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thelastofhyde · 4 months

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ii. santorini.

pairing. tourguide!joel miller x fem!reader. series synopsis. on the brink of undergoing a life-altering change, you runaway from your problems in the only way any sane person can: embarking on a mediterranean cruise. there you meet joel miller, a grumpy, private tour-guide, who just so happens to be tasked with touring you through each stop on your cruise. from greek goddesses to roman ruins, you have ten days to avoid your fate. maybe a frowning, southern, sex-on-legs of a man is just what the doctor ordered. chapter summary. tensions are high as you and joel spend your first day together exploring the popular island of santorini. back on the boat, joel gets a glimpse at more than he bargained for. series warnings. no use of y/n, set in 2015, no apocalypse au, cruise!au, rom-com, enemies-ish to lovers, tour-guide!joel, unspecified age gap, depictions/discussions of grief, angst, fluff, a whole load of smut, a lot of cheesy stereotypical romance tropes bc i just wanna see joel not suffer ( too much ) <3 chapter warnings. mild smut ( female masturbation, mentions of oral sex + piv sex ), bickering, alcohol, mild angst, so much cheese it'll turn you lactose intolerant!! btw joel hates santorini and he makes that known, but none of his opinions reflect my own ( please don't be mean to me over things characters say <33 ) word count. 7.9k hyde’s input. the majority of this chapter was written with a mixture of medicine flowing through my veins, it's a miracle it's even intelligible. apologies for the wait, the holidays and health issues got in the way <3 as always, i hope you enjoy, comments an dreblogs are always appreciated !! previous chapter - next chapter - series masterlist

It is a known fact that your name and late rarely exist within the same sentence.

The mere thought of being late fills you with a sickness you cannot cure. The extremes you’ll go to avoid it know no bounds. From arriving four hours before a flight, to waiting in your car a whole hour before entering a lecture hall, adulthood is a phase in which you’d sworn to repair the damage of a childhood worth of not arriving late.

Late to school, late to birthday parties, late to dentist appointments.

It wasn’t that you were a particularly difficult child, running rampant around the house as your mother tried to dress you, or your father tried to feed you. Quite the contrary, really. Often, it was little-you who chased around after them, and who waited by the door, school bag in hand, tapping your foot with every second that ticked by on the clock. You were too young and hadn’t the ability nor the empathy to understand that your parents were held up with sorting through things directly influenced by your existence, like cleaning up the messes you left at the breakfast table, or fixing the doorknob you and your sister broke in an intense game of hide and seek.

Nowadays, you can count on one hand the times you’ve been late.

First, you were late to your own surprise birthday party, but that was down to you getting stuck an extra hour at work. It was out of your control.

Then, there’d been your graduation ceremony. Your father missed an exit and ended up taking you on a mystery tour of the city, trying to find the next turn that led to your campus. Again, out of your control.

The third time is the one you remember panicking over the most, knee bouncing uncontrollably with nerves as you sat squeezed between two strangers on a plane. Your sister, barely halfway through her third trimester, had gone into labour, and where were you? Stumbling around drunk on a private beach in Cancún, mumbling along to the lyrics of some early 2000s classic you forget the name of. Your niece, all 4 and a half pounds of her, had decided now was her time to shine and there was nothing, not even the 4 weeks she had yet to grow in utero, that was going to stop her. By the time you arrived, mascara smudged eyes and with the stench of tequila still on your skin, she was laying peacefully in her incubator, the tiniest little fingers clenched into fists and a name tag around her wrist. This too was out of your control.

But the fourth time you’re late, as you stride urgently across the wooden decking of the ship, weaving in and out of lounge chairs and polo-neck wearing crew members, it’s completely within your control.

Yet, it’s not entirely your fault.

An alarm that never went off. A game of hide-and-seek with your purse. An unfortunate slip on bathroom tiles adding another bruise to your knees. An elevator that refused to travel faster than the speed of a snail. It’s as though Lady Luck had set out in favour of being against you, doing her utmost to ensure you arrive exactly seven minutes past your deadline. His deadline.

Best be on the deck by 7 am, darlin’, or I’m dockin’ without ya.

Your head whips from one side to another, eyes finding a familiar figure amongst the few passengers meeting their own private guides. It’s the same man from yesterday, out on the balcony, the memory of him cheering his champagne and shooting a tipsy smile your way replaying. Only now he’s clad in plaid, with a frown etched into his forehead as he stares at his watch. There’s another man, hanging off his arm, fusing with the collar of his shirt.

“She’s late,” you overhear him say, voice firm and leaking with annoyance.

“Maybe she just slept in!” The man next to him is cheerier, tired eyes full of optimism, even as he turns his head and stifles a yawn. “Give her a few minutes.”

“What kind of shitty tour guide sleeps in?” Balcony-Man huffs, and you can’t help but think of your niece and her pouty face whenever she fails to get her own way. “Does she think I’d not rather be asleep too? Lazy c-”

“See? This is why I told you to eat that damn croissant before we left.” The taller of them seems to snap, rolling his eyes. “Brighten up, Bill, or so help me God you’ll be leaving this boat a divorcee.”

Trying to tune their voices out, as the guilt of prying crawls its way into your bones, your gaze points down at your feet. The very same heels you’d worn last night, pretty as they may leave you, have you cursing at the Sun and the Moon. If you’d have just worn your sneakers, maybe you could have ran up the stairs instead of taking the snail-evator.

Joel, tour guide, Signore Miller’s voice- though your imagination can’t quite reach his level of arrogance- rears its irritating head through your mind, recalling his words from last night. Wear somethin’ a little more… practical. That had been enough to awaken that stubborn mule inside of you, hell-bent on proving him wrong.

But now, late, and with him nowhere in sight, your heels seem to have had the opposite effect. They’ve proved him right.

Which leaves you here, moping so pathetically you’re incapable of appreciating the shine of a rising sun over the horizon of aqua blue water.

Five minutes, you decide. That’s how long you’ll allow yourself to dwell in self-pity. Then, you’ll trek your way over to the Excelsior lounge, hit up the breakfast buffet, and await the general disembarking time.

Who knows, maybe you’ll get a call to say there’s a miraculous spot opened up on one of the tour groups.

If not, you’ll be fine! You’ve travelled alone before, you’ve got an all-inclusive data plan on your phone and you’re pretty well-acquainted with the less-than-accommodating features of Google Maps. You don’t need help, or a tour guide, much less one as blood-boiling, skin-prickling, irritating as Joel Mil-

“Wasn’t sure how ya like your coffee, but you look like a milk, two sugars kind of girl to me.”

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. Or, in this case, think of him.

Turning a little too fast, you stumble a step or two back, and, sure enough, there he is. A tight fitting, dark grey t-shirt stretched over the swell of his biceps, a pair of washed-out denims, and two well-worn running shoes, one on each foot. Trailing up the swell of his tanned neck, you count the freckles up to his eyes, and find there’s bags under them. The growth of hair on his face is just as unkempt as yesterday, yet already it seems to have grown longer, making the litter of greys stand out more. The hair that sits atop his head is damp, and the strands that have managed to dry are being messed around by the morning air. He’s still got that ever-present frown stamped into his forehead, yet his mouth doesn’t seem to curl into a snarl as he calls your name.

You must stare a moment or two past his comfort level, for he clears his throat and nods down at his hand. Two to-go cups, the smallest streams of steam floating out the hole in each lid.

He’s extending one out- the one in his right hand- towards you. “If you’d rather black, you can take min-”

“No!” You snap back into your own body, all too quickly and all too volatile. Clear your throat, and then try again, this time with a little less of that im being held at gunpoint shake in your voice. “No… Thank you. It’s fine- Milk is fine.”

It’s more than fine.

In fact, he’s gotten it spot on. Down to the number of sugars you take.

But, still stubborn, you yearn to not give him the satisfaction of being right so early in the day, and instead settle for accepting the coffee out his hand. You welcome the golden warmth eagerly, eyes unable to resist slipping shut as you take your first sip. When they reopen, you find Joel watching you, intently. Purposefully, as though you’re something to be studied.

Clearing your throat, you glance to the side and spot Balcony-Man and his partner greeting an apologetic woman.

“Thanks for the, uh,” his stare is intimidating your nerves, setting you on edge of something you’re all to eager to jump off. “Coffee. Yeah. You didn’t have to… I mean, I actually thought you’d, you know, uh-”

“You thought I left without ya.” He states. All you can do is nod. “I could’ve. I did warn you not to be late.”

“You did.”

“I also told you to wear somethin’ other than them heels.”

“I know.”

“Yet here you are, late and in heels. You’re not very good at following orders.” He exhales something akin to a chuckle, as devoid of humour as it may be, and you swear he’s suddenly closer than you remember, knuckles brushing against your own as he bumps his paper cup against yours. “Just what am I gonna do with ya, huh?”

For a moment, you swear your heart has leaped from your chest and up to your throat, threatening to choke you with the beat of it. There’s no sense you can make of it, this reaction he rouses, a heat you can’t control creeping down your loins as you drag in a whiff of some manly cologne, the kind you’d usually turn your nose up at for being too overbearing. Yet, on him, it’s not. On him it’s just right, like he was born with pine soaked skin, and a tobacco stained kiss, and-

Before you can think of pulling in another breath, Joel’s stepped back, allowing a cool breeze to pass between you and get a hold of your senses.

“C’mon, we’re slotted in for the first tender that leaves for shore.”

“Oh my God.”

You’re half certain Joel’s growing sick of hearing those three words roll off your tongue. He’s likely felt this way since it first left your mouth, feet struggling to safely step out onto the dock as your mind became enchanted by the picturesque view in front of you. Only the burn of his hand meeting your lower back, nudging you ahead to make space for himself and the other passengers to step off the tender boat, was capable of dragging you back into your own body, the wanderlust that had gripped your soul yearning to be free to explore every building that sits carved into rock, every water-taxi that flows idly on cristaline water, every step that winds up and up and up the island’s cliff where, at the top, civilisation seems to lie.

The port you’ve docked on is rather small, with naught more than two docking strips and a walkway of shops and confection stands, with boats that find no space along the docking strips tying themselves to any safety they may find over the expanse of the walkway. It is no wonder the cruise floats safely out in deeper waters, alongside several other cruise lines, with no space for such large vessels. And, yet, the port is alive with something. The ground seems to pulse, like a beat of a heart, and the air, as fresh as the grass after heavy rainfall, almost dances its way down your lungs. Voices swim all around you, tourists scrambling past each other, fighting in a race towards something you’ve yet to identify.

“So this is Gialos, also known as the Old Port of Fira.” Somewhere, behind you perhaps, Joel’s voice pipes up, a speech so rehearsed and robotic, a part of your wonders how many times he’s recited it, how many people he’s recited it to. The other part of you, however, is much too fixated on the stairs ahead to pay him true attention, eyes following as two men and several donkeys descend. “That, up there, is Fira, the capital of Santorini. We’re going to need to take a cable- Are you even listening to me?”

“Yes!” You’re quick to react, a defensive rise in your voice. He meets it with a deadpan look and the crossing of his arms over his chest, which quickly becomes something you wish he wouldn’t do as you watch the tight fabric of his shirt stretch itself thin over the bulge of his arms. “No. Sorry, I’m just… Wow.”

You hope he appreciates the restraint you show towards repeating those three dreaded words again.

“You have all day to stare,” his words trip over his own irritated scoff, and you bite back a question of why he’s a guide if he seems to hate it so much, fearful he’s too honest to not tell you a truth that may hurt your fragile feelings. A truth where it is not so much his job he dislikes, but rather, your presence and all that it brings. “Right now, we need to move. Don’t wanna spend all day waitin’ in line now, do ya?”

This need for speed that hooks the other tourists seems to filter over into your guide, who’s forcing you forward, that heat of his palm now hovering inches away from your lower back. It’s enough to lead you where he pleases. As a pair, you weave in and out small clusters of people, till the space between you both and the large gathering crowd slowly diminishes. It is there where his once telepathic leading fails, with Joel turning left towards it as you stray right, over to the ascending pathway of stairs.

“Where are you going?” His tone is offended, almost, as he comes to a halt and watches you fail to do the same, to notice the space between you both and correct it like some puppy who’s been called to heel by its master.

“Where am I going?” The question, at first, is one you mistake as rhetorical. Staring back at him with an equaled confusion, you gesture to the stairway, as though it is the most obvious answer. Because, well, where else could you have been heading? He said so himself, that up there is Fira, the capital of Santorini, and you’ll be damned if you don’t get to see it. “Where are you going?”

“To the cable cars, that’ll take us up the island.”

Above the crowd of people, hanging over doors of small businesses, lay several signs. CABLE CARS - 6€ ! stands out, impossible to miss. Symbols you scarcely recognise sit beneath it, in smaller text, and you assume it’s Greek. In the distance, you spy the movement of the mobile boxes, people being carted up the length of the cliff at a speed that promises them a journey of mere minutes.

“Oh.” So, perhaps his option makes more sense than your own far longer, more tiring one. Still, stubborn as a mule, you double down on your decision to take the scenic route, inching closer towards the first step. Your guide, still in the face, refuses to move, daring eyes willing you to continue. “You want us to take the lazy man’s route? You go ahead, I’ll take the stairs and meet you at the top.”

You press one foot up onto the first step, weary of where you rest the point of your heel.

Glancing a few steps further up, there’s the unmistakable sight of a mound of brown substance, no doubt excreted out of one of the donkeys that walk ahead, tourists mounted on their poor backs.

“I don’t think you understand,” he finally inches closer, if only slightly, hands clenched at his side. “There’s five hundred and eighty-eight steps until you reach the top.”

The number is more daunting than you expect, and you pray he can’t read this on your face. “Only? I’ll be up in no time then!”

You feel more than see the way Joel’s eyes travel down the expanse of you, stuttering almost over the curvature of your chest, the dips at your hips, till they rest at your feet. The question hangs loose between you, unspoken yet evident.

In those heels?

“Listen, Joel,” taking a second, third, and fourth step, you aim for a literal higher ground, staring down below as he continues to drift closer and closer towards the stairway. “If you’re not fit for the task, or the climb’s no good for your knees, you can just say it, there’s no shame. Like I said, I’ll meet you at the top. Promise I won’t even report the fact my private guide abandoned me in favour of his own comfort.”

Defeat has never come easy.

Well, to phrase it better towards the truth, acceptance of defeat has never come easy.

There was always something more to be said, another excuse to be given for any of your shortcomings. When you’d been turned away from the school’s soccer team, you’d told yourself it was because you were a girl- ignoring the fact three girls in your year made the cut. When you’d lost an arduous game of Monopoly, you’d sworn you’d caught your sister sneaking notes out of the banker’s pile into her own. When you’d been beaten, round after round, by your own niece at Mario Kart, you’d stuck your tongue out at her and told her you let her win out of pity.

All that had been before, of course, back when you still roamed school hallways, when your sister sat across from you at the dining table, when your niece still laughed freely, wildly, celebrating her own victories with an over-the-top, uncoordinated dance around the living room.

As changed as things may be, defeat is still your foe.

It is that reason alone that you bite back a complaint.

You’d enjoyed the initial moments of your trek. Maybe it was the salty air in your lungs, or the beautiful views of your surroundings, or the idle grumbling coming from Joel, a few paces behind you, kicking up dirt under his feet with every step he travelled up. Whatever the reason, adrenaline had been flowing, into your heart and through your veins, covering every square inch of your body, a tingling of nerves from the tip of your toes to the top of your spine.

But, by the 10 minute mark, a dull ache forms in your feet. Each step of your heel feels more life threatening than the last, as the stairs grow slippier, dustier, and well-worn the further up you advanced. By stair who-knows-how-may, you take a near fatal tumble backwards, the crunch of crumbling rock threatening to be the last thing you hear. Till he appears behind you, fast as light, huffing out a breath as you smack down against his solid chest.

“Mind your step.” From anyone else, you would mistake it as a sign of care. From Joel, you know better than to think it’s anything beyond a humourless taunt.

You try to keep count of the steps, from then on, an effort to motivate yourself to move faster with each ten-pace you count. By 50, you lose your place and begin counting all over again.

The journey is difficult in other ways, too, with the constant passing of donkeys who obligate you to stand aside and make way for them. And the distant movement of cable cars, firing up and sliding down more times than you can keep track of.

When a particular step proves itself too steep, you can no longer hold back and, finally, a hiss slips out between your clenched teeth as pain shoots up your ankle, the leather of your shoe rubbing even harder into your brittle skin, threatening the promise of a blister yet to fully swell. Pushing the pain down, alongside a complaint, you take another step. Hiss. Then another, hiss. You can fight it no longer, bending at the waist to slip off your heel and examine the irritated skin.

Sure enough, it’s been rubbed raw, broken and spilling a small pool of blood.

Behind you comes an exasperated groan and, before you can straighten yourself to even register what’s happening, Joel barges past you and the figure of him up ahead slowly diminishes the faster he climbs up hill.

“Hey!” You call after him, hobbling to slip your shoe back on, but it’s to no avail.

He’s long gone, growing further and further out of your reach with each passing minute.

Cursing him under your breath, you decide to hell with the no complaints of his preferred regard for his own comfort. He’s abandoned you, injured and hobbling up the steps, all because he has the patience of a toddler who’s been waiting far too long to go potty.

“Wear somethin’ a little more sensible…” You’re bound to seem deranged to any passers by, half hopping up the steps, mumbling to yourself in a mockery of his deep voice “Yeah, right, how bout I shove somethin’ a little more sensible up your ass. Oh, what’s that? There’s no room up there with the massive stick you’re already carryin-”

“A local man warned me bout ya, on my way back down. Said there was some no-good girl casting out bad juju.” You freeze, foot stopped in mid-air. Shifting your gaze up ahead, you find Joel there, skipping a step every so often as he grows closer and closer. At his side, dangling from two fingers, sits a plastic bag. “Told him it ain’t no juju or curses you’re casting, just throwin’ a little tantrum.”

Like a fish out of water, all you can do is stare at him, wide eyes and mouth agape.

Joel pays your silence no mind, almost delighting in it. With a pop and a crack from his knees, he crouches down before you, holding out the palm of his hand.

“C’mon,” he mutters, pointing towards your injured foot. “Lemme see.”

You’re hesitant, at first, but ultimately lift it and let him curl his grip around it, holding you in place as the shoe slips off you. A tut meets your ears as his eyes meet the bloodied mess, and you watch how he contemplates, for a moment or two, before wetting his thumb with his tongue and swiping it over your broken skin.

It stings, like salt in a wound or a bee’s stinger through skin, and you try to flinch back, retract yourself from his hold. But Joel’s strong, resilient, nails biting at the flesh of your ankle to keep you in place. His free hand digs into the plastic bag he’d discarded at his side and pulls out a white box. Fiddling with it for a short period, he manages to open it at last and slips out a bandaid. He rips that open a lot quicker, using his teeth, and slips it over your open wound perfectly, thumb and pointer finger smoothing it around the curve of your heel.

“D’ya see now why I told you to not wear those things?” You feel like a child at his words, reprimanded like you once were for touching your mother’s curling iron. “And why I said we should take the cable car?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you refuse to meet his eyes. But he just won’t let you be, craning his own neck to infiltrate the space you stare off into. There’s a pleased look on his face, smugness pulling at the right corner of his mouth. Alarmingly, you think of how it’s the closest you’ve gotten to seeing him smile.

You continue your pursuit of silence, repeating a mantra of how you don’t care that he’d tried to look out for your comfort, or how he’d then tried to save you the effort of an uphill battle, or how his hand, big and warm and rough at the fingertips, is still holding your foot in place, absentmindedly rubbing your ankle in a circular motion.

“Look at ya, gone all quiet on me,” that corner of his lip curls higher. You register the rustling of the bag, his hand digging back inside it. “Ain’t one for bein’ put in your place, are you?”

Out comes his hand once more, though this time it’s not a box of bandaids. Now, resting firm in his grasp, sits a mixture of navy blue dyed cotton, stitched atop a flat, thick layer of a straw-like material. A slip-on canvas shoe. Joel doesn’t await permission, nor does he even ask for it. He simply takes charge, slipping it onto your foot, mindful as he straightens out the back to lay against your heel.

“Other foot, up.”

Switching feet, you stumble as your weight completely shifts onto your injured side. Your hands, reaching out to stabilise your swaying body, are quickly directed by his own to rest atop his head, curls of brown threading between your fingers. You contemplate asking what products he uses to achieve locks so smooth and shiny, then rethink it as soon as you imagine his reply of a disinterested grunt and a snarky ain’t use anythin’ but dirt water and a splash o’ whiskey.

“How’s it feel?”

Soft, you almost reply, then realise he’s asking about the shoe.

With a wiggle of your toes, you tell him it’s fine, and leave it at that. He doesn’t need to know they’re surprisingly comfortable.

Joel rises with a bit of a struggle, yet refuses the help you offer. Rough hands scoop up your discarded heels, tossing them into the bag, and then he straightens his back, lets out a noise of discomfort, before nodding up ahead.

“C’mon, only got a hundred or so to go. We’ll be up in no time.”

The sun sits high in the sky when you reach the city of Fira.

Crossing over that last step, 588 painted in white across it, you huff out a sigh, exhaustion aching you out of any enjoyment of your victory over the stairway from hell. Before you can even utter a word of your thirst, Joel is already reaching into his bag of wonders, unscrewing the lid off a bottle of water and passing it to you. Grateful, you take a sip, and lament the few drops that spill down your chin.

At least they don’t go to complete waste, cooling your skin ever so slightly.

It’s a shame to see Joel start moving again, moments before you’re even ready to gain back your breath, but you follow after him, nonetheless, mindful to not press your foot too hard down. Through streets he winds, past shopkeepers he walks. Eventually, after a few minutes, you ask him where you’re both heading.

“To catch a coach,” his hand moves quickly, tugging you closer as a bicycle shoots past behind you. Your own find themselves against his chest, and realise it is nothing like his hair. Solid, warm, wide. It’s almost a shame to lower them back down to your side. “Less you think you can walk from here to Oia, too.”

Truth be told, you don’t know where Oia is.

But you do know your walking for the day is over, happy to follow Joel onto the coach. You take the aisle seat, he’s by the window. Across from you both sits a couple, young and giggling into one another’s ears, as though the sounds of their joy is sacred to none but them. A pang of envy thumps your soul, and you quickly turn your face.

Only to find that Joel’s is grey.

Not the hair that lines it but, rather, his whole face, paled and blood-drained. It’s a sickly image, and one that’s quick to get your heart racing.

“Are you okay?” Any thought of keeping your composure becomes mute as you hear your own voice, a treacherous shake to it that gives your panic away. “You look…” There is no word kind enough for you to use to relay the image of him, so you lock your lips.

It takes a few seconds for you to get a reply, as your hand moves up to feel his forehead. It’s sweaty, warm, and you move to pull your hand back when he’s holding it firm in place, eyes slipping shut. “‘S cold. You’re cold,” seems to be his explanation. “I’m fine, it’s just- Carsick.”

“You get carsick, yet you work on a cruise.”

“Not the same. Ship’s big, somethin’ bout the size and my own visibility, ‘s what stops me getting seasick.”

You sit like that the rest of the coach, your hand pressed to his forehead, his eyes slipped shut.

“What’s your favourite stop on the cruise?”

As it turns out, Oia is exactly what you’d pictured Santorini to be.

White washed houses, deep blue domes for rooftops, turquoise waters, all for as far as the eye can see. Joel complains, more than tells you, of the rise in tourism over the years, of how it’s turned the beautiful village into a party-town for idiots abroad, disregarding the clean environment, shamelessly blocking paths to snap a frame-worthy shot, raising prices to the ceiling. When you ask him if he thinks he’s in part to blame, if people like him are to blame- running tours, bringing guests onto the island, earning a wage off the visiting of such a place- he grumbles out something about missing breakfast, needing lunch.

So you find a cafe. Or, more, Joel leads you to one. He greets the doorman, with a wave and a pat on the back, before sauntering his way through to a back terrace, overlooking the whole village, the water perfectly framing it. Stepping out and sitting down, the view robs the very breath out of your lungs.

It’s like sitting inside a postcard.

Joel asks if you like Greek food.

You tell him you’ve never had it.

He orders for you both, a mixture of different plates, and swears he’ll find something you’ll like.

It turns out you’re rather fond of baklava.

“Florence.” Joel’s taken his time to answer, staring at you like a deer caught in headlights. Disbelief more than fear in his eyes, you have to wonder if it’s the first time someone’s thought to ask him, in all his years as a guide. Naturally, this leads you to wondering how many years that is. “It’s a real site. Full of history, a real story to be told.” He tilts a ceramic dish your way, eyes glancing down in an offering. You follow them, and spot olives. Shake your head, no, then smile, thanks. He shrugs, more for me, and pops two into his mouth. “There’s this…” he pauses to chew. “This library.”

“A library?”

“‘S not just a library.” He slips out the olive’s pip and raises another into his mouth. You try not to think about how thick his fingers look, rolling the remaining briny green pebbles around in the pot. “There’s a cinema built inside it. Plays some classic films. I always- or, I try to go whenever we dock.”

It’s hard to picture Joel inside a cinema, something about the setting too busy, too loud to place his scowling face in. Would he be the kind to have a favourite seat, perfectly picked to optimise the sound quality? Does he speak animatedly, excited any time he recognises an actor? Or is he a shusher, the kind to roll his eyes when someone dares to even clear their throat?

A part of you wants to ask him if your tour involves a trip to this library.

Something tells you it’s not a place he likes to share, though. It’s his own little corner, safe to sneak a moment of selfish indulgence amidst a week of catering to another’s needs.

“A cinema inside a library?” A waiter interrupts you, asks if everything’s alright. Joel orders another serving of baklava. “Isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron?”

“Yeah.” For a moment, you think you see a smile creep across his lips. “Suppose it is.”

Another interruption comes in the form of your ringtone, rippling the water in your glass as your phone vibrates upon the table. You’re well aware of how Joel spots the word Mum displayed across your screen. Just like you’re aware he sees how you swipe down on your screen and switch on aeroplane mode.

Before he can ask any questions, or the sudden silence can become too deafening, you throw out another question. “And your least favourite?”

“Least favourite stop?” You nod, affirmative, and he needs no time to reply. “Here.”

“Here?! How come?”

The baklava arrives, as if on cue, and you point down at it, as though it is reason enough to be enamoured with the island. It seems to do little to convince him, his hand reaching out to push the plate closer to you, inviting you to indulge yourself.

“Compared to the other stops, Santorini’s bland.” He says it when your mouth is too occupied to protest, stuffed full with layer after layer of pastry. “Kind of like a diamond, y’know? Real pretty to look at, empties your wallet, and, at the end of the day, ain’t much you can do with it.”

“People propose with diamonds.” You point out, and cough as a flake of pastry hits the back of your throat.

Joel’s already passing you your glass of water before you even think to reach for it.

“People propose with rings. Diamonds are just custom, not a guarantee.”

Sunset arrives with no warning, a hue of fiery orange melting down into the calm waters on the horizon. It’s Joel who makes the call to head back, one glance at his watch enough to tell you the last chance to catch a coach is nigh. It’s only as you go to call for the bill that he tells you it’s covered and you realise his earlier trip to the bathroom had been a ruse to go pay.

The trip back is calmer, quieter, with the coach full of sunkissed and heat exhausted tourists.

Again, you take the aisle seat, and Joel, the window.

Keeping an eye on him is easy, switching your gaze towards the approaching darkness of the night sky calling upon the street lights anytime he meets your eyes. When you notice the increase in breaths and the paling of his skin, you wordlessly unscrew the cap off a bottle and slot it into his hand, inviting him to finish off the last sips of your water.

Skipping out on a trip down memory stairway, you quietly follow him into the cable car and, when you reach the Old Port, you try your best to block out his smug remark of how easy and fast the ride was. A feat which becomes easier as you stumble halfway up the dock and turn back.

Like hours before, as you first stepped off the tender, your mouth falls agape. Only, this time, wider. The view of the island lit up in all its glory is enough to leave you breathless, hands scrambling to fish out your phone, open the camera and-

“You gettin’ on or what?” Joel calls out from behind, and you find him waiting on board one of the tenders, hand held out towards you.

It’s a demand, more than it is an offer, to hurry up. The collective of other passengers are watching the interaction, and a feeling you’ve come to know all too well crawls its way into your veins.

A burden, holding them all up, that’s what you are.

The feeling follows you back, as you slip into a damp seat and watch as the boat carries you further and further from the island, it’s lights twinkling in a way that chokes you up, drains you out, eyes stinging from more than just the salty air. You’ll love it, I swear! The memory plays out in your head, those words gushed at you. Hands squeezing your cheeks, a smile blinding you under its brightness. Just wait till you see it at night, the lights shine over it like stars!

You blink.

A tear pools at the corner of your eye.

“Here, look,” something nudges you. It’s Joel, inching his phone into your view. Through blurred sight, you glance at it. And find yourself, centre frame, lit only by the moon. In the back lies the whole skyline of Santorini, lights reflecting down onto the waters below. “Best view you can get, the whole island in one shot.”

Afraid to hear your own voice, you smile.

He answers by pointing his phone back at you, snapping another photo.

Back on the cruise, the two of you part ways, with Joel telling you to meet him in the same bar, same time as the night before.

Dinner had been part of your plans. With a glance over the listed restaurants on board, the ache in your tired bones asks you to stay in bed and make use of the room service. You listen, order something light, easy. It arrives in under 10 minutes and your hunger is satisfied sitting out on the balcony, watching the dark waves roll past.

Phoning your mother is the next port o'call.

Unlike with your food, that takes longer than 10 minutes. Much longer, and involves you countlessly reassuring her that yes, you’re okay, and no, you don’t need her to fly out and meet you in Naples.

“I’m a big girl,” you even throw in a laugh, hoping it’ll ease the worry lines you can picture splayed over your mother’s face. “I think I can climb up a mountain without my mum’s help.”

“Honey, you know that’s not what why I’m worri-”

“Did you know you can get carsick but, at the same time, not seasick?”

You hang up shortly after, with a promise to try your best to answer when she calls tomorrow, instead of hours later, when she should be fast asleep.

The time on your phone tells you there’s still forty minutes until you need to meet Joel. The image of that grandiose bathtub flashes before your eyes and, in record timing, you’re sinking into scalding waters, a complimentary bath bomb dumped in and granting you the childish gift of bubbles.

You try to relax, at first.

There’s no need to wet your hair, so you indulge yourself. Lay your head back, close your eyes. Feel your muscles loosen with the warmth, ignore the sting of soap in your blistering heel. Your hands struggle to find a resting place, until they meet your thighs. They sit still, for a moment or two, before one slips down, inching into the crease of where your legs meet.

Something stirs in your core, comes alive as you think of how long it’s been since you last felt someone. A few months, it has to be. A fellow graduate, if you remember correctly, that stupid robe still on his shoulders as he let his mouth come down on you.

Your hand is soon on your core, before you really notice, mind on a mission to recall the hazy encounter. When you think of his tongue, messy yet eager, your finger’s already on your clit, pressing against it with a tease of pleasure. When you think of his cock, uncut and thicker than your ex, splitting you open on his bedroom floor, your hips cant up against yourself, chasing friction. When you rewind how soft Joel’s hair had been between your fingers, your free hand grips one of your breasts, fingers pinching at your nipple.

Your eyes snap open.

Joel’s hair.

Joel.

Something you should not be thinking of right now, hand buried between your thighs.

You wait a few seconds, remind yourself of the graduate’s face.

His blue eyes, your fingers roll over your nipple.

His blonde hair, your legs spread wider.

Joel’s solid chest, your fingers dip inside your cunt.

Your breath is shaky, Joel’s annoyed groan echoes.

The shame of it, of thinking of him, is almost as tantalising as touching yourself, fucking your own hole full with as much of your fingers the angle will allow. It’s a one time thing, you justify. You just need to get it out your system. One and done, cum and done. No more of Joel Miller between your thighs, this is the closest he’ll get.

Someone knocks at your door.

You nearly miss it over the sound of your breathing, the pounding of your heart.

“Who is it?” You don’t like how weak you sound, but it’s too late to take it back now.

Another knock.

“Can I come in?”

A hand still between your thighs, orgasm titering on the edge, body fully submerged in lukewarm water. “No!”

“Ain’t safe to leave your door unlocked. Anybody could walk in- Jesus!”

You’ve never screamed louder.

Joel takes up most of the bathroom doorway, same clothes save for the shirt that’s got two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. You’re pressed right back into the bathtub, as physically far from him as you can get, knees pressed up to your chest, ankles crossed over.

In Joel’s defence, he’s quick to turn away, presenting you with a view of his back. A hand runs through his hair.

“Why are you in my room?!” You inch even further back, the water suddenly dropping several degrees.

“I asked to come in!”

“And I told you not to!”

“Well obviously I didn’t hear that!”

“Why are you in my room?” You’re back to your first question, eyeing up your towel.

It’s across the room, on the bathroom sink. No way for you to reach it without the risk of him seeing you reflected on something.

“You were late. Came to check if ya tripped on them heels and broke your neck.”

“I,” you’re not sure what time it is with your phone sitting by the bed, charging. That's now five times you've been late in adulthood. “Didn’t realise the time. I can meet you at the bar in ten minutes.”

He nods, and you watch him take a step, then immediately pause. “You know, I’ve heard a few things from passengers…” You may not see his face, but you swear there’s that half-smirk, smug look upon it. It’s practically dripping off his words. “The shower head, fourth setting. Seems to get the job done for most ladies on board.”

Grabbing the closest thing in reach- a bar of soap- you launch it and watch it bounce off his irritatingly wide shoulders. “Get OUT!”

You make it to the Tipsy Byson in 15 minutes.

Dressed more appropriately than the night before, your flared jeans and crop top garner less stares. It’s just as busy, if not busier, yet it’s not hard to spot Joel on a barstool, nursing a glass of something syrupy looking. Behind the bar is Luke, head thrown back at something Joel says.

They’re an interesting pair to observe, you realise as you make your way over. With Luke, so tall, so lanky, so bright-face, his energy warm and inviting, and Joel so- well, Joel.

“There she is,” Luke cheers, a little too loudly, calling attention to you as you slip into the stool next to Joel. “My new favourite customer.”

“Thought I was your favourite,” Joel’s yet to look at you, and it’s a relief. He’s looked at you enough for one day, one week, one lifetime.

“Sorry but she smells better than you, Joel,” the barman winks at you, a cheeky grin on his face. “ Plus, she’s a hell of a lot nicer to look at.”

Joel scoffs, you giggle.

“Not sure about the whole smelling better thing,” your response comes minutes later, after Luke’s already served you a glass of wine and turned away your cash, telling you he’ll put it on Joel’s tab. “But thanks!”

Unprompted and uninvited, Luke bends over the bar and takes an exaggerated sniff. “I don’t know, smell alright to me.”

“Really? I’m not even wearing perfume, I forgot to pack any-.”

“Yeah! Go on Joel, give her a whiff, tell her she smells fine!” There’s resistance on his end, but Luke’s adamant, hand clamped on the back of Joel’s head, shoving him face first into your neck. Joel’s nose brushes against you. You hear him inhale. Exhale. Inhale again, then the urge to cross your thighs begins to nag at you. “Well?”

“Yeah, smells nice- Fine. Ya smell fine.”

“Be still my beating heart! Someone alert the press that Texas said something other than-”

Joel interrupts Luke’s dramatics, scowl on his face. “Don’t you have a job to be doin’?”

Only once the bartender is down the other end of the bar, engrossed in a heated discussion over what beer pulls a better head, does Joel speak again, sipping on his drink. Whiskey.

“So I noticed somethin’, when I was checking your bookin’ info.” You nod, urge him to continue, and take a sip of your own drink. Some country song plays over the speakers and you notice a sudden shake in Joel’s knee, his foot tapping to the beat. “Says there should be two of you in my guide team.”

“Oh,” the lump forming in your throat falls safely back into the pit of your stomach as you take another drink of wine. “Must be a printing error. You know how technology can be, always complicating things.”

“Hmm,” it’s easy to write off the awkward energy between you with the excuse of earlier events, and it’s the first bright-side you find to him walking in on your intimate bath. “Well, you know the drill for tomorrow. 7 am on that deck or I’m-”

“Docking without me, I know.”

You finish your drink first. When Joel orders himself another glass, you smile politely and turn it down. Yawn, then tell him you best head to bed.

Before you can slip out the entry, someone calls your last name. Loud enough to turn more than just your own head.

It’s Joel, approaching you, effortlessly parting crowds through the lively bar as though he is knife and, the people, butter. The loud music seems to ring louder in your ear, impeding you from hearing the words that leave his moving lips.

“What?” You call out, hands clasped over your mouth in an attempt to amplify the volume of your voice.

His response is to step closer, hands holding you in place by the waist as he leans down. A hot breath on your neck, the smell of whiskey on his breath, the soft brush of lips against your ear.

“It’s your turn to bring the coffees.”

series taglist. @auteurdelabre

#joel miller series #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller fic #pedro pascal smut #joel miller fanfic

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damagedintellect · 2 years

Text

Trafalgar Law x reader

💌 Fake it till you make it: Chapter 1 💌

Summary: To avoid an arranged marriage set up by Doflamingo, Law needs to bring home a girlfriend during the Christmas break and you just so happen to be a theatre major in the same dorm at One Piece University. What could possibly go wrong?

Tropes: College AU, Fake Dating, Idiots in love, [Later chapters have🍋]

Chapter Navigation: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

💌 Word count: 4,416 💌 | Next Chapter =>

The common room was as packed as ever as finals had approached. It only got busier with the holidays around the corner. Luckily for you being a theater major had its perks in that your finals weren’t the traditional two to three hour long exam of your entire course curriculum. Unlike the rest of your social circle you got to sit back and relax as they crammed as much of the semester as they could remember into their already burnt out heads as they existed entirely off of coffee and other caffeinated beverages. You attended One Piece university which prided itself on being the most diverse and upstanding college of its time in that it was the top rated university across several different majors. One Piece of everything or something like that. It was interesting how oddly enough each of your dorm mates seemingly came together in such a tight knit group despite very few of you actually being in the same classes.

You had already turned in your final paper and the production you were cast as the lead in closed the weekend prior leaving only your dance and voice finals which were later in the week but all in all you were sitting pretty. You lazily stirred from your spot on the couch. It was still exhausting being a theater major but you had always been a night owl. Rubbing your eyes in an attempt to wake yourself up was a mistake as black ink smudged the backs of your hands. You could hear a chorus of snickering around you.

"Shishishishi (Y/N) looks like a raccoon dog!" Luffy keeled over draping an arm around Chopper causing him to spill a few papers from the stack he was working on. He only sighed but you could feel the annoyed rage bubbling up in his study partner as Law looked like he contemplated hitting the prankster with his thick medical book. "Oi, Mugiwara-ya if you're not going to study you could at least stay out of the way." Luffy only continued to laugh through his apology. Nami snapped a photo before she handed you a mirror "Guess that means I was right!" She giggled as Robin passed you some make up wipes to help get rid of the marks. You could also see Franky and Usopp stifling their laughter in the corner as they worked on their inventions.

You frowned "Okay haha, I take it this is Ace's handy work?" Not surprising. You had pranked Ace earlier in his burnt out sleep deprived state making him think he was late to his final only for him to realize halfway through taking someone else's exam that it was Tuesday. He didn't even have class on Tuesday. Moreover it was the Latin final he walked into. It made sense why the exam seemed like it was in a different language. You supposed this was payback that you should have seen coming.

Sanji passed you a cup of tea sitting in between you and Robin "He was here not too long ago. Said he was going to the library before you could hunt him down." You laughed while taking a sip from the tea. "As if that'd stop me but I'll let him live for now." You smiled at your mug. It was very good tea.

"So what's everyone doing for the holidays?" Ussop asked, wiping his hands as he joined everyone else on the couches. It seemed like most people were going home. You sighed knowing you'd be stuck in the dorms again. There was no point in going home since there was no one waiting for you.

Last year Zoro stayed back at the dorms with you but he ended up practically hibernating the entire break. You don't mind being alone but you're going to be really bored. There were only so many video games you could play and Netflix you could watch before you go stir crazy. If you weren’t a broke college student it wouldn't be that bad you could always go on a trip but theater consumes all of your free time and expendable cash is not exactly your best friend.

The conversation was put on pause as Law's phone rang. The opening theme to "Sora warrior of the sea" fills the silence as he grimaced hastily packing his things up giving Chopper last minute tips as he rushed out of the room. In his rush it seems like he dropped his wallet. As the conversation resumed you picked it up and walked out to catch up with your favorite medic.

—

"I don't need you guys to play matchmaker for me. You can tell Doflamingo to shove it up his ass."

Law pinched the bridge of his nose. When he went home last year he was less than pleased to find out that Doflamingo had tried to set him up with the daughter of a business partner but he declined. He left early for good measure when he tried to threaten him with an arranged marriage. When he saw Corazon's name on his caller ID his stomach sank at the thought of him continuing the sentiment. He kept in contact with his adopted family through mostly texts and the occasional visit during the holidays it was very rare he got a phone call. At this point he was expecting the worst.

"I know my brother isn't a good person all the time but you're twenty-six and he just wants you to make sure you’re taken care of."

Law rolled his eyes, "I can take care of myself," truly he had no interest in romance but if it meant he could shove it in that smug bastard's face then he was prepared to die on this hill "Besides I already have a girlfriend." Law said without thinking about the ramifications.

You turned the corner hearing the tail end of his sentence. Since when did Law have a girlfriend? He hated his fangirls and you could have sworn he was wing manning for Shachi the other night. On top of that you always thought he swung the other way. Thinking back about it, maybe he just had a soft spot for Luffy, most people do. When your eyes met he raised an eyebrow but you held up his wallet. He wasn't paying attention to what Corazon was saying and quickly agreed without a second thought as he reached out and took it from you.

On the other end of the phone he could barely make out the over joyed "Fantastic! I'll tell Doffy you're bringing your girlfriend with you this year! See you soon, love you!"

"Yeah yeah, love you too." Law’s eyes widened as he realized what Corazon just said. It was already too late he heard the call end. Stunned by his own stupidity he spaced out.

You snapped your hand in front of Law’s stunned face and you laughed "Earth to Law? Since when did you have a girlfriend?" He slowly turned to you with a light bulb going off in his head "(Y/N)-ya you're an actor right? What are you doing over the break?"

You blinked at him "I was just going to stay at the dorms, why?" You had a feeling you knew where this was going. He wasn't serious was he?

"If I paid you, would you come with me to Dressrosa and pretend to be my girlfriend?" That's the one benefit of going to One Piece Law thought, it was convenient having people in every trade under the same roof.

You were taken aback by the request but you do like money and you had to admit Law was attractive. He was your type that's for sure. It definitely would be interesting to peek behind the veil that was Trafalgar Law. The self proclaimed "surgeon of death" was a mystery to most. You weren’t really sure where you stood with the other. You and Law would talk if you had the time in passing but you never went out of your way to hangout outside of the friend group. To you Law was easy enough to get along with and you knew how to play the doting perfect girlfriend. Money, room and board, and a fake family experience was like winning the lottery over being single, sad and alone for Christmas and New year's.

"Sure, why not. I got nothing else better to do." You shrugged nonchalantly "Sounds fun if I'm being honest." You rocked back on your heels thinking about how you wanted to play it off. What kind of girlfriend would you be? You had so many options. What kind of girl would Law have fallen for?

Law sighed in relief. Step one was complete but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Fooling Doflamingo would be hard. He knew you were a good actor. Bepo had begged him to see the show. He was kind of impressed with your range. That wasn't the problem. It was mostly him that he was worried about. Doffy knew how to get under Law’s skin, and who knows what kind of trap he'd be walking into.

He needed to be ready for anything the blonde could possibly throw his way. Law needed a plan. He stared at you intently, he really needed to sell this to get his family off his back but he never gave relationships a second thought. Sure he's had his share of drunken one night stands but those were hardly intimate. Emotions and feelings were never really his forte but obsessive pda wasn't going to be believable, would it? No, that wouldn't cut it.

At some point Law had folded his arms as he leaned against the wall closing his eyes lost in thought. He almost forgot you were there when you stripped him of his iconic hat placing it on your head as you decided to take some selfies.

Law scowled at you which only made you laugh and take another picture with his frown. He glared at you, almost snarling as he grabbed for his hat "What are you doing?"

You dodged out of the way "I need a new lock screen. It'd be weird if we didn't have any pictures of us together right?" You threw your arms around him trying to get a good picture, surprised that he didn’t push you away. You pulled back to check how it turned out when Law rested his chin on your head and pulled you into his chest. Your cheeks flushed at the sudden closeness as you see him follow suit snapping a photo of his own much to his dismay.

"Like this?" He showed you the picture. You're not going to lie, you two made a really cute couple. "That one's actually really cute. Send it to me, that'll be my home screen."

He nodded before asking "Should we take more or should this be enough?" It was a good question.

"We should, but later. After we change or something it would probably look suspicious if all our pictures were in the same outfit at the same location." You scrolled through your camera feed sending some candid shots Nami and Sanji have taken of you earlier in the year.

"Just in case you never know, right?"

He slipped his phone back in his pocket after saving the photos. You agreed to meet up with him later to go over specifics. Things that you both should know about each other and general boundaries. You laugh at the thought, being an actor and all kinda skews your perception on what makes other people uncomfortable. It's just like another show, you're pretty much okay with the notion of doing everything a normal couple would do. On top of that you've had to kiss your fair share of people, guys, girls and everything in between in front of a large audience. This makes no difference to you but this is Law we're talking about and the only people who are physically affectionate are Bepo and Luffy. Although Bepo practically grew up with Law, and Luffy doesn't know what personal space means.

When later rolled around you ended up in Law’s room with a thick packet detailing an elaborate plan that you thought was completely unnecessary. "You do know the more shit you make up for our backstory the more shit you have to remember right?" You said as you flipped through the pages skimming through the borderline script he's conjured up.

"Yeah no sorry to say but none of this is going to be believable. I can’t see you acting to save your life and this is a long shot even for you."

Law sighed out of frustration "Then what do you suggest." His jaw clenched clearly irritated with the idea of having to take direction from you but hey this is what you major in. The art of deception.

"Well the closer our story is to the truth the more believable it is. Your family knows you so it's best if you just act natural. Saying we met at a party when you never leave your room and you hate people sounds pretty sus."

"Tsk"

You rolled your eyes "You know I'm right. None of this sounds like you, it sounds like some bad cheesy romcom?" Law flinched; it was true he had written it based on what Shachi and Penguin told him instead of trying to fit himself into the puzzle. "Think of it this way. What kind of girl could you see yourself falling for because right now this sounds like one of the fangirls that you so adamantly avoid." He grimaced looking over what he wrote down.

You leaned back in his desk chair "The way I see it right, you wouldn't be interested in any normal girl. It'd probably be one of two ways, one being that we would have absolutely hated each other's guts because we found the other insufferable until we realized how well we compliment each other when there is a common goal. Or two I pretty much decide from the get go I was going to be your friend against your protest like Luffy and eventually you got soft on me."

Law hummed it was probably true given his friend group "Sounds about right. I didn't like you when you first moved in either." You stared at him flatly "You didn't like anyone when we moved in. Even now I'm pretty sure you just tolerate our existence but what made you warmup to me?" Who could blame you, you were curious.

Law folded his arms leaning back on the headboard "Well for one you're not a diva and you are actually good at what you do. Overtly confident people annoy me when they don't have the skills to back up their claims." You hold eye contact with him and when he doesn't look away you smirked.

"Didn't know you thought so highly of me." You were met with another neutral expression. You hope you can read him by the time you're at Dressrosa it would be easier if you could.

He shrugged "I can hold an intellectual conversation with you without wanting to kill myself." You laughed at that knowing full well the amount of effort it takes him to have a conversation with Luffy.

"Good that’s better to work with than, our eyes met across the room butterflies in my stomach crap." You playfully teased knowing you were tiptoeing around a time bomb. "God I get it already. Are we done here?" He already wasn't fond of the situation but you knew what you were doing. You stood up to stretch a thought dawning on you that you never brought up "I guess so, oh since you're paying me I really don’t care about personal boundaries. Holding hands, kissing, cuddles whatever is fine with me. I'm your girlfriend now so don't be shy." You looked over at him, his expression unreadable as ever. You grinned "Or do, you're pretty cute when you're flustered." You shot him a playful wink as he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

You sat on the corner of his bed seeing how far you could tease him "What not the affectionate type? I'm just saying if we get caught under the mistletoe it'd be weird if you hesitate." He didn't budge, only sighed knowing it was true. There was so much he had to keep track of because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Doflamingo pissed him off to no end and he tends not to think rationally because of it.

"This is already annoying but it beats an arranged marriage." He leaned back partially laying down. "Oh shit, really?" What kind of family does Law have?

Law only rubbed his face nodding "When you meet them you'll understand why. They're kind of a big deal but I'll tell you more later."

—

The next few days breezed by quickly with you and Law secretly meeting up to take pictures and talk about general information. You had to force most of it out of Law though despite this all being part of his plan it seemed he didn't want any part of it. Which was fair enough this was all just to avoid that arranged marriage but still. He could work with you a little right. It took forever to even find out that man's hates bread with a severe passion. Something about his uncle Trebol being a disgusting excuse of a human being. Other than that you both were getting along fine.

It was weird, you know you were both friends before but now you felt as close as Shachi or Penguin and on their last day in the dorms they even invited you out with them. You ended up making fun of Law for most of the night. He stayed on his stool at the bar and you kept making eyes at him from across the room similarly to his failed attempt at writing. He muttered something about getting revenge that you wouldn't see it coming but you only laughed. It wasn’t until you were four or five drinks in that you realized Law had been the one ordering them not the hottie from across the room while also telling the bartender to make them stronger. They almost hit you all at once but you were feeling good. At one point you even wingman for Penguin and you're pretty sure they even went home together.

You had fun dancing around with Bepo but you would glance over at Law occasionally. He wasn't sporting his usual frown; you could almost say he was smiling. You couldn't stop yourself from asking "You think Law’s having a good time?"

Bepo laughed "Since the two of you started hanging out he's definitely smiled more but he likes to sit and watch at these. I heard you're going to Dressrosa." You perked up, you didn’t think he would have told anyone about it. You nodded not wanting to fight the music. Bepo put a hand near your ear so he could whisper into it. "Don’t let Doffy win. He has a way of getting Law to do what he wants whether Law is aware of it or not. Make sure you bring him home okay."

"I will."

The rest of the night was a blur but you vaguely recalled Law trying to wrangle you in his car. When you came too you were not doing too hot. Your head was pounding but how could you say no to free drinks. When your eyes finally opened it was to the snap of a camera. This had been a set up. Law was sitting next to your bed grinning at his phone as he showed you said picture.

Your hair was unruly and all over the place, your makeup was smeared, mouth hanging open, limbs sprawled out twisted around your blanket and the dress you were wearing was falling off your shoulders. You were a mess.

"Revenge sure is sweet."

It was too early in the morning for him to be this chipper. "Okay I'll admit you got me. Now help me get rid of this headache." Surprisingly Law helped you get back to rights. Mostly because he did this to you and partly because he didn't want you blowing chunks on the way to Dressrosa.

You were in and out of it for the drive. Part of you thinks Law did this on purpose so he didn't have to deal with you asking too many questions he wasn't ready to answer yet. You ended up taking a nap for most of it. It was a few hours away so you should get there late afternoon, evening. When you were around twenty minutes away Law woke you up.

"We're almost there. You feeling better now?"

You looked out the window the sun was on the cusp of setting reflecting off of the fresh fallen snow. It was very beautiful "Immaculate! Are you ready to do this?"

Law sighed gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white "As ready as I'll ever be" You wondered what kind of place it would be as you passed more and more lavish estates you start feeling nervous and you were never nervous. You wondered if he was going the right way. Law cleared his throat "There’s one thing I forgot to tell you before we left." He paused trying to collect his thoughts "You know how I'm adopted?"

"Yeah?" you were hesitant as you noticed a huge manor on top of the hill you were approaching "I was adopted by the Donquixote family."

Your jaw dropped, you knew the names sounded familiar. Doflamingo Donquixote, founder of Smile Corp, the biggest toy manufacturer in the nation. Law’s family was practically royalty. "You decided now would be a good time to tell me!" You stare at him.

"I admit, it probably wasn't the best idea but the look on your face was priceless." Law pulled in to the open gates and parked "But now you see what I mean."

"No wonder they want to arrange your marriage." You looked at Law in disbelief "I just have more questions, like how'd you end up at One Piece? Not eager to take up the family business?"

He grimaced at you while getting out of the car "You could say that." He walked over to help you out of the car. You were still shocked just staring at him. You couldn’t see him with a significant other let alone being married. This is what Law had been hiding all this time. He put his hands on your shoulders "You're not thinking of backing out now are you? I never took you for a quiter (Y/N)-ya." He challenged you, being smug about it too. Seems he knows you so well.

You finally snapped out of it "As if you could get rid of me that easily." You were on a mission. You promised Bepo, the payment was just an added bonus almost forgotten at this point.

A tall blonde with a black feathery overcoat nearly sprinted across the courtyard. Right before he made it over he slipped on the ice but quickly recovered. Law gave you a reassuring look as if this happens all the time before the taller gentleman spoke "Law! Long time no see!" He encompassed both of you in a hug lifting you off the floor.

When he set you back down Law gestured to you "Corazon, this is (Y/N)-ya, (Y/N)-ya this is Corazon he's my adopted father. Doflamingo's younger brother." The blonde looked you up and down before extending his hand to you. You went to firmly shake it but he pulled you in for another hug "Thank you for taking care of Law. I know he can be a handful. It means a lot to me that he's finally found someone who tolerates him."

"Hey, I am right here ya know!" Law frowned at Corazon while pulling your bags from the car. You only laughed at his frustration before addressing Corazon. "Someone has to look out for him. Especially with his work ethic," you clicked your tongue "Someone has to make sure he sleeps." You smiled back at Corazon. He looked like he was so happy he could cry.

"Again, I am right here." Law held out your bag glaring at you. Although you noticed his cheeks were lightly tinted pink and you could see the faintest spot of red tint on his ears. You grab your bag from him as others come out to meet you. He only groaned and Corazon put a hand on his shoulder as presumably his sister came to greet you both.

"Heard you actually got a girlfriend. So how much are you paying her?" She threw an arm around your shoulder "Blink twice if you've been kidnapped." You smiled purposely deciding to have a staring contest with the green haired women.

Law rolled his eyes and scoffed "This is Monet, don't listen to a word she says she likes causing trouble." He gestured to the black haired woman with a cute ribbon tying back her hair "That's Baby five, be careful when asking her for help she is incapable of saying no and next to her is sugar who despite looking like a ten year old is actually in her twenties like us."

Baby 5 dropped herself on your other shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell us if he's holding you hostage." You laughed but gave them both a quizzical look "Is it really that unbelievable that I'm willingly dating your brother?"

Sugar finished the handful of grapes in her mouth before answering "Yes! You're too pretty and big brother isn't nice at all." She pouted and popped another grape in her mouth "Plus you're the first girl he's ever brought back. We've been waiting to make fun of him."

You looked back to Law who looked like he was having a conniption, a vein even popping out of his forehead glaring at his younger sisters. You gently slipped out of the girl's grasp before gracefully taking Law’s hand in yours. With the most smitten expression you could muster you tried to ease his suffering by giving him an out "Show me around?" You softly smiled at him as his eyes pleaded. He pulled you into the manor but you could still hear Corazon say "Well I like her."

___

Chapter Navigation: [You are here] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

#trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar law x reader #onepiece x reader #xreader #x reader #op x reader #op imagines

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seraphinitegames · 2 years

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The Wayhaven Chronicles—Update 26/August/2022

It was a more all over the week this week!

Chapter 17B is coming on brilliantly, and I've been typing soooo fast just because I'm at a scene I've been waiting to write since about halfway through Book Two, hehe! :D

It really will give a very different look at two characters in particular...

I actually managed to finish up Chapter 9 editing last Friday in the end, so that was a bonus! On Saturday I was going to start Chapter 10 editing, but instead I did some debugging stuff for all the chapters I've done so far. It took ages, but was really worth it to get back on top of that!

Then it was a switch all week between Chapter 17B and some seriously major rewrites and additions to Chapter 11 (now dubbed 'The chapter-that-never-ends', lol!). I've been thinking on some stuff for Chapter 11 for a while now, particularly Verda's dinner party scene, and wanted to change it up drastically. It just didn't suit how I wanted Verda to be in that moment.

I'm much happier with how it is now, even though it's been a lot of work and additions (Chapter 11 is getting on to be over 120,000 words, yikes!).

But I will be able to get Chapter 17B finished next week for sure, so I'm buzzed about that! Chapter 18 and 19 both have A and B versions, but 20 and 21 don't.

Nai has been keeping an eye on the save system for Book Two, and it doesn't look like it's been added in yet :/

We'll keep checking and let you guys know when it's up though!

It's a bank holiday weekend here in the UK this weekend, so I will be taking the whole weekend and Monday off just to give my brain and hands a bit of a refresh!

I hope you all have the most awesome weekend! We’ll be offline as usual, so I'll update you all again next Friday! <3

#the wayhaven chronicles #interactive fiction #update #progress report #Book Three

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icharchivist · 5 months

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so little insanity moment i hope you'll excuse me a sec, related to Mystery Blorbo.

so yesterday i had a Icha Insanity Level 10 Moment where i kinda spiraled down crying and all about Mystery Blorbo literally all day that led me, as one does, to spam my bestie who knows about them 30 messages including at least 3 different homemade memes i've made about them, while i also collected various pictures again of Mystery Blorbo.

And, as a normal person does, i realized i could make a collage of the pictures i had in my files about them and put it on my wall.

so i start selecting which pictures i want to print in a word document (it takes 22 pages, i put multiple pictures by pages tho) and then look for my Blu-Tack (? google translation says it's how you say it the paste that fixes papers on wall) but i can't find it for the life of mine.

so i figure my masterplan has to wait, and ideally, while i go buy some Blu-Tack to a stationary store, i might as well use their printers to print pictures bc my own is bad with colors in general.

except as one does, it obviously haunts me all night, and i wake up uneased thinking i need to at least find the Blu-Tack today. Plus i need to do some restock on meds and grocery shopping anyway.

I prepare myself to go, and since my family just decided to annoy me today, i needed some comfort and i put my little custom made Mystery Blorbo plush in my bag to accompany me, but then i realize it's Sunday, and on top of that, a holiday, so the majority of stores are closed.

I figure my plans have to wait tomorrow. But for some reasons, i'm in full state of unrest. I can't focus on anything i just want to go hunt for it.

So i figure, screw it for the stationary shop, i can find some Blu-Tack on some hyperstore, and a couple of them are still opened today (ironically, not the one closest to my home that i would have gone to otherwise, so i have to look for an unusual store for it). So here starts my quest for it.

I blast my Mystery Blorbo's playlist in my ears (as i always do), and i go out full of Mystery Blorbo's thoughts in the quest of Blu-Tack so i can hang Mystery Blorbo's pictures in my living room.

First store i go to, where the Blu-Tack is next to cooking objects, they ran out of Blu-Tack. Shame.

I decide not to give up though and start going through more stores. 2nd Store i go, where the item is near the bathroom supplies? no luck either.

I think about going to a 3rd store at the opposite of the city, because one of the other bigger store i could go to is usually closed on Sunday. But, while i'm way underway, halfway between the store i disregarded and the store i was going to, i have a slight moment of "but i should check if it's REALLY closed though", and turns my feet around to check that store.

what i didn't consider is that today being a holiday where we usually consume a specific cake -- the store in question was actually opened. to sell emergency cakes.

When i go to this store, i usually go to the floor with food on it, so i never linger on parts of the store with utility objects, which is two floors above. but i know my way to it, and i move up.

And so i move to the Blu-Tack corner. Which is, unlike every place i've been before, in a corner with various hobbies related things surrounding the aisle.

and legit just next to it, there's an item i can't enter into details about --- related to Mystery Blorbo, that has no business being here, that i legit ALMOST BOUGHT ONLINE TWO WEEKS AGO. AND THEN I DIDNT. BECAUSE I THOUGHT HAVING IT DELIVERED HERE WOULD BE A PAIN. and also the one store i found it on wasn't really trustworthy.

literally JUST NEXT to the Blu-Tack. JUST next to it. Like ONE STEP away of distance from it. I could see it from standing in front of the Blu-Tack.

And i'm trying to keep it vague because the less you know about it the better for me (don't try to guess please), but it's not something i expected to find here. Like, it's not from something i'd expect to find easily in stores. And the item in question is also supposed to be pretty niche and only found in very specific stores, but this specific version was not on shelves last time i checked because it wasn't popular even in its niche.

I had a demented plan of making a collage of Mystery Blorbo, then had a nice so full of unrest i remade my whole plan, improvised because today everything is closed and nothing should have been doable, went to stores where i wouldn't have found the item that happened to have ran out of Blu-Tack, thought about going to a store THAT IS USUALLY CLOSED on Sunday and is only opened for the holiday, on an aisle i don't even usually come CLOSE to, to find the fucking Blu-Tack that started my journey, all that while blasting my Mystery Blorbo songs and holding my Mystery Blorbo plush in my bag, and it's at the end of this absolutely insane journey i found an item i've been CONVEYING that i was told wouldn't be found on here because it's too niche to be there, RIGHT. HERE.

Am i insane or is this insane. Like i remind you the whole thing with Mystery Blorbo is that they first started appearing in my dreams out of nowhere, haunting me, giving me legit fever dreams when i didn't buy something about them i found so much so i almost sleptwalk my way into going to buy it 4 TIMES in the same night, that i learnt they've showed up multiple times in the last decade of my life at various moments that made me curious in them but not enough to get into their stuff, that i had actual magazines full of articles that talked about him at my mom's place, hell pretty recently i also found times in my childhood (very early) where i almost got into something adjacent to it (my bestie says it counts because when i recalled the details she was crying laughing at how specific it was), also while i happen to own stuff related to the motif linked to this character from waayy before that, and much more things i can't even start to point out to lest i remove the mystery all together---

And then after another unrestful night thinking about them and making insane plans about them, which i was supposed to postpone but was too unrestful to postpone, i fucking find. This thing. in the most crazy level of circumstances there is.

also another layer is that i've been talking about the item to my bestie and was lamenting how more expensive it was online (esp with delivery fees) than in store, and my bestie, bless her soul, had had plans to find it for me ------- but she couldn't find it anywhere online. (like i tried to dissuade her but she's too sweet)

(small explanation to friend about my reasons for finding it)

(the typos are kept for autenticity as i was in a hurry, on my phone, and also genuinely shaking)

so long story short i'm adding this to the list of "i think Mystery Blorbo is haunting me because this is not normal" that keeps growing every single day. i feel ill.

#ichatalks #please please just don't try to guess what i'm talking about when i'm vague and enjoy the journey with me #im being insane. with u.#Mystery Blorbo #i guess i need to sort it in a tag

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highkeykithes · 1 year

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Christmas Lights

↢ ❦ ↣

Pairing: Kazutora Hanemiya x F!Reader

Synopsis: Two strangers who really want to see the Christmas lights meet on the bus.

CW: strangers to friends, fluff, & awkwardness

A/N: Remember this is just a fic. Don't trust strangers so easily, lmao. Also, this was kinda rushed – sorry 🤗

Kazutora sits on the city bus, looking out the window and admiring all the lights decorating the various shops. Some of them even have inflatables, and Christmas themed specials with festive names.

He’ll see people walking on the sidewalk with their significant others, their children, and or just a family relative. There was one major difference between him and them, and that was him being alone.

He's been on the bus for the past fifteen minutes, for he has not even halfway reached his destination. He's already seen multiple people come and go, and yet not a single one sits by him.

Was it the tattoo on his neck? Majority of it is covered up by his turtleneck and scarf, but maybe it just lacks height. Or maybe it was his unwelcoming face that scares people off. Just one simple head turn and the first thing others see is an intimidating stare, lips pulled into an all natural frown.

No one wants to be bothered with such negativity so close to the holidays.

He doesn't care about what they think, him keeping his focus out the window has nothing to do with their opinions. He will make sure tonight is certainly not ruined, especially not by some dumb judgmental strangers.

He was sitting closest to the window of a two person seating, head shifted to the left as his hands rested in his lap. He feels the bus come to yet another stop, passengers shuffling to get off the bus and or to make room. More people get on, he can tell by the way the bus shifts.

Some close movement reflects in the window he looks out of, then suddenly there's a new presence right next to him.

Kazutora turns his head out of instinct, going to take a look at the new face daring to be surrounded in his draining aura. He was already expecting for the person to stand up after they see his frown, just like the last seven people.

However, when he goes for the quick glance, he remains looking at them – specifically you.

You give the man a soft smile as a greeting, rubbing your hands together as a shiver escapes your breath. It was a quick silent hello before turning to face forward, getting comfortable for the next ten minute ride.

Just like Kazutora.

He didn't return your smile, he just turned to look back out the window. Though, he didn't exactly stop looking at you. He began to examine you through the reflection of the window – as much as he could since it was also shadowed.

The top of your [color] hair tucked under a simple white beanie, the balls hanging at the end of the strings on each side – its work looks handmade. You kept a smile on your face despite being met with his frown, obviously you weren't going to let him ruin your night.

“Merry Christmas”

Kazutora lifts his head up more and turns to his right, looking at your eyes and mouth, but it was too late to understand what you said. “What?” He asks.

You turn your head with a curious look but keep your smile. “Oh, sorry–” you briefly hold a hand to your chest. “–Merry Christmas Eve” you shake your head at the little mistake.

“Oh” his lips form in an ‘o’ shape in realization. He nods his head before facing forward, forgetting all about the window. “Merry Christmas Eve to you too”

You nod your head in appreciation, “How's your night going?”

“What?” He has to turn his head again at the sound of your voice, pinching his eyebrows together in confusion.

Why were you trying to indulge into a conversation with him? He has to keep asking “what?” like an idiot just to make sure you're actually talking to him.

“Sorry” You shake your head with a sheepish frown, pressing your fingertips against your forehead. “I was just asking how your night was going. I didn't mean to–”

“It's going well” He cuts you off, adjusting into a straightened posture as his arms raise to fold over his chest. “How is..yours?”

You feel your chest stutter at the sudden relief, smile making its way back to your lips. “Crazy” you shake your head with a playful eye roll. “I'll spare you details” you assure him, indicating that it was in fact more than just the word ‘crazy’.

Kazutora tilts his head, “Well you can't leave me hanging now” he narrows his eyes.

You chuckle and sink into your seat, leaning your head against it. “Well, I just found out my younger sister is pregnant. She just turned twenty and dropped the news in our family group chat” you quietly groan.

“Oh, well congratulations to her?” His tone was hesitant, questioning if it was a good or bad thing.

“Huh” you scoff. “Yeah, not according to my parents. They're upset with me because apparently I let it happen. She lives with me after all” you shake your head.

“What? That makes no sense”

“Eldest daughter treatment I guess. I don't know, I just can't face any of them right now” you sigh, running a hand on the side of your head. “My sister is at my parents house right now waiting for me so we can have a family conversation about the whole thing. But fuck that, I ain't going”

Kazutora nods his head, understanding your choices. Your parents' complaint about you made no sense, it was ridiculous. “So what, you're heading home now?”

You shake your head, “Nope” you exaggerate the ‘p’. “Every christmas eve they have this beautiful light show, and every year I always miss it because my parents always need me for something – or i'm just working” You explain.

You then sit up forward and rub your hands together with excitement. “But this year I’m definitely going to see those lights. Even if I have to wait til midnight”

that's why you were so unbothered

Kazutora softened his confused stare and frown, dropping his arms back to his lap. “The Christmas light show downtown?” He asks.

“Yeah”

He feels the corner of his lips twitch, “That's where i'm going” he places a hand on his chest.

You widen your eyes, “Oh no way” your mouth is agape. “That's awesome, are you meeting someone there?”

“No” he shakes his head, but he was still stunned at the coincidence. “My social battery died back at my friends Christmas party, I just needed some time alone” he lets out a sigh, remembering why he was there in the first place.

“Oh..” you pull your head back. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you” You apologize, fingers softly pressing against your chest to express your sincerity.

“You're fine, really” he assures. “At least I know i'm not the only person going to see them alone”

You let out a small laugh while raising your hand to cover it, it exposes the way your arms were shaking. This was actually the one time you built up the courage to talk to a stranger, and it was going on so long. You were afraid you would mess up soon.

“It seems the lights bring everyone joy and comfort” you die down from the laugh, rubbing the side of your neck out of embarrassment. “Do you plan on making a new year's resolution as well?”

“They have that?” He furrows his eyebrows, unknowingly shifting his legs further in your direction.

“I heard they have something like that. We can try to find it” You nod, but your smile suddenly drops into a shaky frown. “Ah– I mean..well you can– or uh” your hands find their way to your beanie, tugging it more down for comfort.

“I didn't mean to say..we” You admit. “You just want to be alone and here I am inviting–”

“I'm fine with it” Kazutora cuts off your rambling, pulling his head back and raising his hands up in front of his chest in a surrendering manner. “If..you're alright with it. We’ll bump into each other there anyways”

You take in a deep breath and lock eyes with his, swallowing a lump in your throat from the sudden awkward tension only you feel. He really showed no objection to your mistake, nor did he look offended or disgusted by it.

It was pretty clear you two would be getting there at the same time, and probably be paying for your wristbands at the same booth. The chances of bumping into one another every two minutes was high.

Despite being complete strangers, both of you felt as if you could read each other easily.

ding

The bus comes to a stop, and the doors open. You and Kazutora both turn your head and look out the opposite windows, seeing the desired lights right there.

“Well?” Kazutora asks.

You smile without looking back at him, standing up before adjusting your scarf. “Let's go”

The man nods his head and stands up, closely following behind and making sure to keep an eye on your steps – which you also watch carefully.

“C’mon, over there” You nudge his arm before walking, heading over to the booths where workers and security guards stand.

Kazutora catches up and walks right next to you, eyes being occupied by the lights that await him. They were just right there, waiting for him to walk under them and burn into his memory.

“I don't know if you two saw the sign–” A rough voice takes him from his thoughts, one that belongs to the worker taking care of you guys. “–couples get a thirty percent discount” He informs.

You raise your eyelids and shut your wallet, lips parting in disbelief. “Oh, I'm sorry I–”

“Amazing christmas deal” Kazutora cuts you off, reaching for the inside of his jacket while taking a step in front of you. “How much in total then”

The worker looks back over to you, waiting for you to finish your earlier statement.

You only zip your lips with a stunned expression before slowly raising them in a smile. “I guess neither of us saw that sign” you chuckle.

The worker nods his head, “Total is ten bucks” he informs, turning towards the pop up table and taking out two certain colored bracelets.

“I got it” Kazutora pushes your arm aside and holds out a ten dollar bill, which the worker takes with no question.

“Oh, thank you” You smile up at him.

“Here you are” The man wraps the purple bracelet around your wrist first. “Just show these to the workers and you guys can get on the rides” he explains, doing the same to Kazutora’s wrist.

“Rides?” You both ask in sync.

The man nods his head and steps out of the way, letting you two get a look at the entrance.

You go ahead first, feet becoming impatient as your smile stretches. “Holy shit…” You gasp. “They have rides!” You turn around to look at him following behind in a walking pace.

“They have rides…” he nods his head, tucking his hands into his coat. Truth is, Kazutora wasn't even interested in the idea of rides, he was here for the lights.

You notice how he comes to a stop, looking up even though this was just the beginning. The blue and white lights reflect off his face, gleaming in his eyes that held no real expression before.

Your eyes trail further down, and you feel yourself nervously chuckle at the sight of the smile formed on his lips.

You shove your hands into your pockets and walk back over to him, stopping right in front. “What's your name?” You ask, tilting your head in genuine interest.

He lowers his head and locks eyes with yours, keeping his soft smile glued on his face. “Hanemiya Kazutora, you?”

“[name] [last name]” You nod your head. “Thank you for..letting me accompany you, Kazutora. I wouldn't want to be with any other stranger” you joke, earning a long-waiting laugh from him.

“Thank you, [name], for being so patient with me” He rubs the back of his neck, sheepishly smiling at the sudden confrontation.

“Excuse me!”

You both look over your shoulder at the direct call, still smiling due to being cut mid conversation. You guys then see a lady walking up with a stack of cards in one hand while her other is being used to wave.

She was wearing a uniform shirt with khaki pants and had a name tag pinned to her, so she was most likely a worker.

“Would you two like a picture?” She holds up her camera and shifts it around.

You turn towards her and hold up a hand with an apologetic smile. “Oh no, we're fine” you assure.

“Are you sure?” Her smile stretches. “Couples get their photos sent to them free, no charge at all!” She informs, darting her eyes between the bracelets you guys wear.

“It does?” Kazutora knits his eyebrows together and walks close to you.

“Everything comes free in the couple bundle! For the photos you just need to get the app and I’ll give you the code” The worker nods her head, holding up the cards that have all the information.

You take one from her and examine it, Kazutora hovering over your shoulder.

You then smile, “Well…if it's free?” You look up at the man, noticing how close he is.

“We just can't turn it down” He shrugs in agreement, standing back up straight.

“Amazing! Now just pose however you want and let me know when you're ready!”

You tuck the card away and go to wrap your arms around Kazutora’s midriff while he slings an arm over your shoulders. His other warms over your arm holding him from the front, accepting the sudden contact.

“Alright, perfect! Now get ready in three-”

“If they have free food here then we're really gonna have to play the part” Kazutora mumbles, earning a snicker from you.

“two…”

“The lights, photos, and now dinner? Aren't you charmer” you lean your head against his chest, keeping your smile up for the photo.

Kazutora just smiles and looks directly into the camera.

“Three!”

He's glad you smiled at him on the bus.

#tokyo rev x you #tokyo revengers #tokyorev x reader #oneshot #fluff #x reader #kazutora hanemiya #tokrev kazutora #kazutora hanemiya x you #kazutora hanemiya x reader

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theburiedlad · 2 years

Text

Alright so! I just watched the Kickstarter Launch Livestream VOD and here all literally all the notes I have on it (this is a collection of funny quotes, thoughts I had, and information I thought was worth noting):

The title of TMA 2 is officially The Magnus Protocol

Not a minute after they announced this, someone said "Scrotocol" and as a result "Magnus Scrotocol" became a running joke throughout the stream

Protagonists in TMP work for the British Civil Service as Civil Servants

There might be more world building? Maybe we'll learn how Avatarship works?

Alex described writing the spin off as being a DM in a D&D campaign without the major lore dump at the beginning of the game

Returning characters - possibly Peter Lukas?

"Agency-related occurrences"? What does this mean Jonathan???

Sam the spooky viola man

Jonathan doesn't imagine faces to the characters until they have a voice actor, and then he imagines them as the VA

Alex on the other hand celebrity-casts characters in the early stages of projects but the characters tend to devolve into just faceless mannequins of accessories and mannerisms

Alex says the Boneturner (Jared Hopsworth) is the hottest character in TMA.

"I want to climb him like a mountain. A bony, bony mountain." "Put that in a mankini." -Both lovely quotes from Alex kdjdjejs

Helen thinks Elias is the hottest character, which Alex vehemently disagreed with ("Can [Elias] crush a car with his thighs??")

There isn't going to be just one MC in TMP, but there will be 2 protagonists

The merchandise they've released is purposefully horrendous /pos

Helen says she thinks Hozier (like the singer) is an Avatar of the Buried

If the Kickstarter goes way past its goal, Jon and Alex will start a ghosthunting show

Alasdair went off on his theory/headcanon as to what actually happened to Peter Lukas after the Archivist "killed" him

He says that after the Archivist launched him into the sun, he realized halfway up that it's really hard to kill him and just teleported to one of his homes, in Loch Ness or someplace near there. After getting out of that, he decided to Ultimate Divorce Jonah and got a gigantic umbrella with a huge middle finger on the top so Jonah would see it if he tried to look at Peter.

"Martin, the sky is looking back and it looks really pissed and I don't know why!" -Alex's approximation as to Jon's reaction to Jonah's reaction to this

"This will blow over eventually, that asshole [Jonah] will overextend himself cuz he already fucking has." -Peter's thoughts during the Eyepocalypse

Peter has woken up to the words "U up?" written in the sky to him

"Booty call from Jonah Magnus." -Helen

"[Peter's] my terrible, terrible Lonely bastard man." -Alasdair

The DaVinci Code is canonically in Leitner's Library (not really though)

House of Leaves, Haunting of Hill House, Lanark: A Life in Four Books, and White is For Witching are all in the Library as well

Alex thinks Leitner had a soft spot for Terry Pratchett novels and had a lot of them in his personal library

Alex thinks that with powers, Writer!Jon would win in a fight against Archivist!Jon, but without powers "Early Archivist is very soft, he would keep saying 'It's not worth it' whilst losing.", but later season Archivist is "very scrappy" and would fair a lot better against Writer!Jon

Alasdair thinks that the real winner in a fight between those two would actually be Narrator!Jon from Slay the Princess

There were headcanons for the Admiral!

Alasdair and Helen think he is a very large ginger car

Alex thinks that the Admiral is the most vile-looking cat imaginable purely because he thinks it makes the scenes with people talking to him even funnier

Stretch goals for the Kickstarter:

Spin-off in-universe content

Alex says it would "break the series" if he dropped that content now (lots of lore possibly?)

Certain episodes will be double the length of normal episodes

Alex says he isn't opposed to "special" (holiday) episodes

Alasdair suggested a LonelyEyes spin-off series and Alex is actually considering it???

"Drip feed" of content before the actual series drops

Alex said he has no intentions of revealing what the K in "Martin K Blackwood" stands for

Alasdair said he thinks it's Knievel, someone in the stream said "Martin Kayak Blackwood", and someone in chat said it's Krotocol

Alex said Leitner used a magic book that consumes fecal matter as a toilet while he was in the tunnels, while Alasdair suggested he used one of the rivers he imagines runs through the tunnels as a bathroom

Jon and Alex are looking at both "broadening the number of format options" and guest writers for the show

Subtitle ideas for TMP

Helen suggested "The Magnus Protocol: Snogs Galore"

Alasdair had a list: Halbert's(?) Legacy; Requisition This, Health and Safety Can't Save You Now, and There Are No Sick Days In Hell

Alex couldn't give an opinion because the subtitles (taglines) could majorly spoil stuff and taglines tend to be one of the last things thought of in these sorts of projects

Alex says the "stakes" are "not equivalent" to those in TMA but that they wouldn't even try to top the stakes from TMA in TMP anyways

"It would be a mistake to equate stakes to material, physical threats"

And now here's the gaming portion for the last like hour of the Livestream so this is all mainly stuff I thought was funny:

"Pegging? In this economy?"

Alex asked who "Zen-die-a" was

Helen booed at the JKR question because she has taste and common sense 🥰

"Do you spell wildebeests with 2 E's? I thought it was 'wild beasts'!" -Alex (but mood honestly)

"What is tuatara?!" -Helen; "It's what Twitter used to be called." -Martyn

"The Magnus Protocol: Let's All Kill Alex!"

"No coordination, only skewer"

Someone called the uvula a mouth swing

Hannah's luck is unparalleled apparently

Helen is a Spamton fan!

(After learning that more dice to a person means there's a greater chance of them losing) "Oh, I was trying to help!" -Alex

(See also: Martin in just about every season kfjdjdjs)

Alex squirming in glee after screwing Hannah over made me laugh

"Cockney misogyny birds"

#the magnus archives #tma #jonathan sims #alexander j newall #tma livestream #magnus archives livestream #the magnus protocol #the magnus scrotocol #tma spoilers #magnus archives spoilers

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ijuststareatstuffhereok89 · 2 months

Note

for fanfic writer asks game

😅🥺🤡✍️🍦🍆❌🧐🏆🎃🎯🎉📚🤯💥

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists? So in high school and college (like 500 years ago in the 2000s before we knew what a cunt JK Terfling was) I wrote Harry Potter fanfic, and I once wrote a 120k word Remus/Tonks/Sirius threesome story that somehow involved no sex or smut whatsoever...and then only after I finished the damn thing did I remember that Tonks and Sirius are biological cousins. Ooops?

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels? Goodbyes. They make me weep every time.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh? This whole fic, which I wrote stoned for my 1k follower acknowledgement.

✍️ Do you have a beta reader? Just time, dearie. I work alone.

🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far? Probably THIS ONE, a companion oneshot to my mega-series.

🍆 Do you write the spicy stuffs? If so, what's your most popular nsfw fic? Of course I do! Dechire is my nastiest piece of filth yet, and it's probably my most popular thus far. It's on hiatus, but I am in the process of outlining some future chapters so it can continue by summer.

❌ What's a trope you will never write? Probably Mafia AUs. I enjoy reading them well enough and some writers out there put out some fabulous works around the genre. I myself don't think I could remove my mind that far from canon to write it. Like, for some reason I need to have a rational Point-A-to-Point-B path in my head that makes sense for how the canon characters got "here," and I just can't make those connections between any of the Avengers and the mob.

I also can't do incest or stepcest. It's just a bridge too far, man.

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories? It depends. I always try to get locations accurate if they're on Earth, so I'll do research on cities, street names, and climates. Once in awhile I'll check and see if a canonical fact about a character is real or just something I recall from another fic (I forgot that Steve canonically doesn't get drunk because of his serum).

🏆 What's your most popular fic? I can't really gauge that, because I'm not a popular writer at all. I'm kind of a pathetic little writer on here. An average fic chapter gets between 30-50 interactions at best, and my oneshots only fare better once in a while. I'd say overall these two are the most popular: THIS ONE got enough love to get a full story, and THIS ONE struck a lot of peoples' fancies recently.

🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic? I do Secret Santas and holiday tradesies. I like THIS ONE, it's very short (one of my shortest) but it's also a simple, sweet favorite.

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which? One of my readers guessed that the Y/N of Beauty & the Snake Prince would **SPOILERS** fake her death and leave Asgard to wait for Loki to find her **SPOILERS END** about halfway through, after the villain is introduced

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success? Interactions, particularly reblogs. Also, if someone loves my stories enough to drop a message I feel honored. If enough people ask for a oneshot to be continued, I also find that to be an exceptional compliment. Again, I don't think I'd know what it's like to actually be a success yet.

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career? In an ideal world? Um, fuck yeah.

🤯What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)? I still think I kind of suck at smut, even though I'm getting better. I also have a hard time writing horror, because I hate being afraid. I'm a weenie like that.

💥How do you feel about criticism? It has to come from a place of sincerity, but if it does, I happily take and consider critique.

#ask game #fanfic asks

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fruitlicense · 1 year

Text

It’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day today.

I visited Yad Vashem over winter break. It’s not the first Holocaust museum I’ve been to, and it won’t be the last. I was numb the whole way through, and I don’t even know why. I’ve been hearing about the horrors of the Shoah since childhood. I met a survivor in middle school after spending months learning and discussing my people’s experiences during that time with my peers - I still remember her story about a child’s pair of shoes. If a documentary on the Holocaust comes on TV, my mother will leave it on, as if we are the only ones watching the channel and the story will be forgotten if we don’t. We talk about it, sometimes, in that strange halfway point between history and memory. I don’t know the names of my family members who died, but I know they did - too few of us left Europe during the pogroms.

I’m in college now. My campus is in a liberal area, which I can’t say I dislike - I’m a queer woman of color, and not everywhere in this country is safe for me. But I’m also Jewish, and this campus doesn’t like that. This is a hyper-liberal area, and yesterday when I saw a news story about Israel I felt a moment of fear, because I wear a visible Magen David necklace. My rings are etched with Hebrew words. I debated wearing that necklace today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, because I wasn’t sure if today would finally be the day that campus isn’t safe for me. It’s Shabbat, though - I don’t want to feel like I have to hide my religious identity on my holidays. I’m wearing two Magen David necklaces today, and my Hebrew rings. We’ll see how the day goes. I’ve been safe so far, and hopefully that won’t change. I’m going to synagogue tonight - will tonight be the night that it’s my synagogue on the news?

Why do I live in a world where I have to worry about wearing a Jewish symbol on a liberal college campus? Why does my friend tally a new antisemitic incident that happened to her each week? Why are two of the synagogues that had major shootings in the past few years in communities I have family in? Why is antisemitism on the rise worldwide? Why doesn’t everyone else remember what happened to us? Why doesn’t everyone else notice what is happening to us?

There was nothing new in that museum because I have learned its contents from thousands of miles away as if I was walking its meandering path each week. The Shoah is layered into my bones and my soul and I couldn’t even cry at Yad Vashem because the mourning is so normal to me. But why does it feel like the only ones mourning with me are other Jews?

#International Holocaust Remembrance Day #tw shoah #tw holocaust #antisemitism #judaism #jumblr

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mcflymemes · 1 year

Text

THE HOLIDAY (2006) PROMPTS

you know what i’ve been asking myself all night?

how did you know?

that was brilliant. brutal, but brilliant.

i understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible.

i’m in love with you.

i never thought i’d feel this way again.

i finally know what i want. and what i want is you.

you know what i was thinking?

maybe we could sneak off somewhere together.

do you mean that?

i’ve just traveled halfway across the world to see you.

that doesn’t exactly answer my question.

is that what you’ve come here to tell me?

this was a really close call.

i think you were absolutely right about us.

you cannot mean that.

i need the lights on.

you broke my heart.

this twisted toxic thing between us is finally finished.

i’ve got a life to start living.

now i’ve got somewhere really important to be.

you have got to get the hell out.

what exactly has got into you?

i’ve got something for you.

if it’s corny, or if it’s going to ruin your outfit, you don’t have to wear it.

let’s get this embarassment over with.

you’re hoping you’re wrong.

well, i cry all the time.

you don’t have to be this nice.

i’m a major weeper.

let’s say we just make this happen.

are there any men in your town?

can i call you back?

sex makes everything more complicated.

you really are an incredibly decent person.

you didn’t exactly ask me out.

i’m very normal.

it’s me. hurry up, it’s freezing.

no, i wasn’t expecting you either.

you look just like a barbie.

i’m thinking we should have sex... if you want.

is that a trick question?

i need some peace and quiet... or whatever it is people go away for.

i’m not going to fall in love with you, i promise.

i’m going to try to see that as a compliment.

so now i’m just going to kiss you for the millionth time.

long distance relationships can work, you know.

my god. i’ve just noticed how pathetic you are.

it changed my world.

how do you have two guns?

i need to get out of town.

i want to read a book!

so are you ever coming home?

i met a really nice guy.

weird, kissing a total stranger.

i’m having a hannukah party.

okay, sorry about that. that was accidental.

please? okay, i’ll do it quickly.

yeah, this is a bitch.

you’re incredible! you’re a prodigy!

why does it bug you so much that i can’t cry?

we both know i need to fall out of love with you.

#rp prompts #rp asks #ask memes #ask meme #roleplay meme #roleplay memes #roleplay prompt #rp prompt #rp starters #rp musings #rp memes #the holiday #christmas prompts #holiday prompts #mcflymemes

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kaleidoscopewrites · 2 years

Text

an unexpected summer encounter

梦 ; just as summer approaches, you planned your trip back home for the holidays. it wasn't long before you realized how lonely it would be without meeting the familiar faces that you'd normally see everyday. somehow the gods were in your favor and you ended up meeting them in unexpected places.. (modern au)

字数; 1.1k words

部分; coming soon...

阿贝多 (albedo);

albedo was the chemistry major you'd normally find in the laboratory after classes. usually he has his mind focused on analyzing substances or doing some experiments, most commonly with sucrose helping him

other times you would see him in the library reading some academic research or with a sketchbook drawing for hours in his free time

you were certain that he was the type to stay indoors with how pale his complexion was in comparison to most of his peers. at some point you could barely tell if he was under the weather

nevertheless, you've seen him multiple times to be able to prompt a conversation with him, which to your pleasant surprise made you from strangers to familiar acquaintances to friends

it became a common occurrence for the two of you to make small talk on a daily basis. there was a barrier between the two of you but it was a comfortable one, you found a sort of escapism with him and it wasn't long before butterflies started hatching inside you

yet an overwhelming fear engulfs you as the idea of him rejecting you looms above. he had the name of the ice prince among his admirers and you could confirm it. his face was mostly stoic, a lack of expression on his face unless a topic interests him

but beneath physical signals you can tell that he enjoyed your company, he hasn't dismissed you as easily as other people so that must be a good sign right?

well, as semester exams ended another year you find yourself wondering how summer will go without the habitual routine you do everyday

you and albedo expectedly disconnect between the last days of university as you lost sight of him. were you drifting away? you couldn't really tell, but you knew you would miss his presence when you leave for the summer

so you packed your bags and returned home, planning to go to the beach as a way to cool off…

lapis waters surround the sepia hued shore that rests the marks of summer. the croons of the seagulls were engulfed by the ephemeral breeze along with the euphonious crash of the waves on your feet. you couldn't help but relax with the cool touch of the ocean on your toes, a sensation you could only experience once a year. just as you were about to fully immerse yourself in your reverie a familiar name passes your ears.

"big brother albedo! there's a wave coming!"

albedo? you snapped out of the daydream of summer and turned towards the source of the voice. A few feet beside you stood a little girl wearing a vivid red dress with a clover pattern on it. her eyes filled with childhood wonder as she cheers and watches mesmerizingly at something in the sea. your head turned towards the direction of her gaze, squinting your eyes as you tried to focus on the figure the young one was calling.

and wouldn't you know it, there stood albedo on a surfboard catching a huge wave close to the shore. you stared agape at the sight of his confident stance as he maneuvers across the water below him, doing flips and tricks as he enjoys himself in the moment, you couldn't believe that it was the same albedo you knew that locked himself in his research for days on end.

when the waves died down you started debating on whether to say hello or just walk back to the shaded parts of the beach. it has been a while since you last saw him at the university so it wouldn't be much of a bother, you took up the courage to walk towards him as he walked closer to the shore. when you raised a hand and your voice to call him your eyes landed on his chest, which you just realized was halfway naked.

"[name]?"

it took you a millisecond to snap out of your daze to let out a reply.

"a-albedo! didn't expect to see you here." you mentally cursed yourself for stuttering as you find your face slightly warning at the attempt to sound normal.

"likewise. it's been a while, how are you?"

"brother albedo, is this your girlfriend?" the little girl asked innocently which prompted your already flushed face to turn even more red.

albedo remains unfazed by the question and corrects the child, "no she isn't, she's just a friend from university."

you quickly recovered from his words following up with a confirmation, "yes me and brother albedo are just friends."

"nice to meet you brother albedo's friend, my name is klee!" the little girl introduces herself cheerfully, reaching her petite hand towards you.

touched by the cute nature of the child, you gladly accepted her hand and gave it a little shake. "nice to meet you too klee, you can call me [name]"

“Mx. [name] is nice!” klee giggles lightly to herself with a large crescent smile on her face.

"it seems like klee likes you." you noticed the slight curvature of his lips along with the softness of his gaze. you can't help but smile back, suppressing the disappointment you had from his previous response. "klee, can you go ahead and play? I have things to discuss with [name]."

"alright brother albedo! klee won't go too far!" and just like that the young girl ran closer to the land setting her sights on the sand covered terrain.

you turn towards albedo curiously, "I'm guessing klee is your sister?"

"indeed she is. a little mischievous ball of sunshine isn't she?" his signature smirk paints on his face, something that makes your heart skip a beat many times before.

"she's adorable, how come you never told me before?" a light tint paints his cheeks under the glimmering sunlight as he looks away slightly, is he embarrassed??

"it slipped my mind, I didn't think mentioning my own family matters were important."

you find yourself chuckling, it was typical of albedo to leave out things with how much research he does a day. "of course it did, I'm surprised you know how to surf."

"ah, you saw that?" the light tint remained on his face. "klee was the one who wanted me to surf after she saw other people do it, she said it looked cool."

"haha, she must mean a lot to you." a warm feeling grows within you as the two of you gaze at the child running about the beach, an unexpected side of albedo in an unexpected place. you find yourself glancing at albedo who you noticed looked away once your eyes met. he was looking at you.

trying to not make it awkward between the two of you an unexpected question came out of your mouth. "do you have plans for lunch? I can introduce you to a good restaurant nearby."

you were slightly stunned at the boldness of your words, you pretty much just asked him on a date. but the expression on his face was enough for your mind to blank out, his face etched with a smile much much wider than before.

"not really. please, show us around. it's been a while since I could indulge in your company."

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin x reader #genshin impact scenarios #albedo x reader #albedo #genshin impact albedo #albedo kreideprinz #── 原神↯#── 阿贝多↯

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soyforramen · 2 years

Text

Part 4: (Parts 1-3 Here)

“The first thing you have to do is figure out your classes.”

It was only Forsythe’s second day in this new world, and J.B.’s voice rings out in his head, reminding him of all the things he needed to do to seem normal. They’d cracked the case about the locked phone (J.B.’s birthday of all things; “Seven: My brother would never forget my birthday”) and the laptop (Jughead’s full name, of all things, still a closely guarded secret in the books; it turned out Forsythe Jones and Forsythe Pendleton Jones III shared more than just a last name). Now he just had to figure out the rest of it.

He stares at the journal in front of him – a sparkling pink eye sore, regifted to him by a grinning J.B. With her help he’d been able to string together some of what had already happened in Riverdale. Between the text messages on the phone and Veronica’s Sharebook page, Forsythe has narrowed down where they were in the story. If he’s right, they were somewhere between book two, ‘Homecoming Hero’, and book three, ‘Mystery at Sisters of Quiet Mercy’.

It's now mid-September, which means Archie has already made first-string on the football team, but he hasn’t yet had Thanksgiving dinner at the boxing gym. Veronica’s father should be getting out of prison sometime in mid-December, just in time for the holidays, and Reggie’s family would be gearing up for their annual car-liquidation at the dealership. Betty was all consumed with her classwork – 18 hours as a journalism major while volunteering at the local homeless shelter and interning at her parents’ newspaper – so there hadn’t been much of her storyline in that book.

Jughead was also largely absent from the book save for a thin plot about rekindling his friendship with the odd-ball Dilton. Forsythe circles the strange teen’s name and drew a string of question marks next to it. Whatever it was that they’d gotten up to it was enough to drive a temporary wedge between Jughead and Archie. There was speculation that the author had just forgotten about Jughead halfway through writing the book, never meaning for him to be anything more than a background character, but his popularity with the fans pushed him to share center stage with the red-headed heart-throb for the rest of their time at college.

With a start, Forsythe realizes he’ll have to attend classes tomorrow. He glances over at the stack of science text books still laying on the floor. There’s no way he’ll ever be able to fake his way through that. Opening the laptop, he scrolls through the school’s calendar. By some stroke of providence, tomorrow is the last day to drop class for a full refund. He jots down the information he needs, where to go, what classes to drop and which classes to pick up; after all, if – no, when – the real Jughead came back, he could easily resume his regular coursework. Sans a few humanities classes that is.

Forsythe lays back down onto the tiny bed, his feet dangling off the end, and yawns. Who knew being a fictional character would be so time consuming?

As he closes his eyes, he wonders whether he’ll wake up in his world, or whether he’ll still be stuck in Riverdale.

xxx

The next day, armed with a carafe full of coffee and an energy bar, Forsythe manages to change enough classes around in order to keep Jughead’s FAFSA loans. It does mean picking up a senior level class on Langston Hughes, but at least literary greats were in Forsythe’s wheelhouse. Twenty minutes later, he finds himself sitting in front of what he hopes is the right classroom, typing up a storm on the connection between monetary deprivation and physical lust, sprinkling in just enough blunt conclusions to make it seem as if Reggie had more than a brief understanding of the book.

He glances up when a blonde sits down next to him, and she gives him a tired grin, opening up her own laptop. Thankfully he recognizes her from his near constant scrolling through Veronica’s online photos. At least, he thinks he does.

“Hard at work already? What’s Reggie paying you in these days, stocks of Nabsico?” she teases.

Once more he’s struck by the association between Jughead and food – an ongoing comedic bit in the books – and whether his friends really understand the economic situation of the Jones’. For such a close friend group it’s strange how little they seem to know about each other.

“Hey, Bets,” he says, the name strange in his mouth.

She starts and glances at him, a line forming between her brows. Her voice is soft when she speaks “You haven’t called me that in years.”

Forsythe shrugs. He turns back to his laptop to hide his embarrassment at such a simple faux pas. Jughead and Betty don’t really get close until book four when they investigate the disappearance of Cheryl Blossom’s twin brother; before that they’re more acquaintances than friends.

“Sorry, I guess I was just feeling nostalgic.”

“No, I like it,” she says with a smile. She stares at him for a little too long, and Jughead wipes at the corner of his mouth self-consciously.

“Where’s your beanie?” she asks.

His hand flies up to his head, and he curses himself for such a rookie mistake. Jughead’s beanie was infamous. Thousands of fans had made their own version to wear proudly at every book launch; it was the lynchpin of all the romantic fanfiction centering around Jughead; it was as iconic as Betty’s ponytail.

“I.. uh –“

“Jug, Bets, how are we today?” Reggie says as he saunters into their conversation, unwittingly saving Forsythe from an uncomfortable lie.

“I’m fine. How are you?” Betty asks warily.

Forsythe nods his head and returns to his laptop, eager to tune them out and focus on the one thing he can control in this situation. He’s banged out another half page when Reggie waves his hand in front of the screen. Students swarm around them as the class lets out, and Forsythe closes his laptop roughly.

“We still on for Saturday?” Reggie asks. He shifts his gaze towards Betty and grins. “Wouldn’t want to miss our first big college party.”

Betty rolls her eyes and stands up carefully, her laptop balanced in the crook of her arm. “You mean you wouldn’t want to miss your first shot at Veronica without Archie around.”

“Don’t be like that Betty baby,” Reggie coos, slinging his arm around her shoulders and walking her into the classroom. “Besides, it's a win-win for you too. With Ronnie out of the picture you get Archie all to yourself come Sunday.”

She snorts. “As if. He’ll won’t have eyes for anyone other than some cute cheerleader he meet at the game. Besides, who said I wanted Archie all to myself? Maybe I have eyes for someone else now,” she teases, slipping into a seat at the front of the room.

Reggie collapses into the seat behind her, a hand over his heart. “Never such a sweet confession have I heard,-” he says dramatically, raising his other hand to his forehead, “ - the arrow from such ruby lips doth pierce my soul.”

“What’s that from, ‘How to Pick Up Chicks or Die Trying?’” Forsythe quips as he passes them both to take a seat at the back of the room.

“Hah! You wish,” Reggie shoots back. “Only a true connoisseur of romance can speak so soft and sweet.”

“Well then, Mr. Mantle, perhaps you can enlighten us on Felix’s own romantic notions at Clochegourde?” the professor, an older woman in her fifties, says as she takes her place at the lectern.

Forsythe settles down in his chair and, with a smidge of guilty pleasure, watches Reggie try to squirm his way out of this one.

Xxx

“Jones, thank god you’re here,” Tabitha says when he walks into Pop’s that evening. She tosses him her keys and picks up a full tray of food. “Throw your stuff in the office, grab an apron, and scrub up. I need you in the back, now.”

“Helluva day to quit drinking,” Forsythe mutters to himself.

Dutifully, he follows her instructions and in minutes he’s back on the grill. At the sight of the old industrial range his entire body relaxes. He cut his teeth in the back of diners like this, paying his dues as a line cook years ago. His reverie is cut short, though, when Tabitha rounds the corner like hell on wheels.

“I don’t have time to train you,” she says quickly, flipping over the burgers already on the grill, “but you’ve eaten almost everything on the menu by now and know what goes on what. Cooler’s through that door, fryer’s behind you – set the time to five minutes or it’ll burn – and watch out for Rosemary, she’s got a temper today.”

Tabitha gives him a quick, tired grin and runs back out of the kitchen as another customer comes in. Forsythe glances at the string of orders and cracks his knuckles, ready to get to work. It’s not until three hours later that Tabitha comes back in to check on him with a cup of coffee in her hand.

“I thought you said this was your first job?” she asks, handing him the mug.

Forsythe takes a sip and winces at the heat from the mug and from her question.

“It is, but I cook a lot at home. And watch a lot of MeTube cooking videos.”

“Right. Because they’re so similar.”

She stares at him and he forces himself not to fidget.

“I also helped Pop’s out some during high school. When things were rough,” he says, dropping his eyes to the cup.

Forsythe doesn’t know whether this is a lie in this world, but it certainly wasn’t in his life. It was a trade after his parent died; a small, eight-year-old bussing tables for a warm meal and a cot in the back, out of the rain. He’ll always be grateful to his own Pop for taking him in and, after a week of living at the diner, bringing him into the family as his own son.

Tabitha places a warm hand on his arm, the touch sending goosebumps along his skin. “He was always good at picking up strays,” she says, eyes glistening. “Sometimes I wish he was still here, helping me out, instead of living it up in Boca Raton. He claims he’s a lady killer there.”

Forsythe barks out a laugh. “I’m sure he is. He’s had a lot of practice dealing with the moms of Riverdale.”

“Now on E!,” Tabitha adds.

A bell rings, and she sighs, tightening her apron strings. “It never ends.”

Forsythe picks up the coffee cup and relishes the comfort it brings. It’s the first moment of peace he’s had since he’d arrived in this world, and he’s grateful to Tabitha for taking a chance on him. It doesn’t last, though, as Tabitha slides another two papers across the small window. He glances at it, then picks up the spatula and gets back to work.

#riverdale isekai #wherein betty shows up and my love for reggie shines through #this is a week late (my bad) but hopefully i'll have part 5 tomorrow

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our-time-is-now · 2 years

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August 22, 2019 (1): You DIDN’T want to talk to your sister about our first time?

(previous play)

You can find more information about the authors, translators, content warning and additional information about the plays in the pinned post on our blog.

Thursday, 5:07 pm:

David: *they had a comfortable breakfast in St. Gallen this morning and then made an exception and /planned/ how far they want to drive today and where they want to spend another night before they go to Berlin* *he wanted to drive the majority of the route today so that the last stretch wouldn’t be so long and therefore decided to somehow make it as far as Hof today* *they were stuck in traffic for a while and took two small breaks - one because the landscape was so nice and the other one because they had to pee, but otherwise they managed to get ahead quite well* *during the drive they calculated a little and realized that they still have quite a lot of money left, and therefore decided to treat themselves to a really nice hotel in Hof to have a nice and comfortable end to their holiday* *is happy that Matteo suggests to not only search for a hotel when they’re in Hof but to already look for and book one while they’re still on the road* *is glad when they finally reach Hof after more than six hours in the car because by now his back hurts pretty badly from all the sitting around* *follows the GPS until they reach the hotel and parks Rudi on the hotel’s parking lot* *they check in quickly and without any problems and get the key to their room* *they are now standing in front of the door of their hotel room with their key in hand and he’s grinning at Matteo* The last night of our road trip… the last unfamiliar room… the last unfamiliar bed… ready?

Matteo: *grins when David stops in front of the door* *sways back and forth a little* Feels like it went by pretty quickly… but if I think back to when we started in Berlin, then I feel like it’s been an eternity… *but then nods* Yep, I’m ready… I hope the room is as nice as it looked on the website… *sees David open the door and follows him into the room* *beams when he sees the big bed* Yep, looks nice… *but then frowns* With a crack between the mattresses? Hmmm, then I’ll have to come over to you…

David: *laughs quietly when Matteo sways back and forth and then nods* True… but we also experienced a lot during that time… *unlocks the door and curiously enters the room* *looks around with a smile, puts his backpack and the duffle bag on the ground and then just lets himself fall backwards onto the bed* *realizes how good lying down is for his back* *laughs quietly at Matteo’s words and holds his arms out for him* We don’t need two mattresses… I won’t let go of you tonight, anyways… I have to enjoy every minute I don’t have to share you with other people…

Matteo: *kicks his shoes off his feet when David drops onto the bed* *drops down halfway next to him and halfway on top of him* Good… *wiggles around a litte and kisses him* So? What’s your verdict? Good room for the last night? There’s even a balcony, we can romantically sit on the balcony watching the stars tonight… *grins slightly*

David: *wraps his arm around Matteo and runs a hand through his hair when he drops down next to him* *returns his kiss and then smiles* *says quietly* Well the bed is pretty comfortable… and the room is also pretty nice… and I’ll check out the bathroom and the balcony in a minute… *then grins slightly* But romantically watching the stars… sure… I still have to quiz you on the constellations that you learned… *then also slips off his shoes and scoots a little higher on the bed to be more comfortable* *pulls Matteo with him a little roughly but grumbles happily when they finally find a new comfortable position* *is quiet for a moment with him and then asks quietly* And do we have a plan for tonight? Do we want to go out for dinner somewhere? Or do we want to indulge in room service to celebrate the occasion and just laze around on the bed and the balcony all evening?

Matteo: *nods slightly* Yep, pretty comfortable… *also grins at first but then curses quietly* Oh fuck… um yes, sure… of course I still remember them… *then laughs and grimaces* *then gets pulled upwards a little roughly and scoots along* *then pushes himself halfway on top of him again and puts his head on his shoulder* *looks up at him at his question* Hmmmm… room service? I mean, we’re in Hof, there’s not really much to see… and somehow I also don’t want to move around much, anymore… unless you really want to?

David: *laughs quietly when Matteo curses, tenderly runs his hand through his hair and kisses his forehead* Otherwise, I’ll show you again… *nods at his words about room service and shakes his head at Matteo’s question* No, we’ve been active enough over the last few days… tonight we are allowed to laze around… *stretches again* ...and I can take off the binder sooner… *slightly shakes his head* I really can’t imagine that people who don’t wear binders also get a backache like that from driving… there are a lot of people who have to drive long stretches… a lot more than we did over the last few days… they can’t all have backaches… we really have to do a road trip next year to have a comparison… *laughs quietly* ...if we want to or not - we need those comparables!

Matteo: *is happy that David sees it the same* Yes, lazing around sounds good… *then nods vigorously at his words about the binder* You can take it off right now… I can go accept the food… *then nods slightly* I can’t imagine that, either… but I guess they also get it… but not as badly… *laughs when he wants to have comparables* We’ll do it… for science! *then leans up a little and kisses him* This will be great… then you can finally just do everything without the binder… nothing that holds you back or annoys you anymore…

David: *nods a little sluggishly when Matteo says that he can take off the binder right now and murmurs “soon” into his hair* *wants to keep lying down for a little longer first and enjoy being close to him* *grins when Matteo agrees to his suggestion about compables and leans toward him for the kiss* *then has to smile at Matteo’s next words and loves him a lot for being so happy for him* *says quietly* I’m sure there will still be a few things that annoy me… but not when it comes to the binder… *laughs quietly and in disbelief because the thought of not needing the binder anymore seems so absurd and murmurs* That’s really so surreal… I could just stay out for as long as I want to… I could do sports without feeling pain after two hours… I could open the door for anyone without having to think about it… I could just go swimming spontaneously…

Matteo: *smiles immediately when David starts listing all the things he could do* *can feel how happy he is for him, but also that he really looks forward to experience all of those things together with him* You can change whenever you want to… you can take off your shirt if you get too hot… *grins slightly* You can just do anything… yeah, yeah, I know, not anything, not world peace and such, but yeah… otherwise pretty much anything… *looks up at him* *then remembers this one experience report he once read* *has wanted to ask David ever since, but somehow it never fit* *thinks that he can do this now* *therefore says carefully* Then your transition is somehow finished, isn’t it? Well, I mean, sure you’ll have to keep taking testo and such… but somehow… well, I mean… actually, then you will have done everything, right? Is that a weird feeling?

David: *smiles when Matteo immediately gets on board and also starts listing things he can do after the mastectomy and without binder* *grins when he’s talking about world peace, but then gets more serious again and nods* *says quietly* Almost anything cis men can also do… apart from a few exceptions… *shrugs slightly because he knows that those are either things that he can’t change or doesn’t want to change and that it’s therefore okay* *but then realizes that Matteo is looking up at him and moves a little away from him so that he can look at him better* *frowns slightly because Matteo hesitates* *nod slowly at his first and second question and then exhales slightly at his third* *eventually hesitantly shakes his head* No, not really. Well… I could go further if I wanted to… but I think that all I did until then is enough… I have my ID… then the mastectomy and hysterectomy… I don’t have to hide the same way I had to do until now… I don’t have to be afraid of someone misgendering me… I think that at first it will be strange that there are so many things that I don’t have to think about anymore, but apart from that? I don’t think so… well it’s not a weird feeling so far… *hesitates briefly and then asks* Why do you ask?

Matteo: *listens to him when he answers and is somehow relieved* *thinks that it really sounds like David would be happy when he has all those things* *therefore smiles slightly and nods* *then humms slightly at his question* I read something like that once… an experience report, he described how happy he was about each step but once he finished everything, there suddenly was this hole and yeah, that it was so strange for him that there wasn’t anything to do anymore so… *shrugs one shoulder* So… I mean… if that happens to you… then… you know that you can tell me, right?

David: *sees him smile and smiles as well* *thinks that he somehow must have said what Matteo was hoping to hear* *then listens to him and when he hears “experience report”, knows almost immediately what he’s trying to say and why he asked* *still listens to him further and smiles at the end* *puts a hand on his cheek and slightly leans forward to kiss him briefly* *murmurs quietly* I know… *then moves away a little and nods hesitantly* I also read about that phenomenon… and my therapist has also talked about it with me a few times… even in the past… before I came to Berlin. He said that I hold onto this hope that everything will be better once I’m on testosterone, once the transition moves along, when I have a new ID, when I have the mastectomy over with… and that it’s not about that… and that there is the danger of falling into this hole if I have all of that and realize that nothing has gotten better… *reaches for his hand and then smiles very broadly* But what else should get better now!? I have everything… *laughs quietly* I have the best life… I have been accepted to university, I have friends, I have hobbies… and I have you. That’s already a lot more than I ever thought or hoped I’d get… *looks at him lovingly and a little disbelievingly and then repeats again quieter* I have you…

Matteo: *listens to him attentively when he talks about his therapist* *nods slightly because he read something similar* *squeezes his hand when he takes it and smiles slightly at his words* *feels a small lump in his throat and can’t believe it once again that they really found each other* *then says quietly* That sounds good… *kisses him and looks at him* We’ll just live the best life… with everything that’s part of it… no matter what. *swallows slightly because somehow he can’t really say what he feels right now* *instead kisses him again*

David: *smiles when Matteo says that it sounds good and corrects him* I think that even sounds pretty perfect… *returns his kiss and his look* *then feels his heart jumping a little when he hears Matteo’s next words, because Matteo says “we” - because he no longer says that he only wishes the best life for him, but because they’ll both have the best life… together* *smiles and puts a hand on his cheek* *repeats quietly* With everything that’s part of it… no matter what… *tenderly runs his thumb over his cheek and then leans toward him for the kiss* *pulls him closer again after the kiss and wraps his arms around him* *eventually murmurs quietly* You don’t have the slightest clue how much it means to me that I don’t have to go the last stretch of this way on my own… that you’re there and that you’ve been there over the last few months… and I’m so looking forward to you being there afterwards… that you’ll be happy with me about all the things afterwards…

Matteo: *smiles when David beams at him like that* With everything that’s part of it… *can feel his heart jump at David’s words and has to swallow because that means so much to him* I… I told you that now I’m here… *looks at him and smiles slightly* As soon as you’re fit again after the mastectomy we’ll celebrate, but really, ok? You can burn your binders and dance as much as you want!

David: *briefly buries his face in Matteo’s hair when he hears his words and presses a kiss to his hair* *smiles and humms in agreement* You did… but back then I didn’t know what it feels like that you’re really here… *then returns his gaze and grins slightly at his words* Celebrating, burning the binder and dancing… and we’ll invite everyone… sounds perfect… *leans over and kisses him again tenderly before he sits up* *quickly hits himself on the chest and says* I’ll just go take this off and wash my face and hands… and then we’ll laze around properly… *crawls off the bed and disappears to the bathroom* *gapes when he steps inside and sees two wash basins, an almost completely mirrored wall, a toilet, a bidet and even a huge corner bathtub* *grins again slightly and calls toward the bedroom* Well if we want to feel like taking a bath between all the lazing around, eating, talking and looking at the stars… we could do that here…

Matteo: *laughs slightly* Yes, now you know… *then gets kissed and kisses him back only too gladly* *grumbles slightly when David sits up and was just about to protest when he hears what he’s going to do* Hmm, okay… *looks after him when he leaves and then takes a look around* *notices the room service menu on the nightstand and immediately picks it up* *sees a lot of delicious stuff on it and is already looking forward to it* *then hears David’s call and checks the time* *calls back* It’s only 5:30… I’d say we have enough time for everything…

David: *grins slightly at Matteo’s words and then quickly gets changed* *realizes that the big almost mirrored wall doesn’t quite help with his dysphoria and quickly turns his back toward it before taking off his binder and putting his shirt back on* *then freshens up and also avoids looking at his body without the binder while doing so* *quickly dries himself off and then goes back to Matteo* *grins* The bathtub is awesome! It would easily fit four people! *then drops back onto the bed to Matteo and sees the room service menu* *reaches for it and glances on it* *asks* Did you already look?

Matteo: *has thrown the card next to him and lain down again* *closes his eyes for just a second* *is about to doze off when he hears the bathroom door and quickly opens his eyes again* *grins at his words* The flatshare-bathtub also fits four people… it has been tested… but without water… *immediately cuddles close when he lies down with him* Mhmmm, there are really awesome things on it, we can really have a feast…

David: *gives Matteo a slight secretary’s-office-look and lifts his eyebrows* I meant four people comfortably. So that everyone has space and water and can get clean… *grins* *automatically holds his arm out when he realizes that Matteo wants to cuddle close and pulls him toward him while he keeps studying the menu with his other hand* *humms in agreement and smiles* Ooohh… even dessert! And milkshakes! I think I feel like milkshake again… *looks over at him and grins slightly* What does you stomach say, when will he be hungry again?

Matteo: *only laughs slightly* Yeah, yeah, alright… *grins when David sees the good stuff* Yeah, and tiramisu, we have to order it just to see how good it is… *grins at his question* Oh, him… he’s always hungry… but maybe in an hour? If we order a lot then we can keep eating all evening…

David: *laughs quietly* No tiramisu is as good as your mother’s, anyways! *puts the menu aside again and nods at Matteo’s schedule* *then laughs quietly* We just shouldn’t order when we’re toooo hungry. That stuff isn’t exactly cheap… we don’t have to spend too much money… but we’ll decide that in an hour… *turns a little on his side and also wraps his other arm around him* *looks at him and smiles slightly* *then wiggles his eyebrows and asks* And until then? Making out… and so on?

Matteo: *also laughs* That’s true! *then shakes his head in amusement* Why not? We still have a lot of money left! We don’t have to mind the money for a change! *then grins at him when he turns on his side* *tilts his head a little as if he had to think* Hmmm… what exactly is “and so on”? *grins cheekily*

David: *groans with a quiet laugh when Matteo says that they shouldn’t mind the money* Okay… but then you’ll have to order and pay and it’s best if you don’t show me the receipt… this way it’ll work… *grins when he asks about the “and so on” and imitates his head-tilt* *then pretends to think about it* Hmmm… *eventually leans over and kisses him* *smiles and murmurs against his lips* I don’t know for myself, yet… but I have an idea where it could lead to… *then kisses him properly and lets his hand slip under his shirt*

Matteo: *laughs* Okay, I’ll manage that! *grins when he imitates him* Mhmmmm *immediately lets one hand wander into David’s hair when he kisses him* *murmurs back* I’m curious… *pulls him closer and deepens the kiss*

(...)

David: *over the course of the last thirty minutes they were able to find out what “and so on” means, and they are now lying in bed pretty relaxed and cuddled close* *has his head on Matteo’s naked chest and realizes that he’s somehow getting sluggish and tired* *eventually closes his eyes and grumbles pleasantly* *mutters* I’d say we’ll definitely have dinner on the balcony later… I need some motivation to get up again…

Matteo: *has one arm wrapped around David but has his eyes closed and is relaxed* *grumbles slightly at his words* Hmmmhh… and why exactly do we have to get up again? *grins slightly and presses a kiss to his hair* But no, sure, we can do that… but not yet… let’s keep lying here…

David: *grins slightly at Matteo’s question and murmurs quietly* You know my conscience… otherwise it’ll rage and cry in the background all the time… besides, I really want to test the bathtub… it’s awesome… *then smiles at Matteo’s next words and humms in agreement* Lying down and enjoying the quiet. *tenderly runs his palm over Matteo’s chest and eventually says quietly* It’s really sick somehow… in nine days we’ll be living together…

Matteo: *grins and nods* Yes okay… we’ll do that… later… *hummms in relaxation and absentmindedly plays with David’s hair* *then smiles automatically when he talks about living together* Mhmmm… you think it will be a lot different than it already is? Well, apart from the fact that we’ll only have one room instead of two?

David: *has to laugh quietly at Matteo’s question and shrugs* Hmmm… probably not really… maybe a little less space… but that’s okay… *sighs pleasantly and then adds* Although… I do think that we’ll sometimes miss the old apartment… we really did have some privacy there at least now and then… *laughs quietly* We’ll really have to teach Hans how to knock… or we’ll have to start locking the door…

Matteo: *nods and humms in agreement* Yes, we really were at your place more often … I’ll miss the apartment and your room, and yes, the quiet… *then also laughs slightly* We’ll definitely have to start locking the door… I think you can’t teach Hans anything anymore…

David: *also humms and then says* Part of my room will come to your place… you don’t have to miss that… and the mix of both our rooms will be perfect… *smiles and briefly kisses his chest* *then grins slightly* Maybe we can teach Hans by locking the door and thus forcing him to knock so that we’ll open the door… although… it’s only three months… it would probably take longer for him to learn… *thinks that Laura will probably want to start looking for an apartment right after they moved and that he can only join her after the mastectomy*

Matteo: *grins slightly* Right, the perfect mix… *laughs when he talks about Hans* Well, yes, it’s only three months… but I did hope that you’d still come visit me after that… *nudges him a little and grins* And we do lock the door sometimes… and do you feel like it would impress Hans?

David: *laughs quietly and looks up to him with a cheeky grin* You hope that, huh? Hmmm… we’ll see… *gets nudged and cuddles closer to him again* Of course I’ll come visit you after that… it will probably be difficult enough to get used to readjusting again… *then thinks about Matteo’s question and shakes his head* *grins* Nope… I do feel like Hans isn’t impressed by a lot of things, anyways… or can you think of anything?

Matteo: *laughs slightly* Well, lucky me… and nonsense, you’ll surely be glad to also have your own four walls again… *shakes his head and nudges him again* I just said the same thing. You can’t train Hans! *slightly laughs again* But so far, everything went more or less okay… or did Hans ever annoy you or surprise you or anything?

David: *only shrugs slightly when Matteo says that after three months he’ll surely be glad again to have his own four walls and has to think about the fact that he doesn’t really care about that - that Matteo is more important to him and that he really wants to definitely want to move in with him together properly* *but knows that it’s probably way too soon to think about it and that, back when they visited Bea, Matteo said that he feels comfortable in the flatshare* *therefore only says* Yes, maybe… probably… *then grins slightly again when he’s talking about Hans* I think that Michi will manage one day… at least in certain areas… *then grimaces with a slight chuckle at Matteo’s question* No, not annoyed… but do you remember when we got together and we returned from the pool… and then he just burst in while we were making out!? That really was somehow… pretty embarrassing… well at least back then…

Matteo: *looks at him scrutinizingly for a moment when he agrees with him* *but thinks that it’s also okay to eventually want to have your own room again* *therefore doesn’t say anything else on that topic* *grins when he mentions Michi* Oh yes, that might be… Michi seems to have a knack for it… *then listens to him and groans slightly at the memory* Oh God yes… and he wanted to “help” us… *shakes his head* Yeah, no, that was pretty annoying… but look, in that situation it was good that we could go somewhere else…

David: *laughs quietly* Helping… exactly… it all was somehow… no idea… *doesn’t want to say embarrassing, because it wasn’t, but if he considers how insecure they both were back then…* *then humms in agreement at his words about going somewhere else* ...and a somewhat indiscreet sister… *reaches for his hand and absentmindedly entwines their fingers* *sighs quietly and then says* But one day… we’ll live without annoying sisters or annoying roommates… and instead with a red rug and a sappy old grandfather clock… *grins slightly, pulls his hand to him and kisses the back of his hand*

Matteo: *also laughs* Were you going to say embarrassing? *shakes his head* It was more new, I’d say… *then grins when he mentions Laura* You were still scared that she’ll hear us… *squeezes his hand when David entwines their fingers* *nods slightly* Yep… one day… and photos of Venice on the wall, and Detroit… and a hipster map where we’ll put in pins of all the places we’ve already been to… *laughs slightly*

David: *grins and shakes his head* Nothing was embarrassing with us… apart from maybe our first conversation… *then nods* Yes… new and exciting and… a little insecure… but you still made it pretty easy for me… *then laughs quietly when they’re talking about Laura* I’m also pretty certain that she heard us… why else would she have made breakfast for three people the next day!? *then smiles when Matteo mentions the photos on the walls of their apartment and laughs when he mentions the map* Do we need it? I thought we’d do a road trip through Italy each year now? After all, I’ll have to somehow make use of my newly acquired language skills… then we’ll actually only need a map of Italy…

Matteo: *grins and nods* Yep, I’d second that… *smiles and kisses his temple* So did you… very much so… *then laughs and nods* Yep, pretty certainly even… but it was cool that she didn’t say anything… *humms slightly at his words about the map* Right, a map of Italy is actually enough… that would look good, in the hallway maybe… *kisses him again* Hopefully we’ll remember all of that when we have our own apartment one day…

David: *smiles when Matteo says that he also made it easy for him although he actually thinks that he didn’t do much apart from being pretty scared of how Matteo would react to his body and that Matteo had managed to take the fear from him* *but then thinks that Matteo was surely also afraid to make any mistakes and that it thus might be really true that they managed to react to each other quite well* *laughs quietly when they’re talking about Laura* No, in your presence she was very discreet… when you were gone she first asked me if we used condoms and told me that she always has some in the bathroom cabinet in case we don’t have any… *then smiles again when Matteo immediately plans on where exactly the Italy map is supposed to go in their apartment and humms in agreement* *then stretches a little in his arms and then says with a quiet laugh* Then we’d better not wait 10 years before we move in together… or make notes somewhere…

Matteo: *laughs very loudly when he tells him about Laura* Oh wow, yes, that was surely a pleasant conversation… luckily we have our own, it would somehow be weird to use your sister’s stash… *also stretches but then hugs him close again* *smiles slightly* Yes, ten years might be a little long… and I think we’ll remember the most important things, anyways… and if not then it wasn’t important enough to go into our apartment.

David: *grins when Matteo laughs and nods* Yes, super pleasant. She was really serious and professional and so on… and I was just embarrassed and at some point I fled and she came after me and then she switched from education-professor to gossip-sister and wanted to know how it was… I was veeery grateful for the lock on my door! *shakes his head at Matteo’s words and laughs* Ten years /might not be a little/ long, they are /definitely pretty much/ too long… *then gets more serious again and relaxes* But yes, I also think that we’ll be able to remember the important things…

Matteo: *laughs out loud again* What? What? You DIDN’T want to talk to your sister about our first time? But why not?? *laughs again* *but then nods* Yes, okay, definitely… you and your hairsplitting, Schreibner… *then grins* Not thinking, knowing. I know that we’ll remember the important things.

David: *rudely pokes Matteo in the side when he laughs like that, but has to laugh himself* If you’re so keen on talking about it with her… I’m sure she’s still interested… hang on, I’ll call her… *pretends to stand up to get his phone, but then voluntarily drops back into Matteo’s arms* *grins at his words about hairsplitting and only says* It really is! 10 years! According to Abdi, we’ll already be married in 10 years! Will we live in separate apartments for the first few years of our marriage or what!? *grins broadly when he then gets hairsplitty himself* I do /know/ that! And I /want/ to remember it! And I don’t /want/ to wait for 10 years! *grins slightly* Your grandmother is really wise… I like “wanting” and “knowing”.

Matteo: *grins again* Ey, I’ll do it… I don’t have a problem telling her how super good her little brother is in bed… *then laughs when he drops back* Not, after all? *shakes his head with a grin* Oh, so we’re now putting our future-planning in Abdi’s hands? That’s good to know… *laughs very much when he emphasizes wanting and knowing so much* Yep, so do I… it makes a lot of things clearer. And I don’t want to wait 10 years, either.

David: *looks at him with raised eyebrows and shakes his head* You wouldn’t do that!!! *laughs and groans and drops back down onto his chest* Oh man, I’m afraid you would do that… but this is as if I would tell your mother about our first time… you can’t do that… *then nods at his words about Abdi* Well I don’t think that his prognosis for us was that bad… I’d just probably really wouldn’t take him as a witness… and surely he’d be super happy if he could score a few points… *grins* *then smiles pretty broadly when Matteo says that he doesn't want to wait 10 years, either and murmurs happily* That’s good then…

Matteo: *laughs* Of course I’d do that… if you challenge me… *then grimaces at his example* Okay, if you look at it like that… no, then I wouldn’t do it, either… *grins slightly* Yeah, there were a few good things amongst it… but yes, I’d also imagine Abdi more as a flower girl together with Carlos. *laughs slightly* *smiles when David seems to be relieved and turns a little to kiss him* It’ll all work out…

David: *has to laugh when his comparison between Laura and his mother seems to have the desired effect* She’s just pretty good at both things: Being the sister and the mother… maybe the thing with her being the mother will get less prominent if I have more contact to Mama again now… *also grins at the image of Abdi and Carlos as flower girls* They’d probably even go through with it if we’d ask them to… *humms in agreement when Matteo says that it’ll all work out and plays a little with his fingers* I think so, too… *then grins slightly* ...with all that comes with it… no matter what will happen… *then hears his own stomach growl and turns onto his back* *laughs quietly* Okay… maybe we should slowly but surely order something, after all…

Matteo: *nods slightly at his words about Laura* Yes, maybe… or if it’s no longer just the two of you living together… *laughs slightly* Of course they'd do it, they’d do anything to be there. *then only smiles slightly to himself and laughs when his stomach growls* Yes! *reaches over him for the menu* *they decide on what to order and he calls to make the order* *hangs up again* I wonder how fast they are…

(next play)

#druck #druck og #matteo florenzi #david schreibner #davenzi #davenzi plays

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bekindtoyou4007 · 7 months

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This morning I got grocery shopping done for the next 10 days. Went to gym and did some pilates and light weight lifting. I think my lower body is getting more flexible for sure. Still not sure about upper body stretches. Haven't been doing much core work either so that's two things to also work on in future. Came home and made a new pasta dish to use up the very last of the ingredients in pantry. Cleaned a shelf of the fridge, wiped down sofa and laundered blanket. Had a bath and deep conditioned my hair. Then I treated myself and used up some holiday money Still on my old travel card to buy hair care (it's like free money!) I am learning more about hair care, I think I need to wash my hair less so that will mean commiting to hair wash days when they Happen and caring for hair in between. I've been braiding my hair loosely when I sleep but unfortunately my layers mean half my hair in the front two sections work its way out when I toss and turn. So I've finally bit the bullet and got a bonnet. Then I binged more of my soap for a couple of hours, then had some delicious takeout- cauliflower and chicken wings with spicy Asian slaw. I finally got around to mending both my wool dress and H's missing button shirt. H had a terrible minor accident today and bled all over 2 pairs of jeans so I tackled those stains as my last job as stained denim can be tricky. I'm in bed now, did 3 duo Spanish lessons and ready to wake up tomorrow and have some breakfast and get to work. I'm all lined up for a simple day tomorrow due to my hard work on Friday so fingers crossed (famous last words). A nice day all in all. I hope I can sleep okay tonight but I do find after the gym it's weirdly hard to sleep even if I go in the AM? My father is still in hospital although my all accounts he seems to be doing okay. Just another judder of 'he's seriously sick and might not make it' to 'I guess he's safe for now but still incredibly unwell'. This is yet another near miss this year and they are getting more frequent the more advanced his illness is with the passage of time. Putting aside entirely who he is and how he treated me and the others, it might be something of a relief still when he passes if not because there won't be any more near misses looming, it will finally be done with. Every time he's admitted with a new major infection I think this could be the time and have to start to prepare myself for the possibility. Then it's anti climatic when he recovers because it's still not real relief because he's so ill it's only a matter of time. There's no cure for his condition and no hope of recovery, only remaining at his very minimal level of functioning. It's probably sad but I can't fully process it because it's still happening now. I do think him passing would be in the long term a very helpful release for a lot of us. And if he goes now when our mother is still in a halfway house at least whatever awful mental health set back she experiences she won't be a suicide risk, as she has been in the past.

#daily #22.10.2023

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randomshyperson · 3 years

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The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - The First Year

Series Masterlist || Read on AO3

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies.

Chapters will have additional warning when necessary.

Tag list ( let me know if you want to be tagged or removed idk haha) @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia

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Part I - The First Year

Hogwarts will be fun was the first thought you had when you opened the letter in your hands.

Tony, your older brother, ruffled your hair slightly as he came down into the kitchen and watched you open the mail.

"Your letter finally arrived, huh, little witch?" He joked with a smile as he sat down at the table.

"I can't wait to go!" You commented excitedly rereading the acceptance letter for the third time.

"Miss, after coffee, can we go to diagonal alley if you like?" Jarvis, your butler, asked you politely as he poured Tony's coffee making you hesitate slightly. Tony, who had his eye on you, forced a smile as he patted you on the arm.

"I'll go with you, don't worry." He assured and you nodded.

"I wish dad would come." You grumble as you sit down and Tony sighs.

" Yeah, me too." He says. "But you know he's busy, and we can't leave it to the last minute."

You mumble in agreement as you serve some sweetbreads on your plate.

Eating in silence for a few moments, you are startled slightly when Tony lets out an exclamation.

"Damn, I forgot to write back to Steve." He announces getting up and walking over to the next shelf where there were some stationery and pen.

"Your boyfriend will be upset." You tease lightly, and Tony mumbles softly without responding.

When he finishes writing the letter, he goes to the kitchen window and opens the metal, whistling loudly in a familiar rhythm. A few seconds later, Iron, his barn owl lands in front of him. Tony stroked the animal gently before dangling the letter in his paws.

" Please take this to Steve, Iron." He ordered and the animal made a noise before flying away again.

"Jarvis, I'll get ready to go." You tell the man as soon as you finish eating and head off toward the stairs.

//-//

Diagonal Alley is a noisy place.

Tony asked you to walk beside him, but you stopped walking at the first Quidditch shop you spotted, and he had to turn back halfway when he noticed you were no longer beside him.

"Don't do that." He warned, mildly annoyed, but you glazed over at the exposed broom in front of you, and he let out a chuckle when he noticed. "Come on, Y/N, you already have a broom."

"But that's no ordinary broom." You retorted with an impressed look. "It's a Nimbus 2000, it's the fastest broom there is."

"You have the 99, I don't understand the difference." He retorted with his hands in his pockets and you shrugged.

"Tony, can we buy it?" You asked pleadingly, making your brother laugh slightly.

"Let's buy your stuff first please" He retorted with a smile and you grumbled but accepted the arm he offered for you to hang on. Jarvis walked behind you with a keen eye on your surroundings.

After you had bought the vast majority of your supplies and replenished your stocks of potions items for Tony, Jarvis took you to Blossoms and Blurbs to buy this year's books.

"Good morning! Hogwarts, third and first year books, please." You heard Jarvis tell the clerk who approached you three. Tony nodded his head signaling you to feel free to walk around the bookstore in the meantime, and that is exactly what you did.

You found many interesting books in the place as you walked among the shelves. One in particular caught your attention, as there seemed to be little miniature magical creatures trying to jump out of the cover, and you grabbed it on a table, watching the item carefully.

You smiled when an ink dragon jumped into your hand, moving your head as if you were looking around. Distracted by the book, you let out a low exclamation when someone bumped into you.

"Sorry, kid." You heard a female voice speak in a humorous tone. It is a girl taller than you, short red hair. "I ended up tripping over some of those runner books."

"It's okay." You said with a smile. The girl looked at the one book in your hands for a moment.

"Do you enjoy creature tracts?" She asks casually as she reaches for a book on the bookshelf beside her.

"I don't know yet." You say and she looks at you slightly confused, "I never studied."

"Ah, first-year." She understands and you nod in agreement. "Hogwarts too or some other?"

"Hogwarts."

"Cool, I guess I'll see you there then." She says. "I'm from Slytherin, third year."

You let out a surprised exclamation.

"Maybe you know my brother." You say and the girl takes her gaze from the books in her hand she was checking to look at you with her eyebrow raised in curiosity. "His name is Tony Stark, he's also from your house."

The girl lets out a short laugh.

"I can't believe you are Stark's sister." She says. "We're not exactly friends, but I've seen him around the dorm several times. And your brother is a pain in the ass, by the way."

You laugh lightly, agreeing.

"I am Natasha Romanoff." She introduces herself next, balancing her books in one hand to greet you. You introduce yourself with a gentle smile. "Good luck with your books." She says before turning away.

You think it's cool that you already know someone besides your brother before you start at Hogwarts.

//-//

Buying your wand is a rather strange experience.

Mr. Ollivander has a glint in his eye as if he knows everyone's secrets, and seems to disappear and reappear in his store very easily.

Tony sat on one of the stools while he waited for you, and Jarvis went to buy something for you two to eat.

After trying almost five wands, and exploding a glass vase when he tried the last one, Mr. Ollivander sighed.

"Sorry, I don't know why it's not working." You asked feeling nervous, but he smiled.

"Don't worry, dear." He said. "Difficult customers are so much fun."

He walked back in between the shelves after that, and then reappeared with three new packages.

"I remember when Howard Stark bought his wand." He told smiling nostalgically as you opened one of the packages, a black wand in front of you. "Phoenix, Cedar, slightly flexible."

"Dad has changed wands thousands of times." Added Tony wryly, but Mr. Ollivander didn't seem to mind.

The wand you tested let out a faint spark when you tried to cast a simple conjuration spell, and the man in front of you was quick to take it from your hand the next second.

"I think I have a better idea." He announced turning around, and then climbed the ladder supported by the wall, picking up a package at the top.

"Try this one dear." He asked handing you a dark wand, the wood was shiny, a color you didn't know exactly what it was, but it was beautiful.

When you grabbed the item, you felt a tingling sensation spread throughout your hand, and the wand vibrated slightly for a few seconds, causing Ollivander to let out a noise of excitement.

"You see, I knew I would find an owner for you dear." He spoke and you realized that he was speaking with the item in your hands. Soon he turned his gaze back to you. "Take good care of this one, will you, it was quite difficult to get dark elf blood for the core."

"R-right." You said with a slight frown, not quite sure what to make of that information.

Tony laughed lightly at the interaction, he should be used to Mr. Ollivander's eccentric manner by now, since he kept breaking his wands just like your father and often returned to the store to get a new one.

After paying, you and Tony met Jarvis outside, he was carrying some sweet rolls.

//-//

July ended too quickly for your happiness. You were very eager to go to school.

You spent most of August at home, playing quidditch with Tony in the backyard, curiously reading the magic books you bought, and trying to peek into the basement where your father worked, but he always caught you looking and smiled, asking you to go back to your room.

You would like your father to take you to the station, but he said he had a magic conference in September, and would be traveling for the next few weeks. Tony was upset, but he put his arm around your shoulders and asked you to hurry to get your bags.

When you finally got to the station, you were slightly nervous about going through a wall, but Tony laughed, and showed you how to go first.

You hugged Jarvis good-bye before following your brother along the way.

Tony dragged you across the train cars to the first empty cabin he could find. He commented that it would be nice if you made your own friends, but that he would like you to sit with him.

So here you were, sitting with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, Tony's best friends since the first year. The boys smiled encouragingly at you. You already knew them, because Tony kept inviting them to spend holidays with him all the time.

"Hey, Y/N, how was your vacation?" Steve asked as soon as you sat down next to him. You shrugged, saying that it was nice, but that you were looking forward to attending Hogwarts.

Soon the boys started talking about what they were excited about next year, and you did your best to keep up, not knowing exactly who the people they mentioned were, or knowing the classes they talked about.

Many minutes after the train was moving, a girl opened the cabin door.

"Hey, strangers." She greeted with a smile.

"Hi Peggy." Steve said with a smile, you frowned at the slight scowl on your brother's face.

"They're calling for us in the prefects compartment, Steve." She warned and Steve nodded, getting up. He and the girl then left, and Tony crossed his arms.

"What's wrong?" You asked noticing his posture and the way Bucky had a little smile on his face.

"It's nothing." Grumbled your brother, and as he turned his face to the window, Bucky who was standing in front of you, whispered to you.

"Tony thinks Peggy likes Steve." He recounted. "So he doesn't like Peggy very much."

"Oh." You said, pretending to understand the whole plot. It didn't make much sense to you because everyone couldn't be friends, but you figured that when you were your brother's age you would understand better.

//-//

The Hogwarts Express only stopped at night.

Properly uniformed, you smiled when your brother patted you on the shoulder, telling you that he would meet you at the castle, since the first-year students had to go by boat.

Your hands were sweating a little as you walked up to the extraordinarily tall man who introduced himself as Drax.

"First-year students, please, six in each boat." He shouted to the crowd, and the students moved closer together.

You sat in one of the first little boats, five other children you didn't know surrounding you.

"I'm so excited." A blonde girl commented cheerfully, waving her hands. She smiled at everyone as she introduced herself as "Harley Quinn".

"I bet you''ll blow something up once we get there, Harley" Added a redheaded girl sitting next to you, you could tell by her tone that they were probably friends. The blonde, Harley, laughed.

"Shut up, Ivy." She said, and then Drax was back, climbing into one of the boats beside her. He checked the boats one last time, then waved his hand, and the transports began to move.

Everyone, including you, let out a chorus of excitement.

When you noticed the castle, you smiled. It was huge, and just as amazing as Tony used to tell you.

"Wow, it must be amazing to fly over all that." You quietly observed, and the girl next to you turned her head in your direction, smiling.

"Do you like flying?" She asked, and you nodded. She looked at you for a moment and then held out her hand to greet you. "I am Diana. Diana Prince."

"Hi, Diana." You said introducing yourself next. "Do you also like to fly?"

"I love it." She says. "I hope i can make it onto the team."

"I don't know if the first-years have any chance, but I'll be rooting for you." You assure, and Diana smiles.

When the boats stop in the harbor, the students are all excited to get out and see the castle, but Drax's almost intimidating posture makes everyone properly behaved.

He leads the crowd to the staircase, and then there is a lobby. There is a woman waiting for everyone, her strict posture makes you think she is someone you wouldn't want to upset.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She announces. "I am Professor Okoye, head of Gryffindor house."

The students exchange burbles next, but the teacher's gaze shuts them up almost immediately.

"As long as you are here, your houses will be like your families." She continues. "Your triumphs will earn you points, and if you break any rules, those points will be taken away."

She says, casting a disapproving glance at one of the students in the corner, who giggled. "In a few moments we will begin the sorting hat ceremony."

The teacher then turns around, heading toward a large bronze door, and talking to someone on the other side. You hear someone laughing near you, and you turn your head to the side in curiosity.

It was a blond boy, and he seemed to be enjoying himself as he balanced one of the gold cups he picked up from the surrounding shelves. You thought he would be in trouble if he knocked it over, and this seemed to be exactly the same opinion as the girl next to him, who was looking at him disapprovingly.

"Stop being an idiot, Peter, put that back." She complained and he laughed, shrugging.

"Gamora, you're a spoilsport you know." He retorted and when he put the cup back, it spun and fell to the floor, breaking into several pieces. The boy turned pale as Teacher Okoye turned her head in his direction.

You rolled your eyes, walking over to them.

"Reparo" You said drawing your wand as you pointed at the broken object. Some children let out impressed exclamations when they saw the bowl form again, but you just put your wand away in shame. It was no big deal. Okoye caught up with the three of you next, looking reproachfully at the boy.

"I expect better behavior during the ceremony, sir..."

"Quill"

"Mister Quill." She completed and took one last look at the boy that had with his head down before turning back to the front of the crowd again, waving for the students to follow her.

"Hey, that was pretty cool." Peter commented beside you as you walked. You shrugged, focusing on the path.

//-//

The sorting hat was something exceptional.

Tony never told you how the choice was made, and you knew it was only to annoy you. He had sometimes joked that the students faced each other in a duel, and even though you told him to shut up, you had a look at his spell book before you came.

The actual ceremony was much simpler, however.

When it was your turn to climb onto the small stool, you bit your lips, hoping that everything would go smoothly. Just as the old cloth of the hat fell over your eyes, blocking your view of the rest of the hall, you heard a voice in your head.

" Hello, dear, no need to be so nervous." Announced the hat gently. "You are a curious little thing, I see."

"Is that a good thing?" You thought, and the hat chuckled lightly.

"It might be." He said mysteriously. "Interesting what I see here. Very interesting."

"What are you seeing?"

"Your memories, dear."

"Oh." You thought, feeling slightly embarrassed. That seemed like an intrusion of your privacy. The hat laughed again, and you remembered that he was on your head.

"You're hard to sort out." He says, and you squeeze the stool. "Don't worry, I'm not going to send you home, that's not how it works."

"Oh, right."

Hat was silent a few moments.

"I see courage in your heart." He says and you try to remember the characteristics of the houses. "But that courage is well forged with your loyalty."

You swallow dryly, feeling your anxiety rising. This was definitely taking much longer than the people who went before you.

"You are as smart as your father and brother, both members of the Slytherin house." He says. "There's a willingness not to let them down."

"That's personal." You grumble feeling your cheeks flush, but the hat doesn't care to apologize for bringing up your insecurities.

"Ah, this is interesting here. A pure kindness, yet pruned in your origins of shallow paternal affection”.

You frown, not understanding what he is saying.

"You are quite adaptable child, it has always been one of your best virtues." The hat remarks, and you get the impression that the next part is only said for you. "Tell me, where would you like to stay?"

"Isn't that your job?" You retort in thought, and hear him laugh again. You rush to correct yourself, not wanting to be rude. "Sorry, hat. I don't really know. I'd like to stay where I fit in best."

"You would do well anywhere." He retorts, and you frown. "And that's pretty impressive, you know. I haven't met another hatstall since the last century."

You swallow dryly, not knowing if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'll work hard, sir." You tell him. "I don't want people to think I'm a special witch just because of my family. That's something I'm sure, I don't know if it helps you choose."

Hat lets out a sigh of relief.

"Actually, that's exactly what I needed."

It takes a moment for him to speak again, and when he does, you feel your whole body shake.

"Hufflepuff"

//-//

Steve Rogers is the head boy of Hufflepuff and he celebrates excitedly when you sit down at the table next to him.

"That's so cool" He comments. "I'll be able to tease Tony all year about it."

After that, director Agatha Harkness, made the announcement of the beginning of the year. If her goal was to scare the students, she succeeded when she talked about the deadly dangers surrounding the forbidden forest and the punishments for the disobedient. Professor Strange interrupted her speech as he cleared his throat, awkwardly waving for Agatha to stop saying such things, and the woman giggled.

Dinner is delicious, and then you are following the crowd of students into the communal rooms.

"Butterbeer" Steve said to the portrait on the wall, and you blinked in surprise when the painting moved to the side, a door behind.

You sighed when you realized how cozy the Hufflepuff's common room was.

"Everyone please come in." Asked Steve in the center of the room, waving to the students who stayed behind. When everyone was around him, he smiled. "The dorms are divided by gender, but you can sleep wherever you feel most comfortable. I will only suggest that none of you try to sleep with the seventh graders, because they are scary." Steve joked making the crowd laugh lightly. "We have a supply of food in those lockers, just in case you feel like having a snack in the early morning, outside of the permitted hours for walking around the castle." He continues and stands thoughtfully for a few moments. "Most of the things you need to know are on the bulletin board on that wall, and you can also ask me anything you want. Your belongings have already been taken to the free beds, but if you want any help, you can organize among yourselves or just come talk to me."

Steve smiled as the crowd moved. You headed in the direction where he said the rooms were.

//-//

You let out a surprised exclamation as something landed on your head.

"Damn, sorry!" Asked an asian girl approaching you, and pulling the small being out of your hair as you entered the room. "Groot, I told you to behave yourself."

"I am groot." Grumbled the little creature. You looked at it wide-eyed, impressed.

"Wow, is that a tree?"

The girl laughed, putting the small creature sitting on her shoulder, sitting on the bed next to the one you identified as having your things.

"Yes and no." She said. "I found Groot in my garden over the vacations, and well, I don't know what he is exactly. But I think he was trying to make my mother's plants grow."

"He's really cute." You commented approaching with your finger extended. Groot smiled, accepting your touch.

"I am Mantis." Says the girl next and you smile at her as you introduce yourself. "We're going to be roommates."

"Yes, and so is Groot." You add as you take off your cape to throw on the bed that would be yours.

After eating so well at dinner, it doesn't take long for you to fall asleep.

You dream of glowing green eyes and a red light, but you don't recognize them or understand what it means, and when you wake up, you no longer remember.

//-//

Two weeks since you started at Hogwarts, you are used to how eccentric everything can be.

The classes weren't as difficult as you imagined, but that's probably because you've had contact with magic all your life and always had an easy time learning things. All the teachers were unique in their own way.

Professor Rocket, for example, taught Transfiguration and spent almost the entire period transfigured into a raccoon, even outside of class hours. He was temperamental and got irritated very easily when students talked too much in his class, so it was not recommended to do so.

There was also Professor Fury, who had an eye patch as a mandatory piece in his daily costume, and all the students spent more time trying to guess how this happened, than listening to his explanations of defense spells against the dark art.

Your astronomy class on Wednesdays was taught by Professor Odin, who like to claim that he was a descendant of the Olympian gods, but no one believed him. He was also the father of two of your classmates, Thor and Loki Odinson, who were the exact opposite of each other. While Thor was warm and friendly, Loki was cold and reclusive, plus the former was from Gryffindor and the other from Slytherin. Surprisingly, you liked them both.

You ended up meeting the head of your house only on the second day.

Professor Heimdall taught Divination, so you wouldn't have any classes with him until the third year.You bumped into him when you were late for fifth period and had to run to the common room for your Potions books, and almost fell on the floor when you turned the corner without looking and the professor was there. He prevented you from falling with a wave of his wand, smiling gently.

" Forgive me." You said clumsily, feeling slightly intimidated by the yellow irises as the magic set you on your feet properly, as well as catching your books in the air and placing them in your hands again.

"Be careful with the castle corridors, Miss Stark." Said the man, and for some reason, you thought he wasn't just talking about this little incident.

"Professor Heimdall, let's talk in a private place, please." Asked Professor Okoye, who was standing at his side, she looked at you with a certain disapproval, and you couldn't tell whether it was because of your intrusion, or the fact that your tie was hanging loosely around your neck, in addition to the open buttons on your shirt.

After this little incident, you asked Steve who Professor Heimdall was, and he explained that he was the head of Hufflepuff, and might seem intimidating at first glance, but that he was very kind.

But so far, the professor who has intrigued you the most was Professor Erik Lehnsherr, who taught Potions. He didn't say anything that wasn't related to the subject, didn't make any comments about behavior or events at school. And he had such a stern and mysterious look in his eyes that no student had the courage to ask him anything. You heard Peter Quill make a bet with Thor Odinson that Professor Erik was unable to smile because of some particular sorcery, but you thought it best not to laugh, especially since Mr. Lehnsherr was looking at your direction.

When you had your first Potions period with Slytherin, after herbology professor T'Challa needed to reschedule classes for an appointment, you were surprised to discover that professor Lehnsherr had children.

Gamora ended up on the same bench as you, and she was talking to her sister, Nebula, about an incident that occurred in their dormitory.

"Clearly, the professors' children have an easy time getting away with punishment." Nebula bitterly remarked, and you frowned in confusion.

"I don't think it was the girl's fault." Gamora retorted as she put the ingredients into her cauldron. She looked at you quickly, realizing that you were listening to the conversation, but she didn't scold you, she just kept stirring the mixture.

"What happened?" you asked next, and Nebula looked at you with mild irritation. She seemed about to tell you to mind your own business, but Gamora smiled, moving closer to whisper to you.

"A girl lost her temper in the Slytherin dorm bathrooms last night." She told. "She's a second year, her name is Wanda Maximoff. She and her brother are Professor Lehnsherr's kids, and everyone is saying that she didn't go to detention because of it."

Your jaw dropped, impressed.

"I can't believe Magneto has children." You said making Gamora and Nebula laugh at the nickname. Last week you found out that the school had been calling Erik that since he stopped the hall chandelier from falling on the teachers' desk two years ago when he used non-verbal magic to attract the metal, and everyone started calling him that behind his back. Tony told you and you liked the story.

"I know right, he seems so self-contained." Gamora remarked looking back briefly. Professor Erik was focused on his own potions book.

"That noisy kid from Gryffindor said he's married." Nebula added next and Gamora laughed lightly.

"Peter Quill?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that's surprising." Says the girl. You both return to stirring your cauldrons in silence after that little conversation.

When you have finished your mixing, Professor Erik gives Hufflepuff five points for your good work, and you smile with red cheeks.

"You're nice." Nebula suddenly said beside you as you were leaving the room. Gamora stood next to her. "Do you want to walk around with us?"

"We're already walking." You joked and Gamora laughed unlike her sister who grimaced.

"Yep, definitely cool." She added. "Do you want to have lunch with us?"

"At your table or mine?"

Gamora and Nebula exchanged glances.

"I'm not sitting with Hufflepuff." Nebula declared and you sighed, rolling your eyes.

"You know I'm from Hufflepuff, right?"

"I'm reconsidering the invitation." She retorted and you frowned, but Gamora smiled at you.

"Will you sit with us, please?"

You sighed, nodding in agreement. You could talk to Tony after all.

//-//

Lunch at the Slytherin table became an everyday thing after that day. It took two weeks for Mantis to start joining you, and then you realized that you had a small group of friends now.

At Christmas, neither you nor Tony came home, because your father was working and you didn't want to be alone in the Stark mansion. You ended up turning down Tony's invitation to spend Christmas with Steve Rogers and his family, because you weren't really friends with Steve. Tony insisted, not wanting you to be alone, but you assured him that you would be fine in the company of your friends, and that he needn't worry.

On Christmas morning, Groot woke you up by jumping on your face. You laughed lightly because he was so small that he was like a tickle, and stood up as you returned the little creature to Mantis' bedside table.

A few hours later, as you were opening your presents at the Slytherin table along with Gamora, Nebula, Mantis, and Peter Quill, who had also stayed at Hogwarts for the end of the year, you let out an excited exclamation.

"I can' believe it." You spoke, opening the package in front of you. It was a large box, it was bewitched and only revealed the actual wrapping once you tore the paper off. It was actually a broom.

"Wow, that's cool." Peter remarked as he looked at your present.

That's how you ended up in the middle of the snow, testing your new broom while your friends cheered and celebrated below you.

"Are you sure you can fly?" You asked Peter as soon as he asked you if he could ride. He shrugged, smiling.

You and the girls watched as he controlled the broom for a few feet above the ground, and then he overspeeded it and sped away.

You all ran into his direction, while the broom seemed almost annoyed at his lack of control, and knocked him into a tree. Peter fell between the branches, onto someone who was resting under it.

When you all reached him, you frowned when there was a boy pushing Quill.

"Watch it, dude!" Warned the boy, but before you could say anything, Gamora was already stepping forward, wand in hand.

"It was just an accident." She said and the boy looked at her surprised with her wand outstretched. He crossed his arms however, not looking scared.

"Oh, you're going to spell me now, are you?" He teased.

"Piss off, Maximoff." Warned Nebula next, taking a step beside her sister. So this was Pietro Maximoff. You figured that confidence should come from being the son of one of the professors.

"I suggest you leave my brother alone." Warned a voice behind you. You turned next, only to catch sight of a girl with brown hair, green eyes that glittered with anger.

Gamora clenched her jaw, and Nebula drew her own wand toward the girl, who also had her wand in her hands.

You sighed, raising your hands as you stood in the line of fire.

"Would everyone please calm down?" You asked. "It was just a misunderstanding, and the broom is mine anyway, no need to fight about it."

It takes a moment, but Gamora puts down her wand, and everyone follows her after that. She has an insinuating smile on her face.

"You really are a Hufflepuff, aren't you Stark?" She teases, and you laugh sheepishly, putting your hands in your pockets. "Come on Quill."

Gamora warns and the boy shoots Pietro an ugly look as he leaves. You accept your broom that he hands to you, and turn around, your gaze meeting that of the girl who is supposed to be Wanda Maximoff for a moment. You feel your face heat up at the intensity of the angry look, and you look away, following your friends.

//-//

The months went by quickly as the rest of the school year passed. You managed to do very well on the exams, and didn't get involved in any near-fights again.

When the year ended and the Hufflepuff didn't win the House Cup, you thought you should have been more upset, but you didn't mind having Gamora and Nebula celebrating beside you, laughing and hugging you excitedly.

You also didn't understand why you felt your stomach turn when you caught Wanda Maximoff smiling amidst the Slytherin celebration when you looked around.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda x you #wanda maximoff x you #wandaxreader #wandaxyou #wandaxyn #wanda maximoff x yn #The Scarlet Witch Prophecy #marvel imagines #harry potter au #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda x fem!reader

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honeydewday · 2 years

Text

Two Weeks: II

Summary: The opinion that promises last forever are a common myth. After feeling defeated in love, you turn a time that you knew was certain, the past.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Warnings: none (correct me if I'm wrong)

a/n: happy holidays everyone! thank you for your patience! feedback is always appreciated :)

"Too late," Michelle spoke up "You guys are losers."

"Well, then why do you sit with us?" Ned asked looking back and forth between her and Peter

"Because I don't have any friends" she explained

So sure of her statement, she was almost convinced it was real. However, she knew deep down she had at least one person to call a friend. Someone to count on, listen to her, and make her laugh. Michelle was starting to see how foolish of her to be friends with someone who makes things harder for themselves. If looks could kill, Michelle would've killed you as she spotted you entering the cafeteria.

The anger that was boiling deep inside of her was radiating halfway across the room. You were really screwed this time. Arriving at the table, you waved to Peter and Ned then took a seat in front of your friend.

"So..." you start softly, "I know what you're going to say..."

"At this point, I don't have anything to say" she responded, "A call would've been nice but then I remember if my name isn't Peter you won't pick up the phone."

ouch

Sighing, you looked down in defeat. The possibility of bailing on her was more times than you could count on both hands. You can't even remember the reason you bailed on her in the first place...actually, you did, and it had everything to do with Peter. I mean, a majority of those times you literally had to stop Peter from bleeding out but that was beside the point.

Swallowing you feelings, you contemplated on the next thing you were going to say. "Sorry, I was in Germany watching my dad and Peter fight Captain America. I don't think I'll be back in time for lunch". You hoped what you were about to say didn't sound like utter bullshit.

"I have a plan....which involves you, me, and homecoming." that wasn't entirely a lie.

Your weekend was filled with tears and contemplation to the point you gave yourself a few migraines. Something you were so sure of conned you in hindsight. The uneasiness of knowing you were wrong caused you to question your intuition. Your dreams had given you the ability to feel comfortable with knowing what was destined to be the future. Yet, seeing that dream left you clueless. You saw a butterfly effect, he said yes to you in the dream but no to you in real life...or maybe that's what you were wanting to see the whole time.

In a sense, no one was ever able to help you with these dreams. You learned along the way, and now you were stumped. Still, you were certain that you lacked effort in one area and that was keeping up with the other person who kept you grounded. You needed to make it up to Michelle, and well, she's not the one for dancing, she's most certainly the one you were able to persuade to join in your silly ideas.

"Don't be stupid," she whispered leaning in, "Save that cheesy shit for your boyfriend.”

Rolling your eyes, you leaned in as well, “About that..”

Confusion spread across her face, “What do you mean? What happened?”

Glancing towards the end of the table, Peter and Ned still chatted away. Michelle knew the chemistry between you two. She pointed it out when she first met you, two idiots who had no clue as she would describe it.

“I asked him and he said no.” you explained, starting to feel tears well up.

Brows scrunched together, a subtle look of disbelief, "How does he just say no?! You-you guys flirt all the time! You hangout with each other day and night, your guy's feelings for each other make everyone else in the room wanna barf! How could he say no?"

You shrugged, feeling pitiful, “He’s planning on asking Liz.”

“That bastard-“ mumbling fiercely she stood up, ready to chase after the young man and stand up for her friend.

Gripping her hand as she almost left the table, she snapped her head towards you, “I appreciate the sentiment but please, sit back down and have lunch with me” you asked

Feeling her give your hand a squeeze, she took her seat. “I hope you don’t think that you’re my back up plan either” you smiled softly

She shakes her head, “it’s okay if I am, you know I don’t do dances but at least I’ll spend it with you.”

The two of you sat there a while more, chatting about upcoming school projects and what would be the best color combo for homecoming. The bell rang, indicating lunch was over and the class you were dreading since the last time you saw Peter was about to start.

Michelle walked you to your next class and wished you a ‘good luck’ and that she’d meet you after class. God, how did you deserve such a good friend like Michelle.

Your next class wasn't really important, one of those career and resume classes they wanted everyone to take. You took your seat waiting for class to start and beginning to dread the unknown you were about to encounter. You hadn't talk to him all weekend. Ignored his calls, texts, hiding behind your curtains when you heard little pebbles striking your window. Think about it, how does someone go about normally in this situation?

Peter walked in, his smile grew as he made his way to the seat he always took in front of you.

"Hey, you alright? I've been trying to talk to you all weekend" he pondered.

"Oh um yeah, I was helping Tony get some stuff from the tower so I kinda wasn't there." the lie slipped off your tongue with ease.

He nodded, "I hope I didn't make things awkward-"

"You're making them awkward by talking about it." you interrupted.

Letting out an irritated sigh, silence swooped in to take the moment from you, as well as the teacher. As she began to speak about an upcoming assignment, your eyes drifted to the scribbles you mindlessly drew. You didn't want Peter to feel bad, this wasn't his fault, it was yours. You ruined your friendship.

Surprisingly, the teacher gave the class a free day. He turned around, the whiff of his cheap cologne hit you and it was one he didn't wear all the time. One he only wore on special occasion. He's going to ask Liz. You gifted him that mucky scent when you first met, your dreams were filled with the nerd in a onesie and the detail you remember was his smell. The summer heat was not going to be merciful, so to his surprise, your timing was aligned when he took up the mantle. Were there too many good times to throw away over a rejection?

"I'm sorry for lashing out, I-um, we should just forget that it happened." giving him an apologetic smile.

He nodded and smiled back, "Do you think we could hang out today? I mean, I could use a tiny break and-and we could meet at our usual spot!" perking up as he explained his idea.

You raised your eyebrows, "I'll be surprised if you don’t go crazy because you missed someone trying to get their cat down from a tree.”

"After patrol," he beamed, "I'll have snacks, blankets, I'll take care of the movie-"

"Oh no, I don't think I can handle another Star Wars movie" you joked

"I'll even get you those disgusting candies you like" shaking his head.

You smiled and felt heat rushing to your cheeks. Your feelings just wouldn't simply go away, quite frankly you were terrified that you might feel this way for longer than you could handle. The way he continued to talk throughout the period was still flirtatious, your question hadn't really changed anything at all.

The way your palms began to sweat when you were around him, the anxious feeling you started to feel when he talked to you. Staring at him too long you forgot the world around you. Heart skipping a beat when you spot him across the room. It was a euphoric passion that needed to be put to rest.

The bell rang catching you both off guard.

"Does 10:30 sound good?" he asked as you started gathering your things.

"Definitely."

"I'll see you then," smirking as the two of you walked out of the room, preparing to part your separate ways. "Get there safely though! Call me if anything happens."

Nodding, you spotted Michelle who was waiting for you by the door,

"So I take it that you guys kissed and made it up?”

"Michelle!"

_______

The small yet graceful view never got old. You were able to pause and enjoy the moment, watching cars drive up and down the street, bystanders catching taxi’s, the whiff of homemade goods that came from the bakery beneath you.

Reaching into your pocket, you checked your phone. ‘11:30’, huffing at the time, now it was just a waiting game.

"What's got you so huffy and puffy?" The sound you'd practically been dying to hear all day. The sweetness that dripped from his voice is what you craved.

Turning around, Peter stood in his spidey suit. Taking his bag off, he began to unload the blankets and candies.

"I guess it'd better late than never" you laugh turning to him

"I know, I know" he sighed stepping closer to you, "Some convenient store owner was trying to put up their new sign and they caught me walking across their roof so...I had to"

You nodded, "Good ole neighborhood spidey" beginning to lay out the blanket, you threw your bag down next to his to give you guys some cushion.

“He wanted to pay me but I just asked for these” taking a seat, he rachee in his backpack and pulled out the bag of your favorite candies. Handing them to you, he grabbed a few more snacks and drinks out.

Baffled, why didn’t he choose the money? Good morals? Being a good friend? maybe it’s because he has feelings-

No, no, no, now you're overthinking this. You asked for it so he got you them. No need to ponder over small things.

“How much was he going to give you?” You asked scooting closer next to him.

“$20 but I knew you wanted it so I asked him for I could grab that instead. He called me crazy.” he shrugged taking his laptop out and began searching for a movie.

“Could’ve been $20 dollars richer” you joked as you pointed out Gravity, “It’s not Star Wars but at least it’s about space.”

Nodding as he clicked play, he responded, “I could’ve but I just thought how happy you’d be if I got it for you.”

Still in awe, you breathed out a small thanks and sat comfortably in silence as the movie began playing.

An hour didn’t seem like a long time, but with Peter’s short attention span, he lost focus of the movie pretty quick.

“George Clooney is a pretty bad actor” he claimed, turning to you to see a smile spread across your face.

“Peter, you can’t even keep a secret to save your life.” You half heartedly joked “Come talk to me when you win an academy award.”

He left out a laugh. As the movie played, the two of you couldn’t stop talking. Peter talked about his classes, Ned trying to build a new logo set that he didn’t have time for, and how he thought throwing in his suit for a quick wash wouldn’t hurt anything, it just turned May’s wardrobe pink.

Credits and the whimsical symphonic music played in the background. Peter had his head in your lap, taking this moment to rest as your hand gently stroke and twirled through his hair.

The credits finally ended, the silence you sat in was awkward, or it was possible you just felt that way. After everything you wanted, why did it feel so out of place, as if you committed a crime. Everything you wanted was without a bout laying in your lap.

“Y/N?” Peter asked looking up at you, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m starting to zone out. What’d you say?” You asked looking back down at him.

“Aunt May really wants to have you over for dinner soon.” He stated

You mindlessly nodded, what harm could a small dinner cause?

Clearing his throat, he began to speak one more, “I-I think about you…a lot.” He said as his eyes found yours again.

Your heart began to quicken its pace, removing your hands from his hair, nervous that he might be able to feel how shaky you’ve become or how calmly your hands were.

“I…I think about you a lot too.” You breathed out. You were done lying to your best friend. Your first real friend, someone you knew that wasn’t using you for your name or money.

Peter was not going to toy with your emotions. You’d like to believe that the both of you know this isn’t just a friendship. No friendship offers intimate parts of themselves to only crave more.

You wanted to hold his hand, hold him at night when he came to you battered and bruised; be there on the good and bad days because you knew you two could get through anything.

You had a feeling he wants you in the same way.

“I hope you don’t think I’m a creep-because I-I swear! I’m not!” He rambled on as he realized what he just said. Pausing, he breathed in, “We’ve only known each other for a little bit. We’re alone…together. I don’t have to worry about anything...maybe like if you get cold while we're here but that's besides the point."

The thought made you smile.

"May kinda thinks we're dating but-but I told her we're just friends" continuing his ramble, "Can you believe that? Us? Psh- what a- what a ridiculous idea."

"I like the sound of that, " you mumbled "Us..."

He cleared his throat, “What I really meant was that-that it was dumb of people to just assume we’re together, ya know? They should mind their own business.”

You giggled in response, your hands finding his hair again.

“I feel like I don’t know much about you. When I ask about your old friends and where you went to school before Midtown- even when I ask about Tony Stark!” He rampaged on sitting up now, “I don’t know anything! I-friends should tell friends everything but….we’re not friends, we’re us.”

You stared at the frustrated boy, the lights hitting his eyes, glimmering a beautiful brown.

If you were able, you’d live in this moment forever. This had to be some sort of dream, right? Your life before meeting Peter was pure chaos. Relationships you cherished, friends and family, came crumbling down. Certain you had lost everyone who had cared for you and trying to right your wrongs with your family, you finally found it. A person who cared for you the most.

“Thank you for being patient with me…” you whispered, “I…I don’t know if I’m naive or overwhelmed by emotions but in this short time that we’ve been friends, I feel like you know me better than I know myself”

His expression softened, he placed his hand on top of yours.

"I don't want my past to matter anymore," flipping your hand and intertwining your fingers with his, "I want this to be my future."

Tears started to well in your eyes, you felt your walls start to come down. The weight on your shoulders were becoming lighter. You could move on, and you were going to, with these newfound friends and into a life that feels more natural.

"Can I kiss-" Peter started but was cut off by your ringtone

Just like the moment, your feeling of safety came and went. Your phone radiated the familiar ID and it wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.

Quickly standing up, you smiled at Peter and let go of his hand. Walking to the ledge of the building you answered the phone.

“Y/N M. Stark,” Tony roared, “do you know what time it is? This is what I wanted to avoid- you’re not giving me a reason to trust you again!

“Dad-“

“It’s almost past midnight and there you are at-at some restaurant that’s not even open?! For the love of god, please tell me you’re not with that boy…I will pay you at this point-“ Tony pleaded

Sighing into the phone, holding it closer to your ear, “I’m with Peter…ya know, the one from Midtown.”

The other end was silent for a few moments, “this…this is a turn of events,” he admitted, “I don’t know if I should be proud or- You know what, just come home.” The line went dead.

Turning around, you walked back and started to clean the mess the two of you had made.

“We should probably go home…we always have tomorrow right?” You suggested

Peter nodded and began stuffing his bag with the blankets. “Let me help you down?”

You responded by pulling him into a hug and gripping tight as the two of you descended from the building.

“I’ll walk you home.” He noted, taking the same route the two of you always would.

Just as you see your small townhome a few block from where you were, you looked a Peter, “Are you sure you still want to put up with me? I have a bit of…baggage.” Babbling, nervous he’d change his mind.

He chuckled but nodded, “We’ll work through it, I promise. The past is in the past and all I can hope for is to be your future.”

Unfortunately, that was many nights ago.

You checked your phone once more,

2:37 am

Silently cursing yourself, his words replaying in your mind like a broken record. Words that held once served a purpose now have no meaning. Watching from above, the city moved at a fast pace yet you we’re still stuck in that memory.

You wanted to believe Peter when he said he’d meet you at your spot, but just like many other things, it was too good to be true. You understood the importance of being a superhero-but hell, he was still just teenager.

The future that Peter spoke to you about was nowhere in sight, at least not with him. Nodding to yourself, you knew that moving on was your best option at this point. You needed to start thinking about helping your parents and especially college.

A vibrating sensation pulled you from your thoughts, silently, you hoped it was Peter; Calling to apologize but that would be truly asking for too much.

“Dad, I’m fine I’m coming home now.” Stating as you descended down the fire scape already knowing your anxious father would be on the other end.

“Was it…Parker?” He questioned calmly, the tone spoke as if he still wasn’t able to trust you but, who were you to blame? All actions have consequences.

“Yes-he-um,” pausing in an attempt to stop your stuttering, “he never showed up so I’m coming home” your voice still cracking. Tears now flowed down your cheeks.

“Sweetheart…what have I told you-“

“Please, I don’t want another lecture about feelings and boys”

“I know, I know” he sighs “It’s just teenage hormones between the two of you spiced with the sacrifices of a superhero. Someone’s bound to get hurt and I will not let it be you.” He insisted.

You nodded and breathed out an “ok”.

“Oh and this also means you can’t skip tomorrow, it late but school is important. See you at home, love ya!” He shouted as the call ended.

You were in for a sleepless night.

_______

“Dead to the world” is what Tony described you as you walked out the door.

Exhausted and heartbroken were a mixed not to be reckoned with. Puffy eye that are accessorized with dark bags was the look for you today.

Arriving at school, you manually piloted throughout the day, Michelle pointing out the obvious and Ned was hounding Peter about something, but you didn’t have the capacity for that at the moment.

As the day progressed, you traded lunch for a slice of slumber, skipped leg day in gym for a power nap, and the headline read during your journalism class "Do Not Disturb".

The loud alarm jolted you awake, picking up your book, you exited the classroom as Michelle waited for you.

“Do you have the flash cards for the trip?” She asked as the two of you began walking.

“I’ll write them out tonight-“

“Peter’s not going, Flash is going to fill in for him at nationals” she added “I can help you if you want?”

You couldn’t hide the confusion on your face, this kid just doesn't stop.

“It’s fine, my parents are doing business in the city, they don't let me have friends over...something about spilling grape juice on our white carpet." you exaggerated.

Michelle breathed out a laugh, "I guess I'll put a pin in that but, how about waiting for me to help you write out the cards and come with me to Liz's party?"

You rolled your eyes as you reached her next class, ready to speed to your next one.

“Peter’s going to invite his friend Spider-Man.” she tempted as you stopped in your tracks.

You scanned the floor as if you were waiting to show you a sign; One heartbreak after another, were you really about to say yes? You just swore off these feelings like it was your worst addiction. The day had yet to finish and here you were being lured back into old ways.

Turning around, you shot Michelle a smile, "I'll meet you there at eight”

______

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