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blackswaneuroparedux · 3 years

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Anonymous asked: Have you watched Lupin? What did you think? (And are you a fan of the books or other adaptations of the character?)

The short answer is yes, I have seen Lupin on Netflix. Overall I enjoyed it so long as I suspended my disbelief at certain things.

Unfortunately it took being struck down by Covid and being bedridden for me to actually to binge watch the whole series. So I was behind the curve when my friends, French and those outside of France, started to talk about it around me. I had to beg them not to give away spoilers until I had seen it all.

It did surprise me that it won rave widespread reviews outside France because usually French drama series don’t travel very well outside of France. I’m sure even Netflix had no idea how successful it would be for them. I’m sure being in Covid lockdown had something to do with it. In any case I don’t begrudge its success as it’s well earned.

However I wasn’t too surprised that within France itself the French reviews were decidely mixed and divisive. The critic at Le Point painfully hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “Le plus gros défaut de l'ensemble reste la pauvreté des personnages, tous unidimensionnels, caricaturaux et aussi épais que du papier à cigarette.“ - loosely translated as, ‘the biggest flaw of the whole thing remains the poverty of the characters, all one-dimensional, cartoonish and as thick as cigarette paper’.

There’s a growing amount of good French stuff on TV and streaming services but a non-French audience will not have had the chance to have seen all of it yet. I can think of any number of French television drama/dramedy/cmedy series that are much better than Lupin with better plots, characters, and even a truer perspective of French society and even modern day France (Dix pour cent (Call My Agent!), Le Bureau des Légendes, Engrenages, Baron Noir, and Paris Police 1900). But you would be hard pressed to find anything that comes close to Lupin just for the sake of something fun to watch during the Covid lockdown.

What makes the current generation of home made French television series so interesting is how much of it is a reflection of France’s own anxieities about itself and its role in a increasingly English speaking dominating world. In a funny way it sees itself as defiant plucky Asterix fighting off the Roman American cultural hordes from totally invading their Francophone culture.

For sure, it has societal and racial issues stemming from its colonial legacy and issues of immigration and integration (France has the largest Muslim population in Europe). However it seems to want to ‘resolve’ these issues through the almost sacramental adherence to French secularist ideals rather than American inspired ideas of social justice and equity. There’s always been something very admirable about the French - from the time of General de Gaulle and perhaps before - always swinging from snooty ambivalence to outright antipathy towards the influence of American culture ‘americanising’ French culture (no to Walmarts or fast food chains for example).

Is it any wonder then that Netflix’s ill-conceived American series ‘Emily in Paris’ was widely hated and mocked within France for just perpetuating those lazy American tropes of Paris and French culture?

Personally I know Francophile Americans, long resident in Paris, who were frankly embarrassed and spent a lot of time apologising to their French friends. I have one American friend who has told me that she was so mad that she would have blind folded Emily and shoved her hard in the car boot and drive her all the way to the poorest of the banlieues in the grimey crime saturated suburbs of Paris - Seine-Saint-Denis came to mind - and dump her preening arse there. She would slap her and tell the spoilt entitied brat to make her own way back home - you know, to her spacious apartment in one of the most expensive arrondissements of Paris that of course(!) any American intern working for French marketing firms can afford.

I digress. My apologies. Watching this God awful show gives me PTSD.

Onto Lupin.

Thankfully Lupin doesn’t try to play to non-French tropes of what Paris is or isn’t. It does skim the surface of current discontents within French culture and society (race, class, power, and money) but ever so lightly so as to not get in the way of just spinning a good crowd pleasing yarn. It invites you to have fun and not to think too much. I have to be honest and say I enjoyed it as long as I suspended my disbelief here and there.

Lupin refers of course to the character Arsène Lupin, the French gentleman thief who stole jewellery from Parisian haute bourgeois and aristocracy at the turn of the century. Lupin, as written in the novels and short stories by Maurice Leblanc between 1905 and his death in 1941, was the archetypical anti-hero, a Robin Hood who stole from those who deserved it but kept the loot himself. He was often portrayed often a force for good, while operating on the wrong side of the law.

Lupin never really made much of an impact outside of France as he had within France where is revered with many French film and television adaptations. In England, we already had a Lupin type character in the form of A.J. Raffles, a cricket playing gentleman thief with his aristocratic side kick, Bunny. E.W. Horning’s stories of Raffles’ daring heists proved to be quite popular with the British public when Raffles first appeared on the scene in 1898. And even later Leslie Charteris’ The Saint took over the mantle from Raffles as the gentleman thief/adventuring Robin Hood.

I think Hollywood tried to introduce him to an English speaking audience (legendary actor John Barrymore even played him) but he didn’t really take off and eventually they found their gentleman thief archetype in Sir Charles Lytton aka The Phantom (played by David Niven and Christopher Plummer) in the Pink Panther movies. So Lupin never got the English audience he deserved.

I first got wind of who Arsène Lupin was when I was growing up in Japan as a child. As strange as it sounds Lupin was big in Japan especially after World War Two. The Japanese did their own take on the Lupin character using Japanese actors and plot lines but it was Lupin.

I don’t know how exactly but I remember watching these scratchy DVDs of these Lupin inspired films. I think it was one of my parents’ Japanese friends who was mad for all things Lupin and he had studied French literature in France. Jogging my memory I now recall these black & white films were done in the 1950s. One starred Keiji Sada and the other version I remember was with Eija Okada (he was in Resnais’ classic film, Hiroshima Mon Amour) as Arsene Lupin called (I think) Kao-no Nai Otoko. I didn’t understand most of it at the time because it was all in Japanese and my Japanese (at the time) was pitiful, but it looked fun.

There was even a Japanese manga version of Lupin which was called Lupin III, - so named because he was the grandson of the real Arsène Lupin.

The 1960s manga series spawned generations of TV series which I do remember watching and finding it terribly exciting if somewhat confusing.

It was French expatriate friends whom my family knew that introduced me to the real Arsène Lupin. They had a few of the books authored by Maurice Leblanc. It was in French so I read them to improve my French but enjoyed the story along the way.

I also remember them showing me scratchy episodes of the 1970s Franco-German TV series ‘Arsène Lupin’ with the monocle wearing Georges Descrières in the lead role. It was a classical re-telling of the adventures of the aristocratic gentleman-burglar and very family friendly viewing. I don’t really remember much of it to be honest.

It was some years before I actually started to read more of the Maurice Leblanc’s novels and short stories collection. I have them all now. I was a teen and I remember being stuck in a snowed in a Swiss Alpine chalet and with nothing else to do but pull out a few dog eared books from the bookshelves belonging to our French host and read to pass the time.

I read Les Dents du tigre, Arsène Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes, and Les Huit Coups de l'horloge and thoroughly enjoyed them in the original French. I was already reading classic detective and mystery novels (Sherlock Holmes, Poirot etc) so it was natural to read the adventures of Arsène Lupin.

I haven’t got around to reading all the novels and short stories but I have read most of them and I enjoyed them all immensely. In the same way Conan Doyle, through Holmes and Watson, manages to conjure a convincing picture of late Victorian and early Edwardian England, so Leblanc manages to give us a taste of Belle Epoque France through the eyes of his suave gentleman-thief, Arsène Lupin.

Indeed it's a lot like reading Sherlock Holmes in that you're always trying to figure out how he did it, but the difference is that you are rooting for the bad guy. You can’t help but be drawn to this gentleman thief who is charming, comic, playful, and romantic and generous. Lupin is not an intellectual puzzle-solver but first a master criminal, later a detective helper, who maintains his curious ethics throughout his adventures. In this regard he is very much the anti-Sherlock Holmes; and I wasn’t disappointed when I actually read the story where Lupin faces off with Holmes himself. Brilliant!

I’ve also seen the 2004 French movie with Romain Duris in the Lupin lead role and it also starred the majestic Kristin Scott Thomas and the sexy Eva Green.

It was a decent adventure flick and it was a clear confluence of different Lupin novels (The Queen's Necklace (introducing Lupin's childhood), The Hollow Needle (where the treasure is the macguffin of the story), The Arrest of Arsène Lupin (the gala on the ship as a backdrop) and Josephine Balsamo, (one of Lupin’s most memorable opponents in the The Countess Of Cagliostro).

Romaine Duris, a fine classical actor, was I felt miscast because he didn’t have Lupin’s levity of wit and be at ease within himself. I love Duris in his other films but in Arsène Lupin and even in his other film, Moliere, he seemed ill at ease with the role. Perhaps that’s just me.

The latest Netflix adaptation (or reimagining to be more precise) is a welcome addition to the world of Arsène Lupin.If you don’t over-think it, it’s bags of fun.

Omar Sy is immensely likeable. Sy is a deservedly a big star in France - he won the best actor César for “The Intouchables,” an international hit - and has played forgettable secondary characters in big-budget American special effects movies (he was Chris Pratt’s assistant in “Jurassic World” and a minor mutant in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”). It was reportedly his desire to play Arsène Lupin, whom he’s compared to James Bond (“fun, funny, elegant”), that led to the series, created by British writer George Kay. And it is on his charm that the series largely, though not entirely, rests.

So the basic story revolves around a jewellery heist. Sy plays Assane Diop, a first-generation French-Senegalese man in contemporary Paris. A collection of Lupin stories, a gift from his father - whose undeserved fate Assane set himself to avenge in long-delayed, Count of Monte Cristo style upon a criminal tycoon - has made the actual Lupin books a foundation of his life and profitably illicit career. This fan-ship goes as far as borrowing practical ideas from the stories and constructing aliases out of anagrams of “Arsene Lupin,” a habit that will attract the interest of a low-level police detective (Soufiane Guerrab as Youssef Guedira) who shares Assane’s love of the books. (That the detective also shares an initial with Lupin’s own adversary, Inspector Ganimard, is possibly not a coincidence.)

Among the many comic delights of Lupin, is an unspoken one. Time and again, the show’s hero, master thief Assane Diop is able to slip into a place unnoticed, or by assuming a minor disguise that prevents witnesses from providing an accurate description of him to law enforcement.

Why is this funny?

Because Omar Sy is six feet three (and, since most actors are short, seems even taller), is roughly as wide as soccer pitch, and is memorable even before he flashes his infectious million-Euro smile. This is not a man for whom anonymity should be possible - even allowing for racial bias in a majority-white country, Assane would be memorable and distinctive - and Lupin seems cheekily aware of this. Like the various incredible sleights of hand Assane deploys to pull off his thefts and escapes, his ability to be anyone, anywhere, is treated more as a superpower than as something even the world’s greatest criminal would be able to pull off.

At one point, when he’s slated for a cable news appearance as a much older man, we learn that Assane is also a master of disguise. The revelation of this skill arrives with a wink in the show, and it feels pointless to ask where he learned it, or how he affords movie-quality latex and makeup. Or rather, asking the question feels wrong.

We know this is impossible, the show seems to be asking its viewers again and again, but isn’t it so much fun?

The performances and the production - it has that particularly European filmic quality of feeling natural even when it gets stylish - keep the series warm even as the plot is made up of incredulous contraptions that require everything to go right at just the right time and for human psychology to be 100% predictable. Its physics are classical rather than quantum, one might say, and like the world itself, which becomes more curious the deeper you peer into things, it is best handled along the surface. You do not want to take too much time working out the likelihood of any of this happening. Just go along for the ride.

Somehow, though, it all works because Sy is so magnetic and charming that questioning plot logic feels wildly besides the point. Though he never looks appreciably different in his various aliases (including one ill-conceived live-TV appearance done under old-man makeup and a thick beard), he changes his posture and voice ( if you watch it in French that is) enough to allow for the willing suspension of disbelief, in the same way that any lead actor as Superman has to do when playing Clark Kent. But Sy and the show are at their strongest when Assane is just being his own Superman self, utterly relaxed and confident in his own skin, and so captivating that his ex-partner, Claire, can’t really resist him despite ample reason to.

If Assane seems practically perfect in every way, he is not perfectly perfect. His most obvious failing is that his criminal shenanigans and revenging make him less than reliable in his daily life, affecting his relationships with ex-partner Claire (Ludivine Sagnier, whom non-French audiences might recognise from “The Young Pope” and “The New Pope”), who despairs of his inability to show up on time to see his son Raoul (Etan Simon). Like Sy, Sagnier brings a lot of soul to her part - though onscreen far less, she’s as important as Sy to the series’ success - and the two actors have great chemistry. Also impressive and key to creating sympathy are the actors who play their flashback teenage selves, Mamadou Haidara and Ludmilla Makowski. Really, you could do away with action elements and build a series around them.

This is a pity because Lupin often fumbles its emotional reveals in other parts - the story of Diop being torn between his job and his family feels like wheel-spinning, rather than genuine emotional intrigue.

Soufiane Guerrab is wasted in the Young Detective Consumed by the Case role and spends most of this season pinning colour printouts of book covers to cork boards and getting waved off by his colleagues, who are all blinded or otherwise hampered by careerism.

But to my mind the weakest link is the villain himself and his daughter. Veteran actor Hervé Pierre hams it up as Hubert Pellegrini, a business tycoon who is the patriarch of the Pellegrini family. He just comes across as animated cartoon villain with no character depth (think moustache twirling Russian villain, Boris Badenov, in the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon shows). He just emotes anger a lot without any nuance or hint of complexity.

Even Clotilde Hesme who plays the daughter who is unaware of her father’s criminal tendencies is miscast. For the record I adore Clotilde Hesme as she one of France’s most talented classical actresses (that non-French outsiders will not have heard of). She is a classically theatre trained actress and is one of the best stage actresses of her generation that I have ever seen. I’ve seen her in plays where she is just mesmerising. She has said before that she’s more comfortable on the stage than she is on the screen. And when she has been on screen she still has been a powerful presence. She’s actually won a César too. Here in Lupin, she seems to have no agency and looks bored with nothing really to do.I really hope they give her more scenes in the next part of Lupin.

The series is at its best when following Diop enacting his plans, and when revealing each one from a different vantage, making us privy to every moving part like a magician revealing his secrets. The show captures the momentum of a clockwork heist, the tension of sudden obstacles and the ingenuity of improvised responses, with thrilling precision (especially in “Chapter 1 - Le Collier de la reine,” directed by Now You See Me’s Louis Leterrier).

Lupin is also politically incisive when it wants to be; it brings to mind Ladj Ly’s Oscar-nominated 2019 film Les Misérables, which adapted the broad strokes of Victor Hugo’s novel about the 1832 Paris Rebellion, and modernised the story by focusing on the police brutality faced by non-white Parisians.

Lupin opens with Diop disguised as cleaning staff and entering the Louvre after-hours, alongside dozens of forgotten, anonymous non-white workers as they pass by “La Liberté guidant le people,” Eugène Delacroix’s famous painting of the July Revolution of 1830 which replaced France’s hereditary rule with popular sovereignty.

Before any semblance of plot or character, Lupin centres broken ideals and promises unkept (without giving too much away, the show’s primary villain has much more nationalistic view of French culture and history which merely adds to a cartoonish caricature than a complex character). The rest of the episode is about valuable jewels once owned by Marie Antionette - one of the most recognisable symbols of wealth and extravagance in times of extreme poverty - which are put up for auction by the Pelligrini family, and bid on by other wealthy collectors with bottomless purses and no sense of irony.

Granted, beyond this auction subplot, explorations of race and class are largely limited to individual interactions, but the show continues to refer back to (and implicitly comment on) its source material in ways that wink at the audience. An elderly, unassuming target of Diop’s schemes seems like an unlikely victim at first - Diop, though he acts in his own self-interest, usually displays a moral compass - until this victim reveals the colonial origins of her wealth, immediately re-contextualising the ethics of the situation, in a manner that Leblanc’s stories did not. (The show is yet to apply this lens to Arsène Lupin himself, who Diop treats with reverence, but that’s a secondary concern since Lupin is entirely fictional in-world).

Barring some nagging structural problems - like cutting to flashbacks when things are getting exciting, or epilogues that feel ten minutes too long - Lupin mostly works. It plants a few personal seeds early on, which it keeps hinting at without fully addressing, but by the time its scattered elements come into focus, the show finally figures out how to weave them together, and delivers a mid-season cliffhanger that renders many of these flaws irrelevant.

Lupin manages to have fun even with an antiquated premise - the story of a suave con-man who charms his way through high-profile robberies - while adding just enough new spin on the concept to feel refreshing. Omar Sy may not have much to work with, but his alluring presence makes Assane Diop feel like a worthy successor to Arsène Lupin.

Lupin isn’t going to win César, BAFTA, or Emmy awards, or even turn heads for its ability to develop tertiary or even secondary plots or characters - that doesn’t really matter. You’re there to see a difficult hero be difficult and heroic - everyone else is there to be charmed, vexed, or eluded by them. Sy’s performance bounds off the screen, and is almost musical. He floats through scenes like he glides over the roofs and through the back alleys of Paris; he outmanoeuvres his foes with superior literary references and sheer athleticism. He is irresistible and also good at everything he tries, even kidnapping.

I would encourage anyone to watch Lupin for a fun care free ride. But the only caveat I would make is watch it in the original French.

If you don’t know French then put on the subtitles to understand (that’s what they are there for). The real crime is to watch this (or any film or television series) dubbed in a foreign language. It’s disrespectful to the actors and film makers and it’s silly because it’s comical to watch something dubbed over.

Please watch it in the original French.

Then go and read the books. You won’t regret it.

Thanks for your question.

#question #ask #lupin #omar sy #netflix #tv show #culture #personal #arsene lupin #japan #maurice leblanc #france #french #society #arts

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sasa-gay-yo · 3 years

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Just Us (Chapter Twelve: Sleep)

←Chapter Eleven

“You know, you don’t always have to come down here. You can stay upstairs.” I set the refilled teacup of the table looking down at the book he’d taken from my bookcase upstairs. It was a fairytale book Mr. Flynn had bought me when I was fourteen, so it couldn’t have been interesting enough for him to reread. He just flipped the page and picked up the teacup in the way he always does and I sat down in the chair next to him, prolonging the closing cleaning process.

A cold rain washed over Trost today and that made it easy for customers to drag in tons of mud. I’d taken time to clean it at noon, because Levi told me too, but now it was raining again and the last of the customers didn’t stop to wipe their feet on the entry rug. It would take me forever to scrub the dried mud off the floors; probably until after my regularly scheduled dinner time.

“If I don’t come, you won’t ever clean.” I rolled my eyes at him and reached down to take a sip of his tea. Today, I added a little less honey.

“I do clean, just apparently not to your standard. I receive full marks on inspection days.” He took the cup directly from my hand and had another sip. The first day he was here, he told me that the backroom was infested with the plague because he saw a single fly and always made me go back and get something while he worked on kneading tomorrow’s fresh bread.

I stood up and grabbed a wash rag, aiming to get all the tables and chairs done in a swift thirty minutes before dragging the mop out of the back room. Levi grabbed my hand lightly when I turned away and I looked back over my shoulder. He had put down the book and his cup, going to stand up.

“I’ll help you. To make it faster.” He took the wash rag from my hand and turned right away to wash the table he’d been sitting at. I smiled at him leaning against another table to watch him. He fit well with the café. It made me think about the future. It was embarrassing to even think about a future in this world, but when I did, it was always Levi behind the counter helping me serve pastries and coffee, no titans or Scouts in sight. Those thoughts had increased over the past three days he’d been here, helping me knead and portion dough every morning after he’d wake me up. It was a slice of domestic bliss combined with us trying to get at each other with words, me, or a body, him.

Over the last few days with him, I realized what might be his issue. While saying and expressing emotion was hard for him, being too personal and intimate, he didn’t have a problem expressing his physical self. Most of the time, physical meant teasing me with his body or a way he held me. Still, every time I would say something suggestive or comment on how cute he looked with a white bandana holding back his hair, he would become a stuttering mess.

I didn’t want him to confirm it, but it had to be because of what happened in the Underground. He could never be intimate with anyone, never showing his true emotions, but he probably and easily had gotten into physical relationships with others. If that was true, he was more accustomed to using his body to arouse reactions from others then telling them what he was actually thinking or feeling. I’d have to ask him some time, but every time he would do something physical towards me, brush the small of my back when he went behind the counter or come out of the bathroom shirtless, I was too flustered to do anything. Then when it came to actually kissing me (which he hadn’t done yet), being emotionally open, or sleeping in my bed (again, hasn’t done yet), he would shy away because of how intimate it was. It scared him to be open, even with me. I’d have to help him.

“Levi, what do you think about running the shop with me? In the future when there’s no more titans.” He stopped cleaning the tables, freezing up. I should’ve known better than asking him something like this again.

Just staring down at his hands he answered, his voice tough, “Don’t talk about the future right now.” I was taken aback by his tone, but decided not to push him. Perhaps that was another thing that scared him to talk about. I’d have to romanticize myself.

Late in the night, when he was reading another one of my books and I was counting out expenses, I was bold enough to ask again.

“Why can’t we talk about the future?” I saw the same reaction. He froze up, looking at me over the book with a harsh gaze. It also made me shrug away from him.

“I’ll hate myself when it doesn’t happen.” Again, short and terse. This happened a day or two ago too. I asked him about the plans the Scouts had made for next year, thinking if I could plan out when I’d see him next or not. He froze then too, telling me that he didn’t know and there ended that conversation. It made me question what was going on with the Scouts or within Levi. If it was some form of emotional turmoil, if I wasn’t the one getting him to talk, it would just be left up in the air.

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Again he glanced over the book, but you could see that he was back to his flustered self.

“Maybe word it better, Eva?” You smirked at him, leaning back on the couch. The tense aura of a few seconds ago faded away. That’s why you weren’t that worried about it currently. He would snap once or twice throughout the day, but everything else was normal.

“Why? We’ve been dating for almost a year. We could do both.” Again, it was so easy for me to say stuff like this, but my heart was still racing. Every time I asked, I was just waiting for the day he said yes.

“I haven’t seen you in six months.” I laid down on the couch, looking over at him and he pushed the book up all the way so I couldn’t see his face. I huffed and rolled to look at the ceiling.

“Shouldn’t that be more reason to?” He just shrugged and I closed my eyes, trying to think of something else to talk about. I made him explain everything in our letters and about the work that Erwin had him doing. Besides the obvious confidential stuff, he was just training new cadets and attending meetings about January’s big expedition. When I pushed him about why it was so big, he wouldn’t tell me. It had to involve something important if Levi, Erwin, and Hange all mentioned it.

“Levi, let’s take a walk.” He grunted ‘no’ from behind the book and I turned to look at him again. How long could he just read books and sit here? How many books has he read since he’s been here? It seems like the only thing he wanted to do was finish my bookshelf and terrorize me with his abs for thirty minutes out of the day.

“Why noooooooot?” I sat up again on the couch so that you could see his face over the book. Only his eyes shifted to look at me, a neutral expression painting his face. He didn’t see a need for a walk, so he wasn’t going to go on one. I was going to force him.

“It’s cold.”

“But you can wear a coat! I can lend you a sweater, we’re the same size. Please? It’s something to do,” I begged, putting my hands together so he saw how much I wanted to go on a walk. I stayed in that position for a minute, hoping he would agree because I looked ridiculous like that. When he sighed and put the book down, I smiled, knowing that I won. He saw my smile too, pulling an annoyed face.

“Give me a sweater. And we’re not the same size.” I hopped up, running to my room to grab one and pull another one over me. It was incredibly cold outside and I knew that I was going to freeze, but at least I was doing something with Levi. It was better than sitting inside and staring at him all night.

“If you complain that you’re cold, we’re coming back right away.” He wrapped a green scarf around his neck and I wished I had one like that, pulling only my coat’s hood to cover my ears. Yet, I bounced down the stairs, staring up at him from the bottom as he took his normal pace. It made me giddy inside, going on my first night walk with him. This was something that I would do often, even in the Underground. When I’d came to Mr. Flynn, he still couldn’t get me to stop. I would sneak out and walk around Trost at one in the morning, just letting the time pass by. It was near two now.

Jonas used to walk with me sometimes. When he’d stay at my house, I’d force him up for a walk and would have to hold him up as we walked. Now, I guess it was Levi who was entrapped in my tradition. At least he rarely slept. It would wake me up sometimes, not getting used to his presence in the house. A door opening, a candle lit in the bathroom, or the sound of a teapot hitting the metal of the sink would rouse me at four or five, only to realize it was Levi. I wondered how many books of mine he read at night when I was sleeping.

“The streets are so empty now. Normally, there are people coming in and out of bars still.” He just walked next to me, hands in his pockets. I was the leader, taking him down the main road, having no rhyme or reason in your direction. Wherever I would end up, I’d probably been there before and were able to walk back home.

“Do you always walk at this time?” He raised an eyebrow at me, and I smiled knowing why he was asking that question. I knew if I answered, he’d reprimand me for walking alone at night.

“Not always. I haven’t since Wall Maria fell. It’s just a way to clear my mind.”

“I’m sure this cold would freeze anyone’s brain, yes.” He brought his hands up to his mouth, blowing hot air on them. I did the same as my pockets weren’t really helping in keeping the cold away.

“It’s nice in the summertime, but I do prefer colder nights. That’s how it was when I was younger.” We both turned a corner, now at Trost’s city center. The lanterns were on their last bit of oil for the night, so everything was dark except for the moonlight. It was pretty, but it would be better if the courtyard was taken better care of. After Maria, no one cared for pretty things. The titans would eat us, trimmed flower beds or not. One nice thing to look at was Levi and the way the moonlight reflected off of his hair and skin. Funny how he was the brightest at night.

“Hange once told me that people stay awake late at night because they’re unable to control the day. One doesn’t have to worry about others if they’re the only one up, so they stay up to relish in it.”

“Is that why you stay up so late?” He laughed lowly, shoving his hands back in his pockets as we exited the courtyard and went back to only having the light of the oil lamps lining the street. He went back to being dull.

“Perhaps. It’s not the only reason. I’m asking you if that’s why you go on these walks. You’re able to experience the world you live in without all the annoying ramblings of people.” I looked up at the sky, thinking about why I took these walks. It really wasn’t any philosophical reason like he was mocking it up to be. Whenever I took walks in the Underground, I never got to be away from people, so that probably wasn’t why.

“I… I don’t know why I walk. It seems to be relaxing. Maybe since I spend the day inside a room with people coming in and out, it’s better to end the night out here. I can think clearly without someone asking me for a refill. Besides, I don’t stay up late compared to you. After I get home, I’m going to bed. What will you be doing?” I shivered as a cold wind blew down the alleyway and I saw the way he glanced over at me, waiting for me to complain. I made sure to pull my coat tighter around me, but keep my mouth shut. He would turn back just because he wanted to spite me.

Surprisingly, he lifted his scarf off his head, and shoved it over mine, pulling it tight. He mumbled something about not getting sick under his breath, and I smiled, pulling the scarf above my nose. It was warm, and so were my cheeks after that small display of care. Even if he messed up my hair, it was worth it. I was warm and got to smell him as I walked.

“I usually sleep for an hour and then read a book or think out some maneuvers Erwin has suggested. The small chalkboard you have in the one room is quite convenient. You don’t seem to use that room at all, so I put some of my papers in it. I hope you don’t mind.” Something about Levi setting up shop in my study made me feel warm too. He was making a permanent place in my house. That had to mean something right? If he left his papers there, then he would have to keep coming back to get them. If he needed to work away from the HQ, away from the cadet’s or Hange’s interruptions, he had a place here. I wonder if he realized that yet or if he was subconsciously making permanence.

“That was the boy’s old room and Mr. Flynn’s office. The desk and books are all his, but he bought the chalkboard for Ben a long time ago. I only use the desk sometimes when I’m writing letters to a certain someone.” He took his hands out of his pockets to blow on them again, probably hiding the blush my words caused him.

“Imagine someone looking down and seeing Captain Levi of the Survey Corps blushing.” He threw me a glare and lowered his hands to his sides.

“The only reason I agreed to this walk is because it’s late at night. Don’t think I’ll walk with you during the daytime like this.” You pouted up to him, but it seemed to have no affect. You looked down at his hands, hanging by his side. The vow you made instantly popped in your head as you wanted to reach down and hold his hand. If he was being generous now, then maybe he would let me. I mean, this whole week he’s been nothing but physically suggestive, so if he shies away from holding my hand, I could use that to tease him back. He also gave me the scarf, so I could make something up about my hands being cold. Is holding hands too intimate for the Captain? And it wasn’t like holding him either, it was just hands. Why was I obsessing over this, I’ve held many peoples hands before? But he probably hasn’t.

I decided to go for it.

I got closer to his side so our shoulders were brushing. When he didn’t move or react, that pushed me even more to reach down and grab his hand. I entwined our fingers quickly and his grip tightened to an almost, intolerable tightness. He even stopped walking to hold up our entwined hands to eye level.

“W-what are you doing?” Still, he didn’t pull away from me. That was my fuel.

“I’m holding my boyfriend’s hand at night since I can’t do it during the day. Do you not want to?”

“I-I...uh - um.” He dropped our hands down, turning so I had no direct view to his face. My smile widened as his grip loosened and I faced no resistance.

“Come on,” I pulled him a bit and he started walking again, his face still looking everywhere but at mine. His hand was warm, slim with long fingers that almost covered the complete back of my hand. They were rough too. I could feel the callouses from years and years of wielding knives and the ODM gear swords. It was a weird juxtaposition to my hands that were rough only because of physical ailment and making bread almost everyday. They were softer though, Levi having given me another refill of balm from the capital.

Levi cleared his throat, “I think boyfriend is a bit… childish? I’m thirty.” I snickered, thinking back to our time on the meadow inside Wall Rose. It also made me replay the dream I once had, but I pushed that away. I would have that dream probably once a month, or other variations. Levi is eaten by a titan, Levi is taken away by the Royal Government, so on and so forth. I didn’t know why it kept replaying, but I would wake up in a cold sweat and bile rising to my throat. Since Levi was here, however, I haven’t had it yet.

“We’ve talked about this. Once you give me a better alternative, then I’ll agree. Domestic partner is way too formal, and you’re not calling me your Comrade in Arms either. I think ‘my boyfriend’ is just fine. What do you call me with Erwin and Hange?” He just shrugged.

“Your name. What else would you like? Hange likes to talk about you quite a bit, so I’ll have time to use it.” That made me a bit happy. Levi would talk about me during his normal day, or, rather, he’d probably listen to Hange say things and only answer them in his head. At least he would think about me.

“Do I get a special title since I’m dating you now? Co-Captain? Co-Captain Flynn. That has a nice ring.” Levi huffed once, but I sensed it was him trying to hide a laugh. I was bouncing around him like a child, hands still connected. His face seemed amused at least and I could tell once he saw my smile, he softened up more.

“No, you can’t be Co-Captain. What do you know about the military? You’re not even at cadet ranking.”

“Fly on wires, have big knives, hit titan’s neck.” This time he couldn’t hide his smile as he shook his head, looking down again at our hands.

“It takes the average cadet two years to become proficient with their ODM gear. Even more to master it. You make it sound much easier than it is. Do you want to try ODM gear?” I shook my free hand around wildly, making a face.

“I’m fine on the ground.”

“I could take you into the trees. You could just hold onto me while I flew around.” I shook my head this time and he sighed. It seemed at that point he just wanted to show off to me instead of actually teach. It was cute, but I was never going to get off the ground on that death machine, even if it meant I got to latch onto him.

“I heard that the ODM gear is really heavy. You probably won’t be able to lift me and it.” It was his turn to shake his head at me.

“You’re easily lighter than it. Combined it’s about fifty six kilograms.” My eyes probably were probably the size of the moon and it made me stop walking.

“You mean you did all those flips and stuff with that on?!” He smirked at me, nodding, pulling on my hand to keep walking. This made me blush a little, but I followed, realizing I led us on the way back home. It was probably a few more minutes till we reached the bakery.

“That’s why your shoulders are so broad! You have to carry that around all day.” I could hear his breath catch in his throat. So much for being bold and pulling me along with him.

“Complimenting me won’t get me in your bed, Eva.” I mimicked his voice and turned my face away from him.

“Just take the compliment, hm.” I would’ve crossed my arms if my hand wasn’t in his, but I wasn’t going to unclasp them because then he probably wouldn’t let me hold his hand again. We walked for a bit more in silence as I tried to keep up my act, but I was quickly getting annoyed. Levi was fine if I didn’t talk to him, and ignoring him didn’t do anything.

“Why are you so adamant that I sleep in your bed? I don’t even sleep, it would be annoying for you to wake up when I get up. I know you already wake up because of the noise I make.” I was shocked that he asked me that. It sounded like something he would just keep in his head and try to answer it. It made me feel a bit better that he was making an effort to understand. I could tell by the tone of his voice it was a serious question.

“It’s just nice to fall asleep having someone next to you. Sometimes you can cuddle too, but I don’t think you’d do that, and who knows, maybe when you sleep with me you won’t wake up. I have a calming effect on you, remember?” I was referring to all the times he’s laid his head on my lap. While we haven’t had such close contact like the night before he left, he still would lay his head in my lap to read a book or look over some papers. At first, it would shock me when he initiated, but it also made my heart burst. Soon, even if it was only over the last three days, it became common practice. I would sit down on the couch after dinner or coming back from the bakery if I had nothing to attend to and he would come to lay his head down on my lap, and sometimes he would read the book out loud or ask me for my opinion.

“Have you done it with other people?” Oh. His tone changed when he asked that question. Or maybe he was gauging how comfortable it would be for me.

“Yes, I have.”

“Jonas?” Hearing his name out of Levi’s mouth hurt a bit. It hadn’t even been a week since we fought, and I haven’t seen him since. He’d sent another delivery driver and since there was no festival, there was no way to see him. I asked Ben in passing, but he just shrugged. After he came home from the bakery, Jonas was gone. He does not meddle in his kids' lives enough to keep tabs on them. I sighed before answering.

“Yes, with him. It’s just sleeping though.” He grunted and I noticed he gripped my hand a little tighter.

“Did it happen when I was gone?” Was he… jealous? This was new.

“Yes, it did. I had… Well, I have nightmares sometimes. Don’t worry though, after we started dating, I’d kick him out after he calmed me down. Even when we were little, he would sleep next to me so I wouldn’t wake up scared and alone. It just turned into a habit.” I scratched the back of my head, seeing his point of view as well as Jonas’s. That was another thing I should’ve stopped when I found out he liked me, but I was selfish and needed the emotional support sometimes.

“You haven’t had a nightmare since I’ve been here. I would know.” I could see the bakery up ahead of me, the sign blowing in the wind.

“You’re right, I haven’t.” He nodded.

“If I hear you having a nightmare, I’ll sleep with you then.” I hummed in agreement, knowing that even that was a hard decision for him to make. Finally reaching the stairs, I went up one before Levi pulled me to stop. He just stood at the edge of the stairs, staring up at me while holding on to my hand.

“I apologize for not knowing how to do any of this.” My eyes softened down at him and turned to face him straight on.

“Don’t apologize. I know you haven’t ever had feelings like this before. It makes sense that you don’t know how to interpret them or interpret mine.” He shook his head slowly.

“No, it’s not an excuse. I should learn, I just… I just don’t know about certain things.” I put my hand on his cheek, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Thank you for sharing this emotion with me, though. That’s all I ask for. Don’t hide things you don’t need to from me.” He grumbled, shifting down to look at the stairs. There was no blush, but I could tell what I said had an effect. There was something he wanted to tell me, but he was still uncomfortable saying it outloud. I wondered who made him this way in the Underground. I was the same way when Mr. Flynn found me, but he made me find happiness. He let me trust humans again. I would have to do the same to Levi.

“The reason… well, one of the reasons.” He gripped my hand harder, gritting his teeth. It hurt me to see this physically hurt him.

“You don’t need to explain it to me, Levi. If it’s too hard to-” He took one step up on the same stair as me, making sure he was close as he could be. He took my other hand too, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw.

“I owe you an explanation. Even if I feel so weak telling you things like this, I need to tell you. I promised to tell you.” His eyes opened and the emotion was back again. The one when I gave him the tea set and when I held him that night on the couch. My heart sped up as the atmosphere around us morphed into a cloud of that emotion.

“When I slept in other’s beds, it was only to leave before they could wake up. The few that I’ve ever been in, it was only for a fast physical relief. So when you invite me to sleep in your bed, I think only of those moments. I only think of that connotation. When you ask me to sleep with you, I can only picture the end result of a regretful night in the Underground. I don’t want that with you. I respect you more and I actually feel something for you. I can’t just be so casually physical with you, it holds more weight now. Even when saying that, I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to not be casually physical with you when that’s all I know. So I’m cautious. I stop myself from doing certain things because I feel I’ll end up with the same result from not knowing better. I beat myself up inside after I do things like that because I don’t want to do that to you.” Those words almost took my breath away. No man I’ve been with has given me such consideration. Has put such value on me. It was like I had previously thought. The only way he knows how to express is physically, so when the line blurs, he doesn’t know what to do.

“Is that why you haven’t kissed me back yet?” This time he did flush a bit, turning his head to the side. Yet, he kept on being vulnerable which made me want to take him in my arms and thank him. I knew how hard this all was for him, but at the same time, I didn’t. How many years has he gone without meaningful interaction with someone else?

“Yes, it is. I’ve never - it’s never been emotionally charged for me. I’m scared that if I kiss you, it will turn out like the rest. I’ve never been kissed the way you kissed me in the café. What if I can’t do it?” I could see true worry in his eyes. He was like a child in front of me, deflating at each word. He was afraid of failing. Afraid of losing. That’s why he would always ask me before he did something. He was afraid of doing something wrong and resulting in the same harsh end he’s faced over and over again. I gripped his hands, moving my head so I could see his face completely. He wanted to hide from me, but I wasn’t going to let him.

“This isn’t going to be like before, Levi. This isn’t the Underground. You’re here with me, someone who’s stuck with you for almost a whole year. I’m not like the others you’ve been with either. You know that. And you’re - you’re not like them, Levi. You’ve held me. You’ve shown me emotion. You’ve been vulnerable with me. This happened to me too. It took me so long to realize that people up here weren’t going to hurt me like they do down there. People love up here. People want to live up here. People won’t leave you here. I won’t leave you like they have.” He grabbed me into a hug, this time without asking. It was how his body was manifesting whatever emotion I was making him feel. Maybe he did this to make me stop talking, who knows. He buried his face in my neck, one hand in my hair, the other still holding my hand.

“You’re not like them either,” he whispered into my neck, “You’re nothing like them. But one day, I might leave you forever.” I knew what he meant. One day, he might die and I’ll be alone. Still, I stand by what I told Erwin. He isn’t going to die. He’s Levi.

“I told you, don’t care.” He stood up, his hands staying where they were. His eyes were wide still, probably at the tone I gave him. I’ve had to tell him at least ten different times that I didn’t care about the possibility of him dying because I knew he wouldn’t. When I told him then, it was a bit harsh, but it’s what he needed to hear. I don’t care if there’s that possibility, I’m going to choose to live without fear. I tried to make sure he saw that in my eyes.

“The titans might come into Trost, and I’ll die. What then?” He gripped me harder shaking his head.

“No, I’ll save you before then. You’ll be the first one I save if that happens.” I huffed once in laughter, just lightly. I knew he was being serious and speaking the truth. If Trost somehow was breached by titans, he would knock down that door and take me up with him. That thought was at least a little comforting.

“I’ll save you, too. Somehow.” He leaned forward, looking up at my eyes as he did. His grip was still hard on my hand and in my hair so I wouldn’t move away. There was no chance of me moving away from him.

“I’m going to kiss you.” His breath wafted over my lips and I didn’t say anything. I just nodded to him, tilting my head the other way to give him some form of consent. He still couldn’t shake the habit of telling me, but I’d let it go for now.

When his lips locked with mine, finally on their own accord, I melted my body forward with his, trying to get as close as possible. The cold air around us seemed nonexistent as we both heated up in the cold. It started as one kiss, then another, then another. His lips were soft and he still tasted like the mint tea he was sipping on before I forced him to take a walk.

My stomach was twisting, I couldn’t think straight, and I had to stop myself from going on my tiptoes with the amount of passion he had put in the kiss. He was so worried about not being about to put in emotion after years of blanks, but here he was, kissing the life out of me. He was the one who would initiate another kiss and then another, pulling me close to his body feeling every curve. He was trying to show me all the emotion I’d given him. It was mind-numbing to think he was holding back this much. I was trying to follow him, not trying to get caught up and even more out of breath, but with no avail. No one had made me feel this way while their lips were on mine. How did I go through life never having kissed Levi? I didn’t want it to end, and I lifted my other hand up to his cheek, holding him there.

When my tongue glanced over his bottom lip, he lost his balance at that action, falling back and catching both of us with one hand on the stair railing. He pulled back and I was lightheaded, trying to catch my breath. He did the same, now not being able to look me in the eyes while his shoulders moved up and down in time with his deep breaths. They were almost gasps. We both had to catch our breath, the cold air coming back to fill our burning lungs. How badly did I want to reach down and do that again? It was going to be so addicting kissing him. Kissing him. I just kissed him. No, he just kissed me. Maybe nine or ten times. Each with blazing emotion that was still making me unable to speak. Just him kissing me was enough to make me dumb. It was dangerous to think about what he could do that would completely ruin me. I would welcome it so easily after experiencing this. It was just the tip of the iceberg.

“I-” I stopped him from saying anything. Was he going to apologize? Say something more self-degrading. I didn’t know and I didn’t care.

“I know, Levi,” I said, sounding almost breathless. Whatever it was, I seemed to satisfy it and he gripped my hand harder.

“L-let’s go up.”

“Goodnight then, yeah?” I stared at him from my doorway as he put the book down on his stomach to look back at me. This had to be the twentieth book he’d read while he was here. Soon, I’d have to buy him more because he’d have read every single one in my bookshelf.

“It’s so early for you to sleep though. The past week you went to bed always after three.” I rolled my eyes as him. He was the reason for that and he knew it. He was probably upset that I was sleeping this early, but I was tired.

“Well, last week someone learned how to kiss with their tongue and wanted to perfect the technique till three each night,” His face went beat red, and he stuttered again, picking up the book to read it so he didn’t have to respond, “Mhm, that’s what I thought.”

“Go to bed.” I crossed your arms over my chest looking at my empty bed.

“Not going to join me?” He scoffed, always being annoyed that I asked him. I’d always pull away from his lips, leaving him annoyed because he “wasn’t done practicing yet” and ask that question. He was probably tired of hearing it even though he made his intentions clear. Only if I need it because of a nightmare; those were his rules. But, with him here, I knew I would never have a nightmare.

“Dream about something scary and I will.” I pouted, but he refused to look at me, knowing I’d say something to further incriminate his actions over the past week. Once he kissed me, it seemed to open a floodgate of need. We’d do the same routine as before, I’d come back from making tomorrow’s loaves, he’d find a book and lay his head on my lap, but then suddenly he’d be pushing me against the couch, one hand next to my head and the other holding my cheek exploring some new technique I’d told him off hand. It was comically methodic, matching the same energy as practicing titan maneuvers. Maybe that’s how he built the courage for himself to do it, aligning it to a common day occurrence. Hey, practice makes perfect, and he was a perfectionist. I didn’t complain.

Yet, he never did anything but kiss me. He’d pull back once he was done practicing or if he decided it was getting too far, ask for a review, make a game plan for tomorrow, and then see it was pretty much the time I’d go to bed. It would make me laugh every time. Tonight was the night before year-end, so I had orders upon orders to fill and no time for Levi to get in some practice. That’s why he commented on how early it was for me to sleep, but he’d have to deal with it. Imagine if anyone saw him like this, he’d be mortified. It made me smug that he was like this just for me.

I turned around to go to bed, making sure the door was cracked only a little bit.

“Goodnight Eva,” he mumbled behind the door and I smiled before getting into bed. Tomorrow was going to be a very long day, but at least I had a guaranteed stress relieving session after… even if it left me with some pent up energy… and even if he was leaving in another day or two. I closed my eyes not thinking about it, falling asleep to Levi turning the pages of his book every so often.

Yet, my sound sleep was interrupted sometime later. I didn’t know what time it was, but I did know that all the candles and lamps in your house were off. That means Levi wasn’t in the study, nor in the kitchen. Maybe I’d only been asleep for an hour and he had yet to wake up from a nap.

I sat up in my bed, looking around the dark room. Why did I wake up? I shrugged and decided to go get some water or bother Levi if he was awake. Perhaps not having a practice session to wear me out before bed caused this. I threw the covers off of me, feet putting on slippers so I didn’t touch the cold floor.

Then I heard it. A whimper. It was low and came from the other side of the door. My eyes widened and I grabbed the edge of the door to open it quickly. It took time for my eyes to adjust to the moonlight filtering through the two windows, but it shined right on Levi’s sleeping figure.

I first saw how deep his eyebrows were creased, and then saw him fisting his shirt. He was asleep, that was for sure, but he was restless. His head was moving every so often and I saw his jaw grit more than once. Then the whimper came again. It made me stop taking steps into the living room to listen closely. I’d never heard that sound come from him ever.

“N-no.” He grabbed his shirt again, hard, and I saw the fabric twist completely. Then, the noises came. They sounded like noises of struggle, of soft screams at something. He was having a nightmare. My eyes widened and I didn’t know what to do. Do I go and wake him up? I had to. He needed to wake up from whatever he was dreaming of. That was what Jonas did to me. Still, I was worried what would happen if I did. Would he be upset that I saw him like this?

I approached him, his body softly flailing around as those noises still kept coming. I had to wake him up, I couldn’t see him like this. Still, I stood a foot away from him, trying not to get hit.

“Levi..? Levi..? Levi!” It didn’t work. He was still thrashing around, sweat falling down his face. It broke my heart to see him like that. Hours previous he was calm, sitting on the couch and reading a book I’d given him about tea. Now, that book was thrown halfway across the room and he looked helpless under this nightmare’s grasp. I had to go in, no matter if he hit me. I couldn’t stand watching him suffer like this.

I knelt down and grabbed the hand that had his shirt in a death grip. Quickly, it grabbed my wrist, thinking it was some type of invader. Ow, ow, ow, it hurt so much. This was his true strength and my hesitations about waking him up came true.

“Levi!” I tried to wave that hand, hoping the movement would wake him up, but I couldn’t even move under his harsh grasp. I hoped that his other hand was too busy grabbing the life out of the couch to attack me too. I’d probably have to hit him to wake him up, but that might just escalate the situation.

“Levi, wake up!” I was yelling at him now, but with no avail. Tears were springing in the corner of my eyes at the pain of being grabbed like that, and soon enough my other hand was hitting his chest in a last resort.

“Levi,” hit, “wake,” hit, “up! Ow, ow, ow, ow!” Why wasn’t he waking up? Oh my gods. I reached up to his face, having to stretch, and slapped him once. It wasn’t hard, but it had to be enough to wake him up. When I pulled back my hand, I gasped feeling the wetness. He was crying. I had to wake him up now. He was in pain. He was hurting.

“Levi, wake up! Please!” Finally, I used my foot to reach up and kick his side. This made him cough hard, interrupting his whines. I said a polite sorry, but I needed to get my hand out of his grip before he broke my wrist.

“Levi! It’s me! Eva!” I said through my teeth, not being able to take the pain anymore. I let out a loud groan when he finally released me, falling back to the floor, nursing my wrist with my other hand. I could tell there would be bruises around it tomorrow. Great, on the day I needed my hands the most, I decided to try and get Humanity’s Strongest up from a nightmare. That wasn’t smart at all.

“Eva,” he mumbled, looking at me withering on the floor. He brought a hand to his face, feeling the remains of tears, and then it all clicked. His eyes widened.

“Oh my fuckin-”

“Ice pack please,” I groaned and he shot up from the coach, running to the icebox to make a bag. Honestly, now that I was sitting here for a few, it didn’t hurt as much, but it was still throbbing. I was more worried about him than my wrist at the moment, but he seemed to completely forget that he was having a night terror seconds previous.

When he came back over, he grabbed me off the floor, lifting me up on the couch. I didn’t move against him and he grabbed my wrist lightly, making me wince. His eyes had changed now. There was horror, but for the situation in front of him. What he had just done when he was sleeping weighted heavy on him, no doubt. I had to reassure him.

“Levi, it’s okay. You were-”

“It’s not okay!” He raised his voice, holding the box of frozen butter to my wrist. I winced more at that than the ice and he noticed. This made him try to calm back down for my own sake.

“Levi, you were having a nightmare. I just tried to wake you up. You didn’t know what you were doing, you were asleep.” Still, he put his head in my lap, hand gripping his leg hard. With every apology, he hit his leg harder.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He whispered it over and over again and it made me want to throw up. He was in so much pain and here he was apologizing for it. I wouldn’t take it. I couldn’t take the fact that he wasn’t only apologizing to me, but still trying to get out of his nightmare. He woke up to a nightmare because of me.

“Levi, stop!” It was harsh, but it got him to stop saying it. When he sat up to look at me, his jaw and hand were still clenched. He was trying to calm down, but his eyes were still wild like before. He was eating himself up inside.

“I. Hurt. You.” My eyes softened and I lifted my good hand up to touch his cheek. He shied away from it, which made me frown even more. I didn’t care about my damn wrist.

“What were you dreaming about?” I made sure my voice was softer than before, trying to redirect him. He shook his head.

“Not important. Your wrist-” I grabbed at his cheek, trying to get him to stop talking. It was the cheek I slapped.

“Levi, you were crying!” It made him look down at your hand laying on the block of butter. I knew he knew he was crying. I’d never seen him cry before, so it was concerning. It hurt too. I was seeing him in so much pain, but now he felt that he had to hide it from me. I couldn’t do anything to help him even thought I wanted to. I wanted so bad for him to cry in front of me and release whatever he was feeling, but that probably would never happen. Levi would never cry in front of anyone.

“I… I d-don’t want to talk - talk about it. Please.” It was a plea and it hit me deep down. I stopped pressing him. He needed to be comforted. I knew that much. I could do that much.

“Let me hold you?” He took the butter, now at room temperature, and stood up to get away from the question and to get another cold thing. I wasn’t going to let him run away from this.

“Levi, you said you would lay with me if I had a nightmare. The same applies to you.” He stared at me from the opening in the kitchen, his eyes having no emotion in them anymore. He hid everything deeper and deeper so I couldn’t point anything out.

“No.” You stood up quickly, but Levi was there to make me sit down again with a bag of corn, “No, sit.”

“If I listen to you, you have to listen to me.” He sighed and pushed me back down to nurse my wrist.

“The difference is I’m not going back to sleep.” The dark circles under his eyes became more evident to me after that. How much sleep had he lost to nightmares?

“Are nightmares the reason you don’t sleep much?” I put two fingers under his chin, directing him to look at me again. He didn’t want to, but he wasn’t going to refuse me.

“Most of the time, yes,” he whispered and that made tears well in my eyes again. Sadly, that seemed to make him feel worse, “Hey, stop. Don’t cry for me. It’s not worth it, okay? They usually aren’t this bad, yeah? Eva, it’s okay. I’m okay.” It was funny he was trying to reassure me when he was the one who needed it the most. He was pushing down everything to make me feel okay.

“I don’t care. Rules are rules,” I rubbed the tears away with my hand, “If you have nightmares, you had to sleep with me. What’s the difference between laying on the couch and laying in my bed with me?” He turned my wrist so he could ice the other side.

“There’s a difference to me. I don’t deserve to be in your bed when I hurt you like this.” His thumb ran over the red, splotchy marks on my wrist, and I had to pull him out of his wallowing. Somehow.

“Then here. I’ll lay here with you on the couch.” He shook his head again.

“No, you go sleep in your bed. I’m up now, for good. There’s only a few hours till sunrise.” I ripped my wrist out of his grasp, hissing at the pain it left me. He only seemed to care about the pain I caused myself and he glared at me for doing something stupid like that. Still, I was going to force him for his own good.

“I’m going to sit here until you lay down with me and that’s final, Levi.” He groaned, and I crossed my arms, careful of my wrist, showing him I was serious. If this was any other situation, he would probably have laughed at me, but he just let out a long sigh.

“Fine,” it was a whisper of defeat, and I would usually smile, but this time I laid my head in his chest. He got the cue and wrapped his arms around me, leaning back so that his head was laying on a pillow. My body was on top of his, legs intertwined at the other end of the couch. If this were any other situation, I would be blushing, my heart beating faster, but I was here to calm him. Regardless of who was holding who, I needed to make sure that he was okay. I put my ear to his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. It was still beating fast and I didn’t know if that was because of our position or the adrenaline from earlier. Either way, I reached a hand up to pay with his hair like he liked, trying to get the same reaction out of his that I do when he lays in my lap. He did the same, running his fingers in my still-damp hair from showering. His breath started slowing down too and when I looked up at him, his eyes were closed, so I did the same, matching my breath with his. We laid like this for a few minutes, just taking in the position we had with the other. It was our first time like this, but the pain, physical and mental, overshadowed any type of blushing reserve we would usually have.

“I dreamt about the time my friends were eaten by Titans, but this time you were there too, in that stupid Scout uniform I made you wear.” I opened my eyes at his words. His tone was much calmer, even if he was hiding everything, and I hoped that I was the one who made him feel more at ease. He told me what he dreamt about, and that was all I could ask.

“You said I’d make a good Scout.” He laughed slowly, and I felt the vibrations from his chest. It calmed me down.

“I wanted to say that you looked cute.” It was my turn to blush at his words, so I buried my face into his chest more, taking in his scent. It remained unchanged. Mint, lemon, and cedar

“Do you want me to wear it again?” He grabbed my waist, pulling me up so that our chests’ matched and my face could be buried in his neck. I sat up on my elbows to look his in the eyes, wondering why he pulled me closer.

“No, I think you look fine in what you wear normally.” I rested my head in one of my hands, still looking down at him. Even if he was acting calm, he looked like shit. The tears had dried, but his eyes were still red and the dark circles were now more prominent. The dream hurt him, but he wouldn’t tell me that. He never wanted me to see him broken like that.

“When you come back from your expedition, can you bring me some more of those button ups? They’re really nice quality.” My free hand, the hurt one, traced circles in his cheek. There was still no emotion in his eyes as he looked up at me. That was the number one tell that he wasn’t okay. He was hiding.

“No, I can’t steal military issued clothing for you. Besides, we’re already short.” I pouted and, again, there was no emotion or little annoyed expression. He wasn’t giving me anything to work with, and I was getting too tired to yell at him more. He knew that, that’s why he kept talking about random things.

“What am I going to have when you’re gone for those three months?” He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, resting his hands on my waist.

“Maybe I’ll be nice to you and leave a few of my military issued shirts in your dresser.” I smiled down at him and finally laid down, my head on his shoulder. Laying with him was as amazing as I expected, if only it wasn’t under such circumstances. He was warm and comfortable, and the thumbs drawing circles in my waist made it easy for you to relax into him.

“That would be nice of you, Captain. Maybe I’ll be nice to you and leave a few bags of peppermint tea in your duffle bag before you leave.” He moved his hand up to my hair again, running his fingers through it. I was glad I took the time to brush it before bed.

“That would be nice of you, Co-Captain. Now go to sleep, you have a lot of work to do in the morning.” I hummed, doing just that, on your new, warm, comfortable, muscular bed. How was I ever going to fall asleep on something different now?

Chapter Thirteen→

Chapter Masterlist

xx Sorry for the long wait! I’ve been trying to catch up with my requests and school work!

#levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x oc #attack on titan levi #aot x reader #aot #aot scenario #levi ackerman scenario #snk levi #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin levi #captain levi #levi heichou #levi x reader #levi x oc

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sleekervae · 3 years

Text

The Neighbour [0.4]

Masterlist

The first thing Eva did when she came home was finish downloading the rest of Palaye Royale's discography. It was as though pushing the arrow on the saturation scale and suddenly her apartment with skeleton white walls and empty shadows was bursting with a new variety of rich colors. Songs that pulled back the whites in her eyes and forced open her ears to this new euphoria that was rattling through her brain and body like a pinball game.

The band's music drifted through the apartment for the rest of the night, tracks on a loop that was sure to make the tenants upstairs despise her. By the time she finished cooking dinner for herself she was lost in the cynical poetry of Warhol, entranced by the echoing of Remington's rasping screams that were never out of tune. And while she was supposed to be working on her latest article, Eva was instead watching the video for Lonely, the entire time feeling like her throat had been ripped out by a bare fist and forced to watch it beat out.

All in all, Dying in a Hot Tub took the crown for favorite. On a Saturday night, when she would usually be out with friends and drinking her problems away at the local bar, Eva was dancing through her apartment, pretending to sing along to the miserable and comprehensive words. A glass of cheap white wine sat on the counter, aiding in her inhibitions for having a rock concert in her living room. Pluto wasn't having any of it, retreating to his bed and ignoring her for most of the night.

Meanwhile, holed up in his own bedroom Remington scrolled through the Tumblr blog that Eva told him about: posts filled with poetry and proses that had him hooked as sure as he was doing drugs. Each post told a story, ranging from questions about her femininity, difficulties in growing up with an absent mother and a know-it-all dad, the first boy she had who humped and dumped her after prom. Remington wanted to read it all, falling deeper into the rabbit hole of Eva Kuznetsov.

His focus shifted from text to music when he heard a familiar sound: that sound being his own voice. The faint echo of words he was singing to crowds not months ago were suddenly swirling in the air, and when he turned to the complex, he found he had a clear view of Eva dancing away under the golden lights of her apartment. She had the screen door opened, not big enough for Pluto to squeeze through, but enough so he could hear the muffled music from his room. He knew he had pretty open access to Eva; he just didn't realize that he could see right into her space.

Which meant she could probably see into his room, too...

It was mesmerizing to watch her, spinning, jumping, her hair pirouetting around the sharp edges of her perfect jaw, all the while smiling and pretending to sing along. It was the most endearing thing Remington had seen in a long time, watching the real Eva come to life. She was uninhibited by people and impressions, dressed down in a pair of little cotton shorts and her hoodie, she was absolutely crazy and perfect.

Mischief soon got the better of Remington and he reached for his phone, eagerly selecting her number and typing. Across the way, Eva stopped dancing when the music dipped, indicating that she received a text on her phone. Brushing her winded hair out of her face, she grabbed her phone off the desk, her face going beet red when she was Remington's text:

Nice dance moves, Frances Houseman

She glanced up through the glass sliding door, mortified when she realized Remington could see her this whole time. Illuminated by the glow of the street lamp, his boyish smile seemed to shine brighter, clearly amused with this late-night entertainment. She took a deep breath and turned down the volume of the music, trying to collect herself.

How much of that did you see?

He responded not even ten seconds later:

Enough to know your hips clearly don't lie.

Shut up

And if I may ask, why are you looking through my window?

I can't help it. I'm vain enough that I get distracted by my own damn voice

Or you're just a fucking creeper

The fact that you haven't closed the curtain tells me you don't seem to mind an audience ;)

A familiar warmth spread through the pit of her stomach and Eva began to giggle uncontrollably; like a child that had been caught stealing a cookie from the jar and was so on edge she couldn't help but laugh. Stupid her for not closing the curtain.

Well I'm sorry, but the show is over now

She then went to the window to close the curtain, flipping off the smirking blonde as she shut out the rest of the world. Remington only laughed to himself, quickly texting back:

But the memories will live on in my brain

Fuck you, Leith!!

I think you should buy me a drink first, Kuznetsov

Eva just shook her head as she read his last message, downing the rest of her wine with a rose-tinted cheeks. Even with the music off, she still had Remington's soft raspy voice ringing in her head as she decided it was time to turn in. She couldn't help but start singing to herself.

"But I'm dying in a hot tub, I'm dying in a hot tub with my cat!" she lunged down and pointed both hands at Pluto. Pluto was unfazed, just staring at her with an unemotive expression. Eva's smile turned into a scowl.

"Well, fuck you too, then,"

✧✧✧

May brought the promise of vibrant flowers, bikini bodies and so many reasons for people to go out and mingle with their friends at the beaches and clubs.

Well... that was the case a year ago...

In Remington's mind, he and his friends had no need to go down to the beach and risk contracting Covid when he had a perfectly safe and clean pool and patio in his backyard. And within the last two and some weeks, he had succeeded in bringing Eva around more and more.

She got along great with everybody, which had Remington confused as to why she said she had it rough with friends. But everybody seemed to like her, and soon enough she had assimilated into their little pod. She started just with sitting outside with everyone, and when she was comfortable enough she came and hung out inside the house. Afternoons were either spent by the pool or watching TV shows and eating snacks. And the more she stayed over, the more Remington became fascinated with her.

Even Emerson and Sebastian couldn't deny that there was something about Eva that was unique; she was sparkplug of quick witticisms and lame jokes that people would laugh at just because she was so cute. She was mature way beyond her years, and yet she still had fun like a teenager trying to find themselves in high school. More than anything, the boys were curious to how close Eva and Remington were slowly becoming.

Remington liked hanging out in Eva's apartment. The environment held a different kind of vibe; like an aesthetic post you'd tag on Pinterest under a renovations gallery. But Remington was inside Eva's world, seeing the random art pieces she had hung on the walls and getting to hang with Pluto on the couch. He helped her bake when they couldn't think of anything else to do, and she always insisted he'd bring some home even when he assured her that he didn't need it. She was kind, homely, a woman with a clean soul and dirty mind who could make him laugh and didn't care when he openly belched after a soda.

Despite the pandemic, Remington was excited for his birthday. Any other time, he was at a bar or a house party with his friends, drinking until he couldn't feel his legs or ending up face-deep in a grimy toilet bowl. Even though the party wouldn't be as fun as it usually would be, Remington was looking forward to at least spend his birthday with his closest family and friends, only.

Eva wished she could have had the same optimism Remington did, but the Saturday before his birthday, she was none too pleased to find that the drain to her kitchen sink was leaking water. And apparently, it wasn't her landlord's job to come up and fix it for her.

"You want me to come take a crack at it?" Remington asked when Eva explained the situation.

Eva's phone was on speaker as she tried to navigate the utility box in the closet to turn off her water.

"Do you have experience in sink maintenance?" she asked.

"I don't," Remington admitted, "But that's what Youtube is for, right?"

Eva simpered, "As entertaining as it would be watch you destroy my sink, I respectfully decline,"

"You think too low of me, Eva," he whined.

"I just know you better than you think, Remington," she replied smartly, "I got a plumber coming by, anyway. And he can't get here 'til six for some reason so I'll be down a shower day,"

Remington's eyebrows furrowed down, "He's coming at six at night?" he asked.

"Yeah," Eva replied, seemingly clueless to the skepticism in his voice.

"What plumber makes house calls after five o'clock?" he said.

Eva stopped short, "Well, he's an independant freelancer. Makes his own hours, I guess,"

"You hired a fucking freelancer to come fix your sink?" he said incredulously.

"He's what I can afford," she replied.

"So he didn't come from an agency?"

"Nope!" Eva huffed, satisfied when she finally figured out how to turn off the water dial, "He came from Letgo,"

It was then Remington had a sinking feeling in his gut. He didn't blame Eva that she didn't want to splurge her money on a plumber, but the thought of her alone with a strange man -- who mostly carried a multitude of heavy tools -- made his hair stand on end.

"Maybe I'll come by and wait with you while he does the job," he said.

"Why?" Eva asked.

"Because you're a small girl letting a strange man into your apartment after hours," he replied.

Eva turned to her window, still having a firm view of Remington's empty, but messy bedroom, "You were a strange guy I let into my apartment," she countered.

"And now you have concrete proof that I'm not a creep, I'm just a little weirdo," he replied, "I'd just feel better being there with you, is all,"

Eva shrugged, understanding where he was coming from yet assuring herself that he was overthinking it, "I mean, if you wanna'... sure,"

"Great!" Remington grinned, "I'll be by before six,"

The early afternoon soon delved into the night, and just as he promised, Remington was at Eva's apartment ten minutes before six.

And the plumber was late.

Eva attributed it to traffic when the clock hit ten after, but then she was annoyed by twenty after. What was he possibly doing that he was twenty minutes late for a pay grab? Remington didn't say anything, though the knot in his stomach got tighter as the minutes ticked by. And when Eva assured him that he didn't need to stay, he simply shook his head and declined.

"The only way you're getting me out of this apartment is with a fucking pitchfork," he told her, smirking with pride. Eva only rolled her eyes.

It was finally quarter to seven when a battered, unlabelled black pickup truck pulled up in front of the complex. And just as Remington feared, a rather large man came falling out of the truck and started trudging his way inside. He carried no tools with him.

Both Remington and Eva had their masks on and the windows open as the plumber came inside. He was portly, older, and he wore the mask just under his nose; a particular pet peeve of Eva's. He was polite as he greeted the kids, narrowing his eyes at Remington. The whole time he was there, Remington made sure to keep Eva close to him.

"So, what seems to be the trouble?" the plumber asked, coming over to the sink but looking around slowly at the knick knacks and furniture within the apartment.

"Well, I'm not sure. It just started leaking all of the sudden," Eva shrugged.

The plumber glanced at the faucet, then took a look under the counter to the pipes. Eva began to understand why Remington was so eager to come over, now. He stayed well on his knees for longer than needed, not pulling out a flashlight to see in the dark shadows. Even Pluto seemed to sense something was off about this character, he leapt onto the top of the couch where he had a full vantage point of the typical case of plumber's crack.

The plumber finally sat back from his inspection, turning to the two kids, "I see what the problem is. I gotta' get my other tools from my truck, though," he said.

Eva and Remington glanced at each other with uncertainty, "... Okay," she drawled, "We'll, um -- we'll be here, I guess,"

"Okay," he forced himself back on his feet and exited out the door.

Not two seconds later, Remington heard the faint carry of voices in the hallways; a couple by the sounds of it. He took a look into the hall, indeed finding a pair of Eva's neighbours unlocking their door as the door to the stairwell slammed closed.

A few minutes passed, but Eva was confused when she heard the revving of an engine outside. She went to go look out her window, and sure enough, the black pickup truck was speeding away. Needless to say, she was shocked.

"What the fuck!?" she exclaimed, "He left!"

Remington came to look as well, not surprised but his fears quelled as he watched the truck disappear around the corner.

"Good," he said, "Truth be told, I'm pretty sure he wasn't here to fix the sink,"

Eva pulled her face mask off, "What, you think he wanted to rob me?" she asked.

"Or something a little more vile," Remington nodded, simultaneously pulling off his own mask, "He clearly didn't like the fact that I was here,"

Eva's face paled for a moment, now grateful she had let Remington in when he asked. How did he know, though?

"How did you know he wasn't legit?" she asked.

Remington scrunched his nose, "Well, first of all he's coming by at six -- well, seven o'clock on a weekend. Second of all, you found him on Letgo,"

Eva shrugged, "I don't trust Craigslist,"

"Because Letgo is any more reliable?" he raised his eyebrows with a petty grin, "This is the part where you say 'thank you for looking out for me, Remington',"

Eva narrowed her eyes at him, "Thanks for coming by, ya' smug shit," she glanced out the window again, "You think he's going to come back?"

"Not now that he thinks I'm here, too," Remington replied, "Like I'd leave my girlfriend alone with a strange guy at seven at night. In a fucking pandemic, too," he scoffed.

Eva looked at him quizzically, "... I'm not your girlfriend," she drawled.

"But he doesn't have to know that," he grinned back.

Eva had to admit, she was impressed. And moreover, quite grateful for Remington's persistence -- though she wouldn't tell him that.

"Aw, I have such a smart boyfriend!" she gushed sarcastically, clasping her hands together before going to fetch her Lysol spray.

Remington simply sat back down on the couch, feeling pretty damn good about himself now, "Anything for my baby!" he exclaimed happily.

"Shut up,"

#palaye royale #Palaye Royale imagine #Palaye Royale fic #remington leith #Remington Leith imagine #emerson barrett #sebastian danzig #boy bands #band imagines #band blog #band imagine blog #original story #original female character

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amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines · 5 years

Text

Sweet Pea//Serpent King

Request: Can you do a Sweet Pea x female reader one-shot with some Varchie, Bughead, and Choni thrown in the mix? The reader is a Serpent and is transferred to Riverdale High with her boyfriend Sweet Pea and her friends Toni and Fangs. Veronica and Archie are still going strong. Toni and Cheryl hate each other at first but they eventually start dating and Cheryl gets the red jacket. Betty and Jughead get back together and Betty becomes the Serpent Queen. No smut, please.

Walking through the doors of Riverdale High you could feel every single students eyes on you. Sweet Pea gripped your hand tightly as you moved forward with the rest of the serpents. Toni and Fangs were stood beside you glaring at everyone looking at them and Jughead was of course leading you all. You and Sweet Pea looked at each other and rolled your eyes when you saw the table set out with a some enthusiastic looking students stood behind it.

“I think we’ve just walked into the set of every stereotypical teen movie ever.” You mumbled making Sweet Pea smile.

“Friends! On behalf of the students and faculty here at Riverdale High, welcome to your new school!” A dark haired girl smiled at you and you had to suppress a laugh. “To ease this transition, I’ve set up a registration desk, where you can get your locker assignments, class schedules and a list of sports and extracurriculars.” She continued, you looked beside her to see a red headed boy hanging off her every word and beside him a dark haired boy who Fangs was sending some serious vibes to. “We encourage each and every one of you to drink deeply from the cup that is fair Riverdale.” She finished and you and Sweet Pea squeezed each others hands to stop you both from laughing.

“Stand down Eva Peron!” A red headed girl interrupted and everyone looked at her. She walked down the stairs, with a stereotypical looking footballer and a bunch of cheerleaders following her.

“Here we go.” Sweet Pea mumbled and you rolled your eyes. You looked beside you to see Jughead and Toni staring at her angrily.

“There’s the school spirit I so fondly remember.” Jughead said sarcastically and you laughed.

“Cheryl. No one invited fascist barbie to the party.” The dark haired girl acknowledged her but she just ignored her.

“Wrong, Veronica. No one invited Southside Scum to our school.” She replied and the entire group tensed. “Listen up, ragamuffins.”

“Ragamuffins?” You mumbled. “What kind of insult is that?” You asked loudly gaining everyone’s attention.

She looked at you with raised eye brows and Sweet Pea squeezed your hand tightly. “I will not allow Riverdale High’s above average GPA to suffer, because of classrooms that are overcrowded with underachievers. So please, do us all a favour and find some other school to debase with your hard-scrabble ways.” She finished with a smirk and looked you all up and down.

“Why don’t you come over and say that to my face?” Toni asked angrily and moved towards her. You, Sweet Pea, Fangs and Jughead followed her, ready to fight.

“Happily, Queen of the Buskers.”

“She is just asking for a smack.” You muttered and Sweet Pea held your arm.

“Okay, guys. Everyone. Can we just put our Northside-Southside differences apart and start over? A new slate?” The read headed boy asked and you could practically hear everyone roll their eyes.

“You don’t speak for the Bulldogs, Andrews. And need I remind you, these greaser-snakes showed up at your place trying to kick your ass.” One of the bulldogs told him.

“Happy to finish what he started.” Sweet Pea threatened and moved forward. You pulled him back and stood in front of him.

“I’m so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now.” Veronica started.

“Oh shut up.” You snapped and she looked at you offended.

“Alright! Thats enough pomp and circumstance. Everyone get to class. Now!” Principal Weatherbee said and Jughead pushed Sweet Pea forward, the rest of you following and glaring at the Northsiders who were still staring.

“We haven’t even got our schedules.” Fangs complained.

“Do you wanna go back?” You asked annoyed.

“No.” He replied and continued to glare.

“Stupid northsiders.” Sweet Pea grumbled.

“Its okay baby.” You kissed his cheek and he sighed. “Everything will get better.” You reassured him and he shook his head. “And if not, we’ll just kick their ass.” You added and he laughed.

A few weeks had gone by and you, Sweet Pea, Toni and Fangs had been inseparable. Everywhere you went their were judgey stares, which of course you returned. Everyone had been in their fair share of fights and now you had been made to get rid of your serpent jackets, meaning Sweet Pea had to wear a turtleneck to cover his tattoo, much to everyone but his amusement.

“You look great babe.” You stifled a laugh as he walked into the student lounge. Toni and Fangs turned around to see what you were talking about and almost fell over laughing.

“Shut the fuck up.” He grumbled and made his way over to you.

“It suits you.” You added and tried to conceal your smile.

“Yeah. It er. It brings out the colour of your eyes.” Fangs added with a smile and Sweet Pea shoved him.

“Its really not that bad.” You tried to reassure him but he rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen Fangs wear much worse.”

“Hey!” Fangs replied offended and you laughed.

“You would look good in anything. I promise.” You kissed him and he smiled.

“Thanks but that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Are you busy tonight?” Fangs asked.

“No.” Sweet Pea shook his head.

“Sort of.” You replied.

“What’re you doing without us? We’re you’re only friends. Isn’t that right Toni?” Fangs looked beside him but Toni had disappeared. “Where’d she go?”

“Cheryl.” You and Sweet Pea replied at the same time and he nodded.

“Anyway. What you doing?”

“Betty wants me to escort her to the Southside so she can see Jughead. I think she’s planning on making up with him if you know what I mean.”

“And you agreed to that?” Sweet Pea asked confused.

“He’s the future serpent king. I don’t want to be given all of the shitty jobs when FP passes the crown on.” You replied and they agreed.

“Smart.”

“But I shouldn’t be too long. What did you wanna do?”

“I wanna go see Love, Simon at the Bijou tonight. I was gonna invite Toni as well but she’s too busy trying to get with Bombshell.” He rolled his eyes and you laughed. “I’ll see you guys later.” He sighed before going to his class.

“Don’t you have the same class?” You asked Sweet Pea.

“Oh shit. Yeah.” He remembered. “I’ll text you when we’re meeting tonight. I love you.” He kissed you before running after Fangs.

“Soooo. Do you think you and Jughead are gonna get back together?” You asked Betty as you walked beside each other. The majority of the walk had been in silence and seeing as though you could see his trailer you thought you may as well make some sort of attempt at conversation.

“Hopefully.” She replied and you smiled slightly.

“Thats good.” You replied awkwardly.

“I’m sorry for how everyone treats you. And thats not just because Jughead’s a serpent.”

“Its okay. Its not you thats discriminating. You’re doing the opposite to be honest. You’re sleeping with one of us.” You shrugged and she laughed. “Well, here you are.” You gestured to his trailer and she nodded.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” You replied and turned around. “Put in a good word with the future king.” You mumbled.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing.” You shook your head and walked away. You heard the door open behind you and turned around to see them already making out, so you assumed they made up and were back together.

You arrived at the bijou a little later than planned and saw Sweet Pea and Fangs waiting impatiently outside for you.

“Sorry.” You apologized.

“We’ve missed like half the movie.” Fangs complained and you rolled your eyes.

“Shut up Fogarty. I’m five minutes late. The adverts won’t have started yet.” You argued. Sweet Pea held your hand as you walked in and found your seats. “Is that Toni?” You asked once you had all sat down. “With Cheryl?”

“Holy shit.” Sweet Pea muttered.

“Its cute.” You smiled.

“We’re still going to tease her when we see her tomorrow though?” Fangs asked.

“Of course.” You replied.

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

Standing beside Sweet Pea you laughed at something stupid he’d said. Fangs was stood on the other side of him and Jughead was sat in front of you all. You looked around the park and saw Cheryl and Toni laughing with each other, making you smile to yourself.

“Listen up now! All right, listen up!” FP shouted, gaining everyone’s attention. “Some 60 years ago, the very first Serpent meeting took place on these same riverbanks. Now, it makes sense that this is where we gather now, where I-” He paused trying to find the right words. “Where I say my goodbye. Jughead would you step up here, son?” He finished and everyone started to mutter.

“What the fucks going on?” You whispered to Pea.

“I’m not really that sure. To be honest, I thought we were called here to get drunk and celebrate how far we’ve come.” He replied honestly and you laughed. Jughead made his way towards FP and the three of you looked at each other confused.

“What are you doing?” He mumbled.

“What I should have done a long time ago.” He muttered back. “I’m retiring from the Serpents.” He announced and the muttering got louder. “For real this time.” He added and you laughed. “Now, my boy has never stopped fighting for this crew. Hell. He almost died for it. Thats why I’m giving you the mantle.” He told Jughead and everyone cheered. Sweet Pea hit Fangs making him wince in pain from his gunshot wound. You then hit Sweet Pea in the arm to make up for it. “And now, as your first official duty as Serpent King...” He nodded to Toni who made her way towards the two of them and handed FP a red serpent jacket. “I think you know what to do with this.” He handed it to Jughead making him smile.

“All right, all right.” He muttered. “All I can say is...I love you dad. And the serpents will not die out. Not on my watch.” He said and everyone cheered again. Cheryl made her way towards him and they smiled at each other as he gave her, her jacket.

“Whoooo!” You cheered and clapped and she smiled at you. “Thank God, we’ve got another girl.” You smiled and she laughed, before making her way back to Toni and kissing her.

“One more thing.” Jughead told you all. “We have a new Serpent Queen.”

“Jughead! I told you I wasn’t ready for you tell everyone yet!” You shouted and everyone laughed.

“Jughead! You told me I was the new Serpent Queen!” Sweet Pea joined.

“And me!” Fangs added, just as upset as the two of you.

“Shut up.” He smiled. “Betty’s the Serpent Queen, not any of you idiots.”

“Very clever, insulting the serpents literally five minutes after being crowned king.” You teased and he laughed before ringing Betty to tell her the good news.

“I love you so much.” Sweet Pea smiled at you and you grinned.

“I love you too.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him towards you, connecting your lips quickly.

“You’re my Serpent King.” You mumbled against his lips.

“And you’ll always be my Serpent Queen.” He smiled and kissed you again.

Permanent Taglist: @mayaslifeinabox @thoseawkwardturtless @we--are--infinite--2 @serpentgirll @reblogserpent

#sweet pea #sweet pea imagine #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea x you #sweet pea x y/n #riverdale #riverdale imagine #jordan connor #jordan connor imagine #jordan connor x reader #jordan connor x you

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nothesc · 7 years

Note

Your writing is so good! I always look forward to your Yousana stories as you capture their relationship so well. I have a prompt that I just know you'd write so well if you have time too, no worries if you can't. The prompt is the girls squad & balloon boys hanging out when one of the girls lets slip that Sana has a crush on one of her brother's friends and all the guys try to guess who it is but it's set right after the carrot scene so no one really suspects Yousef that much. Thanks!

Hii!

Thank you so much for the prompt, I’m sorry for the wait

I don’t know if this is what you had in mind but I really hope you like it!!

————-x——————

“Whoare you talking to, Sana Bakkoush?”

Sanalooked up from her phone startled. Her friends, Noora, Vilde, Chris and Eva,were right in front of her. She shouldn’t have been surprised, she was actuallywaiting for them but Yousef had sent her yet another meme and she hadcompletely forgotten where she was as soon as their conversation had started.

“Huh? No one” she said trying to hide the smile from her face

“So you were just texting no one and smiling at no one’s texts? Right” Eva said rolling her eyes

“I was just reading a funny tweet, that’s it” Sana said and it would’ve beenbelievable if her phone hadn’t beeped right in that moment.

Shelooked down at her phone couldn’t help but smile at Yousef’s text, he wastelling her something about one kid from his kindergarten. She felt severalpair of eyes on her and she realized that if she didn’t want her friends tofind out about her crush for Yousef she probably shouldn’t be smiling like anidiot at her phone. She looked up at them and tried to hide the smile but ofcourse it was too late.

“Another funny tweet?” Noora asked

“Okay girls, you know what you have to do” Chris said

All thegirls but Sana nodded. Suddenly Noora and Eva started to tickle her and Sanacouldn’t help but laugh and bent over herself. Chris took this moment to takeher phone again from her. Sana reacted and almost grabbed it again but Chriswas faster than her and handed the phoneto Vilde who took a few steps backwards while Noora and Eva held Sana back.

“Yousef? You’re talking to Yousef? As in Elias’ friend Yousef?” Vilde almost squaled.

“Give me my phone back” Sana simply said as she shoved Eva and Noora off. “We were just talking, it’s not abig deal”

“Uh, you’re talking about kids, it sounds like a big deal” Vilde said as she read a part ofthe conversation before Sana took the phone away from her

“Wait, you like Yousef?” Noora asked

“No”Sana lied

“That’s why you were saying all that stuff about him being immature?” Noora laughed “You wanted him for yourself”

“No. And he’s immature”

“Well, apparently you like immatureness because you were smiling like anidiot while reading his texts” Eva said

“I wasn’t”

Thegirls answer was a collective glare with some eye rolling.

“Girls, I’m telling you, I don’t like Yousef” Sana said matter-of-factly

“Then I guess you can tell that to him yourself since he’s coming to usright now”Noora said pointing at something behind Sana

Sheturned around so quickly that her neck almost snapped. She then cursed herselffor being so obvious because, of course, there was no one behind her. She facedthe girls again only to find them laughing at her.

“Oh my god Sana you’re in loooooove!!” Vilde said excited

“I’m not”

“But tell us, have you talked to him?” Eva asked

“Uh…He taught me how to peel a carrot on Saturday” Sana said scrunching her nose.

“Did he put his arms around you like in Ghost?” Chris asked

“No. He just peeled a carrot and showed me how to do it…”

“And??? What happened next?” Vilde asked eagerly

“He told me he wanted to have 12 kids”

“12 kids?????” Eva almost yelled

“Yeah…and then Elias came and told him to stop flirting with me and theyboth left”

“Oh my god Elias, always so inappropriate” Noora said rolling her eyes

“It’s fine” Sana said shrugging

“Andnow you’re texting each other” Chris said more as an statement than asa question

“Yeah, about bus stuff mainly…he…uh…he said that he’d sell his kidneysto get me the money for the bus”

As shesaid the last word she received a collective “aww” from the girls

“You so like each other!!” Vilde squealed hugging Sana excited

“We’re just talking” Sana said rolling her eyes but smiling to herself

“Well, we need to something about that, we need to hang out, all of us” Eva suggested

“Huh? No”

“Yes, we will, you just leave it to me, I’ll talk to Elias”

“Vilde, nei”

-x-

But ofcourse Vilde wouldn’t listen to her. She texted Elias and convinced them to meetup to watch a movie all together. Elias had been a little bit skeptical atfirst but Vilde had told him that Sana really wanted to spend time alltogether, which of course was a lie.

So nowthey were all at the Bakkoush’s living room just talking about random thingsafter giving up on finding a film that everyone would like.

“So tell us, do you guys have any siblings?” Vilde asked the boys

The girlswere sitting on a couch while the boys sat in the one opposite to them.

“I don’t”Elias joked making Sana roll her eyes

“But you do” Vilde said a little confused

“Vilde, he’s teasing you” Noora explained

“Oh…that’s not nice”

“I’m sorry Vilde and yeah Mutta has an older sister” Elias said

“And do you get along with her?” Chris asked

“Yeah…but I don’t hang out with her much” Mutta explained looking at thefloor

“And why is that Mutta? Please, explain” Adam teased him

“Just because…” Mutta shrugged

“Because…”Adam insisted

The girlslooked at each other frowning, they were not understanding what was going on.

“Okay, if you don’t explain it, I will. Mutta had a huge crush on one ofhis sister’s friends but she rejected him” Adam said laughing

“But I don’t anymore!” Mutta quickly explained

“Oh! How cute you had a crush on your sibling’s friend just like youSana!” Evablurted out

“EVA!!”Sana yelled at her widening her eyes, she had not just said what Sana had heard

Evacovered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes knowing that she hadscrewed it up.

“Wait…you have a crush on one of them, Sana?” Elias asked smirking

“Don’t listen to Eva, she’s drunk” Sana said the first thing that came to hermind

“Hey! I’m not drunk, I haven’t drunk anything today, what are youtalking about?”Eva defended herself

“Sana…the secret is kind of out now…”

“Vilde!! Shut up” Sana said exasperated

“You do have a crush on one of them! Who is it?” Elias asked

Sanacouldn’t help but look at Yousef who was looking back at her with a crypticexpression. He didn’t look happy but he didn’t look sad or angry either. It waskind of a mixture between those feelings. It was as if he was intrigued,hopeful yet cautious all at once.

“Guys, I think it’s pretty clear that it’s me” Adam said

“Huh?”Sana frowned at him

“I mean, I’m the one who talks more to Sana” Adam explained “Plus, I’m the funniest one”

“What are you talking about? You’re a kid, Sana would like a more matureguy, like me”Mikael argued

“Mature? You? Have you seen your baby face?” Adam asked

“Do you have a problem with my baby face?”

“You know I don’t” Adam said winking an eye at him making Mikael roll his eyes

“Guys, guys, stop fighting, we all know that I’m the one Sana has acrush on. I’m the sweetest of all of us” Mutta intervened

“That’s bullshit” Both Mikael and Adam said and a verbal fight over who was the betterchoice for Sana started between the three of them

“Are you seriously competing over who Sana likes?” Noora asked shaking her head

“Of course we are!” Adam said as if it was obvious

“Sana is awesome” Mutta added

“She’s the cool Bakkoush” Mikael finished

“Hey!!”Elias said offended “What about me?”

“You’re alright…I guess” Adam said shrugging

“What about you, Yousef? Are you going to join this competition too?” Eva asked raising an eyebrow at him

“Me?…Uh…” Yousef stuttered

“Don’t you think that Sana is awesome?” Chris insisted

“Girls, stop” Sana warned them in a low voice

“Of course she’s awesome” Yousef said honestly, his eyes meeting Sana’s

She felther heart beating fast in her chest and she had to look away or she would startto blush.

“I can’t believe that you have a crush on one of my friends and you didn’ttell me…you told them” Elias said pointing at the girls “and you didn’t tell your brother?”

“Oh she didn’t tell us, we caught her smiling like a dork while textinghim” Vilde said

“Vilde!!!!” Sana yelled as she stood up

“Sorry!”

“Texting? Okay who of you is texting my sister, show me your phones now!” Elias told the guys

Adam,Mikael and Mutta started to explain to Elias that they weren’t texting Sanawhile Yousef, he just looked at her, his mouth slightly opened as realizationcame to his mind. Sana’s eyes found his and she knew that he knew and she didn’twant to see his reaction.

“I’m out of here” Sana said as she turned around, she needed to escape, she couldn’t dealwith this embarrassment, not in front of Yousef.

Just asshe took a few steps towards the door her phone beeped with a new text. She stoppeddead on her tracks and grabbed her phone with shaking hands.

Yousef Acar: Is it me?

Yousef Acar: Because if it’s me

Yousef Acar: I like you too

She turnedaround in shock, her mouth opened, her eyes widened. Yousef was looking rightat her, his phone in his hands and a smile on his face. The rest of the boyswere still arguing and the girls were definitely staring at Sana but she didn’tcare about any of that. All she cared about was that boy that was looking rightat her, that boy that she liked and who apparently liked her back.

-x-

+Bonus:

“Guys, guys!!” Mikael interrupted the fight that Elias, Adam, Mutta and him kepthaving “Wait a moment. If I’m not texting Sana, Adam is not texting Sana andMutta is not texting Sana…then…”

“Yousef!”Elias said pointing at him.

The boyslooked at Yousef who was still looking at Sana and then they looked at her whowas, of course, still looking at Yousef as she stood a few meters from them.

“Yousef is the one you like, Sana?” Elias asked not getting any answer from hissister “I mean I guess that if it has to be anyone, it should be Yousef, he’sthe most respectful guy I know”

“And he’s pretty funny so he’d make Sana smile” Adam agreed

“And I guess he’s good looking, probably the most handsome of us all” Mikael added

“Oh god THEY’RE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER!!” Mutta exclaimed excited

Yousef Acar: Do you want to get out of here?

Sana Bakkoush: Yes please

Shelooked up from her phone just in time to see him smiling and standing up. She turnedaround and led the way to the kitchen with him right next to her as both ofthem heard the boys calling them.

“SO YOU WERE FLIRTING WITH MY SISTER THE OTHER DAY!!” Elias yelled

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” Mikael asked

“YOU CAN’T LEAVE LIKE THAT!” Adam added

“THE PUBLIC WANTS TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!!” Mutta finished

————–x—————

This is it!!!

I really hope you’ve liked it

I was going to end it in the moment after Yousef texted Sana but then I decided to add a little bit more with the Balloon Squad realizing and shipping yousana because why not? hahah so it’s like a bonus

Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you’ve liked it!♥

#skam #yousana #nothesc prompt

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dezembergirl · 7 years

Text

Herbal tea

Story: Apart

Chapter: 3

Relationship: Noorhelm

Fandom: Skam

originally posted on ao3

Her phone showed 7:00 when she had decided that she wouldn’t get anymore sleep that night anyway. Loose strands of hair had gathered around her face and the hair tie meant to keep it all securely on top of her head had been lost in the gaps between the pillows.

Her bed for the night, the somewhat used couch in the Kollektiv’s living room - or epicenter of last night’s party judging by the cups and confetti scattered across the floor. Maybe she should feel thankful that there were no other leftover from yesterday - in human form - though she hadn’t checked Eskild’s room yet so she couldn’t even be certain of that.

Sure, compared to some of Eskild’s other escapades and pre-games held at their apartment this was tame, but it somehow made her feel out of place. Partying and the lingering smell of beer and sometimes other bodily fluids clouding the air had always made her head ache and her eyes glassy from the cigaret smoke. It simply didn’t make sense to her how people could view this as fun, and though she had hoped that maybe with the years she would get the appeal, she hadn’t.

A cosy night out with friends or a move night filled with the smell of freshly made popcorn and pizza as a midnight snack seemed so much more appealing in her mind. Maybe it was because she missed her friends, their conversations and the laughs they had shared; or maybe it was because right now she couldn’t imagine anything worse than being at a party and forced to watch random high schoolers as well as her friends make out with one hand still latched to a beer bottle. Plus there might be people she knew - or worse, knew her and all the rumors she had collected last spring- she was in no mood to explain her sudden return to people she could barely remember the names of.

She checked her phone for the time again, not pleased that it was still only 7:09. Her roommates, or maybe her former roommates - as she didn’t really have a room for herself here anymore - wouldn’t be up before noon. That meant that she would have hours to herself, and though the idea of not having to talk to anyone right now seemed well enough, she knew that she would have to face their questions eventually.

With a small sigh she lifted her feet from the couch to the ground and her limbs ached in response. It had already grown quite chilly in their Oslo flat and contrary to the always perfectly tempered apartment in London, Eskild, Linn or Isak obviously hadn’t thought it necessary to turn on the heating. The provisional fleece blanked she had wrapped around her torso and legs for the night had evidently been too thin for this time of year.

Digging through her bag for the pair of fluffy socks she always kept on hand when traveling, Noora noticed just how tired she still felt. But there was no use in trying to fall back asleep now and as she was already up and awake, she might as well do something useful with the spare hours.

The remaining paper cups and beer cans were quickly collected into a black waste bag and she contemplated vacuuming the confetti covered floor, but opted for the mop they kept in one of the back closets for her roommates’ sake. Waking them at this hours surely wouldn’t elicit many happy faces.

Even though she hadn’t been at the Kollektiv in months and she hadn’t slept in the bed that now wasn't hers any longer, somehow seeing the familiar walls around her and knowing that she might be the only one awake but never alone her made her feel infinitely better. After returning the living room to its usual state of not being perfectly clean but at least tidied enough for her standards, she decided to venture into the kitchen hoping to find something edible to quiet the growl in her stomach.

After adding a few more beer cans to the ones she had already collected, Noora did find a box of chocolate cereal and the last few drops out of an almost empty milk carton. Under normal circumstances she would never have deemed this nutritious or worthy enough to be called breakfast, but she was to exhausted to care.

She checked her phone for any unread messages incase some of her friends had somehow gotten wind of her return. The only person she had actually met face to face yesterday had to her immense surprise been Isak; though she wasn’t sure how sober or drunk he had been to have actually remembered their late night encounter. Also had she really expected him to tell any of her friends; he had been close with Eva and though they still remained friends the whole Eva and Jonas breakup had left their friendship with a considerable dent. Oh and she had almost forgotten, there had been one more boy with him yesterday, a tall handsome blond she had never before seen at school or any of the few parties she had been forced to attend.

Scrolling though the chats on her phone Noora contemplated who to tell first. Eskild was still asleep and she had no intention of waking any other of her most likely hung over roommates. Vilde would be too much enthusiasm and uncomfortable questions, Chris B. and Eva were probably still passed out as well - so that left Sana. She was fairly confident that if any one of her friends was actually awake at this hour on a Saturday it would most definitely be Sana.

Sana was a master at clever observations and uncomfortable questions but she always knew when to stop interrogating and if needed, she could be the sweetest and most empathetic out of their whole group.

Yes, texting Sana was probably her best option.

Noora: are you awake?

And indeed the answer didn’t take long.

Sana: Yes. what’s up?

Noora: I was wondering if you wanna meet, just coffee or something?

Noora: I’m back in Oslo, but I haven't told the others yet

She quickly added the second line of text, silently praying for Sana’s surprise to be as minimal as possible.

Sana: Ok

They met an hour later at a small café that was already open at 8 am. Sana had gotten something that smelled like chai and Noora had opted for an herbal tee mix to maybe help with her slightly sore body.

Just incase Eskild should wake before she got back, she had texted him a few lines, saying that she was back and that would explain everything as soon as possible. She hadn’t yet decided what everything would entail as of now but at least a few basic details would have to do.

Sana hadn’t said much, save for their initial hellos and her drink when the waitress had hastily scribbled their orders on her notepad. Now she was carefully following Noora’s own movements and her lips - even though free of any lip stick - curved into the tiniest of smirks.

«It’s really good to see you back in Oslo, I hope you know that.» she twirled the spoon between her fingers. «It’s just I didn’t expect you backs so soon. Not that I don’t like it though.»

«I know.» Noora mustered a small laugh and fell quiet again. She didn’t really know where to start or what to tell Sana and her eyes drifted away; also how much was their really to tell anyways, it wasn’t like this was what Sana clearly interpreted it to be.

«I missed you guys. A lot actually, even Vilde.» she bit her lip and was happy to find Sana smiling back at her. «I should have called more.»

«Yeah, but as long as you were happy in London we were ready to accept your lack of communication.» Sana took a careful sip of her chai. «I hope you're still happy.»

It was neither a question nor an accusation but still Noora felt slightly taken aback by Sana’s bluntness. Her gaze returned to the cup in her hands and she sensed her mouth go dry. Sana had probably already figured out more than she would have felt comfortable telling her and somehow it helped to know that she wasn’t completely alone with her thoughts.

«Yes» she almost breathed the word «I am now.»

Sana didn’t respond and Noora chose to let her gaze wander over the cars parked outside the café and the few passing people in the otherwise empty street. She was happy now, or at least happier than she had been 24 hours ago. The comfort of being back in her familiar and trusted environment alone had eased the weight she had thought to be carrying on her shoulders. Here the street signs didn’t read in English and the prices for a simple cup of coffee where as high as she had always expected them to be, there were fewer people, especially tourist clogging the streets and the cold nordic seas was only a couple hundred meters away at all times.

«I can tell you about school if you want, you have missed quite a few things.» Sana offered and Noora returned a grateful smile and nod.

«Eva, Vilde and I are leading the Kosegruppe now. It’s going well so far I think, we even bullied Jonas and the guys into joining.» Sana added with a content smirk. «School itself is as boring as ever and Eva is really struggling in Spanish without you. I guess if Penetrator Chris wouldn’t keep distracting her from school work, she might actually do quite well.»

«Penetrator Chris?» Sana crinkled her eyebrows and frowned slightly at the mention of the Penetrators.

«Oh yeah, they seem to be really close now. Or well, as close to as you could ever be to a fuckboy, I guess. They started hooking up more over the summer, I think Chris misses …» Sana evidently noticed her mistake right that moment but Noora had already snapped her eyes from her cup to the girl infant of her with a startled look disrupting their normally smooth green colour.

Of course Sana was most likely right with her assumption, both Chris and Eva had lost their friends to far away England and she guessed hooking up was their way to cope. Though certainly the last time she had spotted Eva’s favorite Penetrator it hadn’t been her he had already undressed halfway on a bed that hadn’t been his.

She closed her eyes and rubbed the bride of her nose with the back of her hand. This wasn’t helping and she certainly hadn’t come here to brood over the memories of their end-of-school party at the beginning of the summer; not that she wanted to forget, but this was not the time

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sana looking at her and patiently waiting to offer any words of comfort, judging by the all too understanding look in her dark brown eyes. Noora took a sip of her tea and relished the heat trickling down her throat. She had craved the warmth and comfort, her friends and all the laughter without any of the sorrow she seemed to have collected over the past weeks.

«So, Isak has taken my room at the Kollektiv. Who would have though?» Not a smooth transition at all, but somehow Isak and the couch she would now have to call her bed had popped into her mind first.

«Yeah, I guess that sucks. Do you have a proper place to sleep at?»

«More or less, but it will have to do for now.» she carefully removed the fully soaked tea tag from her beverage. «But since we’re already talking, what about you? Anything new, exciting, is your family well?»

«Alive and kicking.» Sana smirked and if Noora didn’t know any better she might have actually thought to notice a light blush on her friend’s cheeks; it was probably just the lighting.

The finished their drinks and Sana filled her in on some more school news and gossip; apparently there was a new 00er that looked like a younger Nathalie Portman that all the boys gushed over and Vilde was set set on finding the coolest buss name russtiden had ever seen for them.

They paid and Sana bid Noora goodbye with a tighter than normal hug and the promise to meet again soon.

It was surprisingly already 11 as she got off at her tram stop and when she unlocked the apartment door she was greeted by a still slightly tired looking but extremely exited looking Eskild.

«Fucking hell, it’s good to see you. I have missed my little Noora, almost thought Isak was starting to see ghost now when he told me you were back. But there you are, right here in flesh and blood.» he kept going but the bone crushing hug he enveloped her in muffled the rest of his speech.

«And Linn she is so excited as well, she just needed to sleep some more you know. But we can do a Kollektiv night and we’ll watch Paradise Hotel and I’ll buy all the snack I promise and …»

«I really missed you too, Eskild.» she stopped him and the smile on his face was priceless.

He had to hug her again of course.

#skam #noorhlem #noora x william #william x noora #noorhelm fic #skam fic #I should have posted this weeks ago #like I was soooo lazy omg and I'm sorry #william magnusson #noora sætre

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