, you scoff. “what are you going on about now?” “just because you got to keep your little brats, doesn’t mean you’re any better than us.”

you laugh at the absurdity of her words. “i’m pretty sure it does make me better. besides, what do you care? it’s not like you ever wanted to be around them.” she laughs, “seems as if you’re forgetting that they’re not just your kids. they’re eric’s too. it’s pathetic how you got custody when he’s clearly more fit for the job.”

you were officially pissed. it’s not because your feelings were hurt, oh no, but it was the sheer delusion she had that you weren’t good enough to raise your kids.

you glare at her and take a step closer, forcing her to take one back and look up at you due to the height difference. “listen here, say whatever the fuck you want about me but never, and i mean never, imply that i’m incapable of caring for my children.”

you see a flash of fear in her eyes but she quickly covers it with another short laugh. “you couldn’t even keep your husband and yet here you say that you’re able to look after them? that’s rich. we all know i was better for eric and i’d be better for the two bitches-”

a loud noise is heard as your hand collides with her face, the force so hard it turns her head completely.

“say that again and i swear to god i’ll do worse than slap you. all you are is a bitch who hides behind empty promises and words, knowing that someone is bound to save you but look around, there’s no one here to save you now, is there?” you whisper menacingly.

you look behind her and see eric staring at the two of you, cigarette in mouth and a disgusting smirk on his face. “i suggest you run back home, kid, before things get messy.” you hiss, head jerking towards the smirking asshole.

you give both of them one last glare before climbing in your car and driving off.

— — — — — X — — — — —

you slam your car door closed and stalk up to the front door. before you’re able to unlock it, steve is already opening it with a smile. “hey! how did it go…?” he trails off slightly as you storm inside, throwing your bag on the floor and your coat on a chair.

“good. i got custody of both the girls.” you say simply, jerking a few buttons of your shirt open as you try to cool down. steves eyes search the newly exposed skin but he quickly stops himself before he gets carried away.

“what’s wrong then?” he asks and you sigh in annoyance and anger. “eric’s 'new love'," you start, sarcasm dripping from your words, "decided to, not only insult my ability to keep a man, but also my ability to properly care for my own kids.” you’re seething and turn to finally look at steve.

you lock eyes again and an idea passes through your mind, a thought which you weren't able to stop in time. you aren’t sure if it’s the anger which pulses through your veins or if it’s the way he looks right then and there, but you find yourself quickly closing the distance and kissing him, giving in to your impulsions.

his eyes widen as your lips crash onto his but they soon close as he relaxes, almost immediately responding to your advances. your hands tangle in his hair and his do the same, roaming freely as your tongue forces its way into his mouth. just before things could go any further, a squeal reaches your ears.

“i told you!”

you and steve quickly let go of each other and see alice and arabella at the bottom of the stairs. alice is smiling widely while arabella frowns, arms folded with an upset look on her face.

“pay up!” alice says in a sing-song voice and you and steve watch in amusement and confusion as arabella pulls out a sweet from her pocket and hands it to her twin. “goddammit!” her voice is frustrated and steve can’t help but to burst out laughing at the serious exclamation of anger from her.

“hey, hey, hey! language!” you scold. she looks at you and folds her arms, “you say worse.” “don’t sass me, little one. i’m an adult, you’re not.” you find yourself trying your hardest to not laugh at the way she’s standing. she's a total drama queen at heart.

alice and steve are dying with laughter at the interaction and you watch in awe as steve picks alice up to hide his face which is streaming with tears from laughing so much.

soon enough you and arabella join in, the whole mock situation soon defusing.

you pick arabella up and her and alice hold hands, forcing you and steve to stand close to each other as they whisper secrets to each other.

you look at steve and smile. he blushes and speaks softly, “so are we going to talk about what happened…?” you make as if you’re thinking before saying, “nah.” his face falls and you laugh again before telling him that you’re joking.

“we’ll discuss it later. either in here or in my room. all depends what sort of ‘discussion’ you want.” you smile cheekily at him. “how about we go from here to the discussion in your room?” he asks and you smirk at him. leaning closer you whisper, “sounds like a plan.” you gently place your lips on his and the children in your arms squeal again.

“gross!” “don’t be rude bella!” “but it’s gross!” arabella defends herself. “no it’s not! they’re in love!” alice counters, hands cupping her face to add to the effect. her words make you and steve blush together.

“so… is steve going to sleep on dad's side of the bed now?” alice asks innocently.

“alice!” steve bursts out laughing at your shocked expression and you can't help but look at him lovingly.

“tell you what. if your mom says i can be, then i will.”

you stare at the 3 of them adoringly, nodding slightly as steve kisses you once more.

you were bubbling with delight, knowing that your kids finally have a good father figure in their lives and that you might've found someone who loves you for you. someone who you definitely feel the same for.

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#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington #fem!reader #older!reader #mother!reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington angst #angst #fluff #older!fem reader

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sapphic-woes · 1 year

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Fortress of Roses - Chap. One

A/N: So this is what I've been blabbering about for a while now. My precious sappy lesbian historical romance :)

AO3 link

Summary: Rosalie Duravès is the daughter of the wealthiest noble in the kingdom. There's no one that wouldn't want a piece of his fortune, but the duke wants power in return. When Arabella Rex, the crown princess of Lothia, offers her hand in marriage he gets just that...whether Rosalie wants it too or not.

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“Father please, I hardly know anything about her, and what I have heard has been nothing but terrifying stories–”

My neck snapped to the right, and it took me a moment to understand why. By then, my entire body had already followed along with the force of his slap, and I hit the ground with a resounding thud.

"Insolent girl! Don't you understand what this opportunity means for us? The crown princess has asked for your hand in marriage, and I have accepted. That is final." I bit my bottom lip to hold back tears. My cheek was hot and tender under my quivering fingers, and I nodded slowly before the cane in front of me. Impatiently, it slammed into the ground and I flinched.

"Y-yes Father."

"If it were your sister I wouldn't have to worry, but instead Arabella asked for a common fool like you. Clearly, she prefers a woman with little presence. It won't be at the palace, Arabella wants the wedding to be more quiet, no doubt to have as few eyes on you as possible." A noise of protest slipped past my lips as my chin was held and roughly jerked up. Cold eyes full of distaste stared me down, and it was hard to believe they belonged to my own father.

"You will marry her, and you will do as she says. They want our money, and we want their power. Once you consummate the marriage, you'll stay in this estate unless she calls for you. Neither of us wants you under the public eye to go about making a laughing stock of both our families. This is your one and only chance Rosalie…do not make me regret keeping you alive till now." At my nod the duke finally released me, walking out of my room.

"Good, and if you ruin this? I'll kill you myself." The door shut with a violent bang, and I was left to sit on the floor in silence. Frantically, I tried to process what had just happened.

The crown princess? Arabella Rex was, as the servants whispered, the living fortress of our kingdom. Seven years ago war broke out between Lothia and the opposing kingdom of Thez. At sixteen years of age, the crown princess was already leading her own army against the enemy, and by the end of the war her reputation was well known throughout Lothia. Arabella was as respected as she was feared, and surely there was nothing the princess wanted that she couldn't have…so why was she settling for someone like me?

In comparison, my reputation was rather meager. I was an illegitimate daughter, and my mere existence was looked down upon. As such, my father rarely allowed me to leave the castle, preferring to go to social events with my beloved sister Eden instead. The last major ball I had been to was my own debut, and I doubted anyone remembered what I even looked like now.

Not like they would care to know anyway.

Unlike Eden I wasn't strikingly beautiful, and without much practice I was unable to hold the simplest conversations, let alone carry an air of grace like my sister did. I wasn't anything like how a noble lady should be, and in the end I was utterly useless to our family. It would only be a matter of time before Arabella noticed it too, and when she inevitably divorced me?

I shivered, remembering the eyes of my father. His threat hadn't been a lie. If I didn't follow along and try my best to keep this marriage intact…

Surely, he would end up killing me.

______________

The ride to the church was overwhelming. The carriage's jostling was nauseating, and despite my Father claiming it would be "quiet," the sheer amount of people calling out my name forced me to shrink away from the window. Opposite me, my father scowled.

“You must smile and wave. You are to be the wife of the Queen one day. If you can't do something as simple as this–”

“Father please, Rose just needs time to adjust.” My lovely sister, Eden, calmly spoke, voice like a calming breeze over my father’s temperament. She was always quick to come to my aide, placing her hand over my own.

“Breathe, sister. There will be fewer people once we get inside.” Stiffly, I nodded, and she offered me a kind smile before she turned to her own window to offer the commoners a wave. At this rate they’d mistake her for the bride instead, but I was too focused on calming my nerves for the remainder of the ride to worry about that.

Even with my jumbling thoughts, I could still recognize that the church was beautiful. Arches hung high above our heads, and stained glass glistened under the evening sun. It was surely a place people waited years to have their wedding in, yet my father had reserved it within a few weeks. I felt terrible knowing he'd wasted the extra money on me.

I told myself not to trip as my father escorted me out of the carriage. My dress weighed a thousand pounds, and glimmering lace trailed behind me. The knights waiting to guard our path into the church fixed me with steely glares. They were dressed differently than most knights, with colors reminiscent of the royal family. Were they under Arabella's command? Why did they already look insulted to see me? Worried, I averted my gaze, hand tightening over the bouquet of white roses I held.

Slowly, we walked through the line of knights and into the church. The diamonds on my neck burdened my heaving chest, and seeing what lay before me didn’t make it any easier to breathe.

It was a sea of nobles I did not know. How was this a small wedding? Even without the majority of nobles here, there was still more than enough. Their piercing gazes made my stomach twist, clearly assessing every inch of my appearance. What if I wasn't to their liking? Or more importantly, hers? The thought had my eyes looking past everyone else before I could stop myself. At the sight of her, I took in a sharp breath.

No amount of gossip I’d overheard would have prepared me for the intensity of her eyes, deep blue fixating on my own. She wore a white decorated tunic, dark hair tied up into a simple ponytail. Her face was hard, and I couldn’t tell what she thought of me. Suddenly, the grip the duke had on my hand grew painful. Father graciously smiled at the crowd of nobles standing to watch us walk down the aisle, yet his sneering whisper was all I could hear.

“Fix that miserable look on your face, before you cause everything to fail.” I nodded, forcing down my bubbling fear. My eyes cast down, assessing my shoes as I neared the altar. Whispers bounced around me, but I tried to block them out. Finally, my father's hand left mine, and I swallowed as I took the final steps to stand beside Arabella. To my relief, the princess didn't look at me.

“We gather here today to witness the joining of two souls under the eyes of the Lord…” Was this really happening? The priest’s voice echoed in tandem with my own heart. I was going to marry this woman, and I hardly even knew her. My chest was tight with panic, and I could barely focus as the priest spoke.

“Arabella Rex, will you take Rosalie Duravès as your wife, and vow to protect her till the end of your days?” I didn’t realize how still the princess was until then. I stiffened as she took a deep breath, and with my downcast gaze, I caught her hand squeezing into a fist. Her fingers were littered with many scars, each shifting as she moved.

She relaxed, and I swallowed.

“I do.” Arabella’s voice was a deep, velvet murmur. It was nothing like Eden’s, or the maids in our castle, or any woman I’d known so far. It was monotone and gave me no hints about her state of mind. The uncertainty only fueled my worries more. Why would she agree if she didn't want to do this? What exactly did she want from me? My heartbeat became frantic, and I struggled to stay standing.

“Rosalie Duravès, will you take Arabella Rex as your wife…” This was it. The veil hid my face, yet I still didn't dare look up, fearful it still wouldn't be enough. Despite my best efforts my face was contorting, and whatever expression I was making had to be full of anguish. I didn’t want this, and I didn’t want to imagine what my new life would be like. Before I could stop myself I shuddered, and I bit my bottom lip to hold in my voice as tears fell. The priest wavered when he noticed my silent sobbing, stuttering as he forced himself to continue.

“...a-and vow to follow her till the end of your days?” It sounded like a prison sentence rather than a romantic vow. It felt like one too. My hands tightened over the bouquet of roses I held. The thorns had been trimmed off, but regardless I hoped one or two were still there to cut me. The pain never came.

I squeezed until my fingers grew numb, and fresh tears fell as I shut my eyes and forced myself to speak.

“I do.”

#writeblr #original writing #am writing #oc: rosalie #oc: arabella #rosabella #honestly dunno how tf to tag this #luv my cringey title lol

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pigstepmp3-moved · 5 years

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Yeah, it's kinda sad that apparently us bi people are labelled as transphobes because I would totally date a trans or nonbinary person, like their gender doesn't really matter and while some people may say Im pansexual I still go by bisexual because their is no like rules for being bi, it's up to the person. I just rambled lol im sorry.

me: a trans bi personbiphobes: ur transphobic for being bi!!!!

but anyway. yeah! i agree totally! like, yeah, theres a lot of overlap between bisexual and pansexual and etc etc, but it just depends on what label feels right for you, yknow? like, pansexual felt right for me for a long time, but then i realized that bi felt Way better for me. but yeah, like i said before, every bi person has their own definition of what being bi means to them, and being bi isnt inherently transphobic. like, im sure there are some bi people out there who say theyre bi only bc they’d also date a trans person, but thats only a small portion of us, yknow?

#bi tag #kendall blabbers #fondlybuck #arabella tag

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arabella111 · 2 years

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PLEASE READ THIS !!

‼️ TW // OVERDOSE ‼️

hey everyone,

as you guys must've noticed, i have been inactive these past days. this is mainly because i have been a little unwell. i overdosed myself on my medicines because of some stuff that happened which affected me mentally. i know this was not the best thing to do and there are better ways to cope up with trauma and stuff but at that time, nothing felt right. i don't advise anyone to do this nor do i glorify overdosing, even if you feel mentally exhausted and your emotions start controlling you, get hold of yourself. whatever you're going through is understandable, you're valid, your problems are valid and you are always allowed to feel bad and cry about stuff. but never let it affect you in a way, you would be harmed in long term. if you ever feel like venting/talking about stuffs, just dm me, i will be more than happy to help :)

thankfully, there wasn't much damage and i am okay now. though, i personally need some time for myself. before anyone says, "work on your self concept", cus i know there will be people who would start suspecting the law, it's nothing about that, i was just not in my right mind and i also let my emotions consume me, which is not the best thing to do. anyways, i am going on a little hiatus for some time, i'll be back soon, hopefully.

regardless of the break, i will still post the subliminal i promised i would. i can't assure anything about answering asks/dms though mainly because i don't want to hurry and blabber mindlessly. i will make a side blog to talk to you guys cus i don't want to lose touch with my followers :3 not gonna lie, tumblr had been my go-to comfort place for a long time. people here are really nice and so kind. we do have some drama here and there but it really doesn't matter because at the end of the day, everyone understands. i just love interacting with you all so much. like this community is hands down my emotional support :")

this isn't a goodbye, don't worry, i will try my best to come back as soon as possible! i will update you all on my side blog! love you all <333

with love,

arabella ❣️

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pink-chevalier · 4 years

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Celestial continues on blabbering more nonsense, and Arabella kisses her to shut her up. She smiles and whispers, a soft I love you to Celestial. Honestly, if the woman wasn't around, Arabella wouldn't know what to do with her life because Celestial's the one keeping her grounded. She hates admitting that because Celestial always gets this cocky look, but Arabella knows that her wife loves to hear it. So, right now, Arabella reminds her with a kiss and a look in her pink eyes that screams I need you. In response, Celestial holds her and kisses her again. Still, they couldn't get too lost in each other because the loud laughter of four girls in the living room calls for their attention. Especially, Nana chanting something about cereal and pancakes. It's Arabella's turn to cook breakfast this morning, and then they have to drop the girls off.

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#simblr #sims 4 #s4 #ts4 #ts4 legacy #S4 Legacy Challenge #ts4 legacy challenge #s4 legacy #sims 4 legacy #sims 4 legacy challenge #s4 Knight Family #ts4 Knight Family #Sims 4 Knight family

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taeyongdoyoung · 5 years

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Valentine’s Day

I was kind of pissed that I’d be stuck in the office on Valentine’s Day. I mean, I didn’t even have a boyfriend (or girlfriend for that matter), but most of my colleagues had told our boss that they’d take the night off. See? TOLD. Not asked. They just notified him rightaway. Me, on the other hand. Oh no, dear old Arabella was too hard-working and would never ditch her job just like that. Ughhh, I hate my life. As I was saying, I didn’t even have a date for the night but I still wanted to have some fun like the rest of my co-workers. And by fun, I mean, going back to my apartment, watching sappy kdramas and crying my eyes out while eating a box full of chocolates. All. By. Myself. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? But nope, I had to work. Thanks, Charles.

Only a couple of minutes after I’d arrived at the office and I could already see how screwed I was. This place was practically empty. What the actual fuck? Charles was sitting on his desk, quietly. I was filling in some documents on mine. Boooooring. Soon enough, his phone rang. Startled, he picked up and after having a brief conversation, he hung up.

“Arabella, I’m terribly sorry but I’ll have to go out to pick up my niece from kindergarten and then look after her for a couple of hours. Will you be okay to deal with the clients on your own?”

“Sure, go ahead. I mean, it’s not like people are STORMING in to find out more about the characteristics of their future cars on Valentine’s Day.”

Charles chuckled lightly.

“There’s no rest for the wicked, Bels. See ya later,” he said as he grabbed his leather jacket.

“Have fun, Charles!” I yelled after him.

Ugh. Have fun? Bitch, he just ditched you in the office. He doesn’t deserve to have fun. You do!

After a while, clients started coming in. Most of them had already written down the exact name of the models they wanted to know more about, thus, making my job easier. However, there was this one grumpy old lady who HAD to make my day worse than it already was. She had no idea what she was looking for. She just wanted me to give her advice on what car she should buy for her grandson. Seriously? Do I look like someone who understands anything about cars? (FYI, my job was to deal with Charles’s finances and phonecalls but since another employee had resigned last week due to some personal issues, I gallantly offered my boss and long-time friend to step in. How stupid of me.) Anywho, this mean old lady told me that it was MY job to give her a proper recommendation according to the description she’d given me of her grandson. But in order to do that, I had to operate the new search engine that they’d installed YESTERDAY. Which gave me, uhhh, zero time to prepare myself. Thanks again, Charles, you bastard. Just when I was getting impatient with the system and was this close to cursing at the computer AND at the blabbering woman, a client who was sitting on my left, looking through the characteristics of his choice, interferred.

“Excuse me, miss? Do you mind if I-”

“God, please, yes,” I was THAT desperate to get rid of the old lady ASAP.

He got up from his chair and leaned over my shoulder. With a click or two on the mouse, he’d found exactly what the lady wanted.

“Oh, thank you, young man! What a relief that SOMEONE around here knows what they’re doing,” she said with a pointed look at me.

I gave her my best fake smile and printed the list of recommendations for her. She frowned at me and went over to read it out in peace on the couch for customers. Finally free of this vicious woman!

“Thanks a lot for helping me out. Would you mind showing it to me again so that I can help the rest of the clients without any troubles?”

The nice guy nodded and meticulously guided me through the steps of finding the necessary recommendations and characteristics with the help of the new engine.

“Soo, are you new here?” he asked as I was clicking around and printing stuff for my next client.

I laughed.

“You could say that. I’m here only temporarily because another employee resigned. I usually deal with finances.”

“Where is everyone else, then?”

“Celebrating,” I chuckled bitterly.

“That’s rough.”

I shrugged and gave him a quick smile. Why was he still here? He’d helped me and he’d gotten what he needed so...Wait. No way!

“What’s your name?” the kind, helpful guy asked.

“Arabella. And how should I call you, Mr. Tech Guy?”

He giggled cutely.

“No, my name is Liam.”

“Awww, that’s such a lovely name!” I gooed at him.

Liam was suddenly blushing. Oh. My. God. It’s been ages since I’d made a guy blush. Damn, it felt good.

“So is Arabella,” he responded, after recovering from his flustered state.

Bitch! That was so smooth! Let me marry you!

“Oh, snap, it’s time for my lunch break!” I exclaimed suddenly, looking at the clock. I locked the computer and grabbed my bag. Liam was standing there motionlessly. He just...blinked at me. What a cute puppy.

I lifted my eyebrows at him in a meaningful way.

“Whatcha waiting for? Come on, let’s have lunch together.”

Liam stood up excitedly and we went out. The place we had lunch at was really cozy and small. While eating our sandwiches, Liam told me about his job (he was an IT specialist, no surprise here) and about his favourite movies (Die Hard. Yes. All of them). I told him about my job and my favourite movie (Roman Holiday). He was a really chill person and knew exactly what and when to say to make me laugh. Half an hour later, I had to go back to the office. To my surprise, Liam followed me there, instead of going his own way.

“I have flexible work hours. Plus, it’s fun to spend time with you.”

Well, I can’t say ‘no’ to that, can I? No sooner had we walked back into the office than Charles showed up. He seemed kind of exhausted. Kids these days...Nevertheless, I attacked him angrily, still high on coffee and excitement because of the wonderful time I’d had with Liam.

“Charles!” I ran towards him, “How could you leave me alone at the office with this horrible new search engine? Good thing it was Liam to teach me how to use it.”

“You said you’d be okay!”

“Yeah, cause I didn’t know about the update!”

“Wait, who’s Liam?” Charles looked at Liam and then back at me, and then at Liam again. I felt caught up in this odd triangle I wasn’t quite sure was a love one. More like a work triangle. Fun times!

“I’m Liam,” Liam raised his hand proudly. Gosh, this kid...

“He’s...a client who happened to overhear my conversation with this annoying old lady and then-”

“Hollup, hollup,” Charles obviously needed a break, “Lemme sit down.”

I moved out of his way and then followed him insistently.

“Start from the beginning.”

I told Charles everything about my hectic morning while Liam was standing there awkwardly, not daring to sit or to leave or to do anything basically. After I was finished, Charles nodded understandingly.

“I apologize that you had to go through this. And...thank you, Liam, for being a good fellow and helping Bella out. I can give you a discount.”

I frowned at the injustice.

“Oh, so he gets a discount and what do I get? An apology! No, Charles, it’s not going to ha-”

“You get to take the night off if you behave nicely.”

I rolled my eyes.

“No need. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a Valentine. I’m forever alone.”

“I can take you out tonight,” Liam interferred once again, saving me from yet another awkward situation.

Charles smirked.

“So, it’s settled then.”

I...didn’t know what to say. Who to thank? Where to look at? I just got myself a night off and a hot date!!! What could possibly go wrong?

“Oh, wow. Thanks, Charles!”

“You’re welcome.”

“And Liam...that’d be great. I’m really excited about...tonight.”

Liam smiled at me.

“How’s your niece, by the way?” I asked casually.

“Oh?”

“Your niece. You had to leave the office to pick her up and then look after her. Remember?”

Charles blinked for a second, trying to recover from his confusion. So, he HAD lied. I knew it. Charles’s sister had no children and neither did his cousin (cause you know, some people call the kids of their cousins nephews and nieces as well). The question was, WHY had he lied? Where did he go? And why did he look so damn tired?

“She’s fine,” Charles lied once more. Oh, I’d get to the bottom of it. The next time I’m alone with Charles, that is. Liam was probably feeling left out.

“Cool. I’ll just go back to work, then.”

Charles urged me to go ahead. Liam quickly told me an hour and a place where we should meet up tonight and left, which was unexpected but I can’t blame him. Charles tends to make everyone around him uncomfortable

***

The evening went great, I wore one of my favourite blue dresses along with a pair of black heels. Liam and I went to a beautiful Italian restaurant and then, he suggested we go to a hotel. I was perfectly aware of what was going to happen but I still went for it. It’s been so long since I’d had so much fun. I deserved this, didn’t I? Except, I didn’t. Me and Liam had a great time. Until the morning came and I realized that he was nowhere to be found. No note, no phone number. Nothing. I shouldn’t have felt disappointed and yet, I did. He’d seemed really sweet and like...I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up, I knew I shouldn’t have. But still, like the hopeless romantic I was, I kept falling for men’s charms. And kept hoping for more.

I dressed up quickly and checked out of the hotel. Then, even though it was a Saturday, I decided to stop by at Charles’s mansion. Maybe he’d distract me from my recent frustrations. So far, Charles has been the only man in my life who hadn’t disappointed me.

“Good morning, Bels,” he greeted me, his smile, brighter than the sun.

“Just morning, Charles. Definitely not a good one,” I walked into the house furiously.

“Your date didn’t go well?” he guessed successfully.

“Does it count as a date when the guy doesn’t give you his number and leaves you without a trace in a hotel room?”

“Ouch,” Charles reacted in an unamused manner.

“Yeah...So, how was your night?”

“I was working, actually.”

“Charles!” I cried out reprimandingly, “Do you ever sleep?”

“Not much. Ever since...”

“Let me guess. Since Emily broke up with you?”

Charles sighed.

“Has anyone ever told you that you suck at being tactful?”

“No!” I answered sarcastically, “Everyone tells me I’m the most considerate person in their lives!”

Charles laughed.

“Whatever. Did Ophelia tell you, though?”

“Yeah. Speaking of Ophelia, are you ready to tell me the truth about your niece?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, come on, Charles. Cut the bullshit. Ophelia doesn’t have a daughter and neither does your cousin. So, why did you lie to me in such a foolish way?”

“You see right through me. See, the thing is...I’m not sure I’m ready to tell you where exactly I went.”

“If this is about your real father and his girlfriend, don’t worry, Ophelia already-”

“I’m going to kill my sister,” Charles vowed.

“Please, don’t, she’s really cool.”

“She’s literally making out with my ex as we speak.”

“Siblings, am I right?” I scoffed.

“You’re literally an only child, Arabella.”

“I was trying to be tactful.”

“You weren’t very successful.”

“Sorry?” I suggested.

“Okay, but did Ophelia tell you where my real father lives?”

I shook my head. I was embarrassed that I didn’t know everything about Charles and he seemed to be aware of every little detail in my life. Almost as if he could read my mind.

“Good. You’ll find out eventually. But not today,” Charles announced mysteriously.

“Charles!” I whined childishly. I hated being kept in the dark.

“Enough about me. You came here to be distracted, right?”

I nodded. Yet again, this asshole knew the exact reason why I’d stopped by.

“Fair enough. Let’s watch a spicy movie!”

“Charles, no!” I complained, “Not again!”

He laughed savagely.

“There is no escape! I’ll be right back with my laptop.”

“You’re evil!” I shouted after my friend.

“You like meeeee!” he yelled back.

Shit. He had no clue, did he?

#valentine's day #arabella scheinberg #charles wellington #my ocs #writing

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capriciousscorsagian · 5 years

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ArabelLee Series 6 - part 4

Arabella’s Three Failed Attempts in Celebrating Lee’s Birthday

Or, the two times Arabella is numb-tongued, the one times she tries to sneak a gift, and the other time a pair of bells ring a bell.

“I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t give it to him what was I thinking how could I think that he’ll like my present it’s a glove made of doeskin handmade glove my handmade glove gods I should just abort, abort, ab-”

“Hellish Hades, just fricking give it to him.” Vala hissed from Arabella’s side, practically cutting off her neurotic ramblings.

“But why should I give him today? His birthday is tomorrow. And I can’t give this to him what if he-”

“You’ll be giving the present now because you’ll chicken out if you need to wait until tomorrow to give it to him and I have been telling you for the last few hours that he’ll love it and the blue wrappings with the faint swirly pattern on it plus the silver ribbon on its side is honest to Hades P E R F E C T because I told you so and I have impeccable sense and taste.” Vala sighed and held her head in her hands, “Why are these people so dumb? And why am I friends with them? My life is like a romcom in which I am the sensible, cool-headed friend. Which now that I think about it, I am.”

But Arabella overlooked her friends’ agonized rambling at the sight of a tall, warm-eyed archer who currently strode right at their direction. His eyes set on the two girls and his lips curled up on a gentle half-smile.

“Hi, Bells. Enjoying the song?” asked Lee Fletcher, eyes on Arabella while mussing his sister’s hair with his free hand.

“Well, hello to you too, dear brother.” Vala groused, batting Lee’s hand off her hair then hopped off from where she sat. “Guess it’s my cue to go bother Percy. Play nice and try not to miss me!”

Not that I think you would, Vala thought. Those two are so gone on each other they don’t even realize it. Gods, this whole thing is so stupid.

Lee rubbed the back of his head bashfully, “Um. So. Uh, you enjoy the music?”

“Yeah I enjoy you- it! I mean, it! I enjoy it. The music. Made by you. Uh- not made- composed? Yeah. I mean, I do. Much very. I mean very much!” Arabella hide her face with her hands in mortification. Gods, can I be even more embarrassing than this?

But thankfully Lee just laughed it off and took a seat beside Arabella.

“So… tomorrow’s my birthday…”

“Oh, yeah? Really? N-no kidding!” squeaked Arabella, once again mentally cursed herself.

“Yeah. And… my siblings are going to throw a party in the beach. At the afternoon. They already got permission from Mr. D and Chiron to miss dinner and have a picnic there instead.” Lee explained. “So… I was wondering if you would come?”

From the distance, Michael Yew shouted, calling up his brother. Lee laughed a little and rubbed the back of his head again, “Uh, I need to do some more preparation for the party. Seriously, looks like I’m just being used as an excuse for them to throw a party.”

Arabella didn't know what to say so she just plastered a smile and hoping it didn't look as stupid as she felt.

“So, you’ll come?”

“Uh, okay.”

“Great!” Lee smiled charmingly, “see you tomorrow then!”

Arabella just waved hopelessly as she watched his retreated figure. The small bag containing Arabella’s gift for Lee rested near her feet, ignored. “Gods, I am a wimp.”

>>>>>>>

“You didn't give it to him.”

Arabella choked on her breakfast and Lacy thoughtfully slid a glass of fresh water into her reach.

After recovering from her coughing fits, she turned to glare at the culprit. “What is it with you, Velreya?”

Vala just stared at her, unimpressed, “You really want to talk about it right here, right now?”

Arabella’s face reddened and she pushed away her half-eaten breakfast, “I’m done. Gotta go. Bye.”

She snatched Vala’s arms and dragged her away from the crowded dining pavilion. “Do you have to ambush me this early in the morning while I tried to have some breakfast?” Hissed Arabella.

“Archery. 10 am. No beating around the bush.” Said Vala flatly, ignoring Arabella’s question. “Or you can just give it to him at the party. Where there are tons of people present, who probably will also bring him tons of presents. And your little gift might get mixed up, or even lost! We know how competitive Drew can get, and also, you know, my brother is pretty popular.”

“Oh my gods, that’s actually possible, you’re actually right. What do I do?? Today’s already his birthday what do I do?? Should I really give it to him at archery class?? But there’ll also be a lot of people there I-”

“How much do I get paid for this again?” Vala muttered desperately. “Just pull him aside before or after archery- or during the break! That way you can give it to him in private. Gods, why can’t people just use their brain for a moment?”

Arabella pouted, but for once taking Vala’s word of advice with clearer mind, “Okay. So, I only need to pull Lee aside, saying that I want to talk to him about something, then give him the present. That’s it. Simple. Not hard at all. Ok. I can do that.”

“You sure?” Vala squinted her eyes.

“Of course I am! I’m not helpless!”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this…?” Vala sighed.

>>>>>>>

Arabella dragged her feet nervously towards the archery field, the small bag of horror containing her gift for Lee clutched tightly in her clammy hand, partly hidden behind her body. Her siblings are already ahead of her, probably couldn’t wait to flirt with Apollo kids in disguise of practicing their aims. Arabella still doesn’t know how she’d give the blasted present to Lee, doesn’t even know what she’d say.

“Holy Hestia I am so pathetic,” she whined. “Agh, woman up, Deshoulieres! You didn't spend weeks slaving yourself at the forge and endure Drew Tanaka’s insults about your smell in front of Lee just to dump this godsawful glove at the river.”

“Not to mention the naiads probably wouldn’t like it.”

Arabella’s head shot up to face the lopsided grin of one particular son of Poseidon, “Uh… hi. Uh. Percy.”

Fine, so she momentarily forgot how to use her words, it’s not as stupid as it sounds, okay? All is acceptable in front of this oblivious boy whose deep green eyes have always been the primary daydream material of the girls (and some boys) at camp. For real, having a crush on The Percy Jackson is like, mandatory, for all Camp Half-Blood’s residents interested in the male specimen. It’s not like she cheated on Lee, okay? She just can’t help it. No one can, really.

“Hi, Arabella.” His grin widened and it reminded Arabella that for all his easy going attitude this guy had single-handedly defeated a minotaur when he was twelve. Weaponless.

She suddenly feared for her life.

“So…. Vala told me to look after you since she is busy with Fletcher’s party preparation and can’t make it to the practice.”

Arabella inwardly cursed the cheeky rotten butt of her so-called-friend and promised herself to make sure she’ll be blabbering her mouth non-stop in the deepest of Tartarus.

Percy took one look at her face and roared with laughter.

“I can just imagine what’s going on in your head. Vala’s mischief can rival any Hermes’ kids when she feels like it.”

“Uhm…” Arabella shifted uncomfortably. “So… what exactly did she tell you… to do?”

Percy’s eyes twinkled with mirth and once again Arabella questioned if his and Vala’s foster sibling status isn't mistaken and they actually just separated at birth or something.

“Well for now, we should go to the field. Fletcher’s probably have been wondering why you aren’t there yet.” He grinned.

So she walked the short trip to the field with Percy Freaking Jackson and prayed that this day would not get any worse.

tbc

Other parts of this fic: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

#Lee Fletcher #charles beckendorf #percy jackson #romance #gift #vala velreya #fanfic #Arabella Deshoulieres #birthday #archery #story #camp half blood

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