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fleetsonourgecentral · 2 years

Note

Hello hello! I hope everything has been going well for you. I had a prompt idea pop into my head, and rushed to type this out before i forgot lol. Anyway, I was wondering if you could write Sonic having a nightmare and/or suffering from the aftermath of one and Scourge helps him through it? Or the other way around, if that speaks more to your muse. I just really want to see these two learn to be more vulnerable around each other, and there is little doubt in my mind that these two have issues and really need a hug. Have a good week!

Omg how did you know I love writing about characters having nightmares... how did you know...

~~~

One of the downsides of travelling with someone was the lack of privacy options during the night. Sonic had grown to tolerate travelling with other people - although the slower speed always got on his nerves, no matter how necessary it was - but he'd never liked sharing his sleeping space with them. On bad days he was quick to awake at some of the most minor sounds, and being stuck with several other people shifting and mumbling in their sleep or getting up in the middle of the night for some water was a terrible thing to combine with that.

And on worse days, well. Even the thought of waking someone up because his stupid brain gave him a bad dream made his skin crawl.

It wasn't that he thought sleeping around someone was a show of vulnerability. Having a nightmare in front of someone, though? That was a completely different story.

Thankfully, nightmares weren't common for him, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters knew to keep their mouths shut and not bring it up if they ever caught him having one. It was the least he was owed after saving the world's ass time and time again. Occasionally Amy or Tails tried to make him, eurgh, open up about them, but for the most part he was left alone, and they were never brought up while travelling.

Still, despite learning to tolerate travelling with other people, he couldn't help but mentally cheer whenever he could do so alone at his own pace. So getting a new mission that required speed and small numbers, and thus no group of slower friends holding him back? A blessing he was long overdue.

Well, sort of. He wasn't travelling alone, but it was Scourge who was tagging along, and the good thing about travelling with Scourge was the slower speed thing was no longer a problem.

The bad thing was he had no idea if Scourge would keep his mouth shut on the off chance of a nightmare arising.

So when they settled down for the night, was it really any wonder Sonic volunteered to take watch?

With a sigh Sonic rolled his neck for the third time that night. Just because he'd chosen to take watch didn't mean he liked it. Honestly, he was tempted to lie back and get some rest. Not sleep, he'd be just awake enough to spring into action if anything happened, as unlikely as that was, but just doze a little to rest his eyes and energy.

Maybe it was dumb to offer to take watch in the first place. They'd chosen a spot secluded enough that they wouldn't be easily spotted by any of Robotnik's troops, and fear for their safety wasn't even really a concern in the first place when he'd pitched the idea, although he'd tried to make it seem like it was, and brushed off Scourge's call of "bullshit" with a comment about being the more experienced Freedom Fighter, and thus the one more equipped to decide what was and wasn't safe, so shut the fuck up.

Scourge had rolled his eyes but reluctantly backed down, muttering about being too tired to deal with his "paranoid bullshit." The fucking hypocrisy.

No, safety wasn't his concern at all. His concern was that stupid, stupid nagging voice in the back of his mind hissing "but what if tonight's a bad night?" over and over, even though there was no fucking reason to believe it would be other than having gone several months without one.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Scourge. He did, against his better judgement. Somehow the fungus fucker had gradually kicked in the hesitations he had about lookalikes and became a trustworthy ally on the battlefield and a surprisingly hilarious friend. He was cunning and a jackass who didn't whinge about Sonic's attitude (usually) and a fierce fighter who didn't give a shit about the "morals" of fighting dirty, an attitude the Freedom Fighters desperately needed. "Clean" fighting was a nice sentiment, but just not practical in a lot of situations, and Sonic couldn't say he cared too much about Scourge's dirty tactics. Rather their side than the enemy's, after all.

Against all odds and previous bad experiences with lookalikes, Sonic trusted Scourge with his life.

With his nightmares, though? That wasn't something he was ready to expose to him yet. Not even out of fear he'd be seen as weaker or less capable for them, or out of worry they'd be used against him somehow, which was the reason he kept them hidden from everyone except close friends. It was just... a lot.

Better to just not sleep in front of him and avoid the risk entirely.

Ugh, now he remembered why he never bothered with this "taking watch" shit. He was always more likely to overthink about dumb shit if he had the whole night to himself doing nothing but sitting and watching without something or someone to keep him entertained and distracted.

Cracking his neck, Sonic settled back against the rock he was leaning against. It was a quiet night, no midnight adventurers or obnoxiously loud birds or bugs, not even any wind ruffling the leaves on the trees. Peaceful, just like the nights he remembered from when he was younger, before Robotnik came to be. If he closed his eyes he could almost pretend he was back to those days, lounging on his back and stargazing on the roof of Kintobor's old laboratory.

One day. One day they'd beat Robotnik for good and he'd be able to have as many peaceful nights as he wanted; not every night, that would be way too boring, but some nights. Depending on how much action he wanted. Any fights he got involved in would be on his terms, not tethered to stopping every scheme he stumbled across regardless of if he was in the mood for fighting or not.

His eyes fell on Scourge, who was sleeping a couple of metres away, lying on his stomach with his face buried in his elbow.

He hoped Scourge would stick around to see those nights, too. He'd probably get bored of them, even quicker than Sonic would, but that was fine. He would provide good company for the nights Sonic didn't want to sit around and spend the night in peace. He was always up for finding something fun to do no matter the time of day, something his other friends just weren't down for, and it would be fun to run around looking for ass to kick together without having to worry about a threat as huge as Robotnik looming over them.

With his eyes on Scourge it was impossible to miss the stuttered hitch in breath even if he wanted to.

There was no threat, nothing to be worked up over, a simple shift in someone else's breathing pattern was all that had changed, but somehow Sonic found himself on full alert anyway. He sat up, staring intently at Scourge, cataloguing every little twitch just in case something was wrong. Scourge's breathing grew heavy, his face screwed up, his hands balled into fists as he made a pitiful attempt to curl in on himself. A shuddering inhale, a flinch accompanied by a... not a whine, or a whimper, but some kind of noise that was definitely unpleasant-

Oh.

He hadn't considered the possibility of Scourge having a nightmare.

Sonic was torn between watching in case the nightmare escalated and made Scourge hurt himself or looking away in some kind of attempt to respect Scourge's privacy. He'd never been on this end of the situation before and he had no clue what to do. Should he wake him up? Leave him be? Stay sat down and pretend he hadn't noticed anything, or leave and come back when Scourge woke up, pretending he had something to deal with and conveniently missed the whole thing?

Fuck, he wasn't good at shit like this. That was what the rest of the Freedom Fighters were for. He didn't even know if he hated or was grateful for being woken up from his own damn nightmares, how was he supposed to know what Scourge would want?

For an entire minute he sat and stared helplessly at Scourge, frozen in place despite the urge to just shake him awake. He didn't want Scourge to continue whatever awful dream he was having, but he also didn't fancy getting punched in the face, which was a very likely option even when Scourge was awake, never mind half asleep and still pumped full of adrenaline.

Finally, though, Scourge jerked awake with a strangled gasp, still for only a moment as he refamiliarised himself with his surroundings before he pushed himself up on shaky arms, still panting.

Sonic averted his eyes just as Scourge's landed on him.

He half expected Scourge to call him out for sitting and watching him during his nightmare; he sure as fuck wasn't shy about calling him out for anything else. But surprisingly, he didn't. He just kept staring at him in silence, wrestling his breathing back under control as his gaze drilled holes into Sonic's head. Sonic didn't turn to look at him, just stared straight ahead like he was very dedicated to his self assigned role and hadn't been contemplating dozing off for the past twenty minutes.

"You still up?" Scourge said at last.

"That's what someone who keeps watch does, yes."

"You don't stay awake when you keep watch. You, like, half sleep, half keep watch."

Damn. When did he notice that?

"I'm not tired yet."

"Bullshit, but whatever."

Neither of them spoke again for several minutes. Scourge sat up against the rock, drumming his fingers against his knee to a beat Sonic couldn't follow, and joined Sonic in staring straight ahead pretending to scan for threats they both knew damn well weren't coming.

Was Sonic supposed to ask him about it? Pry into the details of the nightmare? For what? Just to seem like a good friend? Fuck, this stuff had never made sense to him. Emotions were a battlefield he was... less than prepared for at the best of times, and for more delicate shit like this, he was far from the first choice for assistance, and he wanted to keep it like that. One wrong step just made things worse for everybody, but the right step changed from person to person, and how the fuck was Sonic supposed to magically know what the correct steps and words for each person were? Fighting robots or the moronic minions Robotnik had somehow managed to recruit was so much easier in comparison.

Again, there was a reason the other Freedom Fighters handled all the emotional shit. And why Amy frequently scolded him for being insensitive.

But the other Freedom Fighters weren't there. It was just Sonic. And as much as he hated dealing with situations like this, he also didn't want Scourge to be fucked off and upset.

But he also didn't want to make Scourge feel like he had to talk if he didn't want to.

"I don't want to talk about it," Scourge said suddenly before Sonic could come to a decision on if he should say something or not.

Well. That made it easier than just blindly guessing.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Scourge squinted at him. "You're not gonna... try and make me talk about it? Encourage me to open up about my feelings?"

"Nope."

"Not gonna stick your hero nose where it don't belong?"

"I never stick my nose-"

"Yeah you do. That's, like, your whole thing. You wouldn't run around saving people if you always minded your own business."

... Damn it, he was kind of right, wasn't he?

"Look," Sonic said, still not looking over, "do you want to talk about it?"

"Fuck no."

"Then we won't."

Scourge huffed. Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic could see him fiddling with the zip on his jacket.

"... Why? Why aren't you pushing?"

Oh boy, honesty hours. Yay.

He could just brush it off. Say he didn't care, he had better things to do with his time, hearing about it wouldn't change anything because there was nothing he could do to help. He could just be the dick he knew Scourge probably expected him to be.

... Fuck, but he didn't want to.

"I hate it when people try to make me talk about shit I don't wanna talk about," Sonic said. It sounded more like an admittance from how quiet it was, like it was a dirty little secret he was sharing with Scourge and Scourge only. Which it wasn't, he made it perfectly clear that he hated being forced to talk about shit every time someone tried to make him, but... but it was different, somehow, saying it to Scourge under the quiet blanket of the night. "If you don't wanna talk about it, I'm the last guy who's gonna make you."

"... Huh. Everyone just always tells me to talk about shit 'cause apparently it'll make me feel better."

"Yeah." Sonic turned his gaze back up to the sky. "I hear that a lot, too."

They lapsed back into silence, or at least, as silent as it could be with Scourge fidgeting with his jacket. Sonic wanted to say it was a peaceful silence, but the conversation somehow didn't feel... done.

Sure enough, eventually Scourge piped back up, voice so much smaller and... less guarded, somehow, as he said, "You're really not gonna make me talk about it?"

Sonic paused. Tapped his leg as he thought over all the possible answers. He could just keep up the reassurance, or...

Amy kept telling him he was unapproachable and difficult to talk to sometimes, and kept nagging him to work on it. Normally he didn't care because he wouldn't know what to say anyway, but he was the only one around, and if Scourge needed it...

"If you want to talk, you can," Sonic said slowly, hoping he was doing this right. "I'm not... I can't tell you I'll say anything helpful, or anything at all, 'cause we both know I'm shit at this. But I can listen."

Scourge was silent.

"I'm not saying you should, or that you have to. I'm just saying, if you want to talk, talk. If you don't, don't. Up to you, I don't care either way." Fuck, that was rude. Oh well. Scourge was fluent in rude, so it was probably fine. "Just... do whatever helps."

There. That was the best he could do in terms of support. Happy, Amy?

Scourge stayed silent for a few more seconds. Then...

"It... it was about prison." The words were halting, hesitant. Like Scourge didn't know how this worked either. Like he was trying something new with Sonic. "Nothing... fuck, it wasn't even coherent. Just random shit I thought I'd forgotten about. Stupid inmates I can't even remember the names of anymore, acting like they're hot shit just 'cause they're bigger and stronger and have a whole gang..."

Scourge trailed off, voice shaky. When Sonic turned to look at him, he was running a hand through his quills like he was reassuring himself they were still there.

They used to be shorter when he first arrived, Sonic remembered. Shorter and choppy and just barely long or sharp enough for self defence.

"Guards did nothing, y'know? They didn't care. We was just a bunch of troublemakers who got what was coming to us to them. So they just let fucking anything happen. Didn't give a shit who got hurt or who started fights or who got their shit stolen. Fuck, they kept going on about rehabilitation like it was something they gave a fuck about, but they wouldn't've even cared if someone got killed in there-"

Scourge was shaking, fist buried in his quills and tugging on them as he stared at the ground, face scrunched up in rage.

Sonic hated it. He hated that look on Scourge's face. He hated that there was something much more fragile, much more vulnerable, hidden away under that rage. He hated that there was nothing he could do to make it go away.

Wordlessly, he shifted closer until his arm brushed against Scourge's.

"Just... it was shit." Scourge's head landed on his shoulder. Sonic didn't mention it. "It was shit and I fucking hated every minute of it. That's what it was about."

Sonic hummed. He didn't have anything to say in response, because what was there to be said? But Scourge was already relaxing against his shoulder, so he probably didn't need to.

Instead, he just linked his arm with Scourge's.

This time the silence between them was comfortable. Scourge was done, Sonic was done, they were both done, no more words required. Scourge was still leaning on Sonic, and apparently neither of them saw any reason for him to move, because Sonic didn't push him away and Scourge didn't bother pulling away.

It was nice. The night wasn't cold but Scourge was warm, and it was easy to relax with him leaning on him.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for Scourge to fall asleep. Well. No point in moving him, was there? Sonic was already perfectly comfortable, and he didn't need to worry about waking up with a crick in his neck from an awkward sleeping position since he needed to stay awake anyway. He was on watch after all.

By the time the sun peeked over the horizon, Sonic was slumped over Scourge, cheek smushed against his head, fast asleep.

It just didn't feel like a risk anymore.

#sonic the hedgehog #scourge the hedgehog #fleetway sonic #stc sonic #fleet!sonourge #asks #fanfic #sorry this took so long! writers block is a bitch lol #fr though i've literally been thinking about how badly i wanna write a nightmare fic for these two... you read my MIND...#damn sonic where'd you get all these issues from #man really said 'idk shit about how to handle emotions. I'll try tho. for you.'#no one else znvxnvxng if u told any of his friends sonic tried to be emotionally supportive to scourge they'd laugh in your face #and he sure as SHIT still won't touch his own messy emotions with a ten foot pole #congratulations scourge you've unlocked achievement: future boyfriend willing to fall asleep around you #like good luck trying to get him to talk about his own nightmares in the future. bc he won't. even though he probably should #scourge on the other hand is like 'fuck it. we're already trying hero shit. might as well try this talking thing everyone talks about'#'(only with you though. bc somehow i trust the emotionally stunted bastard the most with this shit)'#U know it's a fun pairing when somehow SCOURGE is the one doing better with the whole emotions thing #not by much. but still.#bc lbr. sonic ain't got a fucking clue. absolutely hopeless #anyways sorry again this took forever! hope you enjoy!

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ironmanfridgemagnet · 2 years

Text

Sitting on the Shelf - Marcus White x Reader

Part 2 - Magazine Profile

SOTS Masterlist

"Oh, I would definitely kill a wolf." Garret said turning away from you to look at Glenn, who's voice was a whisper amongst the chatter of the break room.

"Really?" You asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I call bullshit. You could not. At all." Placing your half-drank coffee on the table in front of you, you sighed - Garrets confidence in his own ability was something else.

Dina hit the table in front of you hard, causing you to jump as the table shook and a loud chap sounded around the break room.

"Oh, oh, oh. Okay. Okay. Today is a, uh, very exciting day, because "Stratus" is doing a profile on our store. Yeah, ooh! Oh, yeah!" Glenn said proudly, finally being able to get his morning speech out as the break room had silenced.

"What's "Stratus"?" Jonah asked, causing you and Garret to let out deep groans. You'd already heard about Stratus too many times.

"Um, only our internal corporate magazine!" Mateo jovially answered, still on the high of his new job; and clearly trying to suck up to Glenn.

""Magazine" isn't exactly accurate." Amy started, folding her arms across her chest as she sank into her seat.

"It's more like misleading propaganda." You finished, picking up your mug and taking a long sip of your still warm drink.

"No, it's not!" Glenn demanded, his words coming out as a whine. Clearly this meant a lot to him that Stratus were going to be in store.

""Minimum wage is maximum fun!"" Amy read the cover of the magazine she'd just picked up off the table, sarcasm lacing her words.

"It is!" Glenn moaned, pushing his hands to his side, almost like a toddler having a tantrum.

""Work it Off: A Guide to Injuries on the Job."" Jonah added, grimacing as he read the unfortunately true title.

"Oh, that is a super fun read." Glenn said pointing to the magazine Jonah was holding.

"Oh yeah, I loved 'working it off' when I broke my leg." You said to Glenn, the sarcasm completely going over his head. It'd been three years since you'd broken your leg trying to use the forklift - as unfortunate as that day was, what wasn't was how it just so happened to flare up in pain whenever you were asked to help out in the warehouse. Funny that.

"See! Even y/n agrees, and she had to do exactly that." Glenn waved his finger in-front of his face as he spoke, still trying to make Stratus seem cool and interesting.

"They had you working on a broken leg?" Jonah asked as he leaned over towards you, concern filling his features.

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad though, it meant I didn't have to do anything but checkouts for 6 weeks. I had a great time." You whispered in response, trying to seem like you were listening to Glenn as he spoke.

"Wow. And you didn't even get a pay out? Bummer." Jonah said, focus intently on the article in front of him, suddenly filled with overwhelming concerned for how he'd be treated if that - or worse - happened to him.

"What? No. I got a 5k pay out and they covered my hospital bills. I told them my dad was a lawyer and he'd sue them if they didn't give me some kind of compensation." You scoffed at Jonah underestimating you, no way would you have let corporate get away without giving you nothing.

"You dads a lawyer? That's so cool! What kind of-"

You cut Jonah off quickly, Turing to face him as you said, "I was lying dude."

Without waiting to see his reaction you turned to face Cheyenne as she began to speak.

"Ooh, there's a jingle-writing contest. Bo could enter that. If he won, he could stop dancing for his Mom's friends." You cringed at the thought of Bo doing anything, especially dancing for his moms friends.

"It's my responsibility to show the reporter around, so, please, let's put our best foot forward, okay? Cheyenne, that means no falling asleep in the bedding department." Glenn gave out an uneasy smile, fiddling with his hands as he spoke.

"I get tired, Glenn. I'm pregnant." Cheyenne moaned, throwing her arms up in disagreement.

"Not today, you're not!" Glenn cheered a large smile on his face.

"Uh, oh, and Sal, I'm gonna need you to take the creepiness down to about a two, okay?" Turning to look at Sal you saw him taking small bites of his grapes, leaving a deep pit of unease in your stomach.

"Garrett, um, I love those nicknames you come up with for me, but, uh, some people might see them as insulting, so why don't you just get 'em out of your system now?" Glenn smiled at the man sat next to you, hoping today of all days would go well.

"Glennda, G-Nothing, Glenngarry Glenn Loss, Glennema, Glenntil Soup, TransGlennder." Garret let the stream of nicknames flow out of his mouth, his list of teases groaning ever longer. You were starting to think that they wasn't anything Garret couldn't turn into a nickname for Glenn.

"Oh, that's a new one." Glenn replied with a firm smile on his face, trying his hardest not to let Garret get into his head. He really wanted today to be perfect huh.

"You got to keep this reporter away from me. I hate reporters." Dina's voice came from behind you, startling you slightly as you hadn't expected her input.

"My school paper once misidentified me as a scoliosis victim. I mean, the joke is, my spine is perfect, okay? I can bench 160. 165 in the right situation." You looked at Dina as she looked at Jonah, seeing as she suggestively raised her eyebrow at the unassuming man. A shared look with Garret told you he was just as confused - and possibly scared - as you were.

"Okay! Let's get out there and have a newsworthy day." Glenn announced, cutting through the awkward silence that had settled upon the break room.

"Do it for the old uh, G-Spot! See? You're not the only one who's good at nicknames." With a heavy sigh you rose from your seat in the break room, sipping the last of your coffee as you stood. You'd already had enough of today.

——————————————————————————————————

As you and Garret sat talking at the customer service desk, Jonah slowly made his way over to you, letting your current conversation die out as he leant against the counter beside you.

"Anyway, If you see the reporter show up today, please let me know so I can hide. I do not want them to put me on the cover." Garret said, mostly to you though his words weren't lost on Jonah.

"That's pretty cocky." Jonah scoffed at Garrets words, believing them to be self absorbed. He didn't know how Stratus seemed to act yet, and you couldn't blame him; you yourself had only seemed to notice today while staring at the pile of magazines in the break room this morning.

"Oh, it's not ego. These corporate magazines love putting employees with disabilities on the cover. Look." Garret pulled out a stack of Stratus Magazines he had been keeping beneath the counter and handed them to Jonah as you spoke.

"Wow. You were not kidding." Jonah flicked through the pages of the magazines before him, though largely focusing on the covers.

"And they really gonna come after me, especially with Face Birthmark Tony on vacation." Garret said, his eyebrows creasing in frustration at the fact his one scapegoat was gone.

"Yeah, I'll bet. Anyway, are we even sure he's on vacation? I mean I swear he's been gone for over a month now?" Confusion laced your words; Tony had been gone for a while now that you'd thought about it. Hopefully he was onto greener pastures then cloud 9.

"Yeah, and getting a black guy in a wheelchair on the cover would be like their Holy Grail or something." Jonah said nonchalantly, his gaze still lingering on covers of the magazines in his hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You trying to say being black's a disability?" Garret asked, his voice raising in anger as he spoke.

"Oh, no. No, no, no." Jonah spat out, trying to deny whatever Garret was trying to suggest he was trying to suggest. And you couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Now, that's no. No, of course, no. I, I have lots of..." Jonah continued, stumbling over his words as he tried to formulate an explanation and trying to avoid digging himself into a hole.

"What?" Garrett asked, eyebrows raised in question.

"I listen to Drake." Jonah said, folding his arms across his chest and sinking into himself slightly - he had dug himself a crater.

"Drake?" Garret asked in shock, trying to hide the laugh that was bubbling up in his chest.

"No, no, no. I watch BET sometimes." Jonah said, his confidence faltering greatly as he looked anxiously between the two of you.

"I'm messing with you, dude." Garret said, both you and him bursting out in laughter, your head throwing backwards as a wide smile filled your features.

"Okay. Good. Thank God. I've never watched BET." Jonah said, letting out a heavy sigh as he spoke, anxiety leaving his body.

"Yeah, me either, man." He responded, the remains of his laughter coming out as a sigh.

Jonah stood from where he was leaning on the counter, announcing he was going to find Amy before swiftly walking away - leaving you and Garret at the customer service counter.

As the final drags of laughter left your body a comfortable silence lay over the two of you.

Ever since you'd worked at cloud 9, you'd been practically glued to Garrets side. On your first day, you'd followed him around like a lost puppy and surprisingly, he'd let you. Eventually you'd built up the courage to talk to him and you'd been good friends since. He was the kind of friend that was fun to do even nothing with: showing each other funny videos, or trying to hide from Amy, or Dina, sitting in silence. Garret was a great friend once he let you in, which is why he could read you like a book.

"Why didn't you let Glenn take you home the other day?" Garret asked, breaking the silence between you and filling it with an eerie tension. You should've know better than to think he'd let you get away with the little escapade you'd performed the other night.

"Like I said, Amy said she needed to talk to me, plus I think she was getting take out or something - she mentioned in the car that Adam was meant to be cooking that night and you know how-"

"Cut the bullshit y/n." Garret interrupted, cutting off your lame attempt at an excuse. He knew better than that.

"Listen Gare, you know I love you, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet. I'll tell you as soon as I'm ready. I promise." You sank into yourself as you spoke; things had been hard the past few weeks, and you didn't know how ready you were to tell people - anyone - about it.

Amy had found out by accident.

You'd been sat outside the store at the bus stop, Sandra had just got on the 58X to head home and you were finally alone for the first time that day. The tears had welled up in your eyes as you'd waved Sandra goodbye, and had streamed down your face as the bus doors closed behind her. Once the bus drove away you couldn't hold back the heaving sobs that came from deep within the caverns of your chest. Despite the fact you'd waited for your usual bus, you weren't getting on it today.

Glenn had put you on a closing shift that day, and you'd made sure to drag out leaving as long as you could, to not raise any suspicion as to why you'd missed your usual bus. So you'd been extremely surprised when Amy's arms had wrapped around you and a stream of comforting words had been whispered in your ear. In the unleashing of your sadness you'd forgotten Amy had been asked to lock up, and had parked just over from the bus stop, a clear line of sight to where you'd stood.

You'd spent a long time crying that night. Once Amy had finally coerced you into her car, she'd driven you back to her house, where you'd sat down together in her living room, a warm cup of coffee in your hands. Emma was tucked away in bed by the time you'd got there and Adam was off working on some new aspiration of his.

After letting everything out to Amy she'd given you a spare duvet and some pillows, leant you a pair of her pyjamas, and told you to get some rest. You don't remember ever feeling as small as when you, Amy, Adam and Emma sat around their dining table the next morning and discussed letting you move in.

Since that day you'd been sneaking into Amy's car at the end of your shifts - most of them lining up with hers as you'd both gone to Glenn and begged him to change your shifts - and you managed to get away with it until a few days ago.

"It's nothing bad I promise." That was a lie.

"I'm just going through some stuff, and she's helping me with it." You shrugged as you spoke, hoping it seemed like nothing was going on.

"Sure, it's nothing bad doll." He replied rolling his eyes as he spoke; even though he didn't believe a word you said, he believed it enough to not question you any further.

"Well it is, so." You said, scrunching your face at him as you hopped off the counter.

"Well, I'm going to... go work or something for once." You said, the last part under your breath as you walked away from Garret and the customer service counter.

"I'm on to you baby girl." Garret shouted after you as you walked away, a small smile forming on your face at his words.

——————————————————————————————————

Despite telling Garret you were going to work, you headed straight to the break room where you bumped into Amy.

"Everything okay?" She asked, grabbing you by the shoulders as she rubbed your arm gently.

"Yeah, just, Garret asked me about the other night and then it got me thinking about my mom and now-" you stopped speaking abruptly, feeling suddenly very choked up, your hand coming to cover your mouth.

"I'll take Heather off of checkouts y/n. Go chill in the break room, or Glenn's office, or... somewhere. We'll talk later okay?" She sent you a sympathetic smile, letting go of you as she walked back into the chaos of the store.

The break room couch was calling your name as you headed straight to it, laying on your side, curling up and closing your eyes. Though you couldn't escape the store physically, letting your mind drift away from the troubles of reality provided you with a much welcomed option.

——————————————————————————————————

"I'm sorry to interrupt all of your days, but I think this would be a good time for me to go over Cloud 9's policy on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace." Dina words caused you to lull out of your sleep. Sitting up slowly you took in the break room, seeing everyone gathered round listening intently to Dina's words.

"Geez Dina, could you talk any louder?" You asked, stretching your arms above your head as you tried to de-cramp your back from sleeping on the hard couch of the break room.

"Glad to have you back in the room y/n." Dina replied, sarcasm filling her words. Clearly you'd missed something big.

"It was my break Dina, who are you to judge how I spend it?" You snapped back, a bit cranky from being woken up, straightening out your uniform.

"Oh. You said this was an emergency!" Glenn whined as he stood in the doorway of the room, his face scrunching in frustration at the fact Dina had pulled him away from his work.

"I know what I said." Dina responded, shrugging her shoulders with confidence.

You stood up quietly, walking around to outside of the room towards your usual seat next to Garret which had been left empty. As you sat he pushed a steaming cup of coffee towards you, sending you a wink as he did.

"Now, before I start this seminar, does anyone have something they'd like to say?" An awkward silence filled the room as everyone looked at each other. God knows who's done something this time.

"Okay, fine. Sal and I are having sex in the dressing rooms." Sandra admitted, your eyebrows scrunching as she spoke - it wasn't the weirdest gossip you'd heard about the store.

"I don't even like him. I have self-esteem issues, and I think being with him is a way of me punishing myself. It's messed up." Sandra's rant was cut off with a loud;

"Shut up, Sandra. God, you are such a whiner. Sit down. Anyone else? Okay. Well, then without further ado, please watch this video on inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace." As she turned on the screen the security footage of the warehouse filled it, a video of Jonah and some Blonde woman getting all hot and heavy being broadcast to all of you.

"Okay! Jonah! Well, well, well." Garret cheered, clapping Jonah on the back as you raised your eyebrow at him in question. Of all people, you hadn't expected Jonah to be getting it on at work. You were almost impressed.

A blushed filled his cheeks, both under the burn of your gaze and the different jeers from around the break room.

"I think we've seen enough." Jonah shouted, rushing up to cover the screen with the span of his arms, his blush deepening as he spoke.

"Why would anybody be attracted to Jonah? He looks like a villain on the CW." Mateo scoffed, causing you to let out a short laugh - he wasn't wrong.

"Uh, maybe it's because she thought all of his brilliant ideas were inside his mouth, so she had to, like, get in there with her tongue and suck 'em out." Amy's words made you laugh harder, though the realisation of what she said made you stop. Holy shit, that was the Stratus lady.

"Oh, my God. You will spread your legs for anyone who will write a story about you, won't you?" Mateo scoffed yet again, rolling his eyes at Jonah's actions.

"That has nothing to do..." Jonah's attempt to defend himself failed as his words were drowned out.

"Jonah. There's about 50 store rules broken on that tape." Dina's stern tone surprised you, you'd seen her serious, but this felt different, almost angry.

"I know." Jonah let out a deep sigh, clearly having given up on trying to defend himself over the very visible evidence.

"It is disgusting." Dina insisted, her gaze firmly on Jonah as she spoke. Surely she didn't have the power to take any serious action for what happened?

"I'm sorry." Jonah let out a defeated sigh, worried he was going to loose his job after such a short time at Cloud 9. You hoped he wasn't about to get fired over this.

"And there's just one thing left to say. You're safe now. Bring it in. Wow. You fit right in there perfectly, don't you? You've been sexually assaulted." You nearly spat out your coffee at Dina's words - you really must have missed a lot while you were napping.

"And I was hoping you could start to heal by admitting that here in a safe place, but..." Dina continued, still holding Jonah tightly in her grasp. What was going on today?

"You are obviously very ashamed." Dina affirmed, rubbing her hand up and down Jonah's back as she supported him.

Of course the one day you sneak away to take a nap, everything possible under the sun happens. Jonah's insistent 'no's' continued as Dina carried out her mantra of comfort.

The repetitive conversation faded into the background of your mind as you stared into the cup of now warm coffee. Garret had made it for you despite knowing where you were or if you'd show. He truly was a good friend.

You zoned back in as Jonah walked over to you, a deep red blush still covering his face as he sank down into his chair.

"Interesting day?" You asked, taking a long sip from your mug, meeting his eyes as he looked up at you from his seat.

"No actually, the exact same thing happened yesterday, you can't make this sort of thing up." You let out a short laugh at his words, a wide smile forming on your face.

"How about you? I've not seen you around today. I was looking for you earlier to come chat with me while I stocked grocery but I couldn't find you anywhere. And then, well, I got a tiny bit distracted." His concern warmed your heart, it was sweet that he'd been looking for you.

"Oh I've just been chilling in here. I wasn't feeling it today." You took another long sip of your coffee, finishing the mug and standing to place it in the sink. Ignoring Jonah's worried gaze, you walked over to the door of the break room.

"You coming?" You asked causing Jonah to scramble out of his seat, rushing to catch up with you as you walked out towards the store together.

——————————————————————————————————

"I guess my philosophy of life is "dare to dream", but also "dream to dare." But also daring to not..." Mateo bragged as you and Jonah walked up to the Status lady together.

"Okay, so the article that I'm writing is about the store in general and not any one individual." She replied a snarky attitude fuelling her words. Sure you didn't love Mateo's self righteous bragging, but it wasn't bad enough to shut it down.

"Oh. Okay. Well, if you do decide to write an article about me, I'll be in the Stock Room, waiting. I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Mateo's change in tone surprised you, his attempt at acting straight even more.

Jonah dug his elbow into your side causing you to stifle your laugh under a sharp intake of breath. As you met his eyes he sent you a stern look, though the smug smile forming on his face told you he too found Mateo's words funny.

"Uh, God." With a deep groan he walked away, tried of trying to impress the tall, blonde woman; which clearly wasn't going anywhere anyway.

"Oh, God." Cynthia said as Dina started to walk up to her; this would be good.

"You are a journalist and a rapist, and those are the two worst things any person can be. Now, listen up, Connie Chung. If you set foot in this store ever again I will bring hell down on you." Dina shouted, pointing her finger in the woman's face. Despite the seriousness of Dina's words, you were trying desperately not to laugh. From what Jonah had told you of the days events, Dina's story was far from the truth, her adoration for the dark haired man blinding her from reality.

As Amy came to join you and Jonah, you stared at Garret as he convinced the photographer to take a photo of both him and Glenn. All Glenn had wanted to be on the cover of Stratus, and Garret - being the sweetie you come to know him to secretly be - put aside his own feelings to make Glenn's day better. Wow.

Turning back to Jonah and Amy you asked, "so you leaving? Or..."

"Just waiting for my ride." He replied, a smug look on his face. What was he hiding?

"Hey. Let's go. My hotel's right around the corner." Cynthia said, the photograph stood beside her flicking through the photos on his camera.

"Wow. So you guys have, like, more ideas to talk about." Amy scoffed, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

"Uh, no, no. It's like you said. I'm just really, really, cute." Jonah smirked, his ego clearly being bloated with each word that came out of his mouth.

"That's not what I said!" Amy shouted after him as he walked away, moving in sync with Cynthia.

"Like a panda." He replied, turning his head to send both you and Amy a wide and glistening smile.

"You think Jonah's cute?" You asked Amy, turning to face her as you spoke.

"N-no, I don't, why would I? I- shut up!" She shouted, looking flustered as she stormed away to the car in anger. Oop - maybe you hit a nerve?

"I'm only joking Ames!" You shouted, running after her to make sure you'd still get a lift home despite your teasing.

"Of course you are y/n. I can't wait until you mention someone being cute - I'm going to tease you so much, you don't even know." Amy laughed to herself as she climbed into the car and fastened her seat belt. Lucky for you, you weren't set on finding anyone cute; at least not anytime soon.

"So, what happened today? You know, between you and Garret?" All joking tone had left Amy's voice as she asked you the question that had been dwelling on her all day. Since she'd bumped into you on your way to hide in the break room, she'd been overran with worry.

She knew you could handle yourself; against rude customers, or creepy older guys, anyone (or anything) didn't ever seem to get to you. But your Mom always did.

Amy could tell you hadn't told Garret - but she knew you would, in your own time - she's doubts you'd ever have told anyone if she hadn't seen you at the bus stop that day. Sooner, or later, you'd tell Garret - or he'd figure it out - and he'd be just as worried about you as she was. She was hoping that day came sooner rather than later.

"It's okay now, he said he was 'onto me.' But I'll tell him soon. Maybe." Amy sent you a knowing look as you spoke, setting the car in reverse and pulling out of her parking spot.

"Okayyy." You whined, letting out a deep sigh, "I'll tell him soon; I promise. I didn't think talking about it would upset me that much. But when he started asking questions I just got overwhelmed! And then I started thinking about that night and my chest felt like it was closing up and-"

"Y/n!" Amy shouted bringing your words to a halt. "Try not to think about it okay? Let's just get home. I'm making pasta for dinner."

"With the cloud9 halo red sauce?" you were thankful Amy had changed the subject, your chest allowing you to breath again after the thoughts of that night had left your mind once more.

"Yeah of course, Emma likes that one too." She responded, letting a comfortable silence blanket the car.

After a long pause, revelling in the comfort of silence and the warmth of the heater blasting in your face, you asked, "so you think Jonah's cute?"

Your words were met with a loud scoff and a mantra of denial, Amy's face heating up once again. A wide grin filled your face as she continued to dispute Jonah's words, laughter now filling the car.

——————————————————————————————————

Want to be added to the taglist? send an ask to let me know <3

——————————————————————————————————

Hey guys! Thank you so much for your patience with this chapter. I wanted to spend some time developing the character of y/n and building their backstory in these first few chapters.

I'm thinking I want to try and start posting a new part every Wednesday, however part 3 is nearly complete so that may be out sooner than that. In the next part we get to have the first introduction of Marcus as I didn't want to wait till 'demotion' to introduce him.

Please let me know what you think and how I can improve for you guys!

#marcus superstore #marcus white imagine #marcus white x reader #superstore imagine #superstore marcus imagine #superstore marcus x reader #superstore x reader #superstore #marcus white #cloud 9 #jonah simms #amy sosa #garrett mcneill #glenn sturgis #sitting on the shelf marcus white x reader

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fairymadnessyeah · 3 years

Text

Clone High

I rewatched Clone High today, after finishing a fic, and it gave me an idea for a second season, or a reboot season, if it ever happens. Warning: this will have JoanFK shipping in it.

So, in this season, everything is almost the same as the first one. The names of the episodes and what they are about, is all basically the same, except: all the students have a weird sense of deja vu. For example: when the students talk about something that happened last year, they get confused, and they all remember something cold, but they can’t put their finger on it. Mostly they shrug it off. However, feelings don’t disappear, so... Abe is a little more aware of Joan, Cleo wants Abe more, Joan is more hopeless about Abe and developing a weird crush on Kennedy, and JFK the same.

So...

Episode 1

Things go pretty much the same.

The hotline happens, JFK’s ultimatum, and Abe wanting to get Cleo.

But this time, Abe get real alcohol. He vaguely remembers failing to do so before, so he somehow gets real alcohol.

The party goes pretty much the same, and Joan tells Cleo to get with Abe.

But this time, when JFK offers her a drink, she accepts it with the idea to forget this night. She gets a bit tipsy though, and ends up making out with JFK.

The police come, but they take Abe and Gandhi. Joan was nowhere to be seen, since she was making out with JFK at the moment.

Principal Scudworth and Mr. Butlertron crash the party, but only to see what effect would the alcohol make in the clones.

The fact that the clones lost a year is supposed to be a mystery.

Episode 2

This episode is almost the same.

Except that when Abe takes the sponsor, the brand goes: “Didn’t that kid look familiar? I feel like I have seen him before...”

Joan still goes to JFK, and he is more like: “I uh see you are back for more,”

The episode still continues the same, but at the end, Joan and JFK are seen talking.

“We will never speak about what happend at your party ever again,”

“Why uh not?”

“Because it’s never going to happen again,”

Next scene, both of them come out of a the school with their hair and clothes messed up, and lipstick all over their mouths.

Episode 3

The episode goes the same, but Joan doesn’t end like a speaker.

She instead goes to the Grassy Knol to sorrow in her embarrassment.

Marie Antoinette helps her a little. She tells her that she isn’t confused about her future or her past, but she is confused about her present.

Also, Scudworth is there to see what the clones remember from the past year. He is happy to find out they don’t remember much.

Episode 4

So, the school film festival, and pretty much is all the same.

Except, Joan’s entry is about her confusion between JFK and Abe.

Lincoln doesn’t get it, but Kennedy does.

Joan, who is tired of Abe’s bullshit, enters a friends with benefits agreements with JFK. He can still be a player, and acts as her stress reliever, or rebound fuck.

Also, Scudworth gets visited by some ministers. They were in charge of the secret board of shadowy figures. They haven’t heard from them in a while, and they are suspicious. Butlertron saves the day, again.

Episode 5

The PJXTs come around and things go like the Episode did.

Except for a moment a moment in which JFK calls Joan ‘Dolphin Tat’.

Episode 6

So, Joan’s learns about the team not allowing girls or animals on the team by JFK, on one of their meetings.

She still dotes her incredible disguise, and Cleo still hits on her.

The episode finishes with JFK realizing he is not into guys, he is simply into Joan. He likes her.

Episode 7

Again, the episode goes like the original. But at the end, we see Joan go back to JFK for comfort.

Episode 8

Joan becomes homeless, and moves in with Cleo. They don’t get along, but it’s not as bad, because Joan is moving on from Abe.

Cleo does find out about them, when Joan sneaks out and comes back smelling like JFK’s perfume. She plans on telling the whole school, and things get ugly.

They start fighting, until Joan threatens to publish Cleo’s puberty pictures on the school’s newspaper. They kind of form a truce.

Meanwhile, JFK and Gandhi also fight. Gandhi wants to go spy on the girls, but JFK stops him. Only he get to stare at Joan in a girl on girl action.

Episode 9

This is the episode that completely changes. Not because I don’t like the episode, but because I love it too much to change it.

The episode is still a musical.

Fritz Habers clone (the inventor of the mustard gas) gave out cards that had a mysterius dust in it. It was supposed to be a prank, with the dust making them stink, but something else happened.

The people who opened the cards, started acting like love-sick fools. A few were saved. Gandhi, cause Fritz thinks he already smelled bad. Abe, cause his neck is too long and he didn’t get to smell it. And Cleo, cause Fritz thought he might get with her, if he was the only good smelling dude.

The dust works as a watered-down sex-pollen. It might make you horny, but not to the extent of stripping in the middle of a crowd to have sex. And it makes you blind to everything else but that person.

The first song is the group seeing the student under the dust for the first time. Thing of ‘What’s this?’ from Nightmare Before Christmas, but with love themes.

What’s this? What’s this? There’s smooshing everywhere.

Fritz finds the group that hadn’t been contaminated, and he explains what happened. They search for a way to create an antidote, and they find a journal that might have the answer, but it’s in french.

They start looking for Joan, who Abe knows hasn’t opened the letter yet. Here come the second song. It’s a version of ‘If you seek Amy’ by Britney Spears.

Oh, oh; Tell me, have you seen her?; Cause we, oh, oh; Don’t know how to speak French!

By the end of the song they find her, she is opening the card. There is a whole slow-motion montage as the dust hits her and the others go: NOOO.

Joan blinks for a few seconds, then looks back at the group, and the next song comes. It’s ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavigne, but instead of saying Girlfriend, it says GirlfriendS. And for a while, they think she is singing it to Abe. But when she is in front of him, she pushes Abe aside, and runs to JFK that was behind them.

I also like to think that the rest of the people around are dancing and doing the chorus every time there is a song.

We cut to Principal Scrubworth, who is looking at all of this from his office. He also sings a song, ‘Crazy=Genius’ by P!ATD.

While he sings, he dances around his matchines.

Then we go back to the crew who are at the Grassy Knol sad, while the other are all around being happy. Then, Marie Antoinette comes and translates the journal.

The next day, the students come into the school. The last song happens, it’s ‘Walking on sunshine’ by Katrina & the Waves. By the end of the song, the fire alarm goes off, and the sprinkles wet everybody with the antidote.

When they snap out of it, Joan and JFK are embracing. She notices how everybody is staring, and decks him, before leaving.

They break off their arrangement, bc everybody knows now.

Also, Fritz is taken to the frezzer by Principal Scrubworth.

Episode 10

We see Ponce trying to cheer up JFK since Joan rejected him, but he still dies.

I would find it funny if this is a recurring joke. That ponce dies every season, and after a while it becomes a thing of, ‘has he died yet? this is the longest he’s gone- oh no, forget it, he died,’

JFK mourns him. Joan has been avoidig him since the dust incident, so he goes to the other perso he once had for comfort, Cleo.

Abe is mad. He is more annoyed at JFK in here, bc he thinks that he took advantage of Joan. He is actually jealous.

The episode continues the same way, except for the end.

When Abe goes to console him, Joan is already there. He starts feeling something in hid chest.

Episode 11

So, Snowflake day comes. Joan doen’t like the holiday, and Abe needs to get an expensive gift for Cleo.

JFK tries to show Joan how good Snowflake day is, and they go all around town doing things.

JFK is trying to win her over, but Joan is still confused. She likes Kennedy, but she also likes Abe.

She understands the meaning of Snowflake day by the end of the episode, with the help of a trashy celebrity. Maybe a Kardashian?

And she also gets a gift from JFK that he made himself. Since she doesn’t like the consumerism of the holiday.

Abe, on that regard, instead of buying Cleo an expensive gift, he buys her a gift with some extra cash he had. The rest of his money went to buy an expensive gift for Joan. He saw it and thought of her.

It’s nice, but Joan likes JFK’s gift more. Cleo is pissed.

Episode 12

Abe is in thin ice. He has to do an extraordinary promposal to Cleo, but he can’t stop thinking about how Joan has nobody to go with.

The only one who asked her was JFK, and she is thinking about accepting.

He tries to help her get a date for prom, one that isn’t Kennedy.

They go through multiple makeovers, but in the end, Cleo takes matters into her own hands.

If she gets Joan to go with somebody else, then she gets her promposal from Abe and she wins.

She gives her the same makeover from before, and asks Napoleon to take her.

When Abe sees her, he realizes he might have feelings for her. But she is with Napoleon, so he respects that, It’s better than JFK.

Episode 13

Abe makes his Promposal, and Cleo accepts.

JFK tries to asks Joan again, but before he can, Napoleon interrupts.

They go to prom, and Joan is clearly not having a good time. She isn’t acting like a giggly vapid slut in here, but it’s clear she is not happy.

JFK sees her sad, so he goes to talk to her. She tells him that she misses him, and that she would have accepted his invitation.

Abe sees them talking and tries to stop it, but Cloe jumps him, promising sex.

He leaves with her, but the only thing he can see is Joan.

Meanwhile, Joan got rid of her makeover, and is talking with JFK. He compliments her, telling her he doesn’t need a makeover, and the two kiss.

They agree to be boyfriend and girlfriend, and they go to dance.

Abe come looking for her sees them, but becomes dramatic, and gives a speech about locking himself in the frezzer, to forget all about this.

When he goes to do that, however, he unfrezzes the secret board of shadowy figures.

The season ends there

#clone high #joan of arc #jfk #abe lincoln #gandhi #cleopatra #joan x jfk #joanfk #cleo x abe #season 2 #what i think #Idk #im sleep deprived #and tired from writing an 11K fic the last three days #might delete later

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mydearburkhart · 3 years

Text

The Amy-verse

(masterpost) | previously on The Amy-verse

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from That '70s Show, which is created by Bonnie and Terry Turner and Mark Brazill. I own nothing, except for my original character, Amy Hamilton.

Warning: I'm not fluent in English and this is one of the ways I found to learn on my own. So if you find any mistakes, please let me know :)

TW: Mentions of military dictatorship and political views. Based on facts.

Notes: If you have the chance to get the vaccine, please don't waste it. If you don't, please take care and stay at home if you're able.

Amy's political views will be frequently mentioned during the story. If you're not into politics, or if it makes you uncomfortable, or if you don't agree with her political views and feel the need to make a rude comment, I kindly suggest you to not read this.

And last, but not least: I hate you, Bolsonaro. Fuck you. I hope you die of a nasty, slow, and painful disease. :)

1×03

*during a phone call*

Jackie: Why didn't you come to the basement today?

Amy: Elis made a mess in my living room, I literally just finished cleaning her shit.

Jackie: Ew.

Amy: I know... but why didn't you tell me the president is coming to town?

Jackie: 'Cause you hate him?

Amy: Fair enough. But still.

Jackie: Amy, I'm serious. The secret service will be there, don't do anything stupid.

Amy: Oh please, Jackie. When have I ever done something stupid?

Jackie: You'd do almost anything to yell at the president. Especially if it's about your country.

Amy: Well, can you blame me? The US government supported financially the military dictatorship in my country. God knows what they would've done if that hadn't worked.

Jackie: Okay, I don't understand what you're saying. Just promise me you won't get yourself in trouble, please.

Amy: Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.

[...]

*school*

Principal: Now, as you all know President Ford will be visiting our fair city and I know there are some of you out there that might be planning some sort of quote-unquote social statement type protest...

Amy: I can't believe he interrupted cheer practice to give us a lecture...

Jackie: Yeah... ew! Those freshman creeps are staring at us.

[Amy glares at them until they stop]

Jackie: How do you do that?

Amy: I'll tell you later.

Principal: So let me tell you another thing Mr. or Mrs. Punk, protesting accomplishes nothing!

Amy: Bullshit!

Principal: Oh, sure, you might see a chance to prove your manhood or show you're cool...

Jackie: Amy, what are you planning?

Principal: But this is our President... our President, darn it! So no shenanigans, you hear me?

Amy: I'm not planning anything, believe me.

Principal: If that's your kind of attitude, you might just as well go home right now!

Jackie: Oh, you are planning something, and I will find out!

[...]

*basement*

Fez: If you hate the fuzz on your ass, then why don't you shave it off?

Amy, who just came into the basement: Who's gonna get their ass shaved, and why are you guys talking about that?

Fez: Hyde hates the fuzz on his ass.

Amy, giggling: Oh, okay. [to Hyde] You should apply some oil first, you'll be smooth like a newborn.

Hyde: That's not what we were talking about.

Amy: Then what was it?

Kelso: We're streaking!

Amy, suddenly interested: Like a... protest?

Kelso: Yeah! Say, Amy, you wanna join us?

Amy: Back off, asshole. [proceeds to take a seat on the couch] Why are you protesting?

Hyde: Against the corrupt electoral system.

Fez: Because people won't be chasing us with torches and pointy sticks.

Kelso: So I can run buck naked through a sea of people!

Eric: I'm pro-nudity.

Amy: Are you doing this too, Donna?

Donna: Hell no.

Amy: So, Hyde's got a solid purpose, Eric is a dumbass, Kelso is a sick perverted and Fez... [looks at him] That was awfully specific... are you okay?

Fez, tearing up: Well, you were the first person who asked me this today. But, yes, I am okay.

Amy: If you say so.

Eric: Amy, it's not that I don't like you or anything...

Amy: I know you don't like me, you don't have to pretend you do.

Eric: Why are you here without your "in" to the group?

Amy: I'm hiding from Jackie, and since she knows I wouldn't come here without her, she won't look for me here.

Donna: Why are you hiding from her?

Amy: I can't lie to Jackie, but if I tell her the truth she's not gonna let me do it.

Donna: Do what?

Amy, obviously lying: Nothing.

Donna: We already know you're lying.

Amy: But you don't know the truth and you're not gonna make me say it, I could tell you another lie and you wouldn't know.

Kelso: I don't understand.

Amy: I didn't think you would. But, anyways, Jackie knows me really well, she'd take the truth out of me.

[...]

*fantasy sequence, interrogation room*

Jackie: I know you're lying, so just tell me the truth!

Amy: Fine! I confess I'm planning something!

[...]

*back to the basement*

Amy: The point is that I'm gonna stay here until I'm sure she'll be back at her house. Then tomorrow, I'll just avoid her at school... So, what was that shaving talk about?

Fez: Hyde hates the fuzz on his ass.

Donna, Eric, Hyde, and Kelso: *groaning*

[...]

*the next day, at the electoral commission*

Kelso: You are so lucky I'm naked, pal!

Jackie: Amy, don't think I can't see you trying to sneak in!

Amy: Well, hello to you too Jackie.

Jackie: What are you wearing?

Amy, gesturing to her clothes: This is my outfit for today, and if you don't like it, you could leave...

Jackie: Why are dressed like a communist?

Amy: What do you mean? Just because I'm wearing a red shirt and a barret with a red star in it, does not mean I'm dressed like a communist. I always wear red clothes, Jackie! That's actually kinda stereotypical, we should...

Jackie: Quit the rambling! Do you want the secret service to call Immigration? Do you wanna get deported? You promised me you wouldn't get in trouble, Amy!

Amy: Technically, I did not promise you anything. I said, "don't worry about me, I'll be fine". [she stops when she notices that Jackie is crying] Don't cry, Jackie. I'm not gonna do anything stupid, like your boyfriend and his friends. I just want to express my frustration and try to spread awareness and, perhaps, help my homeland. Please, try to understand me.

Jackie: And I just want my best friend to stay safe and away from jail. Please, try to understand me.

Amy, now also crying: Do you trust me?

Jackie: Yes.

Amy: I'll be fine.

Jackie: Okay.

[...]

Mr. Forman: Hey, Jerry. Here's my question, how the hell could you pardon Nixon?

[...]

Jackie, clearly upset: What are you going to do? They'll be leaving soon...

Amy: I'm not gonna do anything, I'm a coward.

Jackie: How can you say that, Ames? You're not a coward!

Amy: Yes, I am! I had the chance to finally do something that could help my country, and I chickened out...

Jackie: You got scared, Amy! They could deport you.

Amy, crying: Even Eric did something!

Jackie: Don't remind me, I'll have nightmares about this... The thing is that you're smart, and you have me as your best friend, and you're hot because I only hang out with hot people. And even though you talk a lot about politics, you're really good company. You'll have another chance to make a huge protest and start a revolution, or something like that.

Amy, sniffing: Thanks, Jackie... Hey, you wanna sleepover tonight?

Jackie: Will that make you feel better?

Amy, nodding: Yes, we could do face masks and take turns on what we talk about, make-up or politics.

Jackie, huffing: Okay... you're lucky you're my best friend!

Amy, hugging her friend: I know.

[...]

*Amy's room*

Jackie, painting her nails pink: Your mom is so nice, is she really gonna bake a cake for tomorrow's breakfast just because I'm here?

Amy, painting her nails red: Yep, I hope you like corn cake, that is the only recipe she knows.

Jackie: It sounds good.

Amy: Believe me, it is! But if you don't like it, we can make a carrot cake with chocolate again... [winks]

Jackie: I love you!

Amy: I love you too!

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@kim1918, @supernannygirl704things, @snookstheallmighty, @boysdonntcry, @scaponigifs

#mydearburkhart #the amy verse #that 70s show #70s show #that '70s show #t7s #jackie burkhart #steven hyde #eric forman #donna pinciotti #michael kelso #fez

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paceypeternathanslawyer · 3 years

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I think the show inflated Dawson and Joey’s connection via the dialogue. If they wanted to show us what a deep connection DJ had they should have done more than show Dawson ranting to Joey about his life and having Joey respond to it. I believe they’re childhood friends. I don’t believe they’re soulmates or even that they have the “I-don’t-know-where-you-end-and-I-begin.” Their friendship would have been more believable if Dawson hadn’t been so narcissistic and self absorbed. We should have seen a more balanced/equal relationship between him and the other characters.

I don’t think Dawson is any worse than the other characters, especially during the college years. The main problem with Dawson is that the show continuously tells us what a great guy he is. And by doing so, it doesn’t always hold him accountable to his mistakes to the degree that necessary. When Dawson does apologize he often sounds dismissive and condensing (ei: “I could tell you all roads lead back to me but those are just words…go… you’re free.”) Also, Most of Dawson’s interactions with his friends revolved around his feelings and his interests.

Like in a commentary, Kerr Smith, discusses how hard it was to film the scene where everyone gathered to cheer Dawson up in the end of True Love, especially since the scene before that one featured a very emotional moment between Jack and his dad. It was as if Dawson’s heartbreak was more important than Jack’s. Dawson literally used homophobia directed at Jack to win Joey back and also almost crashed Jack’s boat, he didn’t deserve to have Jack be his friend.

When it comes to Pacey, the narrative acknowledges that he’s a screw up and holds him accountable for his mistakes. When Pacey screws up he usually also apologizes right away and it doesn’t sound half-assed like “I’m sorry IF you got offended.” Also I like that Pacey doesn’t only apologize, he rectifies the situation via his actions (ex: when he came back to dance with Joey at the prom in S6 after humiliating her at prom or when he raised money for Dawson’s film after losing all of his money).

Personally, I don’t think Dawson is any more misogynistic than any of the other guys. The most misogynistic scene was where Jack told his frat bro that Audrey was “easy”. He was forgiven pretty easily by Audrey and Joey for saying that. Pacey also had a tendency to over-sexualize certain women.

Dawson is horrible in later seasons as well. For one he cheats on his girlfriend and then has the nerve to get angry at Joey for being understandably mad about the situation. He calls her a scared child after just sleeping with her btw which is super gross. Instead of taking responsibility for his screwup he blames her and makes himself to be a victim of Joey.

Dawson still has zero empathy in later seasons. Number 1, he goes to Pacey and asks him to invest ALL his money. As someone who works in the financial world and I believe everyone should know this. It doesn't matter how carefully you invest... you should never invest every cent you have. That is extremely stupid!!! And then he went to his friend wanting him to be the one to invest it and Pacey is smartly reluctant to do so because that is such a bad idea to have your friend do something like that. But he pushed Pacey into it in the first place. It sucks that in the end he lost his money but Pacey also lost his own money... did Dawson give a shit about Pacey? No. He could have comiserated with him since they were both in the same boat but no Dawson thinks of no one but himself. Their whole fight in that episode just infuriates me because it's a lot Dawson dredging up the past and rewriting history to once again making Pacey out to be the villain of his life's movie that he has made in his own head.

"You wanna know why we're not friends, pace? It's not because of what happened with Joey, even though that turned my world upside down. It's because from that day forward, I realized that you hadn't been my friend for... maybe quite some time, 'cause the second you made us competitors" This line makes me livid. Dawson is the one who accused Pacey of stealing the PSATs when he truly didn't, called him weak and self motivated. He threw a basketball at Pacey's face and broke his nose. He forgot his birthday. Told him he should go back to being a screwup who makes him feel better about his life. Dawson was a horrible friend and all those things happened before the situation with Joey and Dawson has to the nerve to act like Pacey was the one who didn't want to be his friend. Also the line about making them competitors? Dawson made them competitors. He did not have to care that Pacey and Joey dated he did not need to throw away their friendship. He chose that. He ruined their friendship. Dawson literally made them competitors when he signed up for the boat race that Pacey had signed up to take part in weeks before all the drama went down. Dawson is literally rewriting history there to make himself the victim.

"I remember when my best friend had a choice and chose to turn his back on me. If you'd ever stopped settin' us up against each other, you woulda realized that you and I are not that far apart." Pacey turned his back on him? I seem to recall Pacey doing everything in his power to fix their friendship in S4 including apologizing to Dawson even though I don't believe he needed to. Also Pacey went to Dawson to apologize about losing all his money and Dawson dredged up the past and tried to demonize him for things that he had already apologized for years prior. Looks to me like your the one settin you two up against each other, Dawson!

"You don't wanna know me, pace. You wrote me off a long time ago." Again I feel like a broken record but in season 5 and 6 Pacey was extremely nice to Dawson way nicer than I would have been. Dawson wrote Pacey off the moment he found out he was dating Joey.

Secondly he never apologized to Pacey for nearly killing him and saying horrible vile things about him at the end of Season 3 so one can assume that he believed until the end of time that he wasn't in the wrong. Plus i'm of the opinion that he shouldn't be forgiven until he has apologized.

He is way more sexist than Pacey and Jack... there might be some peripheral characters that have him beat but i'm not too sure.

In season 5, he meets that film critic and says some sexist bullshit to her specifically this is their exchange...

Amy: Hardball. Keanu Reeves coaches this inner-city little league team and, in the process, changes their lives for the better. I lost it. I mean, I cried like a baby. I saw it in the theater 5 times.

Dawson: That explains that, then.

Amy: What?

Dawson: Why your boyfriend dumped you. You're a sentimental drama queen with really crappy taste in movies.

1. Fuck you Dawson. Your opinion in movies is not that great. Wasn't he the one who in S3 went on and on to Pacey about how he didn't like film noir... yeah I don't trust his opinion in movies in the least.

2. Drama queen?! Also telling a random woman you don't even know that he understands why her boyfriend dumped her?! Again fuck you Dawson.

#dawson leery #anti dawson leery #dawson's creek #dawson's creek rant

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schrijverr · 3 years

Text

'Till Death Do Us Part

Part 7 out of 13

When Alex has to bring Philip to work, he and Thomas discover that they both have something in common: they lost their love. They form an unexpected bond and connection about this that grows into something more.

A medium burn with parental feelings about Philip and flowers.

On AO3.

Ships: Jamilton

Warnings: mentions of grief

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 7: Betony Means ‘Surprise’

Alex and Thomas had gone on two more dates together when April rolled around. Nothing had been made official yet, but the kisses had become more heated, their text messages more familiar, with Thomas staying over after movie nights.

However, Alex now had a problem.

He stopped Angelica as she exited her office: “Hey, Angelica, Angie, one of my favorite sisters, how are you?”

“What do you need, Alex?” he wasn’t all that subtle and she saw right through him.

“I am having a minor crisis and I need you to tell me what to do, but I can’t have Thomas overhear. Can we please go into your office?” he pleaded.

“Having love life issues?” her eyes lit up and he felt a small betrayal at her glee about his crisis, but he was also just happy she was listening.

“Yes,” he sighed, “Can we go now?”

“Of course,” she opened the door and ushered him in, asking, “So, what’s up? Tell me everything.”

“Did you know Thomas’s birthday is the 13th??” he whisper yelled at her.

“Yeah, I’ve been friends with him for a while, it’s always been that date,” Angelica shouldn’t sound so amused in Alex’s not so humble opinion.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I don’t know what you’re so upset about, Thomas has been the birthday boy before, ‘Lexi.” she teased him.

“Yeah, but when he was the birthday boy before,we weren’t in this weird limbo where we’re not dating dating, but it’s also not friendship and when it was my birthday we were just beginning to be friends, so I have no clue what he’ll expect from me and I’m really freaking out and you need to help me. Now. Preferably.”

Apparently the panic in his eyes was enough for Angelica to drop the teasing and say: “Hey, no reason to stress, take a breath for a moment,” Alex did so, “Good. So, what is the main stressor right now?”

“I can fulfill expectations except I do not know what the expectations are and I will mess up,” Alex told her.

“That’s valid, but you’re also a dumbass,” this is why he loved Angelica, just because she knew him well enough to call him out on his bullshit, even if the bullshit was coming from his own brain.

“Just tell me what to do,” Alex said tiredly, he had been stressing so much about this that he just wanted to give up at this point.

“Well, me and Thomas are friends, you know this, but his birthday- let’s say he’s not big on it and I never really mentioned it to him, so I don’t really know.”

“Then what-”

She cut him off: “But, he and James are much closer. You can ask him.”

“I don’t want to ask him.”

“Why not, don’t be whiny about this.”

“Because it’s embarrassing,” Alex most definitely whined.

“Then you just have to suck it up or keep stressing,” Angelica shrugged.

Alex bit his lip as he thought about it. He and James had worked together on a project, before James moved to a different branch. It was around the time John had died and Alex wasn’t a pleasant person back then, so when Thomas came back they had definitively grown apart. Alex hadn’t talked to James in forever.

But he also wanted to be a good maybe-boyfriend to Thomas and he didn’t want to disappoint or hurt the other man when it had been going so well so far.

He sighed: “Do you know where his office is?”

Angelica smiled and told him, before giving him a cookie from the jar she had on her desk, because she was ‘a grown woman who could do whatever she wanted, you judgmental asshole.’

“I’ll be off then.”

“Good luck, ‘Lexi,” Angelica waved cheerily as she went the other way to the printer room, while Alex felt as if he approached the doors of the Hell even though it was just the lift.

Getting off two floors below, he walked over to James’ office and knocked, waiting for a beat until the other called out: “Come in.”

He slowly opened the door and in the most awkward way possible he greeted: “Heeey.”

“Alexander, what a pleasant surprise,” he wasn’t sure how much James meant that, but he was hoping for sincerity.

“Yeah, good to see you too, it’s been a while, sorry. I, uhm, I’m not that good with keeping up with people,” he said, before adding, “Especially back then, sorry for that.”

James looked him over carefully, then said: “I understand. You must forgive him, but Thomas gave me some context.”

“Ah, yeah, well, can’t say I didn’t do the same,” Alex replied, “Though, I should have reached out again after I processed a bit more, I kinda took it out on you and that wasn’t okay.”

“No, it wasn’t,” James acknowledged, then the subject was apparently done in his eyes, since he swiftly moved on: “I suppose you have a reason for coming here now.”

“Yeah, can I come in?”

James gestured for him to enter so he closed the door behind him and sat down in one of the chairs across from James as he began: “Now, I know this is not your thing, but I need your advise about something.”

“Is it about Thomas?” James stopped him before he could continue.

“It’s about Thomas,” Alex confirmed.

“What stupid thing are you planning now?” James asked with a sigh.

“Nothing,” James didn’t believe him, so he went on, “Well, nothing yet. It’s- His birthday is coming up – I don’t know why I’m telling you this, you know that – but it’s coming up and I don’t know if I should do something or if he wants to be left alone, just- what are the expectations? Do you know what Thomas expects? From me.”

James paused at the word vomit and mulled over his words, before asking: “You really care about this, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s- it’s been really good and I don’t wanna mess it up,” Alex said, he decided to put all cards on the table in the hope that James would see he was honest and help him not fuck up the best thing that had happened to him since Philip was born.

“Hmm,” James hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then slowly and carefully he began, “Thomas does not like his birthday, he’s not a party man. He usually lets the date go by uncelebrated, so that’s something to keep in mind.”

“Okay, okay,” Alex nodded, “Is there anything I could do? Like, would he appreciate me showing up with take out and a movie or something? Like as a surprise? Is that something he would like?”

“I’m sorry, aren’tyou the one texting him every single day?” James said, “I have to listen to Thomas talk about you so much, I almost feel like I know you too well for the amount of interactions we’ve had and you really think me – the aroace – is the one to go for for dating advice?”

“Why is this so hard,” Alex groaned, “Ugh.”

James raised a brow at this.

“You weren’t the first I asked,” Alex told him, “I asked Angelica and she said to go to you. SoI hoped that you, as Thomas’s best friend, would be willing to help little old me.”

After a beat James said: “I think he would appreciate it, but bring a gift as well.”

“Thanks, you’re literally the best. What-”

“No, I’m not giving you gift ideas,” James cut him off, “Thomas is hard enough to buy something for and I came up with one idea and you’re not getting it.”

Alex chuckled at that, deciding that James had done enough for him to stop harassing the man about his own relationship issues. He smiled: “Alright, I’ll go now. Again, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” James called out to him as he left and Alex did a small lazy salute to him as he left the office feeling a bit better about how to go about it.

As he walked back to his office he mentally made a plan of action, nodding satisfied to himself as he did. It felt good to know what the game was, so that he could find a way to play. Knowing his surroundings had always given him comfort.

It was Wednesday and Laf was picking Philip up from school, claiming the babysitters spot after saying that he hadn’t seen his favorite neveuin forever. This worked in Alex’s favor.

He was let up into the apartment and was immediately greeted by Philip, jumping into his arms as he rambled about cars and a monster and French.

Alex listened and waited until he was done talking, before saying: “Wow, that sounds very cool, buddy. Seems you had a productive afternoon. How was school? Learn anything fun?”

“We talked about shapes!” Philip told him, before explaining why a square was a rectangle, but a rectangle not always a square, “Isn’t that super mega cool?”

“That is super mega cool, buddy,” Alex agreed.

Before he could say more, Laf interrupted: “Wow, just ignored in my own home, I feel personally attacked, mon ami.”

“Ah, sorry,” Alex was the only one of his friends with kids, of course Eliza and Maria had the orphanage, but it wasn’t the same. It was supposed to be him and John together, but now he was mostly on his own and he still felt awkward about it sometimes, like he was too young and had made a mistake, even though Philip was the best thing in his life and completely planned.

“Don’t worry about it, it was a joke,” Laf smiled, easing his anxiety slightly.

Alex smiled back, then asked Philip: “Have you been nice for your Uncle Laf? Didn’t tear the place down, I hope.”

Philip shook his head: “I was very good.”

“We’ll see,” Alex winked, before raised a questioning brow at Laf.

“Mon petit neveustill takes after his best Uncle and is an absolute star,” he said, “You did well with him Alex.”

“Good to hear,” Alex replied, ruffling Philip’s hair, “Maybe you’ll get an extra story tonight, buddy. You can play a little more now, I have to ask your Uncle Laf something for a moment, okay?”

At that Philip cheered as he raced off to his cars, dropping to his knees and getting immersed in his little world once more.

Alex followed him with fond eyes, before Lafayette said: “So, have to ask Uncle Laf something, I am curious.”

“Ah, yeah, uhm, don’t tease me, okay?”

“You’re onlymaking me more curious, Alexandre. What is it?”

“I don’t know what to get Thomas for his birthday.”

Lafayette gasped and jumped a bit, grin splitting his face: “I will help you find the perfect gift!”

“Really?” Alex was relieved, “Thank you so much.”

“It’s not problem, I need this sort of entertainment in my life,” Laf clapped him on the back, “So, what is the vibe?”

“Well, I’m planning to come over to his house with take out and just watching a movie together,” Alex explained, “James said he’s not big on huge birthday parties and we’re not dating dating so I don’t want to make it too big of a deal, but still a deal, if that makes sense?”

“Good insight, I once threw him a huge birthday party and he did not appreciate it.”

“Oof.”

“Yeah, it happens, mon ami, not everyone can see my great party planning skills for what they’re worth,” Laf lamented, “But a gift, he likes books, poetry, music – especially classics – and, uhm, fashion, but I don’t think you’re the man for that.”

“I would protest that, because he literally wears magenta suits, but he also said that I dress – and I quote – ‘like the pits of fashion,’ so he would agree more with you in that,” Alex shrugged.

“Good,” Lafayette nodded, “Now, music, I don’t know how much you overlap in music, so maybe stay out of that one unless you’re sure, so that leaves books and poetry, which you have a lot in common in, so maybe do that.”

Alex nodded, but couldn't say anything before Laf gasped: “Buy him love poetry.”

“That’s kinda corny don’t you think?”Alex asked.

Lafayette thought of that one time Thomas had told him Martha had written him a love song and he had cried, before he shook his head: “No, Thomas loves corny, it’s a good gift.”

“Okay, thank you, you are my knight in shining armor,” Alex told him.

“Live to please,” Lafayette winked, “Hey, do you and Pip want to stay over for dinner, I feel like we hardly get to talk with all the adult responsibilities.”

“Yeah sure, that sounds great actually, though it’s not my fault you’re in France most of the time,” Alex ribbed him slightly.

“Oh please, you would too if you had a real job.”

“How dare you,” they fell into familiar squabbling grown out of many years as young drunk college students making bad choices together.

As they wined and dined Alex mulled over Lafayette’s suggestion. It was a good suggestion, but Alex worried it might be too much, but then again he wasn’t doing much organization-wise, so maybe it would just have to be the gift that was a bit more.

He did want to show up as a surprise, but he didn’t want to be too unexpected or make it seem like he had forgotten or something.

While the night progressed, the idea became more solid in his head and by the time he was tucking Philip in, he knew what he was going to do.

By the time the 13thof April arrived Alex was kinda nervous as he came into the office. He put his stuff down in his office and took a deep breath before going to the break room to make two cups of coffee and wait at Thomas’s office.

He had timed it pretty well and not a minute later Thomas came sauntering over to his office, stopping when he saw Alex. Alex attempted a wave, but was stopped by his full hands, so he just said: “Uhm, happy birthday.”

Thomas blinked for a moment, the smiled and shook his head: “You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.”

“I know you don’t like to celebrate, so I didn’t want to do anything big, but I did want to do something, it would feel weird to just let it go by, so uhm, here,” he held out the flowers he had with him and the coffee, “I checked your office vase yesterday and there was nothing, so I hope that’s still the case.”

“It is. Thank you, they’re beautiful,” Thomas took the purple flowers, “What are they?”

“They’re betonies,” Alex replied, knowing why Thomas was asking. They had been doing this thing with flowers for a while now, both trying to find flowers that suited the occasion or the other person, which was why he had picked them.

“I love them,” Thomas smiled, opening his office and asking, “Wanna drink this coffee in my office before we start?”

“Hell yeah.”

They drank they coffee talking about nothing and everything as they started up slowly. Before Alex and Thomas starting drinking coffee in the morning, Alex would rush through drinking his coffee to get to his office as fast as he could, but he was starting to see the joys of taking his time in the morning.

Thomas loved how he got Alex to calm down a bit. He loved the other’s ambitions and quick wit along with his concentrated face when he was typing a mile a minute, but this more mellow version of Alex was also nice to witness from time to time.

After a whileAlex finally stood up, stretching as he said: “Alright, I should probably go to work now. See you at lunch? I’m buying.”

“I’m not saying no to free food. See ya, then,” Thomas waved as Alex left.

Whenthe door hadclosed, he got out his phone and quickly Googled the meaning of betonies. Frowning when he saw that they meant surprise, was it because the flowers were a surprise or because Alex had something else up his sleeve?

He started on his work as he mulled over the possibilities.

An hour into the day, Angelica knocked on his door and came in with a smile: “Hi, birthday boy, you feeling old yet?”

“And hello to you too, Angie,” Thomas deadpanned.

“Ahw, come on, Tommy, it’s all in good faith,” she smirked, entering his office and handing him a card.

With slight apprehension he took the card and sighed when he saw that it was a black and white picture of an old lady on a skateboard that read ‘OLD BUT STILL COOL!’ He looked at it then up to Angelica tiredly: “Why are you like this?”

“You love it,” she grinned, then added: “Old man.”

“Just because you’re two years younger, doesn’t mean you’re funny,” he told her, “I’m not even forty yet, so fuck off.”

“Well, you live in your world, I’ll live in mine,” she turned and commented, “Nice flowers.”

Thomas blushed and mumbled: “Yeah, Alex got them for me.”

“Ahw, how sweet,” Angelica cooed, “You two are so cute. If I wasn’t so glad being single, I would be jealous.”

“Shut up.”

“Are you blushing?”

“I don’t like how much it sounds like you’re enjoying my pain, Angelica,” he said, “And since it’s my birthday, you’re not allowed to.”

Angelica laughed: “What are you? Five?”

“No, according to this card I’m fifty, thanks for that.”

“You’re not actually hurt, are you, Tommy?”

“Give me a cookie from your cookie stash and I won’t be.”

“Come on, you big loser, it’s coffee break time anyway.”

He happily got up and followed her out of his office to hers, going back to hang out in the break room for a moment afterwards and catch up on life.

Lunch came around and Alex got a small cupcake, which he gave to him with a shrug: “I wanted to put a candle in there, but fire safety AKA Washington, was lame andwouldn’t allow it.”

“Life happens,” Thomas grinned, picturing Alex whining while Washington refused to let him burn the office down by accident.

“Yeah, it does,” Alex grinned back, “Okay day so far?”

Thomas nodded: “Yeah, got a cookie from Angie and been enjoying my flowers.”

“Glad you like them,” and then Alex gave him a mysterious smirk that Thomas couldn't decipher and he wanted to ask what it was about, but he also wanted to figure it out on his own. So, instead he asked about Alex’s work and let the conversation flow easily between them.

When Alex left to go back to work, he planted a peck on Thomas’s forehead then his nose when he saw the blush, commenting that it was still cute, which didn’t help the blush at all.

With Alex’s departure, he was thinking about the flowers again and he had no clue what to think.

He was still intently staring at them when James entered his office. His friend had already called him in the morning, but had come to congratulate him in person as well: “Thomas, congrats on being thirty-eight, almost not a youngling anymore.”

“Ugh, are you and Angelica teaming up?” Thomas asked, “I swear the only whose been nice about the whole age thing is Alex and that’s just cause he wants to be nice on my birthday, he’ll join you tomorrow, probably.”

“You’re being dramatic, Thomas,” James told him, no pity there, “Ah, flowers, how lovely.”

Aha, he could ask James what he thought they meant. He smiled: “They are. They’re betonies, they mean surprise, what do you think he meant with that?”

“I think he thought: ‘Oh purple, Thomas likes purple, these flowers are pretty, I’ll get them,’” James informed him.

“That’s not what he sounds like,” Thomas protested.

“It’s kind of what he sounds like, with the run on sentences. I swear that man doesn’t know a dot when it hits him in the face,” James complained.

“I always forget you two worked together,” Thomas mused, “Anyway, not the point. The point is that the flowers mean surprise and I need to know why.”

“And I already told you.”

“You’re missing the point, Jemmy. Me and Alex do this thing with the flowers,” Thomas explained, “He asked me out with cornflowers, it was fucking cute, alright. The flowers mean surprise for a reason and I need to figure it out. It’s probably a clue.”

“I think you’re blowing this out of proportion,” James said, twisting his handkerchief around his fingers.

“Oh- you- the- I think you’re lying.”

“What?”

“You’re twisting the handkerchief, you do that when you’re lying,” Thomas accused, “You know something.”

“No, I don’t and I don’t twist my handkerchief when I’m lying,” James protested.

“Yes, you do. You did it when Laf threw me the surprise party- oh God, he’s not throwing me a surprise party is he?”

“He’s not, Thomas, calm down.”

“So you do know something?”

“I can’t believe I’m still friends with you,” James avoided the question.

“I can,” Thomas replied, “Now, tell me what you know.”

James sighed and rubbed his forehead: “I’m not telling you anything.”

“Why not, Jemmy, please,” Thomas whined.

“Because the flowers mean surprise,” James told him bluntly, “I thought you were big on their meaning.”

“You’re so mean to me, Jemmy.”

“And you mostly deserve it,” James said, “Now, have your sisters called you, yet? Or your mom?”

“Yeah, I missed Ma and Mary, I think Jane just left a message though. Why can’t they send a text like Randy, that’s at leasteasy.”

“Oh, jikes.”

“I know, I’m gonna hear about that,” Thomas sighed, “But I don’t want to talk to them yet, because this thing with Alex is just really starting and I don’t want them nosing around – and I know they will – and I just don’t want them to ruin it. You know I can’t keep my mouth shut around them.”

“You’re going to have to tell them eventually,” James said kindly.

“I know, I know, but I want to at least know how to describe Alex when I finally do,” Thomas sighed.

James gave him a look: “You can talk to Alex about it.”

Thomas hid under his arms: “Yeah, but that’s scary, cause what if he doesn’t like me that much? What if he thinks it’s too fast?”

“Thomas, you’ve been on four, in your words, amazing dates, you’ve seen him cry in front of his late husband’s grave, you cried in his arms, I don’t think it’s too fast,” James said, “Now, I know, I might not have the best grip on this, but from what I heard from him, you’re good.”

“You talked to him? What did he say?”

“He said it was really good,” James decided it couldn't hurt to boost Thomas’s confidence, “Look, you don’t have to talk about it today or anything, but you’re going to at some point. I think you both want this, so go for it.”

“I hate it when you’re right,” Thomas whined.

“Then you hate me most of the time,” James smirked.

“I hate you.”

“You just said.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’d rather you don’t.”

“James, you assh- you know what? Never mind, that one never gets old.”

“Thank you, I try.”

Thomas stretched, popping his back, before making a face: “God, soon these old man comments are going to be true.”

James just laughed at his pain, then they chatted a bit more, before James bid him farewell and told him to enjoy the rest of his birthday. Thomas rolled his eyes at that, he was just going to sit on his couch with wine or something, James knew that.

He finished up his work early and said goodbye to Alex, who was still typing away on his laptop. He waved back absentmindedly, hair in a messy bun as he mouthed some words. The picture made Thomas pause, smiling softly.

At home, he kicked off his shoes and got dressed in black sweat pants and a tank top. He stopped at the picture of Martha on his bedside table. It was his favorite picture of her, she was wearing a yellow sundress and sitting in a field under a tree, holding her guitar and smiling.

He smiled at it and whispered: “I wish you could see me now, sweetheart. You’d be so proud of me.”

The picture stayed silent, but it’s presence was still comforting, so Thomas picked it up and looked at it for a moment.

Then he went downstairs and put on some classical music with a book, determined to enjoy his birthday surrounded by soft pillows.

His stomach started rumbling about an hour later, but before he could do something about it, his phone started ringing. Glancing at the contact, he saw it was Lafayette. He knew he couldn't just ignore the man, because he would show up at his door, so he picked up: “Hi, Laf.”

“Mon ami, bonjour, bonjour,” Lafayette greeted him excitedly, “Bon anniversaire! How are you on this fine day?”

“Yeah, yeah, you know, the usual,” Thomas said, “Though, Alex got me flowers, that was nice.”

“Ahw, you two are so attachante, I love you two,” Laf cooed.

Thomas just rolled his eyes at the Frenchman’s antics, he had long since gotten used to the unlimited amount of energy he seemed to have. He asked: “So, how has your day been?”

“Ugh, you would not believe, Tommy, what I’ve been through, okay,” Lafayette began, “Sometimes a day is ruined as it starts – it was a day like that. Woke up late, big line at Starbucks, didn’t have oat milk for my latte, was late at work, security were having issues and that was before I had even gotten to my office.”

“Sounds awful, Laf,” Thomas was happy to let Lafayette ramble, he liked listening to others with little expectations of his own involvement in the conversation.

“I know, right?” Lafayette agreed, “So, I get to my desk and I rememberedI left it a mess yesterday. Granted, this was my own fault, but it was another thing that just bogs you down, you know. Anyway, I get to organizing my desk then Janice came up to me.”

“Racist, homophobic Senator Janice?”

“Yes, her, the fucking bitch. And I was feeling myself, I was having my highlighter moment, got these cute dangling earrings in.”

“The ones Eliza got for you? With the little crystals?”

“Yeah, I love them – I should thank her for those again, hmm – anyway, Janice starts going off about them, like she’s not dressed like a Walmart clearance rack. Which, nothing wrong with that, but don’t come after my moment.”

Thomas just hummed, confirming he was still listening.

“I wasn’t having this, but before I could level her to the ground, Nyke saves me from slapping a Senator. I appreciate them so much, the only valid person in the entire White House, I will swear by that.”

That got a huff out of Thomas, who asked: “Not the President, but your intern?”

“Obviously, at least Nyke knows how to dress,” Laf replied, “Ugh, they were wearing a corset by the way and I am really tempted, but I’m not sure. What do you think?”

“I mean, if you want to. Why not?” Thomas shrugged, “It seems like something you could pull off. I don’t know, yolo or something?”

“Did you just say yolo?” there was a weird sort of glee and upset in Lafayette’s voice.

“Yeah, not cool anymore?”

“Not- not cool? Honey that hasn’t been cool in years.”

“It started ironic, okay.”

Lafayette cackled: “God, I know you were becoming old today, but hot damn.”

“Not you too,” Thomas whined.

“Not the first?” Lafayette asked, glee not at all hidden.

“No, James and Angie are mean to me and at this point I’m just waiting for Alex to join, but I think he’s waiting until my actual birthday is over in an attempt to be nice,” Thomas lamented.

“You know him so well.”

“I hate you.”

“Live to please.”

“Can we go back to Janice and Nyke?” Thomas pleaded.

“Of course!” Laf’s cheery voice came through the phone, “So, Nyke saved me from beating a bitch up, we drank coffee together – love having interns, it’s great – boring meetings blah, blah, blah.”

“I love that you describe your important job in the government as ‘blah, blah, blah.’”

“We all have our talents, mon ami.”

“Yeah, mine are getting insulted for being old. I’m not even forty yet, okay, I’m not that old. They’re only a few years younger than me, the assholes. I mean, Alex is thirty-three, he has no rights.”

“He hasn’t even started to, Thomas.”

“But he’s going to,” Thomas moped.

“I mean, true.”

“I hate it here.”

“It can’t have been that bad, tell me something good from today,”

“Well, Alex got me flowers, betonies, actually,” Thomas told him, “They mean surprise, know anything about that?”

“Non,” Laf was lying, Thomas knew it, but didn’t push, “Anything else fun?”

“Angie and James coming by was nice and lunch with Alex was nice too. He got me a muffin and complained Washington wouldn’t let him light a candle within the office,” Thomas smiled, “He’s a little menace.”

“Yes, he is, gave that to another scélérat.”

“Is the scoundrel in question perhaps Philip?”

“Indeed, I hear you’ve been upgraded to Uncle Thomas?” there was a bit of teasing in Lafayette’s voice, but also pride.

Thomas blushed and said: “Yeah, who said? It has to be someone from the movie night you weren’t at. Was it Alex? Or Angie?”

“Oh, non, it was mon petitPip, himself, grand tales of his bestest Uncle Thomas,” Laf most definitely teasing with that, but Thomas just blushed heavier, happy that the kid liked him so much, which had been an insecurity when he and Alex had started.

“When did you speak with him? He doing alright?”

“I would say that you get to see him more often than me, but I have him here,” Lafayette informed him, “We’re watching Beauty and the Beasttonight.”

“What? Where’s Alex?”

“Rude, I can spend time with mon neveu, Thomas,” Lafayette said.

“Lafayette, it’s almost 18:30, if Alex’s still at work I have to go drag him away from his laptop,” Thomas explained, “He should be picking Philip up by now, by a while ago, actually.”

“Non, of course not, me and Pip are having a sleepover,” Laf turned the phone away and Thomas could hear him yell: “Pip, you’re having a sleepover with your favorite Uncle, aren’t you?”

There was a faint, inaudible reply, before Laf returned to the phone and grumbled: “Thomas, you need to upgrade yourself to dad soon, I’m loosing my status.”

“What?” Thomas chocked.

“Nothing,” Laf breezed on, “My point is Alex knows where Pip is and it’s all good.”

“Then he could still be at the office, I should call him,” Thomas worried.

“No, of course not, he’s- uhm,” Laf was searching for words when the doorbell rang.

Thomas looked up and frowned, he wasn’t expecting company and he hadn’t ordered anything yet either. He told Laf: “Sorry, one sec. There’s someone at the door.”

“Oh, that’s my cue to go,” Laf sounded relieved at that. His nonsense babbling supply had run dry by now.

“What?”

“You’ll see,” and with that mysterious message, Lafayette hung up.

Thomas shook his head, before going to the front door, thinking of who the fuck it could be. When he saw the person through the window, it all clicked and he wanted to facepalm for it being so obvious.

He opened the door: “Hey, darlin’.”

Alex was dressed casually with a bag of take out in his one hand, a small present in the other. He smiled nervously: “Uhm, surprise.”

~~~~~~~~

A/N:

Disclaimer: aroace people can give good relationship advise, be in relationships if they so wish and I do not want to invalidate anyone, so sorry if it came across like that. I’m just picturing James as an aroace who doesn’t date and doesn’t want to and is tired of everyone’s allo shit.

I love James as a character, but it’s hard to get him in with so many moving parts and people, so sorry for his small role so far. I’ll see what I can do.

This actually goes for all the characters, I want to give them all the attention they deserve, but keeping the story going is also important, so balance ahhh

#RR writing #tw: grief mention #Hamilton #Hamilton AU #Alexander Hamilton #Thomas Jefferson #Angelica Schuyler #James Maddison #Lafayette #Marquis de Lafayette #Philip Hamilton #Jamilton #'Till Death Do Us Part #'Till Death Do Us Part Part 7 #'Till Death Do Us Part AU

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sparrow-flies-south · 4 years

Text

Ten Things [Chapter 7]

Fandom: Sanders Sides Pairings: Anxceit, Royality Intrulogical Summary: Ten Things I Hate About You AU When Roman Prince learns that Patton Foster isn’t allowed to date until his older brother, Virgil, is, Roman is crushed. Roman’s twin brother Remus, however, comes up with a plan: find someone who is willing to date Virgil. And who better to ask than Janus Verona, who according to rumours is willing to do anything for the right price? Taglist (ask to be added): @glitchybina @someone-idk-is-here @ellietempest @imlikeaghostzombiejesus @anxiety-ismy-name Notes: Better late than never, right?

Hopefully I won’t have as many more delays in the future, but in other news, we’re halfway through! (According to my outline, at least) I’m really excited about getting into the second half, which has a lot of fun things in it!

AO3 Link - Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six

Remus meandered along the school corridors in the hopes that someone would see him, take pity on him, and offer him a lift home. So far, his plan wasn’t bearing much fruit.

With Roman in detention for hacking the schools intercom system (not that it counted as hacking if it was left alone in an unlocked room) Remus was forced to either wait around for an hour or make his own way home. Waiting around meant boredom, but going home meant walking, which was only slightly better.

He turned a corner, and grinned when he spotted Logan talking to a guy Remus didn’t really know. At least Logan might offer some entertainment – he was fun to wind up, and, best of all, never seemed to take his antics too seriously. Well, other than when Remus deliberately got science wrong.

Remus waved, but Logan didn’t notice. The other guy was leaning close to him, saying something, and Logan had his head down, his shoulders hunched. Remus faltered. Clearly, only one person was happy to be having that conversation.

The guy laughed, and shoved Logan, hard enough to make him stagger back a step. Rage twisted up in Remus’ gut, and he strode forward, but the guy was already walking away.

“Hey!” Remus shouted. The guy didn’t look back, just disappeared through the doors that led out of the school.

Remus began to follow, but Logan’s hand caught his arm, freezing him in place.

“Leave it,” Logan said.

Remus frowned, turning to Logan. “Who the hell was that?”

“That was Jake,” Logan said, sounding resigned. He began walking out of the school, and Remus followed him.

“What did he want?” Remus asked.

“Nothing.”

“He was clearly messing with you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit,” Remus snapped, grabbing Logan’s arm and holding him in place. “C’mon, Lo, tell me what’s going on.”

“Why?” Logan snapped. “So you can join him in making my life miserable?”

Remus dropped Logan’s arm and took a step back. “Logan, that’s not -”

“Of course not,” Logan said before Remus could figure out how he was going to end the sentence. He shook his head. “I have work to do.”

Remus watched Logan walk away, frozen in place. Something was definitely wrong, but Remus didn’t know what to do about it. How did you make someone feel better?

He could go beat up Jake. Remus spun on his heel, and marched to the car park.

You’ll get suspended, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Logan warned. Remus ignored it. Who cared if he got suspended? It would get the dude off of Logan’s back. It might even make everyone else think twice before messing with Logan.

Remus arrived at the car park just in time to see Jake get into a shiny new car and drive away. Remus scowled; so goes that idea.

He could still fight the guy tomorrow, but it wouldn’t feel the same. He wanted a way to cheer Logan up now. Make it so that Logan wasn’t bothered about Jake and his shitty, perfect car.

Huh. That gave Remus an idea. Sure, beating him up might be off the table for now, but there were other ways to get revenge. Ways that would probably make Logan feel better, too.

Smiling to himself, Remus began walking away from school. He’d need to go on a recon mission around the neighbourhood, and then visit Logan when it got dark, but first, he was going to the grocery store.

The date was perfect.

Roman had driven them to the park, where they had walked hand in hand. When they got to the lake, Patton noticed Swan boats and mentioned that he’s always wanted to go on one. So Roman had decided that the best time to try it was right there and then, even though the sun was setting.

They stayed on the lake until it got dark, when they went back to shore and Roman drove Patton home. Patton wished the day wouldn’t end – everything felt so magical, that he was scared it would disappear at any moment.

They pulled into Patton’s driveway far too soon.

Roman insisted on opening Patton’s door for him, and then walking him up to the house.

“I’ll see you at school then,” Roman said when they were standing on the porch.

Patton nodded. He opened his mouth to say something – to ask Roman to kiss him again – when the door slammed open, making both of them jump. Virgil stood in the doorway, looking furious.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Virgil snarled.

Roman stiffened. “I was just taking Patton home.”

“I told you to leave him alone!”

Patton moved between the two of them. “Virgil, stop. It was just a misunderstanding.”

“I don’t care! You said you weren’t going to waste your time on him!” Virgil said accusingly.

“No, I didn’t,” Patton protested. “You did.”

“And you agreed!”

Patton said nothing, and Virgil narrowed his eyes.

“You did agree,” Virgil said.

Patton hugged his arms close to his body. “Virgil, can we talk about this later?”

Virgil glanced between Patton and Roman, and then shook his head. “Fine,” he said dully. “Do what you want.”

“Virgil, that’s not-” Patton began, but Virgil was already going inside. The door shut between them.

“Well,” Roman said lightly. “He’s a real charmer.”

“He’s a good person,” Patton said. “He just… worries about me. You must feel the same way about Remus.”

“Sometimes,” Roman said. “But Remus can look after himself. And so can you.”

Patton tried to smile. He wished Roman hadn’t had to see that. He reached out and grabbed Roman’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“You don’t need to apologise for your brother,” Roman said. “Trust me, I get it.”

Patton smiled. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just stared down at their entwined hands. He ran his thumb over Roman’s hand.

“Are you okay?” Roman asked.

“Of course,” Patton said, as cheerfully as he could manage. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“If you’re sure,” Roman said, but he sounded doubtful.

“I am sure,” Patton asserted. “I had a really good time today.”

“Me too.”

“I should get inside,” Patton said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“And every day after that,” Roman said, making Patton giggle.

Despite what he’d said, Patton stayed on the porch until Roman had gotten into his car and driven away. Only when the car had fully disappeared did he go inside.

By the time he did, Virgil was hidden in his room.

Logan was unable to focus. The very idea should be absurd – Logan prided himself on his attentiveness to his studies. And yet, every time he tried to solve the maths problems in front of him, his mind kept wandering.

Jake had been a metaphorical thorn in Logan’s side for years, though he had not caused problems for a while. Apparently, Jake had been bored today, because he had decided he had nothing better to do than harass Logan. It had made Logan reluctant to go to the cafeteria when Remus had asked – an irrational fear, as Jake could very well find him anywhere in the school.

A knock sounded at the door, but Logan ignored it. Patton was with Roman, so there was no chance that whoever it was at the door was there to see him. Instead, he tried to focus on his work, only to realise that he’d forgotten what the problem was, and had to reread it again.

This wasn’t right! Logan had never had this problem before, and now that he did, it was because of Jake? Someone who would likely amount to nothing after graduation? Normally, Logan would be completely unaffected, even as Patton rushed to comfort him.

The thought of Patton made something twist in his gut. Another irrational thing; Logan was not entitled to Patton’s time, and so had no reason to be upset that Patton wasn’t there. Surely, Jake’s teasing on how Patton had found a new boyfriend (in this scenario, Logan was apparently Patton’s previous boyfriend, despite never having romantic feelings for him) couldn’t have gotten to him.

“Logan!” his mother, Martha, called.

“I’m busy,” he called back, because he didn’t need another distraction when his head was already providing one.

“You have a guest.”

Logan frowned, and made his way out of his room. If Patton was here, that would imply something had gone wrong between him and Roman, which meant that Logan would need to have a conversation with Roman about the consequences of him hurting Patton.

But then, if Patton was here, his mother would have just said that.

“Who is it?” his other mother, Amy, asked, poking her head out of the office.

“I don’t know yet,” Logan pointed out. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

Amy had decided that this year she was going to write the book she was working on for sure. This was a process that involved very little actual writing, and a great deal of seeking out distractions. It led to a mother who was suddenly fascinated by everything Logan did.

Amy pouted. “Isn’t say that meant to be my job?”

Logan just fixed her with a stare.

Amy rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’re not me real dad,” she declared, before slinking back into her office. She left the door open.

Logan continued down stairs, but he only made it halfway down the staircase before freezing, because Remus Prince was standing in the hallway, talking to his mother.

Remus spotted him and waved with one hand – the other hand, Logan noticed, was carrying a shopping bag. Martha turned and smiled.

“There you are,” she said. “Sorry about the wait, he’s an extremely rebellious child.”

“One day someone will believe you when you say that,” Logan said as he walked down the final steps.

“Not if they’ve spent five seconds around you, they won’t,” Martha shot back. She touched one hand to Logan’s hair in a display of affection, before gliding back to the living room.

“You have two mums?” Remus asked. Of course, he had seen Amy when she had picked him up from the party.

“Yes. Surely I’ve mentioned it before?”

Remus shrugged, fiddling with the handle of the bag. “Probably. I don’t always pay attention that well.”

“Pardon my abruptness,” Logan said, “But what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to torment you, obviously,” Remus said.

It was meant as a joke, like many of Remus’ statements were, but Logan could see the defensive curl to his shoulders. Logan grimaced when he thought back on what he had said earlier.

“I apologise for how I acted,” Logan said. “You are nothing like Jake.”

“Yeah, I hope not,” Remus said. “What’d he do?”

“The details are irrelevant. Suffice to say we have been rivals for a while now.”

“Seems kinda one sided for rivals. What happened, he get mad you did better at him on a test?”

“That would require him to be mad at the whole school,” Logan said drily, and Remus snorted. “No, he takes issue with me choice of friends. Or, more accurately, with Patton’s choice of friends.”

“He’s mad you stole his bestie?”

Logan nodded, and Remus groaned. “Ugh, that’s so boring.”

Logan fought down a smile. “What were you hoping for?”

“Drama! Betrayal! An illicit love affair!”

He was unable to stop the smile now, though he was able to smother it as much as possible. Why on earth did he find Remus’ antics amusing, when by all rights he should be infuriated by them.

Well, he normally was infuriated by them. He just also found them amusing.

“Still,” Remus said, “We have to do something.”

“About what?” Logan asked.

“Jake! He doesn’t get to just mess with you!”

Logan shook his head. “There’s nothing to be done. He doesn’t constitute a big enough problem for the school to step in.”

“That’s why we’re not asking the school.” Remus grabbed Logan’s arm. “C’mon.”

“I have homework,” Logan objected.

“Well, I’m kidnapping you, so there,” Remus said.

Logan sighed. “Mum,” he called. “I’m being kidnapped.”

“Let us know if you’ll be staying out late,” Martha called back.

Logan shook his head as he let Remus drag him out of the house. “What exactly is the purpose of this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Remus asked. He held up the shopping bag. “Revenge, my dear Watson.”

Dinner was an awkward affair, with both brothers eating in silence, despite Remy’s attempts to initiate conversation. Virgil fled back upstairs as soon as he was able to, and Patton wanted nothing more to follow him.

“Okay,” Remy said. “What happened?”

Patton swallowed uncertainly. “What do you mean?”

Remy fixed Patton with a stare. “Don’t play dumb, Pat. Since when are you and Virgil fighting?”

Patton sighed. “Something happened, and, uh, Virgil and I disagree on it.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing bad,” Patton quickly assured him. “At least, I don’t think it’s bad.”

“That’s not as reassuring as you think it is,” Remy remarked. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know,” Patton said. “And I’m going to – I was always going to, it’s just…”

“Hey.” Remy placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder. “If you really don’t want to talk about it now, you don’t have to.”

It wasn’t something Remy had offered before. Normally, he would push harder, worried about what could possibly be so bad.

“No, I want to,” Patton said, and it was suddenly true. “Do you remember when I was talking about Roman?”

Remy looked confused, before his face morphed into resignation. “I think I can see where this is going.”

“Virgil is dating Janus now,” Patton said. “He told me. Which means that I’m allowed to date now, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Remy said, waving a hand. “When did both my sons turn into Casanova’s? Fine, I guess you can go on a date with him.”

“Oh,” Patton said. “Actually, uh-“

“You already went on one, didn’t you?” guessed Remy, who was well experienced with the tactic of doing something before your parents could ban you.

Patton, at least, looked sheepish when he nodded, something that Remy never had.

“Wait,” Remy said. “Let me get this straight – you and Virgil are fighting over a boy?”

Patton sighed, and nodded. Somehow, he ended up spilling the whole story – or at least, an abridged version of it, leaving out the amount of alcohol he’d drank on Friday.

“Virgil doesn’t trust him,” Patton said. “But Virgil doesn’t even know him.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I don’t trust Virgil’s boyfriend either.”

It didn’t make Patton feel better.

“That’s just it,” he complained. “I’m happy for Virgil, why can’t he be happy for me?”

“He is happy, probably,” Remy said. “He just worries about you. We both do.”

“But I don’t want to be worried about. I like Roman, isn’t that enough?”

“I wish it was,” Remy said ruefully. “Look, Virge will come round. You know how he gets about change.”

“I guess,” Patton said with a sigh.

Still, it felt wrong, not having his big brother to gush to.

“Okay, jeez, I won’t call you Watson again,” Remus said when Logan paused for breath. “I didn’t realise you took Sherlock Holmes so seriously.”

“I take insults to my character seriously,” Logan said. He frowned and looked around, noticing their surroundings for the first time. “Where are we?”

It was night now, with only the streetlights illuminating the quiet, residential street they were standing on. They were by a fence between two perfectly normal houses, out of sight from the windows.

“You don’t recognise it?” Remus asked. “Look at the car.”

Logan squinted at the two cars parked in the driveway. One of them looked familiar, but it took him a moment to realise that he’d seen it at school, and another one to realise who he’d seen driving it.

“Remus is – is this Jake’s house?”

“Yep,” Remus said, reaching into the bag.

“Why are we at Jake’s house? How do you even know where he lives?”

“To answer your second question, I know a guy who knows a guy. And for the first one,” – Remus pushed a carton of eggs into Logan’s hands – “We’re here for revenge.”

Logan stared at the carton, then back at the car, which Remus was moving closer to. He realised what Remus was suggested in a sudden rush.

“Absolutely not,” he hissed.

“C’mon, aren’t you mad about everything he’s done?”

“That doesn’t mean we should egg his car.”

“Do you have a better solution? One that will actually work?” Remus challenged.

“I fail to see how this solution will do help.”

“It helps because it’ll make you feel better.”

Logan stared at the eggs. It was normally Patton that made him feel better, but he’d almost never had that. Jake had tried to drive them apart, telling Logan that Patton didn’t really want him around, that he just felt bad for Logan. Barely aware of what he was doing, he took an egg out of the carton. When he looked back up, Remus was watching him, face earnest.

It would have been easy to dismiss Remus as just wanting to cause trouble, but if that was the case, he would have started throwing eggs by now. He really was there just for Logan’s sake.

Logan threw the egg.

Remus whooped as the egg went splat against the car’s windshield, and Logan felt a rush of exhilaration.

Remus quickly tossed his own egg, which hit the passenger door. Logan grabbed the next one without think about it. It was like a dam had broken, and now all of Logan’s frustrations came flooding out. He kept throwing eggs, and Remus cheered whenever one hit the car.

The car alarm went off, shocking Logan into stillness. What had he just done? The car was now a runny, goopy mess.

Remus didn’t stay still. He grabbed Logan’s arm and shouted, “Run!” just as a window opened.

The remaining eggs dropped from Logan’s hand as they raced down the street. He could hear the sound of someone shouting behind him, but Remus kept a grip on his arm, pulling him when Logan became out of breath.

Eventually, Remus decided that they were far enough away, and came to a stop. Logan crouched on the ground, gasping for breath.

“We lost them,” Remus said proudly.

“That,” Logan said between pants, “Was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done.”

“Worth it, though.”

Logan nodded, unable to speak. When he finally caught his breath and looked up again, Remus was staring at him.

“What?”

Remus blinked, seeming to come out of a daze. “Nothing, it’s just – you’re smiling.”

“Oh.” Logan was suddenly aware of the grin that threatened to split his face in two.

Remus smiled, and sat down next to Logan.

Remus had figured out that something was wrong with Logan, and then figured out what was wrong. He’d gone out of his way to help Logan, albeit using a rather chaotic method. And for what? The only thing that seemed to have come out of it was that Logan felt better.

��Remus?” Logan asked.

“Hm?” Remus didn’t turn his head. The half-light shone eerily on his features, like someone in an old horror movie.

“Are we friends?”

It was a foolish thing to ask. Surely, Logan should know who his friends were. If he had to ask, wouldn’t that imply that they weren’t friends?

Remus didn’t seem to take offense, though. He just smiled. “I don’t do this for every guy I tutor.”

“I’m the only person you tutor,” Logan said drily. “But thanks. I… consider you a friend, too.”

Strangely enough, Remus’ smile looked brittle after Logan said that. It must have been a trick of the light though, because when Remus spoke it was with his usual irreverent tone. “Well, you’re stuck with me now, Calculator Watch.”

Logan could imagine worse people to be stuck with.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #royality #intrulogical #anxceit #patton sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #my fic #ten things

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 4 years

Text

Mr. Grinch

A/N: On the 4th day of Christmas there is no true love. Oops.

Warning: this is not a happy tale.

Word Count: 1,890 (at least its short.)

Prompt from: Anon

“When did you become such a grinch?”

“White Christmas, white lie...same thing, right?”

Billy tapped his trigger finger on his desk impatiently. This is all bullshit. His secretary stood in front of him listing off all of the appointments and meetings that she scheduled for him that week. Most of the things that she handled for him were, in fact, bullshit. Things like haircuts and suit fittings, RSVPs to all sorts of events, sending flowers and other garbage when the occasion called for it. He still made all of the appointments that mattered to the business, trusting no one but himself with the most important things. The tapping steadily increased as she mentioned internship interviews. Billy cringed, recalling the last round of all too eager students that had interned in the offices at ANVIL. ‘Nother buncha ass kissers. “Move that to after the holidays,” he made a dismissive gesture with the hand he’d been tapping, sending an obscenely overpriced fountain pen tumbling from its holder.

His secretary nodded, unfazed by the way he’d cut her off mid list. “No problem Mr. Russo, does January 10th work?”

Billy fixed the pen and leaned forward, elbows on his desk. “Yeah, sure. Listen, Amy, there anything on that list that I actually need to know about?” He pointed to the sheet of paper in her hands, lifting one eyebrow.

Amy scanned the rest of the items. “Just the fundraiser. I need to know if you’re going this year.”

Billy swallowed, a chill flooding his veins, crashing through him like an angry ocean wave. “I can’t make it.” The sound of ecstatic, youthful laughter and cheerful holiday tunes crept in from the corners of his memory.

“But I haven’t even told you when it is,” Amy pushed.

“Look, I’m not goin’, Amy, no matter when it is.” I can’t. Not that one. He blinked, a banner and wreaths, bright reds and holly greens flashing through his mind.

Amy clicked her tongue, crossing the Toys for Tots fundraiser off her list. “Just send a check, then?” She asked in a curt tone that she wouldn’t get away with if her ass didn’t look so good in that skirt. Billy nodded silently. “When did you become such a grinch?” She looked up from her list and was taken aback by the shadows in his eyes.

“Just the way I am, sweetheart. Now,” he pointed to the paper she held. “That all?”

Amy straightened up, narrowing her stance and drawing herself up to her full height. “Yes, sir, that’s all.”

“Great,” Billy responded, hitting the hard T sound with added emphasis. “You can go.”

She scoffed under her breath as she turned and left his office. Gotta find a new secretary. Put that on your fuckin’ list, Amy. Billy stood abruptly from behind his desk, unbuttoning his suit jacket. In three long, quick strides, he reached the door and closed it with a little more force than necessary, locking it before returning to his desk.

He smoothed one palm slowly over his hair as he sat back down in the black leather chair, opening the bottom drawer. Pushing the hanging files forward, he opened the hidden compartment in the drawer and reached in for the small stack of items that not a soul in the world knew existed. I wasn’t always this way… He rifled through the notes and photos until he found the one that he was looking for, dropping the rest back into the compartment. Slumping against the backrest, he held the photo, falling back into the memory, the sounds and images that he’d chased away before slicing their way back in. He swiped his thumb over the glossy surface, his own face grinning back at him with Lisa on his shoulders. Frank had Jr. upside-down, the boy’s surprised glee frozen in time while Maria stood between the men, her arms wrapped around their waists and her mouth open in a hearty laugh. I’m so sorry, Frankie…

Billy sighed, letting the photo flutter down to his desk before hanging his head in his hands and letting the barrage run its course.

“Thanks again for doin’ this, Bill. I know it’s not really your thing but the kids are gonna lose their shit when they see you here.” Frank clapped Billy on the shoulder as the two men entered the school gymnasium. Wreaths and lights had been hung around the room, and long tables with red tablecloths had been set up, transforming the basketball courts into a holiday bonanza. A large banner emblazoned with the Toys for Tots logo, a cheerful train full of gifts, took up most of one wall, and festive music filled the air. A few volunteers from the school were setting up a snack table with cookies and beverages, candy canes and chocolates.

Billy tugged at the bottom of his jacket. The starchy dress blues always felt too formal for his liking. “Ah, it’s no problem Frankie, I can suck it up for one afternoon.” He sniffed, looking over the room as more volunteers brought in big empty boxes covered in patterned wrapping paper. Guess they’re expectin’ a big turn out… lots��a donations...that’s good. “‘Sides,” he turned to Frank, using the back of one white gloved hand to smack his brother in the chest. “We’ll just add it to the list of things you owe me for.” He winked and grinned, knowing that neither of them kept track of what was owed or promised.

Frank’s booming laugh drowned out the chorus of Silver Bells as the two of them took their place by the table under the banner. “Oh I owe you, huh? Okay.” He passed Billy a red velvet bundle. “Put your hat on, Santa, I’ll buy you a beer after this.”

“Oh c’mon,” Billy complained as he unfurled the pointed red hat, complete with a puffy white ball on the end. “Really?” He held it up between his pointer finger and thumb, letting it dangle in disgust.

“Yeah, really,” Frank laughed. “It’s part of the whole thing. Don’t be a grinch.”

“Fine.” Billy pulled the hat over his head, hair shifting out of place as he did. “But this ain’t for you. It’s for those kids’a yours that can’t actually be yours cause’a how smart they are.”

“Alright, Saint Bill. You’re a real martyr.”

But before Billy could come back with a crude or witty remark, the doors from the school hallway opened and a stream of kids of all ages poured in, their eyes going wide at the sweets and decorations. One voice rang out, clear as day, and Frank and Billy both turned toward it at the same time.

“That’s my dad, and that’s my uncle Billy,” Lisa proudly pointed out Frank and Billy to her friends through a smile full of metal wires and red and green rubber bands. Maria and two other moms who had volunteered to help run the event followed closely behind their excited children, trying to herd them to the tables they’d been assigned to to help collect and sort the toys that would be donated before the party portion of the event got underway. Billy caught Maria blowing a kiss over to Frank before a flash of green under a mop of dark hair came hurtling at the two men.

“Dad! Uncle Billy!” Jr. launched himself at his father before doing the same to Billy. “Uncle Billy! I didn’t know you were coming too!” He turned to his classmates. “Guys, this is my uncle!”

Frank chuckled. “See, told you. I’m invisible when Uncle Bill’s around.”

Lisa made her way over to them with more restraint than her younger brother, but the excitement to see both of them was clear as day. “Hi Dad,” she hugged Frank and didn’t squirm when he kissed the top of her head in front of her friends. “Hi Uncle Billy,” she wrapped her skinny little arms around Billy’s waist, hugging tightly. “I gotta go help at the tables,” she said, pulling away and setting her immature features into an all too mature expression. “But will you stay for the party?”

“Yeah, Uncle Billy,” Maria had finally made her way over, leaning in to kiss her husband on the cheek. “Will you stay for the party?” She reached over and squeezed Billy’s shoulder with a smile.

That had been the first year that he signed up to represent their unit for the Toys for Tots drive at the Castle kids’ school. At first he’d been hesitant, having only ever been on the receiving end of those coat and toy drives, and not quite sure that he really wanted to be part of it at all. But the way that Lisa and Frank Jr. had lit up like Christmas lights just to know that he was there changed everything. Billy didn’t like kids, and he had no desire to have his own. But Frank’s kids were different. They were his family, and he found that he was just as much a sucker for them as Frank was. That was the first, but he’d gone to two more of those events during the years that he and Frank were home around the holidays, and he actually found himself looking forward to the event.

Until everything changed. Until I fucking destroyed everything.

Billy had generally made peace with the fact that he’d sold his soul on the cheap. For most of the year, he could tuck his guilt away, hide it under expensive suits, distract from it with flashy cars and government contracts. But Christmas brought it back to light. I can never go to one of those things again. Wouldn’t be right… But ANVIL was a company owned and largely operated by former members of the US Marine Corp- a highly successful company- and as such, he needed to support Toys for Tots. “Anything for good publicity”, his people had told him.

He opened his top drawer and pulled out a black monogrammed note card, a large W.R. embossed in gold. Reaching for the pen he’d knocked askew earlier, he began to write.

Please know that while I would love to be there in person to support this year’s toy drive, my business is taking me out of the city until after the new year. As always, ANVIL is happy to support your wonderful work. I hope that this donation makes a lot of kids happy.

He signed it, his signature digging into the paper, before standing back up, fixing the knot in his tie and re-buttoning his jacket. Opening his office door, he leaned around the frame and called for his secretary, tapping the note card twice on the hinges. She appeared seconds later, wordlessly.

Handing her the note, he told her to send that with the check for Toys for Tots, adding that she should double the normal donation this year. She read his neatly written words and looked back up at him. “Out of the city?”

Billy gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “White Christmas, white lie...same thing, right?”

Amy barely controlled her distaste for her employer. “Sure, sir. Same thing.” She turned on her heel and headed for the finance office to have the check cut.

Billy returned to his desk and sat down with the photo. “It’s not the same thing,” he sighed, feeling no extra warmth from his charitable giving. “Not even close.”

@something-tofightfor @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @suchatinyinfinity @gollyderek @thesumofmychoices @obscurilicious @traeumerinwitzhelden @jigsawlover10 @getlostinyourparadise @breanime @nananananananananananabatman @lexxierave @songforhema @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @lysawayne @ymariejp @belladonnarey @audreychaz @songtoyou @stories-you-wont-hear @luminex3 @ificouldhelpyouforget

#billy russo #12 days of christmas #12 days of christmas fics #billy russo fic #toys for tots #the punisher fanfiction #frank castle #i hate this #i hate it so much #you're a mean one mr. russo #mr. grinch

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oneweekobsession · 7 years

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the raf-harry-amy triangle is actually one of the most repulsive storylines i’ve seen on holby and then wait what amy’s confiding in guy? what? eh stop all of this give me more adele instead

#it's the most misogynistic bullshit i've ever seen #amy is reduced to a prize for which the two men compete #harry's a manipulative shit #and i am genuinely hating raf #as he veers from bullying of harry #to talking to his wife in a patronizing baby voice every time he talks to her #raf in relationships is the fucking worst #i have really come to hate him #i would've called it the most repulsive storyline but then i remembered isaac/dom #this is another version of a kind of toxic masculinity #and fucking hell amy's onlyl just got pregnant this goes on until after the child is born fucking hee #^hell #there's another nine months worth of episodes of this shit #jesus its such bollocks #i might check out and go and headcanon an adele-chantelle au instead #i can't work out whether they'd be best mates #or whether they'd drive each other up the wall with their matching unrelenting cheerfulness #(excuse me while i try not to go on a rant again about how fucking ridiculous it is that #holby no longer has HCAs as characters on the show #it has titled far far too much towards a show in which only doctors' stories are deemed worth telling #and that's bullshit)#holby #old holby that is #sorry an accidental rant i am tired and grumpy and raf's irritating face has really provoked me

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raysofcrosby · 5 years

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HOMETOWN PT. 2

“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘐'𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵. 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥, 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸.” – 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙝 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣, 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣

𝘨𝘪𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 (𝘹)

𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥: yes and no

𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨(𝘴): some bad words and a whole lotta angst.

𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 5,664

𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺: give me back my hometown by eric church

𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦: if you haven’t read part one, read it now! otherwise this probs won’t make too much sense lol. anyway, here’s part 2!!! i hope this is good bc tbh i think it’s okay– but i’m also really critical of my writing so don’t mind me. don’t be afraid to shoot me a message with a request, bc it’s summer and i’m bored!! alright, bye i hope you enjoy :)

“An Idiot. I’m such a literal idiot.” Josh mumbled, running his fingers through his hair as he grabbed the scotch off of the bar and slid over a few bills of gratuity to the bartender.

The bartender raised his eyebrows and looked at Josh. “Um sir, you left some money on the–“

Josh just threw his hand in the air and waved the kid off. “Keep it. I’ll be back for more I’m sure.”

Instead of arguing, the bartender nodded and placed the pile of bills into his apron pocket before turning to help someone else. “You’re well aware that you just tipped that kid at least $50, right?” Colt said, coming up to Josh’s side.

Normally, Josh would make an attempt to get the money back. $50 was a shit ton of money to tip a bartender for one drink, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was you. How different your hair had looked– wearing it down as opposed to your normal updo. How you were dressed– no longer hiding beneath his sweatshirts. The way you carried yourself– confident and secure. And the way his name sounded rolling off your tongue– like his favorite dream he’d long forgotten.

You weren’t that same girl he knew growing up. The 8-year-old with braided hair and braces, racing him down the street on rollerblades in the summer heat. The insecure tween with the same braces, and the same braids who spent her summers off at a camp out of town. The shy teenager who was rid of her braces, still kept her hair out of her face but was growing into her own skin, all while cuddled up next to him, fitting perfectly in the crook of his arm. No, you weren’t that girl anymore…you were so much more.

“Let me guess,” Colt sighed as he took a sip of his rum. “You talked to Y/N?”

The mention of your name almost made Josh freeze in panic. He brought his cup up to his lips and took a long sip, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Yeah, if you can even call it that.”

“What do you–“

“Dude! Why the hell did you just run off like that?” Dillon asked, shoving Josh’s shoulder before turning his attention to Colt. “Did he tell you what he did?”

“No, but I think we were getting–“

“Y/N comes up as soon as doofus over here says he’s leaving and when she asks if he’s leaving, he freezes!” Dillon shook his head and let his arms drop dramatically. “But then she says hi! Actually acknowledges his existence after 10 years and what does numbnuts over here do?”

“Shut the fuck up, Dillon,” Josh mumbled, taking another sip of his scotch and making sure to admire the burn as it traveled down his throat.

“He fucking says hi…and then he LEAVES. Well, actually no, he mumbles some incoherent bullshit and then he leaves.” Dillon turned to Josh and shook his head. “What the fuck dude, she was standing right there. You should have seen the look she gave Amy and–“

Josh threw his drink back and swallowed the rest of the scotch, this time ignoring the blatant burn as he closed his eyes tightly. After a few moments, he opened them again and looked at Dillon. “You don’t know shit, so you need to shut the fuck up and drop it.”

Before Dillon or Colt could say anymore, Josh turned back towards the bar and nudged his way through the crowd. This reunion had proved to be just as miserable as he thought it would be. If it wasn’t the sneaky looks from old classmates whose names he couldn’t remember, it was the way people approached him as if he hadn’t walked the same halls or attended the same classes as they did all through their school days. They treated him like Columbus Blue Jackets Right Wing, Josh Anderson. Not Josh Anderson, a mediocre science student and all-around athlete who could charm his way out of a tardy slip. And part of him expected it since it had been a little like that once his talent on the ice started to show. Everyone always treated him like he was special than the rest, well…everyone except for you.

When he placed his glass onto the counter, he didn’t even get the chance to open his mouth before the bartender handed him another scotch. Only this one looked to be a double. Josh looked up and the bartender shrugged his shoulders. “No offense, but you look like you need it.”

“You have no idea.” He sighed, holding his glass up and cheering to the bartender before taking a long sip.

“Try me,” He said, picking up empty cups and tossing them into the trashcan. “It’s kind of the part of being a bartender. Make the drinks and then listen to people get the nasty shit off of their chest.”

Josh had no idea who this kid was, but there was something about him that he liked. Whether it be the way he made his simple drink taste like pure alcoholic gold or the way he was straightforward with his words– something inside him told him that if there was going to be one person he would talk to at this stupid place…it was him, not his best friends, not some random old classmate, but the bartender. “What’s your name?”

“Tucker Romero.”

“Romero…as in Grayson Romero?”

“Older brother, yeah.”

Josh felt like he should’ve made a connection somehow. Now that he knew his name, he could see how the two shared some genetic appearances. The same brown eyes, shaggy brown hair. The only thing Tucker seemed to lack of his older brother’s was the height and physique of a hockey player. If Josh was considered good at hockey, then Grayson was a God. Three years older than Josh, Grayson took him under his wing, showing him what workouts to do, how to gain muscle and overall improve his game. He was practically Josh’s idol. If there was anyone who would leave town and go to the NHL, it was Grayson. Until his second year at Michigan when he dropped on the ice during a game.

The fatal prognosis? An underlying heart condition.

Josh could still remember hearing the news at practice at school. How weird coach had been acting all practice and no one knew why. Being boys, they made crude jokes about how he needed to get laid and stupid shit like that. None of it seemed funny the moment he sat them down after practice and told them that Grayson had died. No one but his class and the class above him had known Grayson on a personal level, but they all knew of him on the ice. And his death had hit Josh hard– one of his first times ever dealing with grief and as a 16/17-year-old kid, he had no fucking idea what to do. It was was one of the moments that had defined his grade 11 year.

After that practice, he told the coach he’d lock up and stayed at the rink and shot puck after puck, harder and harder each time. He needed to take his anger out on something. He needed to hit something– it was all he wanted to do…all that he could do. He didn’t care if he made it in the goal, ricocheted the puck off the pipe or bust the glass. There was so much anger rushing through his body and he was scared that he would explode if he didn’t get it out. That’s when you showed up, still in your school uniform and wearing his team sweatshirt. You made a comment about how he was supposed to actually make it into the goal and before he could snap back with something smart; you said that you heard about Grayson. If he thought back hard enough, he could still see the look on your face and the way his body shook as you made your way towards him, practically gliding along the ice. He could still feel the way your arms wrapped around his waist and how he just let himself sink down onto the ice letting the overflow of emotions take over. In that memory alone, he could still hear your voice whispering to him that somehow, it’d all be okay…and he never understood why or how, but he believed you.

Josh zoned back in on his drink and finished it, plopping the cup onto the counter as Tucker slid him another one. “I’m sorry…about Gray.”

Tucker gave him a nod and a thankful glance. “It’s alright. Kind of crazy how fast 12 years go by though, you know?” He turned back around with another cup of scotch– a single this time. “But I know my brother isn’t what has you downing scotch like a dehydrated dog. I lost you for a second, where’d you go?”

Josh swished the scotch around in his cup as he stared at the swirling liquid. “I ran into someone who I haven’t seen in 10 years and let’s just say our last meeting didn’t end so well.”

“Let me guess, ex-girlfriend?”

It shouldn’t have stung as much as it did, the word ex-girlfriend. Even if that’s what you’ve been…what you are to him after all these years. But it did, it stung like hell and a sip of scotch eased the ache a little. “Her name’s Y/N and yeah, she’s my…ex. But that’s not the reason why I’m all…like this.”

Liar, he was a fucking liar and he knew it. Seeing you again was exactly the reason why he was drowning his feelings in cheap scotch, but he couldn’t admit it to himself, let alone anyone else. “Do you ever just want to…leave this place and never come back?” He could feel the alcohol begin to invade his thoughts, which he knew could either be dangerous or not. But his give a fuck meter was starting to run really low.

“No?” Tucker raised an eyebrow and Josh didn’t understand why he was so confused. It was a straightforward question that could be answered with a straightforward answer. “Think about it man, this place…it’s pretty damn nice. The neighborhoods, the stores, the restaurants, and hell even the people are great. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone, no matter the age, you know?”

He walked off to hand Kiss-Ass McGhee a cup of red wine and Josh closed his eyes and turned his head slightly, hoping that he’d noticed the old class President soon enough to be avoided. “Josh, hey!”

“Well fuck,” he mumbled beneath his breath, sitting himself up straight and turning around with his ‘media’ smile on his face. “Hey, Kis-Kyle! How have you been, man?” He stuck out his hand and shook it, taking in his former classmates appearance. “Looks like you grew into your ears man.”

Shit, was that too mean? Too forward? Josh had already almost slipped up once by almost calling him Kiss-Ass McGhee. Maybe he should cut himself off of the drinks.

Kiss-Ass McGhee just laughed and let their hands fall. “Yeah, grew into them around the same time I finished going through puberty– Sophomore year of college.” He looked over Josh’s shoulder and nodded his head as he took a sip of wine. “We’re getting ready to start the slideshow, but I’ll come and find you after! I’m curious to see how you’ve been.”

The moment he left the bar, Josh let his fake smile fall and he took another sip of his scotch. “I was a dick in secondary. My friends and I used to make fun of him, call him Kiss-Ass McGhee and to be frank, I have no fucking clue why. We overheard someone call him a kiss-ass and just rolled with it.” He took another sip and looked back at Tucker. “But he seems like a good guy.”

“You’re avoiding the topic,” Tucker rolled his eyes and put the cork back in the wine bottle. “But you know, who you are in high school isn’t who you are for the rest of your life.”

It was like déjà vu in his mind as the words left Tucker’s lips. It was pretty much what Dillon had said at the diner– how it’s been 10 years since what went down between you and Josh and there’s no way that the two of you were those same kids. And yeah, he was right…but was he really? Could you have let what happened in the past go? Or were you like him and pushing it further back into your mind and letting it haunt you.

“So you really like this place? Like…there’s not even the slightest feeling of wanting to never see this place again? Leave it all behind?”

“Not really, there are a lot of special places here, you know?” Tucker shrugged at Josh’s confused face and sighed, leaning his elbows on the counter. “I mean, every time I pass that park on Cherry I think about how when I was a kid, Grayson and I would walk home from his hockey practice and he’d always let me stop and play. The theatre? First kiss there with my first girlfriend happened there. The way the streets get all quiet at night, I think about how my friends and I would sneak out with a couple of beers and go sit out in the school parking lot and just talk. Everywhere I look around this place, holds a good memory…and sometimes when I’m down in the shitter, those places help.”

Josh knew exactly what he meant because the moment he crossed into town, it was as if everywhere he looked had a highlight reel of happy moments stored in his brain. The empty field where everyone would gather at the end of the summer and have one last summer party. The streets where all the kids on his block would play street hockey in the summer heat and rotate houses for lemonade and popsicles. The frozen lake where he’d kissed a girl for the first time…where he’d kissed you for the first time. And the diner, God walking back into that place with the boys felt like he was a prisoner on death row and walking towards his own execution.

That place…that place was your guys’ safe haven. Where you’d go after every hockey game and do homework together, though he’d spent more time watching you do your homework than doing his own. In the summers, after days on the lake, your parents would send you guys to grab food for the families and laugh about how tired your arms would be after carrying it all back into their backyard. How that booth off in the corner…that one red booth that had been your safe haven so many times, was also where everything went wrong.

“Good Evening everyone, thanks for coming out tonight!” Kis–Kyle said, speaking into the microphone. “I’d just like to give a quick thanks to Mallory Johnson and Vic Geiger for helping me get all of this together. And, of course, to Principal Sanders for allowing us to use the gym for the reunion tonight.”

The crowd followed Kyle McGhee and applauded at the courteous shout outs before settling down again. “I don’t know about you guys, but when the time came for this reunion, I honestly didn’t want to go. I mean, it’s been 10 years since we last walked those halls, sat in those seats and since most of us have all been in the same space together. For me, it wasn’t about how much time has passed that worried me. I wasn’t worried about being asked a million questions about what I do now, do I have a family, and am I happy? No, I think what worried me the most, was standing in this room and remembering everything as if it happened yesterday.”

For the first time in his life, Josh found himself focused in on what Kiss-Ass McGhee had to say. It wasn’t the alcohol making him focus in, it was what the speech entailed. It was as if Kiss-Ass McGhee was pulling the fear right out of his gut and spilling it all on that stage.

“I was worried that the memories that I had made here, the friends I hung out with at lunch, the clubs I joined, the parties I never went to– that all of it would somehow leak itself into my present and I would lose myself in the person that walked these halls.” He took a sip of his wine and shook his head. “Not like that’s a bad thing either, you know? Cause I graduated with no regrets, great friends and amazing memories. I’m proud of the person I am back then. But coming back here now, 10 years later, 10 years wiser and better looking, I was scared that I would reminisce on this time of my life– and regret everything that I did.”

“Should I have gone to those parties? Did I really need to join another extracurricular? Why didn’t I ask Y/N L/N to that winter dance in grade 9,” Josh could feel his eye twitch as a few laughs filled the gym and his eyes wandered on the crowd…looking for you. Were you laughing at his joke? Were you blushing? Was it even a joke? …Would you have gone with Kiss-Ass McGhee if he asked?

“Anyway, the point I’m making is, I was terrified of coming here today because, for some strange reason, 10 years just didn’t seem enough. But standing here in front of all of you, seeing everything that you guys have accomplished since we graduated, whether that be starting your own business, achieving a Ph.D., starting beautiful families…winning a Stanley Cup– seeing my old classmates do these amazing things with their lives, trumped any fear that I had.”

“There’s something special about the class of 2012 and there has been the moment we graced the halls as tiny Niners. And it’s evident that this class is still special, because of everything we’ve become since then. There’s a quote I found that I thought would be great to share before I played this video,” He cleared his throat and read it off of his phone. “Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart.”

Josh doesn’t know why he did it. Whether something inside of him told him to look that way or what– but when he shifted his vision slightly off of Kiss-Ass McGhee and to the right…he saw you, and you were looking right at him. He opened his mouth as if you’d be able to understand anything he could say from so far away, but instead, he chickened out again and brought the scotch to his lips and looking at the video playing on a portable screen.

It was weird, seeing the younger versions of them as the old videos and pictures played across the screen. At some of them, Josh couldn’t help but laugh– a real, hearty laugh. Like the one after the Championship hockey game where you could see him and Dillon flying in the air to add onto the dog pile on the ice, or the tacky themed spirit weeks. For the first time that night, he found himself looking back on his time here with a positive outlook.

Until you popped up on the screen, or better yet– a picture of the two of you in your final year of secondary– right after the school celebrated the fact that he had gotten drafted into the NHL by Columbus. The two of you were smiling so hard that it looked like your eyes were closed. You were facing each other, both sporting Columbus Blue Jackets gear– matching long sleeve shirts. He felt his throat tighten as the picture stayed up and his eyes took in the smiles, the laugh you two were sharing when the picture was taken and the way you were tucked into his side.

It was too much. He had to leave.

He couldn’t even finish off his scotch before he gave Tucker a few more bills and slapped them onto the counter. “Thanks for everything Tucker, I’ll see you later.”

Giving a knowing nod, Tucker put the bills into his pocket and picked up Josh’s cup as he turned away. Josh kept his head down as he made is way towards the exit of the gym, making sure he stuck to the back of the crowd as to not draw any attention to himself. When he made it out of the double gym doors, he raised his head a little more and walked through the next set, putting himself outside. It wasn’t enough; he needed more space away from this place, away from you. He knew he couldn’t drive, the four scotches would soon hit his system and he’s not irresponsible. He pulled out his phone to order an uber when he saw a taxicab waiting a few feet to his right. Sending a silent prayer up to whoever was listening, he jogged over to it, knocking on the passenger window. “Are you working?”

“Where do you need to go?”

Shit. He didn’t even think that far, he just followed his gut and left the damn gym. There were a ton of places he could go, but how would he even pick. He got into the back and closed the door. “Just drive away from here, I’ll pick a place to stop.” He could tell the driver thought he was batshit crazy, but didn’t question him anyway.

“Alright, wherever it is.”

As the taxi pulled out of the high school parking lot, Josh could only feel the pressure in his chest get tighter. This wasn’t supposed to happen, getting away from that place was supposed to make him feel better– not worse. He ran his fingers through his hand and then down his face as he closed his eyes and groaned. His head was throbbing as his conversation with Tucker and Kiss-Ass McGhee’s speech rang through his head.

“Everywhere I look around this place, holds a good memory…and sometimes when I’m down in the shitter, those places help.”

“…and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart.”

Josh took a deep breath and let his hand fall from his face as he opened his eyes and saw what was ahead. “Take a right at the turn light and pull into the parking lot, please.” Not bothering to look at how much he grabbed, he handed over the bills as the driver came to a stop. “Thanks, have a good night.”

He got out of the cab and closed the door behind him, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he walked across the parking lot and to the door. Opening them, the bell above his head rang and he stepped into the building. When he was a teenager, the diner was always busy around this time– filled to the brim with students, which it was now…but none of them were his classmates.

He looked around and saw that the booth was empty. It was rough, getting his feet to move in that direction, but he did it anyway and soon enough he was standing right beside it. He stared at the glossed table, running his fingers over the cold surface before sitting down with his back to the door. He didn’t know why he was here and the anxiety was brewing within him as his legs bounced beneath the table and his fingers tapped in an untimely rhythm on the table as a memory flashed through his mind.

God, why was he here?

The bell above the door rang again and when he looked back, it was you. Before now, you’d always arrived at the diner at the same time– like you guys were synced somehow. But lately, one is always a little early or a little late– never on time. That was the first thing he’d noticed, but you’d noticed a lot more. Maybe it was the fact that you had always been more attentive when it came to noticing the small things– like how when he’d hold your hand he’d always rub his thumb against yours. How he no longer would come up from behind you and hug you and rest his head on top of yours before making a joke about how he was taller than you. The way he seemed tuned in to whatever you were saying, but the interest wasn’t there anymore.

And it’s not like he was the only guilty one. You hated to admit it, but there were times when you’d stare at your ceiling late at night in bed and make a pros and cons list of your relationship. Most of the time, the pros heavily outweighed the cons– but after that first year of juniors…it seemed as if the opposite side was starting to grow. You didn’t want to blame it on hockey, because that wasn’t the issue. Hell, you couldn’t pinpoint the issue even if it was blown up and glowing like a Vegas sign. But you wanted a reason; you needed for there to be a reason why things just didn’t feel the same.

Almost 3 years and now things started to feel different and you couldn’t help but wonder…have they always been different and you guys were too wrapped up in each other to notice?

When you sat down across from him, the shake you normally shared was already sitting in the middle– two straws probably put there by Mrs. O’Donnell no doubt. The summer was coming to an end, so the diner was busy with teens fresh off the water and chowing down on burgers and fries around you guys– but when Josh looked at you, it was as if you were the only two in the room. You tried to read his face, was it sad? Angry? What the hell was going on in that thick skull of his? Why did he call you here when you normally come to the diner together on Friday’s…which was tomorrow. You’d always been able to read him, you have since you were kids. But right now…there was nothing. When had that changed?

“Y/N…” Josh said, his voice a little low as he tapped his fingers on the table. He’d been going over in his head just how he was going to break the news to you. That he was going to stay with the Knights for the next two seasons. There was the subtle approach, the hinting around approach, but he couldn’t make up his mind.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, seeing the conflict hiding behind his eyes. It only made your heart race and your mind wonder if the one thing you’d wanted to avoid, was getting ready to happen. “Are you–“

“I’m staying in London with the Knights!” He just blurted it out and the moment the final word left his lips, he just stared at you in shock. The direct way…was not the way he wanted to go about it.

You let out a breath that you weren’t even aware you’d been holding. “Okay?”

Josh sat back, visibly in shock as his eyebrows furrows. “Okay? That’s it?”

“Well yeah…what else am I supposed to say?”

“I don’t know, maybe more than just Okay. I mean, you were suggesting I move over and play for Mississauga Steelheads….”

Now it was your time to be shocked, not only at how the tone in his voice had gone from shock to accusatory but the way he was forming the situation. “I suggested that because you said you were unsure about whether or not you were going to stay with London.”

“I never doubted that.”

“Oh my God, yes you did! You called me every night and complained about playing time or how you got moved down a line and the coach was switching you up constantly!” You caught yourself before your voice could get a little higher. “You were the one who talked about leaving the team first, not me.”

Josh could feel himself begin to get frustrated because he knew it was true. He knew that he’d called multiple times throughout the seasons to vent his frustrations with how it was going. But that was it– it was just pillow talk from far away, thinking that his girlfriend could be the person he could vent to with no judgments. But now here it was, biting him in the ass as you sat across from him. “Was it really just a suggestion?”

“What?”

“Why Mississauga? Why not Niagara? Ottawa? Hell, even fucking Plymouth? Why Mississauga when they’re at the bottom of the standings?”

You let yourself fall back into your booth in disbelief because you knew what he was insinuating. “I can’t believe you’d even…”

“Tell me, Y/N because I’m dying to know,” Now he was letting his anger take control and he knew it, but he couldn’t stop it. The only people, who were able to control it, were you and his mom– and right now, you were the target. ”I know why you didn’t apply to UBC.”

He leaned his arms on the table. “It’s all connecting, Y/N– it’s all starting to make sense. You didn’t apply because you’re scared. You’re scared to go off to Vancouver without a safety blanket and that’s not me– I’m not your safety blanket. I’m not something you can keep wrapped around your arm.” The more he spoke, the sharper his tone became and he couldn’t do anything to stop it even as he could see the emotion all over your face. “That’s why you told me Mississauga! Because…because you want me here, with you isn’t it? You want me playing on the shittiest team in the Central division so you won’t be scared. So you can have me on your arm and say you’re dating a hockey player.”

You could feel the tears build in your eyes as his words kept digging beneath your skin. “That’s not true and you don’t mean these things, you’re just angry and–“

“STOP!” His voice silenced the couple behind you and you wanted to sink into the booth at the unwanted attention. “Stop putting things in my head and don’t lie, because it’s true. You’re so scared that you’re willing to drag my career down by telling me that Mississauga would make me happier but it won’t! It won’t make me better, it won’t get me to the NHL and it won’t make me happy!”

You couldn’t even begin to process what he had just said because your mind was only focused on one thing– ‘you’re willing to drag my career down.’ At this point, there was no stopping the tears from falling down your flushed cheeks as you looked at him. “How fucking dare you say that I’m dragging your career down.”

He pushed himself away from the table, his eyes wide as if he had just understood what he said himself. “I–“

“No, don’t talk,” You closed your eyes and took a shaky breath to try and compose yourself. “You don’t get to accuse me of trying to sabotage your career when all I wanted for you, was to see you follow your dream and make it to the NHL. For the last year, I’ve put you and your dreams ahead of my own. Because I l-love you and I want you to succeed.”

You don’t know how you were able to do it, but you stood yourself up from the booth and managed to stand up, refusing to let him see how shaky your legs were. “I don’t care about dating a hockey player because newsflash Josh, we live in fucking Canada and they’re everywhere!” You went to walk away, but you reached up and held onto the necklace he had given you for Christmas. It was a gold locket with pictures of the both of you and sharing the chain with it, was a gold charm of his jersey number.

You brushed your hair to the side and undid the necklace, not bothering to clasp it back again as you dropped it on the table in front of him. He looked up at you for the first time since you moved out of the booth– not even the slightest look of regret on his face. “I didn’t apply to UBC, because I got accepted into Fanshawe.”

A look of recognition flashed across his face and it only made your heart hurt more. You put aside your dream school to be near him in London– news that you were planning on surprising him with today since the acceptance letter was resting in your purse. But instead, he accused you of holding him back. “Y/N I–“

You let your face go stone cold, ignoring the aching feeling in your chest as you stared into his blue eyes. “Have a nice life, Josh.”

You walked away from the booth, having trouble holding back any further tears from falling and focusing on walking straight without wanting to collapse from ache on the floor. As soon as the bell rang above the door and the summer breeze hit your face, the façade you’d maintained, crumbled down as the breeze carried your sobs away.

The clink of a glass plopping down in front of him tore Josh away from the depths of his memory. He kept his head down but looked up through his eyelashes to see a milkshake as a body slid in the other side of the booth. When he looked up, his jaw dropped.

“Let’s try this again, yeah?” You plopped the two straws into the milkshake and crumbled the wrappers, tossing them onto the counter. “Hi, Josh.”

#josh anderson #josh anderson imagine #columbus blue jackets imagine #columbus blue jackets #nhl imagine #nhl writing #hockey imagine #hockey writing #josh anderson oneshot #nhl oneshot #hockey oneshot #my writing

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queer-cosette · 4 years

Text

Coco Writes

OK, so I know I’m not always great about summarising my fics on here; I usually just post links. But here is a masterpost of all my fics!

Les Miserables

The Leader And The Cynic

Rated T

1/1 chapter; 1226 words

Summary:

A series of moments from the relationship of Enjolras and Grantaire. Because now my happiness depends on the happiness of fictional revolutionaries. Modern AU

Read on FF.net

Series - On Se Sent Comme Par Magie

The Destiny Of Cosette

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

22/22 chapters; 88,475 words

Summary:

Cosette is an ordinary Parisian teenager - until one day, she stumbles across a powerful Faery being attacked by an ogre! And when she inadvertently uses magic to protect the Faery, Enjolras, she realises that she’s maybe not as normal as she thought. Enjolras invites her to attend Faery school in another dimension with him, where they become friends with three other faeries - Courfeyrac, Jehan and Éponine - and form Les Amis. But all is not well in the Magic Dimension -

What’s the deal with Grantaire, Marius, Bahorel and Combeferre - four cute wizards from another school?

What are Patron-Minette - a trio of witches - planning?

And who is Fantine, the mysterious Nymph who keeps appearing in Cosette’s dreams?

Read on AO3

The Shadow Phoenix

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

26/26 chapters; 165,435 words

Summary:

Les Amis start their second year at Musain College for Faeries, and right off the bat, strange things begin happening in the Magic Dimension. Musichetta, a water Faery, arrives at the school begging for help to rescue her friends, the Piskies, and Patron-Minette have busted out of rehabilitation with the help of a strange skeletal knight - who matches Musichetta’s description of the Piskies’ kidnapper. With the help of Musichetta, Feuilly - a Wizard and new member of Les Amis -, and Professor Mabeuf, the wise new philosophy teacher, this year promises to be as exciting as the last!

Read on AO3

The Warlock Of The Flame

Rated T

Major Character Death

18/25 chapters; 122,516 words

Summary:

Cosette’s life is going great! With Lord Méchant defeated, her final year at Musain College for Faeries is going to be normal (for once); her relationship with Marius is going spectacularly (and it looks like there’s a proposal in the pipeline!); and there’s nothing to suggest that the Magical Dimension is in any danger. But then news of something horrible happening on Musichetta’s home planet reaches the ears of Les Amis - and according to Headmaster Myriel, there’s only one Warlock who could have caused it. As Cosette and her friends face off with the culprit, it becomes more and more apparent that his true nature and past are darker than any of them could have imagined...

Read on AO3

***

Total Drama

Dear Diary

Rated M

Major Character Death, Reference To Eating Disorders and Attempted/Implied Sexual Assault

9/? chapters; 27,617 words

Summary:

"Dear Diary - My teen angst bullshit now has a body count."

Heather Chandler. Gwen Duke. Lindsay McNamara. Courtney Sawyer. Together they make up the most powerful clique at Westerburg High. Most people would die to get into it.

Courtney would kill to get out of it.

Enter Duncan Dean. He has a way with women, a way with words, and a very special way with a gun.

"It's God versus my boyfriend, and God's losing..."

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

A Little Fall Of Rain

Rated T

Major Character Death

1/1 chapter; 663 words

Summary:

In the midst of the July Uprising, Gwen Thénardier takes a bullet for long time friend Duncan Pontmercy, despite his love for Courtney and his obliviousness towards her feelings for him. Gwen as Éponine, Duncan as Marius. Based off the scene in the musical. I don't own TDI or Les Mis. Warning: Character Death.

Read on FF.net

Freak Out, Let It Go

Rated K+ (G for AO3 users)

1/1 chapter; 271 words

Summary:

Alternatively called ‘What Happens When I listen To Avril Lavigne For Three Hours Straight’. One-shot starring our favourite crazy redhead. Enjoy.

Read on FF.net

Bubblegum Bitch

Rated T

1/1 chapter; 539 words

Summary:

Heather is shiny and perfect on the outside, but on the inside she's a backstabbing user - a mess.

Read on FF.net

I Wish

Rated T

Implied Character Death

1/1 chapter; 357 words

Summary:

When Courtney doesn't show up after TDWT's finale, Duncan does some serious thinking about the past.

Read on FF.net

***

Miraculous Ladybug

mArinette

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

7/8 chapters

Summary:

Marinette tells a lie. A pretty big lie. And soon one lie turns into another, and before she knows it, she's going out of her way to keep the lie going.

When Lila lies, it's sloppy. But Marinette's lie is all too believable.

At least no one else is getting hurt by her lie.

But Marinette's about to find out how hard it is to be known as the school slut.

An Easy A AU.

Read on AO3

Series - A Miraculous Musical

Cute Boys With Short Haircuts

Rated G

No Archive Warnings Apply

1/1 chapter

Summary:

Marinette sees Adrien and Kagami kissing and jumps to conclusions. Hurt and upset, she heads up to her balcony to do the one thing that cheers her up: singing a really angsty song.

Adrien had nothing to do with the kiss. He just wants to ask Marinette out. He passes her balcony as Chat Noir and hears the most beautiful singing voice... but the song is so sad. And then he sticks around just a little too long, and catches sight of something he shouldn't have...

Read on AO3

Act One: Whalesong

Rated T

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

2/? chapters

Summary:

Marinette's family receives tragic news, and suddenly her cousin becomes her roommate. With her only possessions being a small suitcase of clothes and a bizarre hair-clip, anyone connected to María Sugrue-Dupain begins to become infected with some sort of singing virus - in which they have no choice but to sing about their problems. Ms Bustier, ever resourceful, takes the opportunity to direct the class in a production of the musical 'Heathers', and there is drama on-stage and off it.

But why does the singing virus exist at all? Why is Gabriel Agreste suddenly so interested in Adrien's schoolmates? And seriously, is Nathalie OK? The Gorilla wants to know if he should call someone. Should he call someone?

Read on AO3

Series - Let Me Be Loved

More Adventurous

Rated G

No Archive Warnings Apply

1/1 chapter

Summary:

"And it's only doubts that we're counting On fingers broken long ago. I read with every broken heart We should become more adventurous..."

As Marinette sings at a Kitty Section concert, Adrien starts to notice her in a new light. Unfortunately, he's too late, even if he's not quite sure what he's too late for.

100% inspired by 'More Adventurous' by Rilo Kiley

Read on AO3

***

Equestria Girls

Dazzlings

Rated M

Contains Major Character Death, Reference To Eating Disorders and Attempted/Implied Sexual Assault

13/13 chapters

Summary:

"Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw! Nancy Drew is onto you, Sunset."

Sunset Shimmer wished she was popular, and she became popular -

And suddenly she wished she wasn’t popular.

When Sunset is faced with a fate seemingly worse than death, mysterious new kid Flash Sentry suggests she take matters into her own hands and use drain cleaner, Ich Lüge bullets, and adult ignorance to make the world a better place.

But is his vision of a world without bullies really worth the cost?

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

***

Original Work

Our Relationship Was A Rainbow

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

1/1 chapter

Summary:

An original piece following the course of a relationship that in spite of glowing all the colours of the rainbow, ended grey and cloudy.

Read on AO3

An Anthology Of Verse, written by a traumatised (yet certified) idiot

Rated G

No Archive Warnings Apply

2/? chapters

Summary:

I asked my followers on Tumblr if they'd be interested in reading some of my original poetry if I posted it here. Four likes and a comment saying "Yes please!!" is more than good enough for me. I hope you enjoy it!

(Note: A lot of this was initially written a few years ago - or even longer. Some of it has - naturally - been edited since my initial draft, but some of it may have a different style to my more recent writing.)

(Another Note: I will be posting new poems as they come to me, or I rediscover them. I will also update tags as I go.)

Read on Ao3

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safflowerseason · 4 years

Text

i just want you for my own

To my faithful and wonderful Bring Me to Light readers, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ❤️🎄My gift to you is some shameless fever-dream holiday BMTL fluff.

Premise: Dan teaches Cassidy to ice skate. Amy watches. Set three months before the events of Bring Me to Light.

December 19th, 2024

Amy’s ass is frozen.

She’s wearing approximately forty layers of clothing—long underwear underneath her jeans, one of Dan’s expensive wool sweaters over whatever top she had pulled on that morning, a down jacket, a thick scarf and gloves, two pairs of socks, and somehow it still feels like her body and the bench beneath her have fused into a single ice block.

It’s fucking cold in December in upstate New York.

“Whose idea was this fucking tour, anyway?” She had grumbled to Liz that morning, as they made their way to a visit with some rangers at Adirondack State Park.

Liz had laughed, looking offensively cheerful. “I believe that would be yours. And no, I don’t accept your resignation.”

Amy chose to ignore the fact that her boss was right. (It was too cold to be reasonable). The Senate was out of session, Liz wanted to do something constructive before Christmas, and so Amy had proposed a miniature five-day tour of northern New York. Winter tourism was a huge part of the local economy up there; they could visit some state parks, talk about the new tourism initiative Liz wanted to start, and court some big-timber titans. Liz could bring her family along, there would be plentiful opportunities for holiday photo-ops with the locals, and and they could all try to forget that in January, Jonah fucking Ryan would be inaugurated as the next president.

With D.C. a fucking bleak place to be right now, Dan had elected to come along as well. His parents were in Florida, so there was no risk of running into them. And the trip gave him an excuse to buy a few dozen high-end winter sweaters that made him look like a rugged outdoorsman, even though they were only going to be gone for five days, and even though Dan never liked to go anywhere he couldn’t schedule an emergency spa appointment within twenty-four hours.

If she thinks about it, it’s really Dan’s fault Amy’s stuck here, sitting on this frozen bench for what feels like hours and hours, but according to the time on her phone, has actually only been forty-five minutes.

The ice-skating was his idea, after all.

“Mommy! Mommy, look at me! Look at me!”

Well, it was Cassidy’s idea first. But Amy blames Dan for going along with it.

“I’m looking!” Amy forces her numb lips into a smile and removes one gloved hand from where it’s shoved deep into her pocket in order to wave at her daughter, who is tentatively making her way around the picturesque ice rink. “Oh sh—Cassie, watch out!”

Distracted with trying to catch her mother’s attention, Cassie trips over an invisible dip and goes tumbling into the ice, sliding into the side of the rink. Quick as a flash, before Amy can blink or yell or move, Dan swoops out of nowhere in a shower of ice flakes and plucks Cassidy up off the ice, so fast that her shriek of dismay turns into a shriek of delight.

Amy gets her breath back. The way Dan moves over the ice, the way he neatly balances Cassidy against his side, so lightly and yet so sure, thaws her slightly.

As befitted many upper-middle class kids from upstate New York, Dan was familiar with a variety of ice sports…but then he went through puberty and decided, at the age of fourteen, that he couldn’t risk anything happening to his precious face (which, as a forty-three year old adult man, he still referred to unironically as the moneymaker), so he dropped ice hockey in favor of golf. (It isn’t even a real fucking sport, if you ask Amy).

But he could still skate.

They had been walking back to the hotel, after the last event of the week. Cassidy, learning how to pick her battles based on the rhythms of her parents’ work schedule, chose that moment to start exclaiming over the ice rink, which was still decently populated with skaters even in the late afternoon.

Amy was more than ready to shut her down, go back to the hotel and thaw herself in front of the fire in the hotel lobby until dinner, but…Dan got that eager gleam in his eye whenever a valuable social media opportunity presented itself, and decided that sure, there was time for a quick skating lesson. So here Amy was, freezing her extremities off in the dying sunlight, curling and uncurling her toes inside her too-tight skates, and trying to look appropriately interested whenever Cassidy called her name. And she can’t check her email or do anything real on her phone—besides take a few pictures, even though Dan’s already snapped enough for a week’s worth of Instagram Stories—because that would require taking off her gloves.

(Dan insisted on renting her a pair of skates as well, even though she point-blank refused to get on the ice. She had gone a few times as a kid and a teenager, and…well, those experiences had basically cured her of any interest in the sport. Dan had rolled his eyes and snarked, “Suit yourself, have fun freezing your ass off.��)

Dan has set Cassie back down on the ice, but unnerved by her fall, she’s clinging tightly to his hand and looks stubbornly unwilling to let go of it at any time soon. Amy catches a rueful, indulgent smile on Dan’s face as he maneuvers in front of her to make sure she’s got her balance. He bends over to talk to her and Cassie tips her head to his, seeking reassurance. Her hair is starting to come loose from the braids Amy had hastily done up this morning, in the car on the way to the park rangers’ headquarters, and Dan tucks the stray strands behind her ear and rearranges her hat before straightening up. Amy can’t hear what he’s saying—something cheesily inspirational and transparently bullshit, no doubt—but whatever it is, Cassie furrows her brow in increased determination (or suspicion, Amy can’t tell which.)

Dan starts skating backwards, still holding Cassie’s hand, pulling her along. When she seems slightly more at ease, he lets go. Cassie doesn’t stumble or lunge for his hand, just keeps her eyes fixed on her dad, giant and trusting, and Dan grins and nods approvingly. He circles around Cassie a few times, which makes her glare at him and pick her up her own speed, and eventually Dan falls back a few paces and lets her skate ahead of him, her strokes over the ice becoming more confident again. Amy watches, forgetting for a moment how cold she is as the familiar (and fragile) little glow spreads through her. Even though there are much bigger and much faster skaters on the ice, Cassidy is fearless again, shaking off Dan when she thinks he gets too close.

(Amy is suddenly seized by how big Cassie has gotten in the last year, how fast she’s grown, and yet she is still so, so small, so small and so breakable. And every day Amy lets her out into the world, a world which is shitty and unfair and broken, and she wants Cassie to be able to face it head on, unflinching…but she never, never forgets what that means. Dan doesn’t get this, doesn’t want to understand it or think about it, but Amy never forgets.)

“Ames…Earth to Amy…”

Amy blinks, and everything comes back into focus. Dan has skated over to her side of the rink, and he’s now standing just a few feet away, waving a hand at her exasperatedly.

“Hi.” he says when she meets his gaze, grinning in what he obviously thinks is a winning manner.

“What?” she asks him, suspiciously.

He holds out a hand to her. “Come here.”

“Dan…”

“It’s fun. You look miserable sitting there, and it’s making me look bad.”

“No.” she repeats. “I’ll look ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but next to me, it’ll just come off as cute. I’ll hold your hand and everything, so you won’t risk physical injury.”

When she doesn’t move, he rolls his eyes and tries again.

“Ames, come on,” he repeats, cajolingly. “You’ll warm up, if nothing else.”

Ultimately, that’s what prompts Amy to uncurl her fingers from around the edge of the bench. At least Dan is always ten degrees warmer than she is. Tentatively, she stands and wobbles her way to the edge of the ice. Dan looks angelically patient, which means he’s just holding back some quip about how awkward she must look. She grasps the railing with one hand and reaches for Dan with the other. His gloved hand is firm and warm around hers, and he smiles encouragingly.

“There you go.” he says, as she steps onto the ice. It’s been years since she’s done this, and it takes a second to figure out how to bend her knees the right way and propel herself (in minute increments) across the slippery surface. After a few moments, Dan winces dramatically.

“Okay, relax, Amy, you haven’t squeezed my hand this hard since you were contracting in the back of that Secret Service limo, and there’s no fucking way this is harder than that.”

“And what the fuck would you know about it?” Amy mutters, finally secure enough to raise her eyes from her toes. “Where is Cassie, anyway?”

“She’s fine, she’s over there.” Dan replies, gesturing carelessly. Easily visible in her bright red scarf and matching hat, Cassie is studiously skating ahead of them. “She’s having a lot more fun than you are. Maybe…we should do this again. We can go to the sculpture garden rink by the National Gallery.”

Amy makes a face. “Haven’t you gotten enough holiday-themed content today to satisfy the salivating horde of delusional “Eager-for-Egan” fans who stalk you across the city?”

“Those crazies? Please, they can’t get enough of me in flannel.”

Amy laughs in spite of herself, but it quickly dissolves into a shiver. “Jesus fuck, Dan, no wonder you moved south.”

“It gets cold in D.C. too, Ames.”

“Not like this. I could see my breath indoors this morning.”

Without warning, Dan slides backward over the ice in a dramatic arc, pulling her after him and leaving the railing far behind. Amy squeaks in rage and practically slams herself into his chest, clutching at the open collar of his down jacket in order to regain her balance.

“Dan!” she hisses when she can speak, her heart pounding in her throat. “What the fuck is your problem?!”

Dan just laughs, close enough now that the sound vibrates through her. “I’m just trying to warm you up with a little adrenaline rush.”

“It didn’t work, you sociopathic asshat. I’m still freezing and my fucking lungs have stopped.”

In response, he just slides his hands underneath her coat to grip her waist more firmly, pulling her in so she’s practically flush against him. “Damn, guess I’ll have to try something else.”

“You’re such a dumbass.” Amy says, but doesn’t move away, because moving away means falling over, and also because he’s so warm and broad and solid, like this, and she can’t resist the urge to lean into him fully. “You could have just told me you wanted to feel me up on ice skates.”

Dan’s smile gets even more shameless. “But my way is more fun.”

Winter looks very good on him. His freckles stand out more in the cold, his cheeks are flushed, and the icy breeze has mussed up his hair, but she has no intention of telling him so (she secretly likes it when it’s less perfect…it reminds of her of Dan on early weekend mornings, when he wanders around their kitchen, making coffee in an old Rangers sweatshirt with his hair sticking up at the back, the version of Dan only she gets to see).

Even after…even after all this time, even a year and a few months of being married, for fuck’s sake, the heat of his gaze still makes her blush, so she looks away from him, out over the rink to the landscape beyond. They’re staying in some picturesque little town adjacent to where they hosted the Winter Olympics, and beyond the landmark hotel and the main street, there’s not much else…just the frozen lake and hills dotted with trees spreading out around them, covered in pristine, undisturbed snow, tinted gold from the sun that’s just started to set. Underneath the clamor and swoosh of the ice skaters, Amy can hear the wind gushing around the giant trees. There’s a stereo system somewhere weakly pumping out Christmas carols, and the whole scene is just too much of a fucking postcard to be real.

“It’s so pretty here, it’s…gross.” she grumbles, more to herself than to Dan, but he laughs anyway, running a hand up and down her back.

“Think you’ve warmed up enough to catch up to Cassie?”

“If you’re nice.” she replies, warningly, but lets him step back and take her hand. They fall in line with the other skaters, and Amy lets Dan lead her over the ice, satisfied that he’s not fucking with her anymore. This way, she doesn’t have to worry about losing her balance or tripping over her own feet. Ahead of them, Cassie appears completely absorbed in her skates…Amy wouldn’t be surprised if she’s temporarily forgotten that her parents exist.

“How do you think the week went?” Dan asks, after a while.

Amy shrugs. “Fine. I’d have liked a bigger crowd on Tuesday, but overall it went well. She can fucking code-switch like nobody’s business…talk about folksy.”

“She got better press than Jonah all week.” Dan muses. “That ass clown is at least going to lower the bar for public appearances. The regular party donors are going to be fucking desperate for someone who can stand up and speak in coherent sentences at the same time.”

“Sure, if the Tanzes don’t keep buying them off.”

He shrugs that off. “Whatever, the novelty of that will fucking wear off…we can think of a way to make it backfire.”

“Yes, because people frequently get tired of money.” Amy retorts, but not too meanly…she knows he’s just trying to buck her up. Dan opens his mouth to respond, but then they’re both distracted by Cassidy, who has slowed her pace significantly and has started to wobble as a result.

“Steady there, kid.” Dan calls, and drops Amy’s hand so he can swish over and prevent her from falling again.

“Mommy!” Cassie exclaims, ignoring her father. “You came skating too!”

“Uh huh…” Amy replies, through a clenched smile, and heroically manages to skate over to the two of them without toppling to the ground. Up close, Cassie looks simultaneously exhilarated and exhausted, the cold highlighting her china-doll looks, sooty eyelashes drooping over robin’s egg eyes. Her cheeks are pink like Dan’s, and her nose is running slightly from the cold. Amy fishes in her pocket for a tissue. “What do you think of ice-skating, huh?”

Cassie blows out her breath, leaning dramatically against Dan. “It is hard.”

Dan reaches out and reties her scarf, which is almost trailing on the ground. “What?! But you make it look so easy.”

“Daddy…” she whines, clearly over it, and there’s a high-pitched, fractious note in her voice that Amy recognizes as a warning sign. “Can I see the phone?”

She wants to see the pictures he took, they both know, and Dan just grins while Amy refrains from rolling her eyes.

“You can look at them during dinner.” she answers, before Dan can give in. “It’s too cold just to stand here looking at a phone.”

“Then I want to go.” her daughter pouts in response.

“Sure,” Dan agrees, affably. Too affably. “Lead the way, kid.”

Cassidy sighs, like she’s responsible for everything, and with a little push from Dan, starts skating off in the direction of the hotel. Without further ado, Dan grabs Amy’s hand and follows.

She looks at him suspiciously. “You gave in with minimal teasing…what’s up? It’s not like our room is that nice.” The hotel is an old Olympic resort, but they’re staying in the most modest room since they’re technically working.

Dan shrugs, not looking at her. “The sun’s going down, and I’m hungry, and there’s only so many times I can watch Cassidy make a circle around the ice before it gets boring…”

“And…” Amy prompts him, not believing any of those excuses for a second.

“And…after dinner, I think a little soak in the hot-tub is required, so we don’t wake up with sore muscles tomorrow, so I want to make sure there’s plenty of time for that.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not setting foot in whatever suspicious public facility—”

“Well, for your information, Ames, I upgraded us this morning.” Dan interrupts, looking immensely pleased with himself. “We’re off the clock, so there’s no need to pretend to be fiscally responsible or whatever the fuck for Liz’s voters, and we’re not leaving until tomorrow…I figured one night in the Olympic Suite would be suitably festive.” She must look completely dumbfounded, because he adds, “There’s a private balcony, complete with a Jacuzzi and complimentary champagne and a pretty nice view of the lake.”

Amy opens her mouth and then closes it again, staring at Dan in disbelief. She had been expecting to get back to the hotel, crank up the shitty heater in the drafty room they were sharing with Cassidy, bury herself in every available blanket, and shiver until their flight tomorrow morning. Now…she gets to actually relax, to really shake off the long week with Dan, with heat and champagne and privacy…(and of course they’ll talk about work, but afterwards…)

“…You’re welcome.” Dan says into the silence, smirking all over his stupid face, clearly delighted to have surprised her.

“…what about Cassie?” Amy manages to ask. The evening that she’s suddenly and vividly picturing does not involve a needy and inquisitive five-year-old.

Dan rolls his eyes. “Why else do you think I’ve been tiring her out for the past hour? She’ll sleep like a fucking rock tonight, and we’ll be free to…entertain ourselves.”

Amy raises an eyebrow, trying hard to conceal just how pleased she is. “Dan, I just…this is such an unprecedented degree of strategic thinking from you…it’s truly a Christmas miracle.”

“Fuck off.” Dan retorts, but he wraps an arm around her shoulders as he says it, pulling her into him. Amy shifts so her cheek rests more firmly against his shoulder. He smells like his cologne and the outdoors, fir trees and crisp snow and damp wool, and she can feel him smiling against her hair, and right now, Amy feels as light as a snowflake. In the distance, Cassidy’s red scarf flutters like a cardinal’s wing, as she turns back to look for her parents.

“And don’t worry if you haven’t gotten me anything yet, I can think of a number of appropriate thank-you presents.”

She laughs. “Warm me up first, jackass.”

#veep fic #bring me to light #dan egan #amy brookheimer #cassidy brookheimer egan #veep christmas

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radicallyred · 5 years

Text

Down for the Count

Steve Rogers is irritated.

He's been stuck in a training session for over 5 hours listening to the new recruits bitching and moaning about the heat, and if he’s honest, he’s tired of watching them run laps whenever Fury gets mad. He checks his watch as they seem to wind down. 2:30. Good. They’re done.

He really just wants to get back to the tower and see Tony. He wants to lay down on that couch across from the big window and close his eyes as he puts on a vinyl, maybe convince Tony to join him. His phone has been ringing incessantly in his pocket, vibrating fiercely enough to curious looks from his colleagues, and he'd ended up turning it off completely when Fury threatened to crush it. By the time they’re dismissed and he was able to step outside to turn it back on, he has 15 missed calls and 3 missed texts from Pepper Potts.

And, curiously enough, none from Tony.

In fact, he realizes suddenly, he has nothing from Tony, not since right after he left the tower this morning. His stomach goes cold, a heaviness settling in his gut and when his phone quiver's to life seconds later, he picks it up on the first ring.

"Pepper? What’s going on?"

Steve almost never calls her by her first name, so he can hear the woman take a deep breath on the other end. "I wanted to talk to you before you heard about it somewhere else. I don't know if you have, but I assure you, he's going to be fine..."

He turns abruptly toward one of the exits, beginning to make his way out of the facility, his free hand already in the pocket of his uniform for his keys. "Tell me where, I'm on my way."

-------

The first thing he registers is the brightness. The pure white flare of the fluorescent bulb above him makes him wince in his groggy state. He pushes back into the pillows, attempting to turn onto his side to shield himself from the light, but he finds his body somewhat unresponsive, dulled by sedatives and painkillers.

Oh, but there is some pain.

He groans out loud, squeezing his eyes shut. He feels like he's been hit by a Mack truck (in actuality, it was a Prius). He forces his eyes open, blinking slowly a few times before his surroundings begin to come into focus. Everything is white. There is a beeping. And the smell...

He swears aloud as everything crystallizes and he realizes where he is. He does everything he can to push past whatever is in his system as he tries to rise up and out of the bed, objecting audibly. He feels a hand on his arm, a hand on his shoulder, a hushing voice that is trying to calm him down but he's not feeling very calm because not a hospital, never a hospital...

"Tony, STOP, you're gonna bust your stitches!"

Pepper's voice stops him in mid-flail and he stills in place for a moment as he gets his bearing. Pepper. Not Steve. Pepper is still his emergency contact. He needs to fix that.

“Where is Steve?”

“He’s on his way.”

He allows her to lower him back toward his pillow, let's her pull his blanket up over his hospital gown and she looks down at him with something like pity as she gets up and pours him a glass of water.

"What time is it?" He asks softly. "How long have I been out? What happened?"

She hushes him gently, handing him the paper cup and telling him to take it easy. He sips at it slowly and, finding himself parched, downs the rest in a gulp. When he licks his lips, the copper taste of a fresh formed scab follows and he makes a face. Pepper has the audacity to smile a little.

"They told me it looks a lot worse than it is, but don't worry, you won't scar." She nods toward his face. "It's almost 4. You've been out all morning and afternoon, but I guess the anesthesia is wearing off."

"Anesthesia?" He gapes at her and she nods in response.

"You were crossing the street and some asshole who was texting hit you with their car. They weren't going very fast, thank goodness. But you did get thrown quite a ways. You have a broken wrist, concussion, ruptured spleen, hence the anesthesia, 2 broken ribs and bruising everywhere. But other than that, you're fine."

"Other than that." He bites. He throws his head against the pillow, arching back toward the ceiling. "Fuuuuuuuck."

"Yeah." She nods, sliding back into the chair beside him. "He's gonna be pissed when he sees your face."

He groans again, sliding his hand to grab his hair at the crown. "Thanks for that. Thanks."

He looks down at his body. He can feel where the gauze bandage is affixed under his gown near his ribs (broken, he notes, and attributes the dull throb to that) and he rolls his eyes, thinking of all the aftercare bullshit he's gonna have to deal with, and mostly, how up his ass Steve is going to be, and not in the fun way.

He hears the door to the room open and a woman walks in in scrubs with a iPad, a tired smile on her face. "Mr. Stark. I'm Amy, I'm your nurse for this shift. How are we feeling? The pain okay? You need the drip adjusted?"

Christ alive, he has an IV and everything. He closes his eyes with a shake of his head. He wants the needle out of his arm. This was ridiculous. They had taken him to surgery, they had patched him up. Yeah, he didn't feel great, but he would rather feel not great in the comfort of his own home. There, he could just stay all doped up on some pain pills and he would sleep for a couple of days straight-Steve would insist on it-and he could maybe be back on his feet by Monday, if he were lucky.

"Alright then. Let me check your incision real quick."

He suffers through the indignity of being manhandled by a stranger without much fuss and as she draws the gown back down, hums a noise of approval. She pokes around on the tablet a few times until she confirms his check up for the afternoon, and hugs the device close to her chest, smiling brightly in an overly cheerful way that irritates him, but he knows that's kind of her job, so he holds back. "We're good for now. I'll be back in a few hours to check the drip again and everything."

"When can I go home?"

"You're gonna need to ask the doctor that, but honestly, probably another day or so. They'll just want to make sure that's healing alright, but getting your spleen out is relatively routine and everything went just how it should. She'll want to talk with you about what to look out for, what to do, how to change the dressings." She nods to Pepper with a smile as well and turns to leave before stopping herself as she gets to the door. “The doctor will be in shortly as well to give you the rundown of everything. Make sure to buzz me if you need anything, okay?"

She waits for him to nod before she leaves. He doesn't hear the door close.

A woman in a white coat walks in before he and Pepper can say anything to each other, holding what is probably the same tablet as the nurse had. She assessing the information, nodding slowly, muttering under her breath and finally looks up at him as if she's just noticed he's in the room. "Mr. Stark. Welcome to GBU."

"Pleasures all mine." He responds dryly, shifting in the bed so he crosses his arms. She humors him with a chuckle.

"I want to get the shop talk out of the way. Are you alright with Ms. Potts hearing all this now as well?"

"She can stay, she knows me better than me at this point."

"Alright. We have two broken ribs, a broken wrist, contusions throughout the body, a concussion and a ruptured spleen that was removed at 10:25 this morning. As long as your incision site stays clear of any signs of infection, I wager you'll be on your way home by Sunday. We'll send you with a few prescriptions and have Pepper here makes sure you don't re-injure yourself.”

He's burning with embarrassment, a dirty look on his face as he looks between the two. He knows the doctor won't be able to tell, but Pepper is holding back a laugh. They're close enough now, and they've known each other long enough for her to know how much this is going to irritate him, and it seems to be giving her boundless amusement, especially since in the end, she won't be the one to deal with it.

He looks back at the doctor, who is motioning at the doorway. He hears it open a little more, hears the swish of a curtain being pushed aside, and he hears footsteps too heavy to be the nurse who was just checking up on him. He watches as Steve slides into view, looking at the doctor, at Pepper, anywhere but at the bed where he currently lay.

Steve looks depleted, drawn, like he's been up for 3 days straight and is barely standing from exhaustion. He keeps his eyes on the doctor, because she begins talking about work and not letting Tony push himself and that he will make a quick and full recovery if he rests like he should. Steve is nodding with spirit, and Tony knows that regardless of what the doctor was saying, his exile from everywhere but their wing of the tower is already planted in Steve’s head.

Pepper rises from his side with a squeeze to his wrist and a sympathetic glance. "I have to get going.” She says softly.

"Are you going to be alright with him, Captain?” The doctor asks. Steve nods, a small smile tugging on his lips.

"I can handle Tony." He speaks for the first time, tone placid, without any implication that something is amiss, and the Doctor nods, seemingly content with the answer. The doctor hurries out, Pepper following slowly behind, and he's pretty sure he hears the distinct sound of the lock being pushed in before the door closes. Steve has moved over to the narrow window in the corner, looking out over the city, his left side facing the bed in the middle of the room.

"Steve..."

Steve holds up a stiff hand, and Tony can see his Adam's apple working in his throat as he blinks against the sunlight. After a few seconds of silence, the hand curls into a tight fist that falls to his side as he turns to face him, meeting his gaze for the first time.

"Tony."

His name is uttered in a whisper, a shuddering breath that seems like it's been held in for hours. It's made up of both fear and relief, and his expression is pained beyond anything Tony is ever okay with seeing on that face. Steve's hands are both clenched at his side, and his entire body seems coiled tight, barely restrained.

This is because of him.

"I'm sorry." And, God, this is fucking pathetic. He’s fifty years old, damnit, why is he crying over the fact that his boyfriend looks tired?

"Tony, no." Tony hears him walk toward the bed and he feels the shift in weight towards his left side as Steve rests against it. "Baby, it's alright, I'm here." Steve responds softly. He pulls himself close to Tony's side, pulling the younger man's good hand from his face and threading his fingers through it. His free hand ghosts up along the bruises and scrapes all up his jawline, barely caressing them with a hiss. "Oh baby, your face..."

"I know, I'm sorry. I’m fucked up..."

"Tony, I'm not angry. And this isn't your fault." He reassures with a gentle hush. "That young man was texting while he was driving."

"I was definitely in the crosswalk when I shouldn’t have been.”

"Be that as it may..." He trails off, not taking his eyes off of him. Tony finally allows himself to meet his gaze fully, and his stomach flips like he's on a roller coaster to see his lover's eyes shining.

"Steve, I'm okay."

Steve doesn't respond, doesn't seem to be able to. He just closes his eyes, swallowing a few times intermittently, deep, shuddering breaths before he brings Tony's hand to his mouth. He presses a kiss to the knuckle of his thumb, working his way up to the knuckles of his fingers, just holding his hand there against his lips. When he speaks again, rubbing his thumb now along the trail of kisses, he doesn't look up at Tony.

"Pepper called me so many times and I didn't pick up until the Fury dismissed us. And when she spoke, even though she told me you'd be fine, I just..." He shook his head. "You scared me, Tony."

Bruising be damned. He lifts Steve's hand, strong and stable and safe, to his face and presses it against his cheek, turning to kiss it's heel before letting it rest. Steve curls his fingers in the strands of hair there and Tony lets himself relax for the first time since he woke up.

"Will you lay with me?"

His voice is so small, he would usually be embarrassed, but this reaction has kind of made this whole thing a reality. He got hit by a fucking car. He could have fucking died. He's always been so reckless, ever since his mother died, living like it was all on borrowed time, through binge drinking and Afghanistan, NYC and Malibu, Iron Man, all of it, because it just didn't matter.

He scoots to the far side of the bed as Steve stands and slides in to join him, molding his body to Tony's, arching his arm around his side. Tony realizes for the first time that he’s still in his Captain America Uniform. "Am I hurting you?"

"No. I don't care."

"Tony, your stitches..."

"I'll tell you if you get too close." He promises, and he would be embarrassed at how he sounded if not for the day he'd had. He may have been flippant and fiery 10 minutes ago, but the weight of the day's events reflected through Steve had changed that.

He was scared too, he realizes somewhat in surprise. He had never allowed himself to be this close to someone, to need someone the way he knew he needed Steve, had never allowed himself to be the one who was needed. Usually by this point, he'd have done something abhorrent enough to drive them away. But this was different than then. Different than Afghanistan. He feels Steve's arm tighten snugly around his midsection, and bring his left arm down intermingle with it, grasping his hand once more.

It mattered now.

"I'm sorry I scared you." His voice is small. Steve nuzzles into the crook of his neck in response, kissing it softly. He can smell the man on him now, spicy, soapy, a hint of sweat and whatever warm smells like (cause he swears it has a smell, it does).

"Just promise me you’ll be more careful from now on." He smiles as Tony snuggles into the pillow. "Only the sidewalk, far away from the cars."

Tony chuckles, shaking his head a little. Steve places a kiss to his temple and Tony leans into it, spooning closer to Steve's front, letting his fingers trail up and down his arm. "You aren't the boss of me." He finally mumbles.

This earns him a dry chuckle, a heavy hand sliding to his waist. "Aren't I?"

Steve presses another kiss to his temple, and Tony melts more into him, closing his eyes. "We'll talk about it later."

He feels Steve laugh again softly as he drifts off to sleep, warm, and safe, and well loved. He barely hears the response.

"I'm sure we will."

#stony #fanfic #radicallyred #steve x tony #SUPERHUSBANDS

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serenagaywaterford · 4 years

Note

I am reading up on Phyllis Schlafly, really infuriating stuff. Definitely seeing a lot of her in Serena (on the show only), right down to even her looks... so I can see why people hate her so much. I don’t know without Yvonne’s nuanced performance, I would’ve had much sympathy and empathy. Or maybe I am just a slut for Yvonne. Oh well... Btw, any interest in Mrs America? It’s got a great cast, although for some reason, I get a sense you aren’t a big Cate fan? Or I got it all wrong?

Well, Schlafly was one of the prominent anti-feminists Atwood based Serena Joy off of so it’s only natural to see the similarities! (The other was Tammy Fay Baker. Amongst, I’m sure, many other women of that ilk during the time period Atwood was writing.) They did strip basically the entire Tammy Fay aspect of Serena out of the TV!Serena. (Which is a shame in some ways, but sort of understandable in others. Book!Serena was a lot to translate, and yet strangely less developed somehow than the show version. Or am I crazy?) I have read some of these women’s essays and such, originally not voluntarily lol but part of a feminism course at uni and the prof thought it was absolutely necessary to read the other wide’s views in order to understand the entire scope of the issues.

I think it’s pretty much majority opinion that without Yvonne’s specific acting choices and skill (and I suppose–let’s admit the director’s get some credit too lol) for bringing Serena to the screen, most of us wouldn’t find the character so fascinating. And I am not going to pretend to even lie, her looks help too. ;)

Of course I’m interested in Mrs. America. The content of this series is exactly up my alley. I love shit like this. And I have a gross little fascination with cults/terrible social movements and terrible conservative women and why they are so fucking awful lol. (Which leads into my slight preoccupation about how to change their minds so they can be feminists too. So many of them are intelligent, driven women who… my God. If they just could break that patriarchal bullshit mindset… Although admittedly, some seem to be just plain horrible to their bones. And I’ll admit it’s more appealing in fiction, than reality cos in real life people don’t change as easily or dramatically.)

I’ll tell everyone here a little secret:

I know I probably give off a different vibe lol, but I don’t choose TV shows to watch based on who the actors are. (Subjective opinion time: If I did, I probably wouldn’t have watched THT cos I don’t like Fiennes, Bledel, or Moss all that much. Well, Moss as an actor has grown on me in time, lbr. Fiennes has always bothered me, so he’s perfect for Fred then lol but I still don’t think he’s an excellent actor, and Bledel is such a one-note actor imo. I know, sacrilege. Throw me to the lions, or whatever. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised by some of her scenes in THT, and not shocked when she didn’t deliver in other ones. And, I will fully admit, I didn’t care who the fuck Yvonne Strahovski was prior to her becoming Serena. I’d seen her in Dexter and she never really left an impression. So, based on casting alone, THT would not have been something I particularly cared about. Ann Dowd is about the only actor in THT that I had positive thoughts about cos she is stellar and always is, but she is hardly a main character in THT lol.)

So, disliking an actor isn’t really an issue unless I particularly loathe one and know I wouldn’t be able to stand watching them under any circumstances. (This is rare.) Yes, sometimes I’ll give something a shot I otherwise wouldn’t cos I love a specific actor in it, but that doesn’t mean I will stick with it even if it sucks or say it’s great when it’s clearly not. I’m not one of those completists that must watch everything a certain person has been in. (Not anymore, anyway lol. When I had time and money in my youth, that was a different story. You bet I watched everything I could that had Natalie Portman, Laura Linney, Olivia Wilde, or Amy Adams in it lol.)

About Cate Blanchett. Um. I don’t dislike her? I actually enjoy her work as an actor… mostly, from what I’ve seen. (I very much disliked Carol, which is perhaps where you’re getting my dislike of her from? I thought it was a slow, boring, underwhelming movie. And I hated the age gap. But that’s not Cate’s fault. I also dislike Rooney Mara…so, yeah.)

I’ve watched quite a few other films with Blanchett. Some were great, some sucked. As most actors have in their filmography. I adamantly don’t follow the tumblr/twitter lesbian trend of mooning over Cate because I am firmly and obstinately opposed to stanning straight people as “lesbian icons uwu” or “honorary lesbians” (See also: Hozier, Taylor Swift, Rachel Weisz, Harry Styles, etc etc.). I hate it (esp when it’s straight MEN) and I will not join in, even if they are outspoken activists for gay rights. Which none of them are. That just makes them a decent person, not a gay icon/honorary gay.

“Rather, I mention it as a reminder to myself, and to you, of an unfortunate yet undeniable fact: Heterosexuality is an overwhelmingly common trait for our so-called gay icons.

Celebrity fandom is really just a bizarro reflection of ourselves: who we are, what we value, who we want to be, and, sometimes, who we want to fuck. Our faves are us, basically, just in that creepy sexy lady Snapchat filter. And as fans, we invest in the celebrities we love. We help their interview clips go viral; we see their movies in theaters then stream them at home; we loudly cheer their awards season campaigns on social media. The celebrities we choose to uplift reap our time and our attention and our clicks and our money. They accumulate both our cultural and literal capital; they gain buzz and caché and glossy magazine profiles; they get bigger roles and bigger paychecks.” [this article is a basic explanation, but doesn’t get nearly as nasty as I would if I wrote it, lol.]

That doesn’t mean I don’t like Blanchett. It just means I don’t have the energy to waste on gushing over her cos she wears suits really well, goes to a drag brunch, and has played a lesbian once (that I know of, like, I’ll admit I don’t follow her career lol). She’s good. She’s done good roles. She’s not gay and shouldn’t be a lesbian icon, nor is she my fav ever. So, meh. She’s fine. I do appreciate her… energy? If that’s a thing. It’s a very self-assured, self-sufficient female energy that she emanates in her acting, and offscreen I would argue. It’s refreshing. I love confidence without arrogance or egoism. (Altho, lbr, all famous actors are egoists. It’s basically a pre-req. Some are just excellent at not letting it show.) But if I want to talk about an otherworldly tall lanky blonde actress, I’d prolly lean towards Tilda Swinton lol.

I’m looking forward to her in Stateless and Mrs America. I think she has potential to do both roles quite well. Although… I will say her American accent often leaves a lot to be desired lol. But it’s getting better. If I’m going to gush over any “lesbian icon” in Mrs. America, it’ll be Sarah Paulson.

#(but lbr i don't really gush over lesbian icons anyway lol)#i just wanted to give a shout out to sarah paulson lmao #OOPS THIS GOT LONG AND I STARTED TALKING ABOUT THINGS ANON DIDN'T ASK AT ALL YIKES #oh well #it has been A Day #Anonymous

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wannabe-bella · 5 years

Text

Pairing: Beca/Chloe Genre: Horror, Romance Words: 11,116

Read on AO3 Read on FFN

DEAD-END

Heavy breathing and limbs shaking. Hands fall to rest on the cold counter in front. Grimacing in pain, one hand reaches up and pulls. Left eye twitching, their vision focuses on the tooth laying on the counter.

A small droplet of blood drips beside it from their open mouth.

Staring at their reflection in the cracked mirror, they take in the bloodshot eyes surrounded by dark rims and the nasty gash bleeding out of a left eyebrow. From the mirror, they see a figure standing leaned against the doorway and twisting around in their place, stand opposite them.

"Beca," Comes a small sigh from the girl in the doorway.

"We need to go," Beca states, picking up the tooth before flicking it out the side window. "There's people out there," She says, beckoning the girl over. Standing beside Beca, she looks out through the small gap and finds a small group of men stood around a large vehicle.

"They found me while I was searching for supplies," Beca explains, "They got one hell of a right hook." She says, causing the other girl to glance to her injuries. "I tried negotiating with them, but..." She sighs. "They're not a group for extra additions." Beca adds. Her eyes widen as one of the men suddenly glance their way.

Her feet move to the side and she pulls the other girl with her. Her eyes find a small piece of the broken mirror beside her foot and crouching down, she takes possession of it. Holding it up, she uses it to see out through the gap of the window.

She curses when she sees that the men have gone.

Turning back, her eyes find another pair, "We really need to leave."

Seeing the girl nod, they quickly sneak their way back to the main room of the house before picking up their supply bags. They're in the middle of throwing them across their shoulders when they hear it.

Looking to the closed door in front, they watch in silence for movement until a sudden smash occurs followed by a sledgehammer bursting through the wood.

The pair are out of the room before the man even can make his way in.

Frantically speeding their way through the house, they come to a stop at the back door. Pushing down on the handle, Beca comes to find that it's locked. "Shit," She curses, jimmying with it. Sighing, she takes a step back. From behind, she hears footsteps and shaking her head, she lifts the hammer from her belt before forcing it down onto the handle. The hit echoes making the footsteps halt.

But only for a split second.

Hitting the handle a second time, she shoulders the door forcing it open. Grabbing the other girls hand, she pulls her out and makes a run for their car. But before they can make it, Beca feels herself be dragged to the side and into the bushes.

"What the-" She's silenced by a hand reaching up and pointing toward the door. Bringing her eyes there, Beca's attention is focused on two men who look around the yard.

"Can you see em'?" Comes a disgruntled voice from inside. They watch as one shakes their head before shouting back, "No. The bastard got away!" He says angrily.

After a few seconds, the men return back indoors causing Beca to breathe out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," She mumbles. Turning her attention to the girl beside her, she tightens the grip of their joined hands, "Thanks, Chlo." She says, leaning back on her other hand.

"That was intense," Chloe says with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Beca agrees with a dry chuckle. Detangling their hands, she brings one up to wipe the sweat of her brow and in doing so, causes her to wince. Hearing it, Chloe worriedly looks to the gash above her friend's eye.

"Why were they following you?"

"Told you. We had a disagreement-"

"Bullshit," Chloe interrupts making Beca glance to her.

After a moment, the brunette lets out sigh, "Fine." Sitting up, she hooks the backpack off her shoulder and unzips it.

Chloe narrows her eye as she watches her.

Reaching a hand in, Beca pulls out a handgun before taking out another. Setting them both on the grass, she brings her gaze back to Chloe only find her staring back with a disapproving look.

"Beca," Chloe says slowly, "Why do you have these?" She asks, "Better yet, how did you get these?"

"I think you can figure that one out on your own."

"Beca, you can't keep doing stuff like this," Chloe says with a sigh.

"Well, why not?" The brunette argues back, shoving the weapons back into her bag, "We need these, Chloe. It's been well over a month, maybe two!" She says, frustrated. "We've been lucky so far, really lucky, to be even alive." Throwing the backpack over her shoulder, she stands looking down at the redhead, "We couldn't keep going with melee weapons." She says, holding a hand out.

Chloe gazes to the hand before grabbing it and being hoisted up.

"We needed more protection, Chloe." Beca says, pointing to the small house, "We can't stay here anymore."

XxX

"Jesse!" Benji cheers, slightly tipsy. His brows furrow in confusion as his friend looks up at him, his face sickly white. "Jesse?" He rests a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Shaking, Jesse reaches up with a shaky hand, grasping at his arm, "I don't feel too good."

"Hey, maybe you should sit down?" Benji suggests, leading him over to a lounge chair beside the pool. Sitting down, Jesse looks up through a pained smile. "Hey, man. We're graduates..."

"Yeah," Benji says, taking a seat at the edge of the chair.

"Benji!"

Looking over his shoulder, Benji sees Emily waving over to him, waving back he turns to Jesse, "Do you mind?"

Tapping him on the arm, Jesse shakes his head, "Go have fun," he says, before adding, "Just don't be too awkward."

"Right, right," Benji laughs. Standing he tips his head at Jesse before walking over to Emily.

Jesse's eye twitches but he shakes it off deciding to watch the party. His eyes find his small DJ friend, and grins as he watches her laugh with Chloe.

Suddenly he feels an itch on his neck and begins scratching at it. So much that when he pulls his hand back, blood is smeared across his fingertips.

"What the hell?" Shaking, he brings his hand back to his neck only to find it wet. Keeping his hand there, he feels his eye twitch again.

What is going on? He thinks before finding himself looking at Beca. They catch each other's eyes and he throws her a grin through gritted teeth.

He sees Beca lean closer to Chloe before making her way over. Twitching again, he brings his hand down to rest on his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he looks up to find Beca standing at the end of the chair. Her eyes widen as they find the scratch marks along his neck.

"Jess?"

"Hi, Bec," He weakly greets, trying to catch his breath.

"Dude... W-what's going on?" She cautiously asks making her way over to him. Crouching down, she pulls her sleeve shirt down to cover her hand before moving it to his neck. Holding pressure on his cuts, she worriedly looks back at him, "Jesse. What happened?"

"I-" He stutters, "I don't know."

"Seriously, Jess. You're worrying me," Beca says. Suddenly she notices that his eyes begin to droop. "Jesse?" She calls out to him.

He doesn't respond.

"Jesse, stop playing with me, man!" She repeats, lightly shoving him. When he doesn't respond, she frantically looks around for help when her eyes catch crystal blues from afar.

She glances at Chloe, a pleading look on her face when she suddenly feels a strong grip on her hand. Turning back she sees that Jesse's eyes remain shut.

"Jesse-" She's interrupted by his other hand bouncing up and grasping at her neck. With widened eyes she watches as his snap open.

His once dark orbs were now lighter than ever, nearing a light grey.

"J-Jes..." She chokes out, quickly losing breath and oxygen. The noise of the party begins to become a blur as her vision darkens, her eyelids begin to close but before they can, she feels someone wrap their arms around her and pull her away.

The last thing she sees is Jesse being held down by Benji and a few Bellas.

XxX

Sweat trickles down her spine as she recalls that night.

Her gaze is on the road ahead as she keeps watch. Behind her, Chloe lays snoozing along the passenger seats. Slouching back into her own, Beca rests her head along the back.

Her thoughts often wander to the Bellas.

Where they are?

Are they still alive?

Have they been turned?

She's been thinking about her fellow teammates for the past week. She can tell Chloe has been too.

She wonders what Fat Amy is doing. If CR made it out. Did Stacie escape?

She likes to think that they all made it out safe and okay.

But she knows that this is real life.

She shuts her eyes for a few seconds before reopening them and when she does...

She kinda wishes she hadn't.

About a quarter of a mile away stands them. She can barely see them through the flickering street lights.

But she sees them.

Lowering the car window down an inch, she peels her ears back and listens out. Her eyes narrow when she feels her ear twitch and glancing to the side window, she catches sight of more stumbling figures making their way closer.

"Great," She mutters quietly to herself. Tapping a beat along the wheel, she debates on what she should do. Starting the engine would only alert them of their location, but when her eyes catch the turn off just in front, she begins rethinking.

Shutting her eyes tight, she places her hand on the keys before twisting. She grimaces when the engine roars to life and opening her eyes, she quickly pushes down on the accelerator high tailing it around the turn off.

From behind, the redhead groggily flickers her eyes open and groans when the car drives over a bump.

"Uh..." She hears Beca mumble, "Don't look behind."

Furrowing her brow, Chloe does exactly that. Sitting up, she twists around so she's facing out the back window.

A horde of figures stumble their way after them.

"Beca..." She turns back around with feared eyes.

"I'll lose them," Beca assures, "I'll lose them," She repeats with a nod and sure enough, they lose the horde after a few moments.

Continuing the drive through the cut off, she keeps her eyes open for any more. Hearing shuffling, she looks behind to see Chloe climb over to the front seat. "Be careful," Beca calls out.

Sitting in place, Chloe reaches for the map on the dashboard. Unfolding it, she reaches into her bag pulling out a flashlight. Lighting the map up, she points to it, "I think we're about here." She says. Beca glances over.

"So..." The brunette gazes back to the path, "Are we far?"

"A little." Chloe states, "We still have another town to pass before we reach Barden."

Beca and Chloe had decided going back to Barden was their best shot. For one, they needed to find out if any of their friends were still alive and if they were, they wanted to see if they were still there.

Beca never voices it, but she needs confirmation on what happened to her best friend. Since passing out at their graduation party was the last time Beca saw Jesse.

The two were never anything more than friends, they deemed each other more as siblings. Jesse had befriended the brunette long before they attended Barden and had been best friends since childhood. They grew up together, made it through high school together and many mistook them for brother and sister.

And in their eyes, they were.

"You know..." Beca says, a small grin in place, "For someone who failed maps, you sure are good with directions."

"Are you being serious?" Chloe asks, folding the map. "Or are you being a sarcastic asshole?"

"I'm being serious," The girl answers, "For real. If it wasn't for you, we would've been lost by now." She says sincerely, her eyes finding the redheads.

"Thank you." Chloe says. Watching as Beca lets out a yawn, she places a hand on her arm, "Hey, you should rest."

Shaking her head, Beca tightens her grip on the wheel, "I'm okay."

"Beca, come on," Chloe pleads, "Let me drive for a little while. I'm more rested than you."

A few moments pass before Beca nods, "Okay," Pulling the car to a stop, she and Chloe switch places only with her in the back. Laying down as Chloe drives off, she glances up to the girl, "Hey, Chlo?"

"Yeah?"

"If anything happens, make sure you wake me."

XxX

The redhead catches Beca's gaze from afar and sees the worried look on her face. Setting her drink to the side, she saunters her way over but halts when she notices how ridged Beca's frame had become.

Speeding up the pace, she's just about to see what's happening when Amy comes bundling over grabbing Beca from behind and pulling her away.

Furrowing her brow, Chloe moves to the side just in time to see Jesse's hand slip from Beca's neck. Gasping, Chloe dashes over to Amy. "Oh, my god!" She yelps, suddenly sobering up, seeing red hand marks along her friend's neck.

Hearing an inhuman screech, Chloe snaps her head over to where Jesse lays. She catches sight of his eyes causing her breath to hitch. She doesn't have time to comprehend it as Jesse suddenly pushes Benji away with so much force that the magician falls to the ground.

"Chloe!" Twisting around, Chloe sees Amy frantically waving to her while carrying Beca on her shoulder. Jogging her way to them, she follows the blonde out to the front of the Trebles house.

"She's still breathing," Fat Amy says, setting Beca in the passenger side of the brunette's truck. "But, she's in bad condition, ginger." She adds. Fat Amy reaches into the brunette's pocket pulling out a set of keys.

"Here," the blonde shoves them into her hands, "Get her away from here-"

"AGH!"

Spinning around at the interruption from behind the house, their eyes follow the sound.

"Get Beca away," Amy says strictly. Chloe doesn't have time to register this new side of the blonde as the girl makes her way around the house.

"Be careful, Ames!" She calls out before hopping into the car. She straps Beca in before pulling off.

Turning out of the driveway, the redhead's eyes widen in horror when they glance into the side mirror.

XxX

Nearing daylight, Chloe pulls the truck up beside a convenient store before poking at Beca.

"Bec," She whispers, "Wake up."

"Ugh..." The girl groans, turning over on her side. "Is something wrong?" She asks, cracking an eye open. Her vision's blurry but she at least takes in that it's morning.

"No," Chloe answers, "I just wanted to wake you up."

"Gee, thanks," Beca mumbles, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes.

"Gas is low," Chloe announces, looking at the meter, "I thought we should refill."

"Good thinking," Beca says. With her vision now clear, she looks around at their surroundings. The area is deserted, which was expected. Well...

Deserted from humans from what she can see.

"Did you see anything?" She questions, pulling herself up and over the console and into the passenger seat.

Shaking her head, Chloe answers, "Nope. Not really," She says, before adding, "There was a few of them back there. But nothing to really worry about."

"Okay." Reaching down, she hands Chloe her bag before grabbing her own, "So, what's the plan?"

Pausing, Chloe bites her lip before turning to Beca, "Okay, so maybe I woke you up for another reason." She says, a timid smile in place.

Shaking her head, Beca lets out a chuckle, "You never were one for plans." She says, pulling the backpack on. Gazing out the windows, she scouts for any form of life just to make sure. Seeing nothing, she brings her attention back to the redhead.

"I'm going to run into the store and grab some supplies, you on the other hand are going to pump this thing up while keeping watch." She explains, "Okay?"

"Okay."

Slowly driving up the path, Chloe stops the truck beside a fuel pump. Beca jumps out of the car before making her way to the main door.

Seeing that it's slightly open, she braces her hand out, cautiously pushing it open. She cringes when it rings out chiming bells.

Stalling in place, she waits for any noise but it never comes.

Tip-toeing her way in, she eyes the store. Since she never grabbed the essentials on her last supply run, she makes her way toward them this time.

Going through each aisle, she picks up whatever they would need before reaching the medical section. Roaming her eyes around the shelves, she reaches for a first aid kit before grabbing a few other supplies.

Just when she's about to leave, she hears a door slam followed by light footsteps. Turning on the spot, she follows the sound before crouching low. Creeping her way along the aisle, she peeps her head around the corner.

A lonely figure staggers its way along the store ground. Trailing one leg behind. It groans loudly and before she knows it, another one makes an appearance.

Blocking her way out.

Internally screaming, Beca slides her backpack off and as silently as she can, unzips it to place their supplies in. During the process, she lifts out one of the two handguns she stole from the men.

She suddenly wishes she gave Chloe one.

Not having time to dwell, she clicks the safety off before hooking her bag back on. Peeking her head around once again, she quickly pulls back when one of them notices her.

"Shit," She mumbles hearing it growl. Knowing that the gun would only cause trouble right now, she instead holds her breath as she waits for it to make an appearance.

During this, her hand automatically reaches for the knife in her belt.

Hearing the footsteps near her, she stands from her crouched position and patiently waits.

Diving forward, Beca digs the knife into its neck which erupts a screech. Pushing harder, she drives the blade further until it comes out the other end. Ripping the blade out, she scrunches up her face as darkish goo squirts onto her arm.

Just to make sure, she raises her hand up before driving the knife down into its head.

Always remember to double-tap.

Making her away around the aisle, she goes to make a run for it, only getting so far when suddenly she feels her backpack be tugged on.

Being pulled to the ground, the creature screams down at her, thrashing its arms around as she struggles to free from its grip.

In her periphery, she sees the handgun to her right. Waiting for the correct moment, she goes to grab it only to feel the weight on top disappear.

And gazing up, she finds Chloe stood above her with a hammer in hand.

They both look to the side to see the creature crawl its way toward them. Scrambling to her feet, Beca reaches for her knife but is beaten to it by Chloe stepping forward and hitting the creature across the head with her hammer.

It falls to the ground with a thump.

"Come on," Chloe reaches for Beca, dragging her by the arm and back to the safety of the truck.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Beca looks on at Chloe in shock and amazement. The redhead, who browses through Beca's backpack feels the other girls gaze on her.

"What are you staring at?" She finally asks, setting the bag down.

Blinking a few times, Beca shuts her mouth having not realized it was open before bringing her attention back to the girl.

"I'm not gonna lie," She says, making Chloe raise an eyebrow, "I'm a little turned on by that."

Raising both brows, Chloe throws her an opposing look, "From almost dying?" She smirks leaning closer to Beca.

Rolling her eyes, Beca falls back into the seat, "Jesus Christ," She mumbles, shaking her head. Hearing laughter from her friend, she snaps her head over, "Just fucking drive." She crosses her arms.

Roaring the engine to life, Chloe continues to giggle before driving off.

XxX

Keeping her tears at bay, Chloe looks over to Beca. The girl had been unconscious for what seems a lifetime to Chloe.

The redhead had reached the hospital only to find it up in flames. Which confused her at first but when scouting the surrounding for a doctor, she had come face to face with a human.

But it didn't seem human.

It showcased the same symptoms which Jesse did back at the party. The "human" screeched and wildly thrashed its arms around while trying to grasp at a nurse's neck.

Chloe had drove them away from the scene as soon as she witnessed it which is why they're currently parked in an alleyway. Hidden away.

Sniffling, Chloe wipes at her eyes before leaning over the console. Watching as Beca lets out slow breaths, she brings a hand up to her face, framing her features before settling it against her jaw.

"Please wake, Bec," She whispers laying a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'm scared."

XxX

"There it is," Beca says, seeing the familiar gates afar. "One Barden University." Driving the truck near the entrance, she pulls the breaks, turning to face Chloe. "You ready?"

Nodding, Chloe clears her throat, "Yeah." She answers.

"Time to face the music," Beca says, slowly pushing down on the accelerator. They carefully drive their way through the campus, grimacing when they see the amount of bodies that decorate the quad.

The worst is that they can tell who some of them are.

They pass one girl who Beca recognises from her Philosophy class back in Freshman year. They pass another who Chloe recognises from Russian Lit.

They look to each other when they near the Bella household, gulping when they see its current state. The once white building was now a stonewashed grey, with one side pitch black from being burned.

"Jesus."

Pulling up outside the building, Beca shuts the engine off leaving an eerie silence in the air. "I have no clue what we'll find in here." She says, breaking the silence.

"Hopefully, our friends," Chloe answers getting out of the truck, Beca following.

"Hey," Beca says making her glance back with a furrowed brow. She watches as Beca reaches into her bag pulling out the other handgun, "Here," She says holding it out for Chloe. "For protection," She adds.

"Thanks," Chloe says, grasping the gun in her palm.

They make their way up the steps, the wood creaking with every movement. They stand opposite the door to find it slightly ajar, which worries them. Pushing it open, Beca sticks her head in to look around. Seeing that it's clear, she beckons over the redhead before they both enter their old home.

Sneaking their way around, they scope out the entirety of the downstairs floorplan before thinking about heading to the next story. On their way up, they both curse the staircase for being so creaky. Stopping at the top, Beca looks over to Chloe, "We should split up," She whispers.

"And what?" Chloe replies, "Get eaten?" She shakes her head, "I'm staying with you."

Rolling her eyes, Beca looks between each bedroom door. Making her way to the furthest one, she twists the handle before holding her breath. Gently easing it open, she peeps her head in and finds it empty. Throwing a thumb up behind her, she waits for Chloe to reply in some way.

But she never does.

Confused, she turns to find Chloe gone.

Fear begins to well up inside her but it vanishes when she glances to the side. Chloe's stood looking inside Flo's old room.

"Hey, Chloe?" She whispers, making her way over, "So much for not splitt-"

She's silenced by the sob that erupts from the girl.

"Chloe?"

Standing beside her friend, she peeks her head in to see what's wrong.

Oh, how she wishes she hadn't.

Her eyes automatically close on instinct. She feels Chloe grip her arm which makes her open them again.

Lying in front of them is one Florencia Fuentes. Flo who lays paralysed and very much not breathing. Feeling sick from the sight, Beca swallows it down.

For Chloe's sake.

The redhead is already a teary mess beside her and feeling water brim her own eyes, Beca slowly makes her way nearer to the dead girl. She inhales sharply when she catches a clearer sight.

The girls neck is bathed in red and a chunk of her flesh has clearly been teared into.

Chloe lets out a cracked sob leaning into Beca. Wrapping her arms around her, the brunette pulls her in close, shielding her view from the sight. While hugging the girl, Beca stares down at her former teammate.

She takes in how the wound is still fresh causing a narrow to her eyes. The girls face still has a faint glow to it, and there's no reek from the bod-

Beca's face pales from a realization.

"Chloe, we need to go-" Before she can finish, she feels the girl go stiff in her arms making her pause mid-sentence. Pulling back, she sees Chloe's eye widen in fear as she looks on frantically.

Beca's pretty sure she knows why.

Looking over her shoulder, Beca sees one of the undead facing them in the doorway.

It's not just any undead either.

They'd recognise a Bella any day. Undead or not.

Blonde hair frames it's face giving them an idea as to who it is.

Or was.

Suddenly another one appears behind it, this one with darker hair which only confirms their assumption.

On instinct, Beca reaches her arm across shielding Chloe from them. Hearing a sniffle come from the girl, Beca lands her hand on Chloe's hip pulling her closer so that she's stood behind her. With her free hand, Beca grips the knife in her belt releasing it from its holder.

The two undead stumble their way into the room, making it even more difficult for the pair to escape. Feeling Chloe release her hand, she watches her move to stand alongside her.

Suddenly the blonde one dives at them, letting out a squeal. Mid-dive, Beca raises the knifed hand.

Their former friend falls directly into the blade, screeching at her as it thrashes its limbs about, it claws at Beca's arm making her hiss in pain and while trying to pull the blade out, Beca sees the other undead focus in on Chloe. Not being able to dwell on it, she rips the knife back out before kicking the undead in its mid-section giving her a second to recuperate.

Taking a needed breath, she lifts the knife back into the air aiming it for the undead's head. Driving it down, she watches it drill through the creature's skull with the deafening sound of cracking bones quickly following. Gagging at the sound, she rips the blade out before watching it fall limp to the ground.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she whips around ready to attack only to halt when Chloe stands opposite her. Breathing heavily, she stares into her blue eyes before being pulled into a hug. Over the redhead's frame, is the dark-haired one laying on the floor, liquid oozing from its left eye.

Gripping the shaking girl tighter, Beca lets her head fall to rest on Chloe's shoulder.

XxX

Stumbling their way out from the Bella's house, Beca's gaze falls to the Trebles adjacent to the building. Inhaling deeply, she brings a hand up rubbing harshly at her eyes before letting them fall to her sides. The fabric of her shirt runs along her arm, irritating the fresh wounds causing her to wince.

Chloe eyes her worriedly before catching sight of her arm from where the shirt rolled up. "Beca!" She exclaims, eyes widening.

Following the girls gaze, Beca lets her eyes fall, letting out a sigh. "I'll be okay." She says, pulling the shirt down making her eye twitch in pain. "We should-" She tips her head toward the truck.

"I'm driving," Chloe acclaims, her tone firm. Beca decides not to argue.

"Are you okay?" She asks once they're settled in the vehicle.

"What do you mean?" Chloe replies with a furrowed brow.

"I mean. Did you get hurt?" Beca further explains.

Shaking a head, Chloe replies, "No. I'm fine. That... thing back there had a pretty bad gash in its head, so it was an easy fight." She explains. Beca nods.

"Three gone," The brunette says, eyes cast down, sounding defeated. Chloe bites her lip taking it in, when suddenly something catches her attention. Squinting her eyes, she looks over to the Trebles house. She stares for a few seconds, before seeing it again.

Movement.

Gasping, she reaches over for Beca's arm. And it's only when Beca hisses does she retract it, "Sorry!" She rushes out before Beca can stop her. "But look!" She says pointing to the boys' house.

"What?" Beca says, shaking her head. "I can't see anything."

"I saw someone," Chloe exclaims, "I saw movement in the window."

"It was probably one of those things," Beca brushes off but is taken aback when Chloe roars the engine to life, driving them to the house.

Stopping outside the Treble's crib, she turns to her friend, "I'm going in."

"Please don't," Beca pleads. "Please don't go in. It's dangerous."

"Fine. Stay here."

"Chlo, don't-" A door opening interupts her, causing her to sigh. "Fuck sake." Following the girl, they cross over the driveway and up to the entrance.

Without thinking, Chloe carelessly bounces through the door, startling Beca. Stamping after the girl, Beca throws her hand into the air.

"Chloe, what the fuc-"

"Beca?"

Looking to Chloe, Beca narrows her eye, "Did your voice get deeper?"

"Not that I know off," Chloe replies. The redhead then catches sight of the figure over Beca's shoulder.

"Oh, my god!"

"W-what?" Beca eyes widen before turning in place.

"Benji?" She says sounding confused before her brain clicks into gear, "Benji!"

"Beca." He says, sounding relieved. Making his way over he pulls her into a hug before doing the same with Chloe.

"I missed you guys," He says with a smile.

"We did too, bud." Beca replies, grinning back.

"Are you alone?" Chloe asks suddenly changing the atmosphere of the room. Benji's eyes go downcast, which answers the question. Nodding, he glances back up, eyes flickering between them. "Just me," he says through a pained smile.

"Jesse?" Beca says his name, just for the sake of it.

"He uh..." Benji scratches his neck, "H-he never made it." He stutters.

Suddenly feeling lightheaded, Beca falls against the wall from losing her balance. Holding herself up, she mumbles out a quiet, "Oh, my god."

She knew it.

Beca knew he hadn't made it. Him choking her was a dead giveaway that something wasn't right from the very beginning. Pardon the pun.

"He uh," Benji voices, taking a cautious step towards her, "He's one of..." He shrugs, swallowing. "You know."

Taking a deep breath, Beca lets her head rest against the wall, eyes brimming with tears as she comprehends everything.

She lost her brother.

Worst is, he's one of them. He fell victim to their trap.

She sees Benji staring at her with a worried expression, so standing up, she sends him a reassuring smile to say that she's okay.

"Let's get out of here."

"And go where, Beca?" Chloe asks, beginning to sound deflated. Shrugging, Beca shakes her head, "I don't know."

"Actually," Benji says, bringing their attention to him. "You could stay here." He tells them, "I mean, how do you think I've survived this long?" He shrugs with a goofy grin.

XxX

"Please wake, Bec," Chloe whispers laying a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'm scared."

That had been an hour ago. Beca still hadn't wakened and it was beginning to worry the redhead. Since then, she had drove them far away from their former location, after deeming it unsafe.

Chloe was feeling more alone than ever, with her best-friend and long-time crush being knocked out and lying unconscious beside her and with a real-life Armageddon taking place, she felt so very alone.

She hadn't been able to contact anyone since she left her phone back at the party and Beca's phone was dead.

It was beginning to look like a lost cause.

Seeing the sun begin to rise, she pulls the truck into a quiet area.

Or what seems quiet.

She can't really tell.

Sitting in the driver's seat, she lets her hands fall into her lap. She feels her eyes begin to well up, so she frustratingly rubs at them in hopes of stopping it. And while doing this, a hand reaches up grasping hers and halting her movements.

Her eyes wander to the hand, following the outstretched arm before finally settling on the person's face.

"Beca!" She glees in shock before bursting forward pulling the brunette into a crashing hug.

XxX

"Nice place," Beca says stepping into the basement.

Benji had been smart, he barricaded the entrance to his "hideout" making it into a hidden doorway that only he could see and use.

"Thanks," He replies, "The Trebles had this place set up ages ago, I just figured it could be helpful in this situation." Gesturing to the couch, he takes a seat, Beca and Chloe following. "Ever since the incident, I've been hiding in here. A few of the Trebles had been with me."

"What happened to them?" Beca asks, ignoring light pounding in her head. Internally shaking it off, she focuses as he speaks.

"I don't know," Benji shrugs, picking at the lint in his sleeve, "They went out for a supply run a few weeks ago and never returned." He explains. "Flo actually was with us for a while," He adds making Chloe snap her head up.

"Flo?"

"Yeah," he nods. "She came to us for help so we took her in. And just last night, she left. Not sure where she went. Said she needed to check something." He explains.

Beca and Chloe glance to each other, gulping before turning back to him.

"Well," Beca says, running a hand through her hair, hoping it would ease the pain, "I think we should stick together from now on." She looks between the two.

"Definitely," Benji nods. "It's safer this way." He says. Suddenly he bounces up in his seat, startling the girls, "Emily..." He looks between them, hopeful. "Have you seen Emily since the party?"

Beca goes to open to speak, but instead shakes her head, "No. Sorry, Benj."

Benji's face falls, his eyes wandering to the redhead. Chloe looks at him apologetically before shrugging, "I haven't seen her, no."

Nodding, Benji stands from his seated position. Pointing to the other side, he turns to them, "I'll be over there," He says before telling them to ask if they need anything.

The brunette watches as he walks away, before sighing and turning back towards Chloe.

"I hate that he feels like that," She comments slouching back into the seat, "I wish we... could do something." She adds, her voice slightly slurring.

"Me too." Chloe says distractedly, her gaze landing on the younger girl and brows furrowing from the sudden change of voice.

Laying her head on the back of the couch, Beca lets her eyes fall shut. She feels Chloe's stare on her but refuses to open crack one open.

After a few moments, she bounces up in place, her hand reaching to grasp at the back of her head. Her eyes squeeze shut as she waits for the pain to pass.

It was worse.

Way worse.

Suddenly, a hand falls to her face and opening her eyes, she finds Chloe's worried looking ones staring back.

"Becs."

"Chlo."

"What's wrong?" The redhead asks, running her thumb along Beca's jaw.

"My head hurts," Beca explains, her eyes falling downcast. They then catch sight of her injured arm, the scratch marks peeking through under the shirt sleeve.

Chloe follows her gaze and eyes zoning in, they suddenly bulge.

It's only been 40 minutes since they found Flo.

"Oh, no." She mumbles low. "How's that possible?" She adds, bringing her hand down to Beca's arm. Grasping the edge of the sleeve, she glances to Beca before pulling it back.

Chloe can't help but gasp.

"B-Beca." She says the girls name, her eyes flickering between her face and her arm.

Beca's arm has four large scratches from wrist up, covering the entirety of the side. The scratches looking more like slashes considering how deep they are. So deep, that stiches would need to applied.

Chloe wishes the cuts were the only thing she was worried about.

But when her eyes find the sickly grey color forming on the girl's skin around the wounds, she falls into Beca's shoulder, sobbing loudly.

Hearing the commotion, Benji's head flicks up. He dashes from his seat when he sees the crying redhead.

He makes it over to them just in time before their brunette friend passes out.

XxX

"BECA!"

"WAKE UP!"

"PLEASE..."

"I'M SCARED."

XxX

Stormy blues snap wide open. She gasps for breath as they frantically flick across her surroundings. Everything's a haze. It seems like a blur that is until they land on a familiar face.

"C-Chlo?" She breathes out, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh, thank god!" Chloe praises, her hand holding Beca's in a tight grip. With her free one, she brings it up to land on the brunette's face. "I thought you were gone."

"I think..." Beca moves to sit up, only to wince, "I think I've heard you say that before." She says, laying back down.

Looking over to Chloe, she sees the girl staring intently at her.

"What?" She asks, with a furrowed brow.

"I thought I lost you." Chloe says, her eyes glazed. Leaning closer she frees her hand from Beca's bringing it up to frame the other on her face. "I thought I lost you." She repeats, a tear rolling down her cheek.

With a shaky hand, Beca wipes the stray tear away, "I'm still here. I'm never leaving." She reassures, before lifting one of the redhead's hands and bringing her lips to it, "I won't ever leave you. Understand?"

Nodding, Chloe brings her gaze away. It lands on the girls bandaged up arm. Following her eyes, Beca looks to her left arm.

"What happened?" Beca asks, not tearing her eyes off the arm.

"You uh, passed out." Comes a deeper voice, making Beca glance up from her position on the table, which she's only realizing she's laying on. Benji gives a sheepish grin as he makes his way over. "Your arm was pretty beaten up," He further explains, "Thankfully, we caught it in the early stages," He adds, sliding a chair over and sitting down, "And thankfully, I am a doctor in training." He grins.

Laying her head back against the hard surface, Beca lets out a sigh, "Thank god for you Benjamin," She chuckles. "How'd you manage to fix me up?"

"Well," He gazes to her arm, "It was a toughie. This was the first "Zombie Procedure," I've ever encountered. And being that, I had to be extra careful. Luckily, some of my supplies were with me down here, so I got to work immediately. I treated the wound just like any other, I cleaned it out as well as I could before stitching it up."

"How am I not a zombie right now?" Beca asks, sitting up with the help of Chloe.

"That's the crazy part..." Benji grimaces, pulling at his sleeve. "The only way we could assure the poison was out of you was with chemicals." He explains. "And the fact that you weren't bitten probably helps. You were only merely scratched."

"Makes sense," Beca nods, "So, did you pour acid down my throat or something?" She questions with an eyebrow raised.

Chuckling, Benji shakes his head, "Not exactly..." He trails off, bouncing his leg, "I mixed a few chemicals together which I knew would bond together to make a substance of some sorts, a substance that would hopefully drive out the poison. And seeing you awake, I think it's safe to say that it worked."

"So, what you're saying," Beca starts, "Is that you created a cure for this?"

Shrugging, he glances up, "For zombie bites? I don't think so, but for scratches? Maybe." He replies before quickly adding, "We don't know for sure, though. I mean, you could relapse into your previous state of unconsciousness."

"But for now, I'm okay?"

"Yeah. You're okay."

"One more question," Beca pipes up, looking between her friends, "How long was I out for?"

"Three days," Chloe alerts her, causing her eyes to widen.

"Three days?!" She exclaims with raised eyebrows before glancing between the two, "You had to wait three days to see if I'd wake?"

Nodding, Chloe's eyes find hers, "Yeah."

"Well," Benji speaks, tapping his leg, "You guys should get some rest, even though you've been sleeping for days, Beca." He smirks before standing. "You guys can take the couch," He says pointing to the comforter.

"Oh, no, we don't have to Benji," Chloe protests only to see him shake his head.

"Nonsense, you guys need to rest. Besides, I'll be on night watch up there," He explains pointing to the stairway leading up to the house.

"If you say so." Chloe voices.

XxX

Later that night, Beca and Chloe lie opposite each other on the couch. Both attempting the sleep. Both failing at said attempt.

The brunette's left arm feels a little numb as she sits studying it. Curiously, she picks at the edge of the bandage, pulling it back to sneak a peek under it.

The stitches had left dark red lines from where the scratches were, but what has her scrunching her face up, is that the surrounding of the arm is still a greyish color.

"Ugh."

Wrapping the bandage back in place, she lets the arm fall to rest, hanging off the chair.

Bringing the other up, she lays it across her face before shutting her eyes. She takes a few steady breaths, trying to even her breathing in hopes of falling asleep.

That changes when she feels a dip in the couch.

Moving her arm away, she finds Chloe laying alongside her. Furrowing her brows, Beca stares at her in confusion.

"Everything okay?" She asks cautiously, as Chloe continues her way closer. Nodding in return, the redhead scoots so she's hovering over Beca, careful not to hurt her injured arm.

"I just..." She begins, licking her lips, "Was thinking."

"Oh, no..." Beca grins, eyes following the movement. "That's never good," She smirks before tipping her head, "For real, though. What's wrong?"

"You almost... died," Chloe says, reminding her. "You almost died and I..." She shakes her head, trailing her eyes away from the girl below.

"You what?"

"I-" Feeling a hand on her jaw, Chloe's face is guided back towards Beca's and looking into the safety of those stormy blues, she blurts, "I never got to tell you how-" Stopping mid-sentence, she sighs.

Beca only blinks, her hand still resting on the girl's face.

"What?" She asks after a few seconds tick by, shaking her head lightly.

Glancing down, Chloe gulps before repeating,"I-"

After a few moments passing by with Chloe continuing to remain silent, Beca feels her face morph into one of confusion. "Chloe, just tell me."

She watches Chloe shake her head before moving to go back to her own side... but then she's halting in place, her eyes finding Beca.

It takes Beca a few seconds to realize that lips have suddenly landed on hers.

And that it's Chloe's lips on hers.

Falling into the girls embrace, Beca lets herself be endorsed with girl's mouth, lets herself become lost in it.

Mouths quietly lapping over one another, Chloe doesn't know how or when her legs were suddenly planted at each side of Beca but she doesn't question it, instead Chloe brings her hands to the other girl's face, framing it before pulling her even closer.

Pulling back for a breather, Chloe leans heavily into Beca, who wraps her free arm around her waist.

Neither say a word, they rather gaze lovingly at one another, lazy smiles on their faces as time ticks by slowly.

"Wow..." Beca grins, nudging Chloe's nose with her own. "Is that what you we're trying to tell me?"

Giggling, Chloe tips her head forward so that her mouth hovers above Beca's, "I've been wanting to do that for 3 years..." She admits, and then Beca's leaning up to captures her lips once again.

XxX

Sitting at the window, Benji grips his rifle close while keeping watch. So far, it's been silent. So silent that he's actually beginning to feel worried.

It's never this quiet.

He wonders what Beca and Chloe are doing and if he should go check on them but before he can, he hears something in the distance.

Sitting up straighter, he squints his eyes while gazing through the blinds. Suddenly they widen in fear.

He knew something was up.

Jumping out of his seat, he rushes down to the hidden basement and stumbling his way in, he hooks a thumb over his shoulder.

"We have to get out of here."

Beca and Chloe bounce up from their embrace, startled.

"Say what now?" Beca says, with raised brows.

"There's a-" Taking a deep breath, Benji points behind him, "There's a horde."

"Can't we just wait it out?" Chloe pipes up, fixing her top from where it rolled up.

Shaking his head furiously, he responds, "No. I wish we could, but not this one." Walking over, he grabs their two backpacks throwing them over, before packing up his own supplies.

Once he gathers everything he might need, he turns back to them gesturing for them to follow.

"You guys brought a truck, right?"

"Yeah, mine." Beca replies, following him up the steps.

"Well, we're gonna have to run for it," He says, quickly shutting his makeshift door. While he's doing this, Chloe and Beca glance out the window.

"Holy shit," They say in unison as they watch the massive horde stumble their way near the house. Hearing a click, they snap their attention to Benji who stands holding the main door open.

Rushing over, they each run into the front yard of the Treble's house. Pointing to her truck, Beca gestures it to them before they sprint toward it.

Making it, she rips open the door to the driver's seat. Feeling around for the keys she plucks them in before halting.

"Shit." Looking to Benji, who's sat beside her, she shakes her head, "I can't drive." She says, lifting her injured arm.

Cursing under his breath, Benji looks out the window to find that the horde had reached the Bellas house and in a quick decision he brings his attention back to Beca.

"We need to swap places."

Nodding in an agreement, they both hold each other's gaze before opening their door. As fast as she can, Beca stumbles her way around to the passenger side, passing Benji in the process who nearly crashes into her.

Hooking a hand around the handle, Beca pulls herself into the seat, watching for Benji to do the same.

The horde had made it to them quicker than she had anticipated and leaning forward, she sees one staring Benji down, blocking him from the driver's side.

Frantically searching for something, Beca grabs the nearest object from the dashboard in front, which conveniently happens to be Chloe's hammer from before.

Before she can leap out of the vehicle, a gunshot rings in her ear, causing her to stop.

Twisting in place, she sees Chloe leaning outside her window pointing a gun at the now limp zombie.

"Chloe, why would you do th-" Before Beca can finish, Benji hops into the driver's seat, igniting the engine before any of them can speak.

Suddenly a mass of growls is aimed at them as the horde stumble their way closer surrounding the vehicle, they grab and claw at the car, desperate to reach the three inside.

"Drive already, Benji!"

"I'm trying!"

Stomping down on the accelerator, the truck speeds off taking a few of the horde with it.

Hearing a screech come from behind, Beca twists around to see a hand claw at Chloe through the open window. "Don't shoot!" She calls back. "Here!" Holding out the hammer for the redhead to take, she watches her grab it before whacking the undead across the head. The creature growls still hanging on, so raising her arm, Chloe brings the weapon back down.

The zombie falls limp of the side causing Chloe to release a breath but before she can fully relax, she looks over to see Beca open her side door.

"Becs, what are-" Chloe stops mid-way when her eyes focus in on a zombie hanging on to the window frame, she hears Beca instruct Benji to drive close to the sidewalk and nearing a lamp post, Beca pushes the door fully open smashing the creature into it.

Leaning around the door, Beca hangs out glancing back to see the zombie attempt to crawl after them. Making sure she's hanging on, she lifts a hand to flip it off, "Bye bye, bitch!"

XxX

"Any idea as to where we're going?" Benji voices later that day while strolling the vehicle through the highway.

It's deserted and Armageddon like and it makes their stomachs churn.

Sitting up at the sound of his voice, Chloe blinks before shaking her head, "No." Her eyes flicker to the passenger seat to where her best friend lies, Beca's head against the window as she dozes off. The redhead's gaze lowers to the bandaged arm. She sighs.

Beca's been through so much, she thinks.

She lost a friend, she's been injured physically and mentally, not to mention a near death from a sudden zombie attack.

The more Chloe thinks about it, the more she realizes Beca had been injured because of her. Every time there would be a supply run, Beca voluntarily went, stating she would be "faster," but the more Chloe thinks about it, the more she realizes that Beca was doing it to protect her.

Scooting her way over behind the passenger's seat, Chloe leans forward to wrap her arms around it, holding onto the girl.

From the side of his periphery, Benji catches the moment and deciding not to interrupt, he lets them be wrapped in their own little world.

Feeling arms around her, Beca's eyes crack open to find that it's Chloe's arms around her. Smiling, she leans her head over to lay a gentle kiss on the girls arm before leaning against the window again.

XxX

"Beca?" Chloe nudges the girl.

"Mm?" Beca mumbles from her slouched position.

"Do you..." Pausing, Chloe clears her throat, "Do you think Aubrey is still alive?"

Furrowing her brows, Beca sits up facing the girl, "I don't know, Chlo." She replies honestly. "Maybe?" She adds.

"It's just, she wasn't able to make it to graduation so I really have no idea what happened to her." Chloe says, her eyes downcast. Sighing, she picks at the sleeve of her top, which she's only now noticing is torn.

Watching the defeated girl, Beca reaches over to pick up her hand. Running a soothing motion along it, she catches Chloe's eyes, "How about we try find her?" She suggests.

"I doubt we could find her," Chloe says, "I mean, she could be dead." She chokes out.

"Don't say that."

"I'm just speaking truthfully."

"Look," Beca sighs, "What else have we got to lose?" She shrugs, "We have no clue where we're going so why don't we try find Aubrey?"

XxX

"So, we're going to the... Lodge at Fallen Leaves?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"To find Aubrey, Benji."

"Think Emily could be there?"

"I doubt it."

XxX

Slouching down against the dashboard, Beca lazily taps at the buttons as she flicks through radio stations that give out nothing but white noise.

It's a lost cause.

They're tired, hungry and mentally exhausted from all this shit. Two months in and the earth had turned into a hell-hole.

And why?

They have no idea.

They have no clue if Jesse was the one to start this or if he had gotten it from another.

They try not to think about it.

They try not to think that this is their reality now.

Chloe had since taken over the role of the designated driver to let Benji get some rest. During this the redhead's gaze had wandered to the other girl.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asks, bringing her eyes back to the road. Swerving to the side, she makes sure not to run over the crawler on the pavement.

Huffing out a laugh, Beca brings herself back into a seated position.

"Everything," She says, "Everything's wrong."

And Chloe doesn't know how to respond to that because yes.

Everything is wrong.

"How far are we from the Lodge?" Beca asks after a moment.

"Um..." Chewing on her lip, Chloe looks for a road sign. "Maybe 10 miles away?"

Nodding, Beca goes back to staring outside her window. After a few minutes, she hears rustling come from Chloe's side and glancing over she casts a confused look.

"Sorry," Chloe apologizes, "It's just, I can't seem to sit still."

"Right." Beca says slowly, turning back. And awkward silence takes place causing alarm bells to ring out in the brunette's head and shifting around she raises both eyebrows. "For real, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Chloe brushes off trying to sound normal.

"Sure."

"I'm telling you!"

"Sure."

"Okay, if you must know," Chloe turns to her, "We're running out of gas."

Snapping her eyes to Chloe, Beca gives her a dumfounded look, "Say what now?"

Pointing to the gas meter, the redhead repeats her words, "We're running out of gas."

"How?" Beca asks, looking at the meter to see that it is indeed running low, "Didn't we fill it up like... I don't know. Recently?" She chimes.

"Yeah." Chloe replies.

"Then I don't understand."

The meter was really low and if they didn't get to a gas station soon then they'd be stranded. And fuck no, could they let that happen.

"What are we gonna do?" The redhead asks.

Shrugging, Beca looks out to the road, "Go as far as we can. Hope that we find a gas station. I don't know, Chlo."

"And if we don't find one?"

"Guess we're going on foot."

XxX

"Benji."

"We have to go!"

"Wake up!"

"They're here!"

XxX

Frantically shaking at the brunette boy in the back seat, Beca attempts to waken him from his deep sleep. "Come on, Benj." She mutters, her eyes flickering between him and the window.

"Jesus, wake up!" She screams, slapping him in the face. Suddenly his eyes bounce open, they flicker around before they set on the girl.

"What's going on?" He asks, drowsily. Rubbing at his eyes, he sees movement from the side of his periphery and glancing there, he catches sight of the small horde stumbling their way near the car.

"What the hell?"

"We need to move. Car's ran out of gas," Beca explains shoving his bag into his chest. Opening the door, she looks back to him. "We need to run. The hordes too big for us to fight them off."

Absently nodding, Benji follows her out of the vehicle, his eyes squinting from the brightness. Seeing Beca make her way to Chloe, his picks up the pace and before they know it, they're making a run for it up the highway.

Every now and then, he gazes over his shoulder to see how far they've gotten. He curses under his breath as two seem to be fast runners.

"B-Beca!" He shouts, slightly out of breath. Catching her attention, he hooks a thumb behind him and following it, Beca curses.

Two of the undead had easily caught up with them, the others a far bit behind. Huffing out a breath of air, Beca raises her voice, "We... We need to kill them!"

So, stopping in place, Beca doesn't have to wait long for one to reach her.

Gripping her knife, she raises it up and just as the zombie goes in for the kill, she slices through its stomach. Gripping the weapon, she tries to pull it back but quickly finds that it's stuck within the guts of the undead. "Shit." She mutters.

The zombie screeches in pain and raises its bloody hands to grip at her but in a quick instinct, Beca kicks its kneecap, crippling it to the ground.

Her eyes zone in on the knife sticking out of its body and without thinking, she powers forward with as much force as she can muster and pushes the dagger right through its stomach with her dominant foot.

Watching as it drops limp to the ground, she doesn't take any chances and punt kicks the creature's face three times before taking back possession of the knife.

"Beca!" Snapping her head around, the brunette's attention is brought to her friends struggling to fight off one of the zombies.

The zombie itself was big, bigger than they were expecting.

Running over, Beca quickly fires the knife into the back of the undead's neck. Without removing it, she twists it a few times to keep the creature paralysed. "Hit it!"

Nodding, Chloe raises her hammer and slams it down onto the zombie's head. The zombie continues to frail about and shoves Beca away making her fly onto the ground, directly onto her left side. "Motherfucker..." She groans holding her injured arm.

Not letting it get away, Chloe quickly smashes its skull again with the hammer and this time it does the trick.

"Fuck." She hears Beca mumble, "We need to get out of here, ASAP." The DJ adds. Making his way over, Benji holds out his hand to help her up from the ground.

Just as he does, he feels the dampness from her palm and looking down, he sees that it's coated with a thick dark substance. His face scrunches up.

Standing, Beca shrugs. "In my defence." She starts, "My knife was shoved in zombie guts."

"Gross."

XxX

Later that night, the trio had come across an old shed.

Stumbling her way up the creaky steps, Beca stands outside one of the windows. Bringing her face to the glass, she squints in hopes of seeing through. After a few moments, she steps back. "I think... we're good." She says slowly, but it sounds unconvincing.

"You think?" Benji voices walking up beside her. "Words like that are dangerous in times like this."

"You don't think I know that?" Beca replies sounding a little agitated.

Shaking his head, Benji raises his hands before mumbling out a quiet, "Sorry."

Sighing, Beca brings a hand to her eyes and rubs harshly at them. When she lowers the hand, her gaze falls onto the redhead stood at the bottom of the steps.

"Let's go check this place out," Beca says catching Chloe's attention. Seeing her nod, she glances to Benji, "Take the lead?" She questions with a raised brow.

"Oh, okay..." He nods. When Beca holds out one of her knives, he carefully takes hold of it and just when he does, he hears her mumble a quiet, "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay," He assures with a small smile. Giving him a thumbs up, she taps him on the shoulder. "Let's do this..."

Reaching forward, she twists the handle. The door easily opens, and with her hand, Beca gestures for Benji to enter.

Taking quiet steps forward, he inhales just as he enters. Gripping the knife, he keeps it held in the air, ready to attack. Flicking his eyes around the room, he takes in from the small amount of light coming from the outside, that they're in some kind of main room judging by the ragged couch and broken TV screen.

Feeling a grip on his arm, he looks over his shoulder to find Beca holding a finger to her lips. When she sees him notice, she bobs her head to the side and glancing there, he notices that there's a zombie in the room beside them.

From then, he decides to follow Beca since she took the lead. The brunette, stands with her back against the wall. Peeking around the side, her eyes watch the zombie as it stumbles about and once it has its back turned from them, she sneaks her way behind it.

Smashing the blade through its skull, Beca grabs the undead before it can fall. It screeches so Beca stabs the knife into it once again and carefully, she lowers it to the ground to make sure little noise erupts.

Making her way back to her friends, she notices that they're no longer behind the door.

"Guys?" She whispers to the empty hallway as she creeps her way through. After a few moments of silence, she sighs. Suddenly a creek can be heard from behind her and twisting on the spot, she raises her knife.

"Hey, hey! It's me!" Voices the offender, which Beca comes to realize is Chloe. Letting out a breath, she drops the knife to the side. "Fuck sake, Chlo."

Shutting her eyes for a second, Beca feels Chloe grip her arm.

"Where's Benji?"

"In the kitchen," Chloe says, running a hand up the brunette's arm. Trailing to down, she reaches the knife and carefully takes possession of it. "We quickly checked the other rooms."

"And?" Beca asks, her eyes following the movements of the redhead as she places the knife back into her belt.

"All clear."

"Thank God..."

Snapping her head up, Beca suddenly thinks of an idea. Noticing the change, Chloe furrows her brow.

"What is it?"

"The zombie." Beca says. Moving away from Chloe, she jogs her way down the hall and back into the main room. Scrunching her face up as she stares down at the undead, she hears Chloe catch up and pointing to it, she glances to the redhead.

"I have no clue if it will work, but..." Bringing her gaze back to the zombie, she continues, "What if we set this thing out front? Do you think its scent would block out any zombies from getting in here?"

"I... don't know, Bec." Chloe says, folding her arms. "I guess it could work?"

XxX

"Are we sure this place is even safe?" Benji asks from the armchair as his foot taps along the carpet flooring.

Sighing, Beca lets her head rest on the couch, "Yeah, I think." Shrugging, she glances to him, "We scouted the house out and we've checked the surroundings outside. And since we've placed that zombie out front, nothing has seemed to pass by..." She explains. Shutting her eyes, she takes out a slow breath. Hearing rustling, she cracks one open to catch a glimpse of Benji leaving the room.

"I think he's a little on edge ever since we left the Trebles house," Chloe voices catching Beca's attention. "I mean, isn't this the first time he's left the place?" She says, mindlessly searching through her bag.

"Yeah, I think it is..." Biting her lip, Beca watches Chloe curiously for a few moments. "What are you looking for?"

"Uh..." Reaching a hand in, Chloe makes a small noise of victory, "Ah ha!" Pulling out the objects, she holds them up to Beca.

"Chocolate Bars?" Beca raises an eyebrow.

Shrugging, Chloe nods, "I picked up a few." She says chucking one at the brunette. "I wouldn't be surprised if our sugar levels are low." She adds, tearing the wrapper off and taking a bite. "I got Benji one as well."

Nodding, Beca tears into her own candy bar. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed the sweet taste until now.

Finishing the treat, she balls the wrapper up and chucks it somewhere in the room. Turning to face the redhead, she comes to find that the girl is already watching her. Furrowing her brows with an amused smirk, she shifts closer.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Shrugging, Chloe grins, "Because."

"Now that's not a real answer." Beca teasingly says.

Bringing her legs up and crossing them, Chloe turns to face the brunette. "You got a little-" Giggling, she brings a hand up and brushes her thumb along Beca's bottom lip. "-something." Her voice lowers as she licks away the chocolatey substance from her thumb while keeping her gaze on Beca.

Gulping from the sight, Beca lets out a breath. "Thanks..."

Not being able to tear her gaze from the girl, Beca finds herself slowly leaning her face closer to Chloe. Her eyes flicker between Chloe's crystal blue's before wandering lower to her lips. She thinks she sees them twitch into a smirk, but she isn't sure because suddenly her own have connected with them.

Chloe's lips are soft and gentle and just like before, she finds herself quickly getting lost in it.

Her body twists to face the redhead and her hands come up to frame her face pulling her closer. She feels Chloe's hands grip onto the bottom of her shirt before sliding their way up to the collar.

Sighing into the kiss, Beca pulls back with a small smile in place.

"You're amazing. Did you know that?" She says, barely above a whisper as her forehead leans on Chloe's.

"I'm that good, huh?" Chloe smirks. Her lips grazing the brunettes with every word.

Chuckling, Beca leans in again.

XxX

So, I wrote this ages ago and as you can tell, never really got round to completing it. I thought it would be a waste to let it just sit there in my documents, so I decided to upload it for you guys to read. Maybe if you guys liked it, I may consider completing it. Or at least create a better ending.

#Beca x Chloe #bechloe #Pitch Perfect #zombie au

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