#if i had a penny every time i thought about them i would ba a billionaire

[snoozelover]

I'm rambling but I miss Leo and seeing my cubito so sad is sickening so here I come:

Whenever I hear others Islanders talking about Leo and q!Foolish relationship I can FEEL how little they know about them...

I know a lot of the things were said in a light way, as a joke sometimes, but hearing again and again how "We'll take Leo away from q!foolish" in the past or even "q!Foolish don't care about the eggs" more recently just fucking hurt when you actually follow their journey together.

The only person that REALLY saw them in their most intimate moment with only the two of them besides q!Vegetta is q!Jaiden, she got to see them play and bicker and just how they truly are on the same wave length.

q!Foolish and Leo, even before q!Vegetta went away, spent A LOT of time together. q!Foolish was almost always the one doing tasks for Leo, because he knew they wouldn't be updated for q!Vegetta when he was on, but also because spending time with his kid was never a burden no matter how some Islanders like to make it seems like he had ever complained.

Whenever Leo comes to him, they always plan together if they do the tasks that day or another, q!Foolish never shy from asking what Leo wants to do, and a lot of time Leo simply said they could do it another day, or they would do it together as they spend time doing other things.

Leo used to only be up when their dads were here and only in the last resort had to be up without them in the last couple weeks before going missing because q!vegetta wet away and q!foolish couldn't be on and even then, it was because their dad, q!Foolish said to do so.

A lot of people tend to call q!Foolish a bad and irresponsible parent because of his more loose mentality when it comes to how to educate Leo.

q!Foolish said multiple times that 'caging' your children to protect them from danger wasn't his type. He's more of a 'lets the kid make mistakes and learn from them' type of dad :

When Leo wants to do something, he always warns them of the danger, a lot of time he uses "if something happens to you it's your fault" it may seem like a cold and detached way of dealing with it but it's a way for him to warn but also reminds Leo that they're also responsible for their own actions. Spending time together made him realize that this method worked the best, and Leo understood that it's not him not caring.

When Leo said they didn't like wearing armor because "it's ugly pa", he let them not wear it, once again reminding them of the danger but also that he would force them to wear it if real danger was here.

Later on, when Leo started worrying about their dad security too, they crafted one for him, gifted it to him and later on said "pa where is your amor" and q!Foolish said "I'll wear it if you wear yours" and it's became a thing between the two of them, sometimes, during adventures, Leo would stop in their track, put down a sign and write "where's your armor?" and take their off until q!Foolish wore his too.

Leo always said that they missed their dads when someone else was taking care of them, but they always seem to overlook it. Leo said multiple times they felt different and far away from their siblings and they found comfort in their parents. Leo only has their parents and q!Roier more recently.

The whole "q!foolish doesn't like spending time with his kid" argument came to be because cc!foolish was busy, but a lot of q!character took it as him not wanting to spend time with Leo.

Mind you, they say this about q!Foolish, who for me is one of the biggest girl's dad to ever exist in the island :

q!Foolish that would spend every hours Leo is awake with them.

q!Foolish told Leo not to worry and keep writing in Spanish if they were more comfortable with it and that he was learning Spanish anyway.

q!Foolish that keeps every gift and pictures Leo gave him in a special backpack.

q!Foolish that would always stay close to Leo and sometimes get farther away from large group of people because Leo told him they felt overwhelmed in the crowd.

q!Foolish that rambled his feeling out when Leo felt like a bad egg because of these stupid allegations.

q!Foolish that always use soft parenting method on Leo and never overlooked their emotions if he knew it wasn't another tantrum.

q!Foolish that played into Leo's game, became badman and spider man for them.

q!Foolish that kept Leo's animals and even brought back to life some of them not to make them sad even if he had beef with some of them.

q!Foolish that to this day still keep the "always juntos" amethyst crystal in the heart of the dragon tower.

q!Foolish that still says he can't wait to tell all his adventures to Leo when they come back.

q!Foolish that is slowly cracking as the days pass and is slowly losing hope.

q! Foolish that probably cries when he's alone in his cold lonely and lifeless tower.

Looking back at all these things, I've noticed that despite being really open about everything else, q!Foolish is really private when it comes to his family, because it's when it comes to them that his feelings are the most 'human'. His family is his 'weakness' and as we know q!Foolish avoid talking about feelings at all costs.

We as viewers, saw multiple times q!Foolish almost breaking because he was overwhelmed with some feelings :

When q!Forever hit Leo, it was rage.

When q!Bad said "my Leo", it was jealousy.

When he was looking at pictures in Leo's bunker, it was sadness.

There are a lot more of these moments but every time one of these moments happens, he always puts on a mask of happiness and people forget it even happens, but q!Foolish don't. And we don't. Because q!Foolish deserve as much as the others, he deserves to be seen as the real him and not these tags people like to put on him and Leo.

#qsmp foolish #q!foolish #qsmp #qsmp leonarda #leonarda the egg #please bring them back #i miss them #if i had a penny every time i thought about them i would ba a billionaire

[spasmsofthought]

flashes. (dick grayson x reader)

I’m not really well-versed in DC, at all, but I wanted to give this a shot. let me know what you think! It’s a bit of a mess, so please take this with a grain of salt and some grace. sorry if he feels ooc; I tried my best but I am by no means an expert or even an amateur. please be kind. idk if i’ll write anymore for him, but i wanted to try. it might be trash but it’s out there now xo

-- 

It’s not like Gotham is known for being a walk in the park. The city is all alleys in the middle of the night, dark vapors rising from sewers, and secrets in the shadows. At least, in your experience. 

There were no gated communities or fences to keep the darkness out in the apartment complex you lived in with your family. Only survival and common sense keeps you returning to your bed and food on the table.

So, when your younger (genius) brother is offered a scholarship to Gotham Academy on what feels like a whim, the world shifts. 

When your mother still works, though, it means you are the de-facto adult during the day. Your job keeps your busy in the mornings, hers during the afternoon and night. You’re just getting into learning what it’s like to handle a job and bills of your own, even though you’re still living with your family (part of it is to save money, part of it is because you just don’t want to leave). Your family is the only real home you have ever known. Why leave to only find inadequate housing where you have to worry about your safety and theirs separately?

So, like every month, you swap out of your work clothes, put on your newest (at least 2 years old) pair of jeans on, the only blouse you own that hasn’t faded or stretched or shrunk from countless wash cycles, and grab the bag you’ve stored in its own special place in the cabinet by your family’s loud, old, run-down fridge. 

You chance a ride on the bus, hopeful for no public catastrophes today. You listen to your small, but loved, playlist through the one earbud that works during the ride and you almost want to leap with joy when you step back down on concrete like this is what it is like everyday.

The architecture is a thing to behold. There is no wonder why this is acclaimed as the most prestigious private school in Gotham. Light is everywhere, and it’s like the outside world doesn’t exist. Every month you step on this campus it’s like you’ve never seen it before.

The grounds are meticulously groomed, everything in lines and straight edges. Concrete and nineteenth century buildings both cast heavy, sharp shadows in the late afternoon sun. There are some students lingering about, all grouped up and chattering in their similar uniforms. Compared to public art, haphazard graffiti, and buildings of all shapes and sizes, this place feels foreign. Different. It makes you feel strange and unwelcome; like entering a different world altogether. 

When you enter the pristine, elegant office, the entrance door propped open, there’s two figures you immediately spot: the secretary and the man standing in front of her. Your brother is yet to be found. He’s running late again. 

“Hi, hun, take a seat,” Grace’s sweet voice soothes from her position behind the desk. “He should be here any minute.” The man standing in front and a little to the right of her glances behind for second, casually swiping a look at you, before he turns forward again. 

“Thanks, Grace,” You exhale as you sit down. 

The chairs are nice, soft fabric and cushioned, but small. You so desire to bring up a leg to draw close to you, but it’s impossible without making yourself a human pretzel. And you don’t want to dirty it with your less than perfect shoes so, instead, you chose to bring the bag onto your lap and you pick at your cuticles, resisting to bring your nail to your mouth and chew on it anxiously. 

There’s never been anyone else in here when you’ve come before. Grace can make polite chatter, but then she leaves you in relative silence. It makes you feel anonymous. The man uttering sweet words to the secretary and then glancing at you again before sitting down next to you does not. You stop fidgeting with your hands and intertwine them together instead. 

A flash of the ceiling’s fluorescent lighting on glass against your eyes is what you first get a taste of, then all polish and silver, or something like it, cradling a wrist. The watch looks heavy, expensive. It looks like it could buy your family a newer, safer, apartment in a suburbia far away from here. 

“Hey,” Smooth as honey it drips out, and you are drawn to blue eyes and ebony hair. There’s a softness to his face and his eyes are warm. It would only take an hour, you think before you stop the thought from going any further. An hour to do what? You’re not sure, but the list expands the longer you take him in.

The first thing you ever learned on the streets when you walked by yourself to work was how to be aware, vigilant; on guard. Men were unpredictable creatures who were driven by greed or lust or power, and any of the good ones were swooped up and carried away to better things or dead before any second glances could take place. Or carrying on just fine behind their high fences and impenetrable walls. Just because this one introduces himself first does not mean he has proven otherwise. 

“Hi,” is all you can offer, a quirk of lips to his gesture of kindness.

You glance towards to door before your eyes make their way back to him. The gesture doesn’t offend him. There’s a familiarity to his face, but you decide to not spend time right now trying to figure it out. It already only tells you one thing: this guy is way out of your league. 

Grace gets up from her seat, rounds her desk, and makes her way out of the office, leaving you two alone. You watch her the entire time. 

“You waiting for someone?” 

“Yeah,” You nod even as the word comes out, “My brother.” 

He leans back like he’s got all the time in the world, and there’s a perusal that makes you taste butterflies and gulp down caution at the same time. You wonder if he saw the scuff marks and stains on your worn-out sneakers, or if he notices that you still haven’t had the chance to wash your three-day old hair and that’s why it’s up and back, and that your blouse is definitely from the clearance rack at Goodwill.

“Your favorite one?” 

Out of self-preservation, you try to hide the reaction to the humor you feel, “My only one.”

“I think that’s the same thing.” You almost want to roll your eyes. But there’s a genuineness in his conversation, like he means the words he’s saying to you. Like this isn’t a game. 

“Sure,” You shrug, “You’re allowed to be wrong.” 

“My name’s Richard.” It’s old-fashioned. It’s something you don’t really hear rolled off of tongues in your neck of the woods, that’s for sure. A hand comes out and rests halfway between you and him, and it’s one of the most graceful things you’ve ever witnessed in your entire life. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” You smile. Your hands stay clasped in your lap. 

“You gotta earn a handshake from my sister,” A voice pops up from the open door way. You swing your head around and watch for a moment as your brother makes his way towards you.

“Hi, J,” Your stand, open your arms wide, bag moved from your lap into one of your hands. His solid presence allows a brief hug before he steps back again. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude--” 

The man sitting next to you has chosen to rise as well and you’re closer than you thought you would be when you turn back to him. You notice now that your height means your eyes literally meet his lips straight on. There’s a curve of a smirk there for a flash of a second before it straightens back out into the smile you saw at first. The rest of your sentence is forgotten. He takes one, two, three steps back.

“You got them all?” The question saves you. Your brother pulls you back to him as you hand him the brown plastic bag. In it? His favorite snacks from the liquor store on the corner (the nearly sold-out, hard-to-come-by ones). 

“Every last one,” Your hands come to his cheeks, turning his face to each side.

You have to reach up now and it strikes you just how much he’s grown even in the past month. You both spend much of your time on the phone with one another. These monthly meetings set-up frequently enough for deliveries and some quick face-to-face time and seldom enough to avoid embarrassment (that’s what he says anyway). 

He brings the chip bag out and holds it up, “You even got these.” 

“Geraldo got them special order just for you.” 

“Tell the old man I said thanks,” He smiles like he’s seven again, spoiled and self-indulgent. “Richard” is still standing behind you and to the side, silent. You can feel his eyes flipping back and forth between the two of you. 

“Of course,” Your hands smooth over his shoulders and brush away imaginary dust. “Mom sends her love and says she’ll try and call you on her lunch in a few hours.” 

“Yeah, I know. I’ll make sure I answer.” 

“Thank you.” You exhale an affectionate sigh. 

Avoidant loner that your brother can be, there’s a reason you both want him here. He’ll be able to do the things you only dreamed of when you were his age. And one day, hopefully, you’ll all be out of this hellhole, onto better things. 

“I gotta go, but thanks for these. Even though you should be saving every penny,” He chides, holding up a finger like his words are somehow a threat. 

“Okay,” You chortle like you wouldn’t give everything up for your brother in a heartbeat. There’s another quick hug before he’s looking back at the man behind you, who is still standing there like some sort of stealth ninja. 

“Like I said man,” He nods and there’s something in his face that changes as he looks at “Richard”, “You gotta earn it.” 

It’s with those parting words that he begins to walk out. You stay stock still for a second before you leap after him, “I wanna hear all about what happened last week with Cara tomorrow on the phone!” 

Your brother, a mile away already on longs legs, shouts something indistinguishable back at you from down the hallway, his figure turning a corner.  

“Who’s Cara?” The voice brings your back to reality. 

You sweep your palms against your jeans and turn back to face the man with a three-piece suit and a watch that probably costs more than 20 years of your salary. Oh God. 

“This girl my brother asked out the other week. I bribed him with some of his favorites so he would tell me what went down.” You shrug your shoulders, not worried about spilling the tea about your brother’s romantic life. 

“Does he know that?” His arms seem to relax a little more and you think you could stare at him all day. 

“Eh,” You say, creeping back towards the open door. Your small crossbody bag is already on you and there’s no reason to sit back down. Richard follows you as you, apparently, both start to make your exit from the office. Nothing about it feels unnatural. “Sometimes you got to persuade instead of demand.” 

“Ha,” There seems to be something you are missing based on the way his mouth curves and his eyes spark, “That’s the truest thing I’ve heard in a long time.” 

“You’re welcome. That’s the only one that comes for free!” Your arms swing back and forth. “Anything else is gonna cost you.” 

The hallways usually feel like a labyrinth here, but you don’t feel lost this time. 

“What forms of payment do you accept?” You pretend to be thinking, but really you’re just glancing between the different features of his face. You’re not sure you’ve ever met someone like him. You’re not sure you ever will again.  

“The bank’s closed right now, actually,” The wariness is back. This guy walks like he’s used to treading on perfectly paved gold streets in his shoes. All you’ve ever known is cracked cement and rusted pipes that burst underground. “But I think it’ll be back up and running soon.” 

He doesn’t falter and there’s no anger or hurt in his expression at the metaphorical rejection. Instead, it looks something like silent patience. Maybe even acceptance. This guy could totally not be interested and you could just be being (too) ambitious. The door to the open courtyard, and your way home, is already before you both. 

“It was nice meeting you Richard,” You say as you begin to take steps forward. Your hands nervously hold the strap across your torso. You take a few more steps before his words turn your head back to him. 

“You can call me Dick,” He says with ease. The tone makes you feel like he’s speaking a language you don’t really understand. His blue eyes seem like they’re on fire; a contradiction, you know. There’s something about him that almost makes you catch your breath. You’ve never been been winded by just looking before. 

“Maybe I’ll see you around.” You offer, hands squeezing your bag strap. 

“I look forward to earning that handshake next time!” He calls out when you’re several feet away. 

I think you’ll earn a lot more than that, you almost say, but refrain. 

Instead, you wave back to him once before making your way out of the courtyard, caught between staring at your shoes and looking ahead to make sure you’re going to right way. You smile and daydream the entire bus ride home. Blue becomes your favorite color. 

#help ive never written for dc before #i dont know what im doing #be nice please #dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x oc #dick grayson x you #dick grayson x female!reader #richard grayson #richard grayson x reader #dick grayson oneshot #dick grayson preference #richard grayson oneshot #nightwing x you #nightwing x reader

[birdy-bat-writes]

Forever Love

Word count: 2k

Description: Wally and Dick have loved eachother for a long time. They've said it a few times. How long before they can admit that it's not as friends?

A/N: Happy holidays friends! Dear @river-bottom-nightmare Hi! I'm your secret santa😙😙 so I present to you, a birdflash Fic! I hope you love it!

---------------------------------------------------/

The first time Wally told Dick he loved him was when he and Bruce had a fight. Dick thought he wanted to be alone and turned off his phone, his emergency trackers, everything. He didn't want to be found and he wasn't going to be found. At least that's what he thought. He sat alone on the floor of a Star City back alley and played the words in his head over and over. "When we're out there, you're not my son. You're my partner! If you can't be there when I need you, you don't need to be Robin!" He knows that me messed up, but the mission went fine in the end. He didn't make excuses; he knew his head wasn't in the game but that's just what happens when you're fighting alongside the Titans and balancing that with Dynamic Duo duties. Dick was already harder on himself than Bruce ever could be about it, but he never thought he'd have to hear the words "you're not my son." Is that all he is to Bruce? A crime fighting partner? Then the tears started to fall. The thoughts rang in his head like church bells over the sound of city traffic. It was all too much. Dick thought he wanted to be alone but now...maybe not. I should go ba-

"Hey." Dick looked up to find his favorite red head looking down at him with a soft expression. Civies, smoking sneakers and green eyes. "You okay?" Wally sat down beside him and Dick abandoned all thoughts of leaving.

"How'd you find me?"

"Well, I'm me, and you're you. Not that difficult."

"I turned my trackers off..." Dick was really taking this one hard. No wisecracks, no sarcasm. It wasn't like the other fights he had with Bruce and Wally could tell.

"I knew you wouldn't be in Metropolis or Smallville because you don't want a hug from Superman, you weren't in the mood to talk yet so not Central City, and Star City has the ice cream parlor you like, which is where we're going after I fix this." Wally gestured to Dick's teary eyes. Dick looked up to face Wally for just a second. His smile brought a type of comfort that Dick forgot existed. "What happened?"

"He doesn't want me anymore, Wally."

"Bruce?" Dick just nodded, knowing he couldn't speak the words without choking up. Wally put a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder. "He said, 'when we're out there, you're not my son. You're my partner.' And that I shouldn't be fighting by his side if I can't be there for him all the time."

“That’s not fair of him. You were with the Titans today. He knows that right?”

“He knows, he just doesn’t care.” Dick choked on his words at the end but pushed himself to continue speaking. “Wally, I’m just a teammate to him, to everyone. I’m not his son, I don’t even know how many people actually care about me when the masks are off.”

“Hey, hey…don’t say that. Maybe B acts like an emotionally stunted block of ice, but I know he loves you. Of course, it doesn’t excuse what he said, but you need to know that with masks on or off, we are all your friends. Donna, Garth, Roy, and… me too. You’re like family for us. We love you. I… I love you.” Dick felt his heart clench. He hadn’t heard those words in a long time and couldn’t help but jump right into Wally’s arms for a very tight hug. Wally’s arms felt like home and he never wanted to let go. Wally felt the remaining tears Dick’s eyes soak into his jacket and pulled him tighter. Without pulling even an inch away, Dick asked,

“Wally?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.” They felt each other’s cheeks raise in smiles against the other’s shoulders.

“Glad to hear it, now how about that ice cream?”

----

The second time Wally had told Dick that he loved him was later that year, in the dark of a hospital room well after visiting hours were over. Dick now donned a blue and black suit, accompanied by the moniker of Nightwing. Wally was now the new Scarlet Speedster. Unfortunately, even speedsters couldn’t escape the pain of cavities. Wally was in recovery after a root canal surgery and he wasn’t happy about it.

Wally couldn’t help but worry about the things that could go wrong if the Flash took a day off. Dick on the other hand was more worried about how Wally would fare in surgery. With a metabolism like his, he’d burn through the anesthesia in minutes, and be awake for the rest of the surgery.

“Oh, come on, Dick. I don’t have anesthetics when we’re out being shot at. This will be a piece of cake, so don’t worry, okay?”

When Wally awoke, the whole surgery was complete. He wasn’t in pain either. That’s odd. How-? Oh. Dick. What did he do now? Just then a nurse walked in.

“Oh good, Dear. You’re awake.”

“Uh… Yeah. What did I miss while I was out?” His voice was muffled by the useless cotton balls in his mouth. The nurses couldn’t have known but he was already healed. 4 hours of sleep and speedster healing will do that to you.

“Well, it’s quite an interesting day in Central City. A few blocks down, Nightwing stopped a robbery and helped a family of ducks cross the street.”

“He- he did what? He’s still here?” Wally asked, baffled.

“Oh yes! He seems to have taken over for the Flash today. He’s on TV right now.” Wally scrambled to get the remote. The first thing he saw on the news was Nightwing being interviewed by Iris West-Allen.

“Well Mrs. West, I love helping out my teammates, and besides, I could always use an excuse to visit Central City.” Nightwing flashed his signature smile right into the camera like he knew Wally was watching. This dude… I thought I told him to go back to Gotham… Why do I even try? Wally thought to himself, shaking his head and smiling at his friend’s antics.

Visiting hours had passed and Wally’s parents had just left. He was contemplating sneaking out to get more food when he heard a gentle thud by the window. One that he’d heard a thousand times before.

“Dick, you could have used the front door.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”, Dick responded. “How are you?”

“Hungry. Hospital portion sizes will be the death of me.”

“Well, it’s a great thing that your best friend is as thoughtful as he is handsome.” Dick emptied a plethora of snacks from his backpack on Wally’s bed.

“And this is why I love you.” Wally said it casually, but Dick’s heart skipped a beat anyway. It got him thinking again. He really shouldn’t have worried as much as he did, but he couldn’t help it. He never can when it comes to Wally. “So, what exactly did you put in my drink before the surgery?” Wally asked between mouthfuls of food.

“Specially designed anesthetic to knock you out for 5 hours. Courtesy of a few friends at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

“You spoil me.”

“I didn’t want you to be in pain.”

“I appreciate that.” Wally’s voice was sweeter now. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble, you know.”

“I know. I wanted to.”

“Aww, were you worried about me?”

“I always worry about you. I love you.” It was a sincere, genuine confession that made both their hearts race a little more. Wally mustered the courage to say one more thing. Something that meant the world to both him and Dick.

“You know when I was going under the anesthetic?”

“Yeah?”, Dick replied.

“I was still awake when you held my hand.” Dick grinned in response.

“I know.”, He said. Wally looked up in question. “You held on tighter when I was about to let go, and I knew you were still awake.” The blushes on their cheeks glowed brighter.

“Yeah, well… don’t let go next time then.”

-----

The next time they confessed was on Wally’s 18th Birthday, one month later. A party was planned with a few close friends and family at Wally’s house, but unfortunately, the icy November rain had other plans. Ice laced every road that wasn’t flooded.

Needless to say, Wally was a little disappointed. No one would be coming. Heck, he couldn’t even leave his own house. Dick was still in Gotham getting ready to leave for the party when he heard of the extreme weather in Central City. Knowing the party would most likely be cancelled, he decided to call in a favor.

Wally was sitting in his room when he received Dick’s rather ominous text message. “Get to your balcony.” He listened. He walked up and saw… nothing.

“Um, Dick, what am I looking for exactly?”, he messaged back. Then he heard the whir of the engines and the pressure release on the plane doors.

“You’re looking for me in an invisible plane!”, Dick shouted.

“Is that Wonder Woman’s?!”

“Yeah! Get on.” Wally climbed aboard. He was awestruck. Dick saw the look on Wally’s face and answered the question Wally couldn’t manage to ask.

“Donna owed me a favor, and Diana thinks I’m adorable. I can get away with anything. Now buckle up.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” Dick flew Wally up to the Titans Tower where every superhero friend of theirs was there. There were 6 cakes, 2 of them being just for Wally. It was just perfect. Wally cut a slice of cake and brought it out to Dick on the terrace. Against the chilly New York winds, the music inside sounded faint and distant.

“I know you’ve swung around Gotham in the winter in your underwear, but you should still wear a jacket when it’s cold out.”, Wally chimed. “Cake?”

“Thank you very much.” Dick said, taking the plate from his hands.

“Hey, thank you for all of this. Its more than perfect.”

“Don’t mention it, Wall. It’s what I’m for. I’m never going to pass up an opportunity to wipe cake frosting on your nose.” Wally’s heart swelled, seeing Dick smile at him like that. His baby blue eyes had Wally mesmerized.

“Yeah! Just you wait ’till your birthday, I’m getting a whole extra cake to shove in your face.”

“I’ll be waiting.”, Dick chuckled out. “So, I have your present here.” Dick held up a small box and handed it to Wally. “Open it.” Wally undid the red ribbon on the box and lifted the lid to reveal a small coin, the size of a penny with a Flash symbol on it. “I know you lost the souvenir from our first solo mission, but I kept one of the shotgun shells, melted it down, and now,” Dick picked up the coin, “this is for you.” Wally was left speechless. Dick wasn’t one to keep souvenirs from missions. That was Wally’s thing. But he kept this one. And on top of all that, he remembered that Wally wanted to remember their first mission and replaced his lost memento. He couldn’t help it. Wally threw his arms around Dick’s shoulders. Dick wrapped his arms around Wally’s waist and pulled him closer, taking in the scent of his shampoo and cologne. I adore him, they both thought.

“Dick, I love you.”

“I love you too, Wally.” The looked up to face each other, still keeping their bodies close. Wally was the first to lift his fingers and caress Dick’s cheek, and Dick leaned in. The kiss was soft and sweet and lit up a million sparks within them. They didn’t know how long they had waited for this but they had no intention of letting this moment go.

And after that, they lost count. They didn’t have to keep track anymore of how many “I love you’s” were exchanged or kisses were shared. They made a silent promise that night that there would be no end to them and that was enough. Love like that truly was forever.

#dc comics #batfam #birdflash #dick grayson fanfiction #wally west fluff #birdflash fluff #dick grayson fluff #wally west #batboys #dick grayson #the flash #slash fic #bruce wayne #batman #dc fluff #kidflash #robin #batman and robin #teen titans #new titans

[legxllyblxndc]

nancys party ( @foreverwednesday ) 

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Nancy, people are starting to arrive!" Iris shouted up the stairs to her friend. Since everything that had happened with Landon, she had been staying with Nancy and she was so grateful to not have to go home. The last thing that Iris wanted to do was to face her mother and Elias. She smiled, though, as she pulled open the door to see Jess in front of her. They had been on a couple of dates and while she though that he was nice enough, she knew that he didn't hold a torch to how she felt about Landon. She missed him. "Hey! Nice and prompt, I love it." She nodded. "It's pretty much tradition that you have a shot upon entry so.." She grabbed a couple of shots of tequila and held one out for Jess with a smile, "Drink up."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah knew that there was no getting out of going to his sisters party, even if he didn't particularly feel like going. He was getting pretty fed up of being around that group, if he was honest but there was so way that he could get out of it - at least not with Nancy and Mia. He smiled, though, when he saw the latter. "You look great." He chuckled before he reached down to kiss her quickly. "Lets get going. Nancy will kill me if we're late." He rolled his eyes. He was looking forward to seeing his sister, if he was completely honest. She was always so busy and he was busy at the club - they never really got to see one another recently.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Walking to Nancys party with her hand in Lydias was a better feeling than Penny could have hoped. She was just glad that the two of them got to spend time together, in public. They'd had to deal with a lot of shit recently so she was just glad that they got to spend time together and people didn't really care anymore. They got to be together without people knowing their every move. "So Tobias is going to propose?" Penny asked, raising an eyebrow. She loved gossip and this was probably the juiciest bit she'd heard in a while. "And I swear, I'm not gonna tell anyone. Not even Mia and Ivy."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin felt pretty nervous as he and Landon started to walk to the party. They were meeting Jane there and the idea of having his girlfriend in the same room as the girl that he was currently sleeping with was not fun. He still felt so insanely guilty about what had happened. He thought that Jane was such a sweet girl but he was in love with Nancy. He didn't think that, that was ever going to change. "so - How're you feeling?" Ben asked Landon. He wanted to make sure that he was there for his friend. He'd been spending more time with him since the wedding. He thought that Landon needed the support. They were new friends but that didn't meant that Landon didn't mean a lot to him.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias smiled as he moved to sit on the edge of Nancys bed, "You look gorgeous." He chuckled. He thought that it was pretty clear that Tobias was smitten with Nancy. It wasn't even that he found her attractive - though he definitely did - he thought that everything about her was incredible. He was pretty sure that she had no idea that he was planning on proposing - he already had a ring - and he was hoping that he would keep Nancy guessing for a little while longer. "You ready to go down?" He asked her, standing up.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If Ivy was anyone else, she might have thought twice about going to a party when she was four months pregnant but she didn't want to miss out. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean that she couldn't have a good time with her friends. She'd told the girls that she would meet them there, though. She had, had a scan that evening and had spent a bit of the afternoon with Arlo and it made sense for the two of them to go to the party together. She wasn't happy with him but she knew that she had to at least try - for their babies sake. "Okay, I'm ready. I swear." Ivy called as she moved down the stairs. She was only four months pregnant but she already felt huge. "Can we get a taxi though?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake hadn't seen many of the people at Nancys party for a little while but she was so excited to spend the night with Maeve. The two of them spent as much time as their busy schedules would allow. "I love that outfit!" She smiled, wrapping an arm around her best friend. She knew they'd be pretty early but that was how she liked it. She thought that they got the best scope of the party that way, anyway. "You wanna grab a drink?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Blake absolutely couldn't wait to get the night started. It was rare that she didn't have a show to be at.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess hadn't really known what to say when Iris had asked him if he wanted to come to Nancy's party; of course, it was everything he wanted. To see his family, his cousins and brother, up close... But it felt like it was all a bit too soon. He hadn't asked Iris out with the intention of getting close to his family; he hadn't even known that she'd known them until they'd already been on one date, she was just a pretty girl that he liked being around. He couldn't turn down the offer of getting to meet everybody, though. He laughed as Iris met him at the door, raising an eyebrow. "Told you I'd be here on time." He smirked, taking the shot with another laugh. "So this is the tone for the night, then? Looks like we'll be having fun." He grinned, knocking back the tequila without so much as a wince. "Am I the first one here?" He asked, starting to walk into the hotel.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Mia could tell that Noah wasn't really in the mood to be at a party, but she also didn't think they had much of an out - it was his sisters birthday, she'd made a huge deal of this party for the past month or so and she'd be gutted if they weren't there. She'd pretty much thrown herself into the move recently, trying to get everything ready on time for them to move in - and it had successfully taken her mind off everything with her mum, but she was exhausted too, as well as slightly sad she was on her last few days living with her best friends. She smiled in spite of herself at the compliment, kissing Noah back happily. "Thanks, it's one of the only things I haven't packed yet." She laughed, shaking her head. "Should I drive? I can leave the car there." She shrugged her shoulders.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Lydia hadn't thought she and Penny would get to this point anytime soon and she still didn't really know where they were, but she wasn't going to complain about it - she loved just getting to be around Penny, to spend time with her without having to try and keep it from the media. It was refreshing. She still wasn't totally sold on her brothers relationship with Nancy, but she knew he loved her and so she was going along with it. She raised an eyebrow at Penny's question, letting out a laugh. "You, keeping anything from those two? It's like you think I'm an idiot, Morley." She smirked, shaking her head. "It's not going to be tonight, if that's what you're asking. But there might be a ring and I might've been there to pick it out." She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. She just wanted Tobias to be happy, it's all she ever wanted for him.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Landon was any less nervous, he might've noticed how nervous Benjamin felt - but it was one of the first times he and Iris were going to be in the same room since their wedding and subsequent conversation and he was dreading it a little bit. He'd heard she was already seeing somebody else and it didn't feel good. "I am... Dreading it a little." He admitted with a quiet chuckle, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "It's going to be fine, it's going to be absolutely fine. Just maybe a little awkward." He sighed. He missed Iris; he missed her a lot, but he still wasn't over everything that had happened.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy turned around with a beaming smile as she heard her boyfriend, blowing him a kiss from where she was standing over by the mirror. She knew how lucky she was to have Tobias; she was more than lucky, she was positively gifted and she felt terrible about what she was doing to him... She just didn't know how to get herself out of this situation now. She loved being around Tobias, she loved the life they had together, she had the most fun, she could easily be with him forever and she knew that she did love him... But she was also in love with Benjamin. And that was a type of love that had never gone away. She had no idea that Tobias was planning on proposing to her, on making everything so serious. "Five minutes. I don't want to be the first one down at my own party." She giggled, shaking her head. She was fully ready, she just wanted to make the right entrance. She sprayed some more perfume, before she went over to sit with her boyfriend, wrapping her arms happily around his neck.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo hadn't known if Ivy would want to go to Nancy's party or not - not after everything that had happened, because it wasn't really like he or Iris had a choice about being there. He was her cousin and Iris was her best friend. He didn't know if Ivy would want to be around that, but he was glad she did. He was glad that she was starting to let him spend a little bit of time around her, because he really didn't want to miss anything at all... And that meant anything with her or the baby. "Take your time, I think you have the perfect excuse." He laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Hey - you look great." He smiled as she came down the stairs. How much he missed Ivy was written all over his face - he didn't think it was ever going to stop. "Yeah, I'll get us an Uber." He smiled. He'd do pretty much anything Ivy wanted him to now.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve had been tempted to decline the invitation to Nancy's birthday party when it had first arrived; she just wasn't sure how she felt about it. Over these last few months working with Tobias, her feelings for him had absolutely returned and even though she knew there was absolutely no chance of anything ever happening between them, she still felt slightly awkward about being at his girlfriends birthday party. Once she'd heard that Blake was going, though - she hadn't been able to turn it down. She missed her friend so much and it was the perfect opportunity for them to spend some time together. "Thank you! I figured everybody would be dressed up a little bit." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. Nancy always looked so nice, after all. "Absolutely I do. It looks great, doesn't it?" She smiled as she started to look around. She had known they would be the first there, but she always liked being a little bit early to these kinds of things.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: The last thing that Iris would want, was to be at the party alone. The thought of seeing Landon without having someone to occupy her was too much for her. She missed him so much. Iris knew that keeping what had happened with Arlo a secret was wrong but she hadn't wanted to risk what she and Landon had because of a kiss. She loved Landon. And she didn't know how much of a distraction Jess was going to provide but she was going to try her best. "You did. I didn't believe you though." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Iris nodded her head before she knocked back the shot - she didn't even wince. "Of course we are. You've not been to one of Nancys parties before but they're legendary." She chuckled. "You are. What happens when you're on time. Nancy will be waiting to make some grand entrance." Iris rolled her eyes fondly.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Being at parties like this was pretty tough for Noah but he was trying. He wanted to try. He wanted to be there for his little sister. He knew that she would never forgive him if he didn't turn up. The move was taking a bigger toll on him than he had really thought that it had but he was going to try. Everything was made harder with the fact that he couldn't have a drink, though. "Good job, then." He nodded. Although Noah was excited about the move, he was a little apprehensive. The idea of sharing his space with someone was a lot and he hoped that it would be easier than he was thinking that it would be. "Yeah, don't see why not. We're staying over at the hotel anyway, right?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Penny had no interest in labels with her and Lydia. She thought that, that was always when they landed themselves into trouble. She loved Lydia but the idea of the two of them properly getting into something and then it being ruined absolutely wasn't something that she wanted to think about. Penny had never had a particularly good reputation so she had let anything people said about her bounce right off of her. The thought of getting to wake up next to her every single day was absolutely something that Penny couldn't wait for. "I mean, you're probably right." She laughed, nodding her head. Penny had just tried to not think about the fact that she wasn't going to be living with her best friends soon. "Fucking hell, he's properly serious about it, then?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: While Benjamin didn't think that he was exactly in the best position - going to his ex girlfriends birthday - he thought that it was nothing compared to Landon. He couldn't imagine how his friend was feeling right now. He nodded, though, as Landon spoke. "If you need to leave, come find me and we can go and get a drink somewhere." He nodded. The last thing that he wanted, was for Landon to feel awkward. "She's seeing someone. I think he's gonna be there. Did you know?" Benjamin asked. The last thing that he wanted was to upset Landon but he thought that it was important for the other to know what it was that he was walking into. He didn't want Landon to get there and that be the first thing he heard about Iris and this new boy. Benjamin thought that it was far too early when she had been the one to hurt his friend but he wasn't going to say that.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias really couldn't believe his luck to have Nancy as his girlfriend. He really did love her. He thought that she was just the most perfect person and that she made him better, too. He was a more interesting person when he was with her. He knew that everyone who knew him expected him to be with someone like her. It was perfect and he had the most perfect proposal in place for her. He absolutely couldn't wait. The thought of her not wanting him to do it had barley even crossed his mind. He thought that the feeling was completely mutual. "Alright." He laughed, nodding his head before his hands moved to her hips and he pulled her a little closer to her, leaning down to kiss her quickly.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy didn't think that just because she was pregnant, she had to miss out on everything. Even if she was exhausted all of the time. She wanted to have fun. Ivy was never going to make Arlo miss out on anything with their baby. He was interested, he wanted to be there and she knew that he had just as much right to be there as she did. But that didn't mean that it was any easier being around him. She missed him. But it was difficult to be around him as much as she had to be right now. "Oh, I know." Ivy laughed, nodding her head. She shot him a quick, small smile at the compliment, "Thank you." She nodded. She sighed as she looked around the room - everything pretty much in boxes. "I can't believe we all move out soon."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: After spending so much time together at work, Blake loved that Nancy had invited her to her birthday party. Especially since she got to spend time with Maeve. Blake didn't think that she had ever had a friend that was as good as Maeve. She thought that the other girl was so sweet and that she would always be there for her if she needed someone. She was her very best friend. "Of course they will. Nancy is going to look amazing." She chuckled, nodding her head. She thought that Nancy was effortlessly gorgeous so when she out effort in, she was worlds above everyone else. "It's gorgeous." Blake smiled as she looked around the room, "Very nancy."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess wasn't an idiot, he knew why he'd been invited to this party but he also didn't really care - because it wasn't as though he had accepted the invitation for a totally innocent reason anyway. He laughed as Iris spoke, nodding his head. "Yeah well, teaches you to believe me next time." He shrugged his shoulders. He felt like he'd need a lot of alcohol tonight, if he was honest - it wasn't that he was awkward around new people, but he wasn't great with small talk and he knew he'd have to be careful not to give too much away. "If they're anything like you've described them to be so far then I'm in for a treat." He let out a snort of laughter, raising an eyebrow. Nancy seemed so different to how his brother and uncle seemed - from what he'd looked at online, so he had no idea what Noah was going to be like. "A grand entrance? Really? Even though we all know she's gonna be here?" He laughed.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Mia knew that things like this were never going to be easy for Noah and she just wished she could understand more, she wished there was a way she could make it all okay. She knew he wouldn't want to miss out on his sisters birthday, but it was hard to enjoy it when it was full of temptation. She got that. Mia thought the move was going to be a pretty big deal for the both of them; it was the first time either of them had lived with somebody that wasn't family (she counted Penny and Ivy as sisters) and it was going to be a lot of learning... But she thought they could do it. She loved him, so she would do whatever to make it work. "Yeah, exactly. Remind me to thank your sister for picking the most ridiculously fancy hotel ever, by the way." She laughed, shaking her head. She could only imagine how the party was going to be.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Lydia thought that what she and Penny had went deeper than just being girlfriends, than being partners... She thought that almost sounded futile, compared to the connection they had. The two of them knew what they were and that was good enough for her; Penny was her soulmate, Lydia was sure of it. She just hadn't said it aloud yet. "Whenever I tell you something, I just take it for granted that the other two will soon know it too." She laughed, rolling her eyes. She thought Penny's relationship with her best friends was something to be admired, though. "Oh yeah, he's all in." She raised an eyebrow. She just thought Tobias was moving a little quickly, but she also knew that she moved a hell of a lot slower than most other people - so she wasn't the best judge. "I just hope it all goes how he's hoping it will." She shrugged her shoulders. She would kill Nancy if she ever hurt her brother.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon smiled slightly, nodding his head. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan. I'll let you know." He really appreciated Benjamin; since Annie and Wren had moved out of the city, the two of them had gotten a lot closer and he was definitely glad to have the other by his side tonight. Jane, too - he knew they'd both look out for him. He couldn't help letting out a sigh as Benjamin brought up Iris's date and he nodded his head. "Yeah, she uh - let me know. Great timing, right?" He gave a sad little smile. He couldn't believe Iris felt ready to be seeing somebody, but he knew it wasn't really his business right now. "It's just something I'm gonna have to be okay with, really." He knew that and he absolutely wasn't the type to make a big deal.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy didn't know why Tobias wasn't enough for her; he was everything, he was absolutely perfect and the two of them together were perfect, too. They'd never even argued, not really and he was the most patient, supportive person she'd ever known. She just couldn't shake Benjamin and she knew she was a terrible person for it, but she couldn't. She smiled as Tobias pulled her in for a kiss, happily reciprocating, the smile still on her face. It was moments like this when she would tell herself that she wasn't going to see Ben again, it was done now - she was going to give absolutely everything to Tobias, like he deserved. But it never lasted very long.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo knew Ivy was never going to miss out on anything just because she was pregnant and he didn't think she needed to, either - he'd be there for her the minute she decided she was ready to go home, or sit down, or get something to drink. He was determined to prove to her how much he was going to be there, how much he wanted to make up for what had happened. He loved her so much. "You can get away with anything when you have a belly like that, just blame it all on him." He laughed. Finding out they were having a son had been one of the happiest days of Arlo's life, he was so excited. "I know. It's really weird to think of you guys not all living here..." He smiled sadly. "How's it feel?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve had been so happy for Blake when she'd gotten the news about Wicked; she didn't know a lot about musical theatre, but she knew enough to know that Wicked was a very big deal and she was always going to celebrate something like that for her friend. "She always does." She chuckled softly as Blake spoke about Nancy. She really didn't mean to sound bitter and she hoped she didn't; it was just difficult, watching history repeat itself. Watching Tobias choose Nancy again. She had no business to have feelings for him, she knew that - but it didn't mean they weren't there. "Yeah, very... Pink." She laughed. "So how does it feel, knowing you're going to see all of the old gang again?" She chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Are you glad Wren is busy?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris didn't know if it was fair to be seeing someone so soon after Landon and she absolutely didn't feel like she was completely ready for it - but she couldn't stand the idea of being on her own. The thought of seeing Landon with someone when she wasn't was absolutely not what she wanted. She loved him. She just had no idea how to make things better with him. "I guess that seeing is believing." She shrugged. Iris knew that coming to something like this could be pretty intimidating but she was going to do her best to make sure that Jess had a good time, no matter what. "You absolutely are." She laughed, nodding her head. Iris didn't really think that there were a pair of friends who were quite as different as she and Nancy. This was definitely not what Iris would have picked for her birthday. "That's why she'll be doing it. Gotta make sure she's the centre of attention."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: After finding out about Elias being his father, Noah had struggled with Ava and Jude and how to be with them - but that could not be the same with Nancy. She was his little sister, even if she was technically his cousin. And he was glad that no-one else seemed to try and argue with him when he said that. He loved Nancy. He would do absolutely anything for her. He thought that everyone knew that. Noah didn't know how he would deal with the embarrassment if things between he and Mia didn't work out after they had told everyone they were moving in with one another. They'd waited long enough for it now, after all. "Of course she fucking did. She has to have the flashiest things, doesn't she?" He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Fucking waste, if you ask me."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: To put words to what Penny and Lydia were now seemed ridiculous to her. She thought that it was pretty obvious that they were more than just girlfriends and she didn't see the point in telling everyone that, that was the case. She didn't see the point in putting it into words when Penny had no idea if she could even find the right words for how she felt for the other girl. "Oh yeah, of course." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Who knows. Might not even be the case when we're not living together." She felt so sad about not living with her best friends anymore and she thought that Mia was an idiot to move in with Noah but she was trying her best to be supportive. "I'm sure that it will." She shrugged.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin nodded his head, smiling as he glanced up to Landon, "Of course." He wasn't going to say to Landon but he thought that he would feel pretty relieved if they had to leave early. The less time that they had to be around Nancy and Tobias the better. He knew that, that probably sounded a little crazy, when he was literally going to Nancys birthday party but he thought that he had proven to himself that he couldn't be trusted around her. "Yeah, that's Iris though, isn't it? She's brilliant with her timing." He spoke sarcastically. He couldn't help but be a little annoyed at Iris. He thought that Landon deserved to be happy and for that to happen on his wedding day absolutely wasn't fair. "You don't have to be, though." He shrugged. "You're well in your right to be pissed off."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias had no idea that Nancy had doubts about the two of them. He thought that they were on the same page, that they were both ready to take the next step. He didn't know how he would really be able to cope if he knew that he was wrong, if she had been cheating on him. Although he hadn't really been able to realise it, Tobias had a lot of issues around cheating and trust. He had watched his mother be destroyed by his father because of everything that he had done. He didn't want to end up like that - and he absolutely didn't want to end up like his dad. He smiled as he pulled away from the kiss, "Shall we have something to drink then? Before we go down?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If it wasn't for the baby, Ivy didn't think that she would have much - if anything - to do with Arlo. She knew that him kissing something wasn't the biggest deal in the world but the fact that he kissed Iris and didn't tell her that he had kissed Iris was too much for her. She thought that it was just a lack of disrespect and she refused to be like her mum. She refused to keep forgiving a man that clearly wasn't going to be faithful to her. Ivy loved Arlo but it was just too hard. She couldn't do it. "Oh, I will. Don't you worry." She laughed. Her hands moved to rest on her belly with a small smile. She was so excited to meet their son now. She sighed as Arlo spoke and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't want to talk about it. I don't wanna ruin my makeup."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Even while she was auditioning, Blake never thought that she would have gotten Elphaba. It was such a dream role. And when she found out that Nancy was playing opposite her, she was so excited. She thought that the two of them would have so much fun and now that they had started, she was absolutely right. Blake had absolutely caught Maeve feeling some type of way about Nancy but she figured that her friend would tell her if she had an issue, if she wanted to tell her, then she would. "Again, isn't that just how Nancy is?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "It's gonna be weird. But i'm kind of excited." She nodded. She had no idea how it was going to be but she was looking forward to it. "Well, i'm certainly not sad about it." Blake laughed. She'd missed him, if she was honest. She missed having him around and having someone to talk about musicals that understood. But she was also happy that he had the life he had now, that he always seemed to want. "He's gonna be a dad now, isn't that crazy?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess laughed, nodding his head - although there was a sarcastic smile on his face. He felt almost guilty, being here with Iris when she had no idea why he'd even moved into the city - but he knew how crazy it would sound if he told her everything now and he really didn't feel ready to. Everything that was happening right now was a lot for him, it was almost too much. He just wanted to know his family, but Jess wasn't the type of person who could admit to that, who could admit to being hungry for love and care and everything else that came along with having a family. Everything else he'd never had. He had no idea that his dad was just as bad as his mum, if not worse. "How are the two of you friends again?" He laughed, raising an eyebrow. He didn't really get it, because Iris seemed so different to all of this. "Yeah?" He asked curiously. He didn't think she really sounded like his type of person, but he was still excited to see his cousin for the first time.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Mia hadn't even thought about what would happen if the two of them didn't work out, because she just planned for a future with Noah now - she was at a point where she couldn't really imagine her future without him, even though she knew people would say she was stupid for that. They had been together for three years, they were about to move in together. She was twenty five. She thought it was normal to start thinking about their future now. "Oh, of course. Must run in the family, you cost me a fortune." She grinned, nudging Noah teasingly as she moved past him to grab her car keys. She was clearly joking, she didn't think two siblings could be as different as Nancy and Noah. "Well, we'll see when we get there. I bet the Davenports won't even notice the cost leaving their bank account." She chuckled. She assumed that Tobias had contributed, anyway, from what Nancy had been saying.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: As soon as Penny had told her that the girls were moving out, Lydia had offered her a place in her apartment - and there'd always be a place for Penny, wherever she was, as far as Lydia was concerned. In her head, she didn't think it would be too long before the three girls were living together again, but she wasn't going to say that just yet. She was just happy to have Penny with her for a little while. "Oh, I'll get all the gossip then, is that right? Roommate privileges?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. She used roommates sarcastically, she found it funny that people were probably going to assume that was what they were when they first heard about their living arrangements. "Yeah... Me too." She muttered, although she wasn't quite so sure. "Alright, here we are. Lydia Davenport, here for Nancy Hayes' birthday party." She told the doorman of the hotel, raising an eyebrow as he let them walk straight past. Somebody else opened the door to the party for them and she laughed as she walked in. "So much fucking pink."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon was never going to stand and say bad things about Iris, even after what had happened between them - he just wasn't that sort of person and he still had a lot of love for her, despite everything that had gone down. He had a lot of anger towards her too, of course, but he just didn't want to think about that. He wasn't ready to deal with it yet. He sighed as Benjamin spoke about Iris's timing, but he gave no response. "No, there's no point. The only person I'm hurting if I let it piss me off is myself; it's not going to change anything, it's not going to make it any better." He shrugged his shoulders. If he let himself get angry that Iris was seeing somebody else, then he didn't think it would stop there. He'd have to face everything he'd been pushing down since the wedding. "I think this is us." He smiled, nodding to where he saw Penny and Lydia walking into the hotel. "Uh, Landon Knightingale? For the Hayes party?" He muttered, sighing with relief as the man let them in without asking anymore questions.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: The only people in the world that knew about what was happening were Benjamin and Iris and Nancy had no idea how long it could stay that way for; sooner or later it needed to stop and she knew that. She couldn't continue doing this to Tobias, one way or another a decision needed to be made. "Something to drink sounds perfect." She smiled, nodding her head. "I told Iris to text me when the majority of people are downstairs." She giggled, shrugging her shoulders. She knew that the people that loved her were all used to her ways now and would know exactly why she hadn't made an appearance yet. She didn't want to look like she was just hanging around, waiting for guests to arrive. "Have I said how handsome you look already tonight? Because you look - perfect." She laughed softly, shaking her head. She couldn't believe how gorgeous he was, sometimes.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo knew he'd messed up; these past few months it had really sunk in just how much he'd messed up by not telling Ivy the whole truth when he'd had the chance, but he didn't understand what he was supposed to do now to make any of it better. But it didn't feel right to him that they weren't together, that they weren't going to be together to raise their baby. They loved each other, he'd apologised - he was trying. What more could he do? He smiled sadly as Ivy spoke, nodding her head. "Banned topic for the rest of the night, then." He smiled, nodding his head. "Uber's outside - do you have everything you need?" He asked, looking around them. Pretty much everything was in boxes, it looked nothing like it usually did - the girls apartment had always been so homely and now it was so bare.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Even as an adult, Maeve didn't have very many people that she classed as her closest friends - but Blake was absolutely one of them and she was as happy for her achievements as she was about any of her own. She thought Blake was exceptionally talented and hard-working, too. It wasn't that Maeve had an issue with Nancy, because she absolutely didn't; it was just one of those things, something she couldn't help feeling just a little bit sad about. "How has it been, working with her?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow. She laughed as Blake spoke about Wren, nodding her head. "Nice answer. Very diplomatic." She chuckled. "Very crazy. And he's not the only one, there are a couple of people that are taking that step now. It feels insane to me." She laughed softly.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris had no idea that Jess was here because of the Hayes. And if she did, she would feel pretty used. It would be so much easier if he just told her sooner rather than later. Iris knew that she and Nancy were pretty much polar opposite but that was what made them work. They somehow understood the other so completely that anything they did just made sense to them - even if it was completely opposite to what the other would have done. "We've been friends for forever." Iris shrugged her shoulders. "Our mums are - well, they're basically fucking sisters. My mum is basically just another one of the Hayes so.." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh yeah. Of course. You'll see." Iris laughed as she nodded her head.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah tried not to think about things too seriously. Because every single time that he had his hopes pinned on something, it fell through. He loved Mia. He relied on Mia but he didn't like it. He thought that it was just going to end in disaster. He thought it was just going to land him in trouble. The more serious they got, the more scared he got but he was really trying to make Mia not think that, that was the case. Noah scoffed before he rolled his eyes, "I was plenty happy in my apartment. You're making me move. Who cost who money?" He asked, before he laughed, clearly joking. Noah nodded his head as Mia spoke again, "Of course not. I do not see what the fuck she sees in him." He rolled his eyes. Noah definitely didn't think that he and Tobias were ever really going to get along. He just thought the other boy was your typical posh boy.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Even if Lydia hadn't offered her to stay, Penny knew that she would find a place of her own but she thought that living with Lydia was going to be much more fun. She knew that the two of them argued like cat and dog but Penny thought that, that was half of the fun, if she was completely honest. They were never going to make things easy for one another. Penny laughed before she nodded her head, "Of course. Call it payment." She shrugged. Penny was sure that she, Mia and Ivy would still see each other all of the time and that was why she wasn't too sad that they weren't going to live together anymore. She knew that it wouldn't be long before they saw one another again. Penny could sense Lydias uncertainty and she found that pretty interesting. She wondered what it was that she wasn't sure about. Penny couldn't help but laugh as she stepped into the room, "Fucking hell..." She muttered, shaking her head a little. "Of course this is what Nancys wants for her party. How much is this costing your brother?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin was never going to make Landon do something that he didn't want to do but he couldn't understand why he wasn't just letting himself move on from Iris. He thought his friend deserved more than any of that. He didn't think that a woman who waiting until the day of her wedding to tell him that she had cheated on him, was good enough for him. But he knew better than to try and bad mouth Iris to Landon. "Yeah, I suppose so." Ben nodded his head. "Might make you feel a little better though." He chuckled. "Thanks." Ben spoke to the doorman before he pushed inside the hotel. He shook his head a little as he looked around the room, though. "If you had to guess, you knew that this would be what she'd want, wouldn't you?" He found himself already dying to see Nancy. He hated himself for it.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias had no idea that something was happening with Nancy - that she was cheating on him. He loved her. He thought that she was the most amazing person and he really did hope that the two of them could spend their life together. He didn't think that how he might feel for Maeve had to come in between that. He thought that he was just feeling old feelings, things that he had never quite been able to get over. "Sounds like a plan. It probably won't be that much longer." He shrugged before he got up and moved to the mini fridge. "Prosecco?" He asked her, not really waiting for her answer before he grabbed two glasses and poured the two of them a drink. He smiled, though, as he heard her compliment, "Well, I have to put some effort to look good enough to be by your side, don't I?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although she loved him, Ivy thought that she needed to stand her ground with this. Because she hated the fact that Arlo had done this to her, that he had lied. And she couldn't bring herself to be like her mum. The only thing that she knew, though, was that Arlo would be there for their son way more than her dad had been there for her. She didn't know how she would have raised a child if he was like Ashton. "Thank you." Ivy nodded, a small smile on her face as she looked to him. "Oh - perfect." She chuckled beginning to walk towards the door. "How amazing is this party going to be though? Nancy always knows how to throw a party!"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: For her entire life, Blake had put her career above anyone else - romantic or platonic. And so the fact that she and Maeve were still friends this many years later, seemed pretty amazing to her. She thought that they were both determined, both ambitious. They understood the other could be busy sometimes and she was glad of that. She liked having someone who understood her and her life a little more than other people. "Actually pretty fun." Blake chuckled, nodding her head. "She's so good so it's a breeze." She shrugged. Blake couldn't wait for people to see the show. "You know what people around here are like, never know whose listening in." She chuckled. "Oh god, yeah. Ivy and Arlo are having one too, right?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess didn't feel bad for what he was doing, not really - Iris was using him so that she wasn't there alone and he was using her to find a connection with his family. It was a mutual thing, to him; even though she didn't know about it. He couldn't help the interest in his expression as Iris mentioned the Hayes, although he tried to mask it as best he could. "So you know the whole family well, then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't believe how much of a coincidence it was that Iris was one of the first people he met in London and she had such a close connection with the Hayes, with his family. "Well, if I'm gonna be around this much pink for the entire night then I need a drink." He raised an eyebrow. "You want one?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Hey, I didn't make anybody move. You were the one complaining that it wasn't happening quickly enough." Mia laughed, rolling her eyes. She was joking, although she didn't really like the implication that it was something she'd forced Noah into; after Arlo and Ivy had broken up, she would've been happier sticking in the apartment at least until the baby was born, but Noah had been irritated at the idea of putting off the move again. "Aw, but you guys are gonna be brothers! Are you telling me you won't be doing any brotherly bonding?" She teased, pulling a sad face before she started to laugh again. She walked out to the car, throwing Noah the keys to lock the door and climbing into the drivers seat. "I can see what she sees in him, she just - I don't know. She and Ben always seemed a bit more natural." She shrugged.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Lydia knew that a life with Penny was never going to be boring and that was absolutely what she wanted; she loved every minute they got to spend together, each more entertaining than the last. "We've got ourselves a deal, then." She chuckled. She wasn't asking Penny for any rent, she didn't want to - the apartment had been bought for her, she didn't think there was any reason to be asking for any money. "It looks like Tinkerbell threw up everywhere." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't even want to think about it. He's an idiot." She laughed, looking around. She knew he was just in love, though - and she got that. She'd do anything for the ones she loved.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: It wasn't that Landon didn't want to move on, he was really trying to - but he didn't think that moving on necessarily meant being with somebody new right away. He needed to move past this all on his own, before he even thought about somebody else. Getting over what Iris had done to him was going to take a little while - his self worth was in the gutter right now. "Oh absolutely, I could've drawn a picture of this party before we'd even walked through the door and it would've been scarily accurate." He chuckled. "Do you speak to her much? To Nancy?" He asked. He thought it was nice that they were still on such good terms.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Benjamin wasn't in the picture, Nancy didn't think she'd doubt the relationship she had with Tobias for even a second - they could have everything together, the most perfect life and she really could see a future with him... But while she had these feelings for Benjamin, it was almost impossible to give Tobias everything he deserved. She couldn't throw herself into the relationship, whilst she loved somebody else. She nodded as Tobias suggested Prosecco, nodding her head. "Thank you." She smiled, taking the glass and lifting it to her mouth. "You could make absolutely zero effort and everybody in the room would still be looking at you." She smiled, shaking her head before she walked over and kissed his cheek gently. "Wanna make our way down?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: At first, Arlo hadn't really expected Ivy to completely break things off between them; they were in love, they were having a baby... He thought that came above everything else, but he was slowly starting to realise that he needed to accept that Ivy wasn't going to give in. She wasn't going to forgive him for this. And that really hurt. "Oh yeah, she definitely does. It's gonna be great. Open bar, too. So as many lemonades as you want." He laughed jokingly, nudging Ivy with his elbow. He opened the door to the car for her, climbing in after her.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Yeah? I bet that makes it ten times easier." Maeve chuckled. She couldn't imagine doing what Blake did, if you didn't get along with the other person - in her line of work, it was pretty easy to ignore the people you didn't get along with all that well, but she knew the same couldn't be said for Blake. "Yeah, you absolutely need to be careful." She laughed, although she was mostly joking; she didn't think anybody would repeat anything to Annie or Wren and even if they did, she thought it was normal to not want to be around your ex. "They are, yeah. And I don't think they'll be the last, honestly." She couldn't believe they were at an age where it was appropriate for people to start actually trying to have children now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Iris didn't think that she would ever admit it, she thought that she and Jess were just a small stepping stone. The first relationship - even though they were nowhere near that - after Landon was never going to be a big thing. She loved him and that wasn't going to go away any time soon. If there was even a chance that she could get back with him, she was going to do whatever she could to make it happen. "Oh, yeah. I was kind of dating Nancys cousin - Arlo? - for a little while but that was years ago." She shrugged. It still made Iris a little sad that she and Arlo had never really had a chance to be together - though she knew that she couldn't let anyone else know that. "Oh, absolutely." Iris laughed, nodding her head. Though her breath caught in her throat a little as she saw Landon coming into the room. She missed him so much. She smiled across at him before she turned back to Jess.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Yeah? Well sorry that I'm always gonna be your second choice." Noah chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. He was joking but he was almost certain that Mia wouldn't like it. Though he was sure that it was true. If there was a choice between him and Ivy and Penny, she was always going to pick her friends. He was certain of that one. Noah rolled his eyes, though, as Mia continued to talk about Tobias, "We're absolutely fucking not. I don't think he'll survive it, do you?" He asked her. The idea of having to spend too much time with Tobias was definitely not one he wanted to think about - especially since he was pretty sure that Nancy wasn't even totally sold on him. "Her and Ben? That's not going to happen again, though."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Penny thought that, that was the problem with most of the girls that she had dated before as that they were too unwilling to have the ups and downs. Though she knew that it was awful, Penny thought that the fights were exciting. She thought that they were fun, exhilarating and it added to everything that she had with the other girl. "Perfect." Penny laughed, nodding her head a little. She almost couldn't even believe that someone would want a party like this and Penny couldn't help but roll her eyes, "He's crazy." She chuckled, shaking her head. She found it pretty interesting that Lydia wouldn't call Tobias out about this , though. Because Penny absolutely would've said something to Wren about all of this now. When she had found about Annies diagnosis and the baby, she had checked in with him, made sure that he knew what he was getting himself in for. She thought that, that was what siblings were there for.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Benjamin knew that he would do whatever he could to make sure that Landon would be okay in the end. And seeing how much the other was hurting, only made him feel worse about what he was doing to Jane. He didn't know if his friend would forgive him if he heard about all of that. The only person that he had told, was Wren. And he wasn't even in town anymore. Benjamin really missed Wren. "Of course." Benjamin laughed, nodding his head. He felt a wave of guilt as Landon spoke but he quickly shook his head, "Not a lot, no. Not since I got back." He shrugged. "I'm glad she seems happy, though." And that was just another reason why Ben was trying his hardest to make things easier for Nancy. He didn't want to mess up her happy."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Because that was the thing, Tobias was so sure that he and Nancy were perfect. Not the fake kind of perfect that his mother and father had been but the true, proper kind of perfect. He really did think that they were supposed to be together. And he had no doubt in his mind that things between the two of them were going to be good. He couldn't wait to marry her, to get their life started. He just hoped that she felt the same way as him. "No problem." He smiled before he took a sip of his drink. "With you on my arm? For sure." Tobias nodded. He thought that she was gorgeous - anyone would be mad not to think that. "Lets get going." He smiled, holding out his hand to her.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy didn't think that anyone had really expected her to call things off with Arlo. She knew that they all expected her to be like her mum, to just forgive it. But she didn't think that there was a world where she could let that happen. She had seen what it had done to her mom, felt what it had done to her. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her child like that. "Oh wow, calm down. It's going to be a mad night. Might even spring for the full fat coke." Ivy laughed, shaking her head a little. Although she enjoyed a drink, she definitely wasn't going to be upset about not having one. She thought that she had a much more important job to do. "I can't wait to get there!"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Oh, for sure." Blake smiled, nodding her head, "The whole cast are a lot of fun so that's good. It would've been an absolutely nightmare if they were horrible." Although she hadn't really spoke to Nancy much when she used to hang out with that group, she was glad that she did now. She actually really liked the other. "Hence why i'm keeping quiet." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders a little. Blake shook her head a little as she looked around the room. "It's mad, isn't it? I don't feel old enough." She knew that she would want a child ... eventually. Right now was definitely not the time for it, though. She had too much to do before that. "Were you at the wedding? Iris and Landons?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess had never expected anything serious from this arrangement with Iris and he still didn't; he knew that she didn't either. If he thought either of them was under the impression that it was anything more than casual, he'd be calling it off right away. He wasn't ready for something serious, there was way too much going on in his life for him to commit to anything like that. He nodded as Iris spoke about dating one of the Hayes... His cousin. He couldn't help finding that a little weird. "So that's how you know them, then?" He asked curiously. "Thought as much." He laughed as Iris confirmed she wanted a drink, starting to head over to the bar. "What do you fancy?" They hadn't been out enough times for him to know what her usual order was, after all.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Oh, shut up." Mia laughed, shaking her head and leaning over to push the other gently. She didn't know if he really believed that, but it absolutely wasn't true - Noah was as much of a priority to her as the girls were now. She didn't think they could've been together for as long as they had been, have been through as much as they had been, if that wasn't going to be the case. "What, him becoming a part of your family? The stress will kill him off before he's thirty." She laughed loudly at just the thought of Tobias trying to make conversation with Noah or Jude. "Nah, I guess not. They're both with other people and everything. I just think they seemed more - I dunno, real, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders. She was glad they both seemed happy, though.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Lydia had always hated the idea of settling down, but now that Penny was in her life she was starting to realise that it was less having the same person around forever that she hated and more the idea of things becoming stale and boring. She knew they would never be with Penny. "He's something. That's for sure." She laughed. She'd absolutely spoken to Tobias, she'd asked again and again if he was sure about Nancy - but he was, so what more could she do? Lydia was always going to be there for her brother and he knew that. "I need a drink, ASAP." She laughed, holding out her hand to Penny as she started over to the bar. "I think I want wine. Do you want wine? I'll just get a bottle." She shrugged.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon nodded as he listened to Benjamin. "Yeah, that makes sense. I guess there really isn't much for you guys to speak about anymore, right?" He shrugged his shoulders. He wondered if that was how things would be between he and Iris one day; that they had nothing to speak about, that he wouldn't be constantly missing her. He noticed her as soon as they walked into the room and he cleared his throat slightly, giving her a little nod in greeting. He noticed, of course, the man standing next to her. He wondered where they'd met, how they'd gotten to this point so quickly - but he also knew he didn't really have any business to wonder that anymore. He was the one who had broken things off, after all. "Drinks are absolutely needed." He muttered to his friend, not waiting for a response before he walked over to the bar - a different one to the one that Iris and Jess were getting served at.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy had never been around perfect, not really - her own parents had been so in love and she thought they were, but their life had always had struggles. Mainly in the form of Elias, or her brother. She'd always seen them have very real struggles, having to work very hard. So this now, with Tobias... It seemed to her as though it was something she shouldn't pass up on, even if she knew it didn't feel quite right. Because everything really was perfect with him. "Let's go!" She repeated happily, sliding her hand into his and starting to make her way out of the room. She'd had a text from her best friend saying that the majority of people were there now; people from their group, old friends from school and uni, new friends from Wicked. She couldn't wait. It didn't take long to get to the party room and she walked in with a beaming smile, waving over to Iris before anybody else.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: It wasn't that Arlo thought Ivy was weak or anything like that, he just hadn't been able to see their relationship coming to an end because of one lie when they had so much going for them right now. He had been wrong, though and he was only just starting to process that. "Oh shit, you're really going all out here." He laughed, shaking his head. He didn't know how he'd feel if Ivy started seeing somebody else, not when he was still really hanging onto the hope of the two of them being able to fix things. "Not long now." He laughed, looking out of the window. He knew where the hotel was, he'd walked past it a few times and he thought Nancy would be putting on a hell of a party. "Here we go!" He laughed, pointing out of the window like a kid as they pulled up in front of the place.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You're lucky. In my case, it's the general public who are horrible and my entire job is dealing with them." Maeve chuckled, shaking her head. She was mostly joking, she did really love being a GP - she liked helping people, she liked being able to solve problems. But she couldn't deny getting a lot of abuse on almost a daily basis and it could take its toll sometimes. "I can't imagine having one right now." She shook her head. Maeve had no idea if she would have children or not... When she was younger, she had been adamant she wasn't going to. Being around them so much as she got older made her question that a little bit. "I -- yeah, I was. It was... Intense. I felt horrible for him." She sighed.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris didn't like to be alone - that was why she was with Jess not that long after she and Landon had broken up. But she knew that nothing that happened between the two of them would ever grow into anything serious. She didn't want it too. After she had freaked out when Landon had proposed, she knew that she couldn't handle that with someone else. But Iris so didn't want to be on her own. She had seen that with her mum and it had almost completely destroyed the older woman. "No. My mum and Ava have been friends for forever." She shrugged. She loved that she and Nancy had a friendship so similar to her mum and Ava. She thought that it was such an important friendship. "Hm - Vodka and orange juice, please." Iris smiled at the bar tender. She couldn't stop glancing over at Landon, though. She so badly wanted to talk to him but she knew that she had to give him space. She wondered if he would ever talk to her again, though.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah chuckled, shaking his head a little as he looked over at Mia. He wasn't used to people putting him first. He had never really thought that his parents had - and even less so now. He had known that he had never been Elias' first priority and he definitely wasn't Nancys. It was hard for him to believe that he would be Mias. She was his. But he didn't think that it would be reciprocated. "He's all about looking good, isn't he? So the first fight he sees the family have and he'll be out. I'm sure of that." He definitely thought that Nancy deserved better than Tobias, that was for sure. Noah nodded his head a little as Mia explained and he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think Ben could ever have handled Nancy for too long, though."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Penny knew that the reason why she hadn't made Lydia put any kind of label on what they were, was because she didn't want that. She thought that they were both aware of how much they meant to one another so why should they ruin it by putting some kind of name on things? It was too much pressure. They both knew that they were together. Nothing else mattered. "i guess we'll see what happens." She shrugged. Penny didn't understand how Tobias was so sure on everything with Nancy. She didn't think that they were suited for each other at all. She thought that it was all for show. "Absolutely. Wine is a must."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin nodded his head a little, "Yeah, exactly. We've both moved on with our lives, you know? They don't involve each other anymore." He hated lying. It made his stomach feel like it was tying itself in knots but he didn't think that there was really much he could do about it. He couldn't tell Landon that he had slept with Nancy multiple times while he was still with Jane. He couldn't tell anyone. It was starting to make him feel sick, though. He really didn't want to hurt anyone but it seemed inevitable now. "Oh, alright." Ben chuckled as he followed after Landon. He couldn't blame him. He and Nancy hadn't ended as badly as Landon and Iris had and he felt awkward about being there while she was with Tobias. He couldn't imagine how Landon was feeling right now. "What do you fancy? What's the aim? Drunk or just pleasantly tipsy?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: That had always been the aim for Tobias - perfection. It was everything that his parents had told him that he needed to be. He couldn't let anyone see him as anything less than perfect. And he had no idea how damaging that could be sometimes. But he didn't think that he needed to think about that anymore. Because he had it with Nancy. She was perfect, they were perfect, what more could they want? Tobias chuckled before he followed after her. He was happy because she was happy and he loved when she got to be the centre of attention. "This place looks amazing, Nance." He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: When Ivy had first heard about Arlo kissing someone else, she was more than willing to forgive him but then she'd found out that he had lied. She just couldn't wrap her head around it. She didn't know why he hadn't just told her. Ivy loved him but she definitely didn't think that it was enough. She didn't know if she could trust him anymore. "Oh, I absolutely am." She laughed, nodding her head. Just because things weren't great with her and Arlo right now, didn't mean that she thought that things had to be hard between them. She wanted them to get along - they had a child to raise together, after all. "Wow!" Ivy laughed as she looked up at the hotel, "That place looks incredible." She muttered as she climbed out of the car.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Yeah, I do not envy you at all." Blake laughed, shaking her head a little. She thought that Maeve was pretty incredible, though. Looking after the general public was pretty amazing, she thought. "People are bloody lucky that you're their doctor though, that's for sure." She laughed. She definitely didn't think that she would have the patience to deal with all of that, anyway. "God, no. I honestly would rater die right now. Annie was always going to do things pretty early though, wasn't she?" She commented, raising an eyebrow. It had been years but Blake absolutely missed spending time with Wren. He had been her most serious boyfriend even to this date. "Yeah, I bet. That's horrible for him."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess had no problem being alone, he'd been alone for most of his life - but he'd met Iris and they'd gotten along well, so he hadn't seen any reason to turn her down. Especially when he'd found out who her closest friends were. "That's pretty nice, then - considering you and Nancy are so close." He nodded. He'd read a couple of articles about Ava too, mostly about babies she'd delivered but there were a couple referencing her as Jude's girlfriend when he'd been young and into football. "Got it." He nodded, turning back to the bar and ordering both of them a drink. This wasn't his type of place at all, so he definitely needed a little bit of a buzz to get through the night. Jess never liked to lose control though, not really - not after growing up seeing his mum do it every single day.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Mia knew Noah had a hard time believing that anybody would put him first, but she was never going to stop showing him that she did. She just hoped one day it would sink in; she knew she was never going to give up on him, even if things got hard again. "Honestly, knowing your family I can't believe they've lasted this long without him seeing a fight." She laughed. She'd seen enough over the past few years, after all. "You never know, he might be stronger than we think he is." She smiled; she liked Tobias, she just didn't think this would be very long term. "Fair enough. You know her better than I do, after all." She laughed. She had honestly really liked Nancy and Ben together; he had been there for her through everything with the baby and the subsequent adoption, after all.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Lydia just laughed when people asked her to define what she and Penny were; because she thought everybody knew how much the two of them cared about each other, why did it need to be labelled beyond that? "This is why I keep you around." She laughed, wrapping one arm around Penny's waist as she used the other arm to signal the bartender's attention. "Can I get a bottle of your nicest red, please? And don't put it on the tab, I'll just pay for it now." She shrugged her shoulders. She never liked getting things on an open bar, she found it tacky - but she wasn't going to say anything. "There they are, the happy couple." She laughed, giving her brother a little wave. She was sure they'd find time to talk later on.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon smiled softly, nodding his head. "Yeah, it's a nice way to think about things though. I think too many people stay involved in peoples lives when they don't need to and that's where the problems start." He shrugged his shoulders. He never wanted to cause any problems for Iris, no matter what had happened between them. It didn't make any sense to him. "Oh, the aim is absolutely drunk." He chuckled, nodding his head. It was unlike him and he knew his version of drunk would probably still be pretty tame compared to some of the others, but he definitely wanted to be drunk tonight. He thought it would help him cope a little bit better.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jane had been running a little bit late to the party, that was why she'd told Benjamin and Landon that she'd meet them there. If she was totally honest, she didn't know if she really wanted to go and she wasn't sure why Nancy had invited her. She was absolutely the type of person who wanted to get along with her boyfriends exes, but it seemed clear to her that Nancy wasn't - and she'd felt nothing but uncomfortable in the other girls presence. She didn't want to be rude by turning down the invitation, though. She rushed into the room, spotting Ben and Landon pretty much right away and hurrying over. "Hey! Sorry I'm late, did I miss much?" She smiled.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy let out an excited squeal as she saw everything, the decorations and the people - it was everything she'd planned and it all looked perfect. "It looks so good, doesn't it?!" She laughed looking up to Tobias happily. It was everything she'd wanted it to be. She wrapped an arm around Tobias's waist happily, leaning up to kiss him. "Who should we speak to first, hm?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo didn't know how he was going to move on with his life when he was just waiting around for Ivy to forgive him, but he also knew he couldn't focus on that right now - he had to focus on the baby, on the fact that he was becoming a dad, because that was way more important than anything that had ever happened to him before. He was just glad that he and Ivy could at least get along, because he hated the idea of the baby having parents who were at odds with each other. "Oh fucking hell, Nancy..." He laughed as they walked into the room, shaking his head with an amused smile. It looked incredible, there was no denying that - but it was so over the top. "Oh my god, the food looks amazing. You think we can eat right away?" He grinned excitedly, looking over to the table of food.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I'm glad you think so." Maeve chuckled. It was easy to feel separated from everybody else when she did the job she did, because there wasn't a lot of time for socialising or meeting people - it was why she was glad she still got invited to things like this, that she worked at the college every now and then so that she could still catch up. "Yeah, I suppose she was. I have no idea how she'll handle a baby as well as nursing, she must have superpowers." She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "And I suppose Wren will have to put things on hold for a bit?" She mused aloud. She didn't think being a father left much time for performing, for acting. "It wasn't nice. At all." She sighed. "And now she's here with somebody else, so that's got to hurt."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If she and Jess had met at any other time, then Iris thought that something might be able to happen between her and Jess. She liked him, they had fun together. But she just wasn't in a place where she could give herself to someone else. She couldn't risk getting hurt again - even though she knew that all of this was completely her making. "Yeah, it's great. We get invited to all the family events. They're always fun." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She couldn't help but laugh as she saw Arlo making a bee line for the food, though. "Thank you." Iris smiled, nodding her head a little. There was no way that she wanted to be totally sober tonight. She had never let herself get too out of control, though.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah didn't think that he would ever really believe that Mia was to put him first. He thought that it was pretty common for the Hayes men to think of them as second, always. He couldn't quite understand why anyone would put him first, in anything. "It's not like he's been to many family events. But i'm sure that it won't be long before he's witness to it. And you know that my granddad would rip into him when that time comes." He laughed. Noah loved his granddad, even after everything. But he knew full well that he would not like Tobias. "If he's anything like Lydia, he definitely will be." He nodded. Noah had such respect for Lydia. He would never say it but he thought that she was pretty incredible.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Sometimes, Penny thought that people relied too heavily on labels. She didn't think that they really mattered. Why was it so important? She just thought that a lot of it laid in insecurity and distrust. She trusted Lydia more than she trusted anyone in the world." Yeah, I'm sure that, that's the only reason why you keep my around." She laughed as she wrapped an arm around Lydia, a smile on her face. Penny smiled as she looked over at Nancy and Tobias, "God, they're sickeningly good looking, aren't they?" She rolled her eyes. She thought that Nancy and Tobias looked incredible together.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin nodded his head a little as Landon spoke and he figured that his friend was talking more about him and Iris, than he and Nancy. "I guess. But sometimes I think people give up a little too easily." He sighed. Because he absolutely thought that, that was what he had done with Nancy. He had given up. He had let her go and he was still kicking himself because of it. "Alright then. I guess shots are on the table?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Before his attention was taken almost completely by Nancy coming down the stairs. She never failed to take his breath away. He barely even noticed Jane coming through the door until she was right there. He turned to her, shaking his head, "No. No. You didn't miss anything. Are you okay?" He smiled, "You look lovely."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias couldn't help but smile as he saw the look on Nancys face. He liked making her happy. He liked seeing that smile. Tobias didn't think that he had ever really gotten as excited over something like Nancy did with this so he thought that it was really sweet. "So good." He laughed, nodding his head as he pulled her into him a little bit. "I'm glad that you love it." He would have spent any amount of money if it meant that Nancy was happy. "That's up to you. It's your birthday. Who do you want to talk too?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy didn't want Arlo to wait around for her because she didn't think that she would ever be ready for anything between the two of them again. She loved him and she missed what the two of them had but it just felt so broken. And she knew that Iris would always be in his life - she'd never expect otherwise - but Ivy didn't know if she would be able to trust the two of them together anymore. They were always being pulled back together again, what if something happened and she was the idiot that had forgiven him? "Isn't it amazing?" She laughed, shaking her head. She didn't think that she had seen anything as fancy as this before. "I mean, I can't see why not. If anyone complains, we'll blame the fact I'm eating for two." She laughed before she grabbed one of the plates - she was starving.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Of course I do." Blake smiled, nodding her head. She wondered how Maeve was really coping with it all but she knew that now was not the time to talk about that. They were supposed to be having fun, after all. Blake almost thought she was missing out with everyone working at the college but Wicked was taking up so much of her time, she didn't think she'd be able to do that as well. "She always was a bit of a super woman, though, wasn't she? She helped raise her siblings." Blake laughed, rolling her eyes. She didn't hold any bad feelings towards Annie but she couldn't help but be a little bitter at how well she seemed to juggled everything, "I mean, I haven't spoke to him in a while but I heard he moved out of the city so... yeah. I can't imagine it'll be easy for him." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know how she can do that. Not when it's Landon whose hurting, you know?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess was dying to ask more questions about the Hayes, he wanted to know everything there was to know but he also knew how weird that sounded - he needed to hold it in, he would find out things at the right time. He hoped he would, anyway. He'd kind of hoped his brother would be at this party; it was their cousins birthday after all, but he didn't seem to be around anywhere. "Must be nice, having a second family you can go to." He smiled, raising an eyebrow. He didn't even have one, so he was always going to be envious of people that got to live that kind of a life. He grabbed his drink and handed Iris hers, turning to look at who Iris seemed to be laughing at.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: When Mia looked back on their relationship, it felt crazy to her that things had started between them when they were nineteen years old - a full six years had passed since then and yes they'd had their ups and downs, their time apart, but she'd always loved him. She was always going to. "Do you even understand how much money I would pay to see your granddad's reaction to Tobias?" She laughed loudly, shaking her head. She could only imagine how much Freddie would dislike him. "I think Lydia definitely got the balls in that set of twins, didn't she?" She smiled. She really liked Lydia, she loved seeing her and Penny together. "Can you believe her and Penny are gonna be living together? That apartment will be burned down within a week." She laughed, pulling into the hotel carpark. "We're really fucking late." She laughed, pulling a face.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Lydia knew a lot of people who put labels on their relationships but still cheated, still fought, still broke up - so she didn't really see why it made much of a difference, in the end. She knew she wanted to get married one day and that was pretty much the only label she was interested in. She didn't see the point in the rest of it, not really. Not for her, anyway. "It's one of them, anyway." She laughed, raising an eyebrow. She thought she could probably write a novel of all the reasons she wanted Penny around her. She laughed as the other did, nodding her head. "Oh yeah, makes me angry. Nobody should look as good as they do. They're like Barbie and Ken, only better." She chuckled. Love them or hate them, Lydia didn't think anybody could deny just how good Nancy and Tobias looked together. It was insane.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon thought it was pretty interesting that Benjamin would say something like that; he wondered if that was how his friend thought, that he'd given up too easily when it came to Nancy... It wasn't really something he could ask though, not when Jane had just arrived anyway. "Shots are absolutely on the table." He smiled. The others reaction to Nancy wasn't lost in him and he couldn't help feeling a little bit bad for Jane - he gave the girl a smile in greeting, before he turned to the bar. He ordered their drinks and some shots, trying his hardest not to continue turning to look at Iris at every single opportunity he got. He missed her so much, it was even more difficult being around her than he'd imagined it would be.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jane couldn't help noticing how distracted Benjamin seemed to be and without even looking, she already knew who he'd be looking at - it dawned on her that it really shouldn't be that way, she shouldn't be resigned to the fact that he was going to be staring at his ex-girlfriend like she was the best thing he'd ever seen. She still gave him a smile though, nodding her head. 'Yeah, I'm okay - just a little rushed. Finished late." She smiled. "How are you guys, are you having a good night?" Landon had been at their apartment a couple of times since the wedding and she really felt for him. "Oh, thank you. The place looks great. And so does Nancy, right?" She smiled, nodding over to the girl. She almost couldn't help it. She just wanted to see.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy couldn't keep the smile off her face, she loved her birthday and she loved throwing parties - the fact that she got to do it and have so many people that she loved around her was just perfect to her. "I really do. I love it so much." She giggled, shaking her head in disbelief at how perfectly it had all been pulled off. "Hm... " She looked around the room, trying to find who she wanted to see the most. "My brother isn't here?" She questioned sadly, pouting a little bit as she looked. She'd really wanted to see Noah tonight, she hoped he was just running late. "Let's go and see Iris." She smiled, leaning up to kiss her boyfriend one last time before she took his hand and lead the way over. She didn't care if people thought she was sappy - it was her birthday and she thought she could pretty much do what she wanted.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo had really tried his hardest to prove to Ivy that he wanted her and only her, that he'd been an idiot to lie but it had only been because he hadn't wanted to cause more upset than he needed to, not because anything at all was going on between he and Iris. "It's fucking crazy. But pretty cool too." He laughed, nodding his head. "I love using that excuse, there's just literally nothing that people can say back. And we can say I'm trying to get a sympathy belly." He laughed loudly, before he picked up a plate and started trying to pile food onto it. "Look at these!" He laughed, holding up a particularly good looking hors d'oeuvre and throwing it into his mouth.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "She's going to be a brilliant mum." Maeve smiled, although she didn't necessarily think that she believed the raising her siblings narrative - she thought Minnie and Milo would've been excellent parents, they'd always seemed that way to her. "When was the last time the two of you spoke?" She asked curiously. She thought Blake and Wren had done well to have an amicable breakup after everything that had happened there, she'd always admired them both for that. "I know... I get it, I understand wanting to move on, but - it must be horrible for him." She sighed. She could almost see the pain that Landon was feeling and she wished she could take it from him.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: So far Iris hadn't noticed anything wrong with what Jess was asking her. She thought that it was just common curiosity. She would be the same if she didn't know everyone, probably even more so. She thought it would be pretty difficult to join a group like this when you knew no-one around. She didn't know if there was much point in him getting to know many people around them, though. She didn't know how long he would be around for, after all. "Yeah, it is. It's not like my mum is much of one." She shrugged. If Iris needed someone, Ava was always her first port of call, especially nowadays. Bridie was in no way capable of offering any kind of advice. "That's Arlo." She nodded over to him.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah had never had such a serious relationship as the one that he had with Mia. He loved her. And the relationship that the two of them had was one of the most important relationships - especially after everything with Elias. She had helped him through everything that he could have possibly asked from her. He loved her so much but he still didn't really think that she was going to be a permanent thing. He couldn't. It would be too good, he thought. "Yeah, that's gonna be a lot of fun." He laughed, nodding his head. Noah knew that his grandfather was not going to be happy about Tobias potentially joining the family. "Oh yeah, one of them is definitely gonna set the place on fire." He chuckled. He sighed as they got out the car, "Yeah, Nancys gonna be real happy about that."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Like Lydia, Penny wanted to be married one day but until that point, she didn't see the point in worrying about it. She was almost certain that it would happen - when the time was right. It would just take a little bit of time to get there. She knew that she definitely didn't want to settle down any time soon, anyway. She absolutely was not thinking about marriage. "I thought so. I know it's not the only one." She laughed, nodding her head a little. Penny knew, deep in her heart, that she and Lydia were going to end up together, it was just a matter of time. "That's exactly it. It genuinely makes me feel sick." Penny laughed, shaking her head a little.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin was just glad that Landon didn't pull him up on what he had said because he didn't know how he would explain how he felt - especially with Jane there. He knew that she deserved better and he wanted to give her that but it seemed pretty impossible to him now. "This is what we like to hear." Ben laughed, nodding his head a little. He was sure that the three of them were going to have so much fun now. "Yeah, we're having a good night. Going to order some shots of you want to join us?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled as he glanced from Jane to Nancy and back again, "Yeah, of course." He muttered, nodding his head a little. It felt like a test and he didn't like that. Though even the slightest mention of Nancy made his stomach turn when he was with Jane.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Tobias loved a good party, his birthday was never something that he had ever particularly enjoyed. He just thought that it was all a little bit sad. He usually let Lydia take the reigns with it all - pros of being a twin. "Good." He chuckled, nodding his head. He raised an eyebrow as she mentioned Noah and looked around the room. He couldn't help but sigh a little as he realised that she was right, that Noah wasn't there yet. "I'm sure he'll be here soon." He nodded. He wouldn't be very happy if he wasn't, though. He thought that nancy deserved more than that. "Alright then." He chuckled, happily returning her kiss before he followed her over to her friend.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy knew, deep in her heart, that if it wasn't for her mother always taking her father back, then she might have already forgiven Arlo. But she couldn't be her mother. She couldn't let someone keep walking all over her. No matter how much she missed Arlo. She wished that it could be simpler but it was so hard. "I would expect nothing less from Nancy, you know?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Exactly. What fun is being pregnant if I don't have someone to be fat with?" She smiled at him. She was joking, though. Ivy was actually pretty excited to have a massive baby bump. "Remind me never to take you to a fancy place. "She laughed, shaking her head.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Oh yeah, there's absolutely no doubt." Blake laughed, nodding her head. She thought that it was obvious that Annie and Wren were going to be the most amazing parents. She almost wished that she could be around the two of them to see it more. Blake shrugged her shoulders, "We don't really speak much. We worked together a few years ago - in Romeo and Juliet - but I think that was the last time we properly had a decent conversation, you know?" She had loved working with Wren and she was a little disappointed that he would put his career on hold now. "But you could at least wait until the one with the broken heart started to move on, no?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. She thought that Iris was being a little harsh.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess didn't want to come across as weird or intrusive, he didn't want to ruin any chances he had of getting to know his family. Because really, that was all he wanted. He just wanted to see them, to be around them, to know what they were like. He didn't even know if he was going to tell them who he was yet. What if they didn't want him? He'd never dealt well with rejection, he'd always just taken to assuming that people didn't want him around. "You don't have grandparents on your mums side?" He asked curiously. That sounded a lot like him, left with just a mum who wasn't really much of a family at all and no grandparents that he could trace. His eyes widened ever so slightly as Iris pointed out Arlo - that was his cousin, the first member of his family he'd seen in real life. "The one stuffing his face with the buffet?" He laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Is that his girlfriend?" He nodded to the pregnant girl next to him.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Mia had even a hint that Noah didn't think they were going to be forever, she'd be pretty upset - more than that, in fact. Because she saw their future together now, that was what she planned for, what she thought about. She had no idea he didn't see that. "Make sure I'm there with the introductions happen, please?" She laughed. They'd come a long way from the days of her being told she wasn't welcome in the Hayes house anymore, she couldn't feel more welcome there now - even Freddie didn't have anything to say. "I think they want us to go round for a bit of a housewarming at some point, so we're in for a treat." She laughed. She couldn't wait to see where they were living, though - she liked that Lydia and Noah got on, she thought it was pretty convenient when Penny was one of her best friends. "Well, we come bearing gifts, so she can't be mad at us for too long." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders as she climbed out of the car and grabbed their stuff.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Like Penny, Lydia knew that the two of them were going to end up together - there was nobody else for either of them, she was almost certain of that. They were soulmates, twin flames, people that absolutely belonged together and Lydia had accepted that now. She just wasn't thinking about settling down or getting married for a long time yet. She was happy just waking up next to Penny every morning, that was enough for now. "I mean, I still think we could give them a run for their money - if we really tried." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders before she took a sip of her wine. She thought she and Penny looked undeniably brilliant next to each other, too.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Jane hadn't arrived right at that very moment, Landon thought he might've gone a little bit deeper into what Benjamin had said - because it was definitely something he found curious. It was something he would've discussed with Iris if they were still together and that thought gave him another little burst of sadness. He raised an eyebrow as Jane spoke; it seemed to Landon like she was questioning her boyfriend, testing him a little bit and he wondered if that was because she'd seen the same thing he thought he might've seen just before.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I absolutely want to join!" Jane laughed, nodding her head. She wasn't sure how she felt about Benjamin's reaction, though... She knew she was being paranoid, she was being somebody she'd never wanted to be and she absolutely hated it. But she also couldn't get rid of the niggling feeling that something really wasn't right in their relationship. It broke her heart to think like that, because she had moved across the country for Ben - she had followed him back to London, found a job here, given up a hell of a lot to be with him. And yet still, if he still had feelings for Nancy, she would rather just know. She knew she should just be a big girl and ask, but she didn't know if she was ready for how much the answer would hurt.

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LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy had always made the biggest deal of her birthday, right from being a little kid - her parents had always let her have huge birthday parties with everybody invited. In fact, she knew how much her mum and grandmothers had loved planning them and getting everything perfect. She'd always wanted her birthday parties to be better than Arlo's. "I hope so." She sighed, nodding her head. She would always worry about her brother, even when he was seemingly doing okay. She was excited for his moving in with Mia, but she also knew he didn't cope all that well with change and she just hoped he was going to be okay. She smiled as they got closer to Iris, throwing her arms around her best friend. "Hi!" She laughed, kissing her on the cheek before she pulled away. "Isn't it amazing?! It's all perfect!" She beamed. "And this must be Jess? It's really nice to meet you, I'm Nancy." She smiled, taking in the other. He seemed almost familiar to her, but she wasn't sure why.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo really couldn't understand why what he'd done was bad enough for Ivy to throw away everything they'd had together; because they had been so in love, they were pretty much perfect together. He didn't think either of them laughed as much when they were apart. And yes, he'd told a lie. He'd been stupid. But he didn't think it was enough to throw away an otherwise perfect relationship. Not when he'd told her about the actual kiss pretty much instantly. He laughed, nodding his head. "Exactly." He grinned. "Hey, you can take me anywhere you want." He chuckled, winking over at Ivy before he put some more food on his plate. He couldn't help wanting to act like things were normal between them.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Even now, the main reason Maeve had no idea whether she'd end up being a mother or not was because she was afraid she'd be like her own. Because Rosie wasn't a bad mother, in Maeve's eyes; she'd never gone without, she'd had everything she'd ever wanted and a roof over her head, food on the table. She'd had the best education, she'd had nannies and new clothes, everything else. But she'd never been around. She'd never had love or care or even companionship, not really. Maeve never ever wanted to make another child feel like that. "Of course! I remember seeing it." She smiled. She always tried to see Blake in whatever she was starring in. "You'd think that would be the polite way about it all, wouldn't you?" She raised an eyebrow.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I do. I have my granddad. My nana died years ago. My mum was younger than we are now." Iris sighed. she wished that she had met her mum before Annabelle died. She had heard that she was such a different woman back then. While Iris adored Gabe, she had never really felt all that close to him. She knew it was because her mum had pulled herself away from him as she had gotten older, though. And the grandparents on her dads side didn't even know her. She thought that it must be weird for them to suddenly have a new, twenty year old grandchild. "Yeah, that's him." She laughed, nodding her head. She smiled, though, as she heard Nancy and turned to her, "Hey gorgeous!" She beamed, reached across to hug Nancy quickly. "It's definitely perfect for you." She laughed, nodding her head a little. That was the best that she could do. She smiled up at Jess before she looked to Nancy, "yeah, this is him."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah didn't really think that anything was going to be for forever. He thought that things were always going to end in disaster and it was just a matter of time. He thought that, that was why he had messed up so badly in the past. He had destroyed the thing he had before it could destroy him. He couldn't help himself. "I'll try my best." He laughed, nodding his head. He wondered if his granddad would actually be that bad about Tobias but it seemed pretty obvious that he would be. They were not going to be compatible people. "And Lydias place is gonna be about ten times ours, isn't it?" He sighed, raising an eyebrow. Noah didn't understand why some people could have so much and he would have nothing. "Not at you. It's always me who is the bad guy, isn't it?" He chuckled, rolling his eyes a little.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: The idea of Lydia settling down with anyone that wasn't her, absolutely made her feel sick. Penny loved Lydia, she thought that they belonged together. And she hoped that she was right. She wasn't sure what she would do if she wasn't. The idea that they wouldn't spend their life together had never even entered Pennys mind. She chuckled as Lydia spoke and nodded her head, "Of course we can." She nodded. "Look at us." She thought that she and Lydia looked pretty incredible together. "I think it's the Davenport genes though. There's some insane genes there."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Alright, perfect." He chuckled, nodding his head before he turned to the bar and asked for a mix tray of shots for the three of them. If he was honest, he was just looking forward to having something to give him a minute away from the others. He had no idea how to get his head wrapped around any of his feelings. Jane was his girlfriend. They were living together. He wished that he could feel more for her than he does right now. "You alright?" He asked landon. He was absolutely going to be checking in with Landon through the night. He wanted to make sure that his friend had someone to rely on.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Tobias didn't really understand it, he knew that Nancy was always worried about her big brother and he didn't think that he could really blame her. He just thought that Noah was a grown up and that he should be able to look after himself. He didn't understand why he had to make everyone around him feel like they couldn't trust him to look after himself. Tobias smiled as he followed after Nancy. "Hey." He spoke, nodding his head at Iris before he turned to Jess. He held out his hand, "Hi. I'm Tobias. I hope Iris is making sure that you're feeling comfortable here?" He raised an eyebriow.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If the kiss had been with anyone else, then Ivy would have been able to forgive him without a second thought. But it was the fact that it was Iris. There was history there. And she had no idea how he could tell her that it meant nothing when that history was there. She almost wished that the two of them would just be together and get it over with and then she and Arlo could have their day. She didn't know if that would ever happen, though And she didn't know how she would feel if it did. "i'm sure." She smiled, nodding her head. "Hey, I'm just going to check in on Landon. Are you good to make yourself occupied?" She asked him. Ivy had grown up around Landon and while they had never been that close, they had certainly gotten closer since everything had happened.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake knew that she would only become a mother if it fit into her career. If she was to be a mum, she knew that it wouldn't be until her mid to late thirties. She had too much to do before then. All she knew, though, was that she would never be like her own. Maggie was the definition of a helicopter parent. Blake could barely breath without her mum having an opinion on it. She knew that she would never do that to her own children. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun." Blake smiled, nodding her head a little. She would always do things which pushed her and that was definitely one of those. "But then, I wouldn't have told him I kissed someone else at the wedding."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess nodded; even that was something he wished he had. Just one grandparent, somebody there who could've helped with everything over the years. He was about to respond, to ask more questions about the grandfather in question - but Nancy was over there before he could and he found himself almost a little tongue tied in the presence of a family member he'd never met, who had no idea who he was. "Yeah, that's - I'm Jess." He muttered, nodding his head. He didn't know if he was supposed to shake her hand or anything like that, so he was glad when her boyfriend addressed him directly. He shook Tobias's hand, nodding his head. "Jess. Nice to meet you." He tried not to seem as awkward as he felt. "Yeah, she's doing a good job. Plenty of booze." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't even a huge drinker, it just seemed like something that they would all have common ground with if he said that.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Although Nancy and Iris had lost touch a little bit just a while ago, Nancy didn't think she'd ever felt closer to her best friend than she did right now. Things were exactly as they should be, they knew absolutely everything about each other once again and she just loved that. "That means you hate it, but I'll take that." She giggled, shaking her head as she looked over at the other girl. There was no denying how extremely different their tastes were, they were almost nothing alike, but she thought that was part of why they got along so well. "He's quiet?" She whispered to Iris, nodding over to Jess as he spoke with Tobias. She thought he seemed exactly Iris's type though, a little mysterious.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Mia had no idea how Noah was thinking, but she knew enough to realise that he wasn't used to the idea of good things sticking around him and she was determined to show him that he was wrong. There was so much about him that she loved, she just wished he'd see it himself. "Maybe, but I don't care - I like our place. I'd get scared if it was too big." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She loved their little apartment, she thought it was pretty much perfect - Lydia and Penny's would be incredible, but she wouldn't want to live there. "So you carry the presents, then." She chuckled, passing them over and starting to walk up the steps to the hotel. Right away, somebody took their bags with the promise of taking them to their room and they were directed to the party.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Throughout the past five years, even when Lydia had been seeing other people she had still been seeing Penny - it was almost impossible to let her go at this point and she hoped the same could be said the other way around. She laughed as Penny agreed with her, nodding her head. "I might even go as far as saying we have the edge on them." She chuckled. She loved knowing how good they looked together; even the magazines had commented on that, when they'd published pictures of them out together. "I mean, I'm not going to deny that. My parents hate each other and they'd still look like the dream couple." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Not that your genes are bad, either." She smirked, shrugging her shoulders.

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LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon reached for a shot as soon as they were placed in front of them, knocking it back with a little cough. He wasn't a huge drinker, even now, but he figured he needed something to help him get through a night of watching Iris and her new boyfriend making friends with everybody. "Me?" He asked as Benjamin spoke to him, nodding his head. "Yeah, I'm all good. I think I'm gonna go and check in with Ivy." He told them, patting his friend on the back gently before he started to make his way over. He'd seen her looking over a couple of times and wanted to speak to her; and he rather thought Benjamin and Jane might need a minute on their own, anyway.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: When she had been younger, Jane had been pretty much willing to accept whatever it was that she got in a relationship - she had struggled to see herself as worthy of somebody's complete love and attention, but she'd realised how ridiculous that was as she'd gotten older and she knew her self worth now. Or, at least, she thought she did. And that was why she almost just wanted Benjamin to tell her if he still had feelings for Nancy, if he didn't want to be with her anymore. She waited until Landon had spoken, had moved away before she cleared her throat and looked up at Benjamin. "Can I ask you something?" She asked softly, letting out a little sigh. She hated that she even had to do this, she wished she could be confident enough in herself to not need an answer, but she very much did. The way he looked at Nancy... Jane didn't think he'd ever looked at her that way.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: In his head, Arlo really did think that he and Iris had only kissed because they had both been freaked out, they'd been in a panic and they'd needed some source of comfort and familiarity and stupidly, they'd found that in each other. If it had been based on anything else; on lust or love or any kind of feelings, he didn't think they would've stopped at a kiss. But they had, because he loved Ivy and she loved Landon. They didn't want each other. And he'd tried to explain that to Ivy so many times. He looked up as Ivy said she was going to see Landon, nodding his head although he was a little bit disappointed. He hated not being able to spend the night with her anymore. "Yeah, of course. You know I can talk to anybody." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. He was sure he'd find some way to occupy himself.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve's life had never been centered around having a family, around getting married or finding somebody - but she was almost starting to wish she'd had those goals, like the other people around her. It was harder than she cared to admit, seeing everybody else finding the people they were going to spend their lives with and being no closer to finding hers than she had been when ending her last relationship. "No, I suppose you're right... I really can't imagine how that ever seemed like the right decision." She sighed, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't imagine how humiliated Landon had felt in that moment.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Whenever there was someone new in the group, Tobias tried his best to make them feel welcome. He figured that most people knew who the Davenports were at this point so he thought that it made sense that he and Nancy were the ones to greet them. He had always wanted to be a good host and he knew that this was how he was supposed to do that. "Nice to meet you, Jess." He smiled, nodding his head a little. Although he wasn't sure what it was, Tobias got the same sense of familiarity around Tobias that Nancy did. He never would have guessed that it was because he was another one of the Hayes, though. "That's what the open bar is for." He chuckled, nodding his head. "What is it that you're drinking? Do you need another?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: It was a trait that all of the Hayes men had, he thought. None of them would allow themselves to be happy, to think good things about themselves. He wondered if it was a trait that could be inherited or if it was just how they had been brought up. He knew better than to try and talk to Elias or Freddie or even Jude about it, though. He didn't even want to admit that he felt like that to Mia, never mind anyone else. "Of course you would. But, hey, I'm always gonna be here to chase away the monsters." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. Even the apartment was huge for Noah. He didn't know how he was going to feel about it when he got there but he was trying not to think about it for too long. Noah quickly took the gifts from Mia and followed after Mia with a smile. "It's like the inside of Nancys brain threw up in here." He commented, looking around the room, rolling his eyes.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Penny had no idea how she and Lydia could deny how much they meant to one another. They hadn't been able to leave one another alone since the first time that they had started. She really thought that the two of them would continue to pick each other, no matter what. Penny raised an eyebrow as Lydia spoke and she shrugged her shoulders, "Well, we are feeling confident today, aren't we?" She chuckled before she shook her head a little. She knew that they looked good together. It seemed impossible to think otherwise. "They always will." Penny nodded. she had no idea how messed up that entire situation was. "Well, we don't exactly know about my genes, do we?" She laughed. There wasn't a single ounce of Penny that cared to find out, either. She was definitely not interested in finding out who had given her up for adoption. Her mum and dad were all she needed.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris didn't know who she would be if it wasn't for Nancy. And the few years that they had spent not talking felt like a million years to her. Nancy was the only one who seemed to understand her, inside and out. She laughed as Nancy spoke before she shrugged her shoulders, "It's definitely not my cup of tea, is it? It never would be." She thought that all of this was absolutely too flashy for her. She would always pick something a little more understated than any of this. She smiled a little as Nancy spoke before she shrugged her shoulders, "It's how i like them, you know that." She chuckled. She couldn't help but let her gaze drift over to Landon with a sigh. Her heart ached for him and she missed him so much. She wished that there was something that she could do to make things better.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin raised an eyebrow as Landon knocked back his shot but he quickly followed suit. He knew that this must be hard for the other. Spending time around Tobias when he knew that he was dating Nancy was hard for him and it wasn't like Nancy had completely humiliated him not so long ago. "Yeah, alright." He nodded, glancing over his shoulder to Ivy and then back at his friend. His attention was only taken when he heard Janes voice. "Of course. Yeah, what's up?" He asked her. He had no idea that she had picked up on the way that he had been looking at Nancy and would have felt terrible because of it.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy knew that she had let Arlo down by just saying that but she wasn't going to spend the entire night with him, she couldn't. She wouldn't let him think that things were going to be that easy. She loved him but she couldn't forgive him. Not yet. And she thought that the only person who understood how she was feeling right now, was Landon. She smiled as she saw him heading over to her, though. "Oh god. I am so happy to see you." She smiled, nodding her head a little. "I'm absolutely gonna need your support to get through tonight." She chuckled.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Blake knew that she didn't want to end up alone, - she didn't think that anyone would want that - it absolutely was not anywhere near the top of her priority list. She thought that it would happen when it would happen. That was why she was sure that her and Wren hadn't worked out. SHe thought that the two of them had their list of priorities all mixed up. "Completely bizarre." She muttered, shaking her head. She knew that it sounded harsh to be talking about the girl when she was just across the room but Blake almost couldn't help herself. "Did I miss out on anything else?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess had absolutely heard of the Davenports, he thought you'd have to be living under a rock to have gotten away with not knowing who they were - but he hadn't really expected Tobias to speak to him so easily, to be trying to make conversation. It was nice. "That's what they say. Whose idea was an open bar?" He laughed, raising an eyebrow. He didn't think he'd ever want anything like that a party he was responsible for and he wondered just how drunk people were going to be getting tonight. He held up his drink to show the other, shaking his head. "Oh, no - thanks. No, I'm good." He answered, shooting the other a smile. He noticed as soon as Noah walked in and it took a lot for Jess to not show his visible surprise - the two of them looked similar, he thought that right away. He wanted to speak to him, but he knew he couldn't. Not here. It would look too weird.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy and Iris had been brought up as sisters, so Nancy absolutely felt that way towards her and she always had. She trusted her with her life; there was a reason why Iris was the only one of her friends or family that knew about what was going on between she and Benjamin. "Well, that's why we work. If you loved big parties, we'd fall out every year trying to decide who got to throw the biggest one." She giggled, shrugging her shoulders as though it was simple. "Of course. You do enough talking for both of you, right?" She teased, wrapping an arm around her best friends waist happily. "Oh! Noah's here!" She called happily as she saw her brother walking in, waving over enthusiastically. Her brother was always going to be one of her favourite people. "I'll be back soon?" She told Iris, weaving through party guests to find her way to her brother.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Mia knew they still had a long way to go, she and Noah - she knew that they still probably had a lot of battles ahead they were going to have to fight, but she couldn't help being proud when she thought about how far they'd come. She smiled as he spoke, nodding her head. "I like that." She chuckled, reaching to squeeze his hand as they walked into the party. She couldn't help but laugh and she shook her head, looking around. "It's actually kind of hurting my eyes." She chuckled. "She looks beautiful, though." She smiled, nodding at his sister as she saw her making her way over.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You say that like I don't feel the same every day." Lydia laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Confidence in how she looked was never really an issue for her, it never had been - she had insecurities, of course, everybody did. But they weren't about her appearance and she wasn't going to pretend that she did have any, either. "We'll see." She shrugged her shoulders as Penny referenced her parents; even now they were separated, the media hadn't done too badly by her parents. But she had a suspicion that Scott was seeing somebody and she absolutely wasn't happy about it. "We know that they're good genes, even so." She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. She loved how little Penny cared about finding her biological parents.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jane smiled as Benjamin spoke, taking a little breath as she prepared herself to speak; she didn't want them to fall out and depending on what his answer was, she wanted them to be able to work things out. Even if he did have lingering feelings for Nancy, she needed to know if that was something he thought would go away or something he needed to pursue... And what his feelings for her, for Jane, were. "This is... I really hate being this person and - and I know you know that." She started, a little sigh escaping her mouth. "But this has been on my mind for a while and I just need us to talk about it, so that I can stop thinking about it either way." She nodded her head. "Are you - do you still have feelings for Nancy? Are you still in love with her?" She asked softly. She'd never felt so vulnerable before, so completely open and she really, really hoped that Benjamin's answer was going to be what she wanted it to be. That she was wrong.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon smiled as he saw Ivy looking his way, chuckling quietly as he heard her. "Yeah, the feeling is absolutely mutual." He chuckled, nodding his head. The two of them hadn't always been the closest of friends, but they'd been brought up together and that would always leave them as friends at the very least. In Landon's eyes, anyway. What had happened to them both recently only served that further. Although he hated what had happened to Ivy, it was nice to have somebody that could sympathise with at least a little bit of what had happened to him. "You've got it, of course." He smiled slightly, nodding his head. "Are you finding it hard so far?" He was always going to be a little bit awkward around the people that weren't the closest to him - Annie and Iris, mostly - but he really did try when he was around Ivy. He wanted to be able to be there for her and he hoped she knew that. He didn't want her to mistake his awkwardness for indifference.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve had never considered a relationship of any kind near the top of her priority list and she still didn't think it was, but it was definitely a little bit higher up than she'd first considered it to be. She didn't want to be on her own forever. "I'm sure you did, but I'm not exactly in on all of the gossip that happens around here." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "What was happening when you last saw everybody?" She asked, looking around as though seeing people would give her a little bit of an idea of what she needed to tell her friened.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If it hadn't been Nancys party - and Tobias hadn't felt partly responsible for the guests - then be probably wouldn't have made much of an effort to talk to Jess. He was the nicer Davenport but he didn't see the point in talking to people that he would have no real interest in after all of this. But he was the host and he had to be the best that he could be. "It's expected." He shrugged. Tobias thought that it was pretty common for an open bar. He wouldn't have enjoyed going to a party where he had to pay for the drinks. He found it strange that it was weird to some of the others. "Alright then." Tobias nodded. He looked over to Noah as Nancy started over to him, "thank god he's arrived." He muttered. "Do you know Noah?" He asked, turning back to Jess.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: At times, Ava had been more of a mother to Iris than Bridie had and so it made sense that she had been raised with Nancy and Noah as siblings, rather than just friends. She would do anything for the others - including keeping all of Nancys secrets. No matter how hard things were for her. "And you'd probably win." Iris rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but laugh a little, though. "Yeah, talk to you soon." She nodded, a small smile on her face. Iris waved over at Arlo then, spotting him on his own. If it wasn't for her being there with Jess, she would have gone over to talk to him. But she didn't like the idea of leaving him on his own - especially when he was talking to Tobias. She thought it was best to stay close.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah had never had as good a relationship as he had with Mia. He had never treasured a relationship as much as the one with her. He loved her. There was no denying that. He had tried to fight it for so long. He was almost certain that she deserved more than him. And he thought that, that was why he had fought against them when they were younger. He wished that she would see that she deserved more because he already thought that they were in too deep. "Yeah, she does." He was always going to think of Nancy as his sister, even after everything that had happened. And he was always going to be pretty protective over her too. Noah shot Mia a small smile, nodding his head slightly before he turned to face Nancy, "Fucking hell, Nance." He called over to her, "You think that there's any more pink you could get in here?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I mean, if I looked like you, then I'd feel the same way." Penny laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Like Lydia, she hadn't really had any issues with her self confidence and she knew that a lot of that was down to her mum. She had always told her children to be exactly who they want to be. She had always made sure that the two of them felt confident in whatever it was that they wanted to do. "We absolutely will." Penny nodded her head. Although her mum was in the public eye, it was nothing compared to Hettie and Scott and she wondered how Lydia could put up with that sometimes. Occasionally, the magazine would try and get her to use her relationship with Lydia but, so far, she had always refused. She would never sell out her relationship like that. "I mean, of course. Look at me." Penny laughed, shaking her head a little before she took a sip of her wine.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although he had no idea what Jane was going to ask, Benjamin couldn't help but feel nervous. He could tell by the look on her fact that it was something serious. It was even worse though, as she asked him what she needed to ask him. Because Ben had thought that he had done a good job at hiding it. He had thought that he had managed to keep it to himself, that no-one suspected. And the fact that Jane had clearly seen something made him feel even more guilty than before. "Er --" He spluttered, not sure what to say. And before he could really think it through, he was speaking again, "We - I've been sleeping with her. I - Jane, I'm so sorry. I never - I didn't intend for it to happen but it - We - It just did. And - God , I don't even know what to say. I'm so so sorry." He knew that it made no difference. He knew that he was a terrible person. But he couldn't keep lying to her, not anymore. It wasn't fair.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Ivy and Landon had never been that close - she was always much closer with Piper - she had always liked him. She thought that he was such a lovely person. And she was almost glad that she had someone to go through all of this shit with. She was glad that he had made Arlo tell him when he had found out what had happened because Ivy really didn't think that he would. She felt so grateful to have someone like him around. "Perfect." She chuckled, nodding her head a little. If she hadn't spent so much time with him, then she might have thought of his awkwardness as different to what it was. But she thought that she had known him long enough to know that, that was just how he was sometimes. "It's weird, isn't it?" She asked, looking up at him. "I just - I could really do with space from him but it's impossible right now." She sighed as she looked down at her bump. She was so excited to meet their baby boy but it was the worst timing. "How about you? How're you finding all of this?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Over the years, Blake had started to realise that her career made it pretty difficult for a relationship to thrive. She worked the opposite of the hours that most people did and the idea of ever mixing her professional life with her personal one was hard - though she wasn't sure how she was supposed to meet anyone without it. "That's fair." She laughed, nodding her head. "Well, those two weren't together at that point." She nodded over at Lydia and Penny. "Who's that?" She asked, as she looked over at Jess. "Oh, yeah! How's it been working with Tobias?" She felt like she had missed out on so much with her friend and she just wanted to know everything.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess nodded his head. That statement alone told him what kind of people he was around here; the type of people that could afford to cover an open bar for the entire night just because it was expected, the type of people that could afford a party like this for somebody's twenty fourth birthday. He felt pretty far removed from that life, when he'd had to scrimp and save his entire life to afford anything for he and his mother. He worried about her now that he'd left for London, he thought about her a lot. He looked up as Tobias commented on Noah, shaking his head. "No, not really. Iris has mentioned him a couple of times. Is he usually late to stuff like this?" He asked. He just wanted to know any information about the other, anything he could gather that would give him an insight into who he was as a person.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo laughed, waving back over to Iris as he saw her. He didn't know whether he was supposed to go over or not, though - it wasn't that he didn't want to see her or speak to her, but he didn't know how it would look when the last time everybody had seen them together had been the wedding. Landon and Ivy were both there and he didn't want to do anything that was going to upset anybody or cause a fuss. He grinned and pointed to the full plate he had in his hands, rubbing his stomach as if to tell her how good the food was. He figured the person next to her was her new boyfriend; he'd heard about Jess and although he thought it was pretty soon, he really just wanted her to be happy. He wanted them all to be happy, Landon included. He still felt bad about what had happened at the wedding.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy laughed loudly as she heard her brother, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Shut up, you don't get to complain about anything when you show up late. Where have you been?" She demanded, raising an eyebrow sternly before she gave in and wrapped her arms around her brother in a hug, anyway. "It's my favourite colour and it's my party, so - what other colour would it be?" She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She was so happy to see her brother there; even now he seemed like he was doing better, when he didn't show up somewhere or wasn't responding there was always that worry in the back of her mind that he'd taken it too far again. No matter what, Noah would always be her brother.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You don't need to look like me." Lydia rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She thought Penny was probably the most gorgeous person she'd ever seen, she couldn't believe how beautiful she was half of the time and that was coming from somebody with impeccably high standards. She'd tried not to talk about her parents as much recently, mostly because it just made her angry and she was sick of feeling that way - she hadn't spoken to her dad in a long, long time and she didn't even really like speaking about him. She knew that he must be the reason that it hadn't been all over the newspapers though and she was grateful for that - just not grateful enough to reach out. "My point exactly, Pen." She chuckled, nodding her head. "Do you think I should go and rescue my brother?" She raised an eyebrow, nodding over to where Tobias was speaking to somebody she didn't recognise.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jane hadn't been sure what she'd been expecting Benjamin's answer to be, but she'd been sure she was prepared for the worst - she was prepared for him to say yes, that he did still have feelings for Nancy... But this? Nothing could've prepared her for this. Her face dropped, her heart felt like it was in her stomach and she honestly had no idea what to do or say. She felt as though somebody had slapped her across the face. "I --" She couldn't even get a sentence out. "You're sorry?" She whispered, shaking her head. "You didn't mean for it to happen?" She repeated his words in disbelief. "How long have - how long has it been going on for?"

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LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon didn't like to think back to the wedding at all if he could help it; because he honestly just felt so humiliated and embarrassed that he could cry. He couldn't really remember much about the way he'd acted or what he'd said, it was a blur - but he figured he'd been the one to tell Arlo that he needed to come clean with Ivy and he definitely didn't regret that. "You still deserve space, even if it's not going to be long-term. You could go away for a little while? A trip. I'm sure the girls would go with you." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. He sighed as Ivy asked about him, shaking his head. "I don't really know, honestly. It's - not the worst, but it's not the best." He was getting by, but that was about it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "They weren't?" Maeve chuckled, looking over to Lydia and Penny. She thought they made such a dynamic couple, even watching them was interesting. "Well, I think they've been together for a little while now. There was all sorts being written about them a few months ago, something about Lydia breaking off a different relationship to be with Penny but - they'd been coming to parties and events together for months before that, so I think it's been going on for a while." She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. She couldn't imagine her life being as public as Lydia's. "That is... Oh. I don't actually know. He's the one here with Iris, I'm assuming." She nodded her head. She couldn't help but smile as she was asked about Tobias, shrugging her shoulders. "He's... Well, you know him. He's the perfect gentleman. He doesn't make it awkward at all." She smiled, shaking her head. "We've had lunch together a couple of times, it's... Nice. It's nice to be around him again."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Tobias knew that he was in a very privilege position with the life that he led, he never tried to hide that. He didn't see the point. He was who he was and since everyone knew the Davenports, it wasn't like he could even pretend to be humble about it. He didn't even know Jess and so he didn't see the point in having to pretend like he was something that he wasn't. Tobias shrugged his shoulders, "He lives by his own clock." He responded, "So yes. Usually. Though Nancy worries." He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't think it was right to divulge why. Tobias tried to get along with Noah but he thought that it was so clear that the two of them were not destined to be friends.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris hated this. She knew that what she and Arlo did was wrong but she didn't think that their friendship had to suffer because of that. After Nancy, Arlo was her best friend. He was the person that knew all of her secrets, that she went too when she needed a guys perspective on things. She didn't want to lose that because they had hurt people. If she and Landon were ever going to get back together, then he had to know that she was always going to have Arlo in her life. It wasn't even a question, to her. Iris laughed as he pointed to the plate and rolled her eyes. She tilted her head a little, indicating for him to come over. She knew that things were more complicated for him - he had a baby on the way after all - but she hoped that, that didn't mean that their friendship had to be lost.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah shrugged his shoulders, "I might be late but I always get to complain. It's what I do best. You know that, Nance." He smiled a little as he wrapped an arm around his sister. One thing was for certain was that he had certainly become a little happier since things with he and Mia had started to get more serious. He felt more like himself recently, than ever before. "Sure, sure. Of course." He rolled his eyes. He knew that this party was exactly what Nancy wanted and he knew that he couldn't really complain about that. As long as she was happy, he thought that, that was all that mattered. "Who are half of these fucking people?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Penny nodded her head, "I know I don't. Be a nice world though - If everyone looked like you." She chuckled. Penny really couldn't get over how incredibly beautiful she found Lydia. Looks weren't something that was all that important in the grand scheme of things but they absolutely were to her. She knew that, that was shallow but she wasn't going to lie about it. Penny raised an eyebrow as she looked over to Tobias with some person that she had never met - but there was something incredibly familiar there. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was. "You don't think he's a big enough boy to look after himself?" She chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "I don't even know who he is. Do you?" Penny asked, raising an eyebrow.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin knew that this was never going to be an easy conversation and maybe he should have waited until they got home but she had asked him a question and he couldn't lie to her, not anymore. Lying by omission was one thing but straight up lying to her face was something entirely different. "Of course I'm sorry Jane. I'm so so sorry." He didn't know what else there was that he could say but he was sure that she wouldn't believe him. At her final question though, he sighed. "I -" There was no point in lying or beating around the bush now. "Pretty much since we got back. Since we started working together."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy felt the same as Landon but she knew that he must be hurting so, so badly. She had been in love with Arlo and she was having his baby but Landon was ready to marry Iris. He was literally willing to commit his life to her and then she had ruined what was meant to be the happiest day of his life. She didn't know how he was still standing, if she was completely honest. She shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe. But Mias moving in with Noah and Penny with Lydia - they've got enough on right now." She sighed, shaking her head a little. While her friends were all moving forwards, she felt like she was moving back. She loved her mum. She loved spending time with her but she absolutely didn't want to live with her again. Now she had no choice in the matter. "Yeah, that makes sense." She nodded. "I guess that isn't helping." She nodded over to Jess.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I don't think so." Blake laughed. She remembered the two of them always circling one another but nothing ever really happened. she thought that they were a good couple, though. She thought that they balanced one another out quite nicely. She nodded as Maeve explained that Jess was there with Iris. She felt even worse for Landon then. "He's cute." Blake commented, chuckling a little before she looked away from Jess and back to her best friend. "Nice or nice?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. She hoped that her friend knew the difference. Maeve and Tobias made sense to Blake and she wished that her friend had, had the chance to explore that when they were younger but she didn't want her getting hurt now, not when it looked like he was totally in it with Nancy.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess wasn't sure what he'd expected of the family he'd never met, but he definitely hadn't expected them to be around people like this; to be throwing parties like this. It made him wonder how much he'd missed out on, what his father and the other people he hadn't seen yet were like. How could this all be so different from the world he and his mum lived in? He nodded in response to Tobias. "Makes sense." He didn't think the other seemed to be too bothered about being late, so he could definitely see that being the case. "She worries?" He asked curiously. He couldn't help wondering why and he hoped it wasn't too forward of him to ask; it had been Tobias that had brought it up in the first place, after all.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo shrugged his shoulders as Iris told him to come over. He absolutely wanted to speak to her, he just wasn't sure if this was the best place for it; he wished they'd had chance to meet up away from everybody else, somewhere they felt more comfortable. This just felt weird and he didn't know how it was going to look if he made a beeline for her in the middle of the party. He and Ivy weren't together, but he still didn't want to do anything that would upset her or embarrass her - he loved her, after all and he was holding out hope that they were going to find a way to make all of this work somehow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Whatever, you can complain as long as you're actually here. Which you are. So." Nancy laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Her brother being there was all that mattered to her, really - there had been points, over the last five years, where they'd all wondered if he'd even make it through the next five. So seeing him like this was bliss for her. She laughed as he asked who the guests were, rolling her eyes. "You know most of these people, idiot. People we used to go to college with, my friends from uni, people we work with at college, people who were in Mean Girls - I invited some from Wicked, too." She shrugged her shoulders. She was pretty surprised by the amount of people that came, but she loved it too - everybody important to her was there. "Mum and dad are here somewhere, although they're obviously not talking to each other." She rolled her eyes.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I would hate that. I wouldn't be special anymore." Lydia laughed, although she rolled her eyes to show that she was joking. Like Penny, she definitely held looks in pretty high regard - she didn't get it when people said they weren't important, she didn't think you could be in a relationship with somebody you weren't attracted to. She thought it was more ballsy to admit it, since everybody thought it. "Absolutely not. I fight the battles." She laughed, although it wasn't true - Tobias would be able to fight his own battles, Lydia just never gave him the chance to. "No. I thought he was Noah at first, but he's over there." She nodded over to the eldest Hayes. "Weird. Nancy must know him." She shrugged her shoulders.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jane felt as though she was going to burst into tears and she hated that, she didn't want all of these people to see her as weak - or to know what Benjamin had done. But the idea that she'd moved to London for this man, she'd changed her entire life and tried so hard to fit into his and the entire time he'd been sleeping with his ex-girlfriend behind his back... His beautiful, blonde ex-girlfriend who looked nothing like her and had never made her feel welcome. She couldn't stand it. "I - I moved here for you. I don't even... I changed everything for you, I've tried so hard to fit in with your friends and - and make everything good for you but it was never going to be enough. And you knew that. But you still let me do it." She breathed, shaking her head. "Well that's that, then. Isn't it?" She shook her head, wiping away a tear that had managed to fall. "Please find somewhere else to stay tonight, so I can at least get my things without having to see you. I'll be gone by tomorrow."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Yeah, I guess they've all got some big stuff coming up, haven't they? But so have you." Landon smiled, shrugging his shoulders. He would never want Ivy to think that her situation was anything less than her friends, just because it wasn't what she had originally planned for. "I'm sure you can all find a couple of days for each other." He thought the girls meant enough to each other that a couple of days would be nothing. "How do you feel about moving back in with your mum?" His dad had told him that was the case and he really felt for the girl; because he couldn't think of anything worse than moving back in with his parents. "It's... Well, there's no point dwelling on it. He's here. So." He shrugged his shoulders.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Do you think so?" Maeve laughed, raising an eyebrow. "He has a bit too much of an edge for me." She chuckled. She thought the two of them had quite different tastes in people, but that also wasn't a bad thing - Maeve just thought that with her, what you see was what you got. There was no wall, no act. She liked people that were the same. "Just nice." She nodded her head. She knew, of course, what Blake was getting at and Maeve absolutely still had feelings for Tobias - but she shouldn't. It wasn't fair. He was with Nancy. "It has to be just nice, doesn't it? Whatever my feelings were. He's so happy with Nancy." She smiled. And she really, really was happy for him. She wanted Tobias to be happy, with whoever he chose to be with.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias knew that the Hayes and the Davenports weren't exactly a match made in heaven. He knew that they were probably worlds apart but Tobias thought that he and Nancy made perfect sense. He thought that Nancy slipped into his world pretty easily. He didn't particularly care about any of the others, though. Tobias nodded his head slightly as he watched Nancy and Noah for just a second before he turned back to Jess. He shrugged his shoulders at the others question. He didn't particularly think that it was any of the others business, if he was completely honest. "Yes. Like most sisters would." He would never air anyones dirty business out just for the sake of it.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: As she saw him shrug his shoulders, Iris couldn't help but sigh. She missed her best friend and she didn't think that it was fair that anyone had to keep the two of them away from one another. She didn't know what it was going to do. If Ivy couldn't handle him being around her then did that mean that he wouldn't be her friend anymore? She hated the idea of that. Iris rolled her eyes, though and turned away from him. because she didn't see the point in dwelling when he had clearly made up his mind. Ivy was more important to him than she was. She could understand that.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I was always going to be here, Nancy. You know that." Noah sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He understood that she worried but he really didn't think that there was any need. Because it had been a long time since he had been bad. It had been so long since he had let all of that get the better of him. It was hard though. Any time he was around Elias, he found it difficult. He missed how things had used to be with Elias. When Noah was a little younger, he never really realised how bad he was. It seemed completely different, now. He nodded, as he looked around the room, "I know about two fucking people here." He muttered. He couldn't help but stiffen a little as she mentioned their mum and dad. He refused to think of Jude as such. The pair had barely even spoke since he had found out about Elias. "I'll try and find mum in a bit, then."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "You're always gonna be special, Lydia. No-one can pull off that attitude that you have." Penny chuckled, shaking her head a little. She thought that the way that Lydia behaved was the most attractive thing about her. Penny had always liked a girl that was confident, that knew her own mind and that was absolutely what Lydia did. Penny laughed as she listened to the other. When she listened to the other girl talk about Tobias, it reminded her of the relationship that she had with Wren. She knew that she would always fight her brothers battles for him. "I did too." She nodded, before she glanced over to Noah and then back at Jess. She thought that, that was pretty weird. "Must do."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: The look on Janes face completely broke Benjamins heart. Because he knew that he had hurt her. He knew that he had broken her heart and he hated that. He wished that there was something that he could do to make it better but every thing that he thought of to help, just made it worse. Ben really did think that Jane was beautiful. He thought that she was amazing. It just wasn't the same as what he had felt for Nancy and he had no idea how to explain that. "I know. I know that. And I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say." He sighed, shaking his head a little. He raised an eyebrow, though, as she continued. And although Ben knew that he couldn't blame her, he was a little sad that she would just want to end it like that, "I - Alright. Okay." He nodded. He had no idea where he would stay but he knew that he had to respect whatever it was that she wanted right now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I know. It's not the same though, is it?" Ivy asked, raising an eyebrow. "They have other people that require them." She hated the idea that she was a burden. Though Ivy let people believe that she was okay, that she was fine. That she hadn't let a single thing dent her, it was different with Landon. She could let the wall down and just be upset about everything that had happened, about how different things were about to become. "We'll see." She shrugged. Ivy sighed as Landon continued, "It feels like a massive step backwards, honestly." Because she didn't see the point in lying to him. She loved her mum but this was not what she wanted. "Is that how you really feel, though? That there's no point in dwelling? Or do you feel like you want to punch something - because I don't blame you."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Yeah, definitely." Blake laughed, nodding her head. She laughed harder, though, as she heard Maeve. "Well, yeah, I could've said that. You prefer your men a little more polished, don't you?" She raised an eyebrow, glancing to Tobias and then back to Maeve. She liked that she and Maeve had different tastes - though Blake didn't really think that she had a 'type'. She was more about personality. If their personalities complimented one another. Blake shrugged her shoulders a little as Maeve spoke, "It doesn't matter though. That doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have to have feelings for him, you know?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess honestly wasn't really sure how he was supposed to speak to people like Tobias - or like Nancy, really even though she was one of the people he'd wanted to see most. They were just so far removed from the life he lead and he didn't think they'd have anything to speak about; he was sure Tobias would notice that if they spoke any longer. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'm an only child, so I guess I don't really get any of that." He chuckled, trying to make up for his curiosity. Of course, as he'd recently found out - he wasn't an only child, his brother was actually standing on the opposite side of the room, but he wasn't about to go into all of that right now. "Do you have any siblings?" He asked, mostly just to make conversation than actually wanted to know. He was sure the other did, he was sure he'd heard the name Davenport on TV recently.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't know that. Everybody else got here on time." She muttered, although it was clear that she didn't really mind. She was just happy that her brother was there at all. "You know so many people here, you're just being dramatic. And you wouldn't want to talk to most of them, anyway." She laughed. It was no secret that she had always been the more social out of the two of them, anyway. She held back a sigh as she watched Noah's reaction to the mention of their parents; it was so easy for her to slip up, to mention them because they were still such huge parts of her life. "Yeah, you should. She'd like that." She smiled, nodding her head. She felt bad for her dad, if she was honest - but she didn't think saying that to Noah would do any good.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Oh, I suppose you're right. It's pretty distinctive." Lydia laughed teasingly, shrugging her shoulders before she shook her head and picked up her glass to take another sip. "We'll have another bottle, please." She told the bartender, pointing to the nearly empty bottle in front of them. Penny was one of her favourite people to be around and she couldn't help but smile everytime she thought about the fact that in just a few days, they were going to be waking up together every single day. She laughed as Penny agreed with her, that she'd thought the boy was Noah. "Weird. Thank god he isn't, two of them would shut the place down." She laughed, raising an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Of course, Jane didn't want to let the relationship go so easily - but she wasn't sure what else she was supposed to do. Her boyfriend had been having an affair with somebody he was still in love with since the day they'd moved back to London and that wasn't something she could handle. She wanted to be at home, with her family, she wanted to be able to get her head around this in her own time. She nodded her head as Benjamin spoke, swiping away another tear that had managed to slip through. "I really hope she was worth it, Ben. I hope she makes you happy." She told him softly - because Jane really, really didn't think that the Benjamin she knew could ever be happy with somebody like Nancy. Not forever. She looked at him once more, before she turned and walked straight out of the party. She didn't want to see even one more person.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Ah, I'm sure Lydia and Noah would be okay on their own for one day." Landon smiled, shaking his head. He couldn't ever imagine Ivy's friends seeing her as a burden, so he didn't think she should see herself as one either. He understood how hard it was though, seeing all of your friends moving on with their lives when yours seemed to have stopped still. He nodded sympathetically as Ivy explained moving back in with her mother. "It's not, though. It really isn't. You're still so young Ivy, it's nothing shameful to be accepting a little bit of help from your parents in a hard time." He shrugged his shoulders. He sighed as she spoke, though - he really hated that people seemed to keep on telling him that he was reacting wrongly, or suggesting ways he could react instead. "No, I don't want to do that." He said shortly. He didn't want to have to explain himself again.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Well, maybe he has a brother or something. You might be lucky." Maeve laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She had always thought Blake and Wren made a brilliant couple, but seeing his life now it was obvious that the two of them hadn't been all that compatible. "I guess you could put it that way, yeah." She laughed, nodding her head. Personality was absolutely the most important thing to Maeve, but she thought that the way somebody presented themselves told you a little bit about their personality whether they wanted it to or not. "No, I know. But even if there were any feelings there, there'd be no point entertaining them. You know?" She shrugged. She hoped her friend understood what she was saying.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias was always the one in the family that would be making an effort with the people that worked for them. He had grown used to talking to people from different kinds of backgrounds and while he knew that he wasn't exactly going to be friends with Jess, he didn't think that there was anything wrong with talking to him now. Tobias nodded a little as Jess spoke, "That must have been pretty boring when you were growing up." He chuckled. Because Tobias would have been lost without Lydia. The idea of having to grow up without her around was a boring thought. He knew that Jess probably didn't see any different, though. "Oh, yeah. I have a twin. Lydia. She's over there." He smiled, nodding over to her.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "You and I both knew that being on time isn't exactly what I am known for. You're just as bad though." Noah shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't going to apologise and he knew that Nancy knew that. Although he had missed a couple of her birthdays in the past, he was never going to miss them now, he would make sure of that. "That's because half of your friends a fucking idiots, Nancy." He muttered. He knew a lot of these people but he definitely didn't care for most of them. He couldn't really understand why Nancy would, if he was honest. Noah didn't mean to punish Jude but he didn't think that the other had done much to make him feel like he was his son still, since everything had come out.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "It absolutely is. There's only one Lydia Davenport. That's how I like it." Penny smiled before she moved a little to wrap an arm around the others girls waist. She would never tire of spending time with Lydia, that was for sure. She took a sip of her wine, finishing off the glass before she chuckled when Lydia ordered another. She liked that they were absolutely on the same page with this. The thought of getting to spend every single day with Lydia was definitely one that she was excited about. "Aren't you two meant to be friends?" Penny laughed. She had never really spoke to Noah but of course she knew enough about him to think that, that was a little strange.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin didn't get a chance to respond to her before Jane had turned away from him, until she had left. And he really didn't know what to do. Because the idea that he would never get to see her again wasn't one that he thought he could get his head wrapped around. He wanted to go after her, to tell her to stop. But it seemed impossible to him. He couldn't ask her to stay when he had admitted all of that to her. He sighed a little before he moved to sit down, head in his hands. he felt even worse when all he could think about was the fact that he wanted to tell Nancy. He knew that tehre wasn't much that could be done - she was with Tobias. But he thought that her knowing would make it feel more real. Then she would know that he was there for her.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I'm sure that they will but - I dunno. I'll talk to them, I guess." Ivy shrugged her shoulders. Because she didn't really know if she would. She would have loved the idea of the three of them getting away together but she didn't really know how feasible it was going to be. She didn't want them to feel like they had to do something that they might not have felt comfortable doing. Ivy shrugged her shoulders, "But I'm going to be a mum. I should be able to afford my own place." And maybe, anywhere else, she might have been able too. But London was just so expensive. She knew that if she asked her dad, he'd help her out. But she had too much pride for that. he had never really been in her life before and she wasn;t going to let him start now. "And that's okay too." She nodded. "I just wanted to make sure. Make sure that you know you can tell me however you're feeling."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I think I might have to ask." Blake laughed, shrugging her shoulders. With Wren, Blake had thought that everything was perfect but as she got older, she had thought that it might have seemed too perfect - like Annie and Wren did to her now as well. And seeing the two of them, she was almost sure that she and Wren would have broken up sooner rather than later anyway. She nodded as she listened to Maeve, "I do. I get that. I just wish that you didn't feel like that. There's nothing wrong with feeling your feelings. Even if you can't do anything about it."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess laughed, nodding his head. "Yeah, I guess it was, a bit." He smiled. He had never really known anything different, though... His childhood had never really been boring, because if he was honest he hadn't had much of a childhood. He'd had to grow up so early, to take care of his mum and himself because she hadn't been capable of either. That had kept him pretty occupied - although he wasn't going to say any of that to Tobias. He doubted the other had ever known struggle like that a day in his life. He looked over to where the other was indicating, nodding his head. "Of course. I've seen her on TV. Guess it definitely wasn't boring growing up in your house, then?" He let out a snort of laughter, although he didn't even mean it in a bad way. From what he'd seen of Lydia, he found it pretty funny - she was honest and straight to the point and Jess always liked that in a person. She just seemed to get into a lot of arguments, too.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "But I'm late for a reason, do you even understand how much time it takes to put on individual eyelashes?" Nancy laughed, shaking her head. "You're late just to keep up the image." She teased, nudging her brother gently. She absolutely didn't expect an apology from her brother, though and she knew she wasn't getting one. "Oh yeah, because your friends are the salt of the earth." She rolled her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy couldn't help but notice Benjamin - she hadn't seen Jane walking off, but she absolutely saw that he looked less than okay and she hated that. She chewed on her lip for a second, wondering whether it would look really obvious if she went over. "Do you think Ben's okay?" She muttered eventually, looking over properly.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Nobody could handle more than one of me." Lydia laughed, shaking her head. She smiled as Penny wrapped an arm around her, though - she had never been the most tactile of people but, for some reason, she didn't mind it at all when it was Penny. She mirrored the action, pouring the wine with one hand when the new bottle got handed over. She was never going to feel bad for money not being an issue; it wasn't something she'd asked for, after all. She had been born into it and after that, she'd worked hard for it. "We are friends. That doesn't mean I don't know he can be an asshole half of the time. But so can I." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Noah wasn't somebody she was especially close to, but they always got along when they were together.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You should." Landon smiled. He thought things often felt better when you had the power to get away from them for a little while, when you could just take a bit of time to not think about them. He'd spent a few days at Annie and Wren's new place in the city just after the wedding, coming to terms with everything; it had been really beneficial. "Plenty of mums can't afford their own places. My parents were still renting when they had me and they were together, they had two incomes." He told her, hoping he was being at least a little bit comforting. "Some people actually choose to move back in with their mums, don't they? Extra help." He chuckled. He couldn't imagine how much life was going to change for Ivy when the baby arrived. "That really is how I'm feeling. Like I want to get on with my life. And that means I can't stop Iris from getting on with hers." Even though it hurt like hell, Landon really did believe that.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I'm sure there'll be a way for us to find out." Maeve laughed. She wished she had the confidence that Blake did, to walk straight up to somebody and show her interest - but she absolutely didn't and she knew she never would. Her last boyfriend had been introduced to her by a colleague and everybody before that had been somebody in one of her classes, or somebody from work. She had no idea how to meet people outside of that, really. "I know..." She sighed, nodding her head. "It doesn't matter, anyway. It's pointless to think about it. It's just old feelings from when we were young, I need to grow up and get over them." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. She didn't think it was just that at all, though. And it was more painful than Maeve would admit to have feelings like this for somebody and know they were completely unrequited.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias would have hated growing up as an only sibling, he thought. There was enough attention, enough pressure on him as he went through his childhood and he could only imagine that it was even worse if he was to be on his own. There were only a few people who knew that about how hard things had been for him in school - about the issues that he had had with steroids when he was a teenager. A part of it was because of the image, thing. The Davenports had to be perfect. There was no other way about it. But also, Tobias knew he was privileged and he was afraid that someone would diminish his issues because others had it worse. He had everything so why would he need to do something to potentially ruin that? "Oh, yeah, of course." He laughed, nodding his head. "Definitely not. My dad was a footballer when we were growing up too so... Definitely interesting." He nodded. Tobias tried to see Scott as much as possible, though he was still a little mad about everything that had happened with his mum, he didn't think that Scott needed to be punished for it. "Well, I'm going to go do the rounds but I hope you enjoy the party." Tobias nodded before he turned away from Jess.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: While Iris knew that what she and Arlo had done was wrong, she didn't think that, that meant the two of them couldn't be friends anymore. But when he refused to come over, that was exactly how it felt like. His life was about to change so completely and it felt like she couldn't even celebrate that with him. She sighed before she turned back to the bar, ordering a few shots - tequila - and another drink for herself. Once she realised that Jess was alone now, she looked up at him with a smile, "Drink up." She chuckled as she pushed two of the shots towards him. Iris had never been someone who would let herself lose too much control while drinking. She had, had to pick Bridie up off of the bathroom floor too many times to want to ever get into that kind of state. "How was that conversation?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Iris thought that Tobias was nice enough but he absolutely wasn't someone that she thought that she would ever really be friends with.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "You say this but you've been doing this for years. Surely you should be faster at it by now?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't help but laugh as she continued, "Yeah, that's right. Gotta keep up the pretence, right?" He rolled his eyes. Noah never really thought that he had that much of an image to keep up. He thought that it was the opposite. He was, and always would be, unapologetically himself. "What friends?" He scoffed, raising an eyebrow. He was mostly joking though. But as he got older, Noah had started to pull away with a lot of the people that he used to hang out with. They weren't good for his sobriety and he was really serious about keeping it going this time. He glanced over at Ben before he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not a fucking mind reader, Nance. How do I know? Looks like someone kicked a puppy though - with the look on his face."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I think that I could." Penny laughed, shrugging her shoulders. If Lydia told her that she had a problem with the physical contact, then she would have stopped doing it but she didn't think that it was an issue. She had always been a pretty tactile person and she knew that, that came from her mum and dad. She had seen them be completely in love for her entire life so now that she was older, she equated love with physical touch. Penny scoffed before she nodded her head a little. "He's such an asshole." She muttered. But she thought that there was something there if Lydia was friends with him. "I can't believe how many people turned up here, you know."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy didn't really have it in her to tell Arlo that she needed space because she was having his baby. She thought that he had as much right to be around their child as she did. But that meant that they had to spend time with one another and it was hard for her to get over everything that had happened, while they were together all of the time. "I know. I do know that. It's just - it's hard." She shrugged. Because Ivy had always felt pretty independent - she had, had too. Her mum was her best friend but as she got older, she thought that, that wasn't how it was supposed to be. Audrey had tried her best but she had never really been a mum, more just a friend. They had raised each other. And she was only really starting to see that now. "That makes sense." Ivy nodded. "Do you think that you could forgive her?" She asked him. That was something that she was trying to work out with Arlo and she had no idea where she stood with it.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Well, I'll definitely be talking to him by the end of the night so i'm sure that I can figure it out." Blake laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Blake loved to be in a relationship. She enjoyed knowing that there would always be someone to have your back, to talk too at the end of the night. But out of her last few boyfriends, they had all had a problem with her ambition, with her not putting them first. And she had no idea if she was ever going to find someone who would actually not care about that - Wren had been the only one, so far, to actually find her an ambition and pro rather than a con. "I mean, dismiss it all you want but you can't help how you feel, Maeve. And burying it won't do anyone any good."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Yeah, that sounds pretty mad." Jess muttered, nodding his head. He just had no idea how to speak to somebody like Tobias, how to relate to what the other was telling him about his world - it just wasn't a privilege he'd ever imagined having. He didn't understand how it was fair for Tobias to have a life like that and other people to have nothing. "Oh, yeah - of course. Thanks." He gave him a little half-smile, relieved that the other had made an excuse to finish their conversation there. He wouldn't have known what to say for much longer. He was finding all of this harder than he'd thought, but he wasn't going to let that show. He smiled as Iris came back over, although he wished she hadn't brought over the drinks. He slid one of the shots back over to her, picking up the other and knocking it back. "I mean, I'm guessing you've met the guy enough times that you can guess how that was?" He laughed, raising an eyebrow. "You ever meet somebody and just know straight away that they vote Tory?" He laughed, shaking his head. He was obviously joking, there was no way of actually knowing - but he thought Iris would know what he was getting at.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Faster doesn't mean fast, Noah." Nancy laughed, shaking her head. She had never pretended that she wasn't somebody who cared a lot about her appearance; Nancy thought that the way she looked was why a lot of people wanted to be around her, that her image was the most important thing to a lot of them and she was never going to let it slip. Only those closest to her had even seen her without makeup. "Oh yeah, who would even know you if you didn't?" She chuckled. She didn't think her brother put on any act, though - even if she wished he would sometimes. "You have friends." She rolled her eyes, letting out a laugh. "Yeah, he looks really upset..." She muttered, looking over and then back to her brother. There was never going to be a time she didn't want to help Benjamin out, that she didn't want to make things okay for him. "Should I -- do you think I should go over?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Do you really?" Lydia asked with a laugh, raising an eyebrow delicately. She liked that, though - the idea that Penny was one of the only people who could handle her. She thought it made a lot of sense. She needed people around her that could stand up to her, because Lydia would be the first to admit that nothing held her back and if somebody couldn't stand up to her then she'd simply mow them down. "I really do think that if you ignored the obvious reasons you don't like him, the two of you would really get along." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, I can. She's the It Girl at the minute, isn't she?" She rolled her eyes. With a west end debut and one of the wealthiest men in London on her arm, she wasn't surprised that everybody wanted to be Nancy's best friend.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon really felt for Ivy; he was struggling to, but at least he had no reasons to be around Iris. He could take time to heal and process everything that had happened. He didn't know how he'd cope if he had something tethering him to her, if he couldn't get away even for just the weekend. "I know... Everything is at the minute, isn't it?" He sighed, nodding his head. He couldn't help seeing the parallels between Ivy and her own mum, though - he couldn't remember much of being that little, but he definitely remembered how much Audrey and Ivy had been at their house, how completely alone Audrey had been. He paused for a few moments as he heard Ivy's question - not because he was mad, but because he really needed to think about his answer. He'd thought about this so much recently. "I really don't know." He sighed. "I want to. I really do. And I think I could, but then - I don't know if I'd ever truly forget it. Or wonder if she was keeping something from me." He admitted. "It's not the kiss itself that bothers me, or even who it was - I truly do believe that it didn't mean anything. But she managed to keep that lie for so long and wanted to marry me without ever telling me. I don't know if I can get over that."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve laughed, nodding her head. "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you." She smiled. Despite her lack of confidence when it came to men or relationships, she really did think that if Tobias was single now, she'd tell him how she felt - because she had ruined that opportunity once already and she didn't think she'd forgive herself if she ruined it for herself again. But now, that opportunity had almost been taken away - because it was obvious how serious Tobias was with Nancy and she wasn't going to try and stand in the way of that. "What do you think I should do instead, then?" She sighed, raising an eyebrow. She really wanted to know, because to her this seemed like the only way without being completely unfair.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: It was still a learning curve with Iris and Jess and so she raised an eyebrow as he pushed the shot glass back to her. She wondered if he just didn't like to drink too much or if it was something deeper than that. She didn't think that right now was the time to question that. She didn't think that the two of them were close enough for that yet. Iris wished that she had the confidence to go over to Landon, to talk to him, to see how he was doing but she was sure that he needed space and if he wanted to talk to her, then he would. She laughed, though, as Jess spoke and nodded her head, "Oh, I can definitely assume. I wondered if he was a little different than I thought he might have been." She shook her head a little. Tobias definitely wasn't her kind of person. "Absolutely." She laughed, "His mum is even more obvious." She had only met Hettie a couple of times when she was seeing Lydia.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Well it should. Because you're fucking annoying with all of that." Noah laughed, shaking his head a little. He thought that he and Nancy were pretty much the opposite of one another and, now that he knew that Elias was his dad, he wondered if that was part of the reason why. Although he loved Ava, he couldn't help but be curious about his mother. He wondered if he would ever be able to meet her. "Sure." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders a little. Noah couldn't help but find it pretty interesting that Nancy seemed so concerned about Benjamin still. He would have thought that she was busy with someone else, busy with Tobias. "If you want to go over, then go over." He shrugged. "It's your party. You can do what you want to do."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Of course." Penny nodded. She thought that she and Lydia were similar enough that she knew how to deal with her but they were different enough that they didn't get too frustrated with one another. Penny would always know when to push back against Lydia and when to just leave her. SHe thought that the same could be said the other way around too. Penny scoffed as Lydia spoke before she shook her head, "We're not going to get along, Lydia. Mia might have forgiven him but I'm not gonna be happy about it." she shrugged. And she was sure that Lydia would feel the same if someone did something like that to Tobias - because Penny really did see Mia and Ivy as sisters. "That's very true. It's interesting though, right?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy just felt so overwhelmed by everything that was happening and she didn't really think that she had anyone to talk about it with. Even Landon. She didn't think that anyone understood it. Because she thought that it was different with her and with her mum. Her mum was prepared to do this all on her own but Ivy wasn't. She wanted to do this with someone, she wanted to make sure that her child had someone other than her to rely on. It was just too difficult to rely on Arlo as much as she probably needed too right now. "For sure." Ivy nodded. Ivy loved Audrey but she had never wanted to become her and she hated that this was happening now, when everything was such a mess. She nodded, though, as she listened to Landon. She felt almost comforted that he was thinking the same as her. "I get that." She sighed. "But even that is hard too, right? Because you love her still, right? So of course you want to forgive her. It's the trust, right?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake laughed but shrugged her shoulders, "I don't need luck." Though she was absolutely joking. She had always been pretty confident but she knew that, that didn't meant that she was always going to get what she wanted. She thought that people who did, though, were pretty interested. She couldn't help but feel bad for Maeve. She thought that she and Tobias were always just missing their chance and she thought that they deserved more than that. She wished that they had more than that. "You could always tell him." She shrugged. "Then the balls in his court and he knows. Or you could let yourself feel those feelings for him. Burying them will always make you feel terrible."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess didn't mind the odd drink every now and again, he just didn't see the point in excessive drinking - and three shots of tequila before he'd even finished one drink was definitely excessive to him. A lot of the time, he really didn't think people realised how much they drank, he hated how normalised binge drinking was. "I mean, there was nothing wrong with him. He was really fuckin' polite. I just don't think we had much in common." He laughed, shaking his head. He didn't think Tobias was a bad person, he'd been perfectly nice to him - but it was already clear that the two of them weren't going to be friends. "Yeah, I can imagine. His sister is the one from Made in Chelsea, isn't she?" He raised an eyebrow. He didn't watch the show, but clips popped up on social media all the time and it was impossible not to know who she was.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Well, tough. Aren't you glad we don't live together anymore, so you don't have to put up with it?" Nancy laughed, shrugging her shoulders. There had always been arguments when they were growing up about how long Nancy took to get ready, and it had only gotten worse as she'd gotten older. "You do! Arlo is your friend." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Honestly, Nancy was glad that her brother wasn't friends with a lot of the people he had been when he was younger - she didn't think they had been good for him. She nodded as he spoke about Benjamin; she knew how it sounded, but she also didn't think Noah was going to ask her many questions. She was happy about that. "I think I will... Just to check. Will you be okay?" She asked, looking back to him. She still didn't really like him to be on his own.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Maybe that's what I'll get you for your birthday. A Lydia clone." Lydia laughed, raising her eyebrows teasingly. She found it almost fun to think about where she and Penny were going to be in a year, or two - she knew they would still be in each others lives, that wasn't even a question. But she wondered in what capacity. If they looked twenty years into the future, would they be married? Would they have children? She couldn't help thinking about it sometimes. "It was years ago, Penny. People have done a lot worse." She shrugged her shoulders. She didn't think much would come in between Mia and Noah at this point, so it seemed to her like Penny was going to have to get onboard at some point. "Very. It won't last for long, though. Give it another month or so." She shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't being intentionally harsh, she just thought that was how the business worked. Lydia had always been too mean to be the It Girl, but she was still a pretty prominent figure in the media.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You wanna say right one more time?" Landon teased gently, nudging the other girl with a little laugh. "Even what is hard?" He asked, because he wasn't really sure what Ivy was saying - he felt as though she was speaking about how she felt now, not how he felt and he wanted her to be able to do that if she needed to. "It's not that I think she'd cheat on me again, that's not what I worry about." He shook his head. He really did believe that Iris had just freaked out and sought comfort in somebody she'd known forever. "But clearly she was comfortable keeping something from me for such a huge amount of time and if her conscience hadn't gotten in the way, we would've been married with her still keeping this secret from me. And that leaves me in a place where I just... I don't know if I can trust her not to keep other things from me." He shrugged his shoulders. He loved Iris so much and he wanted what they were always supposed to have; but Landon had always had issues opening up, trusting people... And this had made all of that a little bit worse.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You're right, you absolutely don't." Maeve agreed, laughing along with her friend. She couldn't imagine anybody turning Blake down, purely because she was so brilliantly confident. She knew what she wanted and that was obvious after one minute of speaking to her. She shook her head as soon as Blake started to speak about telling Tobias. "I would never do that. I hurt him once, I'm not going to put him in a terrible situation again. And besides, how humiliating - if he turned around and told me that all of that was long gone for him. Which I really do believe it is." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Iris still let herself get drunk - she thought that it was just a part of growing up - she was careful to let that happen once in a blue moon. The thought of being like Bridie absolutely wasn't what she wanted to think about. Iris' relationship with her mum was still pretty fractured .She saw her every once in a while but it was too hard now. She and Elias were such a mess and it only managed to make Iris sad. She knew it was selfish but she couldn't bring herself to be around that anymore. "I can't imagine the two of you getting along all that well." She chuckled, shaking her head. She didn't really get what anyone saw in Tobias. She thought that he was pretty boring, if she was totally honest. "She is, yeah. Lydia is great, though."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Lucky me." Noah laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He had gotten out of the family home as quickly as he could - at eighteen and he loved it. He had thrived living on his own. But now, almost ten years later, he had no idea how he was going to feel about living with someone else. He definitely thought that it was going to be a massive change and Noah never dealt with change well. "Lucky me." He laughed, rolling his eyes. Though it was clear he was joking. Arlo was probably his best friend and he would never take his cousin for granted. "I'll be fine." He nodded. And he would never say that he wouldn't be.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Penny laughed before she nodded her head, "God, i would fucking love that, you know?" She raised an eyebrow before she smiled at the other. Penny wasn't totally ready to settle down just yet but she hoped that this was the last time that she and Lydia had to get together again. Because she loved the other, that much was clear. She loved her and she hoped that this was the start of some kind of future for the two of them. Penny sighed as Lydia pushed, rolling her eyes. "And you're really telling me that if someone cheated on Tobias, you'd forgive them? Ever?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Because she really didn't think that the other girl would. She thought that it was obvious that she wouldn't.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Oh god, I know. I'm sorry." Ivy muttered, shaking her head. She was definitely talking about how she felt but she was almost comforted that someone like Landon was feeling the same way that she was feeling right now. "Loving them. That's hard. Because of what had happened." Ivy thought that she and Landon thought so differently on how they thought about what had happened. Landon clearly didn't think that it was because of old feelings resurfacing - though Ivy definitely did. Ivy nodded as she listened to him, "But she did tell you. Before you got married. So surely you can trust that to know that she'd tell you eventually?" Ivy didn't want Landon to think that she was belittling how he felt - because she definitely didn't want too. She just thought that it was important to look at the full picture. "And doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?" Ivy thought that it was different with Iris because Arlo had form. He had cheated on Iris after all. This was Iris' first, from what she had heard, anyway.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake smiled at Maeve. She loved how much confidence her friend had in her. She had the same kind in Maeve too. She thought that anyone would be blind to see how amazing Maeve was. Her best friend was so tough, so determined and she was absolutely gorgeous. She thought that it was about time that Maeve had someone who would worship the ground that she walked on. "It's not humiliating, though. Owning your feelings isn't humiliating. You just know then and at least then you have a reason to let them go." She knew that it sounded strange but Blake really did think that it was better that way than to harbour secret feelings.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Growing up around an alcoholic, around an addict - it had been enough to never let Jess want to lose control with alcohol even once in his life. He'd never touched drugs, he'd never gotten past the point of tipsy and he'd been called boring a lot growing up, but he didn't care. Because nobody else understood what he'd been through. He didn't think he'd ever find somebody who would - and he had no idea that Iris did. He felt incredibly selfish for moving out, for going out on his own - but he also didn't think he could devote his entire life to somebody who had never seemed to care about him. "No, I don't think we're all that compatible." He laughed, nodding his head. "Yeah? You're friends?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "To have somebody like me as your sister? Yeah, I'd say that's pretty lucky." Nancy laughed, nodding her head. She had moved out when she was eighteen, but only because she wanted to be in halls with the other students in her classes - she had never hated home as much as Noah had, it had never been as much of a prison for her. "Okay. You should go and find mum! Or Mia, or Arlo or somebody." She smiled, squeezing his arm before she started to make her way over to Benjamin. She didn't want to be obvious, but she thought anybody would go and check on an ex if they looked as upset as Benjamin did. She grabbed a drink and moved to go and sit next to him, crossing one leg over the other. "What's with the long face?" She asked, looking at him with a little smile.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Consider it done." Lydia laughed, nodding her head. Giving gifts was always how Lydia had showed love, it was always how she'd been shown love too and the people that she cared about the most were constantly receiving things from her, even if it was small things that they didn't really need. She liked to buy herself things, too - she loved herself as much as anybody else, after all. "After six years, if he was still with her - I might at least try and consider it. After threatening her with death if she ever did it again, obviously." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I just think it would be sad if you never managed to get along with somebody that's quite obviously going to be a permanent fixture in her life." She raised an eyebrow. "And I've invited them over for dinner next week, so you're going to have to at least play nice." She laughed.

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LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You're fine, you're totally fine." Landon chuckled; he hoped that Ivy didn't think he was being serious, he wanted her to be able to talk about whatever she wanted to. "For me, not so much. Loving Iris is - well, it's pretty natural. But it hurts sometimes, yeah." He sighed, nodding his head. He winced slightly as Ivy continued - because he'd heard this from so many different people and he just wished somebody would understand where he was coming from. "But she chose to tell me in a situation where I was either going to have to process what she'd told me in a matter of minutes, or face the humiliation of calling off the wedding and having all of my friends and family see me in that state. If she'd cared, if she'd really wanted to tell me... She would've told me before we got to that point. She told me for her own sake, not mine. Because she needed to get it off her chest. Not because she thought I deserved to know." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, everybody deserves a second chance. But do we have to give that second chance, if it's going to make us second guess everything in the relationship?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Maeve sensed at all that Tobias was unhappy in his relationship, that he didn't want to be in it anymore - then she thought she might be brave enough to tell him how she felt. But she could see how happy he was, how all in he was with Nancy - and she couldn't do that, not to him and not to herself. It was far too much. "I think I just need to work on letting them go, anyway. You know? Maybe I need to sign up for Tinder or whatever it is everybody else seems to do, to find all of these partners they seem to have." She laughed.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris would never think that she was the only person that had dealt with an alcoholic parent but she definitely didn't think that anyone would quite understand what she had gone through as she was growing up. Bridie had spent large chunks of her childhood sober - and that almost made things harder for her. Because every time Iris thought that things were going to be okay, Bridie would do something and sweep her off of her feet. She would come home to her mum passed out on the floor, or find bottles of wine hidden in the rubbish. It had never been easy. And a part of her thought that, that was why she had kissed Arlo - So she had the chance to mess things up before Landon had a chance to realise he didn't want her and push her down again. She wished that she could talk to him. "We are. She's my ex girlfriend." She shrugged her shoulders, laughing softly. Iris hadn't said anything about her sexuality to Jess but she definitely wasn't embarrassed about it.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I'd say more unlucky but sure." Noah laughed, shrugging his shoulders a little. Now that everything had been revealed, Noah looked back at his childhood even more sure of why Jude had treated him differently. Although he knew that the older man had done his best, he hadn't loved him in the same way that he had loved Nancy. It seemed so clear to Noah, now. "I'm fine on my own." Noah rolled his eyes. BUt he had already spotted Arlo and so made his way over to his cousin when Nancy was gone. "Hey." He muttered, nudging the other. "You gonna leave some food for the rest of us?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin hadn't really thought that anyone would realise that he wasn't feeling in the party spirit - he didn't want them too. Because he knew that he had messed up. He knew that this was the least that he deserved to feel. He looked up, though, as he heard Nancys voice and sighed a little. He didn't know what to say. Because he didn't want to do something that would ruin her birthday but he thought that she ought to know. "Jane and I just broke up. I - I told her." He sighed. Benjamin had always had a problem with over feeling. He cared so much about people. But the way he felt now was just downright awful and he knew that he deserved to feel that way.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Perfect." Penny laughed, nodding her head a little. She knew that it seemed excessive to still not like Noah but she couldn't help it. The idea that he was going to hurt Mia had never really gone away - even if Mia didn't think that it would happen. Penny had always been a one chance kind of person and Noah had well and truly ruined that chance. "I don't believe you." She laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think you'd ever be friends with someone who treated Tobias like that, no matter how long it had been." And she truly believed that. "He won't be though. He'll mess up again soon. It's just a matter of time." Penny knew that it was horrible to hold the fact that he was an addict against him - but she definitely did. She didn't think that he would ever give Mia the live that she deserved. "Oh for god sake."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy thought that it was so sad as Landon spoke about Iris. She thought that it was so clear how much he loved her and she wished that there was something she could do to make it feel better for him. She couldn't help but feel a little angry at both Arlo and Iris for putting her friend in this kind of position. Though as he continued, she nodded her head - she wanted to understand what it was that he was thinking. "That makes sense." She sighed. "So it's less about the lie or even about her keeping it from you but how she decided to tell you?" She asked him. "And we definitely don't. If you don't think that the trust is there, then it's not worth it but - I dunno. If even a small part of you thinks that you'll be missing out on something and you could trust her - then I think it might be worth it. You love her after all."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake knew that if she still had feelings for Wren, then she would have told him by now. Because she thought that it was important for everyone to have the full picture. She would never go into that conversation thinking that he would change his mind about Annie but she would think that it was good for her to know that he wasn't going to change his mind, that he did think that Annie was for him. It would give her closure. She knew that she and Maeve were very different people, though. "You think that you'd want to do something like that? I'm sure that i could set you up with someone? How about a blind date?" Blake laughed.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess had never opened up to anybody about his upbringing, he didn't want anybody feeling sorry for him or pitying him - and most of all, he didn't want their judgement. He had so much anger towards his mother, but that was his anger; he didn't want to hear other people speaking about her, shaming her. They didn't know her. He nodded as Iris spoke about Lydia; he wasn't bothered by her sexuality at all, but he couldn't help being pretty surprised that she had three exes in the same party. He didn't know how he felt about that - not that he had any assumptions that he and Iris would be anything more than casual, but he didn't tend to be a fan of situations where everybody seemed to have been with each other in some way or another. "And you're still friends?" He asked, although Iris had already made that quite plain.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo looked up from his plate when he heard his cousins voice, laughing loudly. "Oh, shut it. There's plenty of food, if you're quick enough." He grinned. He'd always been a big comfort eater and that was no different now; he was struggling so much not being with Ivy and he was making up for it by filling the gap she'd left in his life with food. He was at the gym pretty much every day now, trying to keep up with how much he was eating. "When did you get here, anyway?" He asked, realising he hadn't actually seen his cousin walking in. He'd been so busy planning for the baby recently that he hadn't spent as much time with his cousin as he'd like to.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy felt as though she knew Benjamin well enough that she would always be able to tell when something was wrong with him by this point; they had lived together after all, they had been together for a long, long time before they'd gone their separate ways. Although she felt terrible, she couldn't help feeling a little bit of happiness as he told her that he and Jane had broken up. Wasn't this what they had been waiting for? So that they could be together? Wasn't this what they wanted? "Oh..." She said softly, clearing her throat as he tried to think about what to say. "What did - why did you tell her?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She had made it plain more than once that if Benjamin wanted to be with her, all he had to do was say. She still loved him more than anything.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Then why ask? If you were only going to accept one answer?" Lydia laughed, shaking her head. She knew Penny had a point, there'd be no way she would ever fully forgive somebody that had cheated on her brother - but she could at least be civil, after so long and she thought that was proven by the way she was with Maeve. "I tolerate Maeve Hunter-Smith, don't I?" She raised an eyebrow. The two were never going to be best friends, but they made conversation. "Do you really think so?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She hoped that he wouldn't; she didn't want Noah to prove everybody right. "I thought you'd be happy! She's your friend, after all."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon didn't really enjoy speaking about any of this and especially not at a public event, but he could see that Ivy wanted to and if it helped her, then he would. "No, it's about the lie. But also the reason and way she decided to tell me." He nodded his head. He thought that about summed it up and he hoped they didn't have to keep going over it, because it was still pretty painful for him. He sighed as Ivy continued. "Ivy, I'm - I am so appreciative of the fact that you want to help, please don't think I'm not... But I really didn't ask for any advice. And now isn't the time for me to hear it." He told her, his voice soft but still firm. He felt as though, recently, everybody just assumed that he wanted to hear their opinions and advice when in actuality, he hadn't asked for any of it. "If you want to talk about your situation, if you want my advice - I'm here for you." He nodded his head.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve envied Blake's confidence, she envied her ability to find out what she wanted to know without being embarrassed about it - but she knew that could never be her and she was resigned to that. "Oh, I don't know - I was mostly joking, really. I think I'd be far too awkward for something like that." She laughed, shaking her head. She couldn't imagine herself on something like a blind date. "Have you ever been on one?" She asked, a little smile on her face.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris had never really stopped to think about how her having 3 exes in the same friendship group made her look. She had always been someone who based her attraction on someone on the level of connection she felt with that person. It was why she had fallen for Arlo - she knew that. And she was pretty sure that, that went for everyone that she had dated since then. But she also thought that if Jess had a problem with that, then it was better to cut things off here - sooner rather than later. "Yeah. We are." She nodded. "I'm friends with most of my exes." She shrugged. The only one that she wasn't, was Landon. And she just thought that they needed a little bit of time.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah absolutely knew what Arlo eating this much food meant and he thought that it was pretty clear that his cousin was struggling right now. He just wasn't sure what he could do to help him. He didn't think that there was actually anything to be done. "If we're quick enough, that's the key." He nodded. Noah was the opposite to Arlo. He went off food completely when he was stressed, when he was struggling. "Fuck sake." Noah muttered as Arlo mention him being late too and he shrugged his shoulders, "Not that long ago. We weren't that late." He scoffed. He didn't like the implication that he'd been ages.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: While Benjamin knew that he wanted nothing more than for he and Nancy to be together, he knew that he needed to give it some time. It absolutely wasn't fair to jump into something when he and Jane had just broken up. He couldn't walk away from her, though. He wanted to be with her, be near her. He watched her closely, though, as she took in the news. He knew that it was probably a surprise. Ben had really tried to keep her at arms length because he hadn't wanted to hurt Jane and yet that was exactly what he had done. Benjamin sighed at her question, though, because it meant that he had to tell her that he was still in love with her. He thought that it was already clear, though. "She asked if I still had feelings for you."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Because I thought you'd know that there was only one acceptable answer." Penny rolled her eyes. She understood being civil but she thought that being civil and being friends were worlds apart. And Penny was never going to be friends with Noah. She would never forgive him. She would never forgive Arlo, either. The only good thing she thought that the latter had done, was give them Ivys son. She was so excited to meet him. "I tolerate him, don't I?" Penny responded, raising an eyebrow. Because she didn't think that she would have even let him in the flat if she didn't tolerate him. "Of course I do. And I've told her that too." She shrugged. "Yeah but I have to spend time with him too."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy really just wanted to try and understand what he was thinking about. She found comfort in the similarity between the two of them. But then he spoke and she couldn't help but sigh a little. "Oh. Yeah.." Ivy nodded, looking down to the floor. She knew that it was ridiculous to get upset about that because he was being so nice but she couldn't help the tears of embarrassment - pregnancy hormones, she was sure of it. She had just wanted to help and she hated that she had gotten it so wrong. "No. It's fine. It's not even important." Ivy muttered, shaking her head a little. "Sorry." She sighed. Because she wasn't completely sure what to do now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake sometimes worried that she was a little too confident. She knew that, that sounded ridiculous because she thought that her confidence was a good thing nine times out of ten but she knew that it turned people away from her. She knew that some people didn't think they could handle it. "I think it takes the edge off. I promise it would be with someone nice." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders a little. Blake nodded her head, "One of the girls at the theatre set me up. He wasn't exactly my type though."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess didn't consider himself a particularly judgemental person, but he was absolutely a cautious one and he didn't like the idea that he was just one of many people Iris was introducing to three exes in the same night without giving him a warning of what he could be in for. He doubted many people who had only been on a couple of dates with somebody would be cool with that. He nodded as she spoke, though. "Fair enough. Probably a good decision, if they're all hanging around in the same friendship group as you." He laughed, looking around. He didn't mean it in a bitchy way, not at all - he just thought it was true, it made sense for Iris to be friends with her exes if they were going to be around all the time.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo didn't think he needed anybody's help, not really - he was hurting because he was going through a breakup and that was normal. He thought there were far worse vices than eating junk food for a few weeks. The gym had always been his place to relax, anyway - it was just an added bonus that he also worked there. "Yeah, exactly. I'd get some now, if you're hungry." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Alright, moody. I didn't say you were late, I just asked when you got here 'cause I didn't see you when we got here." He laughed, rolling his eyes before he picked up another sandwich and took a bite. "What the hell is with this party, anyway? Why's it so pink?" He laughed, looking around.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy raised an eyebrow as Benjamin spoke. She thought she'd made it pretty clear that she still had feelings for him, but he had always kept her at arms length a little bit - she knew him well enough to know that their relationship was more than just sex, but she'd always wished she could hear it from him just once. "And?" She asked quietly, looking over to the boy next to her. "Do you?" Nancy saw no point in being anything but direct now, because his relationship with Jane was over... So wasn't this their chance? Wasn't this everything they'd been waiting for? They had always said that when they both got back to London, they would see where they were. And she was ready. She just wanted him to be ready to.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon felt his heart in his throat the minute Ivy started to cry and he instantly felt like the worst person in the world. "Oh no, please don't - I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to make you cry... I'm sorry, Ivy. I shouldn't have said anything." He whispered, shaking his head. He felt awful, he wished he'd just kept his mouth shut - it was just difficult to constantly hear what everybody else thought you should do, when you hadn't asked. "No, of course it's important... I want to listen you, I'm just - I'm really not in the right place to be taking everybody's advice right now." He sighed, scratching his head awkwardly. He'd never been good at handling emotional people, but especially not a pregnant lady whose tears he was absolutely the reason for.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve honestly thought it was hard for women to win, sometimes - if you were quiet, you were boring and didn't know what you wanted but if you were loud and confident, you were too much and you scared people off. She didn't see much point in being anything but herself anymore; she just hoped that one day, the right person would like that for what it was. "I'll think about it, I promise. How's that?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Wasn't that just really awkward?" She laughed, shaking her head. That was what Maeve would be afraid of, that she wasn't the persons type and they just put up with the date to be nice.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris didn't think that she really owed Jess anything. She had told him about Landon before they had come to the party and she thought that, that was the only important thing. Because Landon was the only one that might cause the two of them an issue. Although she had never said it out loud, she thought that it was clear that if Landon wanted her, then she would go back to him in a heartbeat. She liked Jess but what was going on between the two of them was not serious at all. Iris laughed a little as Jess spoke but she nodded her head, "Yeah, I guess so. I don't think we'd all be here though if we didn't get along."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah had never been in the position where he could feel a breakup. When he and Mia had broken up before, he wasn't sober. And she was the only girl that had ever actually meant anything to him. He had no idea how Arlo would be feeling right now because he had never been through any of those feelings before. "I'm good, don't worry. Eat to your hearts content." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders a little. He rolled his eyes as Arlo continued. He knew that he was being unfair but he didn't particularly care. That was how he always was. "Yeah, Nancys already been on my back about it." He shrugged. "Because it's Nancys! What did you expect from her?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin sighed a little as Nancy continued to question him. Because he thought that it was clear that he still had feelings for her. How could he not? He thought that she had known him well enough to know that he would never have gone behind Janes back if he didn't have feelings for her. He thought that, that much was obvious. "You already know that I do." He sighed. He couldn't look at her though. Because she was with Tobias and he thought that it was clear just how serious the two of them were for one another right now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy shook her head a little as Landon started to apologise, "No, no. This isn't you. This is the baby hormones." She knew that it wasn't fair. Landon had given her a perfectly reasonable request. And she had been totally unreasonable and burst into tears. She really did hate how her brain worked, sometimes. "Honestly, you didn't do anything wrong. Please don't think that you did." She sighed. She wished ,more than anything, that she could just hold it together for more than two seconds. "I get that, though. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed you'd want that."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake had always had a pretty sure sense of herself but it had only become firmer since she had gotten older. There was no way that she would compromise on who she was - she just thought that it might be easier sometimes. Blake really did think that, that was one thing that she and Maeve had in common though and she liked that. She liked that they were both sure of themselves. "Alright, I can go with that." Blake laughed, nodding her head. She thought about her friends question, though, before shaking her head. "Not really. It was different to what I was used too but it was actually pretty fun"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess didn't think Iris owed him anything in the context of their 'relationship,' because they didn't really have one. They were just two people who had enjoyed each others company a couple of times. But he thought it would've been the decent thing to do, to warn him that there were people there who she'd dated before - mostly so he didn't make an awkward slip up around any of them. He was almost too occupied thinking about his family to really think about it too much, anyway. "So, is there any gossip around here that I do need to know about?" He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. He was mostly asking in case Iris knew anything else about his family, his brother or cousins. He wanted to hear it all, he was so curious about all of them.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo had been through a couple of breakups in his life, but nothing like this... This was his first proper, adult breakup and Ivy was having his baby. It hurt even more than when he and Iris had broken up, it hurt more than anything he'd ever really experienced. He just wanted her back, he wanted them to be back to normal. He hated it. "Oh, I will." He laughed, nodding his head. "Well, I'm not Nancy. I don't care if you were late." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He was more than used to his cousin at this point, though - Noah's moods barely even affected him. "I dunno, but I definitely didn't expect this. It's insane." He laughed, shaking his head. He knew that it was very Nancy though, he shouldn't have expected anything less.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy just needed to know how it was that Benjamin felt about her, because if he wanted to be with her then she would be with him in a heartbeat. She would feel terrible for hurting Tobias, because she really did care for him - but it was nothing compared to how she felt for Benjamin and she knew that. She let out a breath she'd been holding in as he confirmed he had feelings for her, nodding her head. "So then - there's nothing holding us back, now?" She whispered, trying her hardest to keep her face neutral because she knew that anybody could see them. "Ben, you know I - we can be together now. Properly." She couldn't help but smile, looking at him to see if he'd come to the same conclusion. She saw no reason for them not to be together, because Benjamin had always been afraid of hurting Jane but they weren't together anymore. Their time had come.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I still feel partly responsible, I --..." Landon wished he'd just never said anything, he didn't want to upset Ivy anymore than she was already hurting right now. "It's really okay, I know you were just trying to help. I shouldn't have - It wasn't even you, I think things just built up a little." He said softly, shaking his head. "Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat?" He felt pretty awkward, because he never really knew how to handle situations like this and now he felt as though he couldn't leave either.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "We'll see, maybe I'll really come around to the idea." Maeve laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She didn't think being set up was the worst idea in the world, but the idea of a blind date was pretty scary to her right now. "Even though you didn't like the guy?" She chuckled, raising an eyebrow. She didn't think she'd find that very fun, but then again they were very different people. All the dates Maeve had been on had been with people she already knew pretty well.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Because of the people that her exes were, Iris really didn't think that Jess had any need to worry about slipping up when he was around them because she didn't really think that any of them would complain about him or say anything mean about what he was saying. Iris laughed a little as Jess asked about the gossip and she shrugged her shoulders as she looked around the room. "Okay, i'm sure there's plenty, let me think." She smiled. She glanced around the room, "Alright, well, Noah is moving in with Mia soon, does that count?" She laughed, "Erm - Arlo, when he's stressed out will comfort eat so if you wanted to get some food, we better get in there pretty quickly. He will eat it all." She nudged him and then nodded over to Blake, "She hasn't been around for a while. That's Blake. So you're not the only one new around here." She smiled as she looked up at him. "I don't know if any of that is gossip but that's all I've got."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah definitely felt for Arlo but he couldn't help but think that all of this was a part of his making. Because he had been the one to kiss Iris. He wasn't sure what it was that he had expected to happen. He wasn't going to add more hurt on top by saying that to him, though. He wasn't that mean. "I'm sure you will. Is it good food, then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Noah shrugged his shoulders a little as Arlo spoke, "Yeah? Well good. I fucking swear, every time i'm late to something, she expects to find me in a ditch." He rolled his eyes. "That's what Davenport money can do, isn't it?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamin couldn't help but sigh a little as Nancy spoke because he didn't know if that was the case. She had Tobias. She was in a relationship. A serious relationship, he thought. So he didn't think that this was actually going to change anything. "I don't know, Nancy." He sighed, shaking his head. "You're with Tobias. I - Jane hasn't even moved out of our place yet." He chewed on his lip for a second, "I don't think that it's that easy anymore." They weren't kids. They couldn't just do what they wanted and not think about the other people involved.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "You aren't. Honestly, you're fine." Ivy whispered, shaking her head. She hated that she was being like this because she thought that Landon had enough to deal with. She nodded, though, as he spoke a little more. "I get that. I should have just kept it to myself though. I should have realised that you wouldn't want to hear it because I don't know if I do." She sighed. "It was just nice knowing that we feel the same - you know? That sounds awful. God, I'm sorry." She muttered, shaking her head a little. She really hated how she could act like this sometimes. "I'm okay, honestly."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake chuckled as Maeve continued, "You have to come to me as soon as you decide that you're ready for it!" She beamed. She was sure that she would be able to find someone who suited Maeve - she knew enough people after all. She thought that Maeve deserved to find someone that she was happy with. "Yeah. I love getting to know people. And we were pretty opposite so it was even more fun, you know?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess laughed, raising an eyebrow as he waited for Iris to give him any of the gossip she knew. "Do I know Noah or Mia?" He laughed, looking around as though he was going to spot them - he thought it would be weird for him to already know them, he wanted an excuse to ask more. "He does seem to have been at the buffet table all night." He laughed as she spoke about Arlo, nodding his head. "Oh, nice. Comforting not being the only stranger." He laughed, looking over to Blake. He wondered if she felt as out of place as he did; he assumed not, since she looked pretty deep in conversation with the girl standing next to her.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Of course, Arlo regretted both the kiss and the lie - but he also really had thought he had been doing the right thing at the time by not telling Ivy who it was that he'd kissed. He'd told her the day after it had happened, he had never wanted to keep the actual kiss from her... But he hadn't wanted to tell her that it was Iris, because he was sure she would think it meant more than it had. He hadn't wanted to lose her. "It's alright, yeah - it's rich people food, but it tastes good." He laughed, nodding his head. He shrugged his shoulders as Noah spoke about Nancy. "She just worries about you, mate." He thought she probably had reason to, as well - they all remembered what he had been like at his worst. "Apparently so. Weird as hell." He shook his head. His parents had always had enough money, but they'd never ever lived like this. He couldn't imagine it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy's heart fell slightly as Benjamin spoke, because she didn't understand what he meant - if they loved each other, if they had both risked these other relationships to still get to see each other, then why wouldn't they choose to be together when they had the opportunity to do so? "What?" She asked, a little laugh escaping her mouth at how crazy it all seemed to her. "I don't get it, I -- what was the point, then? What was the point of all the sneaking around, keeping all of these secrets, hurting people - if you don't even want to be with me?" She asked, shaking her head. She was getting more annoyed as she spoke, because she'd always assumed that they were going to be together in the end. She'd thought that was where it was all leading.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon nodded his head. He didn't want to make things worse by continuously apologising, if it was just going to make Ivy feel worse about everything. He understood what she was saying, of course - he didn't want anybody else to feel the pain that he had gone through, but he couldn't deny that it was nice to have somebody else that understood. "It doesn't sound awful, not at all. I know exactly what you mean. It's nice not to feel like you're alone." He smiled, resting a hand awkwardly on the girls arm. He hoped it was comforting, he'd intended it to be. "Are you sure?" He asked doubtfully. He really hated that he'd made her so upset.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Of course I will." Maeve laughed. If she was going to trust anybody at all to send her on a blind date, it was absolutely going to be Blake - she thought the other knew her probably better than anybody else ever had. "I guess I can see how that would be the case." She laughed, nodding her head. "Are you at least still friends, then?" She smiled. She thought it would be nice to get something out of the experience, even if it wasn't a relationship. It was a sign of how far Maeve had come and how much she'd matured that she was even considering a blind date at all.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Right." Iris laughed, nodding her head. She pointed over to Mia, "That's Mia. She's my cousin. And Noah is with Arlo." She was definitely curious what Jess thought about everyone, though she knew that he hadn't really spoke to many of them yet. She definitely didn't see anything wrong with how he was asking about them all though. She thought that curiosity was pretty obvious. "That's Arlo." She laughed. "Would you believe me if I told you that he worked in the gym?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She thought that the gym seemed like a perfect place for Arlo to work and she was glad that he had managed to figure it all out. "I bet." She laughed, nodding her head a little.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah knew that he couldn't really comment on what Arlo had done because he had done much worse than Arlo. He hadn't even been intending to tell Mia what had happened with him and Dodie, after all. He just had never expected it from Arlo and especially not with Ivy. Noah didn't think that he had ever seen him care about someone as much as he cared about her. "Rich people is apparently the best kind of food though?" He raised an eyebrow. Noah definitely didn't like the look at any of it. So, even if he was hungry, he didn't think that he would have wanted to try any of it. He rolled his eyes. "It was fucking years ago, Arlo." He muttered. Though he knew that if that had happened to Arlo or Nancy, then he was always going to worry. "Nancy seems happy though so.. .I guess we can't complain too much." He shrugged his shoulders. Because he thought that as long as his sister was happy, then that was all that mattered.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: A part of Benjamin wanted to tell himself to stop. That he needed to get out of his head and just be with Nancy. But he couldn't hurt Jane more than he already had. He really didn't want to make her feel like he hadn't enjoyed the time that they had, had together. Benjamin just felt like he was messing everything up. "I do want to be with you. That's not what I'm saying." He muttered, shaking his head a little. Because he wasn't really sure how to get what he needed to say out. He couldn't stop his brain from completely ticking over. "But I don't want to hurt Jane even more than I already have by jumping into a new relationship straight away." And he hoped that she could accept that. He just needed a little bit of time, he thought. He really hoped that she would be willing to give him it.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Yes, exactly." Ivy sighed, nodding her head. She was just glad that Landon understood what it was that she was saying and that he seemed to agree with her. They could be there for one another because they both knew what all of this felt like. She thought that she was projecting her own feelings onto Landon a little too much, though, and she knew that she needed to stop. "I'm sure, thank you." She nodded. "Anyway - onto happier topics. This is meant to be a party." Ivy laughed, shaking her head "Have you seen much of Annie recently?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Excellent." Blake laughed, nodding her head. She thought that, that meant that Maeve trusted her. Because she absolutely trusted the other girl. She thought that she probably trusted Maeve more than anyone else. She knew that the two of them would be friends for the rest of their lives and she was so happy about that. "I mean, we're not not friends. We talk whenever we see each other. He's married now." She laughed, shaking her head. "He got married within a year of knowing this girl. It was crazy." Blake definitely didn't think that she could do something like that.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess looked around, clocking the people that Iris had pointed out and nodding his head. "And they're moving in together? Pretty big." He had never been in a relationship that serious before, he'd never been at a point where he felt as though he could spend that much time around one person. "I mean, he definitely looks like he works in a gym - I just wouldn't be expecting him to eat as much as he does. What does he do?" He laughed. He'd always been pretty skinny, pretty lanky when he was growing up - he tried to go to the gym every now and again, but it wasn't really something he enjoyed all that much. "I can't believe how long you guys have all known each other for. You never get bored of each other?" He laughed.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo didn't expect anybody to give him a pass on what he'd done; he knew that kissing Iris had been wrong and he was always going to feel bad about it. He just didn't think it was worth throwing away everything he and Ivy had because of it. Not when they had a baby on the way, when they had a chance to be a family. "So they say. Although I think McDonalds tastes just as good." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. There was no denying how good the food here was, though. "I know. Not gonna stop her worrying, though." He said softly, raising an eyebrow. He thought that was pretty self-explanatory. They'd all been pretty scared, when Noah had overdosed. He didn't think they were likely to get over it any time soon. "True. I still can't believe it's with Tobias, though. I really never saw that coming." He laughed, shaking his head. "I can't wait for granddad to meet him."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "That's what you just said!" Nancy argued, trying not to let herself get too worked up but getting more upset by the second as they continued the discussion. "So sleeping with somebody behind her back, lying to her, hiding things from her - all of that is fine, but getting into a new relationship with somebody you really do have feelings for, when you're single... That's not okay? Explain that to me Ben, because I don't quite get it." She told him, shaking her head. "What - so what do you want to do, then? Just leave it here? Just - forget about it all?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She sounded far more okay than she actually was; because if Benjamin really did want to leave it all there, Nancy was pretty sure it would just break her heart.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon understood why Ivy would want to project her own feelings onto him, but he thought that her forgiving Arlo was a totally different situation to him forgiving Iris. If she wanted to do that, he thought it was her decision and he'd understand it - but that didn't mean he had to forgive Iris, too. He smiled as she reminded him that it was a party, nodding his head. "Of course, almost forgot." He chuckled. "Yeah, I have. I try and visit them as much as I can." He smiled. Annie was his best friend, even though she was starting a new chapter in her life she'd always made it clear that he was still going to be a big part of it. "It's nice to get out of the city for a little bit, you know?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Maeve was going to trust anybody to send her on a blind date, it was Blake. She just wanted to make sure she was totally ready for something like that first. "Oh wow, he's married?" She laughed, shaking her head. She almost forgot they were now at an age where the people around them would all be getting married and having kids of their own before long. "I guess a year is long enough for some people." She laughed. She couldn't imagine that being the case for her though; meeting somebody and marrying them all within a year. It seemed like a lot.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris thought that it was pretty brave to enter a party like this, when so many of them already knew one another but she liked that Jess was taking it in his stride. She didn't think that she had it in her to do that, if she was honest. If she was introduced to everyone that Jess knew was quickly as he had been, she absolutely wouldn't have been very happy. "That's why he works in the gym. So he can comfort eat to his hearts content." She laughed, rolling her eyes. Iris loved Arlo. He had been one of her closest friends for so long. And she missed him so much. She missed their friendship. She chuckled, though as Jess spoke and she shrugged her shoulders, "If you're around long enough then you'll realise that there is never a dull moment around here. We couldn't get bored of one another if we tried."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah definitely didn't know how Arlo was coping with becoming a father. Because he knew that if it was him, he would be completely losing his mind. The idea of becoming a dad at all was something that he didn't think he wanted. It was just another thing that Noah never thought he would be good at and he never wanted a child to feel like he had done when he was growing up. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised by that." Noah nodded his head. He didn't understand why Nancy would be buying into Tobias' world as much as she was right now. This wasn't even close to how the two of them had been raised, after all. "No, me neither. I'm pretty fucking annoyed that it is." He joked - though Noah definitely wasn't all that keen on him. "Granddad will fucking hate him. He has no idea what's coming."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: As Nancy started to get worked up, he couldn't help but sigh. Because Benjamin really didn't think that Nancy was understanding what he was saying, where he was coming from. "None of it was okay, Nancy. That's what i'm trying to say!" He sighed, shaking his head. Because he didn't understand how she was just hearing whatever it was that she wanted to hear. He was really trying to do the right things here. "of course I want to be with you. I can't believe that, that's even a question." He sighed, shaking his head. "of course I do. I just need a little bit of time. That's all. All I'm asking for is a little bit of time."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy had no real idea about what she was going to do with Arlo but she wished that she did. She didn't like the constant back and forth, the confusion between them both . She wished that there was something that she could do about it all. She was just so confused. She smiled, though, as they managed to change the conversation because she really didn't see the point in talking about it anymore. They'd both make up their own minds about Iris and Arlo eventually. She nodded as she listened to him though, a small smile on her face, "Yeah, I bet. She must be so excited about the baby?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Ivy thought that Annie and Wren were probably the most ready made parents.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake only ever wanted to do things that Maeve felt comfortable with. She thought that it was important that she felt like she was going to be matched with someone who was good for her - good enough for her. "Mhm. How mad, right?" She laughed, shaking her head. Blake loved a wedding and she absolutely loved that they were at the age where they were always going to one. "Could you imagine though? They had to meet, fall in love and then decide to get married within a year. It normally takes me about a year to tell someone I bloody love them." And as such, she had only said it to one person so far.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If Jess had known just how many people were going to be around tonight, he didn't think he would've agreed to come - he'd imagined it as a little family party, something where he'd maybe get to meet a few people that Iris knew. Nothing on this scale. "Well, that makes sense. I don't think I could be bothered with that, though." He laughed. He didn't think he'd enjoy his food as much if he knew he just had to go and work it off every time he ate something. He thought it would probably take the fun out of it. "Yeah, now that you say it I can kind of imagine that's the truth." He laughed, nodding over to Nancy as a prime example. "She okay?" Whatever conversation she was having looked pretty intense.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo had always wanted to be a dad at some point and honestly, he didn't think twenty four was even that young for it - he'd been a little scared when he'd first found out and he was definitely still nervous, but mostly he was just excited. He loved babies, he was already so good with them and he couldn't wait to be a dad. "Annoyed?" He laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Don't tell me you'd rather have Boring Ben as a brother in law?" He grinned teasingly. He was only joking, he actually quite liked Ben - but he didn't think either he or Tobias were very compatible for the rest of their family. "I know, I don't think he actually understands how brutal granddad can be. I can't wait. Let's not warn him either." He laughed, practically clapping his hands with excitement.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy knew that what they'd been doing was wrong; they should never have gone behind their partners backs, they should've just left each other alone... And she really had tried to stay away so many times, so many times she'd told herself it was the last time and that she was throwing her all into the relationship with Tobias. But she was so in love with Benjamin and it hurt that he didn't want to be with her now, when they finally had the opportunity. She went quiet as he spoke, pausing for a couple of seconds to take it in. "No." She whispered, shaking her head. "No, I don't have any time. I've waited - this whole time, I've made it so clear that I wanted to be with you. I've waited and waited, I'm not waiting anymore." She shook her head, almost tearful at what she was saying. "If you don't want me now, I'm not just going to wait around some more until you do. I need to move on with my life." She shrugged her shoulders, trying not to let herself get anymore upset.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Yeah, she is. They both are. They're going to make brilliant parents." Landon smiled fondly. He couldn't imagine anybody making better parents than Annie and Wren, he thought they were so ready for anything that could possibly happen and they were so excited for their baby. "What about you, anyway? You're having a boy, right?" He smiled, nodding down to Ivy's bump. He thought she deserved to be excited about everything that was going to happen, even if everything else was a little bit messed up right now.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Really mad." Maeve laughed, nodding her head in agreement. She thought she could understand a little more if two people had known each other their entire lives and got married after a year of being together, but definitely not having only just met. It seemed crazy to her. "I think it would take me even longer than that." She laughed, shaking her head. She had been with her ex-boyfriend for years and she'd ended up saying she loved him just because she felt bad for not saying it back, but she didn't think she actually had been in love with him. Not when she looked back.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris knew what it looked like when she had brought Jess to the party but she just hadn't been able to bring herself to come to the party without someone with her. She couldn't face Landon on her own. Because if Landon was never going to forgive her, then she thought that he needed to know that she could move on without him. "Oh yeah, neither could I. He use to try and make me go to the gym with him. He gave up a long time ago though." Iris laughed, shaking her head a little. She had never been the most natural athlete, after all. Iris quickly looked over to Nancy as Jess nodded over to her and she narrowed her eyes. She figured that it was about the two of them seeing each other behind their partners back but she knew that she couldn't say that. "I'm sure that she is. I think Ben has some stuff going on."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah thought that being an uncle - like he would be to Arlos child - was enough for him right now. He had no idea if he would change his mind later on. It was a conversation that he was dreading having with Mia. He thought that it would be pretty unusual for someone like her to not want a family of her own and he had no idea how he would ever tell her that he just didn't know if that was on the cards for him. "Boring Ben is better than a Tory." Noah muttered, rolling his eyes. That was his favourite insult, if he was honest. He thought that it got across the type of person that he was talking about instantly. "We're definitely not going to warn him. We'll just let granddad doing his thing and I cannot wait to see it."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Benjamins eyes went wide as Nancy said no. Because he definitely hadn't expected that. He had wanted her to tell him that he could have the time that he needed. he really didn't think that it was going to be long. But he knew that he should have realised that it was her terms or nothing. Wasn't that how it always was? "You make it sound like I'm the only one that's in a relationship, Nancy. I don't see you ended things with Tobias. So don't pretend like I'm the one that was totally in the wrong here. Because you haven't been an angel, either."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Oh, absolutely. And you're going to be the best uncle, too." Ivy nodded. She thought that Landon would be sweet around children. She had just assumed that he would be known as uncle for their kids, anyway. Ivy looked down at her bump as Landon spoke about it and nodded her head, "Yep. Little squiggle is a boy. Which is exciting, actually. There's so many girls in my family." She smiled. "But we're good. I'm good. I didn't realise how much pressure i'd feel when trying to come up with a name for him, though. He'd gotta live with that for his entire life! That's so much pressure."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake had no idea how people could think that getting married, that rushing into things, would be a good idea sometimes. She didn;t get why anyone would want to get married that quickly. She knew that marriage didn't automatically mean that it would be for forever but she didn't understand why someone would be flippant about getting married. It just seemed like a lot of faff to her, if she was honest. "Have you ever said it to anyone"?" She asked, as she looked to Maeve. She was curious, more than anything else. She definitely wouldn't hold anything against the other girl .

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: When Iris had told him about Landon, Jess had pretty much assumed that he was only at the party so that Iris didn't have to be there on her own and he didn't mind that - he understood it, really. He didn't think he'd want to be alone at a party his recent ex was also attending. "Not a gym fan, then?" He laughed, raising an eyebrow. He thought that if you enjoyed exercise, it was obviously worth doing - but he didn't see the point in forcing yourself to do something you didn't enjoy, like the gym. He found his exercise in things like walking or running or swimming. He nodded as she spoke about Benjamin. "Sorry, I'm just being nosy - I don't even know the poor guy." he laughed, shaking his head. He didn't think either of them looked okay, but he knew it was far from his place to keep on commenting about it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo couldn't wait to ask Noah and Mia to be the godparents to his baby; he and Ivy had agreed on that a long time ago and he was still trying to come up with the perfect way of asking them. He knew that a lot of people wouldn't really understand the decision, but he trusted Noah a lot and Mia too. He knew that if anything happened to he or Ivy, they'd be there for their son. He just hoped Noah returned the favour, when he had kids - it hadn't really occurred to Arlo that some people might not want children. "I didn't think about it that way, you're right." He laughed. "I might get my dad to film it or something. It'd be worth streaming, I tell you." He laughed at just the idea of Freddie meeting Tobias.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Deep down, Nancy knew that she would regret not just agreeing to give Benjamin some time, she would regret not being patient - but she was always like this, she felt so deeply and she made her decisions in the moment and they often turned out to be the wrong ones. She was humiliated, she felt embarrassed that she'd wanted Benjamin so badly and he hadn't wanted her enough. She was never going to take that well. "Oh, I never pretended to be an angel. I know what I've done and trust me, I feel fucking terrible about it. But that's the difference between us, isn't it? I know I'm not always a good person. You just can't handle that you've done a bad thing, Ben." She snapped at him. "And I'm an idiot, because I have somebody who wants to give me everything... And I wanted to throw it away for somebody who doesn't even want me." She shook her head.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Oh, I don't know about that..." Landon laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He'd never really been much of a kid person, he'd never liked being around them all that much although he wasn't as directly anti-children as he knew some of the people around there were. He'd never really known if he'd wanted children of his own, though. He didn't know how he'd be as a father. "That is very exciting. I'm sure he'll be spoiled by them all, then." He laughed, nodding his head. "I never thought about it like that... That is a lot of pressure." He chuckled. "Do you have many options so far, or are you keeping them a secret?" He smiled. He knew a lot of people didn't like to give anything about the name away until the baby was born and he didn't want to pry, if that was the case.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve definitely wanted to get married one day, if she found the right person - but if she didn't, she didn't think she would be absolutely heartbroken by it. She quite liked the idea, though. She smiled at Blake's question; she loved how comfortable they were with each other now, she would tell the other pretty much anything. "Yeah, I have." She nodded her head. "I don't think I should've, though. Henry said it quickly, after maybe four months or so and by the time we made it to a year I felt terrible not saying it back." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. She had really, really liked Henry - but she'd never been quite sure if she loved him and she almost wished she hadn't said it to him for the first time. She wished she'd saved it.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris really hoped that she and Jess were on the same page here. She would hate for him to think that the two of them were more than they actually were. She liked him a lot but she knew that she absolutely was not ready for something as serious as she and Landon had, had. Especially not if there was a chance that Landon could for give her. She loved him so much and she would do anything that he asked of her - if only he would actually ask something from her. "Absolutely not." She laughed, shaking her head. Not a fan of exercise in general, honestly." She would do the bare minimum to make sure that she got by and that was about it. "No. It's fair to be nosey, honestly. I would be too." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Anything else you're curious about?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah definitely didn't think that Arlo would think of him as someone who would be good enough to look after his child. He didn't think that anyone would be crazy enough to think that he was good enough to do something like that. Noah loved Arlo like a brother. He was probably his best friend - though he'd never say that. And he knew that he would be the most amazing dad. He thought that he was pretty much destined to be the best dad going. "I know i'm right." Noah shrugged. He definitely did't think that he would ever be happy about having Tobias a part of the family but he didn't think that there was much that could be done about it. "Oh please. We'd earn a fucking fortune if you did that!"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although Benjamin knew that what he was saying wasn't nice, he didn't understand why she had to be acting like this. He didn't think that it was particularly fair. "Why are you being so mean, Nancy? I'm just trying to tell me what I'm thinking, how I'm feeling and you're just being mean because you cant' get your own way. I just need some time. Because Jane deserves more respect than I have been giving her recently." He wasn't going to sit there and let her have a go at him when he was really trying to do the right thing here. He stood up then, though. "I really hope that you have a nice birthday. I'm going to go home. Call me when you've stopped being so dramatic." He sighed, shaking his head.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I'm sure that you will be." Ivy smiled before she nodded her head. She thought that Landon was underselling himself but she knew that she thought that about most people. Ivy thought that Landon was lovely enough that he would be lovely with whatever child his friends had. She knew that, that was one thing that she was intrigued about with her own baby. She couldn't wait to see how they were all going to be around him. "I'm sure." She laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah, we have a few different options. Arlo wants to try and keep the A things going - yknow, Alba, Aaron, Arlo. So we're trying to find an A name. I like the name Rafe though. I think that's really cute. I dunno. I guess we'll see." She shrugged.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake was sure that whenever she got married, Maeve would be right there next to her. and she hoped that it was the same with her and Maeve. She was so sure that it wouldn't be long before her best friend found the person that she would end up marrying. She knew that she deserved the happy ever after. She nodded as she listened to Maeve. She definitely couldn't blame her friend for saying it back after that, though. "I probably would have done the same thing, honestly." She shrugged. "And I guess that probably explains why you guys aren't in that relationship anymore, right?" she raised an eyebrow.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess laughed; he liked that Iris was honest and open about who she was, it was clear that what you saw with her was what you got and he absolutely looked for that in a person. "Yeah, I get that. I don't mind exercise, but definitely not the gym." He laughed, shaking his head. "There are just so many people here, I guess it makes me want to know more about them." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure there will be, but for now - nothing in particular." He smiled, looking around the room. Of course, he was so curious about the rest of the Hayes - but he wasn't about to reveal that, or the reason why.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo knew that people would think Noah would be a risky choice, but his cousin had always looked after him - he'd always made sure he was okay and he knew he'd do the same for his son. He thought he and Mia made a good team, they would be perfect godparents to his son. "What if he gets Nancy voting Tory? It'll be like having a traitor in the family." He grimaced, shaking his head. Despite his family arguing pretty much all the time, they were absolutely united on politics. "Consider it done, if I can persuade dad. I doubt it'll take much." He laughed.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy rolled her eyes as Benjamin continued to speak. She was embarrassed now and in Nancy, that always manifested as anger. "I'm being mean? Grow up." She snapped, shaking her head. "And don't pretend to care about respecting that girl at all, because if you cared then you wouldn't have come near me in the first place." She stood up from her seat, pulling her dress down a little. She let out a laugh as Benjamin spoke his parting words, rolling her eyes dramatically as though to prove his point. "Don't hold your breath." She told him, shaking her head. She didn't think she'd be calling anytime soon, she was far too proud for that. With that, she turned and started to walk, although as soon as she did she felt as though she was going to burst into tears - she didn't know what to do anymore. She headed straight for the bathroom, her eyes filling up.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon smiled, shrugging his shoulders. Just because he was a nice person, he didn't think it automatically meant that he was going to make a good uncle - although he hoped it did. He wanted to be there for Annie and Wren, if they ever needed him. "Oh, of course - I'd never realised that was intentional." He chuckled as Ivy brought up the alliterating names. "Rafe? I like that, it's unusual. What last name is the baby going to have?" He smiled. He never wanted to assume that it was always going to be the fathers name.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve had never really been the type of person to sit and plan her wedding, to think about all the things she dreamed of having - but whatever she did have, she knew Blake would have a big part in it. She was her closest friend. "Mm. I think a lot of people would, I just - I suppose I felt bad about it at the time, because it felt like a lie." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Absolutely. He felt more like a friend than anything else, by the end. So I suppose I did love him, in a way - I just wasn't in love with him." She nodded her head.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris had never really seen the point in pretending to be someone that she wasn't. She thought that you would always be found out sooner rather than later. She figured that she might as well start out as the person she was before she got in too deep with someone. She thought that Jess seemed to be similar and she liked that. "Definitely not the gym." She laughed, shaking her head a little. "No, it makes sense. Like I said, I'd probably have been even more curious than you're being. But i'm sure you'll find out all of their secrets sooner rather than later. "What are your friends like?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah was definitely the older brother. He would look after the people that he cared about, no matter what - those people would always include Nancy and Arlo. He was sure that he would feel the same about Arlos son as well. He hoped so, anyway. He really would have hated the idea of not being there for Arlos son. "Then she would be disowned from the family and it just wouldn't be worth it." He laughed, shaking his head a little. He was sure that none of the family would be happy if Nancy changed her political views. They were pretty important to his family, after all. "You can get your dad to do anything. We both know that."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: While Benjamin was sure that Nancy was only saying all of this to make herself feel better, he wasn't going to stand for it. He didn't think that it was fair. He didn't think that he had earnt that. He loved Nancy and he had tried to get her to see things from his point of view but it seemed pretty impossible. He shook his head a little before he turned and walked away from her. He pulled out his phone as he was starting to leave, texting Landon to tell him where he was going. He didn't like to leave Landon but he knew that he couldn't stay there anymore.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: *continued* Iris' attention was taken by Nancy, then. Seeing her moving to the bathroom. "Actually, do you mind if you hold that thought? I just need the loo."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy really did think that Landon had nothing to worry about. She thought that if he cared enough that he didn't want to be bad around the kids, then he was going to be good. She hoped that, that was the case, anyway. "Yeah, I think that it was." She shrugged. "I'm not sure yet." Ivy shrugged her shoulders. "I had my dads name growing up but I obviously don't now. Would've saved me a lot of hassle if my mum had just called me McCoy in the first place." She had no idea if Arlo would be like her dad - she didn't think so. But she also didn't like the idea of him just assuming that the baby would have his name.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake had, had bigger things to plan than a wedding, she thought. Hers and Maeves careers were much bigger than a wedding. And they took up most of their time anyway. She couldn't wait to see it happen for the two of them, though. She thought that it would be so perfect when it eventually did. "That makes sense. But that doesn't make you a bad person or anything. You felt a sense of pressure to say it. That's all." She shrugged her shoulders. She thought that it made sense for Maeve, though. "Then you weren't totally lying to him, I guess." She shrugged.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I'm sure, if they're all as gossip-worthy as you say they are." Jess laughed. He was absolutely surprised by the kind of company his family kept, by the sheer magnitude of this event - he came from a single mother, from pretty much nothing and here his family were partying like celebrities and seemingly not even batting an eyelid at it. He was struggling to take it all in. "They are - well, most of them are at home. I haven't made a lot of friends here so far." He admitted with a quiet laugh, shrugging his shoulders. He'd only been here a month or so, after all. He raised an eyebrow as Iris excused herself, nodding his head. "Yeah, of course. No worries." He shrugged his shoulders. He'd absolutely spotted Nancy, but he was trying to be tactful and pretend he hadn't.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "You're right, it's definitely not worth it. And I don't think she'd be that easily swayed anyway." Arlo laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't the most intelligent of people, even politically - but he knew what he thought was right and wrong and his parents had explained enough to him that he'd always been a firm labour voter, like the rest of his family. "That's true, I'd just need to ask mum to tell him and he'd do it." He grinned. He knew he had his parents wrapped around his little finger, but that was also true for him and his mother - Arlo would do anything Alba asked, always. "How's the move going, anyway? Feels like I haven't had time to speak to you properly in ages." He laughed. He was really excited for his cousin, he couldn't wait to see his new place.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy was already crying as she reached the bathroom and part of her didn't even know why - yes, she was hurting because Benjamin hadn't wanted to be with her when she'd been so desperately ready to be with him. She loved him so much and he said he loved her too, but if he did then how could he tell her he didn't want to be with her? How could he ask for time, when this opportunity was right in front of them? She was crying because she was hurt, but she was also crying because it was truly starting to sink in how terribly she'd messed up. How awful she'd been to Tobias, who had never been anything but the perfect boyfriend to her. And now she either walked back out there and continued their perfect relationship, all the while lying to him... Or she told him and she ruined everything. She was in an impossible situation and she hated it. She made sure that nobody else was in the bathroom, before she moved into one of the stalls and put down the toilet lid, sitting on it and resting her head in her hands before she began to sob.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon had never been the kind of person who imagined having children of his own; when he and Iris were going to get married, he knew that if she'd wanted children then he'd happily give them to her, but it wasn't a priority. It wasn't something he was desperate for. He thought Ivy was going to make a great mother, though. "That makes sense. You could always double barrell?" He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. He was glad his parents hadn't gone for that, though - he thought Knightingale-McGuinness was awfully long and it sounded a little bit too posh for him. "Rafe McCoy and Rafe Gallagher both sound like pretty good names." He smiled.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve was absolutely on the same page as Blake; her career took up a lot of her time, so the spare time she did have was absolutely spent on more important things than planning a fictional wedding. "I know. I don't feel like a bad person at all. I wish I'd been a little more resolute back then, I wish I'd been stronger and just told him the truth, but - I don't feel like a bad person." She reassured her friend. "I guess so." She smiled slightly, nodding her head.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA joined the chat

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Oh, they absolutely are" Iris laughed, nodding her head a little. She was pretty distracted now, though. She just wanted to get to Nancy, to make sure that she was okay. Nancy was one of Iris' favourite people on the planet and if anyone had upset her tonight, she thought that she would completely lose her mind. "I won't be long." She muttered to Jess before she quickly pushed through the crowd to get to the bathroom that Nancy had disappeared inside. "Nance?" Iris called and her heart broke a little as she heard the others sobbing. Whatever had happened with Ben, clearly wasn't good. "Hey, Nancy, it's just me." She knew that the other wouldn't want anyone to see her like this so she stayed by the door, blocking it from anyone being able to push it open.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Nah. She knows her own mind too much. Despite what all of this seems." Noah found it so strange how his sister could just slot into Tobias' life like she had when he couldn't feel further from it. If Tobias and Nancy were it for one another, he wondered if that meant they would start to drift apart. Because Noah didn't see how he could be around all of this, all of the time. "Exactly." He nodded. "How fucking excited is she to be a grandma?" Noah asked. He knew that if he or Nancy had kids any time soon, that Ava would probably be pretty excited. He thought that his mum was perfect. He had always held her in such a high regard, on such a high pedestal and she had never let him down - at least, he thought, not until he found out that she had been lying to him his entire life. "Yeah, it's fine. Everythings packed up. I'm gonna fucking miss my shithole of a flat, though." His place wasn't nice. It was a box, really. But it had been his home for so long and the thought of leaving it actually, surprisingly , made him feel pretty sad.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy was the exact opposite of Landon. Whenever she imagine her future, she knew that there would be children in it. She wanted a million kids. She wanted to never stop having children. She just thought that it would be the most fulfilling thing in the world. That was why she had thought that things with Arlo could have worked. Because he seemed just as excited about the idea of having kids as she was. But she knew that she needed to try and get rid of that. "Yeah, maybe. I dunno. Sounds a little - pretentious to double barrel. Especially with a name like Rafe, don't you think?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're selling me more and more on this name." She laughed, shaking her head a little.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias had been wandering around the party, talking to people here and there but there was only a couple that he had really wanted to talk too - one that he hadn't managed too yet. So when he saw Maeve, still talking to Blake, he decided to go over and say hello anyway. He smiled as he looked between the two of them, "I hope i'm not interrupting anything." He muttered. "I just wanted to say hello. Do you need another drink?" Although he was never admit it out loud, whenever he was around Maeve, he felt butterflies in his stomach. He figured that it was just down to them never being able to finish what they had started when they were younger - that there was too much left unsaid. He was happy with Nancy and he knew that he would never do anything to jeopardize that.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Okay. Good." Blake smiled. She was about to change the subject when she spotted Tobias coming towards them. She gave him a quick smile before she glanced to Maeve, "I'm gonna go and see who I can see. I'm sure there are plenty of people here that I haven't spoke too in a while." She nodded, wanting to give Tobias and Maeve a moment alone together. She wished that they could just admit their feelings for one another - she thought that it was pretty clear from how he looked at her that he shared the same kind of feelings - but she wasn't going to meddle. That wasn't her place. She knew that. Blake moved over to the bar and smiled a little when she saw Jess beside her, on his own. "I don't think I've ever seen you at one of these parties before?" She raised an eyebrow, "Though it's been a while since I've been to one."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy felt totally stuck and that, more than anything, was what she was crying for - because either way, whatever decision she made was more than unfair to Tobias and until now she had never really stopped to think about exactly what she was doing to him. She had always excused it, because it was in the name of love. She'd never allowed herself to really think about it. But now she was and the guilt that was washing over her was tremendous. She clasped a hand over her mouth as she heard somebody coming into the bathroom, trying to keep the sobs in - but as she heard it was Iris, she knew there was no point. They had seen each other like this countless times. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, looking up so that she could see her friend. "I have to tell T-Tobias. I have to tell him a -- and he's going to hate me." She cried, her breathing shaky and shallow as she tried to force the words out in between the crying.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo nodded his head. In spite of everything, he knew Noah was right - there weren't many people that could make Nancy do something she didn't want to do, even if the person was as charming as Tobias. He didn't think he'd ever fit into a world like this and he would say the same for Noah, but somehow it fit Nancy pretty perfectly. "Oh my god, so excited. Especially now that we know it's a boy, I think she's hoping for another mini me." He laughed, his smile showing just how fond he was of his mum. "You do realise it's gonna make your mum start pestering you guys, right?" He grinned. He thought it was going to make them all want to be grandparents when they saw how cute their son was and how much Alba loved him. "You should have one little room that reminds you of it. A shithole room." He laughed, nodding his head. "Are you excited, though?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon could definitely see people like Ivy and Arlo - or Annie and Wren, too - having plenty of children and being amazing parents to them, but they had just never been all that much of a priority to him and he would happily admit that. It was a conversation he and Iris had had before they'd gotten engaged, too - he would have children if she wanted them, but he also didn't care that much if they didn't. "I agree, I think double barrelling sounds a little pretentious too." He laughed, nodding his head. "It's cute, it really is. Maybe he could have a middle name that starts with A?" He smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he suggested it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve smiled at Blake's response, about to say something more when she saw Tobias coming over to them and she looked up at him with a happy smile. It was pretty much impossible to deny having feelings for him when her stomach did cartwheels anytime he spoke to her and she had long ago stopped trying to pretend she didn't still feel a lot for him. "Not at all." She smiled, shaking her head. She was so happy to see him. "That would be great, actually - I guess we were too busy gossiping to notice the empty glasses." She laughed, looking at the glass in her hand with a shake of her head. "Sounds good, I'll catch you later?" She smiled to Blake, before she turned back to Tobias. "To the bar?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Jess wasn't going to try and speak to people, he wasn't going to make the rounds and start introducing himself because he thought that would just be strange when he barely even knew Iris, never mind the rest of them. That, and despite what he tried to come across as, he was actually a pretty awkward person. He ordered himself a soft drink, figuring he could tell people it had alcohol in it if they asked and turned to face the room, prepared to do some people watching to pass the time. He was pretty happy as Blake came over, though. "That's because I've never been to one before." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I think you were pointed out to me before as one of the other people who hasn't been around a lot." He shrugged his shoulders, before he held out his hand - he figured that was the polite thing to do. "I'm Jess."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris hated that Nancy had been worked up into this state on her birthday. She knew how much the other enjoyed that day and she wished that there was more that she could do for her. The situation that Iris had been in was hard enough and she had only kissed Arlo. She couldn't imagine how terrible she would feel if she had, had a whole affaire - but then Nancy spoke again and she raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected that. "Okay.." Iris nodded her head. "Why do you have to tell him?" She asked her. Because she didn't understand what had changed. She would never stop the other. But Iris wanted to understand what had happened. SHe wanted to understand why Nancy would feel like she had to tell him after so long. It wasn't like Nancy and Ben were a new thing, after all.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Sometimes, Noah thought that he and his sister were worlds apart. He couldn't understand how they were raised by the same people. And then other times, he thought that it was so clear that they were related - their stubbornness was one of those things. It was absolutely a trait that they both shared. And he didn't think that, that was something that Tobias was really prepared for. "Of course she is. that's what I have fucking nightmares about, though." Noah joked. He had always been pretty hard on Arlo but he thought that his younger cousin knew how much he loved him - even if he didn't say it. "She'll have a hard fucking job if she tries." He shrugged. Noah definitely knew that he wouldn't be having children because someone begged him too. "Don't think there's enough room. Nice thought, though." Noah shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Ivy wished that she could bring herself to forgive Arlo. She thought that it would be so much easier if that was the case. Because she and Arlo were so on the same page with so many things. She hated that they were so at odds now too. "I thought we'd be on the same page." Ivy laughed, nodding her head. Growing up, Caleb and Amber were as much her parents as Ivy. She spent a lot of time at their house and she had grown up with Landon and Piper - it made sense that they would think similarly. "I'm sure that we can come up with something." She smiled. "Do you want kids, do you think?" She asked him, just because she was curious. She found it mad that this was what they were talking about now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If he wasn't with Nancy, Tobias definitely thought that he would see if Maeve wanted to give it another go. When he had found out that she had slept with Grayson, Tobias had been really, really hurt. He'd thought that they were on the same page. As he got older, he understood that it was a miscommunication and he thought that it would be stupid of him to hold something that she did six years ago, against her. But he loved Nancy. And he wanted to spend his life with her so he knew that he just needed to let those feelings go. "Fair enough." He chuckled, nodding his head. "Lets go." He smiled before he started towards the bar, "Are you having a good night?" He asked her.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake took a sip of her drink as she listened to Jess and nodded her head. "Yeah, not for a long while, actually. It's not often that I get a night off." She shrugged. She had been so glad when the party was on their off day because she would have hated to miss out. She was sure that this was going to be a lot of fun. She smiled as he held out his hand to her and she reached to shake his hand, "Blake. It's nice to meet you." She chuckled. "What brings you here, then? Did I see you with Iris, earlier?" She asked. Because she hadn't wanted to make it seem like everyone was talking about him.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy wasn't sure what had switched, other than the fact that she was so willing to drop everything with Tobias to be with Benjamin here and now making her see just how horrible it had been of her to drag Tobias along with her through all of this. "I can't do it anymore, I can't lie to him anymore." She whispered, shaking her head. She had no doubt that her makeup was totally ruined; mascara streaking down her face and all the rest, but she just couldn't stop the tears. "Ben t-told me he that he and Jane had broken up and the first thing I thought was that now we could finally be together. I didn't even think about Tobias. I can't - I can't leave him in the dark anymore." She wiped her tears with her fingertips, shaking her head again. She felt sick at the idea of what she knew she needed to tell Tobias, of how terribly she'd treated him. "I'm such a fucking idiot. Why couldn't I just - why wasn't I just happy with him? He's so perfect and I've wrecked it all." She cried. She wished it had been enough, more than anything.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo could actually see a lot of similarities between Noah and Nancy, but he thought that was probably because he knew them both so well. It was so obvious to him that they had been raised by the same people. "Oh yeah, if he's a mini-me then we're coming for you, mate. We're gonna terrorise you." He laughed, nudging his cousin teasingly. He was just so excited to meet his son, to find out who he took after, what he looked like. He couldn't wait for everything they had to come. He laughed as Noah spoke, nodding his head. "Yeah, I bet. Who do you think'll be next? Nancy?" He shrugged his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow as his cousin continued, though. "You guess?" He laughed, frowning slightly. He didn't think that seemed all that promising.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "It's such a great idea, I think it's brilliant when people double-barrel - but there's no denying it sounds extra posh. Like Maeve Hunter-Smith. You just know her mother is the prime minister." Landon chuckled, raising his eyebrows. He had nothing against Maeve, it was just the first example that came to mind. He shrugged his shoulders slightly as Ivy asked about kids. "I don't really have a preference either way. They've never been on my list of priorities, but if I met somebody that really wanted to have kids then I'd happily have them." He smiled. He had been ready to have kids with Iris; and maybe even a little bit excited about it. But he just didn't really know if it was going to happen for him anymore.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: When Maeve had first started working at the college, when she and Tobias had started meeting up for lunch or a drink here and there... She had been almost hopeful that they could start things back up again, that their feelings were mutual. But then he'd started seeing Nancy and she'd tried her hardest to put all of that to bed. One of her biggest regrets was hurting him all those years ago, when she'd slept with Grayson - she had never meant it to hurt him, she had never seen how it had looked. But she really hated that she'd ruined things between them. She smiled and started heading towards the bar with him. "Of course. This is all brilliant." She laughed, gesturing to the room - although it clearly wasn't what she'd pick for her own party. "Are you having a good night?" She smiled.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Yeah? What is it you do?" Jess asked, raising an eyebrow. He thought that was clearly what the girl was referring to, so it seemed only polite to ask. He was interested in finding more out about people anyway, if they were all as interesting as Iris said they were. "You too." He nodded as the girl shook his hand. "Yeah, probably. She brought me along, although I didn't really realise how many people were gonna be here. I thought maybe - cute little family gathering." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. This seemed insane for something as simple as a birthday, especially when it wasn't even a big one - he wondered if they were all used to stuff like this.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Although there wasn't really much there for Nancy to explain, Iris definitely understood. Because she had been the same with Landon. She couldn't lie to him anymore. But she thought that the two of them had very different hopes for the outcome. When Nancy had done what she had done, at least it was because she wanted to be with Ben. Iris had wanted - still wanted - Landon to forgive her so badly. She missed him so much. But she knew that this wasn't about her right now. "Oh shit." She muttered, nodding her head a little. "Are you going to tell him tonight?" Iris really didn't think that this would be the time for it but she wasn't about to say that. She thought that Nancy knew her own mind well enough. "Just because he might seem perfect, doesn't mean that he's right for you, Nance. You deserve to be with someone you actually want to be with . And if that's not Tobias, then it's kinder to just tell him"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: When Noah saw his sister in this kind of world, he thought that they were just worlds apart. Because Noah would never feel comfortable at something like this. He couldn't quite understand why Nancy would, if he was honest. "I'm gonna jump off of the bridge. I can't live in a world where there are two of you. I just can't." He laughed before he shook his head. Arlo was definitely his best friend, he thought. He didn't think that he had ever said that to the other, though. "I don't think Nancy either." He shrugged. "Probably you again. I don't think me or Nance are even close to any of that" He thought that his sister had other things she wanted to do before she had kids. "It's just weird. It's a weird thing to be happening." He had no idea how to explain what he was thinking.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "It definitely is. I wish that one of us had a name that's a first name for our surname. You know, like James or something? So it could be his middle name and then we don't have to worry about it." Ivy laughed, shaking her head a little. "She has such a pretty name but you're definitely right. It makes her sound so posh." She laughed before she shook her head. She was having such a good night with Landon, now. "I think that's a good way to be, though. That way you're not going to get your heartbroken, you know?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias had never thought that he and Maeve would start to see one another again. He hadn't thought that she would be interested, if he was completely honest. Because Maeve seemed like the kind of person that knew her own mind, that wouldn't go back to something once it was done. But now he was with Nancy so it didn't even matter if she had those feelings. He was happy. "It's not your cup of tea though, is it?" He asked with a fond smile. That was always something that he had really enjoyed about Maeve. She danced to the sound of her own drum. She was absolutely her own person, always. "Yeah, it's been good. It's nice to see everyone in the same room for once."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I'm a performer. I work with Nancy." Blake smiled. She was so proud of her work and it was always her number one priority. Getting to perform every single night was her dream come true - never mind about getting to perform as Elphaba. Blake smiled as he spoke, nodding her head a little. "They're usually much smaller." She nodded. "House parties, that kind of thing, you know? But Nancy never does things by halves so..." She shrugged her shoulders. Blake thought that this made perfect sense for a birthday party - if you knew Nancy. "Though that was probably a nasty surprise, huh?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: When Nancy had first gotten into a relationship with Tobias, there had been a little period of time where she hadn't seen Benjamin for a while - because she swore she could stay away, Tobias was the perfect distraction. But then she hadn't been able to stay away, her feelings had been too strong and before long she'd felt too far in to do anything about it. Everything with Tobias was so perfect and she hadn't wanted to walk away from that - he was the person she wanted to want. But she loved Benjamin. "I know I shouldn't, but if I don't - I'm just gonna have to lie to him again and spend the whole night pretending everything is okay?" She whispered, shrugging her shoulders. She nodded as Iris spoke; she knew her friend was right. Tobias deserved somebody who loved him as much as he loved them. "I have to tell him." She agreed tearfully, pulling some toilet paper out of the holder and wiping her eyes with it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo thought the main difference between Noah and Nancy was that he was all Hayes, whereas she was a little more Masters - but they still had their similarities and he loved them both for it. "Don't lie, you'd love it. And you're gonna love him. If he's anything like me, he'll be the cutest kid anybody's ever seen." He laughed, shaking his head. It was obvious how excited Arlo was just from his smile. "I guess we'll see, then." He laughed. He didn't think it would be him, not if Ivy really was serious about not taking him back - he didn't think he'd find somebody else he loved that much anytime soon. He couldn't help laughing as Noah described the experience as weird, shaking his head. "You are so lucky you've found somebody to put up with you, you know that?" He chuckled. He thought this should be such a happy time in his cousins life; he hoped he wasn't making a mistake.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Oh yeah, that's becoming kind of trendy now, isn't it?" Landon smiled. He thought it was a pretty sweet way to keep both names involved, without giving the baby a ridiculously long surname. "So posh." He agreed, laughing along with Ivy. He was just glad she didn't seem upset anymore, he was glad she'd cheered up a little bit. "Mm. You're probably right. I've just never really been one of those people who really looks forward to having kids." He smiled. Landon was perfectly content with his own company most of the time.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve honestly thought that even if she hadn't slept with Grayson when they were all younger, she and Tobias wouldn't have lasted back then anyway - she had been too insecure and she'd had too much to learn. But she couldn't help thinking they were a lot more compatible now. She just wished she'd said something before he and Nancy had gotten so serious, although she really doubted it would've made a difference. She laughed as he spoke, pausing before she shook her head. "No. Not even a little bit." She laughed. "But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate how much work must've gone into it." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I know, now everybody's all grown up it's hard to get them all in the same place at the same time, isn't it?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow. It was so interesting to her, seeing what everybody had grown up to become.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Oh, nice. Must be a lot of fun?" Jess raised an eyebrow. He had never really been into theatre, he didn't know a lot about it but he'd always loved music and he couldn't imagine getting to do something like that for a living. For people that enjoyed being onstage, he figured that was pretty much the dream job. "Yeah, that's more like what I expected, I think. Everybody loves a good house party." He smirked, shrugging his shoulders. He preferred house parties to things like this, he thought you got to know people better - they were more intimate. "Yeah, so I'm finding out..." He laughed as she spoke about Nancy. "Eh, I wouldn't say nasty. Definitely a surprise though." He snorted with laughter, nodding his head.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris nodded her head as she listened to Nancy because she knew that, that was what was needed right now. She needed to listen to her, to let her friend say whatever it was that she needed to say. And she wasn't going to try and talk her out of not telling him because when she had decided to tell Landon, no-one would talk her out of that. "Alright. I can understand that." She nodded. She wished that there was more that she could do to help but she knew that there wasn't all that much that she could actually do. "Do you want me to help you clean up first? You look a bit of a mess." Iris joked, trying her hardest to lighten the mood a little. She hated that Nancy was in this position but absolutely knew that she was making the right decision now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah thought that the reason that he, Nancy and Arlo got on as well as they did was because there was all a decent bit of Hayes in there but while Nancy and Arlo had little bits of the other parents, he was all his dad. Growing up, Noah had taken being likened to Elias as the biggest compliment. Now he knew that, that wasn't the case. "Who told you that? Your mum?" He teased. Noah wouldn't say it but he was actually pretty excited to meet Arlos kid. He thought that it was going to change a lot of things but that it was going to be sweet, regardless. "I guess so." He nodded. The only way that Mia would end up pregnant any time soon, was by accident. And even then, he didn't know if he would want her to go through with it. "I know I am. You think I'm stupid?" He asked. He had never thought that he would ever find someone like Mia.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I think so, yeah. And I think it's a really nice thing, isn't it? But it can't happen here." Ivy shook her head. She had no real idea what the baby would be called - she just thought that they would have to figure it out closer to the time. She had forgotten all about the tears. Because that was how it was for her now. She was sad one moment and then absolutely fine the next. "That makes sense." She smiled, nodding her head a little. "I think I might get a taxi home soon. I'm getting a little tired. But it was really nice to talk to you, Landon." She hadn't been there that long but Ivy always found that she exhausted herself pretty quickly now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias definitely thought that Maeve was the one that had gotten away but he had no idea if that meant that the two of them would've worked together now. He hadn't allowed him enough time to think about it. He didn't see the point. There was a ring at home, waiting for Nancy. He didn't see the point in thinking about someone else. "I thought so." He laughed, nodding his head. He liked that he still knew her that well, after all this time.It meant that she hadn't changed that much and that was good, he thought. "Really hard. I'm glad we managed it, though."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Yeah, it is. I get to play dress up for a living. I love it." Blake laughed, shrugging her shoulders a little. She knew that musicals weren't everyones cup of tea but they had been all that she had wanted to do since she was young. She almost couldn't believe that, that was what she got to do now that she was grown up. She had always hoped she would be this lucky but had never really believed it. "Exactly. I'm sure that the next thing we all go too will be though. In fact, I'm having a few people over for Halloween. Iris and Nancy and everyone are coming. You're more than welcome to come too." She shrugged. "I'm sure." She laughed, nodding her head.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy was glad that it was Iris who'd come after her, because she thought the other girl was the only person in the world who could possibly understand why she'd done what she'd done. Iris knew her better than she knew herself half of the time, she'd been with her through the best and the worst and the two of them would never judge each other. "Please." She attempted to laugh through her tears as Iris offered to help her clean up, nodding her head. She could only imagine how she looked. She sniffled quietly and grabbed some more toilet paper, starting to attempt to clean up the worst of the mess. She knew she had to tell Tobias, she had no choice - but she didn't want to look like a total mess while she was doing it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: When Elias had been around the first time, Arlo had never really gotten to see him when he was at his worst - so he'd always agreed with the comparison between Noah and Elias, they had always seemed so similar to each other. But now Elias was back and he saw how selfish he was, how much he hurt his mum... He really hoped his cousin wasn't going to end up like that. "I don't need anybody to tell me that. But yeah - mum might've mentioned it." He laughed loudly, shaking his head. It was no secret to anybody how much his mum doted on him. "Just wanted to make sure you knew." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. He loved Noah a lot, but he couldn't imagine that he was easy to live with.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Will you be okay on your own?" Landon asked, raising an eyebrow. Because he didn't want Ivy to feel like she had to make her own way home if Arlo was planning on staying, he would happily get her home if she wanted him to. He'd never been a huge fan of parties, but Benjamin seemed to have left and he wasn't exactly looking forward to a night of watching Iris and her boyfriend together. He didn't think it would be long before he went home, even if Ivy didn't take him up on the offer. "It's been nice talking to you too, Ivy." He smiled, nodding his head.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: The one that got away was the perfect way to describe the relationship she and Tobias had, Maeve thought. Because she really did think their chance had been and gone, she didn't think it was ever going to happen again and so she was just making herself content with being his friend, with getting to be around him in any capacity. "I don't suppose it's very much your thing either though, is it?" She chuckled. She thought he was a little bit more understated than this. "You really pulled it off, so - well done." She smiled. She could see how much he cared about Nancy and she really was happy for him, in spite of everything else.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "So is it plays or musicals?" Jess asked; he knew enough to know that Nancy was a performer, but he didn't really know much about what she did. "Don't you get scared, in front of that many people?" He laughed. He couldn't imagine having the balls to go up there and perform for an audience, he thought he'd probably freeze up on the spot. He smiled slightly as Blake invited him over for Halloween; he couldn't believe how easily the people around here let people in. He had always been so guarded, so it was a huge change for him. "Yeah, I'll uh - I'll see what I'm doing. Thanks." He smiled. He didn't know if he would go or not, but it was definitely nice to have the option.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: There wasn't a single part of Iris that would ever think to judge Nancy. She thought that the other girl had done her best. Sure, lying to Tobias and sneaking around behind his back may not have been the best thing that she could have done but she knew Nancy well enough to know how much this would be hurting her. She wished that she could do something to change that for her. Iris nodded her head, "Did you bring some mascara or something?" She asked, looking over at her friend. She asked her. She figured that Nancy at least needed mascara - but Tobias was probably going to know that something was wrong when he saw her, no matter how good of a job the two of them did now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Seeing Elias as much as he was now, Noah was even more afraid of the comparison. He didn't want to end up like him but sometimes, it felt like a foregone conclusion. He was bound to hurt the people that he loved and he couldn't understand why he let them continue to get close to him. Why he gave himself the chance to hurt people. He really, really didn't want to do that anymore. "I'm sure that she tells you every day, Arlo. Don't act otherwise." He laughed, shaking his head. Sometimes, Noah wondered about his own mother - his biological mother. He wondered what she was like, if she looked like him. But he tried to put that to the back of his mind. "Yeah, well. I don't need the reminder. Thanks."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Oh, absolutely." Ivy smiled before she nodded her head. She would never want someone to feel like they had to leave the party early because of her anyway and she thought that she would probably only end up in a taxi soon anyway so it wasn't like it was that big of a deal. "Yeah, it was nice to talk to you too." She smiled up at him. "And you just need to let me know if you need someone to talk too." She nodded. She hated feeling like she was abandoning him but she was so tired - the crying had taken it out of her - and she just wanted to go home to bed.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias chuckled as she returned what he had said and he nodded, "Yeah, I suppose it's not. But it makes Nancy happy so ... That's all I need to know." He shrugged. He thought that, that was the important thing. Tobias was all in when he was in a relationship. He would do whatever it took to make sure that the person that he was with, was happy. And if that meant that he had to throw the cash around every so often, then that was what he would do. He smiled though, as Maeve continued. "Thank you. Yeah, it came together pretty nicely." He chuckled. "But anyway, how're you? How're you doing?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I mean, both. Mostly musicals - though I was in Romeo and Juliet a few years ago." Blake shrugged her shoulders. She enjoyed anything if it was on stage and she was hidden in a character. If the right project came along and it was a play, then she would absolutely do that too. "Not really. It's not me up there. I'm someone else entirely. It's pretty liberating." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders a little. "What is it you do?" Blake nodded her head as Jess spoke, "Yeah, of course. Iris knows all of the details so just ask her. You're more than welcome, though."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Once Nancy had finished wiping away everything she could, she nodded at Iris's question and got up so she could look at herself properly. "For gods sake..." She muttered, shaking her head. She knew that no matter what they did, it was going to be obvious she'd been crying and there was nothing they could do about it. She tried her best though, opening up her bag and taking out the makeup she'd brought with her, trying to fix what she could. She finished by putting on some more lipstick, taking a deep breath and looking to her best friend. "How about that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully. She was absolutely dreading what she had to do next, she felt sick to her stomach about it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo thought that pretty much their entire family was scared of Noah ending up like Elias and it felt like there was nothing they could do but wait and pray that it didn't happen. Elias had hurt so many people in his life, he really didn't want that for Noah too. "Of course she does. And on the days I don't see her, she texts me it." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He pulled a face as his cousin seemed a little bit more blunt with him, sighing slightly. "Well, I hope you have a comfy sofa, anyway. Because I'll be crashing on it." He grinned. He was with his parents again, but he definitely wouldn't turn down a sleepover at his favourite cousins every now and again.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve nodded her head. "That's really sweet." She smiled. She had always know Tobias would be this kind of boyfriend; that he'd do anything for the person he loved and she just hoped Nancy didn't take advantage of it, that he got to do the things he was interested in too. She thought it was easy to let having somebody as generous as Tobias run away with you. She smiled as he turned the topic to her, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I'm okay, I'm good -- not much ever changes with me, you know?" She laughed, shaking her head. "Just busy, as always."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Oh, see even I know that one." Jess laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He'd always struggled a bit in school when it came to Shakespeare and the likes; he couldn't get his head wrapped around the language, around what it all actually meant and he'd never had somebody at home that could help him or go through it with him. So instead, he'd just struggled through. "I mean, it is still you, though. You just push the nerves aside?" He asked curiously, shrugging his shoulders. He thought it was fine to say it wasn't you, it was a character... But at the end of the day, it was still that person. "I'm just a barman. Nothing special." He laughed quietly, shaking his head. It had been all he was able to get when he first came into London and he'd been desperate for a job. "Yeah, I will. Sounds like it'll be fun."

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris helped as much as she could with Nancy. She knew that how the other looked to break up with someone wasn't the biggest issue in the world but it was one thing that they could control. So it was good to be able to do it to the best of their ability. She stepped back to look at Nancy, a small smile on her face. "Better." Iris nodded. She didn't think it was worth lying to the other. She still didn't think that she looked as good as she had done before but she thought that she was good to go. "I'll be over by the bar, okay? If you need anything." She knew that Nancy could do this but she wanted to be there in case she needed a little bit of support.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah had always been someone who craved a little bit more control and it was that which he was the most afraid of when it came to his addiction. Because he couldn't have control over an addiction. He just had to do his best to fight back at it. He had to keep fighting against it when , for the most part, he wanted to let himself drown in it. Sometimes, he was tired of fighting it and that terrified him. "I can't tell if you're joking or serious." He chuckled, shaking his head. He thought it was pretty obvious that Alba would do something like that - even if Arlo was joking right now. "I'm not gonna get a sofa for exactly that reason, then." He muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "'Course we'll have a fucking sofa."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "She did a lot of this herself, though. I just managed to point her in the right direction." Tobias muttered, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't think that she would like it if he took all of the credit for her hard work but Tobias had definitely done all that he could in order to help him. He loved Nancy. Already, he was so excited for their wedding. Because he definitely didn't expect her to say no. He thought that Nancy was just as crazy about him as he was about her. He absolutely hadn't suspected a single thing about her seeing someone behind his back. He smiled as he saw her smile, "I'm sure that's not the case but I'll take your word for it." He chuckled, nodding his head. "That sounds more like you. I still can't believe you're teaching along side all the doctor stuff."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake laughed as Jess spoke and nodded her head, "Yeah, I thought you might." She smiled at him. Maggie had always been the one to help Blake with Shakespeare at school and she had been in the front row when she played Juliet. She didn't think that she had ever seen her mum look so proud. Blake shook her head a little, "I mean, I'm someone else so I don't even feel the nerves. There aren't any there." And she wasn't sure how to make that come across properly to someone who wasn't a performer but she hoped that, that helped - even just a little bit. Blake shrugged her shoulders as Jess spoke, "I dunno. I bet you have a lot of stories." She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "It should be. Hopefully."

K MS MHS LD NH AG JH: If the way she looked was the thing she could control in this situation, then Nancy was going to take full advantage of it - because she knew that what was about to happen wasn't going to be nice for anybody involved. She nodded as Iris spoke, taking a deep breath and heading over to Tobias. Her heart was pounding, she wished more than anything the ground would just swallow her up - but it wasn't going to, she had to own up to what she'd done and take responsibility for it. "Hi, I'm really sorry to interrupt." She smiled, looking in between him and Maeve - she was so worked up, she didn't even register that it was Maeve that he was talking to. "Can I talk to you for a sec? Outside?" She asked quietly, looking up at him and feeling the guilt wash over her all over again.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo was absolutely the type of person who would help anybody if he could; and if Noah asked him for anything, he would give it to him instantly - but he didn't know what he wanted, he didn't know how to help. He wished he could. "And you'll never know. Leaves you guessing." He laughed, shaking his head. "Shut up, you're gonna love it when I stay over. I'll bring the entertainment. And the baby! Full house!" He laughed excitedly. "Obviously you'll have a sofa, I want you to have a comfortable sofa so that I can sleep on it." He rolled his eyes, as though that had been obvious.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Maeve smiled. She thought it was really sweet that Tobias didn't want to take credit, that he still wanted Nancy to shine - not that she would've thought it a bad thing if Tobias had helped her out, either. "I bet even that was a lot of help." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. She had no idea, of course, that Tobias was planning on proposing to Nancy - but even to the outside eye, it was pretty obvious how serious he was and she wouldn't be surprised that it was on his mind. She laughed and shrugged as he spoke. "I don't think I'd know what to do if I had time off, so - I like to keep busy. I can't believe how long we've all been at the college now, it feels like it's gone so quickly." She smiled, about to say something else when she heard Nancy. "Oh no, of course not - I should be going to find Blake anyway." She smiled and made her way over the bar, although she definitely wasn't intending on finding out Blake - she just sensed that it was her time to go.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "And now you're working with Nancy?" Jess asked. He was absolutely the kind of person who asked questions about other people so that they didn't really have a chance to ask questions about him, because he was never really sure what to say. Up until now, he'd never really done anything for himself. "I guess I can kind of see how that could be the case... Still feels insane to me, though. I used to start shaking at the thought of the nativity." He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah, plenty. Bars are weird places." He chuckled. "Halloween is always good, right?" He shrugged.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: As Iris moved over to the bar, she couldn't help but look for Landon. She missed him. She wished that she could talk to him. She wished that he wanted her around. She didn't know what she could do to make him see how sorry she was, how much she wanted to make amends. She knew that she had messed up, that she had hurt him and potentially destroyed his trust for forever but she wished there was more that she could do. She wished that she could make things better. She already missed him so much. Though Iris knew that he needed his space too. And as much as she missed him, she knew that she needed to leave him be.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah really didn't think that anyone could help him, if he was completely honest. He thought that this battle was his and his alone. He truly didn't think that anyone could actually help him, actually make him better. He knew that Mia tried but it felt like it was becoming more and more impossible to hold on. "Oh yeah, on the edge of my seat." Noah spoke sarcastically. He couldn't help but laugh, though. "If you bring that baby to stay over at my new house, I swear to god you'll be on the fucking street." He muttered, shaking his head. Noah was excited to meet the baby but that was about it. He definitely had no desire to share his house with it. "You pay for it, then."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias shrugged, "I hope it was." He smiled. All he had ever wanted was for Nancy to have exactly what she wanted. He was so excited to propose. He already knew exactly what he was going to do - he'd spoke to the people at Wicked and they agreed to let him join her on stage after the bows the following week. And he was eager for it to happen now. "THat's very fair." He laughed, nodding his head a little. He thought that Maeve was one of the most hard working people that he had ever met. He turned to face Nancy, then, a smile on his face, "I'll talk to you later, Maeve." Tobias smiled, nodding his head a little before he looked to his girlfriend again, "Are you okay? Has something happened? Is it Noah?" He asked, instantly looking for her brother but slowly starting towards the exit anyway.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "Mhm. in Wicked." Blake smiled. She had no idea if Jess would know what that was but she knew what a high achievement this was - especially for a black woman. This had been all that she had wanted while she was growing up. To be on stage every single night but especially to play Elphaba. She thought that it was the highest achievement. "Oh bless you." Blake laughed, "You're free of that nightmare now." She smiled at him. She was having a lot of fun talking to Jess. She could definitely see what Iris saw in him. "What's your craziest story?" She asked, raising an eyebrow before she laughed. "It's my ultimate favourite. Should be a holiday, if you ask me. "She shrugged.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon was planning on going home, but every Uber in the city seemed to be saying it would take an hour or more and he was debating just walking... He'd pretty much maxed out his social meter and now that Ivy and Benjamin had both gone, he didn't feel like he had a lot of people to speak to. He'd gotten himself one more drink, one more before he started to walk home he thought. He couldn't help but notice Iris moving over to the bar, though - he thought he'd probably notice her in any room, anywhere. He wanted to speak to her, but he knew he shouldn't. He wasn't going to ignore her, though - they were a little too far apart for him to speak, but he gave her a little smile. He just wanted her to know that he'd seen her, that he'd acknowledged her.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo was pretty glad that Noah was moving in with Mia, just because it meant he'd have somebody to keep an eye on him most of the time - he really worried about him when he was on his own so much, it was partly why Arlo chose to bug him all the time... Popping over unannounced was, a lot of the time, just to make sure he was actually okay. "I knew you would be!" He laughed, nodding his head. "Oh my god Noah, you're going to be his uncle. He has to come to your house sometimes!" He laughed. "I'll tell my mum, she'll pay for it." He chuckled.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I'm fine, nothing - Noah's fine. Nothing happened." Nancy said softly, shaking her head as she started to lead the way towards the exit. She knew that she didn't want to do this in the party, with everybody around them - for Tobias's sake, as well as her own. She wasn't naive enough to believe that he would want to continue the relationship after she told him this, although part of her wished that he would. She wanted them both to be able to escape if they needed to. She took a breath as they got outside, looking up at Tobias with guilt filled eyes. "I have to tell you something. And it's -- you're going to hate me. And I don't blame you." She told him, shaking her head. She just wanted him to be prepared for what she was about to say. "I - Tobias, I've been sleeping with Ben." Her words were barely audible, but she knew he'd heard them.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Should I know that one?" Jess laughed, raising an eyebrow. He'd never even been to the theatre before, other than on a school trip or something like that, so he really didn't have much idea of how big of a deal Wicked was for Blake. "Yeah, no more Christmas plays for me. Best part about being an adult." He smirked slightly, shrugging his shoulders. "God, I have too many to even count. Somebody actually threw a drink over me the other night, which I could've sworn only happened in soap operas." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. "I think I'd probably agree with you on that one."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris hadn't expected Landon to acknowledge her but she was so happy that he had. Because at least that meant that he was thinking about her too, right? He wasn't mad enough at her now to ignore her. She hoped so , anyway. Iris couldn't help but smile as Landon acknowledged her. She wanted to go over to him, she wanted to talk to him. She tilted her head a little, as though trying to ask if it would be okay if she went over to him. She didn't want to do anything that might make him upset with her. She loved him and she wanted to do whatever it was that he felt he needed. If he needed space, then she knew she had to give him that.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If Noah thought that Mia was set to 'keep an eye over him' then he probably wouldn't have agreed to move in with her. Because he definitely wouldn't have been happy about the idea of having to have someone watch over him. He was old enough to look after himself. He thought that ever knew that. Noah almost wished that he could keep his own place - so that he could have somewhere to escape too if things got too much for him. "Yeah, he can come to the house but he can't fucking stay over for the night. That's definitely not happening." Noah had never been good if he didn't get enough sleep and he thought that, that was one of the reasons why he couldn't cut it as a dad.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: About a million things went through Tobias' brain as he followed Nancy. But what it actually was, was the last thing that he could think about. He definitely never thought that she would do something like that to him. "I'm never going to hate you Nancy." Tobias spoke... but then she spoke. He took a couple of steps back from Nancy as it dawned on him. She had cheated on him. And it certainly seemed like it had been a continuous thing. 'Sleeping with'. "For - How long?" He asked. His face changed from bewilderment to anger in a matter of seconds. "How long have you been making me look like an idiot, Nancy?" He had done everything for her. He had done his best to be the best that he could be. For her. And she had been sleeping with someone behind his back. He couldn't believe this.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "It's a pretty big one. It's based on Wizard of Oz. It's really good. And I'd say that even if I wasn't in it." Blake laughed. She thought that it was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't realise what a big deal Wicked was. She definitely thought that it would be fun for him to come and see it, though. "You're free from all of that torture now." She laughed, nodding her head. She was having such a nice time tonight, that was for sure. "Oh my god, what?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "What happened? Why did it go over you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, excellent. You're a man after my own heart."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon didn't want to think of himself as a rude person, but his acknowledging Iris was more than just that - she was still the woman he loved, after everything... It would be almost impossible for him to pretend that she wasn't right in front of him, that he hadn't noticed her the minute he'd walked into the room. He didn't know if he wanted her to come over or not, but as she gestured to him that she wanted to he didn't have it in him to say no. He nodded, the little smile still on his face. He had missed her so much, he didn't think five minutes of conversation could hurt.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo had no idea whether that was how Mia thought of it or not and he hoped she didn't; but he couldn't deny thinking it himself and he would be willing to bet that Ava and Jude were both thinking the same. "So he can come over, but he can't stay? That's so rude to him. I mean, it's not like I can't just sneak him in, he's gonna be so small. You won't even know." He laughed at the thought, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't you think it's crazy how grown up we are now? I'm having a baby, you're moving in with somebody. Nuts." He laughed, shaking his head. He almost couldn't believe that their lives had gotten to this point, he couldn't believe they were full on adults now.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy wasn't surprised at the anger on Tobias's face; she knew that if this was the other way around, she would be even worse. She'd been terrible to him. "A while." She whispered, chewing on her bottom lip almost nervously. "Maybe - a couple of months after we got together." She admitted. She and Benjamin had been sleeping together pretty much since he'd arrived back in London, but it had stopped for a couple of months when she and Tobias had first gotten together... Although it had quickly picked back up again. "I'm so sorry, Tobias. I really am. I never wanted - I never wanted to make you look like an idiot. I'm sorry." She felt like crying all over again, but she knew she couldn't - it wasn't fair. She wasn't the one who'd been hurt here.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Are you sure? Are you just trying to convince me to buy a ticket here?" Jess laughed, raising an eyebrow. "I've seen The Wizard of Oz, though. The movie, anyway." He laughed. They'd played it at the foster home at Christmas and he'd always liked it, even though it had been a little bit scary back then. "Oh yeah, never again." He laughed. "Yeah, I wish I was kidding. Her friend had ordered this cocktail, she'd liked the look of it and ordered one for herself, drank about half of it and decided she didn't actually like it. So she wanted a full refund. Obviously she wasn't happy when I said no, so then the other half went over my head." He laughed, shaking his head at the memory.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris' smile only widened as Landon nodded his head. Because she thought that, that meant that they were off to a good start. If he wanted to talk to her, then it was the beginning of something, she thought. She hoped so, anyway. She had promised that she would be there for Nancy but she didn't think that, that meant that she couldn't talk to Landon too. "Hey." She smiled as she looked up at him. "I'm glad that you came." Iris nodded. She wasn't even sure where to start. Because she wanted to say so much and she didn't want to say anything that might upset him. "H - How're you doing?" She hoped that, that was a safe question to ask him. She hoped that it got them off on the right foot.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: That was why Noah had found living at home so difficult - having someone watch over him twenty four seven was too much to him. And he was a little afraid that, that would be the case with living with Mia. Even if that wasn't what she thought it would be, he was worried that he might end up feeling like that. He really, really didn't want too. "He might be small but if he's going to be your son then he'll be fucking loud. you won't be able to hide him." Noah rolled his eyes. Though he was only playing with the other now, he almost couldn't help himself. "Don't. Makes me feel a little sick, if I'm completely honest."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias' jaw set a little as he listened to Nancy - as he realised just how little he meant to her. Because she had slept with someone else almost since the start of their relationship. How was he ever supposed to be happy with something like that? How was he ever supposed to think kindly about her. "Wow." He muttered, shaking his head a little. "And here I thought that you were one of the decent ones. Here I thought that you wouldn't be a selfish little bitch and you actually loved me. How fucking wrong I was." He muttered, shaking his head, "What changed, Nancy, huh? What made you decide that you wanted to tell me instead of stringing me along? God, people say that me and my family are selfish but you're the most selfish person that I have ever met."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I mean, I won't complain if I knew that there was a friendly face in the audience." Blake laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She would absolutely love if Jess decided to come and see the show. "I think everyone has seen Wizard of Oz, haven't they?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She thought so, anyway. It was pretty much a staple for her family when she was growing up. They watched it at least once a year. She couldn't help but laugh loudly as Jess spoke, "Oh wow. That's - that's definitely something. I'm so glad that I don't have to work with people all the time anymore." She had been a waitress when she was a little younger and she had absolutely hated it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon didn't know if he was going to regret talking to Iris or not, whether it was just going to make things worse in the long run - but it was too late now and a big part of him really did want to speak to her, he wanted to know how she was doing. "Hi." He smiled softly, almost awkwardly. "I was happy to be invited." He shrugged his shoulders. There had been a little moment where he'd wondered whether he'd stop getting invited to things like this, if he wasn't Iris's boyfriend. "I'm... Yeah. I'm okay. I'm doing okay." He didn't want to go into the specifics, not really - he didn't want to make Iris feel bad, that wasn't going to make him feel better. "How about you, how are you doing? Are you having a good night?" He asked, looking at the girl with a smile. He really did miss her so much.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo had been pretty surprised when he'd found out that Mia and Noah were moving in together, but in a good way; although a little part of him had kind of hoped that when he and Ivy broke up, Mia would stay in the apartment with Ivy. He thought she could've really used somebody there, since she wasn't going to let it be him. "That's true, whoever he takes after he's gonna be loud. Ivy isn't exactly quiet, is she?" He laughed loudly, shrugging his shoulders. "Sick? Oh no, I love it. It's like, the first time in my entire life I've ever felt like a grown up. It's brilliant!" He laughed.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy winced slightly as Tobias called her a selfish bitch, but she held herself back from saying anything - even though the Hayes in her was screaming at her to retaliate, she knew she deserved at least that. She was telling him one of the worst things he could hear, she wasn't going to expect him to be nice about it. "Tobias, I do - I do care about you so much, I didn't... I didn't do this to hurt you, I just didn't think." She knew how pathetic it sounded, even to her own ears but it had been the truth. She had never intended to hurt Tobias - she had just put her own feelings ahead of his. And there was no denying that. "You're right, I am selfish. I know that. And I'm so sorry." She knew there would be no forgiveness, but she had to say it. She had always owned up to being a little bit selfish, but it had never been on this level before. She hated it.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "When does it start?" Jess asked, smiling slightly. He wasn't going to promise to be there; firstly because tonight was the first time he and Blake had even spoken, but secondly because he could only imagine how much a ticket to something like that cost. But if he could afford it, if he was free... He thought he'd probably quite like to go and see something like that. "I bet there are some people that haven't." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, it was something alright. One of the guys there said it happens all the time, so. Maybe I'll have to get one of those stupid little umbrella hats." He laughed, rolling his eyes.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris really didn't want to talk to him now and ruin things even more. She didn't think that any of this was going to be easy - for either of them. But she thought that them talking was at least a good first step. She hoped so, anyway. She didn't think that she would ever be able to stop herself from loving him. "Of course you were, Landon." She nodded. When Nancy had asked her, there hadn't been a thought in her mind to tell her to not invite him. She wanted him there. Iris definitely didn't believe Landon as he spoke but she knew better than to try and fight him on it. She thought that he deserved to tell her whatever it was that he was comfortable with tell her. "I'm alright. Yeah. My night? Well, It's definitely better now." Iris smiled, shrugging her shoulders a little. "How is everything with you? I mean - work, home, everything?" She hated missing out on things with Landon but she didn't think that she had much of a choice now.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: If the situation was reversed and it was Noahs friends that had needed him, he knew that he wouldn't have been pushed into moving in with Mia. But he had just become so frustrated with waiting. Noah was nervous. He just didn't want to admit that. And the longer that they waited, the more afraid he was that he would chicken out, that he would decide that he didn't want to do it anymore. "I honestly don't want to think about it anymore. Its going to be fucking hell." He muttered, shaking his head. "I never would have thought that you'd have been the one that was excited about being grown up. I thought you liked being babied."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: No matter how reasonable Nancy was being, Tobias didn't think that he would calm down. Because the idea that she would think she could get away with treating him like this when he had done nothing but be kind to her, love her. He felt humiliated and let down and those were things that he was never going to deal with well. He was a Davenport after all. "Yeah, you're right. You didn't think. Because if you thought for a fucking second, then you would have realised that I am the best thing that was ever going to happen to you, Nancy. To think, a Davenport getting married to a Hayes. What a joke." He wasn't the most over confident person in the world but there was enough of his mum and dad that he knew his worth. And he knew that he was worth more than this. "Save your breath, Nancy. It's pointless."

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "We open in a week." Blake smiled. "And I can get a few tickets cheaper so - just let me know if you want to go." She shrugged. Her mum wasn't sure if she had time to come - she was pretty busy with her business. But her dad and aunt were going to be there and she had a few more spare tickets. "Then those people are living sad, sad little lives." She laughed, clearly joking. Blake nodded her head, "One of those umbrella hats and a poncho. Don't forget the poncho." She laughed again, shaking her head. "I dunno. I think you could pull it off, you know?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon smiled; he was assuming that Iris was at least part of the reason he'd been invited and he was happy about that. He'd really hate to not be in this circle of friends anymore, just because he and Iris were no longer together. Now that Annie had moved out of the city, he sometimes felt a little alone. "I'm glad." He smiled as she said her night was better now; he absolutely felt the same, but he didn't think he could say that. Not now. "It's all fine. Work is fine; exams are coming up, so I think the students are all a little stressed but... In a good way." He smiled. He didn't comment on home; the house had been nothing but empty and quiet since Iris had gone to live with Nancy and Landon didn't see himself living there for very much longer. "And you?"

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Arlo knew it had been unfair of him to expect Ivy's friends to stick around and put their lives on hold just because he'd made a mistake, but he still felt so guilty about Ivy having to move back in with her mum - he knew she was hating the idea of it and he just wished he could make it better for her. "You'll love him when he's here. I know you will." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. He thought that was going to be the case with everybody. "Well, yeah. But I still get babied, even though I'm a grown up. It's perfect. Mum cooks my tea, but there's no curfew. What could be better?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows. He really didn't mind living at home, although he knew he was going to have to move out sooner or later.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy's eyebrows raised almost without her realising what she was doing as Tobias spoke; because she felt terrible, she felt so guilty and she knew that she should really take whatever he wanted to throw at her... But she was never going to let him insult her family, or their name. She'd had no idea that he'd even wanted to marry her, but she forced out a sarcastic laugh as he spoke about her family name. "How rich of you to think this Hayes would've even said yes." She rolled her eyes. Her back was up now; she was a family person, they meant everything to her and she wasn't going to hear anything against their name. She didn't think that had anything to do with this. "You don't speak about my family, Tobias. Or you'll end up finding out why they've got such a reputation."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "Fuck, not too long, then. And you're really not nervous?" Jess grinned, laughing quietly. He'd opened up a little bit to Blake without even realising, he'd become a little more comfortable than he had been before and that was nice for him. "Yeah, I'd like that." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. It wasn't as though he knew many people in London, on the nights he wasn't working he tended to just be sitting at home - so he figured a night at the theatre wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially if the tickets were affordable. "And you pity them, right?" He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Who could forget the poncho? I want them colour coordinated, though. Can't be looking a fool." He laughed, shaking his head. "Oh really?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Even if Iris and Landon weren't together anymore, she knew better than to try and take away his group of friends. Because she knew that he had always had a pretty tough time with making them. She never wanted him to feel more alone than he usually does. Iris wished that she hadn't been a reason for making him feel like that. She nodded her head, though, as he spoke about work . She had absolutely noticed that he hadn't spoke about the house - their house. She wished that he would just let her go home. But she knew that she had to be patient. "How are you feeling about exam season? It's gotta be stressful to the students too." Iris laughed. She thought that Landon made such an amazing teacher. "Yeah, they're pretty good." She nodded. "I'm in talks to become a permanent member of staff at work." She smiled. Her internship had been so much fun but she was absolutely ready for more.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah was sure that Mia probably would have felt better if he had let Ivy move with them but he thought that, that defeated the purpose. If they were going to move in together then he thought that it should just be the two of them. He hadn't exactly been welcome in her flat after all - thanks to Penny. "We'll see." Noah shrugged. He wasn't exactly thrilled to meet the baby but he was going to try his hardest. He wanted to make sure that Arlo had someone to rely on if he needed it. "You mum will baby you even when you're an old man. We both know that." He laughed, shaking his head a little.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias didn't even care that he had told her that he had intended to propose. He had always had the ability to turn off how he felt for the person that he was arguing with. And he definitely thought that, that was what he was doing here. There was no way that he wasn't going to be broken up about this later on, though. This was the second time that someone had cheated on him and he couldn't believe that he was in this situation again. "You'd have been so lucky. And you know that's the truth." He muttered, shaking his head a little. There was no way that he would admit otherwise. Tobias had known that mentioning her family would push her buttons - that's why he did it. "I can do what I want, Nancy. You certainly did."T

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: "I'm really not." Blake laughed, shaking her head, "What is it with you and these nerves? You're gonna get me all caught up in my own head, now." She smiled, though, hoping that he knew that she was just joking with him. Blake always enjoyed when people felt like they could be more comfortable around her and she hoped that, that was what Jess felt like now. "Okay. Well, just let me know and I'll have a ticket waiting for you." She nodded, a smile on her face. She definitely didn't think that he couldn't afford it but she knew that the tickets could be pretty expensive. She thought that it was nice to try and open the theatre world to people that might not have been able to afford it without. "Absolutely. It's the only way." Blake laughed. "And you would definitely look like a fool if your poncho and hat weren't matching." She nodded along with him. "Oh, definitely. Something tells me that you can pull of most things."

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Landon would be more than happy for Iris to take the house, if that was what she'd wanted - he would never try and take that away from her, but he absolutely knew he wasn't in a position where he'd be able to share it with her right now. It would be far too much. He'd instantly offered to find somewhere to stay; Annie, or his parents, but he'd been a little bit relieved when Iris had offered to stay with Nancy. "I guess a little, but it's more stressful for them. I just want them all to do well." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. He always felt pretty guilty if one of his students came out without the results they'd wanted. He couldn't help but smile at Iris's news, though - he was so proud of her. "That's amazing Iris, well done." He smiled, shaking his head - he'd always known she could do it, but it didn't stop him being insanely proud.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Knowing Ivy as well as he did, Arlo didn't think Ivy would've accepted an offer to move in with Mia and Noah anyway - his mum had offered her a room in his own house and she'd turned it down, so he couldn't imagine her moving in with anybody else but her mother. He just wished that didn't have to be the case; he wanted to live in the same house as his baby, when it was born. It broke his heart that he wouldn't. "Oh, we will." He laughed. Arlo was so sure he was going to be right. "Well, I might need it when I'm an old man. It'll be all good, still." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Wait a second, where the hell is everyone? You see where Ivy went?" He looked around, suddenly realising that he didn't see her anywhere.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: Nancy tried hard to be one of those people that could switch off their emotions in a situation like this and be cold and heartless, but she was a Hayes - they felt with everything they had, they could never hide their emotions especially when they were anger and that was no different here. She shook her head as Tobias spoke - she'd expected him to be angry, but not like this. "Lucky? To marry somebody who quite clearly thinks me and my family are the scum of the earth? Whatever I've done, I'm just glad to finally know what you think of us all." She told him. She meant it, too - she would always regret cheating and hurting him the way she had, but she also had never imagined that he had thought of her and her family as so much less than he and his. "Are we done here?" She asked him. Because she didn't think she could hold back tears for much longer and she didn't want to cry in front of him, not now.

LK MS MHS LD NH AG JH: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jess laughed, shaking his head. "It's just so alien to me, I can't imagine it. That's all. I don't think you have any reason to be nervous." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He couldn't imagine anybody as self assured as Blake seemed to be being anything but brilliant. "I will. Should I take a numbeo or something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew how it sounded; and he knew that if he hadn't been here as Iris's guest, he would've asked Blake for her number properly by now. He thought she was gorgeous and he hadn't gotten on with anybody this well since moving to London; but he would seem like a total dick if he outright asked for her number while he was somebody else's date, so this way seemed pretty safe. "Yeah, exactly. I'll have a look on Ebay or something. See if I can get a deal." He laughed. "Yeah, well. I try." He smirked, laughing quietly.

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NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Iris knew that she had disturbed Landons life enough. She couldn't ask him to move out of the house that the two of them had shared. Especially if it meant that she then had to mess with Annies life too. Her cousin hadn't spoke to her since the wedding and she couldn't exactly blame her. Because Iris had hurt her very best friend in a worse way than anyone could have ever hurt him. She wanted Landon to have as little fuss as possible. She wanted him to have whatever it was that he needed to have. "And I'm sure that they will, Landon. You're a great teacher." She nodded. Iris thought that it was so clear that Landon was passionate about teaching and she also thought that, that meant that he would be the best kind of teacher. "Thank you." Iris smiled. "It's not completely gone through yet but we're pretty close!"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Noah would never say it out loud but he was a little afraid of how things were going to be once Arlo became a father. He wondered if the other wouldn't have time for him anymore. If he would decide that he needed to focus on the baby more. Noah already missed things how they used to be. "Sometimes tells me tht you're never going to have a lack of confidence, Arlo. I think we both know that, that's the case." He chuckled, rolling his eyes. Noah definitely thought that the way that Alba was with Arlo was weird but he knew better than to say that to the other. He knew how much his mother meant to him. He looked around the room before he shrugged his shoulders. "I've no idea...I haven't seen Mia in a while, either." Noah muttered, shaking his head as he looked around the room. "She's probably gone home?"

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Tobias couldn't help but scoff as Nancy spoke, "No. I never thought that about you. Not before. But now you're showing me that I was absolutely right, though, Nancy. None of you can keep it in your fucking pants." He growled before he shook his head. He quickly turned away from her. "Yeah, we're done." He snapped, nodding. He absolutely wasn't going to let her talk to him anymore. He wasn't going to let her be near him again. He was done with Nancy. And he didn't care whatever it was that she had to say. He was finished. He didn't bother going back into the party - because what was the point? He wanted to go home.

NH PM BA TD IM IS BA: Blake couldn't help but laugh along with Jess and she nodded her head a little, "We'll see. You can make a proper assumption when you come and see the show." She smiled at him. She was having such a good time with him. And while Blake was well aware of the fact that he was at the party with Iris, she didn't think that whatever it was between the two of them was all that serious. She found herself hoping that it wasn't. "Oh, yeah, of course." She smiled, nodding her head before she held out her hand for his phone, so she could put in her number. She wasn't going to feel bad if he wanted to come to a show. She didn't think that even Iris could have a problem with that. "I want photos though. I've gotta help with this decision." Blake laughed.

#chatzy #london

[gloves94]

Sunburn [Prince Zuko] 15

Warnings: None   Rating: PG-13   Pairings: Zuko/OC   Summary:  “You have everything you’ve ever wanted.” “No.” He said softly. “Not everything…”  His golden eyes looked at her with a melting intensity she had never witnessed before. “I guess not.” She responded with glassy eyes as tears welled up threatening to break the dam of her eyes.

My fanfiction: M A S T E R L I S T

Uncle Iroh had spent the last couple of weeks training Zuko on a new fire bending move. A deathly one. One that Tsai had never even seen her brother practice. Lighting manipulation.

He had advised Tsai to invest her time into training with a long-rage weapon.

"But- what?" She had said confused. "I like using my hidden blades because they are like an extension of my body. Something else- would be much harder to use." She had said to him. "I believe the fight with Azula would've had a very different outcome if this weren't the case." He said wisely.

It was a hard decision to make. She pondered long and hard into a new strategy or thought of a new weapon she could immediately begin to practice and came up with a few ideas.

Naturally Tsai had a lot on her mind. She missed her family. Her dad, her over-beating mother and her brother. She wondered where Mecha found himself now a days or even if there was any of him left. She lowered her head, heart swelling with pain as she thought specially of her brother. She wondered if she'd ever see any of them again. If the war would end. If they would ever meet the Avatar again.

Her fists clenched around the railing of the ferry they were currently on.

She had been so close to capturing the Avatar and now he was gone. Gone with no trace. It wasn't as if they were in a position to be looking. The three of them had been continuously on the run as they struggled to survive and find peace in their arduous journey to freedom.

They were continuously on the run. Sleeping on the ground, without a penny to their names often starving. It didn't help that every time they slowed down to set camp somewhere in the land someone would find and attempt to kill them.

Tsai also thought about the Blue Spirit sometimes. Sometimes she wondered if he had been figment of her imagination- or if their paths would ever meet again. She was certain that she would know who he was if they met in person. She was cerain- but could've been mistaken- that the Blue Spirit was male. Another clue was the fact he seemed to be able to sneak around both Fire and Earth Kingdom territories with ease. It couldn't just be anyone. Also the coincidence that their paths had crossed more than once?

Through some of Iroh's connections the man had managed to get the three of them smuggled into Ba Sing Se as humble refugees. It had been a long journey, but there was finally a moment of peace. Some light at the end of the tunnel to look forward too.

The ferry was small, wooded and crowded as they sailed the open sea. The scent of sea salt water and the ocean welcoming them. Tsai removed the bandage that hid her hair in her hands. It swayed lightly with the ocean breeze. Ba Sing Se... It seemed so hopefully. The thought of a new beginning. One in which they could find a safe haven, start from scratch and make a new life. It was unreal. The idea that she would never see the walls of Yu Dao again or her family. She had to shed her ambitions and become someone new. Capturing the Avatar now... it seemed like a far away distant dream. It was something she had to let go. It had never been and probably never would be her destiny. Her grip on the bandana became weak and the breeze ripped the clothe out of her hands and carried it away into the sea.

She was done hiding. There was no need to hide anymore. It wouldn't be necessary in the Earth Kingdom. Besides, if Zuko could get away with his trademark scar what were the odds of somebody rattling on her? Also, worst case scenario she's be an ally of the Earth Kingdom. After all, she had saved the Avatar. How does that saying go? Your worst enemy's enemy is your best friend?

She took in a deep breath.

No more Avatar. No more sulking about family. No more pessimistic thoughts.

Ba Sing Se would be a clean slate.

Her eyes darted to the side and she saw Prince Zuko scowling at something. She felt her ears burn slightly.

No more Zuko.

She straightened her back like an arrow composing her posture and let out that breath she had been holding. He would never change and Ba Sing Se was supposed to be a clean slate. Besides he was so morose all the time, but he was so fun to tease and-

'Stop.' Irritated stopped herself from hopping on that train. She had to find something else to keep her mind busy to keep her distracted.

"Who would have thought after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace..." Iroh mused ominously as he stood beside Zuko and Tsai aboard one of the ferries departing for Ba Sing Se. "As a tourist!" He exclaimed with a cheesy grin after placing a comically floral hat on his head.

Tsai snorted as she turned her attention away from her thoughts and to Uncle Iroh. Still her humor was down in the blues. And Zuko well-

"Look around. We're not tourists, we're refugees." Zuko snapped, killing the cheerful mood with his grumpiness as he took a sip of cold food from the bowl in his hand then spat it out a moment later with a disgusted look on his face, "Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this!"

Zuko was being Zuko. She rolled her eyes as she stirred her own bowl with indescribable food around with a lack of appetite.

"Alright, princess," she uttered under her breath rolling her eyes at him. "What?" he snapped, his eyes narrowing. "You're acting like a brat," she retorted with a scoff and a chortle. "Why can't you just be thankful that the three of us are safe and sound and on board for a better life?" She shot back irritated both of her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

'And to think they had been getting along so well,' Iroh thought before sighing.

"Hey Red," A slick voice said. Both teenagers turned their attention to face the person who was addressing the red-head in the room. Before them stood a young man with a cocky smirk. He was tall, lean, with tanned skin and looked to be slightly older than both of them. He wore a mis matched armor of navy blue, red and leather. His hair was thick, shaggy and messy. However his most striking feature was the remarkable sly grin stretched across his features. Between his teeth lazily hung a single wheat stem.

"What's your name Red?" He asked standing before them and placing a hand on his waist. He was also handsome in an unconventional kind of way.

"Your boyfriend upsetting you? You're way too pretty for this clown."

He was stepping way too close to Tsai for Zuko's comfort.

"What?" She made a sound that sounded like the blend of a gush and a gasp at the male's attention.

Ba Sing Se. A new beginning. He was just what the doctor had ordered.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She said faster than Zuko had ever heard her say anything in his life. Tripping on her words as she approached the stranger looking at him with stars in her eyes.

Zuko glared.

Normally he would've been the first to gladly inform this person of the fact that they were in-fact nottogether, but this time- it was different. There was something slimy about this guy he didn't like. Besides, they had to keep a low profile. It was essential for their survival.

Not that anyone noticed but Uncle Iroh watched with particular interest in the background.

"My name's Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters,"

The young man introduced himself and gestured towards a shorthaired girl and a young man with a bow strapped to his back, "Smellerbee and Longshot."

"Hey." Smellerbee greeted while Longshot nodded his head silently.

"So are you going to tell me your name or not pretty thing?" Jet leaned in close enough to touch the girl's chin and much to Zuko's horror she emitted a monstrous noise which sounded similar to a giggle. He grimaced at the nightmare he was witnessing unfold before his own eyes.

Was she not listening properly? He had just called her a 'thing'. He had sworn her off. He had made a deal with himself in which he would lock her in a box and put her away. He DID NOTcare whom she canoodled with. He could care less. But this clown? There was something slimy about him. He did not trust him. Heck! It could be dangerous for their survival. He hadto do something about this.

Tsai felt her teenager hormones going into over ride. It had been a while since the last time any male had shown her this kind of attention. Much less a handsome, tan, stranger on a ferry. It was almost like a play!

His confidence- wow, it was so attractive to her.

"I'm T-" She paused before blurting out her name. Remembering that she had to hide her identity. However, it had been so long since anybody had asked her the simple question of what her name was that she had forgotten to keep her identity hidden.

"Homura," she responded with a small smile, there was an edge of flirtation to her voice.

She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder and realized that Zuko had put his arm around her shoulders and was holding her close. She glared at him, her teeth almost grinding in a matter that would've seemed comical.

"Hey," Zuko greeted in the most unfriendly tone he could muster.

"Here's the deal." Jet stated as he walked closer to the trio, his gaze on Zuko, "I hear the captain's eating like a king while the refugees have to feed of his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of king is he eating like?" Iroh asked curiously and Jet glanced at him.

"The fat, happy kind." Jet replied drily.

Iroh's jaw went slack and he began to drool as he thought about what Jet was saying. Tsai was much too preoccupied drooling over Jet. "And after I can take you out for dinner," he winked in the colonial girl's direction making her blush. Jet smirked lightly at her reaction. Zuko didn't realize that he had pulled her closer almost smothering her.

"So waddaya say? You want to help us 'liberate' some food?" Jet addressed them.

"I'm in." Zuko said through narrowed eyes. "Me too!" Tsai clapped her hands together stepping forward stepping out from the prince's boa constrictor grip.

"No sweetheart," Jet stepped forward and placed his hands on her upper arms. "You sit back and relax princess. I'll admit, I made up this entire ploy just to talk to you, but I've realized that something actually has to be done. These people can't live like this."

Her heart melted. Wow. Here was this confident young man. He knew what he wanted and he wasn't afraid to get it. And not only that he care for others and wasn't afraid to bring his own justice! He really was a dream boar.

'Why is he holding her like that?!'Zuko seethed glaring daggers at them.

Xxx

Tsai sat between Prince Zuko and her latest flame, Jet. Even his name was cool.She was starring at him dreamily and very obviously as they ate. The other was holding on to his tea cup so hard Iroh was afraid it might actually shatter in his palm. Smellerbee and Longshot sat next to Jet and Iroh sat next to his nephew.

"So, Smellerbee, that's an usually name for a young man." Iroh commented idly as he looked at Smellerbee curiously.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man...I'm a girl!" Smellerbee snapped and she got to her feet, walking away from the group.

"Oh, now I see." Iroh called out to her, trying to fix his mistake as Longshot got to his feet and hurried after the girl, "It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

Tsai remained oblivious to this still ogling Jet much to Zuko's disgust.

Longshot followed Smellerbee quickly and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him. He gave her a look and she sighed.

"I know, you're right. As long as I'm confident with who I am, it doesn't matter what other people think. Thanks, Longshot." Smellerbee stated gratefully and Longshot nodded at her.

The group sat together sipping tea and eating bowls of rice, nuts and fruits. It was refreshing. The food sat well with them and really lightened up their spirits.

'Jet is so great,'the girl thought dreamily.

"From what I hear, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se." Jet said "I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is a magnificent site." Iroh commented idly as he sat his bowl down.

"So you've been there before?" Jet asked with eager curiosity.

"Once." Iroh replied carefully as he looked off to the side, "When I was a...different man."

Tsai snapped out of her day dream and smiled at Iroh softly when he turned to look at her.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning." Jet explained, his tone sounding slightly pained, "A second chance."

"A clean slate!" She chirped.

Wow they were even in the same page! He was so mysterious. Her attention was once again captivated by him. He was so right. Ba Sing Se would be a new beginning for all.

"That's very noble of you." Iroh remarked with a small nod then he glanced over at his nephew, "I believe that people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

Zuko glanced over at his uncle and the two stared at each other for a moment.

"This is were we grow. How are we to grow and become better versions of ourselves if we live in fear of trying again? Of second chances," she added with a dreamy smile. That little part of her head that reminded her most of her grandfather said to her. Jet looked at her and nodded agreeing. She didn't notice how Zuko's was viciously glaring at the new couple.

She was too busy too notice this as she was presently day dreaming about walking the shops of Ba Sing Se while holding hands with Jet. For some reasons there were also flowers everywhere in her vision.

"Yeah." Jet agreed with a small nod of his head in her direction, "They should."

xxx

Zuko sat next to his uncle absolutely seething the next morning. His mood had only worsened overnight. His face was green with envy as he kept on replaying the events of the previous night in his head.

He couldn't believe that Tsai had actually stayed up talking to the buffoon all night long. What did they even talk about? She'd probably bore him to death with philosophical quotes of ominous origins or some irritating rambling between the differences between Matcha and Sencha tea... Sencha is made by steeping whole tea leaves, matcha is made by grinding up the leaves and mixing them with water. He mentally cursed. He hated that he knew that fact.

"Your jealousy is showing Prince Zuko," Iroh said with a light chuckle as he grinned in his nephew's direction.

"What jealousy?" The other snapped back bitterly crossing his arms over his chest his words dripping heavily with such said jealousy. "Why should I care who Tsai spends her time with?" He huffed. "And that Jet-" he thought of him. "I don't trust him. What's so great about him anyways?"

Iroh shrugged with the same teasing grin on his face.

"What do I now? You should ask her, I think she went to gaze at the horizon with him."

Iroh had never seen his nephew move so fast. As he stomped away to find the auburn haired girl. He stopped when he saw them both. Standing at the front helm of the ship, both standing next to each other leaning over the railing to look at the horizon. He had an arm wrapped around her as they stood together. There was a heavy fog as they approached Earth Kingdom land.

He saw them turn to face each other.

"Homura," he barked louder than he had intended. The unfamiliar name tasting odd in his mouth. She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow an annoyed expression obvious on her features.

"What is it?" She half-snapped. "Lee," she hissed out his name after a moment. "Uncle wants to see you," he added dully not taking his eyes of Jet's filthy hand which was wrapped around her waist.

"Ha! I'm kind of busy," she said beginning to turn away. "It's his arm, it hurts." Zuko lied through his teeth.

It took her a moment of hesitation before running off to check on Iroh. Zuko glared at Jet before turning away.

"You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were." Jet commented suddenly as he approached Zuko. He appeared to be bothered by his bold interruption.

Zuko tensed and glanced at the other boy as Jet came to a stop beside him.

"You're an outcast, like me." Jet continued as he too stared out at the fog, "And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's back. Because no one else will."

"I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path." Zuko stated calmly, his thoughts turning towards his uncle and the Tsai, no matter how irritating her presence was.

"He's fine!" Tsai had returned speed walking back to the end of the deck.

Wow. That had been fast!

"Come on Jet, let's go see if we can find any pink-finned dolphins," she said reaching for his arm and dragging him away.

She shot Zuko a glare before going away. The other clenched his fists as his bottled up emotions bubbled inside of him like a dormant volcano.

Xxx

The large woman with a mole on her forehead looked at the three passports in her hand critically then she looked at the three individuals standing in front of her.

"So Miss Homura, Mr. Lee and Mr. ummm...Mushy, is it?" She asked and she looked at Iroh curiously.

"It's pronounce Mushi." Iroh corrected her with a small smile.

The woman leaned forward slightly and gave him an annoyed look, "You telling me how to do my job?"

Tsai cringed. No offense to the lady but she reminded the young girl of an angry bull frog.

"Uh, no, no." Iroh said hurried and he quickly approached the ticket booth, giving the woman a flirtatious look, "But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating." 'There was no way in hell that she was buying that,' Tsai thought shaking her head slightly. Eyes wide. Zuko's eyebrow twitch slightly and a scowl was starting to form on his face.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome. Raorr!" The woman replied back just as flirtatiously and she gave a small flirty kitty growl, "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

She stamped three tickets and Iroh smiled coyly at her as he took them from the booth. He walked back over to his nephew and young friend with a smug smile on his face.

"Still got it old man," Tsai grinned taking her ticket from him.

"I'm going to forget I saw that." Zuko snapped in disgust and he snatched his ticked from his uncle, stopping away from him.

Iroh grinned cheerfully to himself as the three of them headed towards the monorail that would take them into their new lives at Ba Sing Se.

xxx

Jet leaned to the side slightly and watched as the three he knew as Lee, Mushi, and Homura walked through the archway that led towards the monorail while he waited in line with Smellerbee and Longshot.

"I think Lee would make a good Freedom Fighter. He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us." Jet commented with a smirk as straightened and held his piece of wheat in one hand, "And with some training I know that Homura would be great. Wouldn't it be nice to have another girl on the team?"

"You don't know anything about them, Jet." Smellerbee refuted his idea flatly as she looked away from Lee and Homura her arms crossed over her chest. "Why would you want him and his girlfriend on the team? Also, she seems pretty useless." Smellerbee rolled her eyes, really not thrilled at the idea of another girl joining the team.

"She's not his girlfriend," Jet responded irritated. "And I do know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender." He retorted and he rolled his eyes. "And- it'd be nice. She could learn," Jet stated completely oblivious to the fact that the girl could kick ass.

Longshot raised both of his eyebrows musing at Jet's newest infatuation. Smellerbee ignored Jet's comment, "Besides, I thought we were going straight now."

"We are," Jet said reassuringly as he looked at his friend, "And the new Freedom Fighters could use a couple like that. What do you think, Longshot?"

The archer looked at him silently with a meaningfully expression on his face and he blinked slowly.

Jet nodded, "I can respect that."

xxx

Tsai sat between Iroh and Zuko on a bench at the monorail station, waiting for their train into the city. She kept on looking over her shoulder hoping to catch a glimpse of Jet in the station so that she would say her goodbyes to him. The three were leaning against a pillar sitting on a bench. Zuko had his arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you looking at?" He exhaled from his nose as he turned to look at Tsai. "I'm looking for Jet. I want to say goodbye to him," she admitted before sighing with heartfelt sadness. He rolled his eyes. "What do you even like about that jerk?" the other scoffed.

He had to look away from her so he focused his attention towards the rails as they waited for the train.

"He's so mysterious," she said in awe. Just like the Blue Spirit...

"And charming, he knows how to treat a girl and most importantly he cares about others," she spoke in a dreamy tone.

Zuko took all of that in. What did she mean by that? Regardless the only thing he could manage with a pouty look of defeat on his face was.

"....I can be mysterious," he said after a moment of silence.

She blinked twice taking in what he had just said. A smile cracked on her face, she looked at the awkward look on his face and let out a small laugh. Something clicked in her head.

when she felt a presence next to her and an arm slid over her shoulders. She turned to see Jet and smiled at him forgetting what she was about to say.

"So, you two got plans once you're inside the city?" Jet asked casually making himself comfortable.

"Get your hot tea here!" A man yelled out pleasantly as he pushed a small tea-cart passed the four, "Finest tea in Ba Sing Se."

"Ooh!" Iroh gasped excitedly and he waved his hand to get the tea-seller's attention, "Jasmine please."

Never too busy for tea Tsai stood up leaving the two teens behind and got herself a cup with Iroh. Both of them exchanged a goofy grin before taking their leaf cup jasmine tea. They both took an excited sip at the same time.

"Blaugh! Ugh, coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it" He spat and he shook his head in disappointment, "What a disgrace." "I think Zuko's tea from the other day might've actually been better," she added feeling slightly insulted by a cup of tea.

"Hey," Jet said suddenly, pulling Zuko's attention away from his family, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Jet stood and motioned for Zuko to follow him. Zuko glanced at his uncle and Tsai briefly then he sighed and reluctantly got to his feet. The two teenage boys walked several feet away from Iroh's and Tsai's spots, Zuko moving so his back was to them while Jet stood in front of him. He could feel his uncle's and Tsai's curious gaze on his back, but he ignored it for the moment.

"We'lI have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together." Jet stated bluntly and he smirked at Zuko as he put his hands on his hips, "You wanna join the Freedom Fighters? Think that Homura would want to as well?"

"Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang." Zuko replied vaguely and he shifted so he could see his uncle and his friend out of the corner of his eyes.

"C'mon, we made a great team looting that captain's food." Jet said in an attempted to persuade the other teen, "Think of all the good we could do for these refugees."

Zuko started walking back to the other two and he called over his shoulder, "I said no."

Jet frowned slightly as he watched the other teen walk away, "Have it your way."

Sensing the tension Tsai rushed over to him. Zuko couldn't figured out what they were saying to each other. But Jet took her hands in his and leaned forward. Hesitating she leaned back and shook her head. He couldn't read lips but whatever hers were saying did not sound good. Shaking her head with a frown she made her way back to the Fire Nation royals.

Jet's gaze flickered over to the the auburn haired girl as she walked away from him then he looked at Iroh. His brows furrowed slightly when he caught sight of the old man beside her sipping at the leaf cup, steam rising from it. Jet's eyes went wide with shock and realization when he remembered that the old man had said the tea was cold.

Zuko scowled as he stomped over to his uncle and friend. He glanced over his shoulder slightly, catching sight of Jet. He saw the other teen's eyes narrow then he turned and walked away. Angrily, Zuko knocked the teacup out of his uncle's hand, startling Tsai enough that she looked at him with her eyes wide. How dare he.

"What are you doing fire bending your tea?" The banished prince hissed through gritted teeth as he glared at his uncle, "For a wise old man, that was a pretty stupid move."

"Iroh!" Tsai gasped quietly and she gave him a scolding look, but the old man was staring sadly at the cup of tea on the ground.

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but..." He sniffed slightly, "It's just so sad!"

"It wasn't even that good!" Tsai cried out in disbelief. She face palmed and shook her head slightly. Zuko scowled even harder at his uncle.

xxx

"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" The train conductor shouted from the front of the monorail that would be heading into the city.

Jet stormed towards the train with Smellerbee and Longshot.

"Jet, relax." Smellerbee pleaded with her friend as they walked, "So the old guy had some hot tea and your new girlfriend turned you down. Big deal."

"He heated it himself!" Jet snapped back at her and his tone turned dark, "Those guys are firebenders!"

Jet's eyes narrowed when he spotted Lee, Mushi, and Homura, if those were even their real names, board the train cart behind the one he was getting on.

Zuko, Tsai, and Iroh sat down next to a small family, Tsai sitting between the two men. Iroh smiled when he noticed the sleeping infant in the arms of the woman on his other side.

"What a handsome baby." He complimented as he gently stroked the baby's cheek.

Tsai leaned around him and smiled when she saw the baby.

"Thank you." The woman said as smiled at Iroh and Tsai softly then she looked down at her baby with adoring eyes.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Zuko asked bitterly. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face as he slouched in one of his typical morose moods. A pose that had become much too typical for him. "Aren't you going with him?"

She looked at him and the slyest of smirks made way to her face. "Nah," she said casually looking at him with an odd glint in her eyes.

"What happened?" The other inquired nosily straightening out a little. She let out an exaggerated sigh. "He's too-," she shrugged seeking for the perfect word.

He raised an eyebrow expectantly.

Wasn't she all over him a minute ago? Man, girls were weird. He thought confused. Also- he didn't care. He reminded himself he had put her inside of that box he would never open again. It's not as if she would reciprocate either way. She liked guys like Jet, not like him...

Xxx

"Homura, come with us. I know you don't know how to fight but- you can learn. And it'll be great. It will be a new life for us!" Jet had said as he took her hands in his and leaned forward.

She starred into his dark eyes. Suddenly feeling an overbearing emotion consume her decision making process. She could feel it tugging at her heart.

"I can't," she said after a moment of silence. "I care for him," she said weakly. "The old man will be fine. Lee is staying with him. You can-"

She remained silent. A blank look in her eyes as she turned away from Jet and pulled her hands close to her body. It took a moment for the realization to hit him.

"Oh," was all Jet said. "For Him." A dark scowl slowly formed across his sharp features.

"I thought he wasn't your boyfriend." He stated.

"He's not."

Xxx

"He..." she paused for a moment. "He doesn't make me laugh," she smiled at the prince.

He raised an eyebrow with a most confused look on his face.

Ba Sing Se was the city of hope. It would be a new beginning. It was the immigrant dream. Anything could happen now that they turned this new chapter of their lives together.

There would be:

No more Avatar. No more sulking about family. No more pessimistic thoughts.

She was determined to make Ba Sing Se a clean slate. To seize this new opportunity and make something out of it. Specially during these times of hardship and war... A war which had been started by her own people, by her own family. She ignored the pang of guilt that stabbed her consciousness at this fact.

She was leaving so much behind. Yet there was one part that she couldn't manage to shed. One that stuck to her like glue. Her eyes darted to the side and she saw the prince had a lost look in his confused eyes. Still he looked more aggravated than usual.

Without saying another word she hugged his arm and propped her chin on his shoulder with a playful smile tugging at her lips. She focused her eyes on his expression as it morphed from an irritated one to one of surprise his body growing stiff. Her hand reached for his and she held it. He turned away from her and would've never allowed her to see but a genuine smiled stretched across his usually stoic face.

He held her hand back.

Afterall, Ba Sing Se was a new beginning.

xxx

FIRST https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/621142853126602752/sunburn-prince-zuko-1

NEXT https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/621294593914372096/sunburn-prince-zuko-16

PREV 

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

#prince zuko #zukoxreader #Zuko x oc #Zuko x you #zuko imagine #zuko #fire lord zuko #katara #aang #sokka #azula #jet #iroh #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #fluff #zuko fluff #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar fanfic #avatar x oc #avatar fanfiction #x reader #oc

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

5 for Nuts and Dolts, because the hug in the trailer is still on continuous loop in my head and the only thing better than an angsty hug is an angsty hug AND KISS 8 for Data Farm, because I'm weak for the idea of Oscar being unexpectedly prince-like and making Penny feel like a princess (or the other way around) I can't remember the number, but the interrupted kiss for rosegarden No pressure to do all of these, I just couldn't decide on one ship because I love all of them

(as a brief refresher: Data Farms Fic Link, Rosegarden Fic Link)

...and here’s to finally being able to answer this ask and revealing the ridiculous (sort of) secret plan I’ve carried out over a month (or two maybe idk) and what’s now a six-chapter fic!

(no, I’m not joking, this (Rose Puppetry) was literally A Thing bc I’m Like That)

So, to explain, way back when I was doing requests for this kissing meme, it was around the same time that you introduced me to the Mechanisms music, and then the Magnus Archives after that.

Subsequently, I thought it would be really cool to make one of these three requests Steampunk-themed.  I decided on the Nuts and Dolts one bc, when I first listened to Once Upon A Time (In Space), I associated Ruby and Penny heavily with Rose and Cinders (I think it was bc the album was brought up in reference to Souls or something like that?  Also Rose Puppetry was my alternative solution to just derailing Souls completely into Being A Steampunk Fic).

Anyways, I started out with the intent to do a short oneshot where Penny breaks into a facility to save Ruby, which would be reminiscent of the final attack on Old King Cole that led to Cinders being reunited with Rose.

Except then I got carried away by world-building (bc it was so freaking fun) and Rose Puppetry became an entire multi-chapter fic all of its own.

For the record, I think I originally @ you when I posted the first chapter bc I was going to say that the fic was a response to this prompt and then quite literally forgot to actually say that anywhere.  I then realized that, if I kept quiet about it, I could turn it into a surprise, which seemed like a fun thing to do, so I went for it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the end of Rose Puppetry!

.

5. Throwing their arms around the other person’s neck, hugging them close before kissing them passionately on the lips.

...

Rose Puppetry Ch6: The Tale of Little Briar and the Huntress in the Cottage

Summary:

A century ago or so, Atlas set out to conquer the world.  Penny was built to be a spy, an infiltrator meant to find weaknesses in Vale’s defenses before the invasion.

She did.  Then she fell in love.  And rebelled against the kingdom that had created her.

Ch1.  Ch2.  Ch3.  Ch4.  Ch5.

Every child in Patch knows of the Huntress who lives in the cottage on the outskirts of town.  Their great protector, who keeps the dangers of the woods at bay so they can go about their lives safely.  No one knows, not really, where she came from.  The youngest kids among them generally want to ask, but their parents usually shush them before they can try.  It’s considered improper, prying into what should be left well enough alone.

Briar knows more about the Huntress than any of her peers, but you’d never catch her boasting about it in the school yard.  No sir.  She can keep a secret extremely well, she can.  Well that, and she doesn’t want the Huntress to be upset with her and ask her father to not allow her to make the weekly deliveries anymore.  Briar loves visiting the Huntress’s cottage, with its duck pond and its thick bramble of roses.  But, most importantly, she loves being let inside and allowed to watch the Huntress work for just a little while.

For, in addition to being their protector against the scary monsters that lurk in the woods, the Huntress is Patch’s one and only mechanic.  There used to be more, of course, but that was back before Briar was born and they all got called off to fight in the Great War against Atlas.

Briar once asked if the Huntress fought in the Great War, too.  She remembers how the Huntress fell silent, the gloomy expression that had seamlessly eclipsed the Huntress’s entire being, and quietly swore never to ask again.  It’s not important for her to know, Briar decided.  Not like learning how gears, cogs, and screws all fit into machinery and make things like the big clock in the tower in the center of town work.

It’s a sunny day.  A few wisps of clouds linger in the sky, but not many.  Briar skips home from school, humming a happy tune of her own creation as she goes.  She briefly pauses to scratch the noses of the cows who’ve wandered to the fence of their pasture bordering the road.  The cows moo at her and sniff Briar’s fingertips for treats.

“Sorry, I don’t have anything for you today.”  Briar giggles as their chin whiskers tickle her.  “If I have time after I visit Ms. Rose, I’ll try and bring you all back something, but I make no promises.”

She continues on her way, only stopping in the Mech Field to pick a collection of bright, cheerful wildflowers.  Briar pauses to consider the ruins of the old war machines, but Ms. Rose once warned her very sternly not to get too close to the fallen mechs without her supervision, so Briar doesn’t.  Instead, she takes a spare hair ribbon out of her school bag, ties it snugly around the stems of her wildflowers to keep them properly bunched together, and heads home.

Her mother has the weekly grocery basket for Ms. Rose waiting when Briar arrives.  She helps Briar securely fasten it to the deliveries bicycle and situate the flower bouquet on top so the bumpy ride won’t jostle them too much.

“Keep an eye on the time,” Briar’s mother gives her the usual warning.  “And, if it starts growing dark, have Ms. Rose walk you home.”

Briar rolls her eyes.  She’s big enough to come home all on her own, even after sunset, she thinks.  Still, she promises, “I will!” before taking off on the bicycle.

Smoke lazily drifts into the sky from Ms. Rose’s cottage’s chimney as Briar makes her approach.  The huntress’s dog, a great, big creature with a lumbering gait and a lolling tongue, appropriately named ‘Wolf’, runs to greet Briar as she approaches.  She slows her bicycle to a stop and dismounts.

“Hey, Wolfie.”  Briar scratches behind the dog’s ears, and gets licked enthusiastically for it.  She laughs.  Wolf dances excited circles around Briar as she walks over and leans her bicycle against the cottage.  “Stop that!”  Briar commands Wolf, only half serious.  “I have to get the groceries inside!”  She nudges the door open and walks into the cottage.

“Ms. Rose?  Are you here?”  Briar calls out.

“In the workshop, Briar!”  Ms. Rose yells back from somewhere deep inside.  Briar grins.  With some care, she shoves the groceries in the refrigerator.  Ms. Rose will organize them however she pleases later, after a few more hours of work, at least.

Briar goes to hurry through the kitchen, but remembers herself, and pauses at the sink to fill a pitcher with water for her wildflower bouquet.  She carefully lowers the flowers in and unties her hair ribbon from around their stems.  Then, after tidying the bouquet a little, Briar walks further into the cottage.  She doesn’t go immediately to the workshop, but to a room Ms. Rose only recently granted her permission to enter.

Briar pauses and takes a breath in the doorway of the bedroom.  It’s always a bit weird to do this.  She’s never actually met Ms. Penny.  Not back before, when she was awake.  Ms. Penny doesn’t know who she is.  Never had the chance to, really.

Regardless, flowers always make Briar feel better when she isn’t feeling well.  With Wolf padding loyally at her side, Briar approaches the bed where Ms. Penny serenely sleeps and situates the bouquet on the table beside it.

“Good day, Ms. Penny,” Briar speaks politely, for she’s never spoken to a mechanical person, or one who’s never woken up, before Penny.  Briar still feels kind of odd about that, but, since she first stumbled across Penny’s room, she’s been determined to try and make her feel better (if that’s at all possible).

“Spring’s here.  The first of Mr. Oobleck’s lambs were born the other day.”  Briar starts her usual, short, babbling update about life in Patch.  “They’re extremely cute.  I’ll draw you a picture, so, when you wake up, you won’t have missed seeing them.”

“She’d like that, I think.”

Briar jumps, and spins around.  Ms. Rose stands in the doorway, leaning against its frame.  She smiles softly at Briar, and joins her by Penny’s bedside.  “Penny never…I think she always lived in cities before we met.”  Ms. Rose takes a deep breath.  “I’m not sure she’s ever gotten the chance to see a newborn lamb.”

“Then this will be her first time,” Briar says confidently.

“Yes.”  Ms. Rose smiles sadly down at Briar.  “Run along to the workshop now.  I left today’s assignment out on the table for you.  Try to see if you can get started on your own.  I’ll be along in a moment.”

Briar does as she’s told, but not before stopping just outside the bedroom and sneakily poking her head back in to watch Ms. Rose gently smooth Penny’s long, soft copper curls and place a kiss on her forehead.

“Don’t wait too much longer to wake up, my love, alright?”  Ms. Rose whispers.

Briar slips away, feeling a little guilty about spying on such a private moment.  She doesn’t know why Ms. Penny sleeps, what caused her to fall into her lasting slumber in the first place, but Briar does know that Ms. Rose came to Patch to have a quiet, safe place to repair her.

The assignment Ms. Rose set out for Briar that day is a small music box.  One that had, in all likeliness, played a lovely melody at some point, but has long since worn out.  Repairing it shouldn’t be the hardest of tasks.  Not now that Briar is a handful of months out of transitioning from ‘kid who gets to watch the Huntress work’ to ‘unofficial mechanic’s apprentice’.

Ever so carefully, Briar removes a tiny, rusty gear from the music box with her tweezers and sets it aside.  She looks to Ms. Rose, who smiles reassuringly back at her.  Briar finds the replacement gear, plucks it up with the tweezers, and goes to insert it right where it needs to—

“Hello?!  Huntress are you here?”  A voice shouts into the cottage.  Wolf scrambles up from lying under where Briar’s feet dangle off her stool and barks loudly.  Briar jumps.  Her tweezers fall out of her hand.  The replacement gear goes flying.

“Just a moment!”  Ms. Rose calls back.  She helps Briar retrieve the gear from where it’s fallen to the floor.  “Think you can work on your own for a bit?”  Ms. Rose asks.  When Briar nods, the huntress wipes grease and oil smudges off her fingertips onto her leather apron and goes to see who has come asking after her aid.

Briar half listens to the ensuing conversation about a broken down car on the road as it drifts through the cottage to her.  Ms. Rose briefly returns to the workshop for her portable tool kit, and then leaves to go repair the automobile in question.  She promises she’ll check Briar’s handiwork upon her return.  Wolf ambles back over to Briar.  The dog circles a couple times to settle, and then returns to napping.

For the next couple of hours while Briar works, things are quiet and peaceful.  She finishes repairing the music box.  With bated breath, Briar winds it up and sets it down on the worktable.  A soft tune fills the air.  Briar can’t help but smile.

Too excited to wait until Ms. Rose gets back to show off her success, Briar carefully scoops the music box up in her hands and carries it to Penny’s room.  She puts it down by the wildflowers she brought earlier, and lets it play its song a second time.

So caught up on listening to the music box’s melody is Briar, she doesn’t catch when it’s joined by the sounds of other mechanisms whirling and clicking.  Ones that have long remained at rest, but, at the sound of a comforting song, rouse again.

Movement catches Briar’s attention.  Before she realizes what’s happened, a pair of bright, dazzling green eyes meet her own.  They almost seem to glow, as if they’re lightbulbs that have spent a long, long time charging up and want to celebrate the chance to finally illuminate.

“H-hello?”  The voice is hoarse, creaky with disuse.  It’s nothing like Briar imagined it would be.  “Briar?”

Briar blinks rapidly.  “You know me?” slips from her lips before she can stop the question.

“Of course.”  Tentatively, Penny moves to push herself up in a sitting position.  One of her hands slips before she can put weight down on it.  Briar rushes forward to help support her.  “Thank you.”  Penny smiles gratefully at Briar.  “To answer your question, I heard you.  The days you came and talked to me and brought me flowers.”  She pauses.  “I’d very much like to see Mr. Oobleck’s lambs.”

“Oh.”  Briar takes a minute to process this.  “I didn’t think…” she’s not sure what to say.  She’s imagined this moment hundreds of times, but, now that it’s happening, Briar’s mind is frustratingly blank.

“It’s alright.”  Penny gives her a small, soft smile.  “It’s not everyday someone you’ve only known as a ‘sleeping lady’ wakes up.”

“I-err-yeah…” Briar pauses.  “If you don’t mind me asking, how could you hear me all those times?  Since you were asleep?”

Penny inhales deeply and exhales, the clockwork of her body moving with the motion.  “It’s a bit complicated.  A short explanation would be that, even without enough power to function normally, I could still record audio.” Penny shoots a knowing smirk in Briar’s direction.  “I would love to give you the fully detailed explanation.  Later.  If you don’t mind, there’s someone who’s long overdue for a hug, I think.”

Briar’s eyes widen.  “Oh!  Ms. Rose!  Of course!”  She scrambles up to fetch Penny a walking stick to lean upon as she gets up.  “She went out to repair someone’s car.  I think it’s just down the road!”  Briar hovers, ready to support Penny if she needs help with walking.  When Penny makes it to the doorway on her own, Briar relaxes a little.

Together, with Wolf keeping pace with them (and Briar would swear the dog is keeping as much a careful eye on Penny as she herself is), they make their way outside.

Penny pauses, and looks up at the blue, blue sky.  She blinks.  If she were capable of crying, she probably would have.  “I never dreamed I’d see it again.”  Penny whispers.  She turns to look ahead, down the road she and Briar intend to walk, and sees someone coming toward them on it.  Penny gasps.

There is one sight that Penny dreamed of, longed for, during her oh so very long slumber.  One sight, her vague, ethereal thoughts could never quite capture, but tried to constantly.  The person she sees on the road doesn’t quite fit the picture Penny remembers.  The person is no longer a youthful maiden, but a full grown woman.  Her black-red hair is longer, kept in an untidy braid over one shoulder.  She’s wearing the garb of a mechanic, and not combat dress.  Branching scars, leftover from a (Grimm) time Penny would very much like to leave in the past, dance across her skin.

“Ruby.”

Penny breathes the name out at the same time Ruby sees her, stops, and stares.

A moment passes where no one moves, where the world is held frozen in shock.  Anxiety ripples over Ruby’s face.  Worry that needs no verbal words to describe it.  That Penny won’t love this older version of her.  That this person she had to grow into while she patiently waited for Penny to wake up isn’t someone Penny will be able to bring herself to love.

Penny takes a step forward, and then another.  Her walking stick is cast aside as she recalls how to push her legs into motion as fast as she can.  She runs, reaching Ruby in the blink of an eye.  Eager to vanquish all the anxieties she sees in her beloved, Penny takes Ruby up in her arms and spins her around and around.  She laughs, causing Ruby to laugh with relief too.

They’re together.  Nothing, no war or conflict or spiders who want to control them, can get in the way of that any longer.  They may have once been puppets in a grand scheme, but they’re free now.  Free to do whatever they wish, as long as they wish.

Penny stops spinning Ruby around.  She holds her close, drinking in the sight of Ruby’s sparkling, silver eyes.  Without thinking about it, they press their foreheads together and simply gaze at each other.

Later, they’ll let Briar commit a condensed version of their story down on paper.  A fairytale, it will be.  One only a handful will actually believe there’s truth to, but that’s just as well to them.  Right now, this moment?  This moment is just for them.

Ruby wraps her arms around Penny.  Penny leans in.  Their lips find each other.  Tentative, unsure, aware they have a lot to adjust to again with each other (but eager to get started).  The kiss is soft and sweet.  A promise of many, many more to come.

They don’t live happily ever after.  For Penny and Ruby’s story doesn’t end here.  It goes on, with many days full of love, and equally as many filled with struggle as they learn each other’s embrace again.  There are moments when the scars of the past threaten to consume them, and moments filled with nothing but laughter and joy.

Overall, though?

Penny and Ruby live together for a very, very long time, and that time together is largely marked by their shared happiness.

#rwby #nuts and dolts #ruby rose #penny polendina #steampunk au #rose puppetry #whirls writing #not the first time i've gone overboard on a request #but the first time i've waited until literally the last chapter of the fic #to reveal that that was the plan all along

[naturaldisasterfanfiction]

35. Part 4

I’m just sat here thinking how I don’t deserve Robyn at all, the things she does, how she goes the extra mile to hold down her own people, her own family. She’s such a loving soul and honestly nobody actually sees that they see her as bossy, bitchy, overpowering. I mean a lot think she is a whore and she actually isn’t; yes she has shown her body off but that is because she is comfortable in her body, I am going to do right by her and try so hard to do everything I can with Aeko because she is looking to me to take charge and of course she is there to help me but she doesn’t deserve me to sit there and look to her, even now. She is warming up the milk for him “I was about to say, not the breast milk” Robyn snorted laughing with the carton of milk in hand “not the golden juice baby” I said, “it proved that you have been drinking it haven’t you?” I shrugged not denying or admitting to such act “is it nice?” Robyn asked “don’t play me, you have tried it too” she shook her head but I know she has “I cannot confirm or deny such an act” I grinned “you are nasty” she pointed at me “so before stores close, once he has drank this I want you to go with him, let him choose things but when it comes to getting a toy maybe hide it that you are” nodding my head “oh wait, I don’t have a car seat for him. I can’t?” Which I don’t “oh shit; erm” Robyn paused thinking “I think we got gifted a booster seat, it’s in the spare room in the house, the one where has all the stuff everywhere. Fenty is still getting things, but in there I know there is a booster seat” look at Robyn coming to save the day “erm, and what I want you to do is buy another while you are out there. I’m gonna call up and get a bodyguard, you need it when going further out into the city and also you got Aeko with you, and I’m gonna need which stores you’re going too” Robyn said, nodding my head “oh why?” I questioned “I’m gonna get Jen to call the paparazzi on you, shopping with your son” pulling a face at Robyn “just leave it to me, need to create a little drama. Because that bitch is gonna be post up somewhere else, he’s here. Let them start guessing” oh Robyn is trying to play dirty.

Getting off of the bar stool “you think he will like me?” I didn’t think Robyn would be stood here asking for approval of anyone, it shows she cares “he will, I think with Aeko he’s just shy and needs time but to see him looking at you smiling. I really think that bitch didn’t play your music, he doesn’t know who you are which is odd” Robyn held out the bottle to me “I like that I have met a man that doesn’t know me by being Rihanna but give it a few days. And then we can come with a plan together and stop this bottle business but it’s gonna be weird because I mean of course we are going to California, also I can’t wait for your mother to catch those pictures, she’s gonna hate that you’re alone with your son” Robyn sniggered “true but I want you to give it him, I’m just thinking it’s weird. We gonna have problems if he sees you breastfeeding and he wants the breast” Robyn laughed out “stop it” following behind Robyn “I can’t wait to have sex with you, like I’m getting to the point where I even find your feet sexual. I’m getting some foot fetish” Robyn turned to look at me all wide eyed “I think you need to stop giving me feet massages you’re getting a fetish now” I think she is right, looking down at Robyn booty which made me bite my bottom lip, I need it.

Walking into the room and everyone is ever so quiet, for once. Monica is here too “ba dad” why is my son got a pacifier too “ugh where you get that from?” I pointed “Penny did” sighing out “he helped himself, it was on the side” Jen said “leave it” Robyn intervened “I have it” he pointed at the milk “you say please now, and take that pacifier out bro. You don’t need that” I don’t like this at all “just let him, please Chris. Here” Jen shrugged as I made eye contact with her “yeah” he took the bottle from Robyn “sit down” Robyn said to me but I’m about to snatch that bottle and pacifier from him because what is this “I’m not the most cleverest person with bringing up kids but I know he’s too grown for that, what is happening!?” Sitting down on the couch “blame his mother Chris, what can I say. Just don’t want you to go hard on him, you need to wait it out. We can do this together, but she hasn’t weaned him off anything, she’s an ignorant bitch for doing this to him. I’m shocked he’s trained to go toilet?” She got a point “I don’t even think he is barely, he peed on the seat and I got annoyed” I am just annoyed “you need to watch him Chris, you really do. And I need you to be here with me for this also because I am not his parent and right now he is trying to get accustomed to me, I don’t want to be the person to tell him off. I want you to be the man to show him right from wrong, if he is peeing wrong, teach him Chris. Don’t just look at him and scold him, he is doing what he has been taught by the bitch that left him at our doorstep right, we are going to do this together. I just need you to be around until we are both on the same page with who I am and who he is to me. But I will be of course supporting you” Robyn is right, I can lose my temper quick with dumb shit “but I like that you are already picking up what is right and wrong, I like that you know at that age he shouldn’t drinking bottle of milk and having a pacifier but for now, let him ok? He is comforting himself” nodding my head not happy.

I find it amusing that we are watching PJ masks with him, like this shit is an interesting show “Christopher” Monica said my name, looking away from the TV “yes momma?” Robyn cooed out “yes momma? That is so cute” Robyn chuckled “just watching your boy, he seems so content with watching TV doesn’t he?” nodding my head “because I know she just lets him do that, just watch TV and that is it” shaking my head “doggy!” Aeko yelped out, Zeus has slowly made his way into the room, he looks so over it today “aye!” I spat, he is going to Fenty’ crib, he likes to check on her every time. He made his way over to me “I hate that you have left his tail so fluffy, you’re so ugly for that” Robyn said which made me laugh “he likes it, don’t you boy” patting his head “I play” Aeko ran over “you can, but I thought you drink your milk” looking over at the bottle that I can tell he threw but milk is slowly dripping from the bottle onto the couch, looking over at Aeko that is climbing on Zeus “no, don’t climb on him” reaching over and grabbing Aeko “go back there and pick up the bottle, you’re ruining the couch, go on” I said, Aeko went to go and clean his mess “you better run before he comes back” Aeko is looking to sit on my dog.

Aeko came back over to me placing the pacifier in his mouth again, he climbed onto my lap with his blankie in hand. Catching Monica staring at my son, I think she is questioning things and so am I “maybe you need to go and get his things, don’t you think. Before it gets late, take Jah with you. And the bodyguard should be here soon” Aeko turned to look at Robyn, he took his pacifier from out of his mouth and held it out to her “you don’t need this anyways, give it Robyn” he put it back in his mouth “out here taking pacifiers and shit” Robyn side eyed me “you got beautiful coloured hair Aeko” Robyn complimented and he grinned touching the top of his head, he is smiling so much the pacifier fell out from his mouth “my binkie bobyn, mine!” he grabbed it again “bobyn huh” I chuckled “you’re funny son, but ok. We shall go I guess, thank you though. Like how you are with everything, with me, even him” Robyn shook her head “Chris, I never blame the kids. He is so innocent in this, my heart aches to know he has been thrown to us like this, I am not upset or angry. I just want the best for us, for him, for our little family. Who am I to blame a child for the stupidity of his parent?” Robyn is too good “I love you” I mean it too.

Shaking the hand of the store assistant in Childsplay clothing “welcome Chris, we was aware that you were arriving so we closed the store for you” stepping and turning to Jah “yeah thank you, so” I breathed out “I am going to look around for Fenty too, but also Aeko and get some stuff” Jah said as he walked off, Dennis is with us filming of course “come on Aeko, let’s get some clothes. So we need pretty much everything, like everything so erm. Shall we start with pants yeah? Shall we get some big boys boxers like daddy” holding my head out, Aeko held my hand “follow me sir, we have a range you can choose from” following the assistant “I mean I am unsure of the size; he is four. He is skinny as shit, like me but he tall but I think maybe go for a bit bigger size?” looking behind me at Dennis “I am struggling, I don’t even know” I laughed saying to the camera “I think stick to the age, or get both age sizes and then he will grow into them” the assistant is right “we get you some big boys boxers, you a big boy now. Can’t be wearing no baby things” I am so angry that she did that, like what if he had a mishap, anything could happen.

My son is crazy funny ��why do you want to wear a hat for? You like it” he nodded his head as I tied his shoes again, we have done nothing but try clothes on but I think we have the perfect size for him “is everything ok in there?” the assistant asked “yeah, you can come in” I said, getting up from my position. Picking Aeko up and placing him down “he likes the hat, just put it through for him” he won’t take the Fendi hat off now, I think because it has bunny ears, I don’t know why “that is ok, erm there is paparazzi outside if you aren’t aware, your bodyguard is loading the car as we speak. I didn’t think you would be buying so much” nodding my head pushing Aeko out “yeah, well we didn’t have anything at the home for him” steeping out of the changing rooms “I have picked out the perfect outfit for Fenty and Aeko, like they are matching cute” Jah has been shopping a lot “good, do you think I got everything I needed? I don’t want you to tell me and say we forgot something” I have bought a lot of clothes so I can’t be lacking “you been buying so have I, we are good” I know this is going to be a few bands all this clothing.

Robyn and this bright idea of paparazzi, she is clearly trying to play some game which I will play and I don’t mind “come on sir” the white guy said to me, some random bodyguard hired. Aeko didn’t even look to see if I was with him, he just walked out and the paparazzi didn’t do anything but take pictures upon pictures of Aeko and then me as I smiled at my son just waving “aye, come on. Get inside the car now” grabbing his arm “I can strap him in” Jah offered, lifting Aeko in the car “listen to Jahleel now” closing the car door “Chris! Are you happy that your son is with you? How is Rihanna” getting in the driver’s seat ignoring them “I just want to say Jah, thank you. Like y’all been so good to me, my son. Like the bond you all have is sweet, thank you” I feel the love a lot “that’s my bitch for life and also, you’re good to her, to us so who are we to be rude. You’re in the circle too, so is my ginger spice latte, hello” looking behind me laughing “ginger spice latte? It’s rather fitting but stop” I can say stop but he won’t stop for anyone, Jah will annoy you but he’s harmless “there we go friend, now shall we honestly get a ginger spice latte?” he ain’t getting shit.

“What are you staring at? You can’t just stand there and stare at me like I just slapped you, I am sorry but you can’t just sleep here and leave your son across the other side of the home, we didn’t have the time to do a whole change over that quick, we can soon but I am sorry Chris, you need to go and be with him” I am so sad, like I just don’t even want to think about the fact I can’t be in my own bed “I don’t like it” I mumbled “I am rather happy, I get the bed to myself, just me and Fenty living our best lives. No weird looks from her perverted dad” Robyn giggled; she is so happy about this “wow! Fucking wow, you’re actually happy about this, how can you be so happy” I am complaining “since my husband bought everything for Aeko but didn’t get him a toothbrush” I scoffed “he can use mine, it doesn’t matter” I knew I would forget something “he is a child, so now you can tomorrow go out when you go for your walk in the morning, he needs it. I made sure the room is ready for you. You need to be nice to him and cuddle him” rolling my eyes “I rather jerk off to you breastfeeding thanks” I stormed out.

I combed Aeko’ hair back “you going to say night night to everyone” Robyn told me to bring him down, also he asked for milk like he wasn’t just fed “I see baby” he asked, nodding my head “you can, I like your robe it’s cute, but come. Let’s go in the other room and see “Fenty” rubbing the back of my head walking out of the room, I helped Aeko get ready into his night clothes in the next room downstairs because all of the clothes are here and not upstairs right now. He ran off ahead of me not even knowing where he is going “in the room jack jack, pushing the door open” he was quick coming back to me “is he all ready for bed?” Jah said “ginger spiced latte, come to me boy” Aeko ran inside “ginger spiced latte!” Jen shouted and then laughed out “he looks rich as fuck, like he goes to a private English school, oh my god. He is the sweetest” Mel spat, Aeko got shy and hid behind me “y’all are just something else, but hey, look at Fenty mommy got there” I pointed, Robyn wanted to give him the gift “for being a big brother” moving to the side, Aeko is staring at Robyn but not sure what to do “look” he pointed ahead “for you, it’s a gift” he started giggling jumping up and down “for me!” he clapped “I go and get it?” nodding my head “and you say thank you and you give Robyn a hug too” I wonder if he will, Aeko shyly started walking over to Robyn “PJ mask daddy!” I mean I had to get him something he likes “that for me? Penny sleeping” Aeko looked at me “she is, go and get your toy then” he is so unsure, he doesn’t know if to get the toy or run “come on, you can take it” Robyn said “I kiss Penny” he pointed, he really likes Fenty a lot and I love to see it “of course, come here” Robyn waved him over and he was quick to move to her “you show love to baby sister” watching him kiss Fenty carefully but then got so shy with Robyn watching him “you are a cutie aren’t you” he just giggled, he’s really just caring for Fenty then the gift “I ain’t forget what you said before you stormed off, you are nasty as hell Chris” I shrugged not caring “but it’s not a lie and I am not ashamed either” Robyn giggled shaking her head at me “anyways, I am glad you are down there, Mel is gonna sleep in bed with me actually” looking behind me at Mel “don’t be jealous nigga” she put a finger up at me “mommy being mean to me, she won’t give me milk Aeko, tell her” I said laughing “you are nasty, shut up. Ignore him, he is not nice at all” Robyn is getting red for no reason, I mean I haven’t said much.

#Chrianna #chrianna ff #chriannaff #fanficton #fanfiction #fanfic

[mewtonian-physics]

i forgot to respond earlier but YES if you feel up to ranking the cases you should! :D

i absolutely feel up to it! okay, let’s go! below, my rankings for all of the ace attorney cases i’ve played so far... please note that these are all subjective opinions and you may highly disagree, but this is how i feel :) please also note that this will contain me crushing hard on a couple of characters but i promise not to get over the top about it.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

The First Turnabout -- 2/10 I literally do not care about this one like, at all. I do like having Mia around, hence why it has 2 points instead of 0. But also it’s a Larry case and I really do not like Larry. Plus... everything else. I just don’t like it. (And Phoenix having passed the bar exam but not knowing what a cross-examination is, even if it’s just for tutorial purposes, drives me up the wall.)

Turnabout Sisters -- 6/10 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA [sobs] This case hurts me. It hurts. Both because of the painful loss of sibling rights and because April May exists. Very different types of hurting, but all the same... She’s one of the reasons why this case gets points taken off of it. Another reason is that I’m just not huge on how it progresses; I’m never a fan of when Mia has to come in and be like ‘this is what you need to do!’ I like figuring it out myself, y’know? But also, heyyyyy, introduction to some characters that are very dear to my heart! Edgeworth time! Fantastic!

Turnabout Samurai -- 5/10 I like Will Powers a lot, and I would kill for Cody, and Penny makes me happy because she has the same name as me, and Dee Vasquez... Wow. Wow. She’s really something. But the plot is kind of boring and goes on for too long, Wendy Oldbag makes me want to defenestrate myself (especially when she talks to Edgeworth) and Sal Manella fills me with a murderous rage. So this case only gets a 5/10. It would probably get lower, except I really love Edgeworth realizing what’s going on and starting to help out, and the scene at the end... well. Well. I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate.

Turnabout Goodbyes -- 10/10 Excellent case. Perfect case. Could not think more highly of it. Yes my lifespan is decreased whenever I see Manfred von Karma but it’s okay. I love defending Edgeworth and I love the backstory even though I also hate it, and I love the actual realistic depictions of trauma, and I love cross-examining the parrot, and I love love LOVE the ending, of course, because getting justice has never felt so goddamn satisfying before. Yeah, I think this case is just my absolute favorite (so far).

Rise from the Ashes -- 9/10 This case hurts me deeply for a thousand different reasons. The sibling rights... The REMOVAL of sibling rights... (I cried. I actually cried.) Edgeworth suffering... It’s all so painful but it’s so well-written that it’s okay. Point taken off because the whole rotating evidence thing kind of annoyed me. ‘But isn’t that also a mechanic in the Investigations series?’ Yeah, but it’s okay when Investigations does it. Don’t ask me to elaborate.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All

The Lost Turnabout -- 3/10 This case only gets points for Maggey, and also Wellington’s cool ringtone. Oh, and the line about bananas. You know the one. Otherwise, it’s just kind of boring, though I do appreciate that they actually came up with an excuse as to why Phoenix suddenly needs everything explained to him again. Even if that excuse is a bit silly.

Reunion, and Turnabout -- 7/10 It’s not a favorite by any means, but this one is pretty good. Pearl is just baby. The whole Miney sisters thing is deeply upsetting to me, but in a way that’s kind of good. The Hotti Clinic makes me really fucking angry and creeped out, so points taken off for that. Also, Franziska has arrived, and oh boy am I glad to see her!

Turnabout Big Top -- -10000000000000000/10 NO NO NO NO NO. FUCK THIS CASE. I HATE IT SO FUCKING MUCH. I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS ONE. The only good thing in it is how Franziska talks about Miles, because sibling rights are real. But the rest of it? The rest of it can burn.

Farewell, My Turnabout -- 9/10 This is a really good case! I LOVE the twist, I didn’t expect it at all, and it was so cool. I also really like Adrian. Shelly de Killer is pretty cool too. And of course, Edgeworth is back! Hallelujah! Franziska getting shot though... :( And having to go to that damn clinic... :((( Oh and also I love Shoe with every fiber of my being.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

Turnabout Memories -- 7/10 Ah, another flashback case, and one that doesn’t absolutely destroy me emotionally! Mia is here! Phoenix Wright as a sick college student with no common sense is here! Dahlia Hawthorne is here! It’s quite a collection of interesting individuals, and on top of that, it’s just a cool case! Even if lovestruck Phoenix makes me feel like hitting someone... Sort of like what it does to Mia... 

The Stolen Turnabout -- 6/10 The case itself isn’t that good, to be honest. But I would kill for Ron and Desiree DeLite. They’re so sweet, and Ron is so funny... On the other hand, though, Luke Atmey can go Zvarri himself. I hated him from the very moment he first appeared. What an annoying, fraudulent ass. Also, Godot was there, and I didn’t like him, either, even though I hadn’t yet seen quite just how bad he can get. It was really nice to see Adrian living her best life, though!

Recipe for Turnabout -- 2/10 I really didn’t like this one... I don’t want to talk about it... I did like Lisa Basil though. Too bad she wasn’t much of a character. Oh, and Viola too. And seeing Maggey again was nice. But those were the only good points in an otherwise horrible case.

Turnabout Beginnings -- 7/10 The case is pretty high quality, but it tormented me. Seeing Edgeworth in that coat... with those sprites, just like von Karma’s... And that one line... I hated every minute of it. It hurt. The only way it could’ve been worse was if von Karma himself had been there, but that gets saved for Investigations. Mia being there again was fun, though. And Dahlia... Wow. Lots going on there. That ending was... a lot. Terry was a creep and I didn’t like him, but watching that... Yeah. Yeah. And Diego did not endear himself to me in the slightest.

Bridge to the Turnabout -- 8/10 Too much Godot. Otherwise, this was a really great case. Playing as Edgeworth was so much fun, and Franziska being there too was incredible, and the whole thing tying up all the loose ends was just... so cool. Admittedly, the case itself made me very sad, but... it was so good. So good. I wanted to kill Godot partway through, though. No one talks to Franziska that way. No one. Plus, his whole stupid attitude about Mia... Yeah, I hated his guts, that’s for sure. It also had the scene that I hate (Phoenix needs to fucking learn what PTSD is or I swear to god) but otherwise, very good case.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Turnabout Visitor -- 5/10 HELLOOOOOO I was so excited to finally play these games that the whole case is a bit of a blur, but I do remember not really finding it that interesting outside of the whole rush of ‘FUCK YEAH I’M PLAYING INVESTIGATIONS’. Jacques annoyed me. But it’s Investigations. Investigations is cool.

Turnabout Airlines -- 7/10 Okay, first of all, Edgeworth hiding Steel Samurai stuff in a law book is genuinely just the funniest thing ever. But this case was pretty fun! I love that Franziska’s working with Interpol now, good for her! The characters were pretty cool (I really liked Cammy) and I thought a lot of it was pretty funny, too.

The Kidnapped Turnabout -- 6/10 The only reason this gets 6 points is because it introduced Kay Faraday, who is my chaos child that I love dearly, and also Shi-Long Lang, who I have a very complicated relationship with. It switches from love to hate frequently. It also introduced their totally epic theme songs, one of which is now my morning alarm. Otherwise, I really don’t like it that much. The case goes on for too long, and a lot of the characters are pretty annoying. I really hate Lance. I feel bad for Lauren, though. Ernest... Ugh. Ugh. The man makes me want to break things. Every time he mentions von Karma, he inevitably says something that makes my blood boil. And it brings back Wendy Oldbag, which is always bad news, and she was so fucking creepy, and... yeah. I enjoyed seeing Ema again, though! She seemed to be living her best life :)

Turnabout Reminiscence -- 9/10 This case had too much von Karma in it, and the fact that he went and called Edgeworth worthless right to his face made me so angry and upset... But! It is still a very good case! I really like Detective Badd, and Calisto... Calisto is very pretty and fun, but... yeah. Also! Baby Kay! Baby Kay is everything! And the sibling rights, they were everywhere! The case was just full of them! I love Miles and Franziska bickering like regular siblings. I love the scene with the Swiss rolls. I love Franziska getting between him and her dad. Sibling rights are so real.

Turnabout Ablaze -- 6/10 This case was pretty eventful. Not a favorite by any means, but still good. I thought it was a little too long, though, and the ending just really felt like it was dragging out too much. It got to the point that I wasn’t even fired up anymore, I was just kind of trying to get it all over with. Also, whether he meant it or not, Lang accusing Franziska of murder made me mad. But some of the twists were cool, even if I figured out most of them ahead of time... Also, Edgeworth getting really mad about Larry playing the Steel Samurai was hilarious, in a mean way. I felt a little bit bad for laughing.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: Prosecutor’s Path

Turnabout Target -- 4/10 This one was kinda boring, to be honest. I liked seeing Shelly de Killer again, though, with his matching ice cream cone. And I liked Nicole. (I bet I know who her first mentor was...)

The Imprisoned Turnabout -- 5/10 This one also kinda bored me, unfortunately. Raymond ticked me off from basically the moment he walked onscreen, because sure, let’s blame Edgeworth for [checks notes] ah yes, being manipulated by Manfred von Karma since he was nine. Let’s do that. Nothing wrong with that at all. /dripping sarcasm Sebastian also ticked me off at first, but I’m warming up to him. Also, I was in love at first sight with Justine Courtney. [heart eyes] I am not embarrassed in the slightest to admit to it. She is amazing. Simon is really funny and I think it would’ve been hilarious if he was actually evil, but he was innocent, so... My blood ran cold when I found out the Berry Big Circus was involved, but thank god, it was only Regina. No Franziska yet. I’m really hoping Franziska will show up.

The Inherited Turnabout -- 8/10 I haven’t finished this one yet, but so far, I’ve been enjoying it, even if it torments me with sadness and anger. Once again, von Karma shortens my lifespan, but Gregory Edgeworth lengthens it. (I think it’s really funny that they got ProZD to voice him.) Raymond... I still don’t like Raymond. Though his eating the paper is funny. Also! Also! Katherine Hall! This game introduced two women in a row that I have absolutely fallen for, and I have zero complaints about this. They are incredible. Sebastian is really funny in this one and like I said I am really warming up to him. Yeah. That’s all I really have to say so far. Still no sign of Franziska...

I’m definitely excited to see where the other cases in this game will take me, and after that it will be time for Apollo Justice! I am looking forward to finally meeting the famous Klavier Gavin... But I am not at all looking forward to meeting Kristoph... Oh, well. I’ll live. Probably.

Thank you for reading all of this, haha! I have a lot of thoughts... Many thoughts head full (of Ace Attorney).

#ask #anon #kris don't look #character hate #Anonymous

[bssaz97]

How would the team especially Ruby react to Dracula Jaune (or Jaune D(racula) Arc)? Also does his semblance evolve? Like how he can give people his aura, it evolves where he can take others. Like how Dracula takes the life force/blood of his victims?

Ruby: Guys! I found Jaune! He’s over here!

Jaune Arc has been captured by Salem’s faction for Two. Whole. Months. But finally the group had been able to find where he was being kept and now they were going to bust him out. Thankfully Winter, Marrow and FNKI had defected from Ironwood’s military and decided to aid them in rescuing Jaune after they broke them out of captivity. They had barely escaped Ironwood’s clutches but now she had Jaune back. In order to avoid their Atlas pursuers the group decides to split up. One group (Oscar, Winter, Blake, Yang, FNKI, Penny, Pietro, Maria, Marrow, Robyn and Happy Huntresses) goes to Shade Academy in Vacuo while the others (Ruby, Weiss, Nora, Ren and Qrow) go to search for Jaune.

The odd thing was that they had kept Jaune in a vat of red liquid that she couldn’t immediately recognize but that could be looked at later. Although upon closer examination, Jaune looked quite paler and looked to be sleeping without a mask on. Soon enough Ruby blasted the control module and soon enough the tank emptied and Jaune slowly dropped to the ground. After a few seconds the tank opened and Ruby rushes to Jaune’s side, cradling his form in her arms.

Ruby: Jaune? Jaune, can you hear me? Are you ok?

When she received no response, Ruby began to panic and quickly checked his breathing. It was...slow, very slow. Next she moved her head towards his bare chest to hear his heartbeat.

*Ba....................................Bump!*

Ruby: Oh gods, please just let that be a part of my imagination.

Weiss: Ruby what’s taking so long?!

Ruby: He’s unconscious! I need someone to help me carry him.

Ren: I can-

Nora: I’LL HELP HIM. You just cover us!

Ren: ...Ok then.

Nora goes to Ruby’s side and together they carry Jaune out of the tank and then the group started to make their escape. As the group started making their way out of the base, they had to move quickly if they wanted to get out of there in one piece. Their group had made it outside and were making their way to their smuggled Manta ship, they were gonna make it out.....That is until a group of Atlesian soldiers came out of hiding and pointed their guns at them, Ironwood at point.

Everyone: Aw shit.

Ironwood: Sorry to interrupt your little rescue mission but but I believe you all will be coming with me now.

Qrow: Look James I know a lot of shit happened during the Fall of Mantle but that doesn’t mean we should keep aiming at each other’s throats.

Ironwood: Save it Qrow. From where I stand all I see are fugitives who are just as much a threat to the safety of Remnant as is Salem. Also if my memory serves me well, not only has your group acquired two stolen Atlas Mantas, taken the power of the Winter Maiden, corrupted my chain of command, and escaped Atlesian custody, you are also responsible for the death of many of my best men.

Ruby: Clover’s death wasn’t our fault it was Tyrian.

Ironwood: And Qrow allowed himself to aid in his murder. Qrow has as much of Clover’s blood in his hands as does that psychotic bastard. And don’t try to act innocent Rose. You’re just as much a criminal as is your uncle.

The General pulls out one of his signature pistols from it’s holster and points it at them.

Ironwood: Now drop your weapons you’re out numbered here. I won’t ask a second time.

Nora: Why so you can keep us as prisoners in your sky fortress! News flash! That plan didn’t work the first time so what makes you think it’ll work a second time!

Ironwood: .....For once you bring an excellent point Valkyrie. Why should I take you as prisoners, you’ve all already proven to be more dangerous alive so I can’t put you in a cage that you’re just going to break out of again. *Lowers his gun* Men...on my mark shoot to kill!

Weiss: Great one Nora! Now what’s your plan?!

Ironwood: 3...2...1....FI-

???: Before you do that Jimmy mind if interject?

Ironwood and everyone else present are brought out of the tense situation and notice that the once unconscious Jaune Arc was standing right begin Ironwood.

Ironwood: What?! H-How did?

Jaune: You see I just got out of being stuck in a tube for two months so understandably, I. Am. Very famished , so do you mind if I take a sip of one of your men? Sure? Gee thanks!

Ironwood: .....what?

Jaune: *Completely ignoring Ironwood * Hey you there, yes you, mind if I get some sip?

Specialist: W-What?

Jaune: *Grabs the soldier by the throat and lifts them up* I SAID LET ME GET SOME SIP!

The specialist screamed out of pain as they felt all of the aura in their body was being forcibly taken and dried up. The result was shown as the specialist looked paler and more dead than alive. Unceremoniously Jaune dropped the living corpse on the ground and looked much more livelier. Except not, as his skin remained pale, his hair had remained white instead of blonde and his once blue eyes opened showing that they were burning red with black sclera eyes instead. His voice was also very much deeper, he almost sounded like a different person.

Jaune: Aaaah! That really hit the spot! Now what was this you about killing us?

Ironwood: Open Fire!

At once all of Ironwood’s men open fired on the distorted Jaune Arc and watched as he seemed to take every shot they fired until he fell to the ground in a bloody mess.

Ruby: JAUNE NO!!!

Ironwood walked up to the body and shot the corpse two more times.

Ironwood: That was for Damien.

As Ironwood turns around to the rest of the group he’s met with a very angry Ruby pointing Crescent Rose point blank at his face.

Ruby: Give me one reason why I shouldn’t blow your brains out Ironwood!

Ironwood: Do you think I’m a fool, I know you won’t shoot me. You don’t have the resolve.

Ruby: *Cocks the bolt handle* You sure about that?

The two leaders stand-off each other and almost seem ready to kill the other in a moment’s notice.

Jaune: You know she’s right. She can do it.

Both leaders look back at the ‘corpse’ as it prepares to stand up from being gunned down. Once he stands up it almost as if he wasn’t harmed at all.

Jaune: You know what Jimmy....I’m feeling a bit more famished than I thought. Sooooooo I think I’ll just help myself to your men!

In a rapid pace Jaune charges at the group of specialists and proceeds to kill off each one. The others just witness as he effortlessly tears apart each of Ironwood’s men but leaves some alive to absorb their Aura. It was a terrifying and gruesome scene that left all of them sick to the stomach. By the end of it Jaune was nearly covered head to toe with the blood of many.

Jaune: WOW! I am impressed Jimmy...impressed of how shit your specialists were! Like seriously I didn’t even kill the last guy he just offed himself like a bitch! Now where were we again?

Ironwood: RRAAAHH! *Draws both of his pistols and starts to shoot at Jaune*

*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*

As if it was effortless, Jaune dodged all of Ironwood’s shots with a speed of a phantom and soon enough he was face to face to Ironwood.

Jaune: Sup.

Ironwood: H-Hey.

Jaune: I’m taking you arm now.

Ironwood: What?

Jaune grabs Ironwood’s left arm and rips it out it’s socket in a gory shower of blood and muscle.

Ironwood: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Jaune: What’s wrong Jimmy?! You were talking good shit a second ago! Why don’t you have one of your dead men give you a new arm?! I’m sure they gladly do it as they now have plenty to give. * While still holding the torn off appendage, Jaune grabs Ironwood’s black pistol and shoots him three times in the back*

Ironwood: AAAHH! *Wrinths in pain and drops his white pistol*

Jaune: What’s that Jimmy?! Don’t like getting shot a bunch of times, oh but I bet you love shooting at children off cliffs DON’T YA!!! *brings the pistol closer to his ear* What’s that you want me to shoot off your appendages?! Well then I guess it’s my lucky day!!!

Ruby: JAUNE!!!

Jaune stiffens at the voice he hears calling him, he looks to the side and sees Ruby with tears in her eyes and a almost terrified expression. She walks closer slowly to keep his focus on her. Ruby then kneels down and grabs the other pistol from Ironwood dropped. Once it’s in her hands she stands up to look at Jaune, her dear friend. She places her empty hand on his face gently.

Ruby: Let’s just go...he’s can’t chase us in his current condition. Please...come with me.

Jaune: ......... *He steps away from Ironwood and closer to Ruby, looking at her with a soft expression that reminded her that the man before her was indeed Jaune* Ok Crater Face.

Ruby: *Smiles* ‘Sniff’ Ok.

Jaune: *Looks back at Ironwood and looks down at the black pistol* You got cool guns Jimmy...I’m keeping them.

Ruby: *Grabs his arm* Come on let’s go.

Jaune: As you wish.

Weiss: What on Remnant just happened.

Qrow: I got no fucking clue Icicle.

Ren: *Walks up cautiously* J-Jaune.....is it really you?

Jaune: *Looks at him before smiling* Ren...you sonava bitch....how you doing’ buddy?

Ren: Good....you?

Jaune: Been better but what can ya do?

Nora runs up and nearly tackles her lost leader and clings to him closely.

Nora: I....I thought we lost you again...when...when they all shot at you. I thought you were done for.

Jaune: Oh come on, Nora. Who do I look like, Cardin Winchester? I’m not gonna abandon you like that.

Qrow: ....kid. The hell happened to you.

Jaune: ...... *Laughs softly* Now that is a long fuckin’ story.

-End-

Hope you enjoy my take on Dracula Jaune. I was inspired by Hellsing Abridged Alucard and Other forms of Drac in case anyone spot any references. And yes Jaune is taking Ironwood’s guns as they almost are asking for him to take them. See you all later!

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #lie ren #nora valkyrie #qrow brawnwen #james ironwood #rwby lancaster #dracula jaune #alu-jaune

[razorblade180]

Hey how about the Data farms couple going on their first date alone? Also how you holding up man?

{I’m alive so that’s something I guess😅}

[Jaune’s apartment]

Jaune:Oscar are you ready yet?

Oscar:*bathroom* NO!!!!

Jaune:I hate to rush you but your date is in like thirty minutes.

Oscar:I’m just making sure everything is perfect. I want this night to go well.

Jaune:You make it seem like this is your first date with Penny. The two of you hung out at the carnival and the lake where both of kissed more than once.

Oscar:I know but this is different; this time we’re actually alone and have no wingman to help.

Jaune:Ruby and I almost let you drown on accident. I can’t say we were helping you out a lot then.

Oscar:Maybe next time don’t abandon me to go make out with Ruby in the lake.

Jaune:You’re asking a lot out of me.

Oscar:*walks out in a tux* How do I look?

Jaune:*fixes tie* like a man trying to impress a girl that’s clearly into him. So just like most people.

Oscar:Cool, any advice for me? Final words of wisdom?

Jaune:Hmmm sometimes a girl will ask for help or bring something up they can actually handle. Just be a gentleman anyways.

Oscar:You mean how when Ruby says her purse is too heavy on her even though she carries a scythe?

Jaune:Exactly that, she just wants me to carry it for her and it’s fine. Most importantly, be yourself. Penny seems to like how much of a dork you are. *smiles*

Oscar:Who you calling a dork, you dork? *laughing*

[Ruby’s car]

Penny:*rocking back and forth*

Ruby:You seemed stressed.

Penny:I’m calm Hic! okay I’m a little nervous. Hic! I am losing my mind....*blushing*

Ruby:You’ll be fine. Just one question. Why are you going to a restaurant when you don’t eat?

Penny:I panicked asking him out. Anyways I’ll just eat the food and it’ll turn to surplus energy. Also if I’m going to have tastebuds then I want to use them.

Ruby:Wait, Atlas knows how to turn food itself into energy that’s good enough to power an Android?

Penny:........

Penny:I cannot confirm or deny the previous question.

Ruby:Were you trained to say that?

Penny:I cannot confirm or d-

Ruby:That answers my question. Anyways, I just want you to remember to have fun, don’t do anything crazy, and if you guys go on walk or something then say you’re cold.

Penny:If I get cold I just turn of my-

Ruby:Trust me Penny, just say you’re cold. *parks car* Best of luck!

Penny:What will you be doing now that we aren’t hanging out. *gets out*

Ruby:I think I can find something to do. *mumbles* like my boyfriend.

Penny:What?

Ruby:Nothing!🎶 *slowly driving away*

Our nervous android walks through the door to see many tables set in a beautifully designed restaurant that looks like something only the elite could afford. Well let candles are on every table and a chandelier shines nicely on the ceiling.

Penny:*takes a breath* (If you were made to fight a war, you can handle a date.) *sees Oscar*

Oscar:*patiently waiting at a table in his tux.*

Penny:(You can’t handle this)

Oscar:*swaying in the chair*

Ozpin:(Stop loo-)

Oscar:*jolts* (Oh my god you scared me!? I thought we agreed you’d go away for the night?)

Ozpin:(I wouldn’t have said anything if your heart wasn’t beating like a drum. Are you sure you don’t want me around)

Oscar:(Positive)

Ozpin:(Remember that time you were folding clothes and basically had a panic attack because Ruby’s bra somehow got mixed in with your clothes?)

Oscar:......(Just don’t speak unless I say something to you.)

Ozpin:(That’s fair. What if you space out though?)

Oscar:(I’m not gonna-)

Penny:Hey Oscar.

He turns to see his beautiful date in front of him, and beautiful was an understatement. Right now he was captivated by Penny wearing a long green dress with no shoulder straps. It shimmered slightly in the candle light and had a decent size slit on the right side. On her ears and around her neck were some sort of gem that matched her now curled hair perfectly. The girl was shyly twiddling her thumbs as her face was a little red.

Oscar:*flustered beyond belief*............

Ozpin:(*cough* )

Oscar:*snaps out of it* H...Hi! You look...wow.

Penny:Really? It’s not too much? I could take of the necklace or-

Oscar:No, you look....you’re perfect as you are.

Penny:Th...thank you. You...look very handsome in that. *blushing*

Oscar:Thanks *pulls seat out for her*

Penny:*snorts* hehehe

Oscar:What’s so funny?

Penny:Nothing really, it’s just a little weird for someone to do things like this for me. I’m not exactly delicate. *sitting down*

Oscar:I know, but this is a date and I was raised to do this sort of thing. *sits down* So, how have you been?

Penny:I’ve been fine. Spent time with Ruby earlier and she helped me get ready for tonight. Other than that it has been a tad boring though. For the pass few weeks I haven’t really left the base here. Doing a lot of test.

Oscar:Test?

Penny:Just some routine maintenance. Making sure I’m learning about the world efficiently as well as properly. Oh, also I got some upgrades I wanted that should’ve been obvious in hindsight.

Oscar:Please tell me it’s a floating device?

Penny:*giggles* Yes, I can float now. I told my father about the lake situation and we both agreed that a situation like that shouldn’t happen again. I was so tired of seeing the bottom of-

Her train of thought was cut off by Oscar’s look. A calm smile was worn on his face with soft eyes. She could tell he was listening intently but there was something about that look that started to make her a little shy. Everything about the situation even made her stomach feel fluttery. Was that even possible!?

Oscar:Something wrong?

Penny:Sorry, it’s just.....why are you looking at me like that? Not that I mind your smile since it’s really nice.

Oscar:Oh, well thank you. *smiles* I’m smiling because not so long ago you were afraid of tell me anything about yourself. Now you wanna full conversation about it. It’s nice.

Penny:Heh, you’re looking at me new in approved. Physically and emotionally.

Oscar:So, anything else you want to share? I’m all ears.

Penny:*grins* Okay! Umm...hold out your hands, palms up.

Oscar:*does it*

Penny:*holds them*Notice anything strange? Or should I say normal?

Oscar:...Umm, I’m bad at guessing games. All I feel is warm pal- hey your hands are warm, and also really soft.

Penny:Yep! Body heat, more sensors for feelings, and just about anything to feel more normal I suppose. It’s weird, last week I bummed into a soldier and it actually stung a bit. Pain wasn’t a feeling they wanted to give me but I think it’s an important part of-

Oscar:Feeling alive? *rubbing her hand*

Penny:Exactly, I know I’ll never truly be normal but I want to get as close as possible. I want us to feel as normal as possible...

Oscar:*red* Us?

Penny:Yeah, us.... *eyes widened* wait are not? *gasp* did I miss read these signs? Ruby told me about this thing called “subtext” and how to read it but I’m starting to think I might have been seeing it wrong. Which is really scary if- *rambling*

Oscar notices they’re drawing a bit of attention around and starts getting a bit anxious himself. He tries to calm her down but nothing seems to work.

Ozpin:(I know you’re not asking for help but might I offer a small tip?)

Oscar:(Uhhhh sure?)

Ozpin:(Let her know she’s not wrong.)

Oscar:(Geez I’m dumb.) Penny, look at me. *holds hands tighter*

Penny:*worried* Y..yes?

Oscar:I....I like being an us. You didn’t miss read anything. Spending time with you is really nice and this entire day felt super long because I wanted it to get to the part where I got to see you again. I want....I want to be your..... *flustered*

Penny:*eyes widened* Yes...

Oscar:*red* What?

Penny:*looking away*.............

Penny:Be my boyfriend, please?

Oscar:...So do you have better sensors everywhere?

Penny:What?

Oscar:You said you can feel . That would mean you could everywhere right?

Penny:Yeah, but what does that have to do with-

Once again her words were cut short. Instead of his eyes though; it was his hand rubbing her face. Penny knew her sensors where in full effect because the sensation was way more intense than the lake. Not only that but she was definitely feeling way warmer than usual. It was nice, so leaning into it felt more than natural.

Oscar:*pulling back* Feeling better?

Penny:Can you always do that if I ramble?

Oscar:*chuckling* Only if you do same for me.

Penny:Consider it done. *rubbing her arm* uh, could we possibly, you know. *leaning*

Oscar:As eager as I am?

Penny:No Hic! yes...*blushing*

Oscar:Good to know. *leaning*

“Ms. Polendina?”

Penny:Huh? *turns head*

Soldier:Sorry to have interrupted your night out but you are needed back at the base for a briefing. I was told to escort you.

Penny:Awwww but that was supposed to be tomorrow. I’m in the middle of a date, *sheepishly* with my boyfriend.

Oscar:*internal screaming*

Ozpin:(Please stop screaming)

Oscar:If it’s not too much to ask, maybe I could walk her home?

Soldier:I’m not sure if-

Penny:*puppy eyes* Pretty please Mr...*looks a tag* Mr. Tanaka sir!

Tanaka:......Sigh, please don’t dilly dally on the way ba- *hugged*

Penny:Thank you! I mean... *salutes* Yes sir!

Oscar:Shall we then?

Penny:We shall, too bad we didn’t even get to eat.

Oscar:I know right!? The service here sucks.

[City Streets]

The road to the base is relatively quiet. Snow gently falls to the ground while street lights make a trail of golden light. Both of then continued to enjoy each other’s company and walk casually. Cool air blows lightly, causing Penny to remember Ruby’s words. She slowly wrapped her arms around herself and started to rub them.

Oscar:You cold?

Penny:Uh...something like that. *supressing hiccup*

Oscar:*takes off blazer* Here you go.

Penny:Won’t you be cold though?

Oscar:I don’t mind a little cool air. Farm life had its frigid moments. *drapes it over her*

Penny:(This smells nice) That reminds me, I spent so much time talking about me that you didn’t talk much about yourself.

Oscar:Nothing much to tell really. Life’s been pretty average.

Penny:You have two souls.....

Oscar:Life’s been my standard of average. *smiles* Just the occasional internal monologue and grimm patrol.

Penny:Is he talking right now?

Oscar:Nah, we made an agreement for him not to intrude on our date.

Ozpin:(Tell her I said hi...)

Oscar:He says hello.

Penny:Hi Professor. I wish my body guards also didn’t intrude. I suppose you’ll have to tell me more about having two souls another time. Seeing magic would be quite the experience.

Oscar:Funny, I wasn’t thinking you’d actually call it that. I thought you would’ve gone a more scientific route.

Penny:Well I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sound illogical and completely goes against what society knows. However, I can’t deny that it might exist; there’s one shred of evidence that supports it.

Oscar:Really? What’s that?

Penny:It sounds a bit ridiculous but...how do I explain this? *stops walking*

Oscar:*stops*?

Penny:I know I’m not human when it comes to most things. Indeed I have an aura which people consider a soul but even so, I’m still not like everyone else by a wide margin. This is a fact and it’s a fact that I’m okay with; different doesn’t mean I’m inferior or superior. It makes me well, me. But ever since I met you things feel....different.

Oscar:Different?

Penny:*twiddling her thumbs* Like, everything that we do feels scary yet exciting. Things make sense but at the same time, not at all. My stomach starts to feel a little weird too. It’s not some glitch either; I’ve checked plenty of times. I know I’m an android but whenever I look at you......*blushing* it’s like I forget that. I become... just another girl. *looks down*

Oscar:Maybe you’re more human than you think.....

His hand makes it’s way to her chin and tilts her head up. Beautiful green eyes stare right at him with pure and varying emotions; each one he was certain he was feeling too. Fear, anxious, excitement, apprehension, courage, confusion, yet also clarity. The nerve he worked up at the restaurant had vanished and he found it a little challenging to get any closer than he already was. Penny didn’t move either for a moment. She was too fixated on his eyes again; Both her hands found their way to his sleeves however and was tugging Oscar closer painstakingly slow. Pushing down all their anxiety, they both go in for for a kiss. Time stopped mattering and so did the cold. Only thing they focused was each other; their simple kiss under a street light in the snow.

[The base, several minutes later]

Penny:*In uniform and walking though the halls*

Ciel:Oh, There you are Ma’am. You are several minutes behind schedule.

Penny:I’m sorry. Penny Polendina is here and reporting for duty. We’ll still make it before the meeting actually starts. You shouldn’t let that watch rule your life ya know.

Ciel:I suppose you might have a point to a degree. So, was your night out a pleasant one?

Penny:*blushing* Best night yet...

[Jaune’s apartment]

Oscar:*walking in* I’m back Ja-

Jaune:*watching a movie* Oh, you’re back earlier than I thought.

Ruby:*only in Jaune’s hoodie* Oh no, did something happen? Also hi!

Oscar:*avoiding eye contact* Hey Ruby. Penny got called into a meeting so the date was cut short.

Ruby:And after all that work I put in to make her look all cute for the night; not that she needed it. Was it nice while it lasted at least?

Oscar:Yeah.....really nice. *blushing*

#rwby #oscar pine #penny polendina #ciel soleil #ruby rose #jaune arc #rwby lancaster #rwby data farms #rwby ozpin

[andaleduardo]

Rooftop - Epilogue

Read on AO3

Summary:

Richie doesn’t think words do any justice to how much you can love someone. But he’ll worry about that later. For now, they stare at the sky.

Wednesday 02.06.1993

(Epilogue)

  The thing about Richie and Eddie is that both of them are touch-starved and attention seekers. Those traits go hand in hand. Or hand in hand, hands in hair, lips on lips and lips on necks.

It’s only been a few days and, so far, every spare time they have is spent with one of them all over the other, which isn’t really different from the way it used to be before but, well. It’s also a hundred times better.

“Rich-” Turns out it’s awfully hard to compete against Richie’s lips. “Rich,” A peck.  “-I’m serious.” Eddie says, breathless, against Richie’s close-mouthed kisses. God, kisses. They can kiss now. Of course they’re still doing it between four walls, away from the world for obvious reasons. But to Eddie, it tastes like the greatest amount of freedom he ever got to experience in his life.

“Stop pushing me away when all I want to do is shower you in honey.”

“What?”

“Look at that, the cutest boy on earth…” Richie speaks more to himself than anything, with half lidded eyes that drip of infatuation while he looks down at Eddie’s face.

“What are you even-?”

Richie moves in again with puckered lips, and Eddie pushes him away in embarrassment from all the sudden affection. “Stop that! I’m serious,” but he really isn’t, “we’re gonna be late.”

With a huff, Richie falls back on his side of the bed. “But I want to hold you all day and I can’t, Eds. Do you know how hard it is for me to not just- koala you in school? I literally wanna hold onto you and never let go.”

It takes every bit of Eddie’s self-control not to feed Richie’s amusement with his overall shyness. He’s been practising a lot of things lately, like trying not to melt with every word that comes from Richie’s mouth, perfecting his kissing techniques (although Richie claims Eddie’s already better than him) and also trying not to get hard every time they make out on Richie’s bed. On top of that, he’s been spending a lot of time staring, because he can. Staring at greasy hair, bony wrists, a lovely overbite, and so on.

Letting himself fall on top of Richie’s frame, Eddie hides an awkward noise against the boy’s shirt. “Quit it with those- those things you say…”

Richie stays silent for a while before mumbling into Eddie’s hair. “…I love it when you get all flustered.”

Despite all these new additions to his daily life, there are some things a person learns after so many years by Richie’s side. Eddie knows that sometimes he has to let certain comments go by without a response, otherwise, they’d still be stuck in an argument from kindergarten. So, he ditches Richie’s obvious try at making him even more embarrassed.

“You know what I love? Ben. And, in case you forgot, his birthday party starts in two hours and you have to go meet the others and help while I go get him, like we all agreed to and oh my god-”

Richie is about to ask ‘What’s wrong?’ when he notices that Eddie is looking at the clock on his bedside table.

“Oh my god, Richie, how long have we been here? We have like an hour!”

“You know what they say. You lose track of time when you’re making out with a hottie.” With both hands locked behind his head, Richie stares while Eddie hurries to put his shoes back on.

“No one fucking says that- get up you dipshit, we’re super late!” Eddie says as he glances back at him.

With a lovely pout, Richie finally gives in and starts looking for his shoes. “Ah Spaghetti, baby, relax. I’m in charge of setting up the table and bringing the couch outside. Can take care of that in a minute, just the same amount of time it takes me to get your mom to-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence.”

    Plans turn out to be less easier than that. As soon as Richie jumps over the fence of Mike’s farm, which was totally unnecessary because one of the gates is a few steps away, he sees Bev storming over to him, and she looks a little angry.

“I can’t believe you’re late, one full hour. It’s Ben’s birthday!” She glares at him harshly.

Richie flinches and wrings his hands together. “Wish I had an acceptable excuse, oh wait… I do.” And then a smile lights up his whole face against his commands. It’s stupid, but Richie feels his cheeks heating up and rushes to cover them up with both hands, groaning shamelessly into his palms at the same time. Beverly drops the pout and snickers at him. The audacity. “Shut up, Marsh.” He whines.

“Oh boy, you’re so smitten.” Richie can practically hear the cocky grin on her voice. He sees it’s there, in fact, as he lets his hands fall at his sides.

“I hate you.”

He ended up giving her the update, without any details, because she knows all the events and stuff about his life. And maybe because he would burst if he didn’t talk about it to, at least, one person.

“You better not hate me. I put up with your lovesickness so I deserve to enjoy the honeymoon phase just as much as you do.”

Richie throws his head back at the same time as he crosses his arms. “Dude, stop giving me a hard time and just tell me what kind of punishment I have for being late.”

Bev rolls her eyes. “Do not call me a dude, dude. And I’m sorry, just messing with you.” She runs a hand through his hair to mess it up even further. “The water balloons are waiting for you by the faucet.” Then, she pats his arm way harder than needed and heads off to the picnic table, which she ended setting up herself along with Stan since Richie was, indeed, busier.

“Love you, too!” He screams after her and waves at Stan, Mike and Bill. Bill gives him the bird and Richie laughs so hard he almost walks straight into the barn’s closed doors.

He rolls the couch outside, trying to make it look easier than it actually is. Turns out couches on wheels don’t work well with grass. He’s tempted to throw himself on top of it after it’s settled on the right place by the temporary hammocks Mike set up in the trees, but instead he drags his feet to the outdoors faucet and stares at the pile of water guns and water balloon packs and tries not to miss Eddie so much.

It’s only been half an hour, but that’s half an hour too long. Now that he has something’s he’s been longing for years, now that he can be with the person he loves so much all the time, a simple trip to the bathroom feels too far away.

With a sigh, he settles down on the grass and starts filling up the plastic guns with water, feeling the back of his neck getting warmer and warmer as time passes. The voices of the others become white noise for Richie’s thoughts and he doesn’t hold memory of opening up the balloons’ package, nor filling up the first 12, knotting each of them, and throwing them in the empty bucket by his side. He’s too lost thinking about the last three days and too stuck on stealing glances at the dirt road to be aware of anything, that’s why he’s completely caught off guard when a water spray hits the side of his face.

“What the-?!” He screeches and turns around to find Stan looking smug with a water gun in his hand. “That’s a dirty move, Stanley, I’m just the poor guy who got stuck with the most boring part of water fights.”

“And I’m just the poor guy who got stuck with your part of the work because you decided to show up an hour later.” Richie really wants to throw a water balloon at him, but those little fuckers take up too much time to fill up to go to waste so soon.

“Jeez I get it, you old people. Richie’s late! Yeah, okay now how about a little bit of concern as to why I was late? What if I fell off my bike or almost got run over by a car?”

“We all know what held you up, Trashmouth. Now work faster or we won’t be ready by the time Ben arrives.”

At a lack of words, Richie’s mouth drops and he makes to get up and throw a water balloon straight to Stan’s face, but the other boy is quicker than him and uses his gun again, spraying Richie’s glasses and running off to help Mike set up the game stations. Richie feels out of breath just from a simple sentence. We all know what held you up, Trashmouth.

It’s only been a few days, but Richie is sure his life will end the day Eddie walks out of it. So, if Eddie’s not ready to share this part of his life with his friends yet, Richie will respect that. Which is why Stan’s comment makes him uneasy. What if someone makes a comment like that while Eddie is around? What if they tease them, not with real meanness, of course, and that makes Eddie uncomfortable? What if it’s all too much to handle for him? What if, what if, what if-

“You need to work faster than that.”

“Oh, fuck’s sake. Stop trying to make my heart stop.” He jumps a little in his seat and finds Beverly sitting down on the grass by his side. She’s already working on filling up more balloons. Richie stares at her for a while to catch his breath before joining her, the bucket filling up way quicker that way.

He clears his throat. “So, Stan knows?”

“Stan knows what?”

“Stan knows.” It’s all he says.

“I don’t know if Stan knows, but I think we all know.” She glances at him. “To some extent.”

Richie doesn’t know how to answer, so he doesn’t. His finger gets caught up while he tries to knot one of the balloons. He watches the skin turn red before pulling it out. He grabs another from the package.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Bev asks after a while of working in silence.

“Thought I needed a brain to have those.”

“Rich-”

He doesn’t let her finish. Grabs the closest water gun and sprays her in the arm. Bev hisses at the temperature contrast and stares at him with her mouth open in shock.

“You did not-” And because he’s a real asshole, he tries to hit her in the nose and ends up giving her a mouthful of water.

“Oh, shit.” It’s impossible to hold in the laughter, so he just crumbles, shaking and falling down to the grass on his back. Needless to say this spurs on a water fight between them, Bev wasting no time in reaching for one of cheap plastic guns and aiming it back at Richie.

They’re in the midst of getting up to escape each other’s aim when the fight is interrupted.

“Hey! Stop wasting ammo!”

Richie’s neck never cracked so loud before. He looks over and there he is, by Ben’s side.

“Ben! Happy birthday!” Bev exclaims and runs to hug him. Richie watches them from the corner of his eye while a staring contest begins between him and a shorter fella.

“You already wished me a happy birthday four times in school, Bev” Ben says with a laugh at the same time as Richie walks up to Eddie, who is looking at him with big eyes, pink cheeks, and a lip between his teeth.

“Hey.” Eddie says, soft and quiet.

“Hey yourself, Eds.” And it takes every bit of self-restrain not to grab his hand and kiss it. He steals a glance at the lovebirds a few steps away, sucking face enthusiastically. “That could be us right now.” He nudges Eddie with his elbow.

He expects more of a spluttering mess of words and cute blushing Eddie. “Who knows, maybe one day.” What he gets instead is a spluttering mess of words and stupidly red Richie.

His chin drops and he peers down at the boy at his side, who is pointedly avoiding looking back at him.

“Don’t get too excited, just trying to play your game.” Eddie mumbles between them.

“My game?”

“You know, you saying dumb stuff that makes me nervous.”

Richie doesn’t even try to hide his grin. “I think you get nervous just by me being there, I don’t even need to talk.”

That really makes Eddie blush, but he’s thankfully saved by the others approaching and dragging Ben around to see all the games they planned. Really playful things like tug of war, three legged racing, water fights, and so on. It was a way of keeping everyone moving, sweating, and entertained.

Thankfully, the hours go by without any suggestive comments or questions from the others and Richie forgets about his initial worries. They have fun, play all the games and get covered in grass stains during their three legged race tournaments. Then they rest by the sofa and the hammocks, eat a bunch of crap from Mike’s big picnic table turned into a food station and go back to playing like kids. Running around playing tag, catching their breaths in hiding spots, and wasting all the water balloons in less than 5 minutes. Most of the water guns end up breaking mid-fight, which leads Bill and Richie to use the garden hose and successfully drenching everyone in a blink of an eye. Mike wasn't pleased about it.

Later, they watch the sunset over the wheat fields of the farm and sing Ben a happy birthday under the golden light. Bev takes out a polaroid camera, Mike brings a homemade cake from the house, and Bill tries to play Richie’s guitar that was still stored in the barn. They ask him to play something for them, but Richie declines, so they go acappella and sing the wrong keys together. Richie lies down in one of the hammocks and feels wave after wave of happiness take over his body. It’s such an incredible feeling to be a part of something real, something so amazing as friendship and love.

He watches Bill lying on the ground and messing up the entire song by pretending to know how to play guitar. Looks at Stan, already changed into clean clothes and sitting on the couch, trying to make Bill stop, saying he’s ruining the song even though he himself refused to sing. Mike is sitting next to him on the couch, but backwards. Head hanging off of it and legs up in the air. Bev is down on the grass and leaning against the same tree Richie’s hammock is hanging off of. Ben is laying against her chest, cheeks so pink and smile so big Richie can’t fight off his own at the sight. They’re singing loudly and badly on purpose, laughing every few words.

When his eyes fall on Eddie, Richie realizes that the boy was already looking at him, probably for quite some time now if the soft expression on his face means anything. His head is resting on Mike’s chest, legs laying over the armrest, and he’s staring at Richie has if he had found all the answers to his questions. Richie doesn’t deserve it, he knows. But he decides to push those ugly thoughts away, he has something beautiful and worthy of stealing his attention, someone worth smiling for.

Their locked eyes swim and search from afar while the sky gets darker and the night takes over. The failed bonfire would be useful now, but the old school lanterns shared between them are enough to keep track of each other’s glowing gazes. They don’t seem to remember subtleness, but they’re just staring and their friends are singing, laughing and remembering past stories in the background.

Eddie struggles when he tries to get up, flinching at the necessary sit-up to leave the couch. All of them will be glued to their beds tomorrow with all the exercise they got today. Richie makes extra space in the hammock and helps Eddie get on it, back glued to his chest and a hug from behind. Eddie’s head falls in the space above Richie’s shoulder. And they observe their friends together in silence.

“Did you ever write a song about me?” Eddie speaks against the skin of Richie’s neck after some time. It brings out goose bumps and shivers, although that could also be from their damp clothes against the night air.

“I’ve tried.” Richie admits. He hugs Eddie’s body closer against his. “Never feels good enough.”

“I’m sure I’d love it, anyway.” Eddie tells him.

Richie chuckles and gets lost in his thoughts for a minute before talking again. “Maybe one day I’ll get it right.”

“Maybe.” Eddie agrees. “Will you play it for me?” He looks up at Richie with big eyes.

“Of course I will, Spaghetti.”

“I’ll be waiting, then.” After that, Eddie shuffles until he finds a comfortable position, the hammock sways from one side to the other as they sing along to whatever’s song they’re currently trying to play.

  It’ll take a while until Richie figures out how to write a song about Eddie. For so long he’s tried to put his emotions onto paper, but every attempt feels wrong, every try feels far from reality. He doesn’t think words do any justice to how much you can love someone.

And later, he ends up following a different path.

Instead of trying to listen to his own brain, his own version of the story, Richie listens to Eddie’s. He lets him talk and cry for hours, holds him close. Hears about every struggle and battle Eddie fought alone. Struggles and battles he didn’t recognize as such, for he was so lost he couldn’t even understand his own feelings. How he’d cry without proper reasons, feel guilty over stares, pray he wouldn’t end up in hell, apologize to an empty bedroom on the nights he couldn’t sleep.

It seems to Richie that writing about Eddie doesn’t have to mean he’ll write about the way he feels for him. It can go many different ways. And the first way it goes ends up being double-sided, for which sentence tells two different stories: his and Eddie’s. And that’s the only way it feels right.

But he’ll worry about that later. For now, they stare at the sky.

  I used to get on my knees And I'd pray for love To come find me someday For love to come meet me my way Your love hit like a brick to the face

And when I put up a fight You put me back in my place I thought I wasn't cut out for this race

You know how I feel You don't need a song But just in case

You're my lover boy, My “stay in bed under the cover” boy, My “only you and no other” boy, My face is red come smother me, boy.

Cause you’re my lover boy C’mon and meet my mother, boy You made me a little tougher, boy My life was black and white But now I see colour, boy

I used to fight things about me That were wrong, to me But then you came along And showed me Showed me where I was wrong So thank you 'Cause now I'm where I belong

You own my heart, You own my heart and it's no one else’s I fall apart And when I fall apart I'm no one else’s You own my heart You own my heart like no one else’s

Always yours

rooftop taglist:   @richietoaster   @rainydayriots   @reddieloves    @thetrashmouthclub​   @lemonboi03  @noodleboyshane​    @pillsandglasses   @studpuffin      @dandelion-stan     @reddiesetrichie   @squishynonbinarytwink  @itschunky      @burymestanding     @duderrific    @its-rye @salty-kaspbrak  @youtubequeens   @reddieseggrolls   @addimagination   @pastelstozier @sleepysirenprincess @constantreaderfool   @mrs-vh @eds-trashmouth @reddieforlove

perma taglist:  @constantreaderfool   @mrs-vh  @eds-trashmouth @girasol-eddie  @reddieforlove @madi-personal  @cheekaspbrak  @fuck-the-sushi

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #ben hanscom #beverly marsh #stanley uris #mike hanlon #bill denbrough #it 2017 #it 2019 #fanfiction #writing #ao3

[imhereforbvcky]

Catastrophe in Color

Summary/Request: ''We got way too competitive over a game of paintball and now you won’t look at me'' with Bucky? Also could I please ask for this to be pre-relationship and one of them tried paintball as a bonding opportunity to confess their feelings?

Warnings: Just swearing! This one is so tame and silly, you guys!

Word Count: 2569

Author’s Note: I was so excited when this request came in!! Aaaand then I quickly got stuck. But here it is, like… a year later. I’m sorry darling.

“This is going to work!” you insisted, pointing the slice of apple at Steve from across the counter.

“I’m telling you it’s not a good idea,” he shook his head before swiping the apple from your fingers.

“Hey!”

“I know you think it sounds fun, but you have no idea how competitive he is.”

You rolled your eyes and slid your plate closer to your side of the counter, guarding your snack form Steve’s insatiable appetite.

“He’s a guy. I think I have some idea,” you argued. “Besides he’s also old-fashioned, right? He’s got to be at least a little bit of a gentleman about it.”

“You sure we’re talking about the same Bucky Barnes?” Steve’s dry chuckle only elicited a dissatisfied frown from you. “He once blew three bucks trying to win a stuffed bear for a girl, and then when she bailed we spent our train money on hot dogs. I wouldn’t hold your breath on a fairy-tale ending.”

“Oh come on, that’s a little bit sweet.”

“Those games were five cents at most. Some were just a penny. Three dollars was anywhere from 60 to 300 games. I’m not sure he even noticed when Dolores left.” He laughed softly. Blue eyes, glossy with wistful memory, drifted up to the left as he slipped into the past, “He called her Dot.”

It was hard to scowl at him when he waxed nostalgic like this, but you managed it. The crush you had been harboring for Bucky had grown plenty strong enough to maintain a frown for Steve’s dismantling of your plan to finally make a move.

“No! This is going to be great,” you insisted. “I’m going to organize paintball and you’re going to help me so it’ll be just me and Bucky, and it will be cute and fun! Like 10 Things I Hate About You!”

“I don’t… know what that is, but it doesn’t sound like a good model for a relationship.”

“It's a fantastic model, and paintball is happening!” you hollered, turning your back with finality as you set your plate into the sink.

Ordinarily your unwavering optimism was a welcome energy on the team. It kept morale high in tough situations and played wonderfully with the media. Today, Steve found it downright amusing. This would be a train wreck.

The first round had gone to plan. Better than you’d expected, actually.

It had ended with a whispered “Gotcha” tickling against your skin and a grin so wide you’d never scrub it from your memory. No matter how horribly each subsequent round spiraled from that first perfect match.

The next game Bucky caught you unaware again; he always did. But a lucky fall had you tumbling out of the path of his shot before you even knew it was coming.

When his blue glob splattered against the tree you’d just been standing beside, you quickly spun and fired a shot of your own. The paint splashed across his shoulder and you raced forward.

“Gotcha,” you returned, a bit more than a whisper, brimming with laughter.

“Not how it works, sweetheart,” he grinned. It was smug and oh so pleased with himself. “I already took you out while you were busy hiding behind that tree over there.”

He reached forward and lifted your arm. His eyes darted to the splash of color there, but you weren’t having it.

“You know, you’re very cute, but you’re also very wrong,” Your cheeks flushed. Nervous. But you resolved to stick to the plan. You would tell him, damn it.

With bright grin and blind optimism, you shoved your sleeve inches from his face and swiped a finger over the inky blot. “It’s dry. That’s from last round. You missed, sweetheart.”

His gaze followed as you pointed to the splatter of blue paint on the tree. The little muscle in his jaw ticked when he clenched it tight. You really shouldn’t have loved his angry face as much as you did. But when he set his jaw, making it angle sharper… and that ticking muscle drew your eyes to the steep curve of his cheek and then the sharp steel of blue-grey eyes… you were hopeless. Head over fuckin heels.

“How do I know the paint on the tree isn’t old?”

Your proud and teasing smile faded in an instant.

“What?”

He shrugged, glancing at the tree again. “Who knows how long that paint’s been there? And you’re supposed to clean your gear between rounds. If I called a paint check right now you’d be out anyw—“

“So I’m not Mary Poppins. Doesn’t mean I’m cheating!” you bellowed “You’re out!”

“My record speaks for itself: I don’t miss. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But you did miss!”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. Before you even knew what was happening, he’d popped off a shot. At close range the little bead of paint burst against your leg like a whip.

“Ow!” you howled.

“See I don’t miss.”

“But you’re already out!”

If it had shocked you how quickly the tone of your little game had just flipped into a bitter argument to the death over who tagged who first, the next 2 games were a revelation. You really should have heeded Steve’s warning.

By the end of the 4th round you’d had more than enough. Burning with anger and desperate with disappointment, the battle for victory had turned heinous.

“Not again Barnes. You’re definitely out!” you cried from across the clearing. “Look at your trash can lid.”

“So? You didn’t hit me. It’s a shield,” he argued. “Ask Steve.”

“Oh, come on.” You complained, still crouching behind your bunker. “You agreed to the rules, Bucky. ‘If a player is holding an object as a shield and it is hit and marked, he will be out.’” The rule was 100% meant for Steve, but Bucky had taken his friend’s side and argued that it shouldn’t count.

“That doesn’t make any sense. If this was Steve’s shield and that was a bullet, I’d be safe.”

“BUT IT’S A TRASH CAN LID!”

You heard him laugh. That sound that normally ignited your world and made your chest feel a little tight, at this moment, lit a blaze at the base of your skull.

Moving on rage and instinct, you leapt over the barrier and marched toward him with unwavering resolution.

For a moment his brows flickered high in surprise; but he quickly recovered, raised his paintball rifle and fired.

You froze mid stride as the blue dye splattered across your chest.

“I hope that was worth it,” you called out calmly, eyes still locked on the paint dripping down your armor.

He chuckled again. “Sure was. You’re out.”

“Because it will be your dying act,” you continued as if you hadn’t heard him.

He laughed openly now. Partly because he thought you were funny, and partly because he knew it would irritate you and you’d be distracted by it in the next round.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have if he knew you’d then raise your gun and fire unceasingly at him as you strode ever closer.

“Are you kidding me?!” he shouted.

The referees had made it clear that absolutely no multiple shooting would be tolerated. But you and Bucky had thrown the rules out the window a long time ago.

With a deep scowl on his face, he charged forward. His metal fist clapped around the barrel of your gun and wrenched it back. The metal whined under the pressure and you screeched in shock. He too seemed a little surprised with himself.

“That fuckin hurt,” he complained, releasing your mangled weapon and tugging at his t-shirt, now soaked in paint. He winced slightly as it pealed away from the fresh welts.

“You broke my gun!” you shouted.

“It’s just aluminum,” he rolled his eyes.

“It’s ruined, is what it is! How the hell am I supposed to play now?”

He shrugged, “All’s fair in love and war, sweetheart.”

A guttural scream clawed up your throat. Frustration bubbled from your lungs and surged through your fingers. You ripped open the canister on your mangled gun and took out a fistful of paintballs.

He thought he was being cute, making playful flirty jokes and pushing just enough. But the pair of you had pushed and pushed all day and it was too far. You’d snapped and his perfect smug face with his damn jokes that struck just a hair too close to your actual feelings pushed you over the edge.

Bucky watched in horror as you smashed the handful of paintballs against his chest. They popped and smeared between his body and your palm. The thick wet paint oozed down his shirt.

You stepped back and gave your hand a hard shake. The paint dripped away in heavy lines onto the dirt. The bright droplets seemed so small and insignificant, as did, suddenly, your receding anger.

The game was over. Both the paintball match and the larger one you’d been playing at. You stood in the dusty field, covered in sweat and thick latex paint, exhausted as the embarrassment and defeat washed through you.

“You’re insane.” Bucky swept two fingers through the paint you’d smeared over him. His voice held a ghost of laughter, hoping for banter again.

“Must be,” you agreed without humor. Swallowing the thick knot in your throat did little to quell the brimming tears. “The hell was I thinking being so goddamn into you.”

His eyes shot to your face and found it defeated and heartbroken. Heaving out a deep cleansing sigh, shook your head and let your eyes drop to the ground as you turned back towards the parking lot.

Unable to move, Bucky stood in the wreckage of the day, blindsided and full of regret. His mind reeled, replaying every joke, every playful jab, searching for the tipping point, wondering how he’d missed it.

The sharp snap of a paintball gun fired off to his right and yet another bead of color erupted across his shoulder.

Bucky scowled down at it, then looked up to see Steve frowning deeply at him as he lowered the gun. Steve paused only a moment before marching off toward the car.

The patio was often quiet and cool in the early morning, just before the sun crept over the concrete. You kept your bare feet curled up beneath you, safe from the chill as you watched the light begin to break through the barrier of trees.

Steve sat a few chairs over with a steaming coffee beside him and a small sketchpad in his lap. Neither of you spoke. Didn’t need to.

His “I’m sorry. I told you so,” was obvious in the gentle squeeze he’d already given your shoulder before taking his post. Your “thanks for the support,” came with the simple tilt of your head toward the hand. Good friends didn’t need words.

It was this restorative silence that Bucky stood on the edge of, holding his breath, rocking from his toes to his heels.

“Don’t over think it,” Steve’s earlier reprimand echoed in his head. “I’m the expert on waiting too long; don’t. Stop pushing, stop teasing, stop pulling on pigtails. Life’s too short for those games, Buck. Just tell her.”

Bucky couldn’t help thinking that Steve had it all wrong. Life wasn’t short, at least not his. His life was so long. At times, so dreadfully, painfully long. Time had carried him farther than it ought to have and he’d completely lost touch. Lost himself. Lost how to do… this.

He’d lost everything.

But then that was the point, wasn’t it. Where Steve’s life had been short bits of time spliced together and skipped over decades, Bucky’s had been stretched thin over too much time. But they had lost in the same ways. Time had moved on without them, and always would.

He couldn’t keep losing to its constant current.

Before he knew his feet had even been moving he stood beside your chair, drew a quick, deep breath, and fought for you. Against all the time pressing at his back and all the seconds rushing beneath his feet… he called your name.

“Can I have a minute?”

“I’m not paying you back for the paintball gun,” you sighed, eyes still locked on the rising sun. You wondered why today must be spoilt with the memory of yesterday’s failures so early in the morning? You were trying. Really trying to put on your usual brightness, but god he was making it difficult.

“No, I don’t wan--”

“You broke it; you bought it, Bucky.”

“Can I take you out sometime?” he finally barked.

Your lips curled into half a smile, mischief dancing in your eyes as you looked at him. He returned it happily, just in time for you to turn back to the horizon.

“I don’t know, are you offering to kill me or take me on a date?”

He rolled his head over his shoulders with a sigh. “Why are you making this difficult?”

“Because you were beyond difficult when I tried,” you spoke with the utter simplicity of a statement of fact. It wasn’t his fault, not really. You’d reciprocated with banter and teasing, and after all you’d been the one firing multiple shots… but it all stung and right now it was easier to be guarded. Anger hurt less.

You rose to your feet, making to step away but he called after you before you’d even passed.

“So… you don’t want to?” he asked, looking down at you.

You refused to even breathe. It was only yesterday the tables were completely turned and you were still stinging with rejection. If you dared to look up you knew you’d be right back where you started. So you froze, with Bucky’s soft blue eyes staring straight through you.

Steve huffed and let his sketchbook fall on the table with a heavy thump. “The team is not participating in anymore schemes. Yes, she does. She wants to go. But no putt-putt.”

Bucky grinned and raised an eyebrow as he turned back to you. “Putt-putt?”

You shrugged.

“Can’t be worse than yesterday,” he prodded.

Steve cleared his throat from across the patio without looking up from his sketch. You had the decency to look sheepish.

“I’ve been banned from 3 courses.” You buried your face in your hands. “There’s still a putter lodged in the gorilla’s eyeball on the twelfth hole at Adventure Island."

He laughed; that full sound that you still loved. The one that had your stomach doing flips and sent a wave of giggles through your own chest.

You feel rough hands slide across your back and heavy arms wrapping over your shoulders. His embrace is bone crushing and you feel his laughter reverberating through you in a new way. This is where you want to stay. Where you’ve always wanted to be.

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that you’re just as bad as me,” he hummed against the top of your head.

“Oh you’re definitely worse,” you teased, tilting your head to face him. Your chin rested on his chest and your smiles came so easily, it felt as if your head was spinning. “Steve told me about Coney Island. Three hundred games?! You might have a problem.”

“It’s your problem now; I was thinking we could go to the carnival Saturday.”

Tags: Will reblog with tags shortly. :)

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky paintball fic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky x reader fluff #bucky x reader angst #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky imagine #bucky fanfic #avengers imagine #marvel imagine #paintball imagine #marvel paintball imagine #paintball fic

[sabraeal]

Family, Duty, Honor [Part 2]

Part 1 A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones AU

Obiyuki Week, Day 2 Avarice | Charity

Rumors had always clung to Miss, thick on the air like incense in a bordello.

A natural daughter of the Reach, tongues had wagged, as loose as any whore. A merchant’s girl from the Stormlands. Some minor lord’s get from the Vale. A Lord Paramount’s bastard.

That last one had been enough to worry the Hand, to make him lower himself and exchange Westerosi gold for Braavosi iron. Obi had nearly laughed himself sick watching the Lord of the Rock act as if he were shelling out dragons to put his cock in some sweet flower in Flea’s Bottom instead of partaking in the proud Lannister tradition of paying other people to solve their problems.

After all, what use was shitting gold if a man still had to do his own dirty work?

There had been more amusing ones too, a gray sister who tore off her veil to see the prince’s beauty, or, a child of the forest, come out of her tree for love of him. He’d liked those; they’d shown creativity at least, a flare for drama rarely seen outside the street acts of King’s Landing. But by far the most popular had been, some farmhand’s by-blow, eager to fuck her way to princess.

Even in those early days, when being his miss’s shadow had meant curling himself into the flowering hedgerows of the Red Keep’s gardens to listen to Master clumsily make love and her take his honeyed words as overtures of friendship, that had been the old sawhorse -- a common whore who would spread her legs to anyone, if only they’d promise her a title. It had stayed with her until she left, until she’d turned south under His Majesty’s advisement and made herself a name in Oldtown, one that didn’t involve the prince at all.

But it’s not that one that comes to mind now as her palm burns on his chest, as her wide, pleading eyes sets his blood to boiling.

Look at that hair, a man had said once as Miss had swept by him in the Keep. She could only be a Red Woman.

He believes it now; how else could she set him slight with a touch, with those words --

That’s why there will have to be a babe.

“Miss,” he breathes, though there’s no air in this room, every bit of it burned away by her boldness. “You don’t...you don’t mean...”

There’s no space between them, but she leans in further still, her eyes sparing him no quarter. “I need you, Obi.”

She’s never spoken those words to him, save for those guilty moments when he has taken himself in hand, imagining a time in which there is no Master to come between them, but --

But she says them now for all the wrong reasons, not from desire but from duty. Fear.

He should be grateful for even that; it’s more that he deserves, but --

Obi is not a good man. Miss may have tamed him, have taught him how to sit and stay and come to heel, but he does not share what is his. And if he is to have her, he wants...

Too much. “If you miss Ryuu so much, Miss, we could just send for him.”

The grin fits ill on his face, like a white cloak on his shoulders, but it does the job. Miss snatches back her hand like she’s the one who’s been scalded, cheeks puffed with annoyance. Maybe there’s a little fish in her after all. “I’m being serious.”

“As am I.” The words come out on a desperate rasp, and by the gods, it’s worse than being naked, having to talk about any of this. “I know you think this is a...solution, but you can’t mean you want me to -- that you want to get yourself...”

For once, his silvered tongue fails him. From the finest beds in King’s Landing to the dustiest corners of Essos, honey’s dripped from his mouth and eased the way for a great many silks on their journey to the floor, but -- but here he is, tripping over himself just to keep them on.

“There’s no other way.” He’s used to her grimness now, to the way her mouth no longer rests in a smile but a grimace, but the way her shoulders round, the way she is so small next to him -- he has never seen her so defeated. “We can’t leave without my uncle’s support, or else...”

Or else all of this will all be as much use as a penny in a whorehouse.

Master’s tenuous grip on the Stormlands and the Reach are all he’s got; they need Riverrun, or else this dance of dragons will be a short one. His only other ally may be the Crown Princess of Dorne, but Sunspear never overreaches itself, not for a Targaryen. Not for no reason.

“Miss...” He wants to tell her to run, to take his hand and forget all this, to sail across the Narrow Sea and lose herself in the press of Braavos or Myr or even Pentos and forget the ever-turning wheel of the Seven Kingdoms, but --

But she would never do that. Even if her heart did not beat in lockstep with his, Miss would never abandon Master. In a kingdom where brother fought brother over bloodline, she was the only one who would not turn away from a challenge, not to save a friend.

“I know you have your...hesitations,” she manages, haltingly, her gaze dropping to inspect the duvet. Unlike the one he’d had in Oldtown, this one is hardly worn, velvet plush and bright under her fingers. “But I’m sure that there wouldn’t be any...hardship for you in--”

“Hardship? Me?” he coughs. Daughter of a bar she might be, but she must not have had a very complete education if she thinks he couldn’t, that he wouldn’t--

“Only the work of a few moments, if Garrack told me the right of it.”

Mother and Maiden, of course Garrack had told her these things.

“Miss, I know what work is required,” he assures her, holding his hand between them as if it might keep any of this from happening. “It’s you who would be -- be--”

Carrying a child. His child. Nine months of it, until she pushed out a squalling babe and--

And called it Master’s. He scrubs a hand down his face. If ever she had to pick someone to take his place...

“No one will be fooled,” he croaks, clinging to reason. “You haven’t seen Master in...”

Months, he had meant to say. But he adds them all up in his head, and it comes out to years. A romance through ravens.

“A secret tryst,” she tells him again, and he’s shocked how easily the lies fall from her lips. His own Miss, who had always scolded him for half-truths and omissions. “Maybe before I left Oldtown. Or--” he can see gears turning in her head, crunching numbers with as much deftness as the Iron Bank-- “Maybe we met on the road, while he campaigned, or -- something.”

“Master has been sequestered in Storm’s End for months now,” Obi reminds her. “You think everyone will believe that he slipped up to the Westerlands for a quick tumble?”

Her cheeks flush, chin ducking as she says, “They’ll believe anything of a prince.”

That’s true enough; the songs had Targaryens doing nothing short of turning into a dragon themselves for a good fuck, but that’s just -- lore, just a hungry minstrel’s way of making a few stags off a melody with naught else to it. But for folk to believe it --

“If you were to --” he can barely think the word “conceive,” let alone say it -- “make a child now, you couldn’t be certain of it for weeks, and even if Master left Storm’s End when you left Oldtown--”

“I’ll tell my uncle when he returns.” She drags her gaze back to his, and it’s determined, not a spot of doubt in her. A dangerous look for her to be wearing, in his experience. “It’s not a short ride to King’s Landing, and Izana won’t be quick to see him with Zen just across the bay.”

“Aye, Miss,” he groans, falling back onto his pillows. It’s oddly satisfying, with them being so soft, though down doesn’t fly everywhere as he’d hoped. “Any fool can count.”

“Babes are always late,” she informs him primly, tucking her legs beneath her. “And everyone’s always so eager to believe in the sensational.”

Now there’s more bitter tone than any he’s heard his miss make.

Obi opens his eyes to a squint, curious. Her jaw juts stubbornly, mouth purse in a moue of annoyance. It’s inconvenient how endearing it is, how much he’d just like to kiss it off her--

“It beggars belief,” he says instead, earning himself a glare. “Even smallfolk won’t believe Master rode across the Reach during wartime to meet you in the Westerlands to make a bas--” he bites down on the word-- “a natural child.”

“He married me. In secret.” She says it this time without batting an eyelash, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and for a brief moment even he doubts that it is false. “And I do not have to fool everyone. Only my uncle. And he...”

Her lips wrap tight around the thought, but the words hang between them. Because he will believe what he wants to believe. He might throw in with His Majesty now, but a rightful prince of the line as a grand-nephew...

Few men could resist the lure of being Hand of the King. And with a simple accident, a regent besides. And so, so many accidents may happen in war time.

Obi huffs, head tipping back against the pillow. “He will not, when the babe comes looking like a man from Asshai.”

A cautious hand, like that of a kitten, presses on his chest. “Is that where you are from?”

His eyes open to see her perched above him, all curiosity. “Now who isn’t being serious?”

Her mouth curls into a smile, soft and secret, and for a moment they could be back in Oldtown, her kneeling beside him on his bunk, laughing over nothing at all --

“It won’t matter what he looks like.” The words are soft, a caress, and he nearly squirms out of his skin at the sound of it. He’s used to bruising punches and hard fucks, not this -- this gentleness. “The war will be over before anyone will even know.”

His breath rasps from his chest, and there’s no way to tell her that is not how wars work, and especially not the way dragons dance. Perhaps in the maesters’ dusty tomes those clashes had been compared to flashes in a pan, to wildfire, but --

Nine months is not enough.

“It could be a girl,” he says instead, trying to ignore the way his heart beats wildly beneath her hand, to ignore the certainty that he knows how this conversation will end. He does a poor job if it, half hard under the wool of his trouser. It’s only inexperience that she doesn’t know its there. “What then?”

The question gives her pause, at least. She blinks, slow, as if the thought is new to her, that she had never considered it would not be a boy, a proper heir to the Iron Throne --

If only it was not borne by a bastard’s seed. “Girl or boy, any babe would tie us.”

He grunts, unconvinced. “So long as it looks right.”

“It won’t matter--”

“Miss.” He says it soft, barely more than a breath, but it still her. “You of all people should know it does.”

Silence settles over them, but the quiet does not last for long. He would choke the life out of any man who called his mistress a bitch, but for all that, she can never drop a bone lest she’s gotten the last of its marrow.

“I understand,” she begins, haltingly, “that you may not want to -- to help me, since I am so...inexperienced..”

He jolts up onto his elbows, heat swarming his cheeks. “That is not what I said,” he growls. “Not at all.”

She shifts, just slightly, on her knees, hand spasming on his chest. “Or maybe you do not wish to hurt me when you take my maidenhead--”

He grabs her wrist, feeling the thready pulse beneath as he yanks her toward him. She only just catches herself, her other hand splaying wide across his chest, so pale against the black of his shirt.

“Oh, Miss,” he purrs, far too close, able to see the glint of gold in her eyes and smell the sweet scent of hay on her skin. “With me, you’d have no pain at all.”

He’s close enough to hear her suck in a ragged breath, canting her head toward his in question. “Then why won’t you?”

Every part of him goes still. There is no reason, none at all, save that he loves her. Save that part of him is selfish, is small and petty and wants only to lay with her if she is his, if she loves him in return and wants to bear his child. His child, not Master’s, not the heir to the Iron Throne -- and --

And there is no way to tell her that would not expose him for the worse kind of fool, a Florian with a Jonquil who will never love him --

And so he kisses her instead.

#obiyukiweek19 #obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #Day 2 #my fic #game of thrones AU #ans #LISTEN i meant to get to the sexy stuff but YOU KNOW HOW IT IS #i guess this whole thing will be three parts total #but i felt that this was an...important conversation to happen #since you know Obi would throw literally everything between her and his dick #because he's got THE FEELINGS and he doesn't want things being COMPLICATED #and she's asking him to MAKE A BABY and basically COMMIT FRAUD #and you'll notice not one of them thinks about what ZEN will say #so we're already making some bad decisions here shirayuki #I WONDER WHY XD

[jjbamommies]

Joseph x Reader One Shot

Y/N looked down at her newborn twin daughters, Violet and Lily and smiled to herself. Then she heard her husband come in through the door of the pastel themed nursery. She turned and looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Y/N, sweetheart? What’s bothering you?” her husband asked concerned, casting his eyes to his twins to make sure they were alright.

“Nothing’s bothering me Joseph, these are tears of joy, I’m just so happy. I never thought, I would have something like this. I have two beautiful daughters and a wonderful husband, I’m just so lucky.” You said, smiling up at him. His face brightened and he gently pulled you into a hug before pulling away slightly and kissing you When you both finally pulled away, you could still feel the butterflies you felt for your husband the first day you met him. You still felt the sparks when you kissed him, he left you breathless with every kiss, just like he did when you first got together, and that was 5 years ago. He gave you a kiss on your forehead before telling you that he was going to go shower, because he had just got off work. You smiled and nodded. You heard a little whine and looked down and saw it was baby Violet. Lily was still asleep.

“Hey baby, shh it’s okay, mommy’s here.” You said cooing at her gently cradling her to your chest. She made a little gurgling noise after she stopped crying and you breathed a sigh of relief. You began to rock her before she fell fast asleep in your arms. You set her back in her crib, which was a double crib that connected to her twin’s. You looked down at your little babies before you started to think back on the day you met their father.

 “Penny?...Pen? Penelope!” You yelled, looking for your best friend throughout the house you both shared. You walked out to the greenhouse close to your little art studio shed. You walked inside to see Penelope focused and in tune with planting some daisies and lilies. She had headphones in so she didn’t hear you come in.

There you are Penny! I’ve been looking for you forever!” You said to her laughing. She looked up jumping slightly, surprised to see you standing there. She took her earbuds out and said,

“My god! You scared the hell outta me! What’s up?” You just giggles and nudged her. You told her how you were about to leave for the store and asked her if she wanted or needed anything. She asked you if you could buy her some of “that vegan ice cream I love so much” is what she said. You just smiled and nodded. She tried giving you money but you just playfully glared and refused the money, afterall she was your best friend, and she was working so hard on her daisy and lily project for her Botany class so she deserved it. You headed out the door, petting Penelope’s dog Iggy on the way out. You decided not to drive to the store since it was just across the street and you weren’t getting much anyways. Once you arrived at the store, you grabbed a cart and headed towards the produce section to grab some strawberries, so that you could make strawberry shortcakes later on today for dessert. You were busy looking at your list you hadn’t noticed you were heading straight towards someone until you almost hit them.

Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” You exclaimed worriedly. He said at the same time as you,

“Whoops I’m sorry sweetheart.” You blushed at that. You moved out of his way and he smiled and walked away. ‘Wow how embarrassing.’ you thought to yourself. He was cute too which made it worse! He slipped your mind as you continued to shop around the huge store. As you’re about to pass by a section you hear a “Hey!,C’mere!”you looked up from your list and saw it was none other than the guy you almost ran over! He was at a stand that looks like it has samples on it. As you got closer, you realized it was coffee samples.

“Do you wanna try some coffee samples? We have different flavours. The coffee is really good. The company is also woman owned which I think is pretty awesome.” You really were trying to cut back on drinking coffee. You had stopped drinking it a while ago because, you had been drinking it so much due to trying to stay awake either to study for your art exams or to stay awake in class. He saw the look on your face and noticed your hesitation.

“C’mon, you almost ran me over with your cart, the least you can do is try my coffee.” He said, with a wink. You blushed. You finally nodded and grabbed a sample of the “Snow Angel” blend coffee. You were about to take a drink of the coffee and realized it was super super hot, really what were you expecting?

“I’m gonna burn my tongue!” You laughed.He laughed too studying you. He then said, “Yeah! BE careful, don’t burn your tongue love!” You giggled when he called you love. You finally took a sip of the coffee and turned to him smiling.

“It tastes great! Thank you so much!” You said smiling. You started to walk away, before he stopped you with a ‘hey!’ You turned back around to him and looked at him. He turned red and started to rub the back of his neck nervously.

“I know this is highly unprofessional, but I just think you’re so sweet, I was wondering if maybe you’d...uh...like to go out for some coffee? Wait no not coffee I think you got your fill. Maybe we could grab lunch together? If you want?” You smiled at his nervousness. It was so adorable.

“I’d love to---?” He told you his name was Joseph, you telling him yours was Y/N. You exchanged numbers and you walked away with a little bit more of a pep in your step. Penelope was gonna be so shocked when you told what had happened. That was the day you met Joseph Joestar the love of your life and father of your twin daughters.

 “Y/N? Darling? Are you okay?” You broke out of your trip down memory lane and looked up at your husband Joseph. You smiled at him and said,

“Sorry JoJo, I was remembering the day we first met.” He smirked as he looked you straight in the eyes and said,

“I remember that day perfectly, You almost KILLED me! But I of course forgave you because your ass looked great in those jeans!” He winked after he said that. You gasped. But honestly why were you surprised it’s Joseph. You smacked him then glared at him.

“Kidding!...Kinda…. I’m so happy you almost killed me that day, or else we wouldn’t have these beautiful little angels.” You smiled and you both looked down at your daughters. Daisy and lily’s names were a tribute to your late best friend Penelope. You began to remember the day that you found out Penelope had passed.

You woke up one day, to see that your best friend Penelope had left you a note, while she went  to take her daisy and lily flowers to her professor for her project, she treated those plants as if they were her own children, you giggled at the thought. The note read,

‘Hey love, I’m gonna take my flowers to Professor Speedwagon and then I’ll be home! -Penny xoxo ‘

It was written on the built in notepad on the fridge so you could see what time she wrote it, which was 6 am, it was now 12:30. You got an uneasy feeling in your stomach. ‘Maybe she went out with friends.’ You thought. She would of told you though. You called your boyfriend Joseph who you had been dating for almost 2 years. “JoJo, I think something’s wrong with Penelope. I have this unsettling feeling and she hasn’t been home since 6, and she was only going to turn in her assignment.” You said close to tears. Joseph tried to calm you down before he told you that he was on his way to pick you up. When he arrived. He hugged you kissing your head. “Have you tried calling her?” He asked. You nodded telling him you tried multiple times. Then you guys hear a knock on the door. You of course get excited thinking it’s Penny, and she just forgot her key and her phone had died or something. You opened the door and saw a policeman. Your heart sank all to the floor. You knew this wasn’t gonna be good news.

“Are you MS. Y/L/N?” The officer asked. You nodded grimly. He then sighed before saying,

“I’m sorry to say this, but your friend Penelope was involved in a car accident this morning. She was killed instantly. I’m so sorry for your loss ma’am.” You stood there shocked, you couldn’t process what was going on, your Penelope? Your Penny? Is gone? You cried out and dropped to your knees sobbing uncontrollably. The cop looked away trying not to cry, he had a daughter your ages, he couldn’t imagine what you were going through. Joseph ran to you dropping to his knees as well holding you. He was crying as well, Penelope was like a little sister to him. The cop said his goodbyes wishing you the best and leaving. You took the death so hard you couldn’t even stay in your house anymore….alone that is. . So Joseph moved in with you.. You took care of Penelope’s dog Iggy, he was like her child, so you treated him as your own dog,well he was now. About 6 months you and Joseph had a really small wedding, with few people. You used the daisy and lilies that Penelope had grown as your wedding flowers as a way for her to be apart of the wedding. Everyone watched as you danced with the air as if dancing with someone, and you were, you saved this dance for your best friend. You could feel her there with you, dancing with you. And a couple years later you gave birth to twin girls naming them Daisy and Lily, in honor of one of the most important people in your life. 

You didn’t realize you were crying, until you felt Joseph wipe your tears. He knew you were thinking about Penny. He smiled a sad smile and said,

“She knows how much you love her, and watched over her nieces.” He said. You looked up at him and kissed him. He always tried to make you feel better no matter the situation, even when you were angry and it was your fault. You loved this man with your whole heart. You pulled away breathless after he nipped at your lip.

“JoJo, calm down!” You laughed scolding him. He just shrugged. You both looked down at your babies. He looked up at you and said,

“Can, we please try for another? I really want a boy!” He exclaimed. You cringed as baby Lily made a whiney noise at her dad’s loud voice. But she didn’t wake up. You glared at him, he put his hands up in mock surrender. You shook your head before saying,

“Okay look JOJO, I literally JUST popped TWO kids out not even a week ago! You’re gonna wait for that third kid.” He pouted before nodding. You both headed to bed to try to get rest keyword try. You were just about asleep when you felt Iggy jump up on the bed.

“I’m surprised he can still do that.” Joseph said in disbelief. You laughed before cuddling into your husband, you both drifting off into a peaceful sleep. Your life wasn’t perfect but it did have perfect moments and perfect aspects. Your husband and daughters were your perfect happy ending and that is what matters most.

#joseph joestar #Joseph joestar x reader #jjba #jojo no kimyou na bouken #Jojos #Jojo's bizarre adventure #battle tendency #coffee #coffeeshop #coffee shop au

[jessethejoyful]

the art school au no one asked for

I decided I wanted to try writing a carry on fic and they say you should write about what you know so - read it here or on ao3

Baz is a painting/drawing major, Simon is an animator, and much problem ensues. 

BAZ

At the end of every spring and fall semester, the art school hosts a student showcase, so we can gain experience with exhibitions and the like. I thought about entering a piece, one of my paintings, but I deliberated long enough that I missed the deadline. Which is absolutely fine, because everything from this semester felt like garbage to me anyways. I was trapped somewhere in my own headspace - but, anyway.

I wander through the student show, my eyes passing across the canvases and sculptures. Mentally, I have to keep my nose from wrinkling at some of them (how did these kids get into an art school? Is there actually any criteria, or do you just have to toss paint on a slab and say please?). Some of the students are standing next to their pieces, obviously brimming with pride. There’s one boy stopping anyone who is unfortunate enough to glance his way, and asking them a barrage of questions. (“How does it make you feel? Which one is your favorite? How much would you pay for this?”) I avoid him carefully, giving him and his creepy multi-face painting a wide berth.

It’s something of a surprise when I come across a laptop, set up on a podium by itself. That’s not art. But when I wander up to get a closer look, I realize it’s an animation reel. I’ve come up at the tail end of someone throwing a ball at a wall, which looks nice but is rather boring. I’m about to turn away when it changes to another clip.

The shot begins on a girl, curled in on herself, and a moment of her finger tapping the white space beneath her. And then she shoots up, arms flaring wide, head tilting back, and I’m blown away by the style of it. It’s not normal 2D animation, but a sketchy, wild style that somehow carries a lot of emotion just in the chaos. The video follows the girl, a ballerina, through a routine that I imagine would be heart-wrenching if it had music with it. Even without, I feel a pull in my chest, watching the obvious pain that flits across her shadowy and angular face.

I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful.

The scene ends with the girl knelt down again, her back heaving as she breathes heavily, and I realize I’ve been holding my own breath. It comes out in a rush as the reel changes again. I expected something just as amazing, but instead have my eyes assaulted by an ugly, gritty-looking clip of two stick figures beating the shit out of each other. I feel the scowl rise on my face and narrow my eyes at the name attached to the podium.

Simon Snow - who the fuck would name their kid Simon Snow? Sounds like the heroine of some sappy young adult novel. Maybe it’s an alias for a less idiotic name.

I straighten and adjust my jacket, eyes flicking back to the screen in the hopes that the ballerina clip was back, but instead it’s moved on to some boring clip of fish leaping from a river. My scowl deepens, and I move on, refusing to return to the laptop. Anyone who would put such a stupid video in a showcase deserves no more of my attention.

The name Simon Snow flits through my head now and then over the summer, while I serve coffee at a small, artsy shop near campus. I wonder if he ever comes in, but no one claims the name Simon for their cup, and eventually I forget about the reel, and Simon Snow, entirely.

Until the start of the new term, when I’m carrying my supplies into the art building, my  heavy bag hung painfully on one shoulder. A girl’s voice shrieks, “Simon!” and I’m nearly bowled over as she dives by me, and I register a mane of frizzy red hair and warm brown skin, similar to my own.

“Sorry, Basil!” she squeals as she barrels away, and I’m startled enough that it takes me a moment to reply.

“How do you -?” But she’s already gone, down at the end of the long corridor and throwing her arms around a tallish boy with wild bronze hair, freckles so numerous I can see them from here, and a laugh that reverberates through the hall.

That’s Simon Snow?

Shit.

SIMON

Penny surprised me in the art building, but I was glad she did - she’d been gone all summer to study in Italy, and I’d missed her like I’d miss my left hand. She spent nearly two hours chattering to me about the different sites she toured, the museums she visited, the food she’d eaten, and I listened happily, grateful to have her voice filling up our cozy flat again. It had been far too empty without her.

I don’t know how she does it, but Penny is double-majoring in art history and sculpture. She’s dead brilliant at both of them. I was royally fucked in my own mandatory art history class until she started helping me. We’ve been friends since high school, so she knows I’m shit at studying, but I managed to brush by with her help. Thank God - I wasn’t eager to repeat that class. The professor nearly fell asleep at his own lectures, I don’t know how Penny can stand him, and he’s her faculty advisor.

Despite the heavy course load I signed on for this semester, I’m glad to be back at it. I spend summers feeling off-center, like I lose my sense of direction for a few months before wandering back from the wilderness in September with leaves in my hair (it’s a feeling that’s kind of hard to describe).

Animation is a lot more work than anyone outside of the field realizes. I don’t think I even realized it when I started, but now I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. Watching my pieces come to life on a screen is like a drug, a high that’ll never come down.

But it’s exhausting.

During the semesters, I spend more time in the computer lab than out of it, making use of the huge tablets and desktops provided by the school. Penny will come hang out now and then, but I get so scary focused and quiet that she usually gets bored and wanders out after a few minutes. She fell asleep there once, half-off her chair, and I let her sleep, waking her up around two when it was time for us to walk back to the flat.

Now we’re only a few weeks into the new term, and I’ve already fallen back into the habit, chatting up the lab’s student assistant before I claim my spot in a corner, ready to work until I pass out.

I try to keep an eye on the clock, but I get so into my work that hours pass without my notice. When I realize I’ve been there for coming on six hours without a break, I force myself to drop my pen and sit up, feeling my back creak in the process. I think I’ll go heat up one of the frozen meals I’d thrown in the student fridge last week; I can feel the hunger creeping up in my stomach.

It’s so late, just past midnight, that barely anyone is around. I’d work at home if I could, but the equipment is so expensive that I can’t really afford my own, with only a laptop and a shitty knock-off tablet that I use for personal stuff. The cord is fraying and half of the time won’t connect, but it does what I need.

I’m shocked when I amble into the student lounge to find a guy digging through the fridge, the room around him so dim that the bright white light makes him look pale, like a vampire. But when he closes the door and stands up, I realize he’s got almond brown skin, and grey-green eyes like a deep lake. And he’s scowling at me.

“Can I help you with something?” he snarls, clutching a carton of cream, and I’m immediately caught off guard by the aggression in his tone.

“Yeah mate, you’re in front of the fridge,” I say slowly, pointing. His cheeks darken and he steps away, heading to the counter where there’s coffee brewing. Neither of us says anything for a long bit, while I pull my food out and chuck it in the microwave.

Out of the corner of my eye, I observe him, trying to take stock. The half-up bun and long sleeve black button-up seem about right, but I’m surprised by the massive black combat boots, giving him an easy extra two inches in height.  

Finally, because the silence is deafening, I say, “Working late, then?”

His answer is abrupt. “Yes.”

I try again. “My name’s Simon.”

“I know.”

I furrow my eyebrows at him, fed up. “Want to tell me yours then, or are you just going to keep being a dickhead?”

This clearly startles him, looking at me with wide eyes and saying his name, two quick syllables. “Bas-il.”

“Bazzzz-il,” I drawl, dragging out the z sound present in that ridiculous name. His lip curls, actually curls, and I’m almost impressed before something occurs to me. “Wait. Not Basil, as in T. Basilton Pitch?” There’s no way there’s multiple people in the world with a similar name, let alone this school.

“The very same.” I’m floored. This is the prat whose art I always notice in the halls? Every time I see an impeccable figure study or a breath-taking oil painting, the name ‘T. Basilton Pitch’ is always attached underneath.

Five minutes ago, if you had asked me who I thought was the most talented in the building, I would’ve said Pitch immediately. But now that the arse is standing in front of me, antagonizing me, I’m not about to give out any compliments.

“Oh. I’ve seen your work in the cases.” The microwave beeps at me, and I fiddle with it before saying grumpily, “S’ pretty nice.” Damn. That sounded more sincere than I’d meant it to.

“I’m flattered, I’m sure,” Basilton says sharply, before loudly dropping his mug into the sink and disappearing out the door. I throw myself down at one of the tables and start shoveling mashed potatoes into my mouth, annoyed now.

T. Basilton Pitch.

What a tit.

PENNY

It’s 3 am when Simon finally wanders in, squinting even in the darkness, dragging his feet like he’s left lead in his shoes. He always does this, pushing himself to the edge of exhaustion and probably ruining his eyes in the process.

And then he has the audacity to try and lecture me. I’m reading by a soft lamp when he comes in, and he snaps at me about damaging my eyes, by reading in such dim light. I raise my eyebrows at him and flip the book shut. “Who spit in your tea tonight, Simon?”

He glances at me apologetically, dropping his bag onto the floor before throwing himself down on the couch beside me, head resting on my hip. “Basil,” he growls, as I absentmindedly run my fingers through his curls.

“Oh, met him, did you?” Simon sits up and looks at me sharply.

“You know him? How?”

I shrug. “He was in my Drawing II class. Put the rest of us to shame, with his drawings and his shit attitude. The professor told him to shut the fuck up once when he made a girl cry, and he just sneered at him. It was quite a scene.”

It had been a real scene. I make a point not to be friends with assholes, but I remember I couldn’t help being a little bit fascinated by this tall dark prat, who looked ready to throw hands every time the professor said anything. And it hadn’t really been his fault that girl started crying - we were in the middle of a peer critique, and Baz told her in somewhat harsher terms that her anatomy was way off.

She’d just started bawling. It was embarrassing for everyone.

I tell Simon as much, and he seems genuinely intrigued. “Maybe he’s just an asshole to people he doesn’t know,” Simon says slowly. “Maybe if I’m nice to him, he’ll be nice back.”

“Simon, not everyone’s like you. Like if a golden retriever became a human.” He looks almost offended at this. “Baz is endlessly contrary. I wouldn’t put money on even you being able to befriend him.”

“Penn, come on. Everyone needs friends.”

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

BAZ

Three days after I officially met Simon Snow, I’m still kicking myself for the whole thing.

Seeing him up close had just been too much. This dead handsome idiot, standing over me at nearly one in the morning, staring at me with his mouth open - far too much for my sleep deprived brain. I’d gone and made a complete ass of myself.

It was the first time I’d left my studio that day, just looking for a coffee, and my brain had stayed behind.

Honestly, though, it’s probably all for the best. I’m too fucking queer to have a guy that good-looking around on a regular basis. (What is up with all those freckles? He looks ill. I want to draw the constellations on his face.)

When next I see him, it’s thankfully from a distance again, far across the campus green. He’s got two girls with him. I recognize one of them, short and stout with that mad frizzy hair, but the other is a complete stranger. Even far off, I can tell she’s beautiful, even to my gay ass. (I’m gay, not blind.) She’s the kind of beautiful you can’t help but notice. Waist-length honey blonde hair, a perfect figure, expensive-looking clothes and high-heel ankle boots, though they still don’t make her as tall as Simon.

Too late, I realize I’ve completely stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, gaping at them across the lawn. My eyes lock with Simon’s, and suddenly he breaks out into this enormous grin.

I might be a little fucked.

Simon is saying something to the girls and then jogging toward me, and my time to escape has fled. Not that I could’ve - that smile was so much I think it rendered me briefly immobile, gluing my shoes to the pavement.

“Hey, Basil,” Simon greets me sheepishly, stopping before me and rubbing the back of his neck. He looks so carefree, in loose jeans that somehow look good, and a graphic tee partially covered by a paint-stained hoodie. He rips the green beanie off his head and shoves his hands through his orange curls, making them stand on end. And he’s wearing these massive circular, wire-framed glasses, and I’m mesmerized.

“...Hey?” I say, cursing myself for letting it come out sounding like a question. Simon doesn’t even seem to notice, his smile smaller now but no less painful to look at.

“Look, I wanted to apologize for the other night. I was completely knackered, I’d been in the lab for hours and was feeling a bit grouchy.” To say I’m startled by this apology is putting it lightly. I’d been rude first, what is he apologizing for? Defending himself?

Maybe just this once, it would pay to play nice. I glance over Simon’s shoulder, where the two girls were still watching their interaction, waiting. “Er - it’s alright. I’m - sorry as well. I was barely functioning that night.” Simon’s face lit up at my mostly friendly response, and I think I might be barely functioning now.

“Penny and Agatha and I are going off campus for a bite, you wanna come along?” Agatha must be the other girl. I vaguely remember the name Penny, some distant memory from second semester. But there’s no way I’m up for that much social interaction today; just this interaction has nearly killed me.

“Ah, I’ll - have to pass,” I choke out. “I’ve got a date.” Simon looks surprised before I finish, “With my studio.”

There’s no way it’s relief that flashes across Simon’s face at that amendment. No fucking way.

“Oh, right, then,” he says. “Another time, then.”

Weary now, I try to smile, but I think it must look like more of a grimace, before I stride away.

“Basil!” Simon calls my name and I turn back to look. Now that I’m looking at him, he seems not to know what to say, his hand pulling awkwardly back to his chest like he’d been reaching out. “Uh - good luck with the painting!”

“Cheers,” I reply, walking away then without looking back.

SIMON

I’m wandering back to the computer lab that evening when I notice the light on in the studio labeled T. Pitch. It’s pretty late, already after ten, and while I’m not surprised Basil is still here, I’m a little curious. I’d grabbed a few scones from the bakery Penny works at before coming back to campus, with a mind to eat them later - but maybe Baz would like one. I’d heard Penny call him Baz, and I can’t blame him for the nickname. I wouldn’t want people calling me Basilton either.

I wonder what the T stands for? Could it be something worse than Basilton? Is that possible?

I knock twice on the door of the studio before turning the handle, surprised to find it unlocked. Baz is clearly shocked to see me, jerking his hand away from canvas he’s working and yanking his earbud out.

“Christ - ever heard of knocking?” All this guy seems to know how to do is snap and snarl. I’m already bristling.

“I did knock.”

“Well, you’re supposed to wait for me to say come in.”

“You’ve got headphones in.”

“Exactly.”

I force myself to take a deep breath, before I hold up the pastry bag. “Thought I’d bring you some food. You seem the type to get sucked in and forget to eat, am I right?” I can tell by the defensive look on his face that I am. “Look - don’t say anything. Just take this, alright?” I take the wrapped pastry from the bag and toss it too him, and he’s not too bewildered to catch it. “Have fun, yeah?” I back out the door before Baz can say anything else and snap it shut.

I don’t know what I expected. Some declaration of gratitude? I’d never expect that of anyone, let alone that prickly bastard. That’s not why I do things for people.

But fuck, was it too much to even be civil? I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so grouchy. He’d seemed to quiet earlier, soft, almost. Shy. Maybe he’s bipolar. It wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever.

Or maybe he’s just an asshole.

I continue onto the lab, spinning my chair so the back touched the desk, and straddle it, resting my chin on the cushion. Penny yells at me that I’m going to ruin my back sitting like this, but it’s comfortable, so I always ignore her.

I’m struggling with a frame I’m working on, unable to get the flow right between shots. It makes me blink out sometimes, when I get really stressed by something that isn’t meshing. Normally I’d take a walk, but I’m not so sure tonight. What if I run into Baz? I’m pretty sure I’d deck him at this point, I’m so worked up.

I should probably just call it a night. I look at the close - 2 am. Yeah, I’ll just call it a night. I flick the light off as I leave the lab, letting the door shut behind me.

As I walk by the private studios, I notice Baz’s light is still on.

I keep walking.

#carry on #snowbaz #simon snow #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #rainbow rowell #carry on simon snow #simon snow carry on #carry on tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch carry on #baz carry on #carry on baz #penelope bunce carry on #carry on penelope bunce #penny carry on #carry on penny #agatha wellbelove carry on #carry on agatha wellbelove #agatha carry on #carry on agatha #carry on fanfiction #fanfiction #my writing #writing #here we go kids #art school au

[blue-collects-things]

i would really love a reddie oneshot where they practice kissing and it's just cute and fluffy!!

Five Times Richie Kisses Eddie and One Time He Doesn’t Have To

Eddie Kaspbrak x Richie Tozier

Word Count: 5.7k

Warnings: swearing, a very slight panic attack, a little bit of angst because our losers have issues they’re going through (but mostly fluff)

Author’s Note: I’m back!!! Thought you could get rid of me? Not that easily. I plan to get back into writing by finishing up some requests that I’ve gotten during my hiatus before picking back up with YWISC and some of my other original ideas, so keep an eye out for them! Anywho, I absolutely adore 5+1 fanfics and your prompt was perfect for it, nonnie. I don’t know if it’s exactly what you want because I threw in a little itty bit of angst, but I still enjoyed rereading it while editing. Also, I know that Frogger wasn’t out until the 80s. So let’s just do a little time jumping and act like this takes place during the movie timeline. That means that The losers are going to graduate in the 90s. Enjoy!

Read it on ao3

i.

The first time Richie kisses Eddie, it happens to be on a sunny Thursday afternoon in March.

“Truth or dare, Eddie,” Ben says from across the circle. Currently, all seven of the losers are in the Barrens, spending a much needed day off from their senior year together. They sit cross-legged, knee to knee, in the midst of the grass, talking and playing games. However, when Bev had suggested they play truth or dare, Eddie was less than thrilled. But Richie dragged him down in the circle and forced him to play. It’s not that he’s embarrassed to admit something to his friends, it’s how close in proximity Richie is to him. It makes him feel the need to keep his hand tightly grasped around his inhaler just in case his lungs suddenly decide to give out.

“Truth,” Eddie blurts without thinking. Good job, numb nuts, he thinks to himself. Now you’ll for sure be embarrassed.

Ben, being the sweet person he is, can’t think of anything truly embarrassing to ask Eddie. Or anyone for that matter. So he simply says, “Who was your first kiss with?”

Eddie’s eyes widen so that his whole iris can be seen. He actually does begin to panic a little. He brings the inhaler to his mouth to take a puff, but thinks better of it.

“C-c’mon, Eddie,” Bill says from the other side of Richie. “It c-c-can’t be th-that ba-had.”

Eddie draws in a shaky breath and looks up to the sky to avoid eye contact with anyone. “I’ve never actually, you know, kissed anyone before?” It comes out as a question even though he’s entirely certain of the fact. He expects teasing in any and all forms, but none comes.

But Richie does say, “Wait, really?”

It’s a valid question, but it causes Eddie to get angry. “No, Rich. You’re on fucking Candid Camera. There’s a hidden camera over there.” He points off towards one of the bushes in the area, but nobody looks. He rolls his eyes and stands from the ground, brushing off his jeans. He has to consciously keep himself from running from his friends. He hears Mike and Stan shouting at the rest of the group things like “Good job” and “Way to fucking go.” He gets all the way to Kansas Street and his bike before he hears someone coming after him.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Eds,” Richie says, cresting the hill. He bends over, hands on his knees to catch his breath. “For a little guy, you sure move fast.”

Eddie works his bike out from the heap the losers made with their bikes. “I’m aerodynamic,” he says sarcastically. “And don’t call me that.” He finally gets his bike out and he starts to push it away when Richie grabs his wrist.

“Hold on,” he says, face completely serious. “Why did you run?”

“I didn’t want to get made fun of. I know everyone else down there has had their first kiss and it just sucked,” Eddie responds quietly.

They are both silent for a while. Finally, Richie speaks up: “You must think we’re pretty shitty friends.”

“What?” Eddie asks, thoroughly confused. “Of course not.”

“Then why would you think we’d make fun of you for something as trivial as a kiss?” Richie responds. He takes a step closer to Eddie and puts his hand on the handlebar of his bike. Their fingers end up overlapping and Eddie feels like he actually can’t breathe. “I could- I could teach you.”

Eddie’s head snaps up at break-neck speed. “What?” he asks again stupidly.

“I could teach you to, um, how to kiss,” Richie says. Eddie almost doesn’t believe his eyes when Richie turns the exact same shade of red as the tomatoes in his mother’s garden.

“You would do that? Is this some kind of joke?” Eddie is suddenly on the defensive. Typical Richie, he thinks, always trying to pull a fast one.

“What? No. I’m being serious,” Richie responds, the honesty in his voice making Eddie shiver. “Just close your eyes. I’ll do the first one.”

Eddie does as told and shuts his eyes. He can feel his heartbeat everywhere. His fingertips, his ears, his nose, even his knees. He senses Richie getting closer and he thinks his lungs actually will stop working. After all this time of harboring a crush on his best friend, it was finally going somewhere. Even though that somewhere was “kissing lessons” because Richie felt bad for Eddie. He felt Richie’s breath on his lips just before the distance was closed.

His first kiss was… awkward to say the least. He didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he kept them firmly planted on his handlebars. All he did know was to keep his eyes closed, so he did. The kiss was essentially Richie touching Eddie’s lips with his own and holding them there for a few seconds. Regardless of how strange and how short it was, Eddie walked away from the Barrens with a dopey smile etched onto his face.

ii.

The second time Richie kisses Eddie happens only a day later.

All seven losers plus Mike’s boyfriend Sam are gathered around the TV in Eddie’s living room after school watching movies that Bev rented. He, Richie, and Stan take up the couch. Mike and Sam are squished into the large chair that Eddie’s mother usually inhabits. Bev, Ben, and Bill sit on the floor in front of the couch, Bill leaning against Stan’s legs. Snack bowls and drink cans were strewn about the room even though they had yet to start a movie.

The first one Bev picked was one called Dial M for Murder. The movie doesn’t sit well with Eddie. He watches on in muted discomfort as a man plots to kill his wife but doesn’t succeed. Eddie absently grabs at Richie’s arm when the man’s hired murderer gets stabbed with a pair of scissors. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Richie look at him with amusement.

The second movie is House on Haunted Hill. Eddie recognizes the main character is played by Vincent Prince. He was the actor who starred in House of Wax, a movie his cousin had forced him to watch that scarred him for life. He can only feel gratitude for Sam as he makes comments throughout the whole thing about how every special effect was done. He buries his head in Richie’s shoulder so he doesn’t have to look at the body of a wealthy woman dangling from the ceiling. Richie shifts so that Eddie can comfortably hide without craning his neck.

Lastly, and most out of character for Bev, she chose Singin’ in the Rain. This is a movie Eddie can get behind. All of his friends laugh and even sing along sometimes. In the last scene, he watches as Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly himself share a kiss in front of the sign advertising their film.

After three consecutive movies, Ben and Stan decide to call for pizza. Bev and Bill race for the bathroom, Bev claiming that her “lady issues” take precedence over Bill.

“C-come on, Bev,” he protests. “I di-hidn’t need to know th-th-that!”

Eddie rolls his eyes and laughs as he makes his way to the back porch for a breath of fresh air. It’s only a matter of seconds before the porch door slams again and Richie joins him, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Eddie leans against the railing and watches the sun stain the sky orange and pink as it sets. The two are silent as Richie lights up. Eddie can tell that his best friend is watching him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asks, a cloud of smoke rising from his mouth.

“Oh, nothing important,” Eddie responds, not bothering to take his eyes off the skyline. There is nothing farther from the truth. Eddie is currently thinking about the kiss from Singin’ in the Rain and the kiss Richie gave him and just how badly he wants to kiss Richie again. He looks over to see Richie staring at him. “What? Is there something on my face?”

Richie stamps out the butt of his cigarette on the porch and steps closer to Eddie. “Come off it, Eds. I’ve known you since the diaper days. You’re thinking about something important. I can see the smoke coming out of your ears.” The sentiment along with Richie’s matching hand gestures make Eddie laugh.

Then he realizes just how close Richie has gotten. He feels his eyes drop to his best friend’s lips and flick back to his eyes. This time, Eddie’s eyes are open when Richie kisses him, but soon they flutter closed. It’s better than the last time because Eddie actually has an idea what’s supposed to happen. Although, Eddie has no idea where to put his hands. Richie grabs at them and puts them on his waist. Eddie gasps as his fingers accidentally slip under the hem of Richie’s t-shirt. Richie laughs against his lips and pecks Eddie once more before quickly drawing away.

Eddie’s eyes are still closed dreamily when he says, “Let’s go back inside.”

Richie chuckles. “Yeah, sure, Eds. I’m sure the pizza will be here soon.” He puts an arm around Eddie’s shoulders and starts heading for the front door.

Eddie subconsciously snuggles into Richie’s side. “Don’t call me that.”

Richie brings out his mobster Voice: “Whatever you say, boss.”

iii.

The third time that Richie kisses Eddie, it’s by accident.

The two, along with Mike and Sam, had decided to go to the arcade after school one day. Eddie was having fun despite the arcade being a cesspool of germs. The group had more or less broken up as soon as they stepped in the door so they could each play what they wanted to. Eddie had looked at a few of the consoles and decided to play Frogger, something that seemed a little more his speed than the fighting games that Richie is so fond of or the racing games that Mike dominates.

The first few times he plays are duds, his high score only reaching nine. But this time, luck seems to be on his side. He keeps getting more and more. It doesn’t last very long, but now his high score is forty-two! He tries one more time, fitting his last quarter into the slot. He took a deep breath to focus and started to play.

During this game is when a young girl comes up to the machine to call next and sees how well Eddie is doing. “Wow!” she exclaims. “Good job!”

Eddie barely registers that she’s spoken and continues to play while mumbling a ‘thanks’. The girl runs to her big brother to report how well this boy is doing. He walks over to the machine with her, eyes the near-triple-digit number on the screen, and gets his best friend to watch. Soon, a small crowd has gathered around Eddie to watch him play. The word had spread all around the arcade to the point that most of the patrons and even the freckly teenager running the prize counter had come to witness Eddie’s impossible game.

Richie, Mike, and Sam had caught up and were looking for Eddie when they saw the huge commotion in the center of the arcade. Richie asks one of the kids in the back what’s going on.

“This kid is totally demolishing Frogger!” he responds enthusiastically. “Woo!”

Richie muscles his way forward to see if he can find Eddie somewhere in the crowd. He looks down at the people’s faces, not seeing his best friend anywhere. And then, he’s at the front of the crowd and spots him. At the console.

“Go Eddie!” Richie says, breaking out of his stupor. He shouts and whoops, the crowd following suit.

None of this seems to phase Eddie. He just keeps playing, the score rising into the 4-digit territory. All he does is concentrate and hope that his butterfingers won’t accidentally screw this up. He plays for another ten minutes without messing up. The crowd starts up a chant of his name, Richie, Sam, and Mike leading the pack: “Ed-die! Ed-die! Ed-die!” He smiles, but still doesn’t chance a look up.

Finally, he messes up and causes the frog to lose one of his lives. The crowd makes a mixture of noises, an “ooh!” or a hiss expelled through the teeth. Eddie isn’t stopping though, because he’s got two lives left. The number in the corner of the screen flicks to 5 digits, making everyone absolutely lose their minds.

He messes up again, causing himself to only have one life left. Now he begins to get nervous as the crowd of watchers literally bite at their nails. The score is now 6 digits long and everyone is in awe. He’s already beaten the high score, it’s just a matter of by how much.

He messes up one final time and it’s game over. Even though he lost, the crowd cheers, chanting his name once more. He turns around and pumps his fist in the air, shouting, “Hell yeah!” Mike and Sam rush over to life him on their shoulders as the chanting continues. When they let him down, the machine is still spitting out his massively long chain of tickets.

One of the little boys who had fronted the crowd says, “Mister, you gotta put your name in!” and points at the screen. There’s a cursor blinking in front of his score, a whopping 432,189, for three characters. Eddie thinks momentarily of putting his initials in, but then catches a glimpse of Richie smiling encouragingly at him and types in EDS.

The crowd begins to disperse, some leaving, other going back to their games. Sam and Mike bunch up Eddie’s tickets in their arms and start to feed them into the counting machine. Richie runs towards him and scoops him up, spinning him twice until he’s giggling.

“Amazing!” Richie shouts. He looks Eddie in the eyes and places his hands on either side of his face, planting a kiss on his mouth. This one lasts only six seconds, maybe seven, but it feels like an eternity to Eddie. Richie’s lips are warm and only slightly chapped. They both open their mouths, Richie’s tongue slipping inside. Eddie can taste the cigarettes and sugary banana chewing gum that he’s so fond of. They both pull away at the same time, Richie going red in the face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

Eddie cuts him off, “No. It was…” Fantastic, amazing, exhilarating, his mind supplies. More, his heart interjects. But aloud he only says, “nice.” They grin at each other before Richie slings arm around Eddie’ neck and ruffles his hair. “Stop it, you dickwad!”

Richie raises his arms in surrender, but sends a wink his way. Then he turns towards the two boyfriends still counting. “Mike! Sammy! What’s the hold up? The Frogger King needs his prize!” Eddie just rolls his eyes as he feels his heart grow.

iv.

The fourth time Richie kisses Eddie, a month has passed.

It’s nearing one in the morning when Eddie hears the soft tapping against his window. He forces his eyes open and blinks a few time, an attempt to make himself less sleepy. He focuses his ears, listening for the sound to happen again. When it does and he’s sure the noise wasn’t a product of his semi-conscious state, he raises from the bed, taking the duvet with him and pulls his blinds apart to peek outside. There, standing in his yard is a tall, lanky figure that Eddie knows all too well.

He cracks the window open and whisper shouts at the curly-headed person, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Can I come up?” Richie whisper shouts back, a slight strain in his voice. That irregularity instantly puts Eddie on edge. He nods and shuts the window before dropping his blanket and rushing down the steps to the front door. His best friend stands on the porch as he opens the door and ushers him inside. Eddie notices immediately that Richie is curled in on himself, shoulders tight and arms hugged to his midsection. His brow is furrowed also.

“Come on,” Eddie says, extending his hand. Richie takes it, allowing himself to be led up the stairs and into Eddie’s room. He kicks off his ratty sneakers and lays on the bed, knees drawn into his chest and eyes shut painfully tightly. Eddie climbs in next to him, urging him to scoot towards the headboard so he can cover the both of them. Richie does so with the least amount of movement he can get away with and it worries Eddie. His best friend, usually a loudmouthed, vivacious, and energetic person, seemed to be ill in one respect or another. “Do you want to talk about whatever happened?”

Richie’s only response was to nestle into Eddie’s side, placing his head on Eddie’s chest. Eddie is shocked and wills his heartbeat to slow so Richie doesn’t hear it, but still places his hand on his best friend’s head. He slowly runs his fingers through the curls and hopes that it’s calming. Now that there’s so much contact between the two of them, Eddie can feel Richie’s trembling and realizes that he’s crying. That’s when he starts to panic internally.

Richie begins to speak before he can do anything, his voice gravelly and thick with tears: “My mom was out again tonight. She came home drunk off her ass and stumbling around the front yard. I had to get her inside like usual, but this time she was so drunk I literally had to force her into her bed. My dad- my dad didn’t even care, he just stayed asleep.” Eddie grabs his hand, intertwining their fingers, as Richie takes a shuddering breath before continuing. “I asked her if she new my name or even who I was and she just looked at me. She finally said “You’re my nephew, right? Randy? Robert? Roger?” I- I went off on her.” He lets out a strangled sob.

“Shh, shh,” Eddie shushes him. “You don’t have to tell me.”

But Richie just keeps talking through his tears: “I told her she had to get her act together, that she was so hammered she didn’t know her own fucking son, and that at some point I’m not going to be there and dad doesn’t give enough of a shit to make sure she hasn’t choked on her own vomit. She started to cry and I ran like a damn coward.”

“Look at me, Richie,” Eddie says, a stern tone filling his voice. He forces two fingers under Richie’s chin to make him look up with his big, beautiful, brown eyes and even bigger glasses. Eddie removes these before speaking and wipes away a tear with his thumb. “You are not a coward. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a mother who cares. Until she gets her shit together, you’ve got Ben, Bev, Mike, Bill, me, hell, you’ve even got Stan.” Richie chuckles a little and sniffles. “We’ll be your family because we love you.” Because I love you, he thinks.

“Can I kiss you?” Richie asks suddenly. Eddie nods, not fully in control of his actions but not disagreeing with them either. Richie pushes himself up farther and places his lips delicately on Eddie’s. He can feel the slight waver still in Richie’s and pushes himself to be confident.

This kiss is slow and sweet and lasts for what feels like hours. Eddie puts a hand to Richie’s cheek and wipes away remnants of tears. He tastes the salt from them on Richie’s lips. This one is the gentlest of the kisses the two have shared. From both of them, there are only tender lip touches and quick pulses pounding at their throats. They kiss until they can’t breathe and must pull away from each other, but not completely. Their breaths mingle together as they gaze at one another, full attention on the other person.

“We should go to sleep,” Eddie says, his voice coming out in a whisper. They adjust themselves so that they’re laying flat in the bed. Richie’s head is still on Eddie’s chest, but this time his heart beats only slightly above his average rate. They wrap their arms around each other, a reminder that they’ll be together for the night.

“Goodnight, Eds,” Richie says sleepily.

“Goodnight, Rich,” Eddie replies, eyes shuttering closed.

v.

The fifth time Richie kisses Eddie, they’re not alone.

The losers club and Sam are gathered in Bill’s dining room, preparing for game night. The monthly tradition that had started in their youth had become a staple in their lives. It got brutal and always competitive between the teens, especially as they got older and smarter. This month, it’s Bill’s turn to host and supply food.

Outside, the rain is pouring down in sheets. It puts Eddie on edge, being in this house while it’s storming outside like that. He shivers as he watches out the window.

“Eddie!” Bev calls. “We’re about to start and you’re on my team. Get in here!”

Eddie shoots one final look at the water streaming down the road towards the drain, a chill creeping up his spine, and turns to join his friends. They play through a game of charades, Sam and Ben winning by about ten points, before the thunder starts. Eddie, Bill, and Mike jump, taken by surprise at the sudden sharp noise.

“Ooh, I hate that,” Mike remarks uneasily. Everybody chuckles tensely, Sam included, because they all know. The pain is still fresh for some, but what they went through when they were eleven scares everyone. Eddie can feel his face contort into an expression of grim remembrance.

“Let’s keep going,” Richie interjects into everyone’s thoughts. When Eddie looks up, Richie is staring at him. His eyebrow shoots up in question: Alright?

Eddie nods subtly as he is dealt a hand of cards for Go Fish. He is winning significantly, six pairs on the table in front of him, when a flash of lightning lights the windows. Eddie’s eyes grow to the size of saucers and his breaths quicken to the point of near hyperventilation. He knows he’s being irrational but he can’t help thinking of the horrible things that happened some seven years ago. It’s just a storm, Kaspbrak, he has to remind himself. We killed It. Nothing more to worry about.

“Eddie, are you okay?” Stan asks.

Eddie’s eyes are clenched shut as he lets out the last of his labored breaths. “Yeah. Yes. I’m fine. Just a little- jumpy.” Nobody at the table believes him, but they don’t want to work him up into an asthma attack, so they let it go. Eddie ends up winning having gone out with eight groups on the table. Richie jokingly accuses him of cheating before reaching across Bill to ruffle his hair.

Ben checks his watch. “Almost nine-thirty. Do we want to play one more game?”

“Yeah,” Bill says, grabbing for the Battleship box. “You’re all welcome to stay the night.” There are choruses of “thanks” and “sounds good” as a few people rise momentarily to call their parents. When everyone is back at the table, they split into teams of two. Bill, Ben, Eddie, and Sam on one team, Stan, Bev, Richie, and Mike on the other. This game lasts the longest because no one can sink anything on Eddie’ team. It was Ben’s idea to cluster all their ships together since not one person on the other team would guess their strategy.

Everyone’s less jumpy and more involved in the game when the power goes out. Eddie immediately cannot breathe as his mind fills with the nightmares that usually only haunt him in the wee hours of the morning. He swears he can hear the drip drip drip of the gray water in the sewers. He’s not sure if he screams or not, but if he had to bet he’d say yes. He shuts his eyes tighter than ever before and grabs at the table edge with a death grip. He distantly hears his friends shouting for him to look at them, to snap out of it, but he can’t. There is a shout from Richie for someone to grab his backpack and Eddie can hear him rustling around in it for something. He briefly lets go of the table and searches frantically for his inhaler in his pants pockets, in his hoodie, in the fanny pack he still carried, panicking more when he can’t find it, envisioning it in his mind’s eye on the table in the entry hallway. In the back of his memory, the image of his leper comes up and he hears the laugh of It, taunting him. He sees all the blood, his friends hurt, the leper, the werewolf, the mummy, Georgie-

“Eddie!” Richie’s voice commands. He doesn’t open his eyes but feels Richie’s hand delicately touch the back of his head and jams the spout of an inhaler in his mouth. He pushes the trigger once, twice, three times and waits for Eddie’s breathing to start again. “Eddie, open your eyes.”

He opens them slowly. In his panic and confusion, someone must have brought out candles because there are two lit on the table. It’s a miracle he didn’t knock them over and set the whole fucking house on fire. He glances around nervously at all of his friends. Stan is crying silently and he sees Bev is too. Mike is breathing about the same pace as he is, which is to say far too quickly to be healthy. Finally, his eyes slide to best friend. Richie grabs at his hands and puts them on his chest. “Feel my breathing. C’mon, Eds.”

But Eddie just can’t. “I-I-I saw It. I heard It! What if we didn’t kill It? What if It’s still down there, lurking and biding It’s time before another kill? What if another kid gets snatched? What if it’s one of us? God, I can’t of this again. I’m losing my fucking mind! What if-”

Suddenly, Richie’s lips are on Eddie’s. He doesn’t understand why, but it effectively shuts him up. This kiss only lasts a few moments, but it does the job. Eddie is breathing normally and his heart no longer feels like it’s about to take the jump. Richie is a constant in Eddie’s life and that thought calms him considerably. “Okay?”

“Yeah,” Eddie says. When Richie shoots his eyebrow up skeptically, he adds, “I mean it this time. Do you carry my spare inhaler?” Eddie can’t help but ask. 

“Just in case,” Richie responds, he notices that he hasn’t let go of his hands.

When Eddie looks around a second time, everyone in the room has a look of mild shock on the faces. “What?” This breaks everyone out of their gaping stance as they rush to sit down or leave the room entirely and say “nothing, nothing” as they scratch the back of their necks. Eddie shakes his head at them. “Sorry for freaking out.”

“We get it,” Stan says, his voice still tight with tears. He walks towards Eddie and wraps him in a blindingly tight hug. “We’re here for you though. Talk to us, don’t bottle it up. You’re not a burden.” The others pile in for the hug and for the first time in his life since fifth grade, he feels truly safe.

+1

Graduation creeps up unexpectedly on the losers and when it finally does come, they aren’t the least bit prepared. Yes, they know where they’re going to college and what they are studying, but they aren’t ready for the drastic change in their way of life.

This is all that Eddie thinks about as he poses with his various aunts, cousins, and even his grandma as his mother snaps pictures of him in his graduation cap and gown. After what feels like the fiftieth picture, he snaps, “Mom! I told my friends I’d meet them in ten minutes on the other side of town to take pictures. I’ll see you at the ceremony.” He feels bad for blowing up at his mother, so he gives her a quick peck on the cheek before removing his robe, leaving the house, and laying it along with the mortarboard delicately in the backseat of his car.

He drives to the newly constructed bridge over the lake and parks. He can hear his friends in the distance, laughing and shouting, enjoying the last official moments of their youth. Eddie smiles a bittersweet grin as he grabs his cap and gown to join his friends. He crosses to the middle of the bridge when Stan and Richie spot him.

“Fucking finally!” his best friend says. “Eddie Spaghetti is here now!” The loud announcement has gotten the attention of the rest of his friends. He takes the time to look over all the beautiful formal outfits the losers club has picked out.

Bev rushes over to give him a hug. She’s wearing a delicate, form-fitting red gown that drops to her knees. The off-shoulder straps allow everyone to see the heavy dusting of freckles that cover them and with her black pumps on, she’s the same height as Eddie. “You look beautiful,” he whispers into her ear.

“You look snazzy, too,” she replies once she lets go. She yanks playfully on the spring green tie his mother picked out. “Look at you, matching with trashmouth.” Eddie’s eyes dart to Richie who is still standing by Stan and immediately lock onto the near identical bowtie he’s wearing.

“Unintentional,” Eddie says to Bev. She just smirks at him and walks away. He looks around once more, noting that Mike, Stan, and Bill are all wearing black suits with pristine white dress shirts, the only difference being their tie colors. Ben looks dapper in his navy blue suit accompanied by a baby blue dress shirt and cerulean bowtie.

“Alright, ladies, let’s get this show on the road!” Sam calls out, brandishing a camera and gesturing for them to get in one spot. He offered to take pictures for his boyfriend and their friends even because he had graduated a year earlier.

All the losers put on their caps and gowns for the first picture. They stand in a line looking at the camera and smiling. After one nice picture, it all goes to shit. All of them had removed their graduation garb. Somehow, Bev ended up giving Stan a piggyback ride, Mike and Ben were threatening to throw Richie over the edge of the bridge into the lake below, and Bill and Eddie had ditched their suit jackets due to the increasing heat, their suspenders hanging limply by their sides. All the while, Sam’s camera clicking can be heard.

“One more, one more!” Sam shouts. The losers regroup and stand in the same formation as before, though a little more bright eyed and smiles a little wider. The camera snaps once more before Sam instructs them to get to the auditorium before they’re late. The losers split up between the three cars, Sam taking Mike, Bill taking Stan, Bev, and Ben, and Eddie taking Richie. They take their sweet time loading their gowns into the backseat of Eddie’s car and are the last set to leave.

Before either can get in the car, Richie speaks up: “You look really good. Handsome, I mean.” His hands are buried deep in his pockets and eyes downcast, but Eddie can see the blush lighting his best friends’s cheekbones.

“Thanks, Rich,” Eddie replies, struggling to keep his own blush from showing. “You clean up good.” Their eyes meet over the car and Eddie feels an overwhelming surge of emotions for Richie. The words are tumbling from his lips before he can stop them: “What are we?”

Richie has a deer in the headlights look in his eyes, caught with no chance of escape. “What do you want to be?”

Eddie rounds the front of his car so they can speak properly to one another. “I asked you first.”

His best friend takes in a deep, grounding breath before speaking. “Honestly? So much more than friends.” He lets out a breathy, nervous laugh that makes Eddie feel all sorts of things. “I’ve had the biggest, gayest crush on you for God knows how long and I’ve never had the balls to talk to you about it and the “kissing lessons?” Yeah, can’t say I’m proud of that one. I just didn’t know how to get your attention and I did the only thing that I could think of on the spot. I’m really sorry that I took advantage of you like that, but I’m not sorry that I finally got to kiss you. Wow, I’m making this a lot worse and I cannot stop talking-”

“Oh, shut up, you big idiot,” Eddie says lovingly, having heard enough and pulling Richie towards him by the lapel. He kisses his best friend with as much energy as he can muster. Hands fisted in Richie’s jacket, Eddie is finally the same height as his gangly friend. Richie grabs Eddie by the suspenders and drags him even closer, a hand drifting upwards to caress Eddie’s cheek. Eddie nips at Richie’s lower lip, gaining access to his mouth in the process. He tastes like cigarettes, as always, but underneath that is the taste of mint. When they finally come up for air, they’re both gasping. Eddie leans his forehead against Richie’s, breathing in the same breaths. “You’ve always had my attention. It was you I thought was unattainable. And there’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Jesus, all this fucking round and round and we could’ve been dating this whole time.”

“You want to date me?” Richie asks incredulously.

“Of course,” Eddie says simply. He places another, shorter kiss on Richie’s lips before returning to his side of the car. “Let’s get going. My mom would actually kill me if we skipped.” The two climb into Eddie’s car, driving towards the high school. Richie carefully intertwines their fingers, receiving a huge grin from Eddie. Even though they are about to officially graduate and be free to do as they please in the world, they are certain about one thing and one thing only: that they will be together.

And for now, that’s enough.

~ ~ ~

This took a very long time to write and I sincerely hope you enjoy it. To the incredibly patient anon that requested this: bless your soul. I wish I had this kind of patience. Got a request? Submit one here. See my masterlist here.

#I LOVE MY GAY SONS #reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #stan uris #bill denbrough #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #bev marsh #it 2017 #the losers club