#rest assured the boys do live in my head rent free because obviously they do | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

toosmallformyowngood · 2 years

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Okay so I finally figured out how to get picrew to work and so I went on a spree of making a million different picrews of one of my dumbasses living rent free in my head ocs. I'll probably do more for others later but I just had to get this stupid secretly an eldritch horror twink out into the world and since I cannot draw I have resorted to this. He's not exactly as I pictured him in my head (none of the hair colour options really matched the auburn / burnt umber I was going for, and amber eyes are apparently not common enough that they're a universal option so I bounced between picking brown and yellow. Also skin colour is slightly off but whatever- I'm not allowed to be picky), but close enough. Without further ado, meet Arian, my bastard gremlin bitch boy!

(Tw for cigarettes because he thinks being an unfathomable horror gives him a pass)

He is smiling here and I think this is the only picture where he's genuinely smiling because I ended up just making him look worried in all the others. It's still accurate to his character though because he has anxiety (because he's a dumbass bottom). (On a side note I think this is the one that's closest to his actual canon skin colour. The rest are all too far off-) (Dunno why his eyebrows are that colour tho lol)

Find the link here!

He has a pet rat that makes occasional cameo appearances btw. Her name is Cheezit because Ari panic named her on the spot and it stuck. The rat is like 15 years old at this point and Ari has no idea how long rats are supposed to live but he's starting to get slightly concerned that his rat might be magical. Stop smoking around your pet Arian you are an irresponsible rat owner.

Find the link here!

One more pic ft. Cheezit because I needed everyone to see her agian. (This is one of the ones where his skin is wayyy too light but ah well) (His hair also looks fucky but what am I gonna do about it?)

(Is it just me or does he look twelve? Lmao)

Find the link here!

Bonus picrew of Cheezit lol

(None of the rat options in other picrews are consistent so I guess this counts as Cheezit's canon appearance)

Find the link here!

I made him here in the a TMA picrew maker so that I could dick around with the more "monstrous" features but I made him normal first because I'm nice like that. He's smiling agian but he looks kind of pained lmao.

Find the link here!

Also I surrendered to impulse and put him in a mesh top you're welcome. He looks like that one smug cat meme.

Find the link here!

Anyway this is all him looking fairly normal, but... he gets... worse. I couldn't find a picrew for making full up eldritch monstrosities because A it would be difficult for someone to create and B the whole point in this case is that no one can describe him fully like that, because how do you describe a colour that doesn't exist on any spectrum, or a form that staunchly refuses to follow the established laws of linear physics. That said, I can give him too many eyes, which is one of his canon features when he's not very carefully keeping them "closed". For the sake of the following I'll say he's just sort of... half true appearance? Maybe he's stressed or like, super tired or something. Old one equivalent of waking up and forgetting to put on your underwear except in this case it's forgetting to hide the fact that your shadow looks wrong and also that you are covered in eyes. Obviously tw for body horror in the following but one of them has real eyes and eye contact and a depiction of his fucked up shadow so just fair warning for that. Also tw for some slight unreality because I use the royal "you" and that might be upsetting especially because it's in the context of him panicking and gaslighting the subject, as in "he assures you you're imagining things".

✂️----------✂️

Here's one I made in the TMA picrew. He's very stressed to be showing even a little bit of his actual appearance because he's very insecure so he's holding himself for comfort like an absolute dork. The sparkles around his head aren't part of his appearance I just added them because I'm gay and like sparkles.

Find the link here!

No twink is complete without a mesh top so there's that. I forfeited the extra extra eyes for more tendrils just because I wanted to see what it would look like because I was cruelly forced to pick between one or the other.

Find the link here!

Anyway have some random facts about him since you made it this far, starting with things that should be canon overall to his appearance but I couldn't get in some or any of the picrews:

Annnd here's the one that all those tws were for. He's stressed about something and losing control so he's trying very hard to cover up the eyes with bandages. It is not working and his shadow is still staring directly at you. It doesn't blink even when he does. He is assuring you very insistently that you are imagining things. (Cheezit left the scene and decided to take a nap on Ari's pillow instead of dealing with his bullshit)

Find the link here!

- He has a small mole under his right eye.

- Freckles! Lots of them across his face and shoulders, but they're hard to see because he has dark skin. They're genetic as opposed to sun based, though.

- He's got a tiny scar on the left side of his upper lip. Jokingly tells people he got it from various outrageous stunts but actually he fell on his face playing soccer on the concrete when he was a kid.

- Has a few a lot of piercings. Both of his ears are pierced "regularly" and he usually wears simple, nondescript hoops or studs. He also has those two piercings on the shell of his right ear and a barbell piercing on his right eyebrow. His belly button is pierced but he doesn't wear anything there anymore and the holes have pretty much closed up. Also has dermal piercings down the length of his back that usually hold barbells but get switched out for D rings for circus style body suspension. (He's definitely a bit of a daredevil and likes doing a lot of things people consider to be "extreme" or anything like that, hence why he knows how to pole dance and can manage himself somewhat passably on aerial silks. Plus he just likes the feeling of being up in the air)

- He's arabic, though inherited darker skin from his moms side of the family. Finds it somewhat funny when people keep giving him "subtle" side eyes trying to figure out what race he is.

- Animals tend to be suspicious of him on instinct given the whole uncanny valley vibe he sometimes gives off, but they aren't necessarily repelled by him. They warm up quickly enough if he just chills like any other person and maybe gives them a few treats.

- This man drinks way too much fucking coffee somebody stage an intervention. I'm pretty sure his blood is 90% coffee grounds at this point

- Speaking of blood, his is an ever so slightly off shade of maroon. Looks like blood from a severely dehydrated person even if he's completely fine.

- Also he has genetic high blood pressure. He really needs to get his health in check he's going to give himself a heart attack. Ari stop smoking please-

- In "eldritch form" he likes to attach himself to walls like some kind of fucked up slime mold and just chill there. Will peel off the wall like a cheap sticker if you startle him though and then he'll be pissed because he's just ripped off all the skin on his back like some sunburn from hell. Will also probably whine about the possibility of having ruined his tattoo

- Said tattoo is a 'tramp stamp' on his lower back, just above his ass. It's a tiny snake inked in black that's curled in a figure eight. He got it while he was sort of drunk but he doesn't really regret it. Considered naming it but he dropped the idea when he couldn't think of anything.

- If I had to pick I'd say he's a dog person because he vibes with the energy, but he has no problem with cats at all. Thinks hairless cats are really cute and can and will kiss them on their little heads.

- Dreaded morning person. But also somehow a night owl? Does he even sleep? The answer is yes, but only after he crashes from the caffeine high of like ten cups of coffee. Has no sleep schedule but despite this still gets up at ungodly hours of the morning to go to the gym like an absolute psychopath

- His eyesight is absolute shit and he needs glasses but refuses to wear them. Won't put in contacts either because he thinks they're annoying. Justifies walking into poles and doorframes as being "worth the price". He gets a little bit of a pass though because he is 4d and trying to navigate a 3d world and I don't think they make glasses for that. Still his eyesight is objectively crap either way no matter what so he can't really use it as an excuse.

- He can drive if it's an absolute emergency but he prefers not to for the above reason of his sight being crap. He'll only get behind the wheel if he has no other choice and even then he's internally panicking.

- Surprisingly decent at math. He's not like, Einstein or anything but he can tell you what 9 x 18 is which is more than I can do. This is definitely paradoxical because he is gay and should therefore not be able to do math.

- Favourite food is chicken pad Thai with peanut sauce and if you get some for him he will love you forever. Congratulations, you've acquired a creature. You're never getting rid of him.

- I honestly can't decide if he should be like, a *bajillion years old (*not actually more like 1000) or just, like, twenty. They're both hilarious in different situations and I cannot make up my mind.

- Purrs sometimes, but not like a cat. It just sounds like a guy trying to imitate a purr, which to be fair is a pretty apt description. It sounds silly until you realize he's still purring and he hasn't stopped to take a breath. You look over and notice that his chest is rising and falling steadily even as the noise rumbles out of his throat. He assures you it's just a talent of his.

- Riddled with anxiety just in general and because he has to frequently lie to and gaslight people to avoid outing himself, either as queer or as a monster from collective consciousness worst nightmares. Somebody get him to a psychiatrist.

- Can, will, and does need to eat regular people food, but consumes emotional energy as well. Does this passively when around people with no effects to them or can actively chose to take more via physical contact, effectively erasing thoughts, feelings, or in extreme cases entire memories. Can kill someone like this (because he's not just magically eating feelings, his presence is deteriorating cognitive function and his touch turns grey matter into soup) but he'd have a panic attack over it. Will very much throw up if he "eats" too much, but this only applies to the active taking rather than the passive "aoe" intake. Worth noting that he can't kill via touch or even just generally inconvenience someone with proximity in just a regular "human form" because it's specifically contact with the unfathomable eldritch stuff that melts people's brains into pudding.

- Big on physical affection. Hugs and other assorted touch are his love language. Very much not above faking falling asleep on someone's shoulder.

- Owns entirely too many shirts and like, two pairs of pants. That's an exaggeration but seriously, c'mon man. Buy some pants ffs.

- Probably works customer service for minimum wage but I find it way too funny to make him a stripper sooo-

- Likes plants but has zero green thumb. Compromises with plastic plants and various cacti, which he has surprisingly and much to his delight managed to keep alive.

- I know jack shit about zodiacs but I think he'd have a summer birthday. Idk why it's just the vibes.

- Actually enjoys shitty cheap beer for whatever reason. Further proof that he's insane <3

- Would bring a knife to a gun fight and win but he's cheating because he can cope with ridiculous amounts of damage. Ofc he's not going to walk off a gunshot, but he won't die, and adrenaline is a hell of a motivator until he eventually collapses and has to stagger off with his metaphorical tail between his legs to recover.

- Can't swim. He doesn't exactly sink because buoyancy and all that but he will panic and thrash around and just generally make his situation worse. Not in a comical way though he's not exaggerating he legitimately can't swim. Somebody get him out now before he drowns.

- Doesn't like water in general. Pretty scared of any body of water he can't see the bottom of, and doesn't like pools because agian, he can't swim. Might splash in a puddle or a kiddie pool or something but he mostly prefers just to sit off the the side and vibe. Stacks everyone's towels to make a cushion under him and jokingly refuses to give them back when they come out of the water sopping wet.

- Canonically has addictive personality disorder so do with that what you will

- "Dislikes" vegetables on principle but will eat broccoli. Will pretend like he's dying the entire time though, even though he actually likes it.

- Probably has the dumbest ringtone in the entire world. Either that or he just changes it every week. Maybe both.

- Paints his nails but it always flakes off within a day or two because he can't help but pick at it.

- Carries sunscreen around but not in a mom friend way. It's because he'll give you like seven different types of cancer if you hang around his "true form" too long and he doesn't want to take any risks. It doesn't really help but he's trying his best.

- Can sing decently will but will refuse to if directly asked because he's self conscious. Just take him to a karaoke bar though I guarantee he'll be up on stage in a matter of minutes.

- Can dance semi decently. Worth nothing that he can in fact belly dance though. Learned because he grew up seeing professionals at people's weddings and other big events and thought it looked really cool.

- Really likes trampoline parks but funnily enough despite being pretty agile usually he has absolutely no sense of balance while bouncing. Falls on his face every five seconds but rest assured he's having the time of his life in there.

- Pours the milk before the cereal. No real reason for this other than I like making him a menace to society

- Absolutely the kind of person to overuse the dog Snapchat filter

- Smells weirdly like fresh rain and ozone. And also the generic body wash he uses but still, under that all he smells like a thunderstorm. Pleasant enough at first but a little overwhelming up close or over long periods. Kissing him feels like licking the screen of an old TV, static buzz and a tiny bit frosty.

- Speaking of frosty, he runs cold. 100% will hog the blankets and or put cold extremities all over people in the middle of the night if they're cuddling. He doesn't mean to he's just chilly. What he does mean to do is stick his icy hands down the backs of people's shirts. Only does it to people he knows appreciate the humour though and will stop if asked.

- Has a pretty normal voice, though it has a small bit of unnatural reverb. Just enough that it's there but nearly impossible to place exactly what makes his words sound off. His "eldritch form", however, you do not want to listen to. Tries to be quiet but regardless of volume he'll still inadvertently blow someone's eardrums out because it sounds like he's a recording with all the distortion settings turned up to max. Well, not exactly, that's sort of an exaggeration, but his voice warbles unnervingly and his pitch is split so it sounds like three different people talking at once. Decent enough to listen to if you like horror ambiance noises, but otherwise invest in earplugs.

- Despite having eyes all over his body in that form they aren't really sensitive to pain, nor are they weak points. Stabbing them will only yield about the same reaction as stabbing him anywhere else, and they're no easier to puncture than his skin. Texture and consistency wise they feel almost like cow's eyes that have been preserved in formaldehyde (thanks, middle school biology class). As gross as it seems, gently stroking them will get him to purr. Don't worry about eye juices, they're weirdly dry and rubbery.

- Sometimes he forgets to blink. This is not because he doesn't have to blink, he very much does or his eyes get all scratchy, he's just a dork.

- Can cook average meals but pretty much only makes microwaveable stuff because he does not have his life together.

- Favourite fruit is strawberries, and consequently his favourite flavour ice cream, smoothie, milkshake, etc is all strawberry flavored as well. He's partial to mango too, though.

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nightowlfandom · 3 years

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Rich! Bad Boy!Min Yoongi- Try Me

Just wanna say if you see your name used here, I don’t have beef with you okay? I had a random name generator in another tab and just used the first name I saw.

Once again someone doesn’t want me to be great so....this might be the only post today because I....dunno I can’t post when I’m not in a good mood and its been real shitty.

CHECK OUT MY MASTERLIST HERE!!

X RATED PROMPT LIST| NON X RATED PROMPT LIST

RUN IN HERE AND COME GET Y’ALL JUICE

Leggo!

...

You were practically glued to his side. His arm was tightly wrapped around your waist as he led you across the room. You had perched your designer sunglasses on top of your head to get a clearer look at your surroundings. Why were you wearing sunglasses at night? Because you could, of course.

Your wore a backless floor length gown in one of his favorite colors. He had insisted you wear your fur coat, but you convinced him to let you leave it in the car. You were on full display, not only for him but for anyone else who thought that they had bought the most gorgeous date for the night. That title was forever and always reserved for Min Yoongi’s girl and tonight only proved it more and more.

He walked with his held held high as if everyone around him was beneath him. His attired screamed ‘try me, bitch’ From his black suit and tie to crisp white dress shirt and shoes that were worth more than someone’s rent for five months. His hair was slicked back and while he didn’t bother to raise his own pair of shades, everyone could see the glare very evident on his face.

You two were the epitome of a power couple, in the most literal sense and everyone respected that.

“Mr. Min! Welcome!” a nervous and frantic looking man rushed up to you. “This must be your beautiful companion for the night.” he bowed repeatedly. So many times that you lost count. He held his hand out for you to take, but you were left to stare awkwardly. You had no idea what to do in that moment. After a second or two you held your hand out, which he shook a bit too aggressively.

Yoongi calmly used his free hand to raise his sunglasses up. “You gettin’ paid to rip my girl’s arm out its socket?”

“Oh! my apologies Mr. Min!” he instantly let your hand go. “I wasn’t aware.”

“You never are.” he scoffed, allowing his shades sit on the top of his head. “Is our table ready or did they send you here to waste our time?”

“You’re fashionably early! Your comrades haven’t arrived yet.” the host stammered. “Follow me!” he practically disappeared through the sea of people.

“What a tool.” you spoke for the first time since you left the car. “I’ve never seen a bigger kiss-ass in my life.”

“Hm, trust me I’ve met worse. He’s just a dick-rider for the men who really own this place.” He leaned down and spoke into your ear. “Those guys will literally shit on someone else’s table if I tell them to.”

“How riveting.” you rolled your eyes playfully as he led you through the crowd. It was easy for people to get out of your way. One look from your boyfriend and they were hugged the nearest wall or throwing themselves against the various tables set up all over the place. “Remind me again why we’re here?”

“Don’t make that face.” He smirked. “I told you, official business.”

“And we couldn’t do that somewhere less...sleazy?” you scoffed at the old man with five different women on his arm. “Yoongi-”

“It’s only for a few hours.” he assured. “Then after that, we can do whatever you want, okay?”

“You said that last time.” you hid the pout forming on your face.

“You have my word.”

“Or so you say.” you slipped out of his grip. “Until you have more trash take out.” you shook your head as you walked ahead. Yoongi watched you from behind as you walked ahead. Of course you didn’t need him by your side to be considered intimidating. He bit his lip at the idea of ripping that dress off your body when you got back to the hotel. Shit, he might not even manage to keep his hands to himself in the car.

Yoongi joined you at the table. “ You feel like Soju tonight?”

“Depends on if you want me to start fighting or not.” you raised an eyebrow at Yoongi.

“Hm, on second thought how about imported beer.”

“This isn’t date night at your place, dear.” you replied jokingly.

“Hm, you’re right. It’s been a while since we’ve splurged. We can do wine tonight!” he chuckled in reply as you both sat down. Just as you both got settled, you were met by a small crowd. Yoongi’s friends, of course.

“Oi! Watch how you handle my fucking jacket! It’s worth more than your life.” Namjoon snapped at that host.

“My apologies sir!”

“Yoongi, Y/N. Good to see you.” Seokjin shook Yoongi’s hand firmly. “Sorry we’re late.”

“We just arrived ourselves.” you replied, relaxing as Yoongi wrapped his arm around your waist again. “Yoongi insisted.”

“Of course he did.” Jungkook sat down. “I saw the other women glaring at you.” he laughed. “You sure know how to make an entrance.” he raised your hand to his lips for a short kiss to your knuckles.

“Of course she does. She’s the best looking woman here.” he huffed as if it was obvious. The host quietly bought the selection for the night.

“Wine for the lady, the usual for the rest of us.” Yoongi spoke for the table.

“Yes sir!”

Before anyone else could speak, a woman in a red dress and white fur coat strode up. “Yoongi? Is that you?”

“Meredith....fancy seeing you here.” Yoongi looked less than thrilled.

“Very!” she seemed a little too happy to see him. It was funny because you had never seen nor heard of this woman in your life. “So...I tried to call you.”

She was completely oblivious of you sitting right there and you didn’t like it.

“What are you doing here?” Seokjin annoyedly spoke up as his drink was poured. “If you couldn’t tell, we’re all trying to enjoy ourselves.”

“I just wanted to catch up with an old friend!” she put her hands up in defense. Her eyes suddenly landed on you. “Whose this?” she fixed her face in disgust

“Y/N L/N, who the fuck are you?” you raised an eyebrow. Your posture straightened up as she glared at you. You threw your sunglasses on the table, crossing your arms as you perked up.

“Are you Yoongi’s pet or something?” she put a hand on her hip. “ Guess they’ll let anyone in!”

“Pet? Oh Honey...Even if that were true it would still mean I’m sitting here and your standing there looking stupid....”

“Oh yeah. He’s probably waiting for the perfect moment to get rid of you!”

You held up a single hand to up Yoongi to signify that you didn’t want him to speak. He looked livid, however you didn’t see the point in him wasting his time or energy on this woman. You slowly stood up. The host held your glass of wine with shaky hands, unsure of what to do.

“Thank you.” you grabbed the glass from him. “Run along now.”

“Yes mam!” the scared host scurried off, obviously not wanting any confrontation.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” Yoongi asked, watching you with weary eyes. You weren’t confrontational so this was a huge surprise.

“Meredith. That is your name, right?” you smiled sweetly. You took a sip from your glass. “Hm...What a darling coat! I bet it goes with anything.”

“Of course it does! It pairs best with red. I bought it in Paris...” she put a hand on her hip as if she was a model. “As you can see.”

“Too bad beautiful gowns and expensive fur doesn’t make the wearer any less cheap than the next bitch.” you instantly shut down the false sense of security you built for the disrespectful woman.

“EXCUSE ME?!?”

“Not done yet....” you cleared your throat before speaking again. “ Whore, Pet, Wife ,Girlfriend, whatever you want to call me, go ahead but best believe my place in Yoongi’s life will always hold rank over you, my dear. You weren’t even important enough for him to tell me about you and we’ve been together for four years going on five as of two months from now.” You put your free hand on your hip. “That’s number one.” you laughed gleefully.

“Damn Yoongi, your girl has guts.” Namjoon whispered.

“That’s my babe.” Yoongi sat back and watched you drag Meredith for filth.

“Number Two! Before you try to feed me shit and call it sugar, make sure you take off the tags on your clothes.” You pointed to the obvious department store tag. “Clearance...nice. I also know fake diamonds when I see them, don’t play yourself.”

Nothing was wrong with fake gems, or clearance items...but pretending you were better than everyone else while lying...that wasn’t gonna go down.

The girl had went completely quiet now.

“Three. Last but not least. Get over this whole convoluted ‘I’m better than you’ ideals you follow because the same people you turn your nose up at are the same people who you rely on on a day to day basis. Shiny hair, expensive clothes, and a posse of fake friends who tell you everything you want to hear does not guarantee happiness. Insulting me because it gives you short lived joy does not guarantee happiness. Pretending you actually have any sense of class when it’s obvious you faked your way to the top of social stardom does not guarantee happiness.” you put your wine glass on the table. “So before I proceed to tell you to go fuck yourself and to stay away from me and my BOYFRIEND...any questions?”

Not even five seconds passed and this woman walked off without another word. You didn’t feel bad, not by a long shot. Respect is something that’s earned any ANYONE who didn’t understand that could get a piece of you.

You sat back down next to Yoongi, grabbing your wine again. “Gentlemen, forgive me for that outburst.”

“Damn babe.” Yoongi wrapped his arm around you again. “That was hot.”

“Good because I’m highly fucking livid right now.” you calmly took a sip of your wine. “Who was that woman?” you turned to glare at Yoongi.

“She was an actress who was paid to portray my wife for a business thing I was forced to do.” he shook his head. “Y/N I promise she means nothing to me. It was before we even met.”

“Good. Let another girl talk crazy to me, I’ll kill you both.” you said with a straight face. “Her for thinking she can talk to me any way she wants, and you for keeping things from me. I will cut you deep, sir.”

“Damn I love you.” he bit his lip. He turned your head towards himself to give you a deep kiss.

...

As he had promised, he could barely keep his hands off you in the car. The minute the doors had shut, Yoongi had the hem of your dress bunched up in his fist. His lips feverishly laid open mouth kisses along your exposed neck.

“Yoongi, we shouldn’t do this here.” you whimpered, even though your actions said the completely opposite.

“Why? No one is gonna stop me. They damn sure won’t say shit about it.” Yoongi stopped for a split second to turn a glare to the limo driver, who was trying very hard not to look in the rear view mirror. “PUT THE FUCKING DIVIDER UP.” he barked.

“Yes sir!!”

Yoongi pushed you down onto the seats, causing you to let out a laugh. The divider was put up and you could hear the sound of fabric ripping.

He had tore a rip up your dress.

“Goodbye $3,000 dress.” you huffed.

“More where that came from.” he laughed, which was quickly replaced with a sadistic smile. “Spread your legs, baby.” he pouted. “Daddy wants to finger you”

“In the car-"

“When we get back to the hotel, I want you naked on that bed.” he growled. “If not, I’ll fucking rip whatever you have left off.”

... (The Hotel)

He couldn’t even keep his hands to himself in the elevator, any part of you he could get his hands on, he touched. By the time you two had gotten back to the room, you were thrown on the bed. Your dress had a huge tear up the leg and the straps were holding up either. Yoongi had discarded every article of clothing except his pants which were hanging low on his hips at this point.

“How do you want me?” he flicked his tongue against his bottom lip, looking you up and down. “I’ll do whatever you want, babe.” He watched as your shy wall was quickly put up and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Baby doesn’t know?”

“Nuh uh.” you hid behind your hands with a shy smile.

“Hm...my hands?”

“hm....nuh uh.” you shook your head again.

“Hm...my mouth then?” he bit his lips, standing right in front of you. “Where was that fire, honey? Come on.” he grabbed your hands. “Want me to eat that pretty pussy, baby?” He gathered the rest of your dress in his fist. “Come here.”

He began kissing up your bare thighs. You shook your legs, biting your lip. You felt him pull your panties down.

“You were so brave for me, sexy girl. Where’s that fighting spirit? Do you want me to eat this sweet little- hmm.” he dragged his tongue up your slit, laying opened mouthed kisses along your pussy. “You’re brave for the outside world but you still need daddy to take care of you, huh?”

“Mhm!” you nodded desperately.

“Baby you taste so fucking good.” he laughed, lashing his tongue against your hot flesh. “You’re moving so much.” he cackled. “Hmm” he dug his nails into your thighs. “You like it when I eat this pussy?”

“This is mine.” he mumbled against your heat. “This is all mine. Don’t think I’m done with you yet...”

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bbangsoonie · 3 years

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creker academy

member: eric genre: fluff (ft some angst), fantasy au word count: 6,182 synopsis: after finally triggering your hidden powers, fate lands you at creker academy, a special boarding school meant for shapeshifters. there, you learn how to control your abilities and that opposites do indeed attract.

The day you found out that you were adopted was the day your life fell apart. The secret was hidden from you until your uncle coldly drew the line at your parents’ funeral. He told you that he had no intention of taking responsibility for his brother’s actions and that you were no longer a part of the family.

That was how you ended up living alone in a tiny half-basement studio. You barely managed to afford the deposit and rent with the consolation money you received from the funeral.

Every day, Hyunjoon would come knocking at your door and every day, you would turn him away. It had only been a month since you became independent and the scar of losing your parents was still fresh. You were also too ashamed to face your friends. You didn’t want their pity and so you hid away in isolation.

On the night of your birthday, the pain became too unbearable. Although you aged another year, you were still only a teenager. Granted, you were in your last year of high school but you were still a minor. Having to fend for yourself in this harsh world was too much for you to handle.

As you cried yourself to sleep, you could feel a cold coming. The heat from your headache spread to the rest of your body and you felt yourself burning up.

After you bought some medicine from the pharmacy, you slipped into a deep slumber. Your dreams were wildly vivid. You dreamt of an enchanted forest that enticed you to take refuge in its comfort. There, animals of all species ran free and in harmony. It promised you acceptance and a home.

“It’s time you learn of your identity,” a soft voice spoke.

As soon as the whisper tickled your ears, the entire forest was up in flames. Strangely, you weren’t struck with fear. Rather, you felt empowered.

“Y/n, you need to learn how to control yourself,” the voice warned.

It was only then that you started to panic. The flames were engulfing everything in sight and all the animals were running for their lives.

“Y/n, you have to wake up. Now,” the voice commanded.

With that, your eyes shot open. To your horror, the scene in your dreams reflected the view in front of you. Your house was on fire and you were slowly getting cornered by the heat. Frightened, you look to the door only to see it consumed by the blaze.

“Trust your instincts, Y/n,” the voice in your head cooed. “Let your body take control.”

Bewildered, you had no idea what that meant. All you knew was that you had to get out of there. You squeezed your eyes shut, hoping to think of a solution. When you reopened them, the room seemed to be a lot bigger than normal. At that moment, you saw the window cracked open. It was your only hope.

Your body felt different when you stood up.

“Why am I so short all of a sudden?” you wondered.

You looked down and almost screamed when you saw paws instead of your feet. Except a meow came out of your throat instead.

You didn’t have time to freak out about it. Feeling something hot graze your tail, you jumped up and landed on the window sill. Your innate desire for survival kicked in and you squeezed through the opening to escape.

Once you felt fresh air in your lungs again, you ran. And ran. And ran. You didn’t know why or where you were going, but something in you told you to run. Your legs kept sprinting until they reached the forest that appeared in your dream. They came to a slow stop when you realized where you were.

“What is this place?” you pondered.

“This is the border between our world and the human world,” a woman in white suddenly emerged from the trees. “You are now about to cross into our territory.”

It was the same voice from your dream. Trying to grasp the situation, you opened your mouth to ask a million questions. But again, a meow replaced your voice.

“It’ll be easier for you to transition back once you're on our grounds,” she assured. She bent down and gestured for you to jump into her arms.

Not seeing any other option, you hesitantly took her offer. With you safely in her embrace, she passed through a translucent wall that revealed what looked like a huge campus. Your jaw dropped as you observed your surroundings. There were students walking around the magical place. You saw a girl tending the garden and gasped when her hands hovered above the flowers to revive them.

The woman brought you to an office you presumed to be hers and placed you in front of a mirror. Your shriek came out as a cute yelp and she chuckled.

“I-I’m a cat!” you thought.

“There’s an outfit you can change into once you return to your human form,” she pointed at the black dress neatly prepared on the table.

The second she finished her sentence, you felt a bare sensation. Looking down, you screeched at your naked body. Embarrassed and horrified, you quickly clothed yourself with the dress.

“W-What’s going on?” you asked, relieved to finally hear your own voice again.

“I’m sure you felt different from others your whole life?” she asked. It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

She wasn’t wrong. All your life, you never felt like you fitted in anywhere. Maybe your body knew you were adopted before your mind did and ostracized itself. Or maybe you truly were different. You had weird talents that other kids thought were freaky, making you hide them and become introverted. For instance, you were suspiciously good at starting fires from scratch at summer camp and didn’t feel any pain when your shirt accidentally caught on fire.

“I know this must be shocking to you but you’re special, Y/n. We’ve been waiting for you. Waiting for you to trigger your powers to bring you here,” she smiled.

“My what?” you gaped.

“Your powers. What you just did back at your old house and right now. You’re a shapeshifter, Y/n. A shapeshifter with the element of fire,” she explained.

“I’m a what now?” you scoffed in disbelief.

“Creker Academy is a school and home for students just like you. It’s a place meant to train you how to control your powers. Without our guidance, you’ll lead down a path of self-destruction.”

Baffled by her words, you stared in silence. There was no way any of this was true. Surely this had to be a dream.

“This isn’t a prank or a dream, Y/n. You’ve finally found where you belong,” she clarified.

Belong. You had never felt like you really belonged anywhere. But now, someone was telling you that you belonged with them. That they wanted you there. That they had been waiting for you.

“I understand you must feel overwhelmed. But there are procedures to follow so I’m afraid you will have to begin your tour first. A fellow student will be arriving soon to show you around.”

As if on cue, a boy around your age knocked on the door and came in after receiving the woman’s permission to enter.

“Hello, Headmaster,” he bowed.

“Eric, this is Y/n. Y/n, this is Eric. He will be helping you adjust here,” she introduced.

Eric was bright eyed and eager to meet a new friend. You, on the other hand, were quite reserved and uncomfortable in your new environment.

He was excitedly pointing out the purpose of each room you passed by and rambled on about the social norms of the boarding school. You learned that on top of academics, there were classes on virtues and physical training. And of course, classes that taught you how to properly use and contain your powers.

The use of magic was strictly prohibited inside any and all buildings. Students could practice their skills outside but were forbidden from any acts that could potentially put someone or something at risk. That was the one rule that was rigidly enforced and obeyed.

“So what animal and element are you?” he curiously pried. “I’m a dog with the element of water.”

“I’m… apparently a cat,” you felt ridiculous saying it aloud. “And control fire.”

“Ah, you’re a member of the fire element,” he nodded. “What that means is that your element rivals with mine. Some people see fire elements as hotheaded, impulsive, and extreme. Water elements are sometimes emotional, sensitive, and antisocial. But those are all just stereotypes, of course. Not everyone fits into the standard. I, for one, am very outgoing. And your animal obviously plays a role in your personality. I guess the dog in me overpowers the water.”

You had moved on from the indoor portion of the tour to the outside part. He was showing you the garden you had passed by earlier. It was full of flowers that wouldn’t be in bloom this season in the normal world.

“I’m a strong believer in that there are good traits about each element. For example, fire elements are passionate, inspirational, and expressive. They’re arguably the most fun people you’ll ever meet. Water elements are empathetic, imaginative, and loving. But again, all this is relative and doesn’t accurately describe each person,” he reminded. “The only reason there’s still a stupid feud is because some people love sticking to the status quo and labeling others.”

“What are the other elements? Air and earth?”

“Yup! Air elements are independent, talkative, fickle, and nonconformists. Most likely social butterflies. Earth elements are disciplined, loyal, organized, and judgemental. Oftentimes the leader.”

Eric greeted a male student who was passing by with two other boys. He exchanged smiles with the three of them who offered you a kind nod of acknowledgement.

“That was Sangyeon. He’s a bear. On his left is Jacob, a rabbit. The one on the right is Younghoon, who’s also a dog like me. They’re all earth elements,” he disclosed. “Sangyeon is the class representative of our grade. Definitely fits the leader stereotype.”

You couldn’t get over how thrilled he was to be your tour guide. He was filling you in on even the little details of the social life at the academy. He told you about how transfer students were rare and that it was his first time seeing a new student.

His vibrancy contrasted your somber aura. If he noticed, he didn’t comment on it. He was having too much fun getting to know you.

“Oh! That’s Hyunjae and Juyeon,” Eric suddenly pointed at a pair of boys on a morning run. He waved at the two who waved back before speeding up.

“The one with brown hair is Hyunjae, a wolf and fire element. His real name is Jaehyun but he changed it to Hyunjae once he got to Creker Academy. Juyeon’s the one with black hair and is a cat like you. Except he’s a water element like me,” he grinned. “They’re my best friends. Oh, and this guy named Sunwoo who’s a raccoon with the element of fire. As you can see, water and fire elements can get along fine and well. So don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.”

By the time he was done showing you around, a bell rang and students began to convene inside. Eric explained that the bell was signaling the beginning of classes and brought you to his homeroom.

“Breakfast is buffet style and self served. It’s up to you to wake up and come down to eat. The cafeteria remains open for an hour until that bell rings and we have to get to class,” he said you entered.

Looking around for an empty seat, his face lit up when he spotted one. He sat at his desk and tapped on the one behind him to let you know that it was yours to take.

You still hadn’t processed all that’s happened since dawn. Everything felt like a haze. Nevertheless, you found yourself paying attention when the teacher walked in. He scanned the room to find a new face and smiled when he made eye contact with you.

“Alright, guys. I’m happy to announce that we have a new student that will be joining us starting today,” he beckoned for you to come up to the front of the classroom.

You wanted to shrivel up and crawl into a hole. Feeling your classmates gazes on you, you gulped and began to sweat. You were never a fan of attention. You quickly introduced yourself before rushing back to your seat, eliciting giggles from a few students. Your cheeks heated up and you felt that burning tingle again.

The awkwardness made you transform back into a cat, making your classmates gasp. Their intensified stares made the tips of your fur ignite, alarming the teacher who tried to calm you down.

“Well I guess she’s a fire cat,” a girl snickered.

Eric shot her a glare before leaning in to ask if you wanted him to put the fire out with his water. Not knowing what else to do, you nodded and the next thing you knew, you were drenched.

So much for your first day.

You ran out of the room before you could change back into a human. You fled but didn’t know where to go. You grew anxious, desperately hoping you wouldn’t end up flashing anyone.

“Hey!” someone called out. You turned around to see a male approaching you. Panicking, you dove into a bush.

“You’re the newbie, right?” he asked, taking something out of his bag. He dug out a large t-shirt and a pair of shorts and placed them in front of you. “I usually carry around a spare outfit in case of emergencies. I hope you don’t mind the fit.”

You were still in your animal form so you peaked your head out to look at him.

“My name’s Chanhee. Air element penguin,” he squatted down to meet your eyes. “Everyone’s first day is rough. You’re not the only one who’s had incidents like this so try not to feel so bad about it.”

He stood to go back to class, leaving you to change in privacy once you returned to your normal body. Your hair was still wet as you dragged yourself back to the headmaster’s office.

The headmaster looked at you with pity when you walked in looking worn out. You didn’t have to tell her for her to know what happened.

“How about I show you to your dorm?” she warmly suggested. Anything was better than returning to the classroom.

Due to your late enrollment, you were assigned a single room as opposed to the traditional double rooms. You were glad you didn’t have to go through the process of meeting and getting used to a roommate. It was a small but cozy space and the closet was filled with clothes.

You realized all of your belongings were probably burned down in your old home. Now you really didn’t have anything to go back to.

Before the headmaster left to allow you to settle in, she insisted that you join your classmates for lunch later. You wanted to say that you just wanted to stay in your room but her stern look had you close your mouth.

So you begrudgingly made your way to the cafeteria and gawked at the amount of students packed inside. Feeling them stare at you, you tried to ignore their whispers as you grabbed a tray of food. To your relief, you saw Eric motioning you over and went to go sit down next to him.

His group of friends was fairly large. You saw the boys he had named earlier that day and were surprised to see Chanhee again.

“Hi! I’m Changmin,” one enthusiastically waved. “I’m an air squirrel.”

“Haknyeon, air pig,” another raised his hand.

“My animal is a hamster and my element is water. You can call me Kevin,” the last one smiled.

After shyly exchanging greetings with everyone, you poked at the rice on your plate. The food was undeniably better than the food served at your old school. However, thinking about your old school made your stomach drop as you thought of the friends you left behind. You were sure Hyunjoon was worried sick about you.

“Do you hate water? And have you always hated water? I would assume you don’t like it very much as a cat and fire element,” Changmin looked at you with sparkling eyes that displayed his curiosity.

“Yeah I actually never learned how to swim. I guess that explains why. I never had a reason when my friends asked me about it,” you mused. In hindsight, your unreasonable hatred and fear of water made sense.

“Interesting, interesting,” he nodded.

Like that, the next couple of months flew by. You were put on an intensive program to catch up with your peers and received one-on-one tutoring to help you learn how to shapeshift at will. You could now easily turn into a cat but still had trouble returning to your human form.

To your dismay, you were denied communication with the outside world. The headmaster was very much against risking having the academy and everyone’s identities exposed. Which meant that you weren’t allowed to contact anyone from your previous life.

One good thing was that you were no longer the hot topic of the school. People’s interest in you died down when you didn’t reciprocate theirs.

You grew close to Eric and his group of friends. They were an interesting bunch. Each of them were uniquely chaotic.

Eric was the exact opposite of you. Literally. As a water element dog, his personality contrasted your fiery cat. Everything from your food tastes to fashion style were different. Yet, you felt the most comfortable with him. He brought light into your life and made adjusting to your new school easier.

You were also always at odds with Juyeon. Although you were both cats, he was everything you weren’t. He was sweet but you just didn’t match on so many things. This meant for a very awkward but pleasant friendship.

You got along best with Chanhee. His air side complemented your fire and he quickly became your closest friend. He was both sassy and caring and you appreciated his endless concern and support for you.

Changmin was a wild card. He and Sunwoo wrecked havoc everywhere they went as Younghoon and Haknyeon incited them while Kevin and Jacob were trying their best to prevent them from destroying the campus. Sangyeon and Hyunjae, who were usually busy with student council matters, were the only ones who could calm everyone down but sometimes chose to enjoy the mayhem.

“Did you guys hear the rumors?” Sunwoo bursted through the classroom door panting. “The headmaster is considering an overnight field trip for the seniors!”

Jaws dropped and gasps spread throughout the students. The room was immediately in a buzz as everyone was shocked and excited at the possibility of leaving the sealed territory. It had been 5 years since students were allowed a trip in the outside world.

The homeroom teacher came in and hushed everyone to quiet down. He couldn’t hide the smile that forced its way onto his face after seeing how happy his students looked.

“Is it true we might get a senior trip?” Haknyeon impatiently asked.

“I cannot comment on that. An official announcement will be made later today,” the teacher said.

“That’s not a no!” Younghoon squealed.

True to his words, the headmaster’s voice was heard over the PA system before the dismissal bell. She congratulated the seniors on their hard work and announced that they would be given the opportunity to sign up to spend 3 days and 2 nights on a cruise.

The entire floor of students erupted into cheers and you heard footsteps run across as they barged into classrooms to find their friends and rejoice together. Changmin came into your classroom dragging Kevin and Juyeon behind him.

“Guys, I can’t believe it! It’s been forever since I last saw humans,” Changmin gushed.

“The whole point of us going on a private boat is to ensure that we don’t have any run-ins with humans,” Kevin reminded.

“Yeah but I’m sure we’d pass by them on our way there,” Changmin rolled his eyes.

Sangyeon, Hyunjae, and Jacob strolled in, greeting your group of friends with a nod of acknowledgment. They waited as the rest of you gathered your stuff to leave together.

“Everyone’s going, right? Y/n, you too?” Eric asked.

“Umm,” you hesitated as you looked at their expectant eyes. “I honestly don’t know if it’d be a good idea… I’m still not in complete control over my powers.”

“Aw but Y/n! You can’t miss out on this once in a lifetime trip with all of us!” Sunwoo whined.

“Yeah, it’ll be your last time leaving campus before graduating! Plus, it’ll be your first and last major bonding experience with our class,” Younghoon pouted.

“I know how hard fire can be to control. If you want, I can stay with you and try to help you detect signs of distress before it manifests itself,” Hyunjae offered.

“And I‘ll be next to you to put out any accidents!” Eric beamed.

“You know I always have extra clothes in my bag,” Chanhee added.

You couldn’t say no to the 11 pairs of pleading eyes. They all so desperately wanted you to go with them that it warmed your heart. It hadn’t even been long since you first met them but they always treated you like you were with them from the start.

So you added your name to the list of students and that was how you ended up dragging your suitcase to the giant cruise ship. Haknyeon was bouncing in excitement next to you as the throng of high schoolers slowly made their way inside.

Room assignments were the same as back at the academy, which meant that you were in a single by yourself again. Changmin expressed his envy as Chanhee happily pulled him into their shared room.

Once you were unpacked, you headed to the deck and admired the seascape. The ship was already sailing into the vast ocean and the endless horizon felt so freeing. Leaning on the handrails, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. The salty smell brought back memories of visiting the beach with your parents.

You felt someone join you but didn’t open your eyes. You could tell by their footsteps that it was Eric.

“Enjoying the change in environment?” he asked.

“Makes me a bit nostalgic,” you said as you opened your eyes.

The wind was strong and the waves were violently crashing into the sides of the boat. With the sun glistening in the water’s reflection, you squinted a bit to appreciate the scenery in front of you.

“Isn’t the view so pretty?” you sighed in content. You didn’t notice that he wasn’t looking at the sea. Instead, he was staring at you.

“Yeah. Extremely pretty,” he found himself saying with a soft smile.

To Eric’s slight annoyance, Sunwoo came and tactlessly interrupted the moment to tell you two to meet everyone else at the pool. He was raving about the jacuzzi next to it and eagerly tugged at Eric’s sleeve to hurry him up.

Younghoon was already shoving Hyunjae’s head underwater when you arrived. Jacob waved at you from the chaise lounge and you sat down next to him. Giggling, you watched Sangyeon climb on top of both of them as Juyeon egged him on. Changmin and Chanhee were relaxing in the jacuzzi while Kevin and Haknyeon were piling food on their plates at the snack bar.

Eric was thrown into the pool thanks to Sunwoo’s push and he emerged to the surface screaming and laughing. Using his powers to add more pressure, he splashed Sunwoo with water, who ran off shrieking.

“Do you not like the water as well?” you turned around to face Jacob.

“I don’t necessarily dislike it but I don’t really like it either,” he shrugged. “I don’t mind jumping in if the guys tell me to join.”

“Do you hate the water or are you afraid of it?” Haknyeon asked as he and Kevin took a seat next to you.

“I guess both?” you answered.

“You know, contrary to popular belief, I’m actually not that fond of large bodies of water either,” Kevin said as he offered Jacob a bite of his pizza. “Pretty weird for a water element, huh?”

“Hey, hey, we don’t stick to stereotypes. We are all individuals with personalities and preferences unique to our own character,” Jacob chided.

“Oh how I love confirmation biases,” Haknyeon joked.

You had to admit it was pretty interesting to see how each person matched and defied their element and animal characteristics. It was like taking a personality test and fervently agreeing with the parts that were true and blatantly ignoring the parts that weren’t.

The rest of the day was spent fooling around and playing games. There was never a dull moment with the boys. They were always in high spirits and full of energy.

Even at dinner, your table was the loudest one. Juyeon had been sneakily stealing a few bites of fish off of Haknyeon’s plate, who took great offense when he finally noticed. Meanwhile, Eric was bargaining with Younghoon for his chicken. At the mention of chicken, Hyunjae joined in on the negotiation of the last piece of meat.

So far, you haven't had a risky moment with either your element or animal. You were in complete control and didn’t need guidance—although Chanhee remained by your side just in case. When you made it back to your room to call it a night, you were relieved and proud that the trip was going smoothly without any hiccups.

Perhaps you spoke too early.

In one of the rooms down the hall, a girls’ night had turned awry. One of the girls, a water element, began crying and started a waterflow that got out of hand. The more she panicked and tried to stop it, the higher the water rose. It quickly seeped into the hallway and into other rooms.

With her friends screaming at her to make it stop, it only escalated with a loud whoosh as the door broke open from the pressure. Now in full panic mode, the girls shrieked and realized that the place was flooding from the inside out.

They trudged through the rising water to flee, banging on doors on their way out. Doors swung open as students woke up from the commotion.

By the time Juyeon finally managed to wake Eric up from his deep sleep, the water was nearly up to the bed. The roommates freaked out, wondering what the heck was going on. Juyeon quickly grabbed his bag and hurried Eric to leave.

On their way out, however, they saw that your door was still closed.

“Shit, Y/n can’t swim,” Eric gasped.

“The water’s not that deep yet. Let’s get her out while it’s still walkable,” Juyeon said as he threw his bag down and started walking towards your room.

Meanwhile, you were still sound asleep. You were startled awake by the pounding. When you registered the situation, the fear made you shift into a cat before you could get up and unlock the door. You anxiously glanced at the closed door as the water began to climb up your body.

Outside, Eric felt a pit form in his stomach. Getting worried, he decided to break your door open. With the help of Juyeon, he barely slammed the heavy wood down by mustering up all the strength he had.

“Y/n!” he yelled when he finally saw you.

You were struggling to keep your head above the water and it was getting harder by the second to not breathe in the liquid. He rushed to pick you up and kept you afloat even when he stumbled. The waves were now reaching his chest.

Juyeon transformed into his cat form to swim as Eric trekked through the hall. You were clinging onto him and Eric was holding onto you tightly as well. You could feel him pant and his heart beat fast. Tucked under his arm, you looked up to see beads of sweat falling from his forehead.

Your own heart skipped a beat at the sight. You could tell how much he cared for you. He made you feel wanted. Needed. Important.

You two were polar opposites but still complemented each other so well. He was the optimism you lacked and you were his rock. You kept him grounded and he made you laugh.

When you finally escaped to the deck, Juyeon stepped away to change back into a human and put on clothes. Your friends crowded around you, Younghoon drying you off with a towel and Chanhee placing a clean outfit next to you.

“Alright, everyone, settle down,” the headmaster called out, turning heads. “I’m glad you’re all safely out but it’ll take some time to drain the water. Please calmly stay in groups until we sort everything out.”

Thanks to your months of training, you were now able to sense when your transformation was about to occur. You grabbed the clothes with your mouth and ran off before you could flash anyone. You sheepishly returned wearing one of Chanhee’s pajama shirts and with water still dripping from your hair.

“Y/n!” Sunwoo dramatically whined, jumping you for a hug. Displeased, Eric peeled him off of you and handed you another towel.

“Thanks, Eric,” you smiled. “For… everything.”

“No problem,” he grinned as he ruffled your head.

“Thank God these two got you out safe and sound,” Sangyeon sighed in relief. You apologized for worrying everyone, to which Hyunjae insisted that you had no reason to feel sorry.

Luckily, the next day was not as eventful. A dinner party was prepared for the last night on the cruise and you got to dress up and have fun. You enjoyed a relaxing time in the ballroom with music playing from the speakers and the boys embarrassing themselves on the dance floor.

You giggled as you watched Changmin ask his crush for a dance after Chanhee quite literally pushed his friend to approach her. It was sweet to see both of them all shy in each other’s arms.

Juyeon nudged Eric and nodded in your direction to ask if he was going to ask you to dance as well. When Eric pretended not to know what he was talking about, Sunwoo joined in to tease him.

“Come on, bro. We all know you like her. Just hurry up and make a move already,” Sunwoo snickered.

“Ooh are we talking about Y/n?” Hyunjae came after eavesdropping.

“I hate you guys,” Eric rolled his eyes as he tried to hide his blush.

Learning from Chanhee, Sunwoo shoved his best friend towards you and fled after he bumped into you. Shooting him a glare, Eric silently swore at him with his eyes. He cringed before turning around to face you.

He felt his breath being stolen away when his eyes met yours. You were absolutely stunning. The glimmer of the chandelier shining on your enhanced your features and he found himself lost in your orbs.

From a few tables away, Kevin and Jacob had joined the other three guys to fanboy over the interaction. Juyeon whispered “he’s totally whipped” to Sunwoo who failed to hold back his laughter. Eric, however, didn’t even notice. He was too busy gaping at you.

“Uhh is there something on my face?” you asked, bringing your palm to your cheek. You were slightly self conscious at his intense staring.

“Beauty,” he blurted. Trying to play it cool, he acted confident and ignored the burst of laughter from his friends. You felt your face heat up at his comment and awkwardly coughed as you looked away.

“Y-You look great too,” you stuttered.

On his way to pour himself some more punch, Chanhee loudly told you to just dance with Eric. He passed by and continued to walk towards the drinks without a care as to how flustered he left you two. Your friends were practically doubling over in laughter at this point.

So Eric boldly held your hand and gently guided you to the dance floor. Feeling your body heat up, he applied his cooling powers on you to prevent you from igniting flames.

“I guess we could say there’s a spark between us,” he joked.

The rest of the night flew by in a blur. You hadn’t felt so carefree in so long. For the first time in a while, you weren’t hung up on the past or worried about the future. You simply appreciated the moment as you were living it.

You never expected things to turn out the way it did. With the death of your parents, you lost a lot of things. But your new friends made you feel complete again. They healed you in ways you couldn’t have imagined.

The revelation of your true identity also brought you peace. You no longer felt like the odd one out. Your own powers didn’t scare you and you felt safe learning about them at the boarding school.

However, you began to doubt all of that the second you docked back on land. You were chatting with Eric about his favorite ramen brand when an all-too-familiar voice made you freeze.

“Y/n..?” he carefully called out. He slowly came up to see if it really was you and gasped when he saw that it was.

Eric didn’t know why he suddenly felt uneasy. Maybe it was because an unknown male had made a reappearance in your life or maybe it was because he recognized the way he was looking at you. It was the same way he looked at you as well.

Chanhee, now protective and defensive, slightly pushed you to the back to ask who he was.

“It’s okay, Chanhee. He’s my friend,” you assured, stepping forward.

Juyeon scowled, not liking that you were interacting with people from the human world. It was borderline going against the rules.

“Hey, Hyunjoon. Long time no see,” you timidly greeted.

“Are you kidding me? You disappeared after a fire burned down your house and that’s all you have to say to me?” Hyunjoon fumed.

You winced at the pain evident in his voice. It had hurt you to ignore your best friend and there hadn’t been a day where you didn’t miss him. Guilt-ridden, you were unable to meet his eyes. He took you by surprise by pulling you in for a hug.

“We thought of the worst, Y/n,” he murmured. “I forgive you for going M.I.A. on me. It’s okay. Everything’s fine as long as you’re here.”

You choked back tears but couldn’t stop one from falling down your cheek. You heard the headmaster gathering the students to get on the bus back home and knew that you didn’t have much time before you had to leave him again. Sangyeon patted you on the shoulder and ran ahead to ask the headmaster for leniency.

“I-I have to go soon,” you stammered as you broke away from his embrace.

“Go where? You’re not coming back home?” Hyunjoon asked.

“I… have a new home now,” you gulped. “I can’t tell you where and I can’t promise that I’ll be able to see you again. But I’ve missed you. I still do.”

“Are you safe?” he whispered after staying silent for a bit. “Are you happy?”

You took a glimpse of your group of friends that was unconvincingly pretending to not listen to the conversation. It almost made you chuckle despite the situation.

“Yeah,” you trailed off. “I’m doing well, Hyunjoon. And I hope the same for you. I’m sorry.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” he forced a smile as he hugged you one last time. “Bye, Y/n.”

“Bye, Hyunjoon.”

It pained you to see him watch you walk away. Your heart broke with each step you took. On the ride back to the forest, you stared out the window. Eric, sitting next to you, softly squeezed your hand to offer you some comfort.

“I made the right choice, right?” you asked, leaning on his shoulder.

“Do you regret it?” he cautiously asked.

You thought about it. You definitely missed Hyunjoon and all of your other old friends. You also definitely felt bad that you left them behind without a word and still couldn’t provide an explanation. But at the same time, you’ve grown to love your new school and new friends. You no longer had to be on edge without even knowing the reason why. Creker Academy made you feel confident. The boys made you feel accepted. Eric made you feel loved.

“No,” you answered with certainty. “Not at all.”

a/n: for the eric to my sunwoo, @sohnhorizon

181 notes · View notes

opheliasbrokenmind · 3 years

Text

strangers with insecurities - mark renton

well first of all i’m suuperrr excited for this bc it’s literally my first completed writing for mark renton and i kinda liked it?? this one is obviously for @rentskenobi since she deserves the best!! i hope you like itt 😌💞

let me know what you think and as always, you can send me any requests for mark renton

mark looked at his reflection on the mirror and left the apartment, walking to his ‘job’. this estate thing had become something he got used to and well, he was doing good if anyone asked.

he liked the urgency to persuade people and use words to sell/rent them the house. once he sat up, the phone rang.

‘good morning, how can i help you?’ his voice sounded like a stranger but he knew how to play the nice worker

‘hi, uhm, i’m looking for a flat in london’ the other person spoke calmly and mark thought she was young, unlike his usual clients

‘do you have anything on your mind? a particular street, maybe?’

‘somewhere clean and quiet could be nice, i’m not sure if there’s a place like that in london though’ she joked and mark smiled to himself, little did she know

‘oh i can try that. when are you available? and do you know where’s our office?’

‘i’m free all day if that suits you, too. i don’t know exactly, can we meet somewhere?’ mark noticed she had a remarkable accent but he wasn’t sure where’s she from exactly

‘i can show you some places now, how about we meet around the cafe on brook street, you know there?’

‘yes, i can be there in.. twenty minutes’ after she hung up, mark immediately grabbed some keys from his associates and left the building

once he was there, his eyes searched for her. ‘waiting for someone?’ the sweet voice came behind him and he turned around gladly, observing the owner of it

she was young, like he predicted, probably in her early twenties, dressed casually, looked natural. she didn’t look like the girls he used to hang around, not that he hung around with many

‘how did you know it was me?’ mark asked curiously as she smiled, ‘because you’re the only one who’s wearing a suit? seems like it’s only us here, and the fucking tourists, obviously’

‘you don’t sound like a local as well’ she nodded with his comment, ‘right. i might say i’m here for a little... break. i won’t be here for too long, just a few months’

‘let’s get started, then. first i have this flat at...’

after stopping by at three places, he led the way to a calm quarter which wasn’t far from where he lived. ‘this one costs more but you see, it’s wide, the neighbourhood is quiet, i can assure that because i live near and there are nice places around if you want to go out’

she opened the bedroom door, ‘looks fine to me’ she checked the bathroom and went back to the kitchen, ‘would you live here?’

her question caught him off guard, ‘what do you mean?’

‘not as the seller but as a person, do you think this flat is somewhere you can rest and study?’ she asked easily, looking at him with curiosity

‘well, why not i guess, it seems nice. a little bit big for me but you said just for a few months so yeah, i would’

‘okay then, it’s this one’ she paid the rent for a month and they left the flat together, ‘i need to pick my things from the hotel first’ she explained once they were out

‘i think it’s not your first time here, in london’

‘yes, some of my friends live here but they’re all gone, spending the summer in europe or something like that’

‘and you didn’t want to go back home?’

‘that’s for sure. dad’s somewhere in spain and if i go home, it’ll be just me and that crazy woman. i don’t miss ireland at all. looks like you don’t miss scotland, too’

mark found himself smiling, she spoke like she knew him and the thing was, she was right. ‘i fucking hate there, otherwise i wouldn’t be here wondering at these streets, would i?’

she sighed softly, ‘looks like we have something in common, huh?’

‘i bet there are more’

so that’s basically how you met mark renton. it was unexpected, strange, yet comforting. it felt right and real.

seeing him at the cafe was something you were hoping for and when that happened a few days later, you could tell he was glad, too

‘i see you’re exploring’ he said when you approached him and you smiled, ‘you can say that. oh and i still don’t know your name’

‘mark, mark renton’ he said and for a second, you thought his name reminded him of something he didn’t want to remember, or it was just your imagination

‘i’m y/n’ you said simply, sitting in front of him as he gestured you the chair

‘how’s everything going, any problems with the flat?’

‘it’s fine, quiet like you said. and you, any problems?’ you smiled and he shrugged, ‘can’t say there is, just keeping up with the usual shit’

‘i see, you keep impressing your clients with your charm then’ he took a sip from his coffee and smiled, ‘what can i say...’ you laughed and he found himself doing the same, ‘you know, you’re the only one i’m having coffee with’

‘now i’m flattered’

then, seeing him at the coffee became something usual. he had a few days off which you started to spend together, drinking coffee.

‘so you’re in london, all alone?’ you asked one day, hoping it wouldn’t piss him.

‘yes, that’s why i left edinburgh. it keeps me on the line’ you leaned in a bit, watching him smoking a cigarette. ‘and you?’ he asked back, staring at you with those beautiful eyes of him

‘i wanted to run away. belfast made me feel like i was a prisoner, surrounded with people i couldn’t bear. then i convinced my dad i wanted to study in france’

‘france? sounds like you ran too far’

‘thank god i did’

‘and what are you studying?’ mark asked curiously, already have ideas on his mind. ‘what would you say?’

‘literature, maybe?’ you smiled, ‘cinema’ for a moment, it felt like it was just you two in the world, two strangers in london, alone together

your coffee meetings turned into movie ones at the cinema and one day, you invited him to your flat, ‘we can watch a movie or just have a drink and talk, you know’

of course, he accepted the offer. ‘it’s warm so you can take off your jacket, if you want’ you said sheepishly, hoping he wouldn’t notice that you noticed he never takes it off

‘yeah, sure’ he said while you went to bring some movies, ‘you choose, i’ve seen most of these’ you suggested and then you were watching a godard movie, sitting on the comfortable couch

after a while you were sitting closer, arms almost touching and you spotted them, the needle marks

you didn’t know what to do so you just kept staring and when you looked up at him, his eyes were full with fear like he was a boy caught stealing something

‘mark...’ you managed to say, then you realised you didn’t know what to say. you moved and intertwined your fingers, giving him a squeeze to reassure him it was alright, that he didn’t need to be scared

‘’m sorry’ he whispered, looking away to avoid your gaze. ‘for what?’ you asked, afraid of the answer. ‘for not being the guy you thought i was’

you looked at your hands, his pale fingers were cold and you wanted to tell him how you felt about him. instead of that you let go of his hand, placed your hand on his shoulder and when he turned to you, you leaned in to kiss him

a mix of coffee and cigarettes, just like you imagined, with something fresh. your other hand found the back of his head, touching his hair carefully

even though he was hesitant at first, he kissed you back. he desperately wanted to do that for weeks and now there you were, embracing him passionately when he felt like a failure

‘it’s not my place to judge you. i like the mark i see, imperfect but we all are. we’re all struggling’

‘i am clean’ he told you, looking deep into your eyes so you’d know he was telling the truth. ‘that’s why i came here, to stay away from heroin. i... want to stay clean’

‘i know you mean it. god, mark..’

‘kiss me again?’ so that’s what you did, gifting soft kisses to each other until the movie ended

for a while, it went on like this. talking, kissing and laughing together, almost every day. he’d come from work, to your flat and you’d cook together, dance to the songs he loved, watch movies and sharing the most private moments as no one listened to you. you were free and you lived without care, as if you were invisible to the real world

but one morning he stood on your doorway, his face paler than usual and you felt it in your bones that something was wrong

‘it’s... begbie. in my fucking flat. jesus! sitting there like he owns the place’ you took a step back, giving him space to come in. ‘can’t he stay somewhere else?’

‘he’s hiding from the police. fuck, i should’ve known’ you frowned with his words, ‘how could you?’ with that mark felt guilty, never telling you about diane because he was still embarrassed

‘i hate it’ he said, more to himself than you. ‘you know you can always stay here, right?’

‘you don’t have to say this’

‘no, i don’t. i’m not saying it because i feel sorry for you, mark. i’m saying it because i’d really like it if you were staying with me. don’t you know how i feel?’

‘but you never said it’ he said quietly but you heard him anyway. ‘that i love you? i thought it was obvious...’ his eyes shined with happiness as he walked to you, ‘you mean it?’

‘don’t be silly. of course, i mean it. i love you’

#trainspotting #trainspotting fanfiction #mark renton #mark renton x reader #mark renton fic #ewan mcgregor #it’s just me writing things to make me myself & the people happy 👉👈

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pj-nothingmorethanwhirlwind · 3 years

Text

2. A HERO OF EVERY RANDOM GIRL

One long while later, Julia sat in a train, stuck between her own backpack, the ancient rusty bike frame and the not so ancient Dave.

She was thirsty, sweaty, probably smelled worse than she could imagine (which wasn't a compliment at all), exhausted and a little bit annoyed but still in somehow good mood. There were only nine of them left now, sitting in a train from Redding to Portland, including herself, Dave, both Jack's, a way-too-sweet-and-cheesy couple, and three other guys. The rest of the great group she had met in the inn said their goodbyes to the most of their members on a way to Redding, making Julia stand by and watch everyone saying their hurried seeyousoooon's, patting each others shoulders and giving friendly, firm hugs and handshakes for nearly half an hour. As Julia stood by and later, when she remembered the small details over their long, boring train ride, she couldn't think of one person she had known back home she could possibly might want to give a hug and promise she'll see them soon somewhen again, let alone someone from America. Dave, whom she knew for a day was at that time probably one of the people who got the closest to her, which speaks for itself.

She was getting too lost in her own thoughts when Jack brought her back to reality with his rather loud, drunken exclamation:

"Fuck man, my woman better be there, 'cause I ain't..-" he hiccupped, gave a though to the possibility the sound might have come from someone else, abandoned the thought and finally found out he had no idea where he left off.

"We know, darling boy," Dave interrupted, "you got no more patience with these stinky trains, and stinky bikes with fuckin' leather seats that get all sucked to your ass when you try to sit on them for a while, and stinky.. well, I guess I made my point. We've already heard all that, man. Maybe calm down."

Dave watched him for a while with a clearly exhausted look on his face, then turned to Julia and shrugged his shoulders.

"He's just tired, as we all are," she pointed out.

Dave nodded, then leaned closer to her, if it even was physically achievable.

"Irons told me earlier today we'll have to head up to Seattle pretty soon."

Julia waited for some other information to follow, then urged him with a little nudge.

"We'll take a detour from Portland, to drive some fellas back to where they belong, and then return these stinky bikes to their rightful owner."

"Why do you have them anyway?"

"You know, it hasn't come to that yet. Or, it has, I just wasn't there when it happened, so I don't have all the information," Dave trailed off, then remembered what he was saying, "you see, it should work like that: When the guy who check's the tickets comes, we ain't got any tickets, so he'll-"

"-WE DON'T NEED NO TICKETS!"

Julia and Dave both turned just in time to see Jack Irons gesture wildly to a small, old lady who seemed to be just the person they were talking about.

"We're here on bikes. We got these unlimited tickets for train rides. For one month. With bikes. Yes, we payed for them on the train station. There's the price down there. Yes, there really is such option."

The lady didn't seem to comprehend what he was saying, so he tried again.

"See these bikes? We got a ticket, which we bought and paid for at the train station, that allows us to travel, for one month straight, whichever train we choose, as if we had bought the ticket for exactly this train. It was an offer for bikers and hitch hikers and god knows who else. Yes lady, we I got the ticket right there," Jack explained.

The poor lady finally resigned and made her way to the next couple of passengers. Jack turned to us, held his thumbs up and grinned.

"Yeah, that's what I was saying, right there, " Dave added matter-of-factly. Julia chuckled a bit, giving the leather seat a friendly pat. She thought of the lady telling the story to her daughter, waving with her hands all around and wearing an outraged and somewhat still confused expression. She envied the lady for knowing where she was going, and she envied Dave and Jack and Jack and the other people for knowing where they were going. She'd like to know too, or to have someone make that decision for her. But all she knew was she might and might not go to Seattle, or Montana, or Alaska, or she might and might not leave the group wherever their next stop is.

She came to America just the same way. She didn't mind, but it did annoy her now and then a little, just like now.

"D'you know any drinking games?" Jack asked. There were a few suggestions, but unfortunately they had to wait. Obviously the train just stopped in Portland, where Irons should have his van parked, waiting for taking a detour to Seattle.

They got off, said bye to Jack, who was way too drunk to properly understand there was already his girlfriend waiting for him, and found Jack Irons's van. It was once white, had only 6 seats and a big trunk. They managed go fit all their backpacks and two bicycles in there, then quickly seated Julia on Dave's knees (just temporarily, as she was assured) and the same procedure repeated with the one couple in their group.

Soon, there were eight of them in the van, listening to a cassette record from some Seattle band Green River, a band Julia had never heard of but was obviously well known to the rest, chatting and playing one of the games that had been suggested earlier, but without the drinking part.

Julia didn't participate at first, but when the couple got off some half an hour later, she decided to play truth or dare with the rest.

"Soo..what do you do for a living?" Dave tilted his head as it was his time to give a question to Julia.

"You mean, apart from having obviously no job?"

He nodded seriously.

"I was working on becoming a tattoo artist back home. Worked in a studio since I turned 18, it's like the 21 here in America. Started tattooing when I was 16, so I had some experience. I also worked as a part-time waitress, to earn enough money to pay my rent and save some little extra."

"So you're a real tattoo artist then?"

She nodded, glad they didn't seem to mind.

Now, it was Dave's turn and he wisely chose a dare, because, as he said "why fucking not".

"I dare you to get a tattoo of our very own design when Julia gets a place in some studio," Irons said calmly.

Everyone else nodded enthusiasticly and expectantly turned their heads to Julia.

"Woah guys, I don't even know if someone will have me.."

"Of course they will, we leave you at someone's doorstep in Seattle and come back in two months to get the tattoo done."

She turned unbelievably to Irons, then to the rest of them.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"No. You want to go to Seattle?"

Julia hesitated. Did she want to go to Seattle? Did she finally have a direction, a destination for a while? Did she want one?

"I guess I do," she exhaled.

Loud cheering came, then one of the men returned their attention to the previous topic:

"I suggest you get a limp dick with some nice tribal pattern tattooed."

That started a very soulful discussion:

"Man, how could I-"

"How 'bout a teddy bear?"

"A vacuum?"

"Get a lacy panties, dude."

"Why not just some text?"

"Yeah, tribal limp dick in a very stylish, pink letters."

"That's sick man, one hell of a tattoo."

"Fuck off, assholes."

"So the panties, right?"

The conversation continued for a while, leaving Julia stunned at how stupid some ideas could be. After a while, Irons summoned some notebook and a pen and got Dave to describe his vision of the tattoo.

"I want a space to be there, some astronaut with stars and planets and all that shit. Uhh should represent, like, how great our mind can be..."

Julia started sketching, somehow feeling this design is going to be great.

"Oh, and one planet's gonna wear lacy panties, like, pink or purple or something," one of the guys interrupted.

"And the astronaut's gonna wear sunglasses, that'll do great man."

"He'll be floating near the she-planet."

"And there'll be, like, a galaxy and Uranus and everything in the background."

"Uranus? That's just disgusting, man."

"Oh and some text above it, like Girl power, or Ladies night."

"In pink! Make it match to the panties!"

"What happened with the vacuum?"

"How about 'Girls night in the vacuum'?"

"That's stupid."

"Well, it'll match you, perfect. Asshole."

"No, it's great, come on man."

"Girls night in the vacuum?"

There was a collective "Yeaaaaah" of approval and Dave sank defeated in his seat.

Some minutes later Julia finished her drawing and showed it to the rest of them. Dave's face lightened up, Irons held his thumb up and the rest cheered and screamed and compliment each other.

"I'll buy that picture from you, to torture him with it," Irons said finally.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's good."

"I mean, you can have it for free.. but, out of curiosity, what would you trade it for?"

Irons smiled knowingly, then, in an offhand manner, he noted:

"A place in Seattle. I know a guy who might be looking for a roommate."

Julia grinned wildly, then pushed the paper in his hand, together with a loud peck on a cheek.

"You, mister, are a hero of every random girl you pick up in California," she exclaimed and met with other round of cheers.

Author's note: I'll try to post my own version of the tattoo design somewhen soon (hopefully). Yeah anywayy hope you liked it, it's got like 1 (ONE) note so it's already exceeded my expectations 😂😍 In the next chapter I want to finally have some MLB/Pearl Jam content so the storyline can get somewhat less random! also sorry for any grammar errors, I'm not a native speaker and I'm too lazy to look up every second word or proof read so..

#jack irons #stone gossard #eddie vedder #jeff ament #mike mccready #dave abbruzzese #dave krusen #pearl jam #eleven #fanfic #fanfiction

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seagreen-meets-grey · 4 years

Text

When Lightning Strikes Ch. 7

When your life is nothing but a cloudless sky, lightning can come and strike you so unexpectedly, you won’t even know what hit you.

Or: When Hiccup and Astrid meet, it is as if lightning strikes.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] [Chapter 16] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18] [Chapter 19] [Chapter 20]

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

_______________

Destiny and fate were interesting concepts. The idea that there was one sole purpose to one’s life, one goal that would guide the way to fulfillment – it didn’t make sense to Astrid. She didn’t believe that there was only one main road in life, one that lead her to whatever fate awaited her. She understood the thought behind the sentiment, about how whatever struggle one had to overcome, their choice would be the one they were destined to make. The right choice, after all.

But making choices was what determined the road. Life was a labyrinth to her, one with innumerable turns and crossroads and junctions, and every single one opened up to new paths to take. People could tell her all they wanted about how the roads she decided to take were the ones destined for her in the end – she would keep rolling her eyes at them and live her life by the standard that she was free to create her own paths and laugh in the face of destiny.

Facing her choice between marrying Eret and going for Hiccup proved her take on fate again. She could either decide to go one way or the other, both paths resulting in different, lifechanging avenues anew.

Blinking the little sleep out of her eyes that she got last night, she thought of the dress hanging in her wardrobe, in-between everyday clothes like a swan in a pig stall. She rolled around in her large bed, so empty without Eret next to her.

She could still change her mind. Take the other road. Plunge into the unknown. But then her phone rang, the loud tune pulling her the rest of the way from her slumber, and she reached for it with a sigh. She stared at the name showing up on her screen until her phone went quiet and notified her that she had one missed call.

Throwing it away to the foot of the bed, she grumbled and pulled the covers over her head. Three and a half hours were way too short to be rested. Not a minute later, her phone started ringing again, muffled by the blanket it had landed on. Astrid rubbed her forehead and stretched her arms, closing her eyes for one last moment. She couldn’t prolong this forever.

_______________

After leaving his house in a hurry that afternoon, Hiccup jogged around the building to where he had parked his car. He fumbled with the keys, shivering from the wind and the increasing amount of cold rain drops landing on his neck and rolling down his back.

He ducked into his car and dropped the keys only twice before he started the engine. It stuttered, spluttered and lurked a few times in tune with his stomach.

“Come ooon,” he pleaded, “don’t leave me hanging, don’t–“ His eyes fell on the fuel gage and with an exasperated groan he let his head fall on the steering wheel, jumping when his forehead honked the horn. For a minute, he sat there staring at the rain now pelting against the windshield, entertaining the thought of rotting away in his useless car for eternity.

A bright flash in the sky and the faraway sound of thunder shook him from his reverie and he felt determination flood back into his system. Grabbing his keys and pulling the zipper of his jacket up to his face, he got out of the car and had half a mind to lock it behind him before sprinting off to the next bus station.

Out of breath and cursing the puddles on the street that had soaked his feet through his shoes, he reached the stop, dashing under the small roof. In the company of a woman playing on her phone and a moody-looking teenager listening to loud music, he tapped his feet impatiently. According to the schedule plastered to the wall behind him, the next bus downtown should have arrived one minute ago.

Hiccup couldn’t stand still, pacing back and forth in the crammed space, earning judging looks from the teen. Wringing his hands, he stuck his head out every other second to see if the bus was somewhere to be seen. Five minutes passed, eight minutes, ten, twelve. Still no bus.

Swearing colorfully under his breath, he kicked at a pebble that had the misfortune of lying there on the ground. He could feel every second fly by, forever lost to him. Chancing another peek down the street, his heart leaped into his throat when a vehicle came around the corner.

_______________

The deep gray blanket of clouds parted on their way to the hair salon, one lone ray of sunshine breaking through. Ruffnut cursed and blindly reached to the backseat, producing a pair of sunglasses from the mess that was piling up everywhere in her car.

The beam fell on Astrid’s face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the way it warmed her skin for too short a while until it disappeared behind the clouds again. The dark sky did nothing to soothe her nerves. Every forecast she’d repeatedly checked over the last week had predicted sunshine and warmth, only for the weather to pull a one-eighty on her now. She didn’t like the taste of rain in the air, feared that the wind would mess up her hair later the moment she stepped outside.

She sent a silent thanks to her friend when she parked right in front of the building. Should it start raining while they were inside, they’d need only seconds to reach the safety of the car.

The sound of scissors and hairdryers and the smell of various hair products greeted her when they entered the hair salon. Most of the chairs were occupied with women with tinfoil in their hair, reading a magazine while they waited for the color to seep in. A handful of stylists were working their magic with several other people, washing and cutting and chatting away.

“Good morning, can I help you?” A young woman with long hair somewhere between dark blonde and light brown appeared from a side room.

Astrid opened her mouth but Ruff beat her to it. “Astrid here needs to get laid tonight, so please make her hair look dazzling.”

Recognition flashed on the young woman’s face and with a smile that meant she’d met Ruffnut before, she waved Astrid over to a comfy looking chair in front of a big mirror. In it, Astrid watched Ruff wave at her before she left the salon, off to pick up the veil from the cleaner.

“I’m sorry for my friend,” she said when she set down. “She doesn’t know how to be normal.”

“Don’t worry, I met her before. She came here last week to ask who’d be doing your hair and tried to talk me into dying it pink. I figured you’re not a fan of pink.”

“Not at all.” Astrid shook her head. She wasn’t surprised. In fact, she’d wondered why Ruff had been so anti-chaotic during the whole ordeal so far. Maid of honor or not, she was still Ruffnut Thorston, and this little pranking attempt of hers gave Astrid some sense of normalcy, for which she was immensely grateful. She was anxious and stressed enough, and even though walking out of here with pink hair – if Ruff’s prank had worked – had ended in murder, it helped her breathe away some of the stress.

“Now, Miss Hofferson–“

“Call me Astrid.”

“How do you want your hair today, Astrid? I’m Marie, by the way.”

Astrid looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. “Honestly? I usually have it in a braid or ponytail because it’s practical. I don’t care much about hairstyles.”

Marie wiggled her fingers with a grin, obviously excited. “Alright darling, I got you covered. Let’s do this!”

_______________

It wasn’t the bus.

Hiccup’s shoulders sagged, only to go rigid again when it dawned on him that the bus wasn’t coming. He turned to the schedule again and let his finger run down the plastic cover, stopping under the information for when the next bus was supposed to arrive. It was more than an hour until then.

Cursing himself for moving to the outskirts of the city and even more for not filling up his gas tank sooner, he stepped back into the rain and walked down the street in quick steps. Fumbling out his phone with cold fingers, he typed in his destination and let the app calculate the time needed to walk there.

When he came to a crosswalk and looked up to check if he was good to go, he saw a long vehicle stop at the bus station. Oh great, it seemed like the universe had it out for him. He uttered a long sigh, fully aware that it was too late for screaming and waving at the bus driver while running back like an idiot.

The app had finished loading the calculation and the time display on the screen sent another wave of anxiety through him. Even if he ran, he wouldn’t make it on time. If only he had a car…

In a moment of clarity, he raised his hand and smacked his face. Why hadn’t he thought of this before?! While looking up the number of Berk’s cab company, he reached for his wallet with the other, only to come up empty.

“Figures,” he groaned and turned on the spot to run back home.

_______________

“And I was like, can someone please tell me why men are all imbecile spawns of hell?! No offense, honey, I know you’re getting married today, but boy, they can suck my non-existent dick.”

Marie had been working Astrid’s hair for nearly two hours now, first washing it and then trying a bunch of different hairstyles until they found one that they were both happy with. Ruff hadn’t yet shown up again and Astrid was wondering what was taking so long at the cleaner. She hoped her maid of honor hadn’t decided to rent a boar on the way to make the ceremony interesting.

“It’s okay,” Astrid assured Marie, “I know what you mean, believe me. Before I met Eret, I was in a situation similar to yours. I had already settled for staying single forever because I thought being in a relationship meant losing my independence. But there are good ones out there.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Marie reached for a tube of haircare oil that smelled of coconut and summer when she combed it into Astrid’s hair. “But right now, I don’t care about any of them. Maybe one day, I’ll bump into a Shawn Mendes kind of guy and he’ll be nice and perfect and not like Kevin at all.”

Astrid smiled at her through the mirror. “Personally, I wouldn’t go for Shawn Mendes. But regardless of that, you should know that you don’t just bump into the perfect guy and everything immediately works out just the way you want it to. Relationships need work and the myth of the one perfect person for you is just that – a myth.”

Marie smirked. “I sense a story coming. Dish, girl, dish.”

“There’s nothing to dish. I just realized lately that when you think you found the one you want to spend your life with, someone else can sweep right in and show you the truth.” Astrid didn’t know why she was telling her this. She didn’t even know this girl. But maybe that was the reason; she could just talk this off her soul and remind herself that she was doing the right thing.

“What happened?”

“Nothing happened. I decided to not throw this relationship away because of these uncertain feelings I have for someone else. Because if I dump Eret now and try things with the other guy and that doesn’t work out, I’ll just regret it because I threw away a life of happiness and comfort.”

Marie was quiet for a minute, running her fingers through the strands of Astrid’s hair one last time to make sure every hair was where it was supposed to be. The bell over the front door jingled and through the mirror, Astrid saw Ruffnut walk in, holding up a clear bag with the veil.

“Well,” Marie mused and put her hands on Astrid’s shoulders, “I hope that everything works out for you.” She gave the chair a twirl. “Go get him, girl!”

_______________

Ignoring the mess he’d made while searching for his wallet, Hiccup called himself a cab while he ran back outside and didn’t stop walking. If he already started heading in the right direction, it shortened the route the cab would have to take, right?

The guy on the other end of the phone informed him that it would be a few minutes until a cab was available in his area. Hiccup didn’t care anymore, his stress level already through the roof and unable to rise higher – or so he’d thought.

As it turned out, the way he had to go wasn’t necessarily the way the cab was coming from. One mile later, his phone rang and a bored-sounding cab driver asked Hiccup if he still required his services or if he got the address wrong.

Apologizing for the misunderstanding, Hiccup told the driver where he was. He didn’t dare to walk away from his spot this time. But standing still was even worse than realizing he was at the wrong place. He kept looking at his phone without really seeing anything but the time, almost dropped it a few times and then once for real, paced around a lone trashcan, his head swiveling up and down the street in search of the cab. He messed up his hair – see, good thing he didn’t put any energy into combing it – and was soaked by the time the car pulled up at the sidewalk. The driver only raised his eyebrows at Hiccup’s state, and had this been a less stressful situation, he would have apologized for getting the seat wet.

He told the driver the address and promised to pay double if he made it quick. The man only shrugged and floored it while Hiccup grabbed the handle on the door and glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time. Although he was finally moving faster towards his destination, he now really started to panic.

_______________

As soon as Astrid and Ruffnut left the hair salon and made it back to the car without a strong gust of wind ruining all of Marie’s hard work, Astrid wanted to go back inside. The atmosphere in the salon had been weirdly peaceful and calm, and as long as Marie hadn’t been done with her hair, Astrid had had an excuse for not being somewhere else right now, for not moving forward with the day, for not facing the source of her nervousness.

Not much later, she was having breakfast at her parents’ house. Her father was quietly reading the newspaper, occasionally sipping from his giant mug of coffee. Her mother was listing all the things that still needed to be done and arguing with Ruffnut who was lounging in her chair, smearing chocolate spread all over her shirt.

When Wilma glanced at her watch, her eyes widened and she stopped trying to get Ruff to rub the chocolate off her shirt with a washcloth. Standing up, she started to simultaneously clean the table and collect several makeup utensils from all over the house. All the while, she was ranting about wasting time, Ruff doing a bad job by not dragging Astrid out of bed earlier, about the weather, and at some point, while she was disappearing upstairs, Astrid was sure she heard her blaming politics.

Her dad looked up from his newspaper shortly to roll his eyes with Astrid. When Wilma came back downstairs, Ruff planted herself in the doorway.

“You!” She poked her finger in Astrid’s mother’s chest. “Give me that.” She snatched the utensils from her hand. “Now go and scream into a pillow or something. I got this.”

Wilma put her hands on her hips and looked like she was about to dive into a lecture that started with young lady, but Astrid’s dad interrupted her.

“Let’s all just keep calm, okay? We still have a lot of time on our hands. Why don’t we just have breakfast without ripping each other’s heads off, and then we worry about what comes next.”

Wilma wasn’t having any of it. “A lot of time? Have you looked at the clock recently, Frederick?”

While her parents continued bickering, Astrid gave up resisting the fuss made around her and let Ruff apply her makeup in-between bites of bread rolls and scrambled eggs. She had just closed her eyes so that Ruff could give her a touch of eyeshadow to cover any evidence of lack of sleep, when she heard the front door open.

“Hello, everyone!”

“See?!” Wilma snapped at her husband. “He’s ready!”

“Not at all,” Eret answered and Astrid couldn’t contain a smug smile. “I just came here to give you,” he put a hand on Astrid’s shoulder, “an update. I just met your aunt Ruth and she told me she brought three of her lady friends along.”

“What?! She can’t just do that. Do we even have enough room for more people? And why would–“

“Wilma!” Frederick interrupted her.

Eret continued as if her mother wasn’t in the room. “She said something about them all being lonely and needing some company tonight, I don’t know. Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Thanks,” Astrid mumbled. Eret might have sounded completely calm to everyone else, but there was a tension at the edge of his voice that was obvious to her. It kind of grounded her, knowing that she wasn’t the only one feeling this way, and that her nervousness didn’t stem from her being uncertain about what she was doing. (Which she wasn’t, because she had made her decision and was sure about it, alright?)

“I told Dagur to rearrange the seating a bit, I’m sure he’ll figure it out.” His hand left her shoulder and she heard him turn around before he added, “Oh, by the way, Dagur’s sister isn’t coming, he said she’s on vacation with her new boyfriend. Which means that Dagur’s without a date tonight, so I can finally hook him up with Theresa!”

She smiled at his jaunty enthusiasm. Ruffnut was still not done with the eyeshadow – Astrid was only slightly concerned about that – so she blindly reached her hand over her head for Eret. He squeezed it once and she felt him coming closer to her face, but Wilma chose that moment to barge back into the conversation.

“Don’t you dare! No kisses! Traditionally, you’re not even supposed to be here. So get out and get yourself ready! Then at least one of you is.”

Eret laughed quietly but she could feel her mother’s deadly stare even through closed eyes. Astrid had to have inherited it from somewhere which meant Eret knew the extent of the Hofferson Death Glare. He said goodbye and the front door fell shut behind him.

Astrid’s heart was beating uncomfortably in her chest and her head felt dizzy. Taking a deep breath and refraining from biting her lip lest Ruff yelled at her for ruining the lipstick, she willed herself to calm down. That stone in her gut meant that she was generally nervous, nothing more.

Only when she dropped a glass of orange juice a while later did she pause to think for a second, but that turned out to be a mistake. Thinking made her go down the route of impactful decisions again and it had a tiny voice in her mind ask her if maybe signs of the universe were real after all.

_______________

They were moving excruciatingly slowly. Every time a car or even a bicycle passed the cab on another lane, it made Hiccup’s knee twitch. The driver looked at him in the rearview mirror oddly from time to time and seemed to have forgotten about the extra money Hiccup had promised to pay him if only he stepped on it.

When the car came to a full stop on the road, Hiccup threw his hands up in frustration. “Seriously?!”

“Traffic, man,” the driver said lackadaisically, leaning back in his seat and drumming his fingers on the stick shift in a bored manner.

Hiccup wiped a hand over his face and pulled his phone from his pocket. It was clammy from his soaked jeans. The app told him that it would take him sixteen minutes to reach his destination if he walked. Less, if he ran.

Crawling halfway over the center console, he peeked out the windshield to gauge how long the traffic jam would go on, ignoring the sideways glance of the driver. Upon seeing only very little movement far ahead, he gave the man a few bills and climbed back to his seat to get out.

“Hey,” the driver called after him, “that’s not double!”

Hiccup stuck his head in again to call back, “And I’m not there on time,” before he slammed the door and navigated his way through stuck cars until he reached the sidewalk. Orienting himself once more, he figured out the fastest way to the venue and started to run.

His days on the couch, the lack of healthy food and his relationship with exercise in general quickly came to bite him in the ass as he had to stop one street over to catch his breath. As winded as he was and as much as he’d love a raincoat right now, the thought of Astrid lent him a new wave of energy.

Ten minutes later, the place came into view, one final sprint away. He just had to pull himself together one last time.

_______________

Putting on the dress was a feat on its own. She couldn’t pull it on over her head because it would ruin her hair so she had to step into it and have Ruff close it on her back. The zipper was thin and the fabric sat tight on her so, naturally, her skin got stuck in it several times before her mother took over. She sent Ruff away to do her job and make sure everything at the venue was ready and going smoothly.

“We’re going to arrive to either a perfect arrangement or a crime scene,” Wilma mumbled when Ruff was gone.

“Don’t forget the fire, the explosions and the wild horde of boars,” Astrid added. “And her brother.”

Now that they were alone, her mother seemed to calm down considerably. All that was left for them to do was to drive to the wedding. Astrid wondered if it was her who was shaking or if it were her mother’s hands that delicately stroked over her back where hopefully no trace of the zipper was visible.

“This is really happening, hm.” Her mother’s voice was no further above a whisper, more than twenty years’ worth of nostalgia sewn into it. “You’re finally leaving the nest.”

“I’ve left the nest years ago, mom.”

“But you were still a Hofferson until now.”

“I’m keeping my name. I’ll stay a Hofferson.” When the issue of last names had come up, Eret had suggested she take his. But the Hofferson inside her had screamed in protest, unwilling to give up her family name and the notion of independence by making herself all his. She knew that he’d never think of her as his property, but it still didn’t sit right with her to change her name. So she didn’t.

Wilma came around to stand in front of her and Astrid was surprised at the strange sight of tears welling up in her mother’s eyes. She figured it made sense for her to get emotional on a day like this, but she’d never seen her cry before.

“You know that you’ll always be my little girl, right?”

“I know, mom. Come here.” She pulled her mother into a hug and the two of them stood like that for a long while. Astrid felt like a little girl seeking out the safety of her mother’s arms. Right here, right now, she didn’t have to worry about decisions and destiny and consequences and whether she was making the right choices for herself.

She felt the arms around her squeeze one more time, then her mom straightened up, took a step back and gave her daughter a firm nod that conveyed more than Astrid could ever put into words.

“Are you ready to do this?” Wilma asked, voice both breathless and strong.

Astrid knew what it meant; she could see it in her mother’s eyes. She took a deep breath. “Yes.”

Her father was already waiting outside. Her mother fastened the veil in her hair and gave her the bouquet before she opened the door for her and lead her to the car.

When they neared the venue – which was a generic party hall rather than a beautiful old mansion, but it would do – there was no fire to be seen, no wild animals disturbing the scene, no Thorston twins’ shenanigans. Ruffnut was, for once, trying to contain the chaos instead of causing it, which Astrid had to give her a lot of credit for.

Her dad parked the car and opened her door. With a steely resolve, she climbed out of the vehicle and held her head up high. Nobody had to know that mere days ago, she had still been contemplating running away and leaving the man waiting for her inside, friends and family by his side.

She noticed the storm clouds in the distance, hanging lower than the blanket of ashy gray that had accompanied her on her way to the hair salon that morning. Her chat with Marie seemed like it had been years ago. Astrid squinted her eyes and watched closely as the clouds moved forward, passing a row of houses. They were coming fast. She hoped they wouldn’t ruin the photos her parents wanted to take with her before the ceremony and all the ones she had to take afterwards.

The photographer was already waiting for them, leading them to a set of trees decorated with white and rose gold ribbons and flowers, and the letters A and E made of wood hanging from a branch. It wasn’t the most elegant decoration, but it was more than Astrid had expected her maid of honor to organize. In all honesty, she kept waiting for sex toys to fall out of the trees or a banner that said all kinds of dirty things.

But the photos turned out great and the storm kept a distance during all of it. It was time to head inside and face the road she had decided to take. On her way to the building, she was still chancing glances upwards, waiting for a pigeon to fly by and drop a present on her head. But there was no bird shit and signs from the universe weren’t real.

The music started when she stepped over the threshold, walking arm in arm with her parents. The guests all stood, ohs and ahs sounding from every corner as she walked down the aisle. Eret’s eyes flitted over her appearance and fixated on her face, smile as soft and proud as his gaze.

She gulped, taking her place next to him and giving a tiny wave to her parents when they left her to take their seats. The officiator started talking but she barely listened. For some reason, her eyes kept wandering over the rows of guests, searching for an anker she knew wasn’t there. Finally, she looked back at Eret, and the ceremony went on.

_______________

Something was strange about this place. Hiccup couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was there. It was hard to concentrate on anything while his brain and body were begging for oxygen, his muscles were jittery and exhausted and all he wanted to do was lie down on the pavement and sleep for days.

But he didn’t have that luxury. All he could think of was arriving to the wedding on time, before she could say I do without him telling her how he felt. Maybe it would make a difference, maybe it wouldn’t. But he’d rather do it while there was still a chance of it making one, despite it being a naïve hope.

Bending over and wheezing for air, he collected his senses. Just do it, the Shia Labeouf in his mind shouted at him. A determined jolt went through his limbs and he straightened up, jogging down the driveway of the centuries-old mansion towering in front of him.

His hand was shaking as he lifted it to the doorknob. Ignoring the strange tug at the back of his subconsciousness still trying to tell him something, he opened the door.

_______________

The officiator, an old school friend of her dad’s, held a long speech about true love. She could tell that Eret found it a bit cheesy, judging from the looks he threw her every now and then, but that, ultimately, he saw himself in the man’s words.

Astrid caught comparatively little of the speech. She heard sentiments about solidarity, trust and togetherness here and there, but her mind was elsewhere. She was assessing her feelings, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions kicking and jumping through her heart. There was nervousness, naturally, whereas she couldn’t care about the attention of the crowd any less. Then there was a mixture of giddiness, bubbling about in her chest, and a touch of fear as she was boarding a ship that would set sail as soon as she said the words. She could then only stay on that ship forever or jump into the cold, relentless ocean to escape.

Behind her eyes, the tiredness was beginning to press against her skull. She’d gone to bed so early last night, but when she’d been lying there alone in the silent darkness, she’d become a victim to her own doubts. For fear of dreaming of Hiccup and the porch again, just when she’d closed the gate to that road, she’d tossed and turned in her sheets for hours until exhaustion finally won over.

In the morning, she’d known that she had dreamed about something, although she couldn’t remember what it had been. All that remained was a faint feeling of easiness, lingering like a warm glow coating her heart. She couldn’t help but think about the possible what-ifs again. What if she said no? What if she had told Eret weeks or even months ago that she didn’t feel ready for this yet? What if she had never agreed to come with him to Dagur’s party?

Rain was rapping against the windows now and from where she stood, she could see the branches of the trees bowing to the wind. Someone switched on a second row of lights.

“And now the rings,” the officiator’s voice cut through her thoughts. Eret’s cousin, a small boy in dress pants and suspenders, jumped up from his seat at his cue and carefully carried over a tiny white pillow with the rings on it.

Astrid took a shaky breath. The officiator spoke again, leading up to the traditional questions.

In that moment, her attention was diverted when the door to the room opened. Her heartbeat stilled for a second when she saw a tall figure enter. She didn’t know why she was simultaneously disappointed and relieved when she recognized her cousin Beth’s husband.

“Do you,” the officiator started, calling Astrid back to the situation. Hearing Eret say I do suddenly pulled her down to earth and planted her feet on the solid ground, and the door stayed closed.

“And do you, Astrid Hofferson, take this man as your husband?” When she opened her mouth, she couldn’t imagine a different answer. She’d built this relationship with Eret and got her life together with him. She didn’t want to throw away all they had grown to be and what she’d come to call her life, where she felt safe and secure and loved and where she was happy, happy with the way things were.

“I do.” The roaring applause of the guests turned to white noise as Eret pulled her to him. She grinned into the kiss, feeling the waves lap against the ship’s hold as it left the harbor and the space between her and the dock became too large to jump.

This was what she’d wanted for longer than what she refused to think about anymore. Ignoring the still lingering notion of what if, she wouldn’t allow herself to think about another man while she was now married. However, although she knew she’d made the right decision, that didn’t mean that the entire Hiccup-conflict was immediately resolved. But it would soon be, because she couldn’t do this anymore now, and she wouldn’t. That brief chapter of her life had to come to a close.

She didn’t have time to further think about it, shaking hands and sharing hugs with every guest in the room. Photos had to be taken inside, and when it was time for the soup to be served, her face hurt from smiling.

When the rest of the dessert was being carried away by the catering staff, the band asked everyone to join the newlyweds on the dancefloor. Astrid had to take off the veil since it reached all the way down her back and wouldn’t survive the night if she kept it on. Then she danced with Eret, with her parents, with Eret again, with his grandparents, with Ruffnut and Dagur and even with Beth’s husband who told her about his weak bladder and apologized for taking a bathroom break in the middle of the ceremony. It was an incident Astrid didn’t want to be reminded about, for a reason different to what he might be thinking.

After a while, the party became a blur, people mingling everywhere and with everyone, drinking and laughing and dancing. Astrid was listening to her neighbor Larry telling her great-uncle Greg some story about a man that had once lived across from him and who he swore had been an undercover cop, when her mother tapped her on the shoulder. Astrid leaned in closer so she could hear her better over the music and the ruckus of conversation and frolicking party guests.

“There’s a young man outside asking for you.” Astrid frowned, in her mind going through all the people who would want to talk to her who weren’t already here. Her mother gave her a meaningful look and Astrid could tell she had a suspicion who it might be. She felt her heart rate go up at the implication.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she turned around to head outside.

“Astrid,” her mom called after her and met her eyes with a serious expression. “You made your decision. Don’t throw that away now.” Earning strange looks from Greg and Larry, she held eye contact with her daughter until Astrid walked away.

The rain had let up, quietly drumming on the canopy over the patio in an even rhythm. She heard thunder roll in the distance and inhaled the fresh air. Her mother’s words echoed in her mind but she was sure she didn’t want to change anything about her decision – only for that foundation to tumble the moment she saw him.

Her heart quivered in her chest. The sight of him leaning against a wooden beam, soaked in rain and rumpled from the wind, knocked her next breath right out of her so unexpectedly that she lost her voice for a second.

He noticed her and turned around, those green eyes shining like emerald beacons in the night when he set his sight on her. “Wow, you look…” He gestured at her dress with the little splotch of sauce on it, at her hair that was flowing down her back in waves, with small flowers woven into it.

His gaze set her cheeks on fire and she averted her face, biting her lip to keep it from breaking into a wide grin. “Thanks.” She glanced back at him and let the smile loose, anyway, twisting it into a smirk. “Not bad yourself.”

Hiccup looked down at himself, a bit of water running out of his hair and down his face at the motion. “Fancy, huh? I made an effort to get the November rain look right.”

“You know, I think that outfit goes with an umbrella.”

“One might think that,” he said in such a dry tone that it made Astrid snicker.

His face lit up at the sound and she could see the small gap between his front teeth when he cracked that lopsided smile she found so adorable.

She cleared her throat, snapping out of the bubble they were creating. “So… What are you doing here?”

He sobered up at her question as well, raising a hand to rub his neck. “Well, I…” He seemed to be struggling with his words, every line of his face immerged in countless everchanging emotions. “I wanted to come by and, um… And tell you…” After a beat of silence, he ran a hand over his face and gesticulated with the other. “I was at the other place first, but no one was there except some plumber guys.”

Astrid grimaced apologetically.

“I think they were as confused about me as I was by them, so we just stood there gaping at each other for a minute until one of the guys asked me what I was doing there. They told me about the water damage but didn’t know where you were now.”

“Sorry, we told the guests but didn’t send out new invitations. Where did you get the address anyway?”

A light blush covered his cheeks. “Saw Heather’s invitation. Anyway, so I looked up where events were held today, used a few of my dad’s contacts; most of them probably think now I’m some kind of stalker. I got it down to a few possible places and checked them all. Crashed a wedding, a bingo tournament and a funeral. Apparently, I look like the dead guy when he was young, because his widow fainted when she saw me. I think I yelled something about waiting for her in the afterlife and disappeared as fast as possible.”

Astrid burst out laughing, picturing him awkwardly talking his way through the situation, moving his hands and shoulders with every breath, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights.

“Yeah, so then I checked here and asked that woman out here if I was at the right place.”

“That was my mom, by the way.”

Recognition flashed over his face. “Makes sense. You have the same nose.” He blushed. “Sorry, that probably came out weird.”

Trying to figure out if he was serious, she pondered inviting him in. She was conflicted, because she really shouldn’t.

An idea popped up in her head. It was crazy, absolutely insane and, above all, very stupid. What if, she thought, what if she just threw everything to the wind and ran away with him, right now? Looking into his eyes, out here alone on the patio, it seemed possible.

But then reality came back to her in the shape of the ring pressing against the skin on her finger. It was like a punch to the gut; it doused her heart in gasoline and threw a whole pack of matches on top. Rushing for the fire extinguisher, she decided she wanted him around as a friend, if not to prove to herself that she’d made the right decision.

“Hey,” she said, “do you want to come inside? I’m hereby officially inviting you so don’t listen to Dagur, he can’t throw you out. I’m the bride, I have the last say.”

Hiccup’s eyebrows scrunched together and her smile faded. “No, I better leave.” He took a step closer.

“Why? Because of Dagur? Don’t worry, I can reign him in.”

He shook his head. “No. I mean, yes, but no, that– that’s not what I mean.”

“Then why not?” She mirrored his movement, ever drawn to him like a magnet. He took another step towards her, deep green irises glinting in the light of the patio. She could see the long scar on his chin, could count the freckles on his skin, wanted to feel the stubble on his jaw. Her fingers prickled under the phantom sensation conveyed by her imagination.

He slowly raised his hand to put a strand of hair behind her ear, stroked lightly over her cheek, leaving trails of tingling fires. Thunder grumbled directly above them and the clouds burst, releasing an ocean upon the earth. He leaned in until she could make out every shade of green in his eyes. His lips touched the corner of her mouth and her brain shut down.

It took her a few seconds to realize he wasn’t standing directly in front of her anymore. Her hand automatically went to the spot where he’d just kissed her. It tingled and crackled like it was loaded with sparks and she didn’t know how to speak.

“Goodbye Astrid,” he whispered, voice cracking, when he sent one last sad smile her way before turning around and walking away.

The sight of his retreating figure knocked her brain out of its stupor. “Wait,” she called out, running after him into the rain. “I’ll see you around, right?”

He looked back at her with eyes so full of pain it broke her heart. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” With that, he left, hands buried in his pockets, head hanging low on his shoulders. There was one more sound of thunder in the nearer distance, but Hiccup took it away with him.

She stood there for a long while, hair and shoulders gradually soaking through, and stared after him until he had long disappeared from her sight. She knew he would always be her biggest what-if.

With the last drops of rain running down her face, she went back inside to her wedding.

_______________

- End of Part 1 -

_______________

#httyd #hiccstrid #fanfiction #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #eret #ruffnut #when lightning strikes #modern au #a bit of angst with a dash of drama #or the other way around #maja writes #ff #fic

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prorevenge · 5 years

Text

Threaten and Try to Cheat Me? Enjoy Losing Everything

TL;DR at the bottom.

Some needed background:

I finished school three years ago and was accepted at a top University halfway across the country for engineering studies. I had difficulties finding a place to live and wound up renting a room that was way, and I mean waaayyy, too expensive. I was in need of some sweet, sweet cash.I enjoy just learning about anything and everything, and love sharing it with others. So I immediately found some school kids in need of private tutoring. On the off chance they know of a place, I mention to all of them I am on the lookout for a cheaper apartment. And holy shit, one of them is actually moving because their apartment is too small for them.

Now, this family consists of the two kids, the father, a total push over, and mother hive-mind. She is a professor of Political Science at the country´s best University. None of them function without her and she likes controlling any situation. But seeing as she had offered me her flat, I was willing to look past her know-it-all attitude. From now on we shall call her "Hag".

Fast forward a few months:

Hag moved out of their/my flat the day before I was due to move in. I had organized a free minivan to transport my stuff but the place was still a mess. The cleaning "crew" ( 1 lone person ) asked me to help clean, and as I was without a roof over my head, of course I helped. I also had to leave all my stuff half assembled and covered by plastic in the middle of the room so the painter could get to the walls. All in all I moved in 8 days late and scrubbed the apartment for 10 hours. Nonetheless, she sent me an email promising to pay me back for the delay and the work I put in( This is going to be important later. )

After not even a two weeks the bloody ventilation in the bathroom breaks and our internet provider tells us our wiring is messed up. I email Hag who tells me to contact house management as she herself is a tenant and we a subtenants. I do so. Next thing I know, I get a mail back from management: "You are illegally occupying the property and must vacate the flat immediately." I tell Hag and she tells me not to worry, she´s taking care of it. I should have known something was wrong but I was still wet behind the ears.

A month and a half after those mails, the middle of August, she rings our doorbell and tells us she was given 3 months notice and we all will have to leave. She handed us a termination of our contract that would kick in the middle of November, which we signed, believing this was in all our best interest. However, she wanted to strike a bargain with the owner of the property to at least allow us to stay in there. She didn't want to see us students homeless after all. Or so she said. We get a mail from the house management telling us they´d be happy to carry us over as proper tenants, as long as Hag agrees. Their rent was even lower than what Hag had demanded. The next day, Hag calls me and asks if management has reached out to us. I say yes and tell her they'd keep us as tenants. She then asks me how high the new rent was. I, as I've mentioned I'm still wet behind the ears at this point, tell her the new price. Hag then tells me she´d like to move back in because her "marriage is in a difficult spot" and the new rent isn't much higher than her old rent. I get really upset at the betrayal, hang up and call management. When I told them what Hag had said they assured me they had no intention of letting her back into the apartment.

Apparently Hag has not only been terrorizing house management for years but also failed to ever mention to them that she was subletting! Not only that, she also is legally bound, if she does sublet, to charge the exact same rent she pays herself. Turns out she was making a couple hundred a month by overcharging us. I´m shocked at this point, but more importantly, I´m f*cking pissed. Management assures that they will let us stay in our flat and that they will speak to Hag.

Everything is quiet for some time. But the middle of October I get an angry mail from Hag demanding 2000€ for the kitchen she is leaving in the flat. Now I might have started out tolerating her, but when someone grinds my gears, OH BOY will I get back at them. I write back saying we´d be happy to pay her 1000€. Not even 5 minutes later she calls my mobile, I pick up and she shouts at me. The kitchen is worth twice as much as she is demanding, this isn't up for discussion, I should just pay and be happy. I calmly ask to explain how she calculated that price. She says she´ll send me her invoice in an email and hangs up.

I check her "invoice" and it´s a list of all appliances with their market value and all the furniture. Except, not only had all the appliances in the kitchen been installed already (which alone reduces their value by about 20/25%) but all the prices she listed were twice the official price found on the companies websites. Now my little engineers brain is really going at full speed. How can I use this against her?

Next thing I know, I've received 4 more emails from Hag. All the exact same. She was threatening to evict us if we didn't give her the money she wanted. I wrote back saying she still hadn't reimbursed me for the delay and the cleaning I did at the beginning. She calls my phone again, and if I my brain was going at full speed before, well now it's in god damn hyper speed territory. I set my phone to loudspeaker and recorded the conversation with my headset microphone. She screamed at me that I should just shut up and pay her. If I don't she'd add the painter's and cleaner's bill to the 2000€. She proceeded to call me all kind of slurs and told me she'd keep the reimbursement money as "grievance money". Her last words were that she'd sue me if I hadn't payed by the beginning of November and she'd contact my University's board to have me expelled. My parents paid her the money because they were scared she'd actually kick me out.

My best mate´s dad just so happens to be a lawyer. With all my evidence, which was, measured exactly, a metric f*ck ton of evidence, we drew up a case against Hag. My lawyer presented it to a judge who happily agreed to have a hearing. I was personally allowed to give Hag her court invitation. And I did it on Christmas. Obviously it wasn't the state signed invitation, but the judge agreed that, as it was just before Christmas and the official court order wouldn't reach her until the middle of January, it would be kind of me to give her a letter of my own so she could prepare herself.

I´ll leave out all the boring court proceeding details. She still had her smug expression of superiority even as the judge read out the claims against her: Profiteering, Abuse of Position of Power, Personal Threats, Fraud and Blackmail. She calmly explained that I was grotesquely overstating what had transpired. We presented the hate mails she had sent me. She was still saying that she was just trying to speed things up. My lawyer played my audio recording.

Damn, I've never seen someone's face go pale that quickly. We didn't just wipe her smug ass smile off her face, we slapped it off her from her blind spot.

Her lawyer tried to have that recording filed as not admissible because, which was true, I was recording without her consent, which is illegal. The judge, after having heard some of our other evidence, decided that I was not out of line, as Hag had obviously threatened me before, so he ruled my recording was still admissible.

We presented the judge with the rest of my evidence, including a statement by the house management that Hag had tried to "spy on another persons rent", which is also illegal in my country. At the end of it, Hag was just sitting there, dumbfounded and, for the first time, I didn't hear her say a single word. Suffice to say, she ended up paying back the money for the kitchen, the delay and, on top of that, had to also pay the court proceeding and reparations. Our state has a no record policy for political professors. Although this was a civil law suit, the University board must have decided that her behavior/abuse of power was too much: she lost her job at the top University, her honorary title and has moved to a different city.

TL;DR: Hag tries to scam us and threatens us. I keep records and she ends up losing job, title and money. (source) (story by Meridi0n)

#prorevenge #by Meridi0n #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

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cielpurrple · 5 years

Text

MAKE ME 20.1

Pairing/s: Jimin x Reader x Got7 Jaebum

Word count: :5684

Warnings: cursing,

Summary: Does time really heals all wounds?

You kept blinking as you stare at the anonymous note. It was written by someone else for sure because you can’t recognize who’s handwriting it is.

“I wonder who it’s from,” Sejeong’s words just passed from your ear to the other. You’re still in thought of who could it be and even if you tried eliminating people from the possibilities of them sending you this extravagant flowers, it can only fall into one person.

But of course, you don’t want to assume.

“Y/N,Hello?” Sejeong called you.

“I don’t know, I don’t have any idea.” You replied with the hopes that she’ll stop bugging you for an answer.

She pouted at you but dismissed the topic. You saw her back disappear towards her room.

You sighed, as you stare at the flowers this time.

Your thoughts came back to reality when you heard your phone blaring from your room.

***

-A FEW DAYS BEFORE JIMIN’S RETURN -

[How is she?] Jimin’s voice rang through the speakers of Taehyung’s desktop while he types something on his phone.

He glanced at the screen and smirked, making Jimin frown.

[What?] he replied.

“Generally, she’s fine, she skipped our bar night, because of her boyfriend,” Taehyung put an emphasis on the last word, just to check Jimin’s reaction.

Internally, he’s cheering because he saw Jimin’s slight frown.

“But I think she’s fine, in general terms,” he glanced at Jimin as he hit the ‘send’ button.

[Do you think this is a good time to be back?]

Taehyung blinked at the monitor for a few seconds still, trying to tease Jimin.

“You mean, is it a good time to seer her once again? No time is a good time until you try.” He replied.

Jimin leaned on his chair, then brush his hair a few times as he stared at the ceiling.

“You know, there are several possibilities --- but certainly all we have right now is a ‘maybe’ so why don’t you just get back here so you can see for yourself.” Taehyung convinced.

Jimin looked at the monitor once again and he nods, accepting Taehyung words, considering it as a form of encouragement.

He ended the call there, he stared at the bottom drawer of his desk, slowly pulling it open. He stared at your picture.

When he’s satisfied, he made sure to lock that drawer and left.

***

Seeing your reaction that night as you witness your past lover and some other woman with him made Jaebum reflect on his relationship with you.

“So, do you have a plan?” Wonho spoke after watching Jaebum sigh for the past few minutes.

“Her only excuse is that her best friend can’t afford the expenses, specifically the rent on that house that’s why she can’t move in with me.” He replied.

“So?” Wonho looked at him.

“So? I’m buying that house, no paying of rent, she’ll move in with me, done.” He responded.

“Are you sure she’ll agree? And you know that girl is very clever, she’ll ask you where did you get the money to buy a house,” a voice coming from the door made the two of them look at that direction.

“Hyungwon, it’s very nice to see you here,” Wonho greeted.

“Same, same,” he replied to Wonho.

“She’ll know who I really am sooner or later so...” Jaebum answered.

“Are you saying you’re gonna tell her the truth?” Wonho looked alarmed.

“Just a few facts about me, don’t worry,” he said as he type something on his phone.

He called someone with connections to the property where you and Sejeong live.

“Looks like I have an appointment with the owner of that house,” he announced. He stood up and went to leave but he stopped before he open the door.

“You take care of my girl some more, Hyungwon alright? We’ll talk about Jackson later,” he said and exited, not waiting for Hyungwon’s response.

Wonho and Hyungwon just exchanged looks and they both shrugged.

***

Meanwhile, you’re in the middle of doing your weekly laundry when your phone lights up.

It’s a message from Taehyung.

[From: Taehyung

Night out with us? I can pick u up @8.]

You don’t have anything planned with Jaebum so you agreed, telling Taehyung to pick you up at the nearest bus station.

You managed to clean the entire house while waiting for the time to prepare for your night out with the boys. You even had a video call from your parents.

You chose to wear a simple light blue top and ripped jeans, plus black boots. Your hair’s tied in a high ponytail, finishing your ensemble with a light makeup.

You told Sejeong where you’re heading thru text and left the house.

As you approach the bus stop, you already saw Taehyung’s car pulling up. You stopped in your tracks and waved.

He honked, a signal for you to get in, so you did.

“I’m very very glad you’re free tonight,” he smiled as he glanced at you.

“Why?” you intrigued.

“This is one of the rarest nights that you are ‘free’ to go out at night to drink,” he responded, looking at the road. He slowly speed up, while you’re eyes are fixed on the road, he suddenly spoke.

“Yes, I’m with Y/N, yes. We’ll be there soon,” he said.

You looked at him and he looked at you, his smile is somewhat mischievous.

“That’s Kook, he’s hoping you’d be around,” he explained.

“I see,” you responded.

You wanted to ask further, basing your question in your head from his reaction, that smile tells something more, more than just Jungkook asking about you.

But then again, you don’t want to assume.

After several minutes, he started to slow down and entered an establishment’s parking lot.

“We’re here,” he smiled.

You unfastend your seatbelt and alighted the vehicle. Taehyung offered his arm and you accepted it, and you both smiled at each other as you walk towards one of the VIP rooms. You easily spotted Yoongi, who’s busy on the phone. Jungkook stood up, clapping as he saw you two approaching.

“Y/N! A pleasure to see you here,” Namjoon greeted you.

“Yes, couldn’t agree more,” Jin said.

You made yourself comfortable beside Taehyung.

“You guys, if I hadn’t known you for quite some time, I’d say you’re acting all weird.”

They all looked at you, as if they’re hiding something.

“We’re just glad you’re here with us, Y/N.” Yoongi sat on the empty space beside you.

“Let’s get this started!” Jungkook cheered and a few men entered, with different drinks on their trays.

“I hope you still like this,” Jin handed you a blue colored cocktail.

“Yep, I still do, thanks.” You accepted the glass and sip a bit.

You had some random discussion with Yoongi who’s not drinking that much. Then Jin joined your conversation, as well as Namjoon. You all focused on one topic which is your work. They asked you if you’re having any troubles and you assured them that you’re far from having troubles at work.

Taehyung clapped his hands for attention and the rest of you looked at him.

“The reason we’re here is that Kookie’s being promoted to CEO” Taehyung announced and you all cheered for him. Namjoon even went outside to get champagne only to spray it to him. You’re in the middle of enjoying yourselves when you felt your phone vibrate from the pocket of your jeans.

You frowned at the amount of times your boyfriend called you.

23 Missed calls

8 messages

You’re about to return the call when your phone started to ring again.

“Jaebum?” you answered, slowly walking further from the boys.

[Where are you? I went to your apartment and it seems that nobody’s there at the moment.]

“I’m sorry, didn’t you get my message? I’m with my friends right now,” you repled.

[Friends? Tell me specifically who are they?]

You can feel he’s irritated.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, and replied.

“You know who they are, Jaebum. They’re the same people I always meet every Friday.”

You heard him sigh, a sign that he’s controlling his temper.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve called you,” you’re trying to end the conversation in a lighter way.

[Where are you?]

Now it’s your turn to sigh.

“Baby---Jaeb, I just got here, I don’t wanna spoil the night. One of my friends actually got promoted that’s why were celebrating,” you explained.

[Fine, i’ll give you time but still, I will fetch you]

He hang up.

You sighed, before you return to your friends.

You instantly gave them your sincerest smile

“Did I miss something?” you looked at all of them, Taehyung replied.

“Nothing significant,” you saw him smirk and you were caught off guard by Jungkook who placed an icing on your face that extends to some parts of your hair.

“No, Kookie!” you started to chase him around the room when he decided to go out. You followed.

You caught a glance of the dance floor and it’s packed. You looked at the bar and there’s no sign of him.

The only place he could be hiding is the men’s toilet and there’s no way you’ll go there.

You huffed and decided to go to the back to where the rest of the boys are when a drunk lady accidentally pushed you and lose your footing. But instead of falling, you were caught by someone. Quickly, you regained your posture as you try to compose yourself.

“I’m sorry, I was chasing one of my fr—“ you slowly looked at the person who caught you.

You can always, always identify that broad shoulders anywhere.

Your chest starts to tighten as you slowly move your gaze on the man’s face in front of you.

Amidst the darkness and dancing lights, you can clearly see how he got more handsome as the years pass by.

As your eyes meet, he flashed his signature nasty smirk, which made your heart ache at some degree.

“Sorry,” was the only word you can say. You continued your steps when he caught your wrist.

“Your shirt’s wet,” his voice is a little louder than usual.

You looked at your shirt, and indeed, darkened by the liquid that spilled on it. You didn’t noticed it until now.

“Uh, that’s okay, I’m fine, I’ll just—“ he removed his coat and placed it over your shoulders.

“Wear that for the meantime,” he said.

“Or not,” you replied, your gaze is beyond him so he looked behind.

You saw Jaebum approaching fast.

“What’s going on?” his tone is far away from calm.

“It’s an accident,” you replied, quickly moving towards Jaebum who’s obviously mad. Making sure there’s some distance between the two of them.

“Take that off,” he ordered, you followed, removing Jimin’s coat when he spoke. You’re surprised he’s still behind you.

“Don’t, her shirt’s soaked with alcohol. Just let her wear it until she’s inside the car. She can throw it away or whatever after that.”

His last words made your chest ache once more but you tried to look as if his words doesn’t affect you.

“Thanks for your concern but she doesn’t need it. Now please take your coat and you may leave,” Jaebum’s words are a warning.

This time, you tried to butt in.

“Stop.” You removed Jimin’s coat and returned it.

Jaebum on the other hand, removed his white jacket and you wore it.

“I’ll just get my bag.” You told Jaebum but he caught your arm.

“We can get it tomorrow, we’re going home,” he said.

“Jaebum, please? Let me get my things, and we’ll go home,” you tried to whisper but your boyfriend’s getting into your nerves.

He sighed but he let you go.

You walked past Jimin, you grabbed your things and apologized to everybody. When you exited the room, Jimin appeared. His coat’s hanging on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” it came out as a whisper.

He just smirked at you and when you thought he’s gonna enter the room, he went closer to your ear.

“It’s very nice to see you again, Y/N.” And left.

You don’t know how’d you react but it’s a relief that he’s out of sight. You went down the stairs as fast as possible so your boyfriend will not be irritated anymore.

You walk past him, and he followed. He caught your hand but you’re not in the mood for such acts so you tried to remove it from his grip but instead, he held on to it tighter, and guided you to the car.

You kept quiet for some time until he cleared his throat.

Still, silence.

So he started driving.

You noticed that he didn’t take the usual route to your apartment so you speak.

“This is not the way to my house,”

“I know. You’re going to mine,” he replied flatly.

“No, I want to go home,” you replied.

“Yeah, that’s what we’re doing right now, we’re going home,” he responded, still focused on the road.

“Stop the car, please.” You replied.

Through your peripheral view, you saw him look at you.

“You heard me, please stop the car,” you repeated.

He pulled over.

“Can we talk about this?” he asked.

“Yes but not now, I wanna go home. If you can’t take me home, I’ll just get a cab.” You replied as you unfasten your seatbelt and get out of the car.

You walked as fast as you could so you can hail a cab quickly but as expected, he followed.

“Let’s talk,” he said.

You didn’t reply and you keep on waiting for a cab but several minutes has passed still, no luck.

“Come on, let’s go. There’s no taxi here,” he said.

You decided to walk back where he’s supposed to turn but he caught your wrist and pulled you, making you stumble and land into his chest.

The alcohol has kicked into your system.

“You’re going with me. Stop saying no,” his tone is more of an order than a plead.

“Sejeong is waiting for me—“ you said but he’s too strong for you right now that he managed to put you back in the car, seatbelt fastend and all.

He went into the driver’s seat as fast as he could and began driving again.

“Yeah? She’s big enough to lock all the doors and windows and tuck herself into bed Y/N, there’s no need for you to worry about her anymore.” He sad a-matter-of-factly.

“And what do you mean by that? I want to go home, in my apartment with my best friend. What part of that is difficult for you to understand?” Your voice is now an octave higher.

Jaebum’s eyes widen upon hearing your response.

“Relax, okay I’ll take you to your apartment.” He dismissed.

You remained quiet for the rest of the drive. When you arrived to your destination, you didn’t bother saying anything to him. No ‘thank you’ or ‘take care’. You just exited the car and went inside the house.

There’s Sejeong, most probably binge watching her latest drama addiction. She greeted you but you just waved at her and locked yourself in your room.

Meanwhile, the boys became quiet upon your exit followed by Jimin’s entrance. Taehyung even looked surprised.

The silence has been quite too long that Yoongi can’t even bear it.

“So, do you know why Y/N left?” He looked at Jimin’s direction.

“I must add, she didn’t just left. She left upset,” Jin muttered.

“Well yeah,” the younger man replied.

All of them leaned closer, eager to know the details.

Jimin told them what happened plus the encounter with Jaebum.

“Oh shit, that must’ve been a riot if Y/N didn’t step in.” Jungkook commented.

“I won’t let it happen, Kook. I don’t have time for petty fights with him,” Jimin replied.

“Sorry Jimin, we didn’t want your welcome party AKA Jungkook’s celebration to end like this,” Namjoon said.

“I know, I understand,” he gulped the remains of the liquor in his glass and stood up.

“We shall call it a night then?” Jin looked at his watch and stood up as well.

The rest of them agreed, leaving the place all at once.

***

The small rays of sunshine that illuminates your room made you sigh. You haven’t had a decent sleep since you came back. Whatever you try to shut your eyes, your mind directly brings you to that encounter with Jimin. You can still feel the warmth of his coat plus his signature scent and you’re not gonna lie, it brought so much memories. You slowly played with the pendant on your necklace, as you stare at the ceiling. After some time, you slowly stood up and try to take your mind off of those things.

As you walk barefoot towards the kitchen, you were startled when someone placed their hands on the table loudly.

“I demand an explanation,” Sejeong announced, looking straight at you, with a frown.

“Sure,” you replied as you fix yourself some breakfast.

You told her everything that’s happened, and you also apologized to her because of the way you act.

“Oh.My.God Y/N! How are you feeling right now?”

“I don’t know, I don’t want to feel anything.” You replied as you finish the last pieces of your cereal.

“Do you think Jimin sent you these flowers then?”

“No.” You responded hoping to dismiss the topic.

Sejeong was saying something when someone rang the doorbell and you dashed to answer it.

Another delivery of flowers but this time, you’re sure it’s from Jaebum.

You stared at it for a couple of seconds and then sighed.

“Okayyy, may I get that? I’ll help you arrange them,” Sejeong cautiously removed the flowers from your grip.

A few minutes has passed, and now you’re staring at two vases, one is from the anonymous sender.

Sejeong left for work already so the house is all yours.

You got distracted when your phone rings. It’s Jaebum.

You don’t want to talk to him, not today so you just let your phone ring until it he hangs up.

You tried sleeping again but it seems that sleep isn’t gonna visit you anytime soon so you got up and decided to watch the series you’ve been trying to finish since you had the contract with LA Motors.

You just pressed the play button when your phone rang.

“Tae?” you greeted him.

[Coffe at LATE, now.]

“Why, what’s up?” you asked with the hopes that he would say something about Jimin.

[C’mon, just change into something comfy and presentable]

“Alright, I’ll just change, meet me at the bus stop?”

[Nah, I’m in front of your house actually]

You almost fell when you try to look through the windows. And yes, there he is.

You greeted him and let him in.

“Just as I thought your house would be,” he said as he looked around.

“Yeah?” you want him to elaborate further.

“Warm, welcoming, cozy,” he replied.

You let him sit down on the couch as you change. When you’re ready, you heard him talking about business with someone over the phone so you turned the TV off and wear your shoes.

“Let’s go,” you smiled.

He nods and he followed you.

The familiar streets and landmarks that you made in your head as you memorize the way going to the university made you feel nostalgic.

He parked near the alley where there’s a shortcut going to the cafe.

You walked side by side, him, still busy with his phone.

When you reached the cafe, you were greeted by fresh faces and of course, Jin’s.

You chose to sit on the usual spot when you were still in college and Tae sat opposite yours.

“Nothing much has changed,” you smiled as you look around.

“Yeah, except for the customers, they change every four years or so, but you know, sometimes they come back because of the memories they’ve made here,” Tae replied.

“Or maybe it’s the coffee,” you added.

“Or maybe it’s the owner that they want to see,” Jin said while pushing trolley.

“Hangover soup,” he said proudly.

“Can I have some of that too?”

The three of you looked towards the direction of the voice.

You don’t want to exaggerate but, you swear you felt your heart fell into it’s place.

“Of course, Jimin have a seat!” Jin gladly replied and thankfully he chose to sit beside Taehyung.

You wish you wore better clothes, not that simple jeans and shirt that you’re in right now.

“How are you?” Jimin asked.

You don’t dare to answer so you just looked down and started consuming the soup Jin prepared.

“Y/N?” Taehyung called.

“Hmm?” you looked at him.

“I think he’s asking you something?” he looked at you then to Jimin.

“Oh, I um, fine, thank you.” you glanced at him and gave him a slight smile as you respond.

“That’s great to hear,” he replied and you smiled once again. You finished the soup faster than the two of them so you don’t know what to do after that.

“I’ll order some coffee, do you want anything?” you asked.

“Iced Americano,” Taehyung responded.

You looked at Jimin.

“You.” he said, he looked so serious.

Upon hearing his response you felt a little warm but still you don’t want to overanalyze anything.

“You mean?”

“You decide,” he gave you a very cute smile this time.

“Alright,” you went to the counter and ordered. After that, you went to the ladies room.

You stared at your reflection and you washed your face. Maybe the water will wake your senses.

Okay, Y/N, you got this.

You returned just in time, your order arrived. When you’re seated, you handed them their drinks.

“That’s caramel macchiato,” you told him.

“Thanks!” he stirs the whip cream.

Taehyung started to open a conversation with Jimin. Just random things. You’re thankful he’s not asking you to join.

“So, I am aware you came back because of business, is there anything else that made you come back this year?” Taehyung smiled at Jimin.

“Maybe.” He looked at you with a very soft expression, it made you feel warm.

After you’ve finished your coffee, you called his attention.

“So, Tae, can I go now, you already have someone to cure hangover with,”

“I’ll take you back,” he replied.

“No, no, it’s fine, see you.” you bid him farewell and went straight to the counter where Jin is. You didn’t bother to say goodbye to Jimin.

That’s the time you exhaled slowly and continued your way towards the bus station but you were halted by an approaching man.

“Don’t tell me you’re going home,” Jungkook greeted you as he exited his car.

“Well, I was about to...” you confessed.

“Aww c’mon Y/N, why are you like this, stay for a bit more, please?”

“I don’t know Kookie,” you replied.

“For me, pleaeeeeesssee?” he showed his puppy dog eyes and well, it’s one of the rarest occurences that he’d show that kind of face so you give in.

“Fine,” you sighed and moved back so Jungkook can enter.

“Yes! That’s the Y/N that I know” he grinned.

You let him rest his arm on your shoulders so you walked back together in a cheerful manner.

“Welcome back,” Jimin looked at you.

You didn’t reply.

Taehyung started talking to Jungkook who’s facing each other, you tried listening to them but it’s too much business related so your head started to zone out, unconscious that your gaze started to shift towards Jimin’s hands.

There are a few familiar pieces from his collection and there are some that’s new to your eyes.

Slowly, your eyes study his hands that’s now holding his phone.

As you gaze on them, your mind wonders if those hands were still as warm as before? As soft as before?

Slowly, your eyes shifted and it now finds it’s way to where it really wants to look at, --his face.

And his prominent lips, how his annoying smirk turned into cute smiles,

Those beautiful eyes that’s currently busy staring at the screen of his phone, you remembered how it sparkles all the time.

And now his dark hair with orange streaks, still, you prefer his silvery gray hair or that pink one.

Your gaze returned to his eyes and you realized that it’s looking back at you.

He caught you staring at him.

You immediately looked down, and checked your phone with the hopes that it’ll hide the blush you’re hiding.

You heard a soft chuckle which made you feel quite annoyed and embarrassed.

As you try to cover your face by blocking it with your phone just like him, you became a bit annoyed by the notifications that you’ve received in the span of an hour.

12 messages

18 missed calls.

“Kids, let’s grab some lunch, Joon and Yoongi will be joining us.” Jin announced as he approached your table

“Alright!” Jungkook and Taehyung stood up immediately.

“You’re coming right, Y/N?” Jungkook asked.

You noded while the boys sighed in relief which made you giggle.

“I’ll go with you, Kook.” You said and he’s delighted you chose him.

You sang random songs until you arrived at your meeting place.

You’re seated between Yoongi and Namjoon this time.

They asked you if you were okay and you assured them that you’re fine. You also apologized to them.

You enjoyed small talks, a lot of laughter and great food with your friends.

“Can we take this day to the fullest?” Jungkook broke the silence as you rest after eating and laughing too much.

“There’s a place here that just opened can we check it out?” He asked.

“As much as I want to, I can’t, Namjoon replied disappointedly.

“We’ll leave Y/N to the three of you, take care of her,” Yoongi pointed at Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin.

“So, shall we? Jungkook cheerfully asked.

You just agreed. Maybe distancing yourself from Jaebum will make things better.

The four of you enjoyed walking towards the place and its a fusion of an arcade that offers games from the 90’s, a bowling alley and a milkshake bar.

Your eyes feasted on neon signs and upbeat music.

“Wow, this place is huge,” you commented.

“Yeah, I agree.” Taehyung replied.

Jungkook went straight to the token vending machine and returned with a childlike grin, giving you some tokens.

You looked around and saw a dancing game, the one you saw Jimin dancing years back.

You watched some teeangers occupy that game. You were quite impressed that they can hit those directional buttions accurately.

You also witnessed one of them claimin a prize and handing it over to one of the girls who’s also watching.

You can’t help it, it made you smile for it remind you of something similar from your past.

You scanned the place and fixed your gaze to Jimin who’s now playing a racing game with Taehyung.

You checked your phone and your good mood turned sour.

48 missed calls and 34 messages.

You opened the most recent one and replied that you’re fine hoping he wouldn’t worry.

You noticed there’s a small crowd where the basketball game is. Of course, they’d be the players.

“Uh, this is a two versus two game, Y/N,” Taehyung said as you approach them.

“You’ll be playing with Jimin,” Jungkook winked.

You slowly looked at him, he looked so ready with the that smirk plastered on his face.

“I don’t play basketball,” you reminded them.

“This is the perfect opportunity to try it, right?” Taehyung enocouraged you.

“Well, alright here goes nothing,” you surrendered and walked towards Jimin.

“Ready?” he smiled.

You nodded in response.

“Okay, the mechanics of the game is whichever team got the lower score will treat the winning score.” He explained.

“I don’t know how to do this,” you felt your nerves getting the best of you as the crowd goes thicker.

“As long as you can shoot the ball, it’s fine,”he assured.

“Ready? I’ll place tokens now,” he said, walking towards the machine.

“In five..” Taehyung said until he b to one, he and Jimin pressed the button to activate the timer and the balls began to fall

You grabbed one and aimed for the hoop. You jumped as you release the ball from your hands, hoping you’ll score.

“Yes!” you cheered and you continued firing shots, taking turns with Jimin.

You just let yourself enjoy this moment. Until the crowd started to count.

“Last 10 seconds,” Jimin said.

You glanced at Jungkook’s score and they’re winning with a point away from yours.

Jimin made another point, so it’s a tie.

“Go for it,” he said and so you did.

You aimed and threw the ball once again and you looked away from the machine when you saw Jimin cheering.

You won.

You cheered as well and smiled back at him, earning an applause from what has remained from the crowd.

He caged you in his arms.

You slowly took his scent, his familiar scent, the comforting warmth that you always loved, you slowly taking all of him again, as if revisiting a place that you miss a lot.

“Good job,” he whispered to your ear.

You heard someone cleared their throat and thats when you realize that the “celebratory hug” was a bit long than the usual.

You saw Jungkook and Teahyung grinning as if they were the winners.

“C’mon, let’s grab some drinks as promised.” Taehyung said.

You leave the place with a group photo which Taehyung promised to send later.

You walked around the place and decided to get some drinks at a less crowded cafe.

Taehyung added some breads and cakes aside from the promised drinks.

“So, how’s today?” Jungkook looked at you.

“It’s fun,” you admitted.

“Yeah, it is,” he agreed.

“Shall we, continue this and celebrate your victory? Ya know, first time playing some basketball and all? Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows as he flashed a smile.

“I know a bar nearby,” Jungkook added.

“Oookay,” you agreed.

“Wow o wow, Y/N you’re on a roll today! I like this,” Jungkook cheered.

“Is it because....” Jungkook was interrupted by Taehyung.

“You’re coming right hyung?” Taehyung looked at the now phone absorbed Jimin

“Yeah, count me in,” he replied, still his attention glued to his phone.

“Then let’s go!” Jungkook guided you to where the bar is.

They chose the table that has the nicest view from the space where the stage is.

You were seated beside Taehyung this time, still, Jimi’s in front of you.

The waiter approached your table and taken your orders.

“The rest of the hyungs will be coming in a few,” Jungkook announced as he looked at his phone.

You decided to turn off yours so you wouldn’t be bothered by checking it from time to time.

Taehyung excused himself then answered a call.

“I just got a text from my dad I have to return call,” Jungkook left as well.

This leaves you and Jimin alone, on a bar that’s only you on the first floor.

You don’t know where to look so you just fixed your gaze at the empty stage

“It’s nice to have you tonight, Y/N just like before!” Jin cheered as he approach your table, choosing Jimin’s side to sit.

“I’m glad as well,” you smiled.

When you’re complete, you started drinking, in time with the band that will perform that night.

You were enjoying the music when the male vocalist opened a piece of paper and read something.

To this beautiful woman who has the most beautiful eyes yet also has the saddest smiles, I miss you.

The crowed cheered some whistled and the male vocalist started introducing the song by signaling the muscicians to start playing.

It was a very beautiful song and as you listen to it, your heart aches.

You glanced at your watch and it’s almost midnight. You hastily turned your phone on and waited for it to boot, but you’re unsure if you’re ready with the plethora of messages and missed calls you’ll be receiving.

Your phone started showing messages from the same person which is Jaebum. And some from Hyungwon.

You opened the ones from Hyungwon first and replied accordingly.

“Guys, I have to go, I have work tomorrow, sorry.” You said to them.

“I’ll walk you outside,” Taehyung said.

“Um, thanks Tae but can I ask Jimin to come with me?”

You swear you saw Yoongi almost choke on his nachos.

You cleared your throat, trying to get his attention.

Jimin quickly looked at you.

“Are you sure?, Me?” he pointed at himself.

You nod.

“Well, okay then,” he stood up and walked towards you. when you began to walk, you glanced at him, making sure that he’s looking at you.

“Um,” He even placed his phone inside his bomber jacket.

“I would just like to apologize for what happened last night at the bar, I’m sorry.” You looked at him.

You saw his shoulders fall slowly.

“It’s fine, forget about it,” his words laced with assurance. He smiled at you too.

“Really, I’m sorry and well yeah, thank you,” you smiled back.

“Are you happy?” he blurted.

“You looked at him, a bit confused as to what you’ll answer him,”

“I mean, now. Did you enjoy tonight?” he cleared.

You’re not sure if it’s because of the alcohol or you just saw him blush.

“Well yeah, this day is very refreshing, I enjoyed every single minute,” you confessed.

“Good to know,” he replied.

You stopped at the taxi bay.

“Well, thank you, this is my stop. You can go back now,” you said.

“Right, good night, Y/N” he replied.

You don’t understand yourself but the urge of you hugging him won so you opened your arms and he automatically did the same.

“Take care you,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I will,” you replied.

Just when you’re going to let him go, you were pulled by someone, and you caught a glimpse of Jimin falling back.

“JUST WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU TWO DOING RIGHT NOW?!” Jaebum shouted.

#BTS suga #BTS jimin #BTS jin #BTS jungkook #BTS rap monster #BTS v #bts jhope #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #jimin x you #jimin x reader

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madelainesvixens · 5 years

Note

50&67 Sweetvee

Please continue to sent requests from this list of prompt!

50. “You told me you loved me so why did you go away?”

67. “Love terrifies me.”

In a small town like Riverdale, news travelled fast. Especially news concerning a certain Serpent being back in town.

Veronica sat with Betty in a booth at Pop’s, sipping their milkshakes and gushing over Betty’s big rock on her finger. “I can’t believe Jughead Jones proposed to you. I recall him saying marriage was superficial a few years ago.”

“Well, he changed his mind.”

“Obviously. Have you seen that rock?! I’m impressed.” A blush coated Betty’s cheeks, accompanying her giddy smile. “So, what’s the plans for the big day?” Veronica asked, already planning the whole event in her head. She was so excited for Betty.

“We want a chill wedding, nothing grand. Just our best friends and close family.”

Although they were best friends, the two girls had polar opposite ideas of a dream wedding. Veronica was all about a royal-like wedding while Betty prefered an intimate reception.

Veronica pulled a face of disapproval. “It’s your big day, Betty. You can’t settle for a small reception. Here, I’ll call Miranda, she’s the best wedding planner in New York. She’ll make all your dreams come true.”

Betty hummed, knowing Veronica won’t quit it until she agreed on hiring that wedding planner and took a sip of her vanilla milkshake. “My mom and FP are throwing a small engagement party for us on Saturday. I expect you to be there.”

“Of course, B. I wouldn’t miss it.” Betty’s phone buzzed on the table and she reached out, reading the message. “Is it lover boy?” Veronica asked, arching an eyebrow.

Betty shook her head. “No. It’s Toni saying there’s gonna be some late-additions to the guestlist.”

“Is Archie back from California?” The hope and excitement in Veronica’s voice could lead to think she still had feelings for the ginger man but, don’t be fooled. They were over.

“No, Archie unfortunately can’t make it. Jug’s pretty upset his best friend isn’t there,” she explained. “Al least he’ll have Fangs and Sweet Pea.”

“Wait. Sweet Pea is in town?!” Veronica repeated, eyebrows narrowing and jaw clenching at the thought of her ex-boyfriend.

Betty’s green eyes widen, realizing she shouldn’t have said that. “Oh shit.” Before she could say anything else, Veronica bolted from her seat, coat and handbag in her arms, and hurried out the door. “V, wait!”

Ignoring Betty bombarding her phone with text messages and missed calls, Veronica headed to the Wyrm, knowing if Sweet Pea was back in town, he’d be there. He always spends his Friday nights at the Serpent bar.

It was a good thing André was waiting for the girls in the parking lot or else she would’ve had to walk all the way across Southside in her Louboutins. André stopped the car in front of the rundown bar and Veronica got out, heels clicking on the pavement.

As expected, her arrival made a few heads turn, clearly standing out of the lot with her handbag worth ten times their rent. And, that’s without counting the rest of her designer clothes.

Ignoring the dirty stares from elderly Serpents, she pushed the heavy door open, scrunching her nose as the vapors of cheap alcohol and smoke filled her nostrils. It was quite a drastic change of scenery from her fancy New York clubs.

Veronica looked around, scanning the bar for a tall Serpent, walking with a confident step once she spotted him at the bar, having a laugh with the bartender. If only he knew what was coming for him…

“Back in town I see. If I were you, I’d watch my back,” Veronica said, loud and clear, as she crossed the room. “Who knows, you might’ve made it to Daddy’s List. He’s very eye for an eye…more so when it concerns his daughter.”

Kept to secrecy, no one knew who’s names were on that infamous list of Hiram’s. All Veronica knew was that whoever was on that list never got to live long after their name was inked down on the paper.

After witnessing Veronica cry for days, confined in her bedroom, she wouldn’t be surprised if her father had put the name of the man who was responsible for the tears in her beautiful eyes on said list. She was his darling daughter after all, he wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty for her.

At the sound of her voice, Sweet Pea whirled around, finger tightly wrapped grasping his glass of whiskey. “Veronica.”

“Save your saliva. I’m not finished.” It wasn’t often a Northsider dared talking like that to a Serpent so, naturally, heads turned, watching the scene unfold. “Being the Serpent King’s right hand must’ve gotten to your head but, lucky for you, I’m here to knock you off your pedestal. You tactik to lure people with your Chuck Bass-esque paroles might’ve worked and successfully fooled me into thinking you were a good person despite the double headed snake on your back but, as Daddy would say, everyone’s true colors shows eventually: you’re just a spineless coward, Sweet Pea.”

Whistles were heard in the room and Sweet Pea felt uncomfortable. He knew he had hurt Veronica - and he hated himself for it - but she didn’t need to take out their dirty laundry in front of everyone.

“Will you please quiet down?” Sweet Pea hissed, lowering his head to her level.

She huffed, giving him attitude. “I don’t have any orders to take from you.”

“Then, let’s go somewhere more…private. I don’t fancy everyone in this bar hearing our conversation.”

Knowing it would be empty, Sweet Pea took her hand and pulled her into FP’s office. To his surprise, she didn’t put a fit and followed.

Sweet Pea closed the door behind them and, when he turned around to face Veronica, he was met by angry fists jabbing at the his chest. The Serpent let her hit him, cashing the hits without blocking the hits or fighting back. He deserved it, every hits.

Once she was done, Veronica curled her fingers over the lapels of his jacket, pulling herself together before shoving him, back hitting the door.

Months have passed since Sweet Pea skipped town without warnings yet, it felt like it was yesterday. Seeing him tonight re-opened an old wound that felt ten times more painful than the day she realized the Serpent had left.

When he had left, she thought he had the intentions of never coming back but, he did and didn’t bother giving her a ring. It was as if he never knew her, never cared about her, never loved her.

“Anything to say for your defence?” Veronica asked, arching an eyebrow as she waited for his answer, arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m sorr-’‘he started but she cut him off.

”No. Say anything but that. A mediocre apology won’t excuse you for the pain you caused me, Sweet Pea.“

Sweet Pea looked down, not knowing what to say. Unlike his friends, he wasn’t good with words - he was better with his fists. He didn’t have Jughead’s writer brain nor Toni’s quick wit. If Veronica was expecting some grand apologies from him, she better take a seat - and grab a snack.

”You told me you loved me so why did you go away?“ Tears filled her eyes. ’’D-did you even mean it?” she asked with so much agony in her voice.

Seeing the hurt in her dark irises, Sweet Pea spoke up. He had made her cry enough already. “Of course I did. Why the fuck would I have told you that if I didn’t?”

“I don’t know!” she snapped, hands in the air. “You completely vanished from the surface of the earth right after saying those three words. It leaves to interpretations…”

“I love you so fucking much, this is why I left Riverdale. You mean more to me than any other person and that scares the shit out of me. I’ve never felt this way before and it terrifies me, love terrifies me.”

“I thought snakes weren’t afraid of anything,” she said, putting up a front.

In response, Sweet Pea scoffed. “We’re not emotionless warrior robots, Veronica. We- I know I pretend to be one but, I’m not. I have feelings and I have no idea how to deal with them. To me, love is like falling into the empty: you don’t know what you’re gonna get at the end and you have zero control over anything. That’s fucking terrifying for me. I thought I could do it - loving you -but, as I laid in my bed that night, I got the jitters and I didn’t have the heart to break up with you so I packed a bag, got on my bike and left with Fangs.”

The Serpent walked a few steps, crossing the distance between them and got hold of Veronica’s hands. Her heart jumped as their hands touched, a familiar feeling filling her stomach. “I thought it would hurt less to erase myself from your life but, clearly, I was wrong…”

“Careful there or else you’re gonna start battling first place with my ex-boyfriend in the dumb decision departement.”

A light laugh escaped his lips. “Leaving you was the dumbest decision I’ve ever made. I-I love you, Veronica. I love you so fucking much-”

Tears filled her eyes again and she shook her head, twisting her hands free from Sweet Pea’s hold. “I can’t…” she said, her voice thick with sorrow and melancholy.

She was hurt and he just couldn’t expect her to be okay after hearing him out. Even if it took him a lot or courage to say those three little words again.

A part of Veronica wanted to let Sweet Pea in again despite the lengthy emotional breakdown and months of utter sadness because, although he broke her heart, it still beat for him and that’s why it was so difficult to forgive him. While another chance could be the best thing she’s ever done, it could also backfire on her and end with a broken heart - again. Standing this close to her, she wanted nothing more than to hug him, feel his strong body under hers and never let go.

Her thoughts were cut short when someone knocked at the door, asking why the hell it was locked. FP. Sweet Pea went to the door, unlocked it and opened it ajar. “We’ll be out in a minute, Boss,” he assured the man. “We needed a quiet place to talk.”

FP raised an eyebrow, peaking in and seeing Veronica Lodge. He locked eyes with the young Serpent. “No funny business in here, kids.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The door closed again and they were back to being just the two of them.

Returning his attention to Veronica, it hit Sweet Pea how fucking beautiful and hot his ex-girlfriend was. She was always beautiful but, with her stronger jaw and fuller looking breast - or maybe it was a push up bra? - she was- wow. Or, maybe he felt like this because the last time he saw her was two years ago.

“Want a picture? It lasts longer.”

Her snarky comment made him chuckle. “No need. I have plenty in my phone.” Veronica’s face twisted into disgust. Oh shit. “I didn’t- That’s not- Ugh, I meant I kept all our photos on my phone so could look at them whenever I missed you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I’m in love with you, Veronica! Fucking hell, how many times do I need to say it for you to believe me?”

His change of tone made her jump a little, not expecting his voice to raise. “I…”

Sighing, Sweet Pea’s male instincts took over and he walked over to Veronica, pressing their lips together, cupping her jaw tenderly. As his lips touched hers, she forgets her months of moping and crying and she kissed Sweet Pea back. It only lasted for a few seconds before she found her head again and pushed the Serpent away a little bit more roughly than intended.

“What the fuck?”

“No, I meant: what the fuck,” she clarified, fisting the collar of his tee shirt to pull him down to her level before kissing him.

Decrypting her coded thoughts, Sweet Pea grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto FP’s desk, stepping between her legs as they deepened the kiss, hands wandering everywhere on their bodies.

In true Veronica and Sweet Pea fashion, kisses turned into making out and - although Sweet Pea had promised FP they weren’t going to have sex - or anything of the nature - in his office, hormones took over and jackets and tops found home on the floor as lips were pressed on skin and moans filled the room.

Taking his lips off Veronica, Sweet Pea spoke up. “I truly hadn’t planned to come back but Jones’s getting married and Fangs insisted we come so…”

“Remind me to thank him later.” She locked their lips again, hungry for him. “…Or tomorrow.”

#sweet vee #sweet pea #sweet pea x veronica #veronica x sweet pea #sweet vee prompts #veronica lodge #riverdale prompts #riverdale prompt

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ryik-the-writer · 6 years

Photo

A03

Previous Chapters

Chapter 1: Pan meets a Wendy

Chapter 2: Scars (Felix’s Story)

Chapter 3: Day One

Chapter 4: Revenge and Fireflies

Chapter 5: Brighter than Stars

Chapter 6: filler: The Tigress

Chapter 7: Operation Spotless!

Chapter 8: Operation Spotless: Reporters Down

Chapter 9: A Dance with the Devil

Chapter 10: filler: Felix and the Pancake

Chapter 11: The Girl with Blue Eyes pt. 1

Chapter 12: The Girl with Blue Eyes pt. 2

Chapter 13: The Girl with Blue Eyes pt. 3

Chapter 14. Recovery

Chapter 14.2 Recovery some more

Chapter 15: Trapped

Chapter 16: Fairydust pt. 1

-,-,-,-,-,-

Pros of going home for the summer: free food (when someone goes bloody food shopping), free wifi (when someone plays the bloody bill) and my cats (no problems here they’re perfect).

Cons of going home for the summer: You lovely people get a chapter I finished at 4:30 in the morning because I can’t sleep with all these damn people going in and out of the living room I sleep in :) This is really just an idea I was tinkering (pun intended) with when I first began writing this story, so I thought now would be the time to incorporate it into the fic.

P.S. I’m sure some of you have heard of the wildfires in Greece. If you’d like to help, please try sending money and supplies to the Greece Red Cross.

-,-,-,-

The sound of muffled yelling greeted her as she reached Tink’s floor. Her defensive instincts broke through her tiredness and she readied for a fight. As she turned the corner she was surprised to see Felix standing outside the door, pacing in small circles and chewing on one of his thumbnails.

Wendy’s heart ceased its pounding when she saw that he wasn’t in fight-mode like her, but her spine remained straight as she edged closer. They exchanged worried glances, the yelling behind Tink’s door becoming more audible.

“We’ve been through this a thousand times, just leave me alone!”

“How dare you raise your voice at me!”

Wendy tensed at the sound unfamiliar and gritty female voice. Tink Le’Belle was beloved around town, even by Granny who was the closest thing to a rival she had. Who could she possible have as an enemy?

“I will raise my voice at whoever I want to! I’m twenty-three years old and you will not ever tell me what to do again!”

Wendy glanced at Felix, hoping he could relay an explanation to the commotion, but he looked too nervous to answer questions.

“You’re living in sin with that boy!”

“Not this crap again!”

“Oh God.” Felix moaned.

“Should we…intervene?” Wendy inquired as the two women continued to yell at each other.

“Absolutely not.” Felix sighed. “My presence just makes things worst. Not to mention the last time I got in the middle of them I had one of my worst seizures to date.”

“Who…” Before she could finish her question, the door burst open and a woman in a blue convent outfit stormed out of Tink’s apartment, causing both Wendy and Felix to jump out of her path. She spared a look Wendy’s way, but she paused to full-on glare at Felix, as if everything that the loud conversation that had occurred in Tink’s apartment was somehow his fault.

Felix matched her glare, his sharp jaw clenching in an unforgiving line. He’d always looked so fragile to Wendy, pale and lanky. However, compared to the woman in blue, who’s eyes were as hard as diamonds and spine as straight as a telephone pole, he seemed unabatingly powerful.

With a loud huff the woman stalked down the hallway to the stairs, leaving behind a confused Wendy and a seething Felix, who burst into Tink’s apartment as soon as the woman was out of sight.

Wendy paused to listen to Felix’s muffled apologies, her heart clenching when she heard a muffled feminine sob.

“She’s always doing this.” Tink cried quietly.

“We can still get a restraining order.” Felix returned soothingly. “She can make sure she never comes near you again.”

Wendy swallowed, feeling powerless, and for whatever reason, guilty. She was surrounded by so many mysteries and thus knew of no way to help anyone, especially the young woman who had been nothing but kind to her from day one. As she looked on at the comforting domestic scene in Tink’s living room, she wondered if she could help at all. Felix seemed to be giving her all the relief she needed because he whispered something into her ear and she giggled softly, the tears on her cheeks drying into the lines of her smile.

Wendy managed a small smile, but her heart remained heavy and her curiosity peaked.

Tink finally noticed her presence and sat up, wiping her eyes and smiling brightly.

“Hey,” she greeted. “How was your day?”

Oh god he’s dead!

You and Jekyll?

This is my business, my life! Stay the hell out of it you nosy pest!”

He’s my brother!

“Fine.” Wendy lied, holding her breath when she caught a phantom whiff of corpse and woods. “Is…everything okay here?”

Tink rolled her eyes. “Just some crap from my past I can’t seem to get away from.”

Wendy nodded. She could certainly understand that.

Tink stood, rubbing her hands together as she fell back into her usual mode.

“You want to order in? Or I’ve got a frozen pizza in the freezer…”

“Actually,” Wendy began, the subject she had wanted to bring up between her and Pan’s rescue from the evil turkey and the car ride pushing back into her attention. “I was thinking I’d use the rest of the night…to gather my things.”

“Oh…” Tink’s smile fell some, and Felix gave her an odd look.

“Yeah,” Wendy said, clenching and unclenching her hands. “I…had an experience today that helped me realize that I will be okay on my own. I think the bad karma’s left.”

Tink nodded, her smile sad but understanding.

“I hate to throw this on you now…” Wendy apologized.

“No! Not at all. This is a weekly occurrence.” Tink laughed, though the sound was strained.

A moment of silence followed, not tense but still unwelcomed. Wendy couldn’t understand why the lack of sound made her feel so nervous.

“I’ll pull the car around.” Felix suggested, bringing in just enough sound to ease the anxiety creeping through Wendy’s mind. When the door closed behind him, Tink stood and offered to help Wendy pack.

It took little to no time to gather Wendy’s toiletries (Wendy was ever the immaculate houseguest), however it took her and Tink a moment to find her clothes. The girls were about the same size and borrowed each other’s clothing, which only now had become an issue.

“I can just come back for anything I leave.” Wendy assured as Tink ruffled through her closet.

“No, it’s that lace shirt, the one you made yourself? I’ll never give it back if you leave it here.”

Wendy nodded. The shirt was one she made back during her fabrication phase that had somehow survived despite the frail fabric.

Wendy turned and began going through her drawers. Her hands scaled through a cluster of t-shirts until her fingertips grazed something cold. She held her breath, praying that she didn’t pull out something totally nonsensical like a gun or a sex toy. A quick peak assured her that it was neither of those things and she pulled the object out with a sigh of relief.

It took her a moment to understand what she was looking at. It was old and heavy, obviously some kind of silver that needed a good polish, with cloudy jewels running down the middle. It looked like an old cross, the ancient kind one would see in historic cemeteries, only this one was broken towards the bottom, as if it had been sawed in half.

“Please be careful with that!” Tink cried when she finally noticed Wendy. She took the object from Wendy’s hand, holding it close to her chest. “It’s really old.”

“I can see that.” Wendy said. “What is it?”

Tink placed the object on her dresser, running a finger down its cold metallic surface.

“It’s part of a cross my parents left behind when they gave me up.”

Wendy watched her friend, the information she just released hitting her immediately. Was there anyone in this town who didn’t have a horrible family secret?

The way Tink had said it however wasn’t necessarily sad, but accepting of the situation. Still, it made Wendy wonder what kind of parents could give up someone like Tink.

“I’m…sorry.” Wendy said, unsure of what else she could say. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s fine.” Tink assured. “It’s just…today brought up some bad memories.”

“That women…” Wendy led.

Tink rolled her eyes. “The head nun from the convent. Mother Superior. More like Mother pain in my ass!”

Wendy calmed a growing smirk. “Is she technically your mother, or…”

“Surrogate, but just barely.” Tink sat down on the end of her bed and Wendy took it as an invitation to join her. It was time for another story, it would seem.

“I was left on the doorstep of the nunnery shortly after I was born. According to my file I had some of my umbilical cord still attached.”

Wendy gasped. “Oh my.”

“The nuns took me in, raised me, and Mother Superior was there to monitor every waking second of my life.”

A dark thought entered Wendy’s mind and she hesitated only for a moment before voicing it.

“She didn’t…do anything to you, did she?” To her surprise, Tink snorted in response.

“Geez Wendy Darling, get your head out of the Twilight Zone. You’ve been spending too much time around Pan.”

“Tell me about it.” Wendy muttered. “But back to you, why was she here earlier?”

“The same reason she always stops by: she’s trying to get me to join the convent permanently.”

Wendy blinked, trying to envision Tink in the same stuffy outfit Mother Superior had been wearing instead of her ripped jeans and green tank top. It just didn’t seem plausible.

“At eighteen, any of the children who live at the convent get to choose to convert or go out on their own.” Tink explained. “I chose to leave, and she’s been trying to pull me back ever since.”

“Why didn’t you want to stay? Free rent, three meals a day. It might be a set routine but you’d never be without a home.”

“That place was never a home.” Tink said. “It was a building I lived in. Sure, there were good people in there, and I was never cold or hungry, but Mother Superior made it so constraining. I could never have friends or wear what I wanted. I couldn’t even watch TV or listen to music! I’m the only person in town who didn’t know who Lana del Rae was!”

Wendy chuckled but straightened up quickly. “You decided to leave and make your own decisions. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Well it…wasn’t just wanting to get out of the convent.” Tink said with a small smile. “It was the people I met, Lily Tirgress, Pan…and Felix.”

“Ah.” Wendy smiled. “You fell in love.”

“Well, not at first.” Tink scoffed, leading both girls to laugh.

“Well, details.” Wendy insisted.

“Let’s see…I was home-schooled up until eighth grade. I wanted to live during my last years of school, so I begged Mother Superior to let me enroll, suggested a “religious” presence might influence the other students.”

“Clever.” Wendy commented.

“Believe it or not, it was Pan’s suggestion, but that’s a different story. Anyway, I was enrolled into Storybrooke High and smoking cigarettes in the girls’ locker room by the third day.”

Wendy laughed. Her high school experience involved her eating lunch in the library and becoming a legend after she nearly set the home economics room on fire when one of the sewing machines started smoking.

“By the time graduation came around, I was ready to permanently transition into the real world. Felix and I even discussed getting a place together before…” Tink paused, a painful glint flashing in her deep green eyes.

“What happened?” Wendy pressed carefully.

“Felix had his accident.” Tink relayed, the words sounding heavy on her tongue. “His parents were killed and he spent a few months healing. It put a damper on our plans.”

Wendy thought about the scar that ran over Felix’s face. She had figured he had sustained it from an accident, but hadn’t realized the severity of it’s origins.

“Mother Superi-ass said it was God’s punishment.” Tink said, her voice hard as diamonds. “I was out of the convent in an hour.”

Wendy thought of something to say. She and her girlfriends back home never had conversations this deep.

“Things…seem better now.” She tested.

“They are.” Tink agreed, her spirit’s lifting. “I have a good job, a good boyfriend, and most days good friends when Pan isn’t being an ass. I have a good life.”

Wendy noted just a twinge of hesitation when she said the last bit, but her smile was convincing enough that she didn’t press for more. Then again, why would she press for more? This was Tink’s business, and details on her life should be given, not inquired upon.

Still, Wendy’s natural curiosity was peaked, and she needed to leave before she asked anything Tink wasn’t ready to share.

“You can keep the shirt.” Wendy declared. “Consider it a thank you for…everything.”

Tink blushed and nudged Wendy with her hip.

“Deal.”

-,-,-,-,-

“Wendy?”

Something was touching her hair.

“Wendy!”

Something was pulling it.

The intern journalist just up from her desk, her mind going into an instant panic before her blurry surroundings became clearer.

Pan was standing at her desk, hands shoved in his pockets, revealing his innocence.

“God your hair looks awful.”

Wendy sighed, her brain hardly awake to deal with his insults.

“Then I suggest you never cut yours this length. What do you want?”

“The janitor said you’ve been here since 4. Did Tink kick you out?”

Wendy shook her head as her heartbeat returned to its normal pace.

Upon her return to her apartment last night, she was met with instant regret with her brave decision to move back to her place. Every noise made her heart skip a beat and every shadow looked like it was coming towards her. She had kept all her lights on and had headed to the paper as soon as one of the janitors had come to unlock the doors at 4 a.m. She had meant to keep herself busy, but the second she had sat at her desk she crashed.

“I um…wanted to get started on the Jekyll story.”

“Already wrote it. Come with me to the printers, give it a look.” He stormed off before she could reply, giving her the chance to notice that his limp was nearly nonexistent now, though she could still see the ghosts of several scars he had accumulated in the last few weeks.

She followed him cautiously, recalling their last encounter. His coldness, and then his confusing revelation about Gold. Why had he done that, and what had he thought it would accomplish revealing to her?

What would it change between them?

She was barely in the room before Pan shoved a sheet of paper in her hands.

BODY OF FORMER MORTICIAN FOUND IN CAR

“Former mortician?” Wendy scoffed, her skin crawling. “That’s much too nice for what he was.”

Pan shrugged before busying himself with something. “Glass wouldn’t let me use “Ex-sociopath dead, good riddance”.”

Wendy hid a smile and read through the article, checking off the details in her head. It was cut and dry, omitting the details about how her and Pan were held captive in the car by a turkey. Coroner details provided that Jekyll had been killed the night he had held Wendy and Pan captive and that no fingerprints or other evidence had been found.

“Oh no.” Wendy gasped when she got to the third paragraph.

“…with Jekyll’s body being found on his property, Booth will be held for questioning...”

“Sheriff Graham doesn’t really believe he had anything to do with it does he?” Wendy inquired out loud.

“Would he be in an interrogation if he didn’t?” Pan snarked.

Wendy glared at him and laid the story down. “And you’re not concerned? You two were…” Wendy stopped herself. Assuming that anyone was anything to Pan was dangerous, and really just an argument-starter.

“We were what?” Pan smirked, his eyes filled with a dangerous darkness.

Drop it.

“Something.” Wendy breathed, the word flowing out so easily despite how hard she had tried to contain it.

The silence that followed her declaration was heavy, and shifted the possibility of peace for the two of them away.

Pan’s glare was strong, but he gave no comeback, no insult or jab to her person. Because for once (as far as he was concerned at least) she was indeed correct. But not about August.

She had used that same word when she described Jekyll. Something.

He was something with everyone in his life, even to those he deemed dearer to him then most (but they would never know it).

They weren’t lovers, or friends, and they sure as hell weren’t family. Those words were too personal. They were just something.

But you’re not just something, Wendy.

“If he’s innocent, Graham will snuff it out and he’ll be free.”

Wendy shook her head, the idea that he was still pretending he didn’t care astonishing her. She’d seen his vulnerable side enough times already.

Why is he still cutting me out?

“Whatever.” Wendy sighed, shoving the story back to him. “I have something else I wanted to talk to you about anyway.”

Pan paused, his stomach curling with anticipation. It had to be about Gold. Why the hell had he told her about him!

“Well?” Pan introduced, leaning against the desk casually while his heart drummed in his chest.

Wendy worried her lip, the subject she was about to approach having followed her home and distracted her from the darker parts of her mind.

“What do you know about Tink’s parents?”

Pan blinked, the question catching him completely off guard. When the hell had Tink told her about that? And how had he not known that she had told her? He realized he hadn’t spent a lot of time around them lately but…

“Why…do you want to know that?” Pan inquired quickly.

“So you do know something?”

“Perhaps, but answer my question first.”

Wendy frowned, calling his bluff. “You know bullocks.”

“Any knowledge I have is some that you do. That’s…” he smirked. “something.”

“Wanker.” Wendy growled. But he had a point. He had roots in Storybrooke and knew where each one led.

“Fine.” Wendy surrendered. “The…head nun came to Tink’s apartment last night. She was really upset and then she brought up how she was abandoned at the convent. I thought maybe someone had to see something that night. Sheriff Graham wasn’t even an officer then so…you’re my only option. You…have a way of finding buried things.”

“True.” Pan agreed cockily. “But you might not want to go digging for this skeleton, little bird.”

“And just why not?”

“Because it’s too personal.” Pan answered, his tone changing to genuine concern. “Not to mention if Tink wanted to know about her parents, she would have gone digging for the information when she turned 18. She didn’t want to know then, and nothing’s changed.”

“You don’t know that.” Wendy retorted. “You didn’t see her face. Maybe there’s something else, information she wasn’t given. Something I can find for her.”

Pan’s eyes lowered, and Wendy could only imagine what he was thinking.

“You mentioned yesterday that you and Glass came across records, in the library?”

“Yes.” Wendy nodded. “He mentioned that it was the town’s storage unit.”

“Start there. The nuns keep crap there as well. Then check the newspaper archives.”

Wendy nodded, smiling gratefully before turning to run out of the print room. “Thank you. Let Glass know I’m taking the day off.”

“I’m not your fucking secretary!” he yelled after her, feeling surprisingly unfulfilled when she didn’t respond.

The silence that followed her departure seeped into his mind, echoing, drumming his senses.

Oh no…

Not the quiet.

Pan grabbed as stack and printing paper and hurled it at the window. He breathed in relief when the clattering sound filled the room.

He quickly turned on the printer to fill the void, his mind racing as fast as the papers on the belt.

Wendy hadn’t asked about Belle, or about their fight yesterday. She hadn’t even wanted to continue talking about Jekyll or August or the rest of the filth they encountered on their latest adventure. Didn’t she want to know?

Didn’t she still care?

Why is she cutting me out?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Now that she was standing outside of the library where nine days ago she almost met a ghastly end, Wendy wondered if finding out Tink’s past was worth the panic attack she felt coming on.

Police tape and a fresh lock closed off the door she and Glass had gone through during their research session. They had tried to solve the mystery of Belle’s disappearance on their own, but all they had accomplished was another trip to the hospital.

Jekyll and Pinnock were dead, and the police force had raided their underground prison for more danger. There was nothing to be afraid of, yet she was still terrified. Maybe she should have asked Pan to come along. His company was better than the crippling silence that usually followed her around.

She turned on her cellphone flashlight, her hand shaking as she used the light to find a different entry. She wasn’t even sure what to look for, or even if she would find anything at all. This town had so many secrets under its charming facade. Jekyll’s was literally buried underground. She could only imagine where Tink’s would lead her to.

Without much searching Wendy managed to find a window. Heavy from year of untreated rust, it took some effort to open and crawl through it, resulting in Wendy scrambling for a grip on the wall when her foot got caught in the window. With an annoyed huff, she snatched her foot forward, freeing her but causing her to fall face-first into the dusty library floor.

“Ow.” she groaned as she pulled herself up, rubbing her chin from the impact. Otherwise unscathed, she picked herself up and shown her phone light around the room. She was surrounded by mountains of boxes, all covered in layers of dust and unmarked.

“Great.” Wendy huffed. “This is going to take a while.”

Four hours later, Wendy’s hands were caked black and her nose was pink from sneezing so much. But, miracles of miracles, she had finally found a box of files from the year Tink was born.

She had the files spread out by month, squinting through the contents for anything to do with a found baby. She was relying solely on the light peeking through the boarded windows, her phone battery having gotten too low to support the flashlight any longer.

Finally, she found a file labeled “Convent infant: 1991” and Wendy hissed in self-congrats. She flipped the file open, her eyes instantly falling on a photo of an infant labeled “Margatink La’Belle”. Wendy smiled at the picture of her friend, the idea that she was once small and helpless instead of the confident woman she was now.

She carefully through the details of the file, all of which was cut and dry and containing the same details Tink had described: a nun had heard her crying and found her on the steps of the convent. The nuns called the police but with the convent not having cameras at the time, the person (or people) who dropped Tink off remained unfound.

Wendy sighed when the information ended, leaving her in a dead end. Closing the file, she headed to the archives in the back, hoping any story that was published on the incident would have more information.

Her head was throbbing by the time she found articles from October 1991. There was mostly small-town drabbles, such as construction at the diner and new playground equipment. Wendy wondered briefly when exactly Storybrooke became as hectic as it had when she arrived.

A picture of a bundled baby caught Wendy’s attention, and the headline caused her heart to pound with excitement.

NEWBORN BABY ABANDONED AT CONVENT

“Newborn…” Wendy mused, reading ahead.

Sister Corrine Blue, 17, discovered the abandoned infant shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday night. A doctor’s analysis showed that the baby was just over a week old and still had an umbilical cord stomp in her belly button.

“Poor Tink.” Wendy sighed.

The baby was abandoned with a wicker basket, flannel shirt, and a broken metal cross. The other half of the cross has yet to be located.

“We’re very grateful that the child is healthy, and the Sisters of Saint Meissa will do everything to make her comfortable until social services decide on a plan of action.” Blue said.

Wendy read through the article again, look carefully for other details that she may have missed the first time. The only addition information she found was a small article stating that the convent had been allowed to adopt her. It would seem that Tink’s story ended there, but Wendy knew that it was the event leading up to her adoption into the convent that was most important.

After snapping photos of the pictures in the articles, she pulled out her notebook and began making a list of possible interviewees. Mother Superior was already at the top, being that she had taken responsibility for Tink’s upbringing. If she found Tink, then she might have seen something else. Then, of course, was Sheriff Graham. He may not have been sheriff then, but he could still tell her who his predecessor was. And finally, the author of the article, Sydney Glass.

As Wendy ready through the list, another name came to mind. It was a long shot, but any information anyone could provide would help.

Especially if that particular person owned the town and knew every corner of its happenings.

Mr. Gold.

-,-,-,-

Part two is almost done, but damn if this chapter wasn’t 8000+ words and bordering on 23 pages! It would have taken me months to edit!

#ryik's fics #Darling Pan #darling pan fic #papers and sleuthers #Wendy Darling #peter pan #Tinkerbell

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your-brother-crutchie · 7 years

Text

Friend of a Friend

“Friend of a friend needs a place to stay before they get evicted.”

Please enjoy this long ass fic that I can’t be bothered to edit because I’m lazy and it’s late.

TW: Mentions of homophobic assault

Spot was busy crushing it at Splatoon when he heard the familiar persistent knocking at his door that usually told him that Davey had arrived. Sighing, he dropped his controller, knowing that that incessant rapping wouldn’t stop until he answered it and deciding to just abandon the group of people that he did not know, to cross the small studio apartment and let the boy in.

As soon as Spot opened the door, Davey launched into it, stepping forwards and passed him into the room, “Hey, so you know, my friend, Jack?” Davey sneered slightly as he looked around him, seeing the unwashed dishes in the sink and the unmade bed behind the lounge area.

Somehow, Spot had managed to wrangle the only studio apartment in his floor so that he was able to be private and secluded. He’d met Davey, another boy on his floor, but hadn’t made any effort to introduce himself to Davey’s friends. The only downside, however, was that studio apartments had two beds in them. Thankfully, though, it was unlikely, at this point in the year, that anyone would move into the halls so Spot was pretty safe.

Nodding briefly, Spot sighed and gestured to the room that Davey had already entered, “Sure, Dave, come on in!” Spot chuckled darkly, swinging the door shut and dropping onto the sofa in the middle of the room, “Yeah, I know of him. Why?”

Davey sighed, picking up a dirty sock that was draped over the back of the sofa and flinging it onto Spot’s bed before sitting himself beside him, “Right, well, his friend lives off-campus but he can’t get the rent anymore so he needs a place to stay before he gets evicted and, since you’re the only one with a spare bed, I told Jack that you’d take him.” He said all of this very quickly, jumbling words together in a way that should have put Spot off the scent.

A quick scoff left Spot as he stared at Davey, trying to figure out what made him think that that was at all acceptable. He didn’t want a roommate, especially one that he didn’t know. He enjoyed his privacy and he hadn’t even introduced himself to the four other people who lived on his floor. Shouldn’t that have been enough of a signal that Spot was not open to ‘making friends.’ He was, technically, allowed to use the kitchen in the common room and hang out in that living space but why would he when he had his own?

“Davey, are you kidding me? I don’t want a roommate!” Spot suddenly launched into action, leaning forwards and tensing his muscles. He knew that he couldn’t threaten Davey, he’d already tried but it would have been nice to be able to back out of this.

As he’d thought, Davey quickly shut him down on that option, “Spot, just don’t question this one, okay? He’s been through too much. It’s too late now, anyway, he’s moving in tomorrow. I’ll be bringing him here in the morning so please be ready.” Davey stared at Spot until he settled back against the sofa in resignation, realising that there would certainly be no budging him.

Spot rolled his eyes, folding his arms and grumbling to himself, “Fine, fuck.” He stood, striding over to the free bed and picking up some hoodies to throw into his wardrobe, “Happy?” A snarl resting on his features, Spot watched Davey as he pulled himself upwards with a sigh.

Nodding, Davey rubbed at his face before heading towards the door, “Peachy. Right, I’ve got to go but, please, be nice to him and tidy up in here.” Opening the door to let himself out, Davey glanced around the room before throwing Spot one last pointed glare and pulling the door closed behind him after returning Spot’s brief wave as a distracted goodbye.

Leaping awake, Spot flung himself upwards as soon as he heard the violent banging on the other side of his door. He sighed, looking around at the tidy studio flat that didn’t even look like it belonged to him anymore and rolling his eyes as soon as he heard Davey’s raised voice, “Fuck’s sake, Spot, I told you I was dropping him off yesterday!”

Spot hauled himself upwards and staggered over towards the door, forgetting to get a t-shirt on his way over and swinging it open before remembering that he was only dressed in sweatpants.

He looked up to see Davey, rolling his eyes as he took in his appearance. Davey was acclimated to Spot greeting him at the door only half-clothed but the boy next to him obviously wasn’t. When Spot glanced across at him, he noticed that the boy was blushing furiously, looking anywhere else as he fiddled with the handle of his pitifully small suitcase.

“Spot, this is Race.” Davey sighed when he realised that Spot wasn’t planning on introducing himself, obviously realising that this was as much of a bad idea as he’d probably expected it to be.

Running his eyes over Race quickly, Spot looked him over before shrugging, trying to keep his quiet approval to himself. At least he was nice to look at. Davey could have dropped someone far worse on him. He looked back up to Davey, sighing when he saw the look on his face and stepping out of the way of the doorframe.

Davey pushed Race forwards gently, taking his suitcase from him and walking him passed Spot and into the room, “I assure you, he’s just always this prickly. It’s not you.” He set Race’s bag down on the freshly made spare bed, nodding in approval as he registered that Spot had tidied up like he’d asked him to. Spot might not have wanted a roommate, but he didn’t want first impressions to show him as a slob, even if he was a bit of one.

The only thing that Spot had forgotten to clean was Race’s nightstand, so Davey swept his general clutter onto the floor with a quick tut. He turned back to Race, who was stood stiffly and awkwardly in the living area, Spot behind him, “Okay, Race, I have to pick Les up from school but I’ll drop by later to make sure you’re settling in and help you unpack.” Davey reached out and led Race carefully by the elbow, as if he was delicate, forwards and over to the bed.

Spot frowned slightly, not understanding the light movements and also thinking over what about what Davey had said was troubling him. It struck him as Davey was almost out of the door, making him swivel to catch him before he left, “Wait, is this a permanent thing now? We’re in halls, he can’t just stay here indefinitely!”

A dangerous glare quickly filled Davey’s face as he tugged on Spot harshly, bringing him out into the hallway and closing the door behind him, “He can because he goes here, too. We spoke to the hall manager and he’s alright with it. What did I tell you about being nice to him?” He shoved Spot backwards lightly, obviously trying to make him realise just how serious he was about this.

“I didn’t know this was forever! I didn’t even have a choice!” Spot tensed his muscles, pulling up and trying to make himself look taller, despite him still being almost a foot taller than him.

Shaking his head in disappointment, Davey turned to walk away and out of their section of the floor, calling over his shoulder, “Too late now.”

Spot scoffed, watching as the boy held his hand up to wave briefly to Spot, never once turning back around to face him. He sighed, rolling his eyes and collecting himself before turning back inside the flat. Race was sitting quietly on the edge of his bed, obviously trying to make himself small as he fiddled nervously with his suitcase.

As he sneered gently to himself, Spot trudged back over to his bed before falling into it and burrowing under the covers, deciding to just go back to sleep and deal with the tense atmosphere when he was actually awake.

A couple of hours later, Spot woke up to a much gentler knocking at his door, yawning and pulling a t-shirt over his head this time. On his trek to the door, he noticed that Race was completely swaddled in his blankets, sleeping and and cocooned almost completely, with his duvet tucked tightly around his body.

Shaking his head in annoyance, Spot turned the handle and pulled the door open to see Davey, “Oh look, it’s you.” He huffed, stepping back into the apartment and letting Davey follow him, “He’s asleep.”

Davey glanced at Race before turning on Spot with a hushed whisper, “What did you do?” He turned Spot by the arm, making him look at him and shake his head at the questioning glare on Davey’s face. Sometimes, just occasionally, Spot wasn’t the root of the problem.

“Nothing! I was asleep and, when I woke up, he was asleep!” Scoffing, Spot dropped onto the sofa, peering over the back of it so that he could watch as Davey looked nervously at the curly-haired boy in his spare bed. Sorry, in his own bed. Spot didn’t have a spare bed anymore because he had a roommate and he had to deal with another human living with him.

Turning around the sofa and sitting next to Spot cautiously, Davey pursed his lips as he turned back to him, “Why’s he frowning?” He tilted his head in Race’s direction, making Spot look over to see the furrowed lines in his forehead and how he was knitting his eyebrows together.

A shrug rolled across Spot’s shoulders as he gave up, falling back against the sofa and not bothering to watch Race anymore, “I don’t know! Why’s he made a cocoon?” He sighed, reaching across to shove at Davey but looking up when he caught his arm.

Davey looked serious now, really, properly serious, so he sat up slightly to actually listen to what he had to say, “Because he sold most of his stuff for last month’s rent and has been sleeping on a bare, lumpy mattress on the floor until today. Don’t ask what else he had to do for money, I can’t even say it.” His voice broke slightly, making Spot realise that he was completely serious and feel a small twinge in his chest as he glanced nervously back over at Race’s sleeping frame.

“. . . Oh. I didn’t realise it was that bad.” Spot’s mouth fell open slightly as he realised why Davey hadn’t given him a decision, feeling terrible for ever wanting rid of him. He looked back to Race, for the first time really seeing just how defeated he looked. Race looked like he’d been through a lifetime of shit, beaten down and broken and barely able to hold himself upright anymore. Spot barely knew him but he was certain, especially from how Davey cared for the boy, that he didn’t deserve any of it.

Nodding with a sad smile, Davey quickly caught himself and sneered slightly, hardening his expression as he rubbed at his nose, sniffing discreetly, “Well, yeah, it is, so just be nice to him, for fuck’s sake.”

Spot blinked at his language, not really knowing what he’d done to deserve it. Davey only swore when he had reason to. It wasn’t that he was against people using profanities, he just personally didn’t use them a lot, “Davey, Jesus, what’s up with you?” He chuckled softly, quickly stopping himself though as the taller boy dropped his head into his hands.

His voice beginning to raise slightly, it was obvious that Davey was mad about something as he snarled before wiping his hands down his face, “Not love for Jesus, that’s part of it!” When Race stirred slightly, he bit down on his lip and sighed until his body language was much calmer, “Sorry. Les is being bullied at school because he wouldn’t pray with the other kids.” He breathed out shakily, wiping at his eyes as he curled himself up on the sofa and rested against the back of it.

Blowing air out between his parted lips, Spot shook his head as he struggled not to become angry himself. He hated children precisely for the reason that they could be cruel and mean but Davey’s little brother had always been an exception, “Shit, man. That’s hard. Is he okay?”

Davey shook his head slightly, shrugging and sniffing harshly, “I don’t know, he won’t even talk to me about it. The headteacher won’t do anything about it.” He looked up at Spot with a sad smile, looking almost as defeated as Race in that moment.

“Do I need to beat up some children?” Spot’s offer, although he knew it was ludicrous, was partly serious. He’d never actually do it but, if they were his age, there would have been nothing stopping him. He wouldn’t have even asked for Davey’s consent. Spot would not suffer bullies.

Narrowing his eyes and knitting his eyebrows together, Davey shook his head slightly as he did his best not to chuckle, “Uhhh- maybe never say that again if you don’t want to go to jail?” He scoffed, smiling slightly as Spot nodded, “Good. Look, I’ll come back in another hour. Don’t wake him up.” Davey stood, sighing and rubbing at his eyes, flashing one last look at Race before turning and leaving.

It was another half an hour before Race woke up, stirring gently before sitting upright and rubbing at his eyes. He jumped slightly when he looked up to see Spot looking at him, pulling the duvet closer around his body, despite the fact that Spot had scanned the room for clothes and realised that Race had fallen asleep in his t-shirt and jeans from earlier. At first, he’d thought that it couldn’t be comfortable before remembering what Davey had said about where Race had been staying. It must have been more comfortable than that.

“Hey.” Spot offered him a small smile, trying to appear a little friendly, or at least somewhat warmer than he’d come off as that morning. Since Davey had told him what Race had been through, Spot felt awful about ever considering being so cold towards him that it would make him leave. Which he really had considered . . . A lot.

Running his eyes over Spot once, the corner of Race’s lip tugged itself upwards minutely before falling back into place again, “ . . . Hi.” He ran his hands over his face, sighing as he pulled himself to his feet and looked around him properly for the first time. He huffed once in amusement when he saw Spot’s band posters, focussing on them and trying to pick out ones that he liked.

Spot couldn’t hide his bright smile as he realised that they had something in common. This didn’t have to be as painful as he’d expected it to be! He came over to join Race, seeing him studying his As It Is poster, “They’re my favourite band! Look, I’m sorry I was harsh earlier, I was tired. You can stay for as long as you like; whether that’s for the rest of the school year or until you can find something, that’s up to you.” When Race turned to look at him, Spot smiled, trying his best to appear approachable.

He froze, however, when Race teared up slightly. Panic flooded his mind as he realised that he didn’t know what to do but quickly settled when he saw Race’s wide smile, “Thank you.” What shocked Spot the most was that Race lunged forward to hug him. Spot didn’t like physical contact; that was what he told everyone. What he didn’t tell anyone was that, although he wasn’t particularly used to a lot of it, he craved it.

Settling quickly into the hug, Spot relaxed as he held tightly onto Race, already sensing that he was the kind of person that also craved physical reassurance. He found himself drawing his bottom lip between his teeth, breathing in the smell of ginger and lemon coming from Race’s hair and realising that he really didn’t mind it.

The next time something strange happened was almost a whole year later. Spot and Race had become almost ridiculously close. They did everything together and when the university had asked if anyone wanted to share rooms next year, despite there being no reason to anymore, they’d signed up together almost immediately.

Spot had been out with Hawk, a boy that he’d managed to make friends with on his course, with some prompting from Race to make more friends. They’d asked if Race wanted to go with them but he’d said that he was busy working on papers, which was fair enough. He was always shutting himself away these days, or at least for the last week or two. Spot could barely get him to leave the flat and sit in the common area with their friends from their floor (Race had also told him that he needed to make friends with everyone else, so Spot was now friends with Jack, Crutchie, Katherine and Sarah and occasionally used the communal kitchen just to hang out with them).

When Spot returned early, he knew something was deeply wrong as soon as he pushed the door open. He couldn’t see Race but he could hear him and he could hear that he was crying.

Pressing on further into the room, Spot glanced around until he found Race, collapsed in a heap and sobbing on the floor of the kitchenette, “Race?!” Spot rushed over, dropping down quickly and reached out gingerly to see if he could touch him. Often, Race loved being hugged, especially when he wasn’t feeling too great. Occasionally, however, Race wanted Spot nowhere near him. He didn’t know why, he just knew that he did. Race quickly shoved him away, only crying harder as he bundled himself into a tighter ball, “Race, what’s up? What is it?”

Although Race didn’t want to say anything, Spot eventually managed to calm him down enough for him to sit, dead behind the eyes, and tell him what was wrong, “I’m sorry, it’s just- uhm. Fuck. It- it’s a year since- si-ince my brother d- die- died.” Race’s words tripped over each other on their way out, making Spot’s face fall further as he pieced together the timing and why Race had had to move in with him.

“God, Race, I’m so sorry, that’s awful . . . How did he-?” Spot wasn’t sure if he could say it. Not just because it was a horrific thing to have happened but because it was still affecting Race like this. This horrible, ugly crying was caused by some horrible tragedy that shouldn’t have happened, whatever it was, and Spot felt awful even mentioning it, whether he’d goaded Race to tell him or not. He shouldn’t have even asked how it had happened but Spot had a morbid curiosity.

Race sighed, the sobbing slow and more like strangled chokes every so often now. He sniffed, rubbing harshly at his eyes and blinking rapidly, before beginning to explain, “They- uh, they called it a m- mug-ging gone wr- wrong. He- he used to- t- to work so that was how we- we paid the rent. We don’t sp- speak to our parents. When he died, though, they- they took all of the mon-ey he’d saved for us so I had noth- nothing.”

Heart breaking for Race, Spot struggled to hold up his own tough-guy exterior as he watched his roommate crying. He hadn’t missed the way that Race still talked about him in the present tense, even though it had been a whole year. What Race had said about his parents made him physically angry. It made him shake and snarl and want to find them so that he could knock a bit of decency into their thick skulls, “No offence but your parents are fucking arseholes!” He quickly noticed that he was clenching his fist too tightly, releasing his hand and shaking it out as he winced at the sight of the angry little crescents his nails had left.

Nodding, Race sniffed with mock amusement, as if shocked that Spot would think that he might actually be offended by that, “Yeah. You’re right.” He shrugged lightly, more resigned in his sadness than actually sobbing now. There was anger there, deep-rooted anger buried beneath his skin but that was likely to be there for the rest of his life. Spot had never noticed it before but, looking back, it had always been there. Race had always been rundown and exhausted and broken but, underneath it all, he’d always been angry,

“If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you speak to them?” Spot knew that he was treading in uneven waters as he pushed for answers, feeling that he couldn’t properly understand if he didn’t know. However, he knew that Race was just as likely to bite his head off as he was to answer him.

Race glanced across at him, an incredulous expression filling his features as he scoffed, “Because they’re arseholes? Homophobic arseholes.” Spot knew that he didn’t talk to them already, that wasn’t new information. After all, he’d stayed in their room over Christmas break. He’d told Spot that he was leaving to be with his family after him but Spot had come back a day before Christmas to pick something up and found Race still there. He hadn’t asked questions, he’d just taken him home with him for Christmas. His mum hadn’t minded; if anything, she was just happy that Spot finally had a close friend.

The information that Race’s parents were homophobic, however, hit Spot hard, “He was gay?” He figured that it must have been the brother. He must have run away with Race to be free of them and that must have been why he was targeted and why Race had chosen to use the words, ‘they called it.’ Spot had known that it sounded like Race disagreed.

Shaking his head, Race dropped his chin down so that he could hide his face slightly from Spot, “No.” His breath left in a shudder as Race snapped his neck back upright and tried to glance in any direction other than Spot’s.

“What?” Spot narrowed his eyes slightly as he questioned him. He’d been so sure that he was right. After all, he’d had known if Race was gay, they’d shared a room for a year. He would have said something. It wasn’t like Spot talked about his own sexuality at all but Race was a more open person than he was.

Race sighed, letting his head fall into his hands before mumbling the answer into them, “ . . . I’m gay . . . It should have been me.”

His horrified feeling only growing, Spot shook his head quickly and took Race’s face to make him look at him, glad that he didn’t yank himself away this time, “What? No! Absolutely not; it shouldn’t have been you because it shouldn’t have been anyone.” He felt his own eyes beginning to go hot and decided, just for once, he’d let himself be a little emotional. His best friend was telling about how he wished he’d died instead, Spot couldn’t sit stoically through that.

Tugging his chin away carefully, Race finally allowed his body to fall against where Spot was sat beside him, “ . . . They called it a mugging because they didn’t know what to do with the fact that the boys from college thought that Matti was me.”

“What?” Spot’s jaw dropped open, eyes burning as he looked down at where Race was resting against him. He couldn’t believe, not only that the people who’d done it were from their university, but that they’d been after Race. Anyone might have said that he’d got lucky but it didn’t sound like he had.

A sad smile lifted Race’s face for a moment before his attempt buckled. He scrunched his nose up, raising his hands to cover his face as he began to cry once again, “They were targeting me, they just got it wrong. We’re twins- identical.” Race’s crying filled the space once again, his sadness flowing from his chest and draping itself over everything in the room.

Spot let out a shaky breath, struggling to keep it together through Race’s waves of grief flooding over him, “Fuck, Race, that’s awful! I’m so sorry . . . What happened to the boys?” He came back for the question with a quiet tentativeness to his voice, not wanting to upset him but needing to know if he still interacted with them.

“Jail. Hopefully for the rest of their fucking lives.” Race’s anger was there again, bubbling and coming to the surface though still living under his skin. It would never be leaving him and that was quite clear. He would be angry about Matti until he couldn’t feel anything anymore, “Though they are keeping quiet about it because ‘it could ruin their lives’ if they ever get out.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Spot was silent for a moment before speaking up carefully. He couldn’t believe that a court had decided that they had to preserve the integrity of a pair of murderers who’d targeted someone based on their own prejudice. Spot found Race’s hand, lacing their fingers together and breathing out gently, “ . . . Would I have known them?” Part of him didn’t want to know. What if it was someone he’d spoken with?

Race gripped onto Spot’s hand as if it were some sort of lifeline, squeezing his eyes closed and raising their hands to his face so that he could press his knuckle into the space between his eyebrows for comfort, “Do the Delanceys ring a bell?” He let out another horrible shuddering breath as Spot felt his own skin burning with that familiar anger.

He found that he had to let go of Race’s hand, worried that he would hurt him as he felt his fists clenching, “The Delanceys?! They’re on the football team!” He couldn’t even fathom how he’d ever shared a locker room with those people, disgusted that he’d ever been seen chatting with them.

“They were on the football team, what of it?” Race snarled, pulling himself upright and into a stiff and awkward position. He obviously wasn’t particularly interested in discussing them for long. They deserved none of his time and they especially did not deserve any of his time on the anniversary of the day they murdered his brother in an attempt to get him.

Spot’s disbelief echoed through his voice as he shook his head, struggling to keep himself composed and on topic, “I’m quarterback.”

Scoffing, Race snapped away from him, disdain flooding his features as he tensed every muscle, making Spot realise just how lanky he was. He was only an inch taller than him but he had long arms and legs and suddenly might have looked a little threatening if he wasn’t sat in front of Spot, “What’s this got to do with you?! What? You were on the football team with a pair of murderers, boo hoo! Matti is dead and I have to live with that!” He snarled, shoving at Spot violently when he tried to reach across and calm him.

“No, Race- let me explain. I’m bi. I don’t understand why they didn’t say anything to me about it? We were in the same locker room.” Spot shook his head slightly, trying to think of any time when the Delanceys may have showed any sign of bigotry towards him.

Race rolled his eyes, sighing and eventually relaxing back against the kitchen counter, “When was the last time you had a boyfriend?” Spot had a feeling that he understood where this was going.

Thinking back, Spot realised that he really hadn’t had a boyfriend for ages, only one-night hookups that had stopped as soon as Race moved in, “Gosh, years.” He knew where Race was going. This was about visibility. Spot hadn’t had a boyfriend in years, he’d even had a girlfriend or two. He was the quarterback of the college football team and didn’t appear effeminate. If the Delanceys didn’t know, what would they do?

Holding a hand up and giving a pointed nod, Race pressed his lips into a thin line, “Exactly. You don’t ‘look’ gay. They probably didn’t know. Of course, the weird kid who kisses boys on the common is a fair target. Quarterback built like a house is a bit tougher, even if they did know.”

They fell silent for a few minutes as Spot mulled this over, sighing in relief when Race leaned back against him. He eventually turned over onto something that he’d never really forgotten, “ . . . Race, can I ask you something?”

“What?” Looking down at Race made Spot realise just how tired he always was. That little burst of passion about something had exhausted him to the point of slumping against Spot’s shoulder as if he’d just run five marathons. He looked like he’d been through hell and it sounded like it, too.

Spot smiled sadly, letting his arm drape comfortingly around him, “When Davey first brought you here, he said you’d been selling furniture for rent money.” This had been eating at him for months. Occasionally he forgot about it but it never truly went away. It always ate at the back of Spot’s mind, burning when he least expected it to and stopping him from doing anything. When Race nodded for him to continue, Spot sighed, gathering himself before potentially getting himself slapped, “He also said not to ask what else you’d had to do. He said it was so bad that he couldn’t even say it.”

Race was silent, not answering Spot as he glanced down at him, waiting to see if he would say anything, “Race, what is it?” He had a feeling that it was truly as horrible as he’d feared but Spot couldn’t go another day just worrying about him. He needed to know.

Hearing a sniffle, Spot glanced down once more and realised that Race had started crying again, “I- uh. I sold myself.” He let his head fall, obviously horribly ashamed as he turned his face into Spot’s shirt to hide from him.

“Oh, Race.” All of a sudden, Spot was reminded of the first time that he went out with Race. It wasn’t long after Race had moved in in, Spot had dragged him out with Davey and his friends and they went to a club.

Race hadn’t wanted to go to that particular club but they hadn’t listened, making him go anyway. Spot had been getting a drink when he’d turned around to see a man sidling closer to Race. They were arguing and Race was obviously trying to tell him to leave him alone but he wouldn’t listen. The thing that struck him as strange was when the man had slapped some money down onto the table and tried to pull him away with him.

This flared as a warning sign to Spot immediately and he’d strode over there to make the man leave him alone. He’d eventually turned away but Race had looked very distressed for the rest of the evening.

Spot hated the idea of Race ever having to go through anything like that. He was his best friend and he deserved so much better. Race was a wonderful person with a heart of gold who’d been through so much shit and still hadn’t let it shape him. He knew that Race was perfectly capable of protecting himself but, in that moment, Spot vowed that he would protect him from as much shit as possible.

#newsies #newsies fanfiction #fics #rowan writes #rowan writes sprace #sprace #spot/race #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #davey jacobs

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lilacmoon83 · 6 years

Text

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 24: Pressing On

Emma sat absolutely stunned the next morning, as her father finished explaining everything he had learned about her mother's true heritage.

"I...I can't believe she doesn't know," Emma said in disbelief.

"I know...believe me, I was in just as much shock as you are now," he agreed.

"So Stephanie is…" she started to say.

"Persephone. She's supposed to be in the Underworld, but found a way to come to this world without a portal. She still didn't tell me how she did that, but she says we're out of Hades' reach...for now," he replied.

"And Hades isn't…" she said, her stomach twisting a bit.

"Oh no...Gods no, Hades is not your grandfather. Her marriage to him is...forced. According to the book, she fell in love with a Prince, brother to Queen Eva. Your mother is still biologically related to Eva, just not exactly the way we thought," he answered.

"And all of this is in this really old book?" Emma asked. He nodded.

"Gold has it "commissioned" to use his words. It's the only account and wasn't included in Henry's book. It also explains why we have the dreamscape," he added.

"She did that for us?" Emma asked. He nodded.

"She couldn't stop the curse, so she asked Morpheus to create the dreamscape for us. It nearly killed her to give up your mother, but she did it to save her from Hades. She didn't want us to lose you completely like she lost your mother," he explained.

"So she gave her her best chance," she muttered, realizing that her parents had done the same for her and she had done the same for Henry. She wondered if there would ever be a time in their bloodline that this history wouldn't repeat itself. As if David could sense what she was thinking, he got up from his desk and knelt in front of her.

"We're going to win this. Then no one is ever going to separate this family again," he assured.

"I want to believe that, Dad. But Regina is bad enough. Deimos is frighteningly worse. Now it looks like the God of the Underworld is also gunning for our family," she fretted.

"Hey...I know, I know it's overwhelming and downright scary. But after everything we've been through, there is nothing we can't get through, as long as we do it together," he tried to assure her. She took a calming breath and composed herself.

"I don't know how you do it sometimes. You always have all this faith…" she mentioned. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"My love for you and your mother gives me the courage to have that faith. Good will win. True love does mean sacrifice sometimes, but this family has sacrificed enough as it is," he implored. She sighed.

"I hope you're right," she replied. She knew they were in for the long game and she had never truly been alone. Her parent's voices had always been there, but now she had them by her side. Her mother didn't remember yet, but she would. And she knew her father would do anything to protect the people he loved, just as she would...

Despite the weariness of things going on in town, like Damon walking free and his approaching trial, which she was almost assured would be a joke, the predicament of having Belle believe she's a loose barfly by the name of Lacey, and the discovery of her mother's true heritage told to her by her stunned father, Emma was able to enjoy the holidays for the first time in her entire life.

Mary was especially excited at the prospect of not being alone. Thanksgiving had been truly wonderful and Christmas was going to be no exception. She had gone all out with decorations around the loft, including the addition of mistletoe, which made her practically giddy. Especially when she told David what the purpose of mistletoe was. She found herself underneath that mistletoe with her love quite frequently after that and laughed heartily when he naturally suggested that they should have mistletoe up all year around.

Christmas Eve was truly wonderful, as they celebrated together and her loft was bursting with friends and Christmas cheer. Emma only wished Henry could be with them, but Regina had forbade it and kept a close watch on him. Still, all three of them had bought gifts for him and left them under the tree for him to open at the first opportunity after the holiday. Mary knew she wasn't supposed to have favorites, but admittedly, Emma's little boy was and David had assured her that it was okay to give him a gift since it was outside of school. He couldn't wait until she knew the truth though that Henry was their grandson. Hell, he couldn't wait for her to know the truth of her own lineage and that Stephanie, the woman she had developed a very close friendship with, was in reality her biological mother. He knew she would be in shock at first, but in the long run, she'd be extremely happy to have her in her life.

Christmas Day was low key and they spent it together, just the three of them with lots of leftover goodies, Christmas movies, laughter, and Emma rolling her eyes every time David and Mary found their way under the mistletoe.

With Christmas behind them, they faced the New Year, as 2011 was about to come to an end. Emma vowed right then that by New Year's 2012, the curse would be broken, hopefully long before that, and they would finally be together as a family. She was more determined than ever and it quickly became clear that 2011 was going to go out with a roar.

Ashley set their food down in front of them and Emma picked up an onion ring, taking a bite.

"Mmm...I've been waiting for this all day. You know these should be their own food group," Emma mentioned. Ashley chuckled and nodded.

"I know what you mean. It seems these days that fried and breaded is all this baby wants lately," she agreed.

"My kind of baby," Emma mused.

"How are you feeling, Ashley?" Mary asked.

"Truthfully...I'm miserable. I'm a couple weeks overdo. If I don't go into labor soon, Dr. Whale says he wants to induce, but…" she trailed off.

"But?" Emma asked.

"I just...can't keep her. Once she comes...that's it," she said sadly.

"Why can't you keep her?" Mary asked in a horrified tone.

"I have next to no money and I live in a tiny apartment that I can barely pay my rent on. Besides...I already made the deal with Mr. Gold. When she's born...he's going to find a good home for her," she replied.

"Ashley...if you don't want to give her up, you can still change your mind," Emma reminded.

"Emma...no one breaks a deal with Mr. Gold. And even if I wanted to, what kind of life could she have with me?" Ashley asked sadly, as she went to pick up another order.

"That poor girl...I can't imagine having to give up a baby. How does one even recover from something like that?" Mary wondered and Emma took a sharp breath. She knew from her interactions with her mother in the dreamscape that it wasn't something that she had gotten over. It wasn't something her father was over either. They were still able to be happy, because they had each other and her in a certain capacity. But she knew her parents would never not wish they didn't have to give her up. And it was something that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

But with Ashley's situation, her happy ending truly would be ruined if she was forced to give her baby up. Gold wasn't in the best of moods lately since Belle was given curse memories, but she knew if anyone could get through to him, it was her dad. So when Mary went to talk to her, in hopes of giving her comfort, Emma made a quick call to her father.

After lunch, Mary returned to her classroom. With her students on break, she spent her days planning new lessons for when school resumed. She was technically on break too, but had chosen to come in for just a couple hours to get a head start on future lesson plans.

She hummed to herself, that familiar tune she had come to love, even though she couldn't put her finger on where it was from, as she looked through her students art projects they had made before break. She found herself smiling more at Henry's than any and felt a little bad about her secret favoritism of him. She couldn't help it though. He was such an amazing little boy and there was something about him that was just special. David and Emma always insisted that she was responsible for the change in him; that she had managed to instill hope in him again. And she had done so before she had any hope herself.

Before David, she had all but given up on finding love. A couple horrible dates at Granny's with Whale and Damon's stalking had almost assured her that she'd never find her Prince Charming; certainly not the way Snow White had in the book she had given Henry. She was aware that Henry thought she and David were in fact Snow White and Prince Charming. It was a sweet notion and she found herself realizing that maybe he wasn't so wrong. Obviously, she was no bad ass bandit like the Snow White in his book and David didn't wield a sword or ride a horse. But he certainly had swept her off her feet like a Prince Charming would.

It was at that moment, she felt her vision go blurry and flash to another place. It was that day in the elevator again suddenly and she was walking around on a rocky surface in the blackness of the cavern. There was an object before her, a structure of sorts with a glass top. Before the flash of memory could go further, a voice interrupted her thoughts and as she snapped back to reality, she saw that the voice belonged to a very unwelcome person.

"Miss Blanchard...daydreaming on the job is very unbecoming, even from a woman such as you," Albert Spencer chided, as he and Mitchell Herman suddenly stood before her desk. She resisted the urge to shrink away from their scrutinizing gazes and looked up at them both.

"I'm not sure what you mean by a woman such as me, Mr. Spencer, but if you're here to insult me, then maybe you should just leave," she said. Albert Spencer seemed shocked by her ability to look him in the eyes, much less talk back to him.

"We won't be here very long, Miss Blanchard," Mitchell interjected.

"Yes, we have come to encourage you to drop the charges against Mr. Herman's client, Mr. Damon Tromera," Spencer continued. Mary felt a spike of anger spur inside her. So that's why they were here. To intimidate her into dropping the charges against Damon.

"I see...well, I'm sorry you wasted a trip, gentlemen. But I'm not about to do anything of the sort after what he did to me and David," she responded, trying her hardest to keep the quiver out of her voice.

"Miss Blanchard...I assure you that it is in your best interest to let this go. I think a messy trial is in no one's favor," Spencer prodded.

"He is right, Miss Blanchard. Do you really want to put yourself and your lover through the ordeal and scrutiny that is involved in testifying in court?" Mitchell asked.

"David and I will be fine. We have done nothing wrong. Your client on the other hand is guilty as sin. He attacked me and tried to kill the man I love, so if you think I'm going to just let it go...then you're going to be sorely disappointed," Mary spat in return. This time, she was unable to keep the quiver from her voice and so they felt the need to keep pushing her.

"Miss Blanchard...we have spoken to the Principal and the school does not want to be involved in such litigation," Mitchell stated.

"This has nothing to do with the school. This is about me and David. We were attacked and David was nearly killed," she responded, as the trepidation started to creep up in her.

"But you are a teacher at this school and the board is reluctant to have one of its employees involved in such scandal," Albert stated. That trepidation spiked into fear.

"Are you threatening my job, Mr. District Attorney?" she asked meekly. His smirk sent cold chills down her spine.

"Of course not, Miss Blanchard...I do not have the power to do that," he purred. But she knew that was a lie. He had almost as much power as Regina.

"But you must see it from the school board's point of view. To have one of the school's employees involved in a trial, accusing one of this town's most prominent members of such depraved acts does not bode well for any," Spencer continued. Mary felt her heart sink. He was practically telling her that the trial would ruin her, while Damon would be vindicated and she felt a little of the fight in her dwindle. Mitchell seized the opportunity and pulled an official document out of his briefcase.

"Just sign this paper, Miss Blanchard and all this messiness goes away. Mr. Spencer has even graciously agreed to grant you that restraining order against Mr. Tromera you've been vying for," Mitchell stated. Mary resisted the urge to scoff. A man like Damon Tromera would never let a thing like a restraining order stop him. But maybe if she did sign...maybe this was the best way to protect David. After all, if she lost in court, she knew Damon would seek revenge on them. As she instinctively picked up a pen, she almost felt woozy for there was a terrible pain in her head, almost as if something inside her was telling her that signing the paper would be a terrible mistake. An injustice in its greatest form. She dropped the pen and looked up at them, trying to suck her tears back.

"No…" she croaked.

"Miss Blanchard...do we really have to keep going over this? Or perhaps I should be more blunt. If you go through with this trial, I can assure you it will ruin you...and your lover. And anyone else that sides with you," he hissed. Even Mitchell looked a little taken aback by his malicious tone, but didn't have time to ponder that, as a voice interrupted them from the doorway.

"She said no, Mr. Spencer, and you have five seconds to get the hell away from her, before I call Sheriff Swan to come arrest you both for harassment," Stephanie growled, as she swept into the room and put her arm around Mary's shoulders. And something in this woman's piercing emerald eyes made Albert Spencer involuntarily back away. Her eyes flicked to the other man.

"You too, Mr. Mitchell," she added in an icy tone and he quickly backed away as well.

"Then I guess we'll been you in court, Miss Blanchard. I hope you're ready for what's to come," Spencer warned, as he and the other man left, leaving Mary to sigh in relief.

"Thank you," she said tearfully and Stephanie hugged her.

"It's going to be okay, honey. They're not going to win," she assured.

"I want to believe that...but I'm not sure I can," Mary sniffed.

"Why don't you let me take you home?" Stephanie asked.

"Thanks...but I need to go around and try to sell more candles for sister Astrid," Mary replied. She still had a couple weeks until the Miner's Day celebration, but sales weren't going very well.

"I'd like that," she said, as they got their coats.

David walked into the shop through the back entrance with Wilby in tow and Gold immediately knelt down to pet the dog.

"You still have the contract on Ella's baby?" David asked.

"Yes, it transferred over with the curse," he answered. David sighed.

"Don't you think you could forgive this one? I can't believe that you really want to take her baby from her," David countered.

"Yet everyone else won't be surprised at all. I'm Mr. Gold...the scary man not to be crossed. Perhaps I am everything they say," he retorted.

"What I know is family is important to you. That's one thing we have in common," David replied, as they stared at each other.

"We want the same things. You want Belle back. I want Snow back. I'll help you try and get through to Lacey. Taking Ella's baby doesn't restore her happy ending, which could delay the breaking of the curse," the prince added.

"I'll admit that you have a point," Gold said reluctantly.

"But you're missing a crucial part of her happy ending," he reminded.

"Thomas...I haven't seen him yet," David realized.

"Here in Storybrooke, he is Sean Herman, son of Mitchell Herman, who pressured his son to disassociate from her when it was discovered she was pregnant," he explained.

"He left her?" David asked in disbelief.

"It's the curse. He's not the Thomas you know. He's weak willed...scared that his father will cut him off from all his nice money," Gold stated.

"Mitchell Herman...why does that sound familiar?" David asked.

"He's Damon Tromera's attorney," Gold reminded. The deputy sighed.

"So if his son went back to Ella…" David started to stay.

"Ashley," Gold corrected.

"Ashley. If he went back to her, that would certainly tarnish his image. And you know that Regina will loathe another happy ending restored. I'd owe you too," David implored.

"You already owe me," Gold reminded.

"If Belle was here right now and found out you were going to take a baby from its mother, what would she say?" he countered. Gold gave the Prince a withering look, but he knew exactly what she thought of his penchant for taking babies in his deals.

"Fine...but you owe me doubly. And helping with Lacey doesn't count," Gold relented. David nodded.

"That one is on me and if it means a child can stay with its parents, then I'd gladly owe you a million favors," he replied. Gold rolled his eyes.

"Stop being so noble and get out," the pawnbroker grumbled. The former shepherd smirked.

"Or...we could go over the Rabbit Hole for a drink. I have some time to kill before I meet Mary and Emma at Granny's for the New Year's Eve party," David offered. Gold pondered for a moment.

"Flip that sign to close," he agreed. David smiled and did so, as they headed out.

Henry swung his legs back and forth, as he sat on one of the platforms of his castle playground after school. He was waiting to meet up with Emma, before he had to make sure he was at Archie's for his unnecessary therapy. Since the incident in the mines, he had returned to therapy, but Archie refused to follow Regina's instructions and hadn't discouraged Henry's belief. He knew it was a small consolation and that Archie didn't believe in the curse. But at least Henry's sessions didn't consist of an hour of his therapist explaining the difference between fiction and reality. He understood why people didn't believe though. It was hard for them to believe in magic, but it had never been hard for Henry.

He expected Emma to roll up in the bug any moment, but instead, he heard a motorcycle. August pulled up and took off his helmet.

"Hey Henry," he greeted.

"Hi August...what are you doing here?" the boy asked curiously.

"Just out for a ride. Thought I'd scout a good writing place and saw you here. Nice playground," he mentioned.

"It's a castle," Henry corrected. August chuckled.

"Of course...I see it now," he replied, with a touch of nostalgia in his voice that Henry didn't pick up on.

"Cool book…" August said, as he spied the brown, leather bound book next to him.

"Thanks…" he replied.

"Mind if I take a look?" August asked. Henry shrugged and watched the man flip through the book idly.

"These aren't quite the version most people know," he mentioned.

"That's because they're the real versions," Henry blurted out.

"The real versions? Like first editions?" August asked.

"Uh yeah...like that," Henry replied, realizing what he had just said. Thankfully, it seemed that the stranger didn't take his comment as the literal meaning.

"That's the great thing about being a writer. You can take a story that everyone thinks they know and take it in a whole new direction. And the best plot twists are the ones you don't see coming," August mentioned, though he could have no idea how true his own statement would prove to be later on. But there were definitely a lot of things happening that Henry never saw coming. This stranger coming to town just being one of many. Henry put his book away in his backpack, as Emma pulled up.

"I gotta go," he said.

"See you around, kid," August called, as he was impressed by Emma's scrutinizing gaze.

"Hey…" she greeted.

"Don't worry...I'm not stalking the kid or anything," he promised.

"Good to know," she retorted.

"What exactly are you doing?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Just looking for the right inspiration and killing time until the New Year's Eve party tonight," he replied.

"You're coming to the party?" she asked.

"Why not? What better way to get to know the town. How about you let me buy you a drink tonight?" he asked in return. She gazed at him with scrutiny again.

"We'll see," she replied, as she got back in the car with Henry and drove off. August smirked and pulled out an old newspaper article. He wasn't exactly sure where to start in getting Emma to believe, but he figured this article might be a good place to begin. He could not know though that getting Emma to believe wouldn't be a problem and the truth about the wardrobe would be a painful revelation...

#Snowing #Season 1 AU Snowing #Swan Believer #GoldenCharming BroTP

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a-tired-bitch · 7 years

Text

You Should Know Better Pt.8

23 Parts: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X - XI - XII - XIII - XIV - XV - XVI - XVII - XVIII - XIX - XX - XXI - XXII - XXIII

MASTER LIST

YSKB MASTER LIST

Summary: After the events of last night, regret begins to take hold of Joe and the only thing he can do to amend things is to do a face-to-face apology.

POV: Joe

Characters: Joe Merriweather, Natalie Jankoski (Italics), Waiter (Indented Italcs)

Word Count: 3400ish

Author’s Note: xX

Quote: “Why don’t I just take them out so you can get a better kick at them.”

With regret seeping into his conscience ever since Joe dropped Natalie off and returned to the station to deal with her unruly partner, Joe knew that deep down, despite enjoying the actions of last night, some sort of apology was needed. It wasn’t necessarily that he had to apologize for all his actions - it was very apparent that she enjoyed the whole having sex in the back of a truck while he was in full uniform - but the thing he felt obligated to apologize for was his immaturity and misconduct when dealing with the situation. Not only was there the excess roughness on his end, but the using of the power that radiated from his uniform to get into her pants and the way the act was conducted - there was no premeditated plan to have sex with someone in the back of his police truck while being on duty, especially if that someone was one of his students.

It didn’t take long before Joe turned onto the street he visited last night to drop off Natalie. The surrounding area was quite the familiar scene for Joe. Nicknamed ‘the college ward’ for the excessive amounts of students that rented houses in the surrounding area who caused a handful of issues for the docile people living in the area, Joe frequented the area when on patrol or for calls during the college breaks. So, surprisingly, Joe had yet to cross paths with Natalie during or prior to this semester.

For a moment, Joe’s eyes rested on the familiar house before switching back to the road, his eyes bouncing from parked car to parked car. Nervously running a hand through his damp hair, Joe eyed a spot on the shoulder of the road and pulled forward. Quickly trading in the view of the car cluttered road, Joe set his sights on the interior of his Jeep Wrangler, his eyes focusing on the blue colored numbers that read 11:26 a.m.

Letting out a deep sigh, he shifted in his seat – it was obvious, to him at least since he was the only person in the car, that the situation was a bit awkward despite him being a 44-year-old man who had a plethora of awkward situations under his belt.

For a few moments, Joe allowed the awkward silence to seep in and permeate the entire car. It was finally interrupted by a harsh bite on his own lip, forcing the coppery taste of blood to snap him back to reality. Stroking the back of his neck, Joe finally turned his attention to the house was once occupied with a driveway full of cars, but now was completely barren except a single white car.

Thrumming his hand along the sun-beaten surface of the steering wheel, Joe looked away, shaking his head, and gritting his teeth. “What am I even doing?” He muttered, the guilt from last night making an appearance and silently answering the question for him.

Bowing his head, Joe attempted to think of an acceptable reason to just start his car up and drive off, but the stubbornness that resided deep within him refused to let that happen.

“And what if she isn’t home then what? What if that car right there…” Joe pointed to the white Ford that stood idly in the driveway. “What if that isn’t hers?” He tried to rationalize with himself, despite his mind journeying back to when Natalie was holding her keys when speaking to him, a key engraved with the Ford emblem hanging from the lanyard.

The mental tug-of-war continued to rage on for a few more minutes. Every time an illogical thought was presented, it was quickly swept away by another so-called ‘logical’ reasoning.

Finally, slamming his palm onto the steering wheel in a fit of rising anger that was laced with annoyance and disappointment, Joe snatched his wallet from the center console and nearly ripped out the key from the ignition. Flinging the door open as the words ‘fuck it’ rained down from his lips, Joe stepped out, his shoes finally connecting with the road while his skin erupted with a line of goosebumps as the warm sun landed on his cold body.

“Just get back in your car and drive away. There’s no need to be here. She…She is your student and you…You are her professor and there is absolutely no reason for you to be here. You shouldn’t even know where she lives. Just get up and go, Joe. Get back in and leave.” His conscience screamed at him.

Pushing aside his thoughts along with his car door, Joe trudged forward until he approached the front door of the house. Taking a second to himself, he began to look around at his surroundings – at first, his sights landed on the flowers planted along the front of the house then switched to focus on the car parked just several feet away.

Setting his attention back to the door before him, Joe finally formed a fist and just as he was about to connect with the door, a noise from within the house forced him to stop. Standing there in a frozen state for a second, Joe looked at the white door for a moment before dropping his sights down to look at his feet, his relaxed fist falling back to his side.

Rubbing the nape of his neck, Joe scoffed at himself, almost embarrassed by his actions. It was as if he was a young boy, scared to knock on the front door of his crush’s house in fear of her father opening the door instead of his crush.

“You’re a grown ass man. Your balls have already dropped so there’s no need to grow a new pair. You’re already too far in, so, knock on the damn door, say what you need to say, apologize for what needs to be apologized for, and go on your way. It’s as simple as that,” his conscious spoke.

With a small rush of confidence, Joe lifted his head, shifted on his feet, and finally knocked on the door.

It felt like years, but after a few moments of listening intently to what was going on inside, the door finally opened, forcing Joe to take the slightest of steps back while greeting her with a smile.

“Joe?” Natalie asked, running her hand up from the door knob to the center of the frame. Looking over him, her eyes trailed from his drying hair down to his open button up that revealed small locks of black chest hair forcing her eyes to linger there for a moment too long. Clearing her voice, she looked past him, glancing over the cars parked on the street. “What are you doing here?” She asked, focusing back on him, this time her eyes locking onto the gun that was resting in its holster on his hip which was accompanied by his badge. “Coming to arrest me or something?” She jokingly asked, before letting her hand drop back onto the door knob.

A boyish grin took hold of Joe’s lips as he shook his head and scoffed. “No.” He answered, stuffing his hands into his pockets and glancing into the house. “I’m not here ‘to arrest you or something’.” He teasingly quoted, his eyes shifting and narrowing in on the dark discoloration on her neck. Tilting his head up slightly, Joe swallowed hard, his eyes still locked on the hickey. “I came here to apologize.”

Furrowing her brow and tilting her head to the side just slightly, Natalie took a second to process the situation. Twirling the hem of her shirt, she leaned against the door. “Apologize? For what?” She mused despite knowing the real reason. Running a hand along her neck, she watched as Joe’s eyes finally connected with hers. “Nevermind, don’t answer that.” Standing tall, she continued. “Look, professor, officer, Merriweather, Joe, or whatever floats your boat in this situation --.”

“Joe is perfectly fine.” He confirmed, his face softening a little.

Nodding, Natalie continued. “Joe, there is no need to apologize about last night. You don’t need to feel sorry for anything.” She assured, a smile spreading across her face before she continued. “We were both happy, both consensual, and obviously both in need of it too.”

“You’re right, but ---.” Joe started, only to be interrupted.

“And don’t you dare say you have your regrets about it.”

Pulling a hand from his pocket, Joe ran it along his stubble-filled face until he reached his lip where he proceeded to cover them before pulling on his lower one. “Don’t assume I have regrets because I don’t.” He scolded, lowering his hand. “But there are things I shouldn’t have done that I did.”

“There are things both of us shouldn’t have done but ended up doing. I shouldn’t have been with Landon. I shouldn’t have let him drive drunk. I shouldn’t have taken him up on his offer for food, but look at that, I did and the night ended up better than how it was going to end up. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but it is what it is, Joe. I’m not coming to you or calling you trying to apologize for anything and neither should you. After the day in your office, we both knew something was going to happen sooner or later. If anything, I’m the one who initiated the whole thing, not you.”

Taking a step and leaning forward, Joe spoke. “First off, last time I checked we never exchanged numbers so even if I wanted to do this over the phone, I couldn’t – but I wouldn’t since that isn’t very manly of me to do, now is it? Secondly, I’m not saying you need to apologize for anything, that’s on me, not you. Thirdly, instead of discussing this whole thing on your front porch with the threat of your roommates coming home and seeing you talking to your professor, why don’t I take you to breakfast?” Taking his keys from his pocket, Joe leaned away and took a few steps back. “Last night you did say you couldn’t say no to free food and since I’m offering, I expect a yes.” Joe smiled, his dimples making an appearance. “Plus, I don’t expect you do break my little old man heart.”

“Oh, yeah, because going out to a place to eat is a safer option than letting my roommates see you here. Smart, Joe, very smart.” She said, almost taunting him as she retreated into her house, leaving the door open. “I’ll go as long as you don’t, in your words from last night during that very inappropriate pat-down, expect to get lucky.”

Clasping his hands behind his back, Joe patiently waited for her to reappear. “I assure you I got very lucky last night.” He chuckled, taking a few steps forward and leaning into the open doorway, looking around at the contents of the house. “But don’t worry, I don’t expect anything out of this.” He said absentmindedly as he scanned the seemingly clean area. “Well, I expect you to accept my apology, but that’s all.”

Quickly leaning out of the doorway when she reappeared, Joe looked over her realizing she had changed into a different shirt, concealed his love bite, and grabbed a set of keys.

Approaching him and shutting the door, forcing him to take a few steps away, allowing for some space to be set between them, Natalie locked up the house before turning around and smiling. “I already accept your apology.” She assured, patting his chest a few times.

The car ride from Natalie’s house to the nearest breakfast joint was anything but awkward. Surprisingly, the conversations were interesting and attention-grabbing while the questions she asked were simple and general – nothing too deep about his personal life.

Arriving at the nearest IHOP twenty minutes later, Joe parked closest to the building, shifting in his seat afterwards to look at her. Instead of immediately speaking, Joe just sat there, his eyes tracing along her features, returning yet again to her neck where the hickey he had given her was now camouflaged. “Got a little carried away when I did that.” Joe chuckled, finally mentioning something from last night while a smile formed on his lips, his tongue following behind, grazing against his lower lip.

“Could say that for a lot of things, now couldn’t you?” Natalie teased, looking around at the spotless interior of the Jeep. “Now where’s the chase and how do I cut to it because I am one hungry girl for some IHOP.”

Playfully shaking his head, Joe stepped out of the Jeep, walking around the passenger side, and opening the door. “You like to bust my balls, don’t you?” Standing beside the open door, Joe motioned for her to step out, shutting it once she did. “Why don’t I just take them out so you can get a better kick at them.” Joe murmured before winking and placing a hand on the small of her back, leading the both of them towards the front of the restaurant.

After settling down in their booth, the two of them read the menu while exchanging small talk, that is before Natalie questioned Joe about what happened to Landon back at the station.

Gripping the menu in his hand, an exasperated sigh came from Joe – not only did he not want to speak about his job when eating, he also wanted a single conversation where she wasn’t bringing up her god-forsaken ex.

Glancing up from the menu, Joe answered. “He was being unruly. You, of all people, should know that by now.” Joe eyed an older female waitress who was staring at their table. “He would have gotten off easy if he didn’t act out, resulting in him getting those prods in his chest, but he should have known better and shouldn’t have let his temper get the best of him.” Bringing his eyes back to his menu as the woman began walking towards them, Joe continued. “Since he refused to take the FTS and a breathalyzer – which is his right – his blood was taken by the help of a warrant, his license has been revoked for a year and his truck was impounded, so, he will have to pay a hefty fine for that.” Joe shook his head, a string of laughter coming from him as he continued to scan the menu, his eyes quickly shifting to the older woman who stood next to their table.

Offering the patrons, a warm smile, the woman spoke. “Tell me, dear, what can I get you and your daughter to drink?” She asked, glancing from the female to the male, her eyes landing on the items resting on his hip. “Drinks are on the house, officer.” She added.

Astonished by the waiter’s assumption on their relationship, Joe nearly choked on his own spit, bringing a hand from the table to cover his mouth. Staring at Natalie while stifling his chuckles, he watched as her jaw dropped, a smile claiming her gaping mouth while her head shook in disappointment.

A moment passed before he dropped his hand, Joe offered the woman a smile before speaking. “My dear, she’s not my daughter, but we’ll have a couple of cokes.”

Embarrassingly covering her face, the waiter apologized for her statement before offering them Pepsi products instead.

“I’ll have orange juice instead,” Joe replied, turning to Natalie who just nodded her head to the offer from the waiter. Waiting for the waiter to leave their side, Joe continued their previous conversation. “Pepsi tastes like ass, but anyway, that’s all I know about that situation. As for the whole unruly thing, that started the moment he stood up from the curb and – apparently – all the way to the jail. See, if he didn’t do that, he wouldn’t currently have a first-degree misdemeanor, a newly created criminal record, a $1,000 fine, and 60 days in the county jail, but he did something stupid and now he has to deal with the punishments.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Natalie listened intently to the rest of what Joe had to say before sitting tall once more. “Should have listened to you. I don’t know why he was acting like such an ass. Well, I mean, you two aren’t exactly best friends or friends or even fond of each other, but still. Drunk or not, he knew exactly what he was doing.” Looking away from him, Natalie watched the cars that were passing down the street. “You really got under his skin, Joe.” She said almost as if she was disinterested in the topic now. “But tell me, ‘daddy’, did you rough him up a bit when you went back?” Waggling her eyebrows, she chuckled at her own joke before going back to reading the menu.

Nearly cringing at the word ‘daddy’, Joe rolled his eyes. He was never a supporter of the so-called ‘daddy kink’ and found it weird to be called the name. “First, don’t call me ‘daddy’, that shit is weird. I don’t like it, so, don’t call me that. Go ahead and call me ‘old man’ like you already are, but ‘daddy’? Nope, that’s crossing the line.” Joe eyed the woman who was returning with their drinks.

Clasping his hands onto his lap, Joe smiled for a moment before pulling his lips into his mouth in an attempt to conceal that same smile. “As for the roughing up Landon…” He paused, watching as the drinks were set down. “I don’t know, I might have. I can’t disclose that type of information.”

Taking a mental note at Joe’s displeasure with the word ‘daddy’, Natalie silently shook her head. Humming a ‘mmm’ in response to both of his replies, Natalie glanced up to the waiter, smiling as she settled their drinks down. “Pleading the fifth for your own safety. Can’t incriminate yourself, gotcha.” She theorized.

“Now, what can I get you two fine people?” The waiter finally announced.

After receiving their meals and chowing down on whatever they could stuff into their empty bellies, the two of them leaned against their booths, content and happy with their meals.

Of course, Joe was the one to break the silence. “Now for the reason I showed up to your house.” Gripping his glass in his hand, Joe brought the juice to his mouth, taking a big swig from it before placing it back down. “That…” He nodded towards her, hoping that she would get the message. “I shouldn’t have done that.” Bowing his head as he leaned over the table, Joe continued, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I also shouldn’t have pressed you down against the bed – placing my hands on you the way that I did was completely unnecessary. In addition to that, I shouldn’t have used the authority of my uniform for my own benefit, that was completely unprofessional, not to mention literally doing ‘it’ in my uniform as well was beyond unprofessional.” Looking down at the plates before him, Joe avoided eye contact for a moment. “Actually, everything I did last night was unprofessional and I should have known better, but the situation got the best of me and I apologize for that.”

Feeling the waterfall of sincerity in Joe’s apology, Natalie felt almost sorry for him. The strong and knowledgeable man who sat before her was nothing more than a puddle of sorrow and emotions – not only did this increase her attraction towards him, but it exemplified how strong and knowledgeable he truly was.

Placing a hand on top of his forearm, Natalie fixed her gaze onto him, locking eyes with his. “Joe, it’s okay.” Was all she could say before being interrupted by the waiter who removed the plates and left the check.

Snaking her hand away from him so she could lean back against the booth, his hand gripped hers before she could fully pull away. Glancing down at her captured hand, she clenched her jaw, gazing up to Joe who had yet to remove her from his sights.

“I’m sorry, Natalie,” Joe repeated once more, before releasing her from his grip.

Silently nodding, Natalie forced herself to look away from Joe.

Digging into his pocket, Joe removed his wallet and tossed a ten and a twenty on the table. In an attempt to lighten up the situation, Joe cracked a joke. “At least I know that I don’t have to buy you food to get lucky, but you know who is the lucky one today?” Joe scooted to the edge of the booth. “Our waiter who got a fifteen-dollar tip.”

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hyrulehb · 7 years

Text

A Test of Will and Responsibility

Okay, here is my third work for the Ajin series, this takes place after the end of the second season of the anime and has elements from the manga included in it.

Origami10 edited this for me. Also takes some ideas from epic-potato-crisp’s idea.

Kou continued to stare at the pale piece of paper in front of him in a state of shock and confusion. Was this real? Was it just a fucked-up dream, had Kei fed him some poisonous mushroom onigiri again? Tosaki was sitting across the table from him, leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other with his typical scowl on, but the way he had his arms crossed over his chest… It didn’t seem like his usual haughty way, no it almost seemed like he was trying to protect himself.

Swallowing hard, the ajin scratched the back of his head. If this was real, how was he supposed to answer? It had only been a short time after the final battle with Sato. Everything was still being squared away in terms of the remaining members of their team deciding how to move on with their lives. Kei had a family waiting for him, but Kou, he had nothing. Hell, he didn’t even know if his parents were alive out there somewhere anymore.

It was probably three months ago, when he had last seen them, it had only been in passing as well, them returning to the apartment to gather a few things and then whisking off again to do god knows what. During that time, he had only assumed they were still alive because the rent was being paid for and the landlord and police had yet to come knocking.

Death due to negligence, it could be argued that Kou hadn’t died because of his paralyzing injury from his stupid laziness, but from his parents never checking in on him like a ‘normal’ family would. Then again, maybe he was destined from the beginning to not be normal, being an ajin and all.

Still he hadn’t expected… well had never imagined this of all things.

The adoption papers stared back at him.

“Are you for real?” �

This isn’t a father-son fic, and it is not a TosakiKou fic, it’s just genuinely Tosaki trying and somewhat failing to be a better person. Happy ending.

Still he hadn’t expected… well had never imagined this of all things.

The adoption papers stared back at him.

“Are you for real?” Kou’s voice was soft as he finally peeked up at the older man sitting before him. Tosaki flinched at the words, though he tried to hide it under a scoff, “You don’t have to agree to it, in fact even if you did the sign the papers we could treat it only as a background formality. Our current working relationship wouldn’t change. You’d be free to leave and do whatever you please, you’d just technically according to the law, be under my guardianship. Japan is still so lax about these things that you don’t even need to change your family name to mine.”

“I doubt you want to be constantly correcting people by saying ‘Tosaki’ instead of ‘Tozaki’.” The researcher muttered, pushing his glasses further up his nose with a small look of distain.

Now Kou really did feel like he had stumbled into the Twilight Zone, did Tosaki just make a joke, at his own expense to boot?! He really didn’t know what to think or say at the moment, instead ducking his head down so the older man couldn’t see his expression. A mixture of amusement from the jest, but also mounting frustration as he tried to figure out if this might be some trap. When did he start thinking so negatively? Perhaps he had been letting Kei rub off on him too much. Still since they had started to work together, the dark-haired ajin was also starting to warm up. Maybe there was some kind of give-and-take personality system for ajin he wasn’t aware of.

“Is this ‘cause of my meltdown earlier?” Kou grimaced as the memories came back, sure it was probably a bit of his fault since he had been brooding and avoiding almost everyone as the time marched closer to when they would all be parting ways. To be fair there was a lot to deal with and it wasn’t like anyone else was exactly ‘celebrating’. They had lost four great men to Sato’s homicidal rampage. Not to mention all the other innocent and not so innocent bystanders that had been slaughtered by the terroristic group of immortals.

What would be done with the aptly named ‘Traitor Trio’: Takahashi, Gen, and Okuyama, had yet to be decided. Currently they were being held under lock and key in the base. By that, it meant that all three were wearing tracking collars around their necks. Sure they ‘could’ remove them by decapitating themselves, but all three seemed averse to the idea and wanted to turn over a new leaf. They had got what they wanted in terms of ajin rights, but not in the way that they had intended.

Ogura was probably going to continue doing research on ajin, though it didn’t seem like he was keen to return to the United States after everything that had happened. Izumi seemed determined to remain as Tosaki’s assistant, citing that it was her life to do with as she pleased now. Kei was making plans to return to his hometown, back to his mother and younger sister. Tosaki was being made into some kind of big shot and go to person for any more cases dealing with ajin.

Then there was Kou, he had nothing, absolutely jack-shit to welcome him back. It seemed like all the others had a purpose or some goal. Only Kou was left stagnant, it felt stifling knowing he was being left behind. He should be used to it, but in his dreams lately, he had found himself more often than not standing in a dark room. Lights would illuminate familiar figures in the distance, but always… always they would wink out of existence before he could reach them. Kuroki, Hirasawa, Manabe, and Suzumura were always the first to disappear, but the rest eventually followed. Each time it did it felt like a bullet was ripping through his chest, a sensation he had unfortunately become familiar with.

In the end, he was left alone.

In that quiet, sad, and frustrated mood Tosaki had found him outside the base a few days ago.

Typically, the older man would have just turned on his heel and walked the other way. The human had wanted to keep himself as far away from teenage drama and from gaining an attachment to any ajin. However, he had failed both aspects long before this moment.

Taking a deep breath before popping a few more mints into his mouth he approached the athletic ajin. The conversation had been far from smooth. Tosaki had asked what was bothering Kou and the light-haired boy had said it was ‘nothing’. ‘Nothing’ was never nothing, no matter how old you got and Tosaki had only rolled his eyes and pressed the other again.

Apparently only one more push was all it took as Kou ended up screaming at the human to mind his own fucking business. That, no, he shouldn’t be worried about him just because he had literally nothing waiting for him now that all this was over, that he wasn’t torn up over losing a man that acted like a ‘real’ father figure for him and some men that acted like his mentors and older brothers, that he was going to be parting with an asshole that he thought of as possibly more than a friend, and that he was in no way babbling all this because he was too stupid to keep his emotions and thoughts in check like Kei could.

After that large amount of word vomit, his confession seemed to have managed to catch up to the panting Kou as he felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He was so weak and pathetic, he couldn’t cry over the past forever. He knew, of he knew for certain that Tosaki was just going to give him an earful about respect and moving on or some other bullshit.

He couldn’t take that right, Kou just couldn’t and he quickly got to his feet and shuffled back into the building. Internally grateful that Tosaki seemed to be too stunned to call him back or chase after him. It was better for him to be left alone, he’d have to get used to it again anyway the ajin had assured himself.

The next three days, Kou had been able to successfully avoid Tosaki, Izumi tried to talk to him about how he was acting but was shaken off by his simple answer of not feeling well. The woman not wanting to push the younger boy when he was obviously uncomfortable left it at that. However him ignoring the girl he once openly fancy spoke of the severity of the depression he had slipped into.

Kei… wasn’t so easily dissuaded. The other ajin had used his IBM to knock the door to Kou’s room down when he had refused to answer it for him. With a loud, echoing bang, the door fell and Kou was left with the sight of the other teenager nonchalantly standing on the other side with a plate of food in his hand as he declared boredly, ‘Dinner’.

Of course, the food had been a ploy, a tool that Kei used to try and get Kou to open up. The intellectual was hardly what one needed in a therapist. Knowing that Kou didn’t say anything, even under the threat of disembowelment from Kei’s murder happy ghost. How could he tell Kei if he was linked to his problems? He couldn’t expect the other to drop everything and stay by his side. Kou felt it would be too much of a burden to ask if he could stay or follow Kei back to his hometown. Eventually the dark-haired ajin was forced to give up and left Kou’s room with a huff and mutter of ‘dumbass’.

It took Kou an hour to fix the door.

Eventually, the inevitable happened, Izumi told Kou that Tosaki was wanting to have a meeting with him in regards to payment for his services with helping to stop Sato. Worded like that, Kou really had no other choice but to drag his feet forward and report to the man’s office.

He had already been planning on denying any kind of money, he didn’t feel like he deserved it. After all, it was Kei that did most of the work. Also, as the days passed, the victory had started to feel more and more hollow to the usually upbeat ajin. Kou REALLY hadn’t been expecting adoption papers to be placed in front of him when he sat down.

But that’s how they ended up in the present.

“I know I’ve been working under you for a while now and fought beside you, but you did attempt to kill me several times. You hit me with a car and shot me, to name a few,” The ajin’s voice was a little hesitant, unsure if bringing up the past would somehow make the version of Tosaki he had first met reappear and put a bullet through his head.

“I’m not asking you to forget the past, or the wrongs that I’ve done to you or others,” The pale man took a deep breath, trying to swallow his pride was akin to swallowing a bowling ball. “And no, your little episode didn’t make me suddenly take pity on you.”

Or at least it wasn’t the only factor for him to be doing this. “I am trying to take responsibility for dragging you into this mess, I was the one that spotted you in the surveillance tape before we tracked you down. I also feel like leaving you to your own devices would become a public health concern.

“You getting yourself killed in some stupid way might incite a panic among the populace.”

“Thanks,” came the sarcastic remark as Kou ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the roots slightly as the pain helped to assure him that this was really happening. Still he couldn’t help chuckling, yeah that definitely sounded like the cynical bastard he knew. “I mean you’re definitely not old enough to be my old man, unless that white hair is from age and not stress.”

“You’re supposed to be the stupid one, when did you get clever?” Tosaki sniped back, the hair comment definitely rubbed a sore spot for him. He re-crossed his legs, why the hell was he feeling so anxious? Nakano had basically already refused his offer so why was he still pressing him? Tosaki should feel grateful for being let off the hook so easily, but no… If he didn’t try more, he knew the guilt would tear through him like wicked claws for years to come.

“I may have around a decade on you, but no I don’t expect us to have a typical father-son relationship. I’ve never wanted kids to begin with. Threats to the double ‘e’s in my opinion, economic and emotional liabilities.” Tosaki wondered briefly if he was using too big of words for Nakano to follow, before continuing.

“But this is different,” How was it different, besides the awkward circumstances, it was different because the human decided it was so.

“Uh huh, sure one isn’t for ‘ego’?” Kou answered, one brow raised as he crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring the older man’s actions unconsciously. He’d gotten that joke from Ogura.

Rubbing at his temples Tosaki took a deep breath to compose himself before reaching into the briefcase that was sitting off to the side. “I’m also doing this in a sense of duty, I feel like I owe the man this much. Even if he was originally just a hired gun. “

Slipping the form out of the sleek black leather, the form was slid across the table to lay beside that of the adoption papers. The kanji was written with a hasty hand, but the word stared boldly back at Kou ‘遺言’. The meaning making his heart tighten in his chest as he muttered, “It’s a will, whose…?”

Muddy red eyes scanned the paper quickly, fingers not daring to touch it as if it might crumple into a million pieces. “It’s the old man’s… Hirasawa’s.”

Tosaki only nodded his head, explaining as he tried not to flinch at the fact that he could see tears welling in the ajin’s eyes. He REALLY wasn’t good at this kind of thing; the best form of action was to ignore it and continue stating the facts. The man was good at that after all, “We only recently found it while going through the teams’ things, it’s his hand writing no faking that. Any money that he made from the work he said should go into a fund for both you and Kei to do with as you please. He made a final request of me.”

His foot twitched and shook his entire leg, but Tosaki couldn’t sit still. Continuing after popping a few more mints into his mouth, fuck he really needed a smoke, he hadn’t been this tense since the last battle. “Hirasawa asked me to make sure that you were looked after. He knew Kei had a family he could go back to, but was aware of your situation as well.”

“How… I never told anyone about it besides Nagai?” Then the memories came rushing forth, the first time he had met Hirasawa and the other mercenaries was at his apartment. The place was a disaster zone with only him living there most of the time and it was more than likely they had done their research about him before hunting him down. He remembered how he had warned Hirosawa to either let him go or be electrocuted with him. No one on Tosaki’s force had had particularly good first introductions.

There was a lump in Kou’s throat as he brought a hand up to wipe his tears, he didn’t want to cry anymore. He’d already mourned, screamed, and cried enough. Or at least he had thought so. But the hot salty rivers continued to slip through his fingers as he leaned his head back. As if somehow the force of gravity would keep them inside. His lower lip was drawn between his teeth in an attempt to, literally, bite back sobs, a small trail of blood slid down his chin as he finally broke skin.

Too many emotions were rolling through him, the ajin finally grinding out as he kept his gaze on the ceiling, “I don’t want to be pitied.”

“This isn’t pity. You should know me well enough by now to know I don’t dole out such a thing to anybody.”

“Then what the hell is this?! You looked at Nagai and I like we were the scum of the earth for the longest time. I had never been given any breaks when it came to training, unlike him! Sure, I acted all friendly and stuff to all of them, but I didn’t think I had made that much of an impression.” Maybe this was just another sick twist of fate, maybe he would have been better off trying to isolate himself like the other ajin. But Kei had been just as rocked by their deaths, even if he didn’t show it publicly.

Kou had heard the dark-haired teenager’s sobs when passing by his room late at night. He had wanted to go to him, but Kei seemed like a guy who preferred to mourn alone. Honestly, Kou had been too afraid to open the door for many reasons. He believed that seeing the other break down might be a fatal blow for the athletic boy’s heart.

“It’s love,” the word tasted and felt strange in Tosaki’s mouth after going so long without uttering it. Kou’s hands fell at the word, hands dropping to his lap as he gave the man his oh so typical stupid-looking dumbfounded expression. Tosaki tried to be patient, really, he was, but now he was drumming his fingers across his forearms.

Closing his eyes, Tosaki remembered the faces of the men they missed, the creases to his brow relaxing slightly as he spoke, “Hirasawa and that whole team of hardasses, loved you. They should have had a distain for you being an ajin and a former target, but there’s something about you that makes people unable to hate you. Hell, even Nagai is tolerable to be around when you are.”

Tosaki adjusted his glasses as he mused aloud to himself, “Maybe we should ask Ogura if this is related to some strange ajin power, or if it’s just unique to you as a person.”

The ajin continued to stare at the other, warmth spreading throughout him at the odd praise, to hear he was appreciated, needed, loved, that’s all he had ever wanted. He had so often thought that he was an unnecessary person during and after his first death. He had continued to think so until he decided to stand up to Sato. Still the feeling was bittersweet, after all, those men were dead and gone. Still Tosaki was going through this trouble, and it was obviously not just because he felt it was his duty. Maybe that was what made him cocky enough to ask, with a smirk and cooing voice, “Do you love me, Tosaki?”

“I don’t hate you. But I could still dunk you in a tank of formaldehyde.”

That was the same amount of vagueness and bluntness that Kou had come to expect from the human. A small laugh coming from his lips as he knew this was absolutely ridiculous.

“And you don’t care that I’m an ajin?” the question was quick, eyes narrowed as he looked for any sign of lies. Not that he could pick out sarcasm half of the time. Still Kou would have to trust his instincts, he’d always been a good judge of people and better at reading emotions than analyzing words or texts.

“Honestly, you being a freak makes it more convenient for me, I don’t have to worry about you going out and literally getting yourself killed because you’ll just come back.” Tosaki reasoned, a smirk playing across his lips while the immortal looked a bit scandalized by the bluntness of it.

“Ouch, okay what about me being an idiot? Being such a Brainiac, it must drive you crazy, right?” Kou had dropped out of high school and felt like most of what he did learn had long bled out of his ears. He had common sense and a good body, it had helped secure him with a job when his parents started coming around less and less.

“I plan on having you tutored and finishing school online, I’ll force knowledge into that husk you call a brain if it kills you.” The ajin’s cheeks reddened with anger, chest puffing up in preparation to yell when Tosaki took the wind out of his sails, “You don’t get a choice in the matter, don’t you want to stand on par with Nagai?”

It was a low blow, but it had Kou slumping back in his chair with a whine.

“What about the fact that I’m-“

“That’s enough questions. I, Tosaki Yu, promise to accept you Nakano Kou as you are and promise to be your guardian in the honor of a great man and to make up for the sins I committed on your race. Happy?” That hardly sounded sincere, but it was probably the best that Kou was going to get out of the other.

Still even if the words were laced with exasperation and sarcasm, there was a firmness to his bright blue eyes that made the ajin believe that Tosaki was going to follow through on this promise. Kou had learned long ago it was better not to test his patience… or touch his mints.

“Now, are we going to play this depraved version of house in this secret base or not?” Having two ajin on Tosaki’s side would make matters dealing with others of the same species much easier. The government was still in a mess as it tried to straighten out everything that had been caused by Sato and the American forces. Trying to seamlessly secure rights for ajin was much trickier to uphold rather than say. After all, other countries could easily send in people that would try to capture and smuggle ajins out of the country to be used for their own profit. They were an expensive commodity on the black market.

Kou and Izumi at his side would hopefully make other ajin feel secure enough to come out of hiding so they could be registered and in doing so maybe protect them if they were found where they didn’t belong. Also, if there was an ajin criminal or, gods forbid it, another terrorist attack, having someone that couldn’t die, or well more accurately, couldn’t stay dead was definitely a useful tool.

Still even with all these political, social, and job related benefits, Tosaki would still accept it if Kou set a condition that he wanted nothing more to do with the darker side of the world. He deserved some peace after everything that had happened. The human’s musing was interrupted as Kou finally answered, voice firm and holding no hesitation.

“Okay.”

“Fine, it’s settled then.” Tosaki slid the pen across the table and watched as the younger male sloppily signed his name in each place that a pale finger indicated.

It was only once the document was completed and slid safely into his briefcase that Tosaki finally felt the weight on his chest and shoulders alleviate. That was far more stressful than he imagined it would be. Still it felt like it was worth it, sure Kou drove him insane most of the time, but after the ajin had become withdrawn and solemn, he realized the world was far more quiet and gloomy than before.

Tosaki had become accustomed to the energetic teenager’s presence, doing this also secured a continued sense of normalcy for Tosaki. How could he work without getting up at least twice in the middle of the night to yell at Kou to turn down his shitty music before he put bullet holes through his stereo? Yes, this was completely for the older man’s own benefit.

Of course, the peaceful silence between them had to be ruined.

“So, since you’re all accepting of everything about me and shit. You don’t care that I might have the hots for Nagai, right?”

“…You’re grounded.”

#Ajin #Ajin: Demi-Human #ajin: demi human #tosaki yu #kou nakano #nakano kou #yu tosaki #kei nagai #nagai kei #hyrulehalfbreed #hyrulehalfbreed writes

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