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thedragonqueensblog · 11 months

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Justin Foley/// The Truth Hides

Anonymous request: Could you do where clay hasn’t found about the tapes that Hannah left and so the reader and her boyfriend Justin, Alex, Jessica, Zach, monet, are talking and making a plan to get ride of the tapes and clay (the reader was friends with Hannah and Clay but stopped when Hannah and Clay started dating Hannah knew that the reader like Clay but she still went and dated Clay and so the reader cut ties with them

A/n: I switched up a lot of stuff in case you get confused

Warnings: death, slut-shaming and plotting against someone, and cussing words

You were in the gym your boyfriend Justin and your friends you all were talking about the tapes that Hannah baker left your friends and you all were trying to find a way to get them before it exposed any of you

"I said let's take him for a ride and for a drink once he's so drunk we throw him in the canyon so it seems like it was a suicide." Justin says "Besides everyone is going to believe it, since everyone is going to be like he did it because he wasn't over Hannah since they were lovers.”

“Guys, let's talk about this at my house and I'll gather everyone so we can talk about the tapes. It's better to do it at my place so no one can listen to us.” Monty looks at everyone

"At your place? why not at school?" Alex asks not understanding

“Standall Are you hearing yourself? We can't have no one finding out about the tapes. I don't know Alex if you're actually dumb or you're pretending to be one.” Monty rolls his eyes at him

Alex was about to punch Monty but he was stopped by Justin and Zach "guys we can't fight each other, we're all in this together, we all need each other unless If you want to join Clay but he's not going to accept any of you if he does find out what we did to her."

“Alright I'll let this side, but next time Monty is being a bitch he's going to get it.” Alex fumed

"Yeah whatever." Justin waves Alex off

"You guys should get going already, cheerleading practice is about to start in 45 minutes." You looked down at your watch

"Can't you guys not have us for a little bit longer? besides Bae you're the captain and Jess is the co-captain." Justin tells you

"Justin we would but Jess and I have to make new roots." You kissed his cheek

“Baby can we stay? and watch you guys? " Alex asks Jessica

“Baby why don't you go to the store to buy snacks and drinks for the meeting besides Justin and Zach has practice too. " Jessica tells Alex and kissed him before he left

"Well babe see you later." Justin pulls you into a deep kiss Zach had it to pull Justin away from you since you both were making out "save it for the private room." Zach teases

"They ride us crazy.” You laugh

“Yes they do, but we love them even if they are crazy and sometimes dumb but we have love for them. " Jessica laughs too

“I was thinking, don't you think? It's a bit crazy what the guys want to do with the tapes and Clay?” You asked

“I don't think it's crazy we need to get rid of them.” Jessica answers your questions with a smile

"That's harsh." You respond as you begin to stretch out your arms and legs

“Hannah hurt you, remember? That she dated him. She knew that you loved him, but it didn't stop her from dating him.” Jessica reminds you of what Hannah did to you months before she die.

Flash back

"Hannah, I really love Clay and I'm afraid to tell him." You confessed to your best friend about your feelings for Clay.

"Girly just tell him don't be scared." Hannah tells you with a smile

"You're right, I'll tell him tomorrow morning." You beamed

"You go girl." Hannah cheered happily

You went to school with a smile looking in the hallways for Clay your smile turn into a sad one when you saw Hannah kissing him you held down your tears as you walked past them, ignoring them as they both called your name

In the bathroom, you start crying, you couldn't believe why your former best friend would do this to you.

"You know if you were friends with me I wouldn't do that to you." Jessica said coming behind you

You looked at her through the mirror "what are you talking about?"

“I know what Hannah did to you, she's a total bitch for doing this to you.” Jessica shakes her head “that's how sluts are always trying to steal the people that we love Hannah almost tried to steal my Alex but I was smarter than her."

“I thought the rumors about her were false since she doesn't look like the kind of person that would do this, but I was wrong about her.” You shake your head in disbelief

Jessica pats your back "trust me I also fell for her stupid ass acting she was all acting nice when I was thinking that she was a nice person but in reality she's two faced."

"I thought F.M.L was forever."

“It can't be forever, the betrayer will always break the promises and the forever. "Jessica tells you, "How do you feel about being friends with me? And my friends?"

"I accept." You smile

Jessica smiled and clapped, "Perfect, now come and hang out with our friends and me they're waiting for us at the gym."

“Jess told us what those two did to you, don't worry, Jessica's friends are ours friends, you're now one of us.” Justin says as he walks towards you.

"Maybe you can join cheerleading with me since the captain is leaving. You'll make the perfect captain and I'll be the co-captain if you let me." Jessica grinned

“Jessica you have done a lot for me, you deserve to be the captain more than me.” You beamed at her

“Aww, you're such a sweetheart Maybe after cheerleading practice you wanna go on a date with me? and watch a movie at the Crestmont I'll pay.” Justin flirts with a smirk on his fact

"It's a date then." You grinned

“If you guys end up dating, we can go on double dates.”Alex winks at both of you

"Baby don't worry starting tomorrow we're going to go on double dates with them." Jessica teases

"What about me?" Zach fakes wiping his tears off

"We can get you a dog." You tease as everyone nods and laughs

"Wow Justin, your girl broke my heart." Zach fakes crying again

"My girl is right, we can get you a dog." Justin laughs as he grabs your hand to kiss it

"Wow, I see how it is." Zach playful hits Justin on his shoulder

"Wow Y/n you look gorgeous I mean you're always gorgeous." Justin compliments you with a huge smile on his face

You smile, "thank you Justy, you're handsome.”

You both walked in the Crestmont holding hands with smiles on both of your faces Hannah and Clay turned and gave Justin and you confused stares "Y/N? Justin? What are you doing with him Y/N?"

"Jensen, I don't think it's any of your business." Justin growled

"Justin, it’s our business when it comes to Y/n she's our friend.” Hannah crossed her arms

Justin raised an eyebrow, "if she's your friend why? Didn't she tell the two of you? That she was going on a date with me?”

"Is it true? That you're on a date with him? Why didn't you tell us?" Hannah chided

"Hannah because it's not your business so worry about yourself." You fumed as justin rolled his eyes

"Y/n we're your friends I can't believe you didn't tell us about your date with that jock." Clay tells you angrily

“Guys, end of the conversation just gives us two tickets. If not, then I'm going to come over and complain to the manager.”

"For what movie?" Hannah asks trying to be nice since she doesn’t want to risk losing her job

"M/N." Justin smirks as he hands out the money to Hannah

"Enjoy." Hannah hands Justin the tickets as she gives you an disappointed look

"I can't believe Y/n would go on a date with Justin Foley. He's a player, he's going to end up playing her." Clay tells Hannah

"Why don't you mind your own business Jensen just because you're jealous doesn't mean you can hate on their relationship." Marcus comes to the defense of Justin and you

"Marcus it's none of your business so don't get in." Clay fumed

"Well it happens to be about my friends so it is my business." Marcus barks

"Why are you here for Marcus? You came here to bother us?” Hannah asked annoyed

"It's not your business why am I here." Marcus rolls his eyes at them “you two need to keep your mouth shut.”

"Marcus?, what's going on here?" Justin raised an eyebrow in confusion as he was watching Marcus arguing with Clay and Hannah

"Just here defending Y/n and you from these two." Marcus points at them "they're running their mouths."

Justin rolls his eyes in frustration "Didn't I tell you guys to mind your business."

"Didn't we tell you to stay away from Y/n." Clay bickered

"The only person that can say that is Y/n." Justin grinned in hope that you will choose him

“Y/N tell him.” Hannah smiles knowing you will choose them instead of Justin

"Actually, I want Clay and You to stay away from me." You tell them as Justin let out a smile

“What did we do for you to be acting like this? You were not like this.” Clay looked over at Justin and Marcus," see what you did, you changed her."

“Nobody can change me other than me.” You folded your arms angrily.

“Do as you please, but don't cry when your popular friends used you and Justin played you. " Hannah scowled as she left with a mad Clay

Hannah and Clay were walking in the hallways holding hands with smiles on their faces as everyone that was walking stop to look at them, some of them were whispering to each other the other ones were shaking their heads and continuing walking

“I thought we should take part in the Halloween costume competition that the school organizes for couples.” Hannah tells Clay happily

“We can if you want, so what should we dress up as?” Clay smiles

"I was thinking of Chucky and Tiffany.” Hannah cackled

"You want us to be the spooky couple?” a Clay can’t help but laugh at the idea of being the spooky couple in the competition

"Of course I bet we will win for having the best couple costume ever." Hannah grinned at the thought of winning

Justin and you and the rest of the school were at the gym for the Halloween costume competition as everyone was cheering for Justin and you as the two of you began to dry humping each other

“Ladies and gents, I think we have a winner!! Justin and Y/n as Sexy Punk rockers!!” Courtney announce happily on the microphone

Everyone got out from their seats to congratulate you both for the win

“It’s actually Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen.” Clay whispers annoyed and rolling his eyes

End of it

“I know a way to get rid of Clay and those stupid tapes.” You smirked, trying to hide your worried face

Jesscia smiles, “what’s your plan?”

You smile back, “leave it to me.”

#13 reasons why #13 reasons why x reader #13 reasons imagine #justin foley #justin foley x reader #Justin foley x You #zach dempsey #jessica davis #alex standall #monty de la cruz #clay jensen

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sandersgrey · 1 year

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[ID: A digital drawing. In a dusty corner full of rubble, Kit is curled up on Ty's lap, his arms around his waist. His head rests on Ty's chest in such a way only his hair is visible. His legs drape over Ty's. Ty is holding him gently and has his arms around Kit's shoulders, tilting his face against Kit's hair. They're both bruised and covered in dust and blood, but Kit is more visibly injured, with a burned arm and bruised knees. The sleeve of his denim jacket has been burned off. End ID.]

Just, y'know, thinking about Study's future chapters >:)

#alex wont shut up #kit herondale #tda #kit x ty #ty blackthorn #sobh #twp #a study in greys #zach au #'hey alex what happened here' dont even worry about it ❤#tsc #alex's arty: fanart

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alexstandoll · 9 months

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bodybag.

“. . . it was a circus inside Monty and it's all because of Alex.”

read → part ii: i don't think you understand the effect you have on me

#13rw #13rwedit #13 reasons why #alex standall #montgomery de la cruz #alex x monty #zach dempsey #justin foley #*writings #*multichapter #*moodboard #*malex #*malex:bodybag #*13rw #*2023 #finally after centuries i had the motivation to make a promotional post for part ii.#part iii next but i'm gonna be posting the next part laterrrr or this weekend.

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sunkissed-zegras · 9 months

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hey guys!!

FIRST OF ALL, i would like to thank EVERYONE FOR 100 FOLLOWERS 😭😭 i know its not an insane number but i still am on shock that i literally started posting like 2 weeks ago and now i have 100 🥲 that’s CRAZYYYYY

but anyway, i would like to ask y’all if you would want a 100 follower celly!!! BUT TO MAKE IT INTERESTING, it’ll be either zach bryan OR taylor swift inspired LMAO (i think i’ll choose an album or something)

BUT ANYWAY THIS IS BASICALLY JUST ME ASKING IF YALL WOULD BE INTERESTED 😭😭😭

#ev likes to talk ✮#i might make it evermore or zach’s new album #I WANT ANGST IK THAT FOR SURE THOUGH #anyways lmk if y’all are interested!#trevor zegras #trevor zegras x reader #jack hughes #jack hughes x reader #luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #quinn hughes #quinn hughes x reader #umich boys #umich x reader #umich hockey #alex turcotte #alex turcotte x reader #jamie drysdale x reader #jamie drysdale

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misschanadlerbong · 1 year

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Chapter 13 Pt.1 - Perfect

Summary: Just senior prom.

Warnings: none.

Genre: Fluff with some angst towards the end.

Word Count: 2.9k

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Finally, the day of prom came, and you were all set to get ready and dance your ass off tonight. Jessica was also at your place because you needed her to help with makeup, hair, and stuff you had no idea about. Both the boys were going to pick you up from your place.

Jessica asked in confirmation “Dress?”

“Check!”

“Hair accessories?”

“Check!”

And…did you put a straightener to heat?”

“Oh, Jess do you realize that you are going through this checklist for the fifth time? It is all good even if we leave something out that we are not, so what’s the big deal? Isn’t today all about having fun just chill babe?”

“Y/N this is our last school dance it has to be perfect.” she declared.

You could never win against Jessica in a matter like this, so you just rolled your eyes and followed everything that Jessica told you about. You both went to a full regime of skin care and then she did your makeup and hair.

The theme of the senior prom was ‘Masquerade Ball’ and you picked up a perfect corset dress. It was a sequin dress the corset was black with a tint of golden to it and the skirt was golden with a tint of black at the very bottom of it with embroidered flower patterns. It also had a ribbon that went around your waist and tied into a bow on your back.

You had a last look in the mirror before going into the living room where your parents were waiting to see you. You looked at yourself and, you had to admit, you looked like a goddamn princess and the glow added to your face thinking about Clay made you look even better.

You heard the doorbell, “Honey your dates are here.” your mom shouted from the living room.

You and Jessica walked into the living room and seeing you both your mother exclaimed “Oh sweet Jesus! Don’t you two look beautiful?”

Your father was too startled to say anything, he was shocked at the sight in front of him. He always saw you like his little girl who needed her father’s help in everything but now he saw a well-raised beautiful young woman. Seeing you, your father shed a tear as he was overwhelmed, he tried his best to hide but could not.

You walked up to your dad and said “Aw Dad!” and gave him a warm hug.

Your eyes met Clay. He was wearing a tuxedo and was looking smoking hot. You walk over toward Clay and said, “Who knew my Nerd could pull off a tuxedo?” Clay simply grinned. He was staring deep into your eyes it seemed like he wanted to say something but was not letting it out “What?” you asked.

“You look…” he sighed “Seraphic!” he finally said.

Justin sauntered to Jessica, gave her a sweet kiss, and said: “Hello, gorgeous!” He then turned towards you and said “And Y/N you, you look terrific. I have never seen you like this before.”

Your lips curved into a smile and said, “Thanks Justin, you look great too.”

“Um Y/N I got something for you,” said Clay offering a corsage. You stretched your hand and allowed Clay to put a corsage on your wrist.

“Oh my god, Orchid? This is beautiful! I got something for you too Jensen. Mom, can you pass that?” you asked your mom to pass a boutonniere you especially got for Clay. You pinned the boutonniere to his jacket.”

“Shall we princess?” asked Clay with courtesy. But your father stopped you both.

“So, Clay Jensen, right?” your father questioned.

“Yes, sir.”

“Bring her back till 11, okay?” he demanded.

“Yes, sir,” Clay said like an obedient boyfriend.

You all walked out of the house stopping on the porch you asked Clay “So where is our ride? I mean I asked you out, the least you could do is get us a Limo. Right, Jess?”

Jessica nodded in agreement and raised her eyebrow at Justin in question.

“Okay, I deserve that. Justin and Jessica are going with Charlie and Alex in an actual Limo. I have a different plan for us.” Said Clay.

“Oh really? What is it?” You jumped with excitement.

“I know what you love more than a Limo, this!” said Clay pointing his index finger towards Tony’s Mustang.

“Oh, my fucking god! Tony’s Mustang? How did you convince him?” you asked in disbelief.

“Well, seems like he’d do anything for his best friend he knows how important you are to me and how much you love this car, so he agreed.” Clay offered his hand and asked, “Shall we madame?”

You held his hand and replied, “Oui, monsieur.”

You all arrived at the venue decided by your school. It was a big ballroom with a dancing space near the DJ and there were many round tables arranged for the seating. The room was decorated with every shade of white flowers. Exquisite chandeliers hung above the ceiling giving the room a royal aesthetic.

You and the gang took some drinks and hit the dance floor. You danced to many songs. Tony did the job just right as a DJ, you tried so hard to convince him to join the prom with everybody but being a DJ was his escape from socializing and dancing.

You and Jessica danced your ass off to the song ‘Best Friend’ by Doja Cat and Saweetie and decided to take some rest. Clay was just standing in one corner smiling at you as you danced. You walked up to him and urged “Oh come on Clay, we are at our Prom, we are supposed to Dance you know. Haven’t you read about proms in the library?”

“Ha-ha very funny. I can’t dance. Plus, it is such a pleasure seeing you dancing.”

You pouted at his response and to make it up to you he pecked your lips and offered you a drink.

You both were standing in one corner and talking and observing others. Your eyes fell on Charlie and Alex dancing to a slow song. They both were wearing tuxedos with matching boutonnieres pinned to their jackets and held each other while moving swiftly to the beats of the song. Then you saw Jessica and Justin dancing just beside them, it felt like love was in the air.

As you both were enjoying watching and talking a tall dark-haired boy approached you both.

“Hey Y/N, you look amazing and you too Clay you look fine in that tux,” he said.

“Hi, Zach. Thanks! You don’t look so bad yourself either.” you smiled.

“Um, Clay…I was wondering if I can borrow your date for a dance?”

You looked at Clay and said, “I don’t know Zach, I am pretty tired.”

“Come on Y/N it’s just one dance I am asking for, please?” Zach insisted.

Clay seemed like he had no problem with you two dancing together, “No, Y/N if you want to, then please. I will be right here watching you.” said Clay.

You nodded and proceeded towards the dance floor with Zach. Song ‘The Way, I Loved You’ by Taylor Swift started playing in the background and you both found your rhythm to dance. You held one of Zach’s hands and his other hand rested on your waist. Zach swirled you around a few times and you both were back to facing each other.

“Y/N I’d like to say something,” asked Zach.

“Yeah?”

“See I know we got off on the wrong foot. But I miss my time with you. I regret saying whatever I said. The thing was that I was too scared to put my game in jeopardy. But I didn’t realize that you were equally as important…” you cut him off “But Zach…”

“No, please listen to me. Breaking up with you was a huge mistake, will you ever be able to forgive me? I know you are with Clay now so the least I could ask for is forgiveness” he asked with innocence in his eyes.

“Of course, Zach, I already forgave you a long time ago. To be honest, I am grateful to you, if you never broke up with me, I would have never realized that I had feelings for Clay, and now hearing all those words from you made me realize exactly how I feel about him. So, thank you.”

While you both were dancing Justin and Jessica approached Clay and Justin asked “Dude, what is she doing with Zach?”

“Zach wanted to dance with Y/N so they’re dancing.”

“And you let her?” asked Justin sounding annoyed.

“Yeah, and she does not need my permission I am her boyfriend, not her master or anything and additionally they are just dancing what is wrong with that? It’s prom after all” replied Clay.

“Clay, you don’t let your serious girlfriend dance with her ex with whom the things were still complicated…”

“Oh yeah, Clay sure they are dancing, and look at them so adorable right? Whereas it should be you looking into her eyes the way Zach is. But I am sure this dance will not stir Y/N’s feelings back towards Zach.” Jessica said sarcastically.

Clay started to feel insecure and decided to make a move. He walked up to you as you expected him to. The only thing that could provoke Clay was jealousy and Jess played that card just right.

As soon as he held your hand to dance Tony changed the slow song to some rock music “Seriously Tony?!” you yelled in frustration.

“Hey, it’s okay, we can just jump around like these crazy people here, right?”

A grin took over your pout and Clay and you jumped around the dance floor feeling yourself and being lost in the music.

You and Clay found a seat for yourself to take a break and helped yourself with some food.

“Y/N? Can I talk to you?” a familiar voice came from behind you.

Before you could say anything, Clay howled “What the hell Bryce?”

“Hey man, I just wanna talk to her, just chill, okay?”

You turned towards Bryce and gave his request a thought. You decided to hear him out, whatever he wanted to say. You stood up but Clay pulled you back. You assured him by saying “It is okay Clay. I’ll be fine. What can he possibly do in a room full of people? I will be back, okay?”

Clay nodded in apprehension, and you followed Bryce to a corner of the room. You crossed your arms around your chest and asked, “What is it, Bryce?”

“Look Y/N I wanted to thank you for not taking any serious steps against me. I could have lost my scholarship and my chance to go to school and I want to apologize for whatever I did, I am sorry.”

“Bryce, everybody deserves to go to college, and you do too. No matter how you are everybody deserves a chance, so I gave it to you, and it is not a big deal.”

“Yeah, and I am grateful for that. I didn’t realize what I was doing. I was insecure and acted like a dick…” you cut him off and said in agreement “Well that is true.”

Before Bryce could say something, he was cut off by Clay “Everything okay babe?”

“Yeah, he was just saying something. Everything is fine.”

“Clay let me talk to her, please?” requested Bryce, and Clay started walking away with a frown but this time you pulled his hand and said “No Bryce Clay is not going anywhere. He is my boyfriend whatever you wanna say, you can say in front of him” Clay’s eyes gleamed hearing those words.

Clay stood by your side holding your hand “Y/N I was just saying that I am sorry. For everything.”

“Okay.” You replied.

“Okay? You are not gonna forgive me?” he asked.

“Well, you asked me to hear you out, so I did. I gave you a second chance Bryce, but I cannot forgive you, not just yet. I would like you to live with that guilt, if any.”

Bryce took a step towards you, but he was blocked by Clay in the way. Clay stood between the two of you facing Bryce and his hand stopped Bryce from moving further. Half of your body hid behind Clay.

“You heard her, now just leave her alone.” You never saw Clay so protective, and you loved the way he demanded Bryce leave.

You both went back to where the whole gang was and got to know that they soon are going to announce the Prom King and Queen.

“Who’d, you think it’s gonna be?” you asked Jessica with curiosity.

“Who knows? It is always up to the football team” she said pointing toward Zach and the other guys on the football team.

They called Jessica to announce the Prom King and Queen as she was the class president. Jessica walked right into the middle of the room and took the envelope where the names were mentioned.

She read and every soul in the room was looking at her with suspicion, she built up the suspense and finally said “I can never be happier to announce these two names as Prom King and Queen. Are you all ready to know?”

“Yes!” Everybody yelled in excitement.

“Y/N and Clay what the hell are you doing there? Come here because the Prom Queen is Y/N Y/L/N, and the Prom King is Clay Jensen. Come and collect your tiaras.”

Clay and you saw each other in disbelief as the unexpected had happened. You thought that Charlie and Alex were going to be prom kings but here you were receiving the title of Prom Queen. Jessica put the crown over Clay’s head, and you bowed to let Jessica put the tiara. When Jessica did her part, you looked at the audience and made eye contact with Zach as he raised his glass to you both. “Thank you” you mouthed to him.

“This one’s for two of the most important people in my life” announced Tony while playing ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran.

He knew how much you loved the song, and he played the song at the right moment.

“May I have this dance?” Clay’s question caught your attention and your eyes started shining.

Clay offered his hand, and you instantly took his hand. Clay kissed the back of your hand like a gentleman. You bowed and then held each other in a dancing position.

Clay’s hand slid down to your waist holding you close, and your hands rested on his shoulders. Gazing into each other’s eyes you both started dancing while your legs moved in perfect sync you teased Clay “Who knew this nerd could dance?”

“Well as you say, I am full of surprises.”

You felt ecstatic and calm dancing with Clay like you had nothing to worry about. The lyrics ‘I found a girl, beautiful and sweet. Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me…’ echoed in the background.

You looked at Clay and said, “Clay Jensen, I think I am in love with you.”

“Did you just use both my names in a single sentence?” he teased.

“Come on Clay, you’re ruining the moment.”

Clay chuckled and replied, “Sorry, I know I am in love with you Y/N Y/L/N.”

“And I am in love with you Clay Jensen.”

‘I don’t deserve this…’

‘You look perfect tonight…’

Clay swirled you around and your body collided as he held you tight like he was never letting you go.

“Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” the crowd started shouting in unison.

You looked at Clay and said, “Seems like it’s time for some PDA Jensen.”

Clay smiled and crashed his lips onto yours, the kiss was desperate yet gentle. After you both had your moment, the crowd joined the dance floor, and you danced in Clay’s arms for the rest of the night.

---

Clay abided by your father’s rule of getting you back to your place by eleven. As you both were not party people at all you decided to ditch the after-party. You both sat down on the couch in your bedroom and helped yourself to some hot chocolate.

The first thing you did after reaching your home was to get out of that dress and realize how good it feels to finally be able to breathe again. You lay your head on Clay’s chest and he put his arm around you as you both sipped your hot chocolate.

“Clay?” you called him out.

“Yeah?”

“I got a mail today, I got into Princeton.”

Clay removed his hand from your shoulder and sat up straight.

“Wow, that’s… great. But you are not going right?” asked Clay in apprehension.

“Clay… Princeton has been my dream college since I was a little kid. Of course, I want to go.”

“You’ll go all the way across the country? What about…us? We all know long distance never works” said Clay standing up.

You tried to convince him “Clay come on, it’s my college we are talking about.”

“So, all that ‘I love you shit was fake huh? You were playing with me this whole time, right?!” He sounded furious.

He started walking out of the room in a rage, but you tried to stop him “Clay please stay. Talk to me.”

Clay shed a tear and whimpered “I am too tired to fight right now Y/N. I should probably leave.”

He left and slammed your bedroom door. Tears started running down your eyes. You were asking questions yourself; did you just ruin a perfect relationship? Did you just hurt the most wonderful boy you have ever met? The hurt caused was not intentional, but you still felt guilty, you ruined your perfect night with the boy you love. Maybe Clay was right, maybe you were graduating single from high school.

Shower your love by liking and commenting on the post. Refrain from copying, plagiarism, or posting on any other platform.

THANK YOU!!!

P.S.: I also upload on Wattpad @immafreakingmoonstone, feel free to check out my account :)

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cheriladycl01 · 2 months

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It All Happened so Fast - Grid x Ferrari Reader

Plot: Y/N has someone enter her hotel room after the grand prix and threaten to rob her, after not answering her phone, some of the drivers come to her rescue. Done in the style of a podcast/interview.

Warning: This had dark themes, of abuse, kidnapping (kind of?), SA etc

Credit to makeagif for the GIF :)

"And tonight we have Y/N with us on the podcast! And we'll be learning the truth about what happened at French Grand Prix, now that she's finally ready to speak up about what happened!" he says as you walk out, your hands were clammy from the build up of sweat on them and the lights all felt a little too bright.

"Hello, Zach how are you?" you smile to the podcaster, taking a seat in the purple studio on scotting so you were next to the cushion.

"I'm good, I'm good and how are you doing, despite everything that happened?" he asks looking over you, making sure you were okay.

"Yeah, you know I took a blow and speak to a therapist about everything but ultimately I'm back in the car and doing what I love most!" you nod, explaining how you'd not gone to the next race after the incident because of a bruised rib.

"So talk us through that day, start to finish!" he smiles and you nod, feeling safe and comforted to talk in his presence.

"It was a pretty normal day, it was just after qualifying had finished and I was celebrating with Charlie" you smile. You remembered getting your first pole position with Ferrari that year having taken over from Carlos who had made the move to Audi.

You were so happy, jumping in the arms of the crew and Fred who'd become like a father to you before finding comfort in Charles, who wasn't Charles to you but Charlie. He was your big brother around the paddock, most of them were.

"Congrats gorgeous!" he grins hugging you tightly. Alex, his girlfriend came running over, pulling you away from Charles into a big hug of her own. Alex had become like your big sister and you'd kind of become attached to her in your time in the paddock. She'd let you borrow her clothes, which Charlie didn't like as he thought they were way too mature for a young girl like you, which you'd argued against many times. You got ready with Alex in your rooms, and even travel together in the off seasons. And don't even get started on the Leclerc family who had practically adopted you after becoming Charles partner.

"Thank you Charlie! We had a great drive today! A front row lock out for us!" you cheese excitedly looking around the paddock, locking your eyes on anyone else who you could exclaim your happiness too.

"I think Lando is over there!" he smiles pointing out your paddock crush. You'd had a crush on Lando ever since he came to see you race in F2, when you started to get noticed by the likes of Ferrari and other F1 teams.

You rush over, seeing him talking to Jon and Oscar who was with his girlfriend Lily.

"Hey guys!" you grin at the two boys, and they both smile back to you, Oscar and Lily pulling you into a joint hug first and then letting go of you so Lando could kiss your cheek and pull you into a hug.

"You did amazing today!" he smirks one corner of his mouth raising and a blush coming onto your face.

You sat in the studio thinking of how Lando had made your heart flutter like crazy!

"I think after we all were celebrating qualifying with my team and everyone else we were all leaving, discussing the plans for that night" you admitted thinking back to what happened in the build up.

"Yeah, we have pictures of you here celebrating with your team-mate Charles Leclerc and his girlfriend Alexandra, Lewis and a few others" he says flicking all of the pictures he had saved of you in the paddock celebrating your qualifying result.

"So, if i've got the story right? You were invited to dinner with some of your friends correct?" he asked.

"There was talk of all of us going out that night, it was my first pole position and everyone was very proud of me and they wanted to celebrate it. Obviously, for this specific race there aren't many hotels in the area so majority of the drivers stay at the same hotel close to the track for ease. So in my hotel there was Charles, me, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Vertsappen, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly and that was supposed to be the group that went out!" you offer and he looks over you.

"Supposed to be?" he asks, looking at his notepad and you nod.

"So, Alex chose the place we were going and it was sort of a bar, sort of joint... when Lando and a few others looked at the menu they didn't fancy it so Max, Daniel, Charles, Carlos, Lando and Oscar all decided to pick their own place. I didn't want the plans to change so i stayed with Alex, Lewis, George, Liam, Yuki and Pierre. By the time we got to the bar there was security out and because I was the only one under the drinking age in the states I was refused" you laugh thinking it was sort of funny.

"Wait so they said you weren't allowed into the bar because of the drinking age?" he repeats making sure he had all the information correct.

Thinking back, the whole interaction was kind of funny.

"Yeah sorry, your underage you cant go in" the security guard says handing you back your ID.

"What?" you chuckle, the security knew who you were, i mean come on you were stood in front of Lewis Hamilton.

"Sorry, bar rules" he says with a frown before nodding for Lewis to go in.

"Mate come on, look none of us are here to drink... we're all driving tomorrow and we just want to take our girl out for a celebratory meal" Lewis smiles ruffling your hair making you giggle.

"Sorry man, no is a no. Even for you" he sighs, getting bored of the groups antics and how they are holding up the line.

"No come on I'm not having this, the whole reason we are here is because of her. We arent going in if she isn't allowed!" Lewis argues before George and Liam join in.

"Alright, either you can go in without her or we're all kicking you out right now" the head of security says coming out making you sigh and grab onto Lewis' arm.

"I'm just going to go, I hope you guys have fun but I don't want you guys to not go out for food because of me!" you sigh stepping to one side.

"No Y/N! The whole reason we are out tonight is because of you!" Lewis whines a little wanting everything to be perfect.

"Well half the group already bailed and went somewhere else so it's no issue!" you giggle.

"But where will you eat!" George asks.

"Look, I'll be bad and treat myself to a Maccies, but you cant tell anyone. Especially not Joris or Maggie, they'll have my head!" you say and after a lot more convincing you were let go.

Looking back you had no idea leaving by yourself was probably the worst decision you ever made.

"So you walked back to the hotel alone, that correct?"

"Well, i got myself a McDonalds first which was hilarious because there was so many fans that spotted me in there and I think that was the start of where everything went wrong. People quickly realized where I was and that I was alone with no security or team. I took a few pictures but left for the hotel very quickly" you explain softly, loving the interactions you got with your fans that night.

"And once you were in the hotel, what were you doing?" he prompted.

"Well, I got in immediately and I actually had someone from the hotel walk up with me, I'd felt strange the whole way home and just wanted someone to make sure i got up there okay"

"And by feeling strange, like you were drunk and been spiked?" he asks with his head cocking to his side.

"Mmm no just that I didn't feel alone, even though i was. I felt like my steps were being followed but I couldn't see anything. It was dark and I thought it must just be the paranoia, but the hotel staff were so helpful and took me to my room. The two members of staff actually looked around my whole room before leaving me alone!" you say, knowing the hotel did everything in their action to make sure you were safe.

"So you got in and you ate your food I'm presuming, what did you have?" he chuckles, everyone knew how much you loved a McDonalds.

"A wrap and a cheeseburger, I know bad but I was solo celebrating!" you chuckle.

"That sounds so good right now!" he luaghs before silencing to let you continue with your story.

"After that it was getting late and I wanted to be as prepared as possible for the next day so I got into the shower, where I didn't hear the door unlatch. I just remember rinsing the shampoo out my eyes and seeing him standing there watching me!" you gulp nervously getting onto the scary bit of the story.

"He was in the bathroom already, at this point?" he asks his eyes wide.

It was scary, you'd just finished really scrubbing the sweat and helmet grease out of you hair, you rubbed your eyes making sure they wasn't anything that was going to sting them in their before opening them.

It took you by so much shock to see the black silhouette in the bathroom, you grabbed the towel hoping it was Charles or Lando, at least someone you knew. But it was him, the man that kept you in fear of hotels.

"What the fuck!" you cried wrapping the towel around you, you couldn't see his face right now, his face was covered by the steam of the shower and his black and red Ferrari cap.

He was a fan, which made you want to cry more.

"Your gonna be quiet, yes beautiful?" he asks showing you the gun on his waist band.

You nodded not wanting to aggravate him.

Before you knew it he grabbed you out the shower by your arm. Forcing you onto the sofa in your room, at this point you'd started to cry. He hit you so hard, you bruised a rib and sprained your wrist.

"I cant imagine the panic you felt" Zach sighed comfortingly as you nodded.

"Yeah, i mean there was moments where i thought, this is it, I'm not going to come out of this alive" you sighed before continuing your accounts.

He asked you the code for the safe, which you told his straight away, he started going through all of your stuff, you didn't care about the loose cash or anything else but when he pulled out the expensive Cartier necklace Lando got you for your birthday you started to sob harder.

"Please, not that!" you cry out loudly making his head flick over to you, rage on his face.

"Mmmm from your boy Lando right?" he grins evilly and you cry more.

"GET ON THE BED!" he screamed at you and you looked at him in shock.

"What?" you asked.

"Are you stupid? I said to get on the fucking bed!" he screamed out again making you whimper and cry more from the shock as you got up onto the bed, sitting on the edge.

"Fuck, I'm not even sure I want to know where this goes!" Zach sighs after taking a sip of his drink. You explain how he had started to touch you, and you were practically naked on the bed.

"I was just going to suck it up, the gun was the scariest thing and I couldn't help but think that Charles would probably be the one to come in and find me..." you admitted, knowing it was one of the scariest moments.

"It was one of those moments where you know they talk about fight flight or freeze, ask anyone and they'll tell you I fight, no matter what but I just froze because of the circumstances..." you attempt to say without messing up.

"And before stuff got to bad?" he asks.

"I had my boys to rely on" you smile softly.

Charles had the spare room key to his room, and when he, Lando Max and Daniel were coming back and heard yelling through the door, they needed to see if you were okay!

"Y/N!" you heard Charles through the door, the guy currently fondling you looked up in shock. Charles and the rest of them rushed into the room. Max was the first to throw a punch at the guy, pretty much getting him onto the floor. Charles started to cover you up while Daniel called hotel security and Lando called the police. Charles was holding onto you as you shook, sobbing and gasping for short little breaths.

"Hey hey it's okay!" Lando says seeing you and your panicked state.

"Let's get him outta here!" Daniel says kicking his shin.

"Necklace!" you gasp out, looking over Lando's eyes and he cocks his head to one side in confusion before understanding what you meant.

Lando jumped off the bed, searching the guy's pockets until he pulled your necklace out.

"Scumbag!" he'd told him as Max and Daniel hauled the guy out of your room.

Lando came back, holding you on the other side of Charles forcing you into a sort of sandwich.

"So what happened with the rest of the night?" Zach asked pulling your mind back into the studio room.

"There was a lot of crying, lot of police. I only told the police about my injuries so they could take pictures for the report. And i somehow drove the next day, still came in P1 and stood on that podium until I fainted. I was of course pulled from the next race because i'd worsened my injuries by driving... but it was worth it for the win!"

"Woah, that truly is an incredible story!" Zach smiles, pulling you into a hug which you gladly accept.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @lazybot @malynn @cassielikereading @viennakarma @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @jlb20416 @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @seomako @urdad-hot @tinydeskwriter @ironmaiden1313 @splaterparty0-0 @formula1mount @styl1shl1v

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adamsmasher · 5 months

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Okay it's after 1am and I've had a lot of wine so obviously it's time for a late night wall-of-text post, but this time it's less likely to piss off your weird uncle or whatever because once again, I gotta talk about the best $4.99 a month I've ever spent.

Please, if you haven't yet, I'm begging you to look into all of the incredible content available on the Dropout.tv streaming service (formerly known as College Humor) . Not only did Whose Line Is It Anyway's Wayne Brady say that the Dropout crew are the only ones doing improv comedy on the same level as Whose Line, but they were also one of the only studios/streaming services allowed to work during the writers' strike because their contracts went above and beyond industry standards. (And, from my own observations, Dropout LOVES hiring queer, trans/nonbinary, and BIPOC performers + crew. Obviously I don't know much about the industry, but they seem like one of the most inclusive companies in Hollywood.)

"Alex, thanks for the recommendation! What shows do they have that you think I'll like?" Oh, you're asking me to gush about my favorite tv shows? Don't mind if I do!!!

Are you D&D curious, but took one look at actual play shows like Critical Role and thought "6 hours an episode? and there's like 750 episodes or whatever? oh baby not my adhd ass..." Don't worry, me too (sorry CR I love you I promise). But Dropout has a show called "Dimension 20" where comedians play Dungeons and Dragons with emotional, immersive storytelling, gut-busting laughs, and spectacular set design that makes you forget it's a fully improvised series controlled by the roll of the dice. They even did a miniseries perfect for D&D beginners called "Dungeons and Drag Queens" where absolute novices and Drag Race royalty Jujubee, Monet X Change, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Bob the Drag Queen embark on an adventure full of mystery, intrigue, and stupidity. I mean, Alaska plays a muscle-bound, axe-wielding, caveman-grunting Orc named Princess, what more could you want? Plus, the primary game master Brennan Lee Mulligan is so easy on the eyes. Oh, you're not into dorky ginger dudes? How about Aabria Iyengar, a 6 foot tall goddess who's equally as nerdy as Brennan but loves basketball. that's right, if nothing else, there's eye candy for every person in every season.

"Oh, why aren't there any good game shows on TV?" you wonder, wishing that the Game Show Network could come up with something that isn't a lame remake of a free-to-play phone game. Well how about Game Changer, "the only game show where the game changes every show (except for [...] Game of Games, Taskmaster, and a few others that have come to light AFTER [Game Changer first aired]. That's right, [the] players have no idea what game it is they're about to play. The only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning." And yes, I did sit there and watch the beginning of an episode to make sure I was accurately quoting Game Changer host (and Dropout CEO) Sam Reich's description of his flaghship game show that has THREE separate spin-offs. (for context, he only mentions the other shows that copied his in the one episode I pulled up to get an accurate quote. could you imagine how uncomfortable it would be if he said that every episode? hah!)

Are you more of a traditional Whose Line fan? Look no further than Game Changer spin-off Make Some Noise, where contestants act out "improvisational prompts that [they have] never seen before, isn't that right contestants?" ("We won't know if we've seen them before or not until we see them!" Brennan insists every time he's on...)

You like musicals but wish they were less... ya know, scripted? Check out "Play It By Ear", a fully improvised musical! (you may be familiar with its primary cast members Jess McKenna and Zach Reino from the podcast that inspired it all, "Off Book: the Improvised Musical Podcast with Zach and Jess")

Or maybe you're more into trivia, cuz you're a total nerd like me (and every single performer that's ever appeared on dropout.tv). How about "Umm, Actually" where contestants are given an incorrect statement and have to buzz in to correct it - but you have to say "Umm, Actually" first!

Straight up, you can't go wrong on Dropout. Please, check it out. They're nearly doubling the amount of original shows they have in 2024, and no other streaming service is doing it like them. If I haven't convinced you yet, get the 7 day trial and give em a chance. There's no referral code I can give you that gives me some sort of kickback or whatever, I genuinely wrote what looks like a thousand word essay about Dropout at 1am just because I love them so much.

youtube

#dropout.tv #umm actually #dimension 20 #make some noise #game changer #brennan lee mulligan #aabria iyengar #for a late night wine-fueled rant on a broken keyboard i think this went well #actually i feel so guilty about my CR dig because i loved Exandria Calamity so much so please dont yell at me #also google said quiddie is exactly 6 feet i hope i did her justice

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choicesfandomappreciation · 5 months

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Secret Pal Exchange—December 2023

Thank you to everyone who participated this year to make the Secret Pal event a success! You helped spread joy and cheer in our fandom. Thank you for making this place one where we can come, feel safe, and enjoy talking about our fave pixel people. I hope you the rest of the year is kind to you and that 2024 brings you nothing but goodness! 💛

Missed this event? There will be another Secret Pal event in February!

Alphabetical by user name of the giftee Please let me know if you see any errors or any links that are wrong

❤️ To: @a-cloud-for-dreams 💚 From: @hydn-jpg

Trystan x MC Art

❤️ To: @aallotarenunelma 💚 From: @lilyoffandoms

Saini / Immortal Desires MC Moodboard + Art

❤️ To: @abelflints 💚 From: @totojo2

Tyril Starfury Art

❤️ To: @cadybear420 💚 From: @tveitertotwrites

Moving (fic) Aiden and Evie are moving out of their home and onto the next chapter of their life.

❤️ To: @cariantha 💚 From: @peonierose

Ethan x MC Art

❤️ To: @hydn-jpg 💚 From: @noesapphic

Partner (fic) Joaquin takes Zach to a salacious escapade to Vermont. Needless to say, it will be a memorable trip.

❤️ To: @inlocusmads 💚 From: @rosepetals1

Multiple Pairings Moodboard/Aesthetics

❤️ To: @jerzwriter 💚 From: @stars-are-within-me

Introduction Cookies (fic) There is a new case to solve and Trystan has a surprise for Carolina. Angels (fic) The gang goes ice skating. Airports (fic) It's time for Carolina to return home just in time for New Year's and the gang goes to pick her up. Everything should go according to plan,right?

❤️ To: @ladylamrian 💚 From: @peonyblossom

Nik Ryder x Alex Moodboard

❤️ To: @lilyoffandoms 💚 From: @a-cloud-for-dreams

Tyril x Maiele Moodboard + Video Edit

❤️ To: @lovealexhunt / storyofmychoices💚 From: @moominofthevalley

Daenarya Moodboard

❤️ To: @moominofthevalley 💚 From: @inlocusmads

Interborough Loops (fic) Emily puts her feelings to words after taking a leap of faith - something she'd not consider doing if it weren't for watching the people around her. However, Trystan isn't a huge fan of words.

❤️ To: @noesapphic 💚 From: @cariantha

Tyril x MC x Nia Art

❤️ To: @oh-so-youre-a-nerd 💚 From: @aallotarenunelma

By My Side (fic) : Aerin x MC

❤️ To: @peonierose 💚 From: @ladylamrian

Bryce x MC Icons + Drabble

❤️ To: @peonyblossom 💚 From: @lovealexhunt /@storyofmychoices

A Cozy Christmas (fic + moodboard) Ethan, Sydney, and Caramel spent a cozy Christmas at home.

❤️ To: @rosepetals1 💚 From: @tessa-liam

Mal x MC Edit

❤️ To: @stars-are-within-me 💚 From: @cadybear420

Multiple Pairing Character Edits

❤️ To: @talasintahan 💚 From: @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Kamilah, Gaius, Adrian Art

❤️ To: @tessa-liam 💚 From: @talasintahan / @gaiuskamilah

Liam x MC Art

❤️ To: @totojo2 💚 From: @abelflints

Eiko x MC Edit (MOTY)

❤️ To: @tveitertotwrites 💚 From: @zealouscanonindeer

AME Aesthetic/Moodboard RCD Aesthetic/Moodboard

❤️ To: @zealouscanonindeer 💚 From: @jerzwriter

A Tall Order (fic + art) It's a snowy lunch break at Edenbrook.

#ChoicesSecretPal23 #choices #choices game #playchoices #choices fandom #choices fandom appreciation #cfa

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k-evans-reads · 1 year

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In Living Color

Chapter 24

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 3,953

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

Nat watched with a smile as Chris opened the sliding doors from his room to the patio, stepping out in his swim trunks and a tee shirt and into the bustling backyard. The kids all hurriedly shouted greetings to him before they turned their attention back to the game, and soon enough he’d made his way over to Nat and Alex as they sat on lounge chairs near the pool as Jack napped on Alex’s chest.

Her eyes slipped shut momentarily as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and murmured, “Hey,” before he greeted Alex.

“How’d it go?” Alex asked him, her hand moving up and down Jack’s back as he slept soundly.

She watched Chris shrug, pursing his lips before he smirked as she saw him watching the kids playing with Heather and Ryan in the pool. “Alright,” he finally answered with another shrug. “Didn’t go awfully but I never like doing talk shows.”

Nat frowned as she listened to his words, but the reassuring look on Chris’ face as they met each other’s eyes quelled her fears. He winked at her before he slipped his sunglasses over his eyes, shielding him from the early evening sun, and turned, giving Dodger a scratch before the dog ran off again.

“Zach is just about to start grilling,” Nat began, before Chris nodded, turning his head over his shoulder as he headed over towards the outdoor kitchen.

Nat’s words were proven true when Zach and Eric came out of the house carrying chicken and burgers to grill, bright smiles on their faces when they saw Chris had returned. She listened happily to the sounds of the kids splashing in the pool, Chris catching up with her brother-in-law and father as they turned the grill on, and the soft breathing of Jack as he slept happily, and Nat felt… content. She was happy and warmth spread over her body, not from the summer sun, but from just how great she felt here with everyone.

It’d been a rough few months not only for her, but for Chris as well, and for the first time since early April, Nat felt like she could take a deep breath and kick back. She had the week off of work, having arrived in Los Angeles from San Francisco late the previous Saturday. She’d been more than happy to hang out with Chris in his home in between him running around the city, making appearances and doing interviews to promote the film. She’d relished in the familiarity of it all, something she’d been missing since she’d moved up north.

But the best part was when her family arrived the previous day, just after Chris finished his Zoom interviews at home. Getting to hug everyone and finally be with them meant more to Nat than she’d realized, and she felt her gratitude for Chris’ generous offer of playing host for them grow as she got to spend more and more time with him and them.

Nat’s brain was cycling through thoughts of feeling as if it was her playing pretend. That the elated shrieks of joy from the pool, the roar of the grill kicking on as Chris’ laughter echoed through the backyard, and that the content sighs of Alex next to her all weren’t real. That this wasn’t her reality, her life, or where she really was, not after spending so much time alone and unhappy as of late. She knew some of it was her fault – her fault for turning down invitations from her new co-workers of bar hopping on Fridays after a long and busy week, of taking lunches at her desk as she tried to keep up with her ever-growing inbox, and not venturing out much. But she was tired. She was simply so exhausted at points that she could barely muster the energy to brush her teeth at night and turn the lights off before falling into bed, that it was hard for her to summon the energy to be Nat.

She’d expected the transition to San Francisco to come with growing pains, but she’d been comforted by the knowledge that it wasn’t an entirely new place. She’d been there before for work trips to Pixar’s main campus, and she knew most of the team there already. But her reputation around the Disney offices of being the jokester, the happy-go-lucky, cheerful one had followed her there, and she struggled reconciling that persona and personality with reality now. She’d thrived in Los Angeles, with her core group of friends, her routine… and with Chris. But now she didn’t have that consistency in her life, with an ever-changing schedule depending on what department needed her and what meetings she was needed in, and by the end of the day she nearly always had a pounding headache. Any plans to finally take that scary step, to try to form friendships with people or finally start going to that yoga class she’d had bookmarked for weeks now were thwarted by the pain. Instead, Nat would go home, scrounge up some semblance of dinner, and quickly talk to Chris as she continued working in an attempt to make tomorrow better, but it never did. It truly never stopped.

But now, here in Southern California, with her entire extended family and the man she so desperately loved – and had been for well over a year now – she was happy. She was herself. She could’ve stayed there on that lounge chair all night as the sun dipped below the horizon, but she joined everyone at the large dining table on Chris’ back patio, her hand on Chris’ back as they passed the plates around and helped the kids get situated.

Carson’s blonde hair stuck up every which way as his pool towel draped over his shoulders, and his eyes were wide as Chris helped serve the young boy food. Nat’s smile was soft as she watched Carson eagerly take the plate from Chris before he started eating in the chair across from them, and then her attention was drawn to Lily, sweet Lily, who was quietly sitting next to Chris, a smile on her lips as he whispered something to her, making her laugh.

Looking around at everyone here, Nat knew this is where she was meant to be, and was so thankful that Chris had fought for them to get to this point, to make it this far. But she didn’t want to stop here. She wanted to add a few more seats to the table, if they were able, and to see these kids grow up, hand-in-hand with each other at every graduation, birthday party, and soccer game, signing each Christmas gift and birthday cards from “Uncle Chris and Aunt Nat”.

She’d been zoned out and in her own head for a long time when she felt Chris’ elbow nudge her side, expectant eyes staring back at her as Chris slyly nodded his head to Ryan. “Sorry, what?” Nat asked, a sheepish look on her face as she looked at her brother-in-law.

“I was just asking how San Francisco and work has been for you,” Ryan explained, shrugging with a small grin.

Nat took a deep breath, biting her lip. “It’s… alright,” she began, pausing as she felt Dodger pass her underneath the table. “It’s just been really busy. I didn’t really expect the adjustment to be this hard,” she explained in a moment of honesty, one she hadn’t really divulged to any of them yet.

“You just miss that soft serve machine at the Disney campus,” her brother-in-law Ryan pointed out, causing a loud round of laughter to pass through the group with each of them being well aware that it was a fixture Nat loved. But in that moment, she couldn’t seem to muster up a laugh because the situation felt anything but lighthearted to her.

Heather encouraged her with a smile,“I’m sure you’ve already made a ton of friends there.”

“Well, it’s hard to compete with Mark and Jamie,” she muttered in response, not wanting to admit that there truly hadn’t been anyone she clicked with, leaving so much loneliness inside her but just shrugged, “It’s just been a lot different settling in than I thought.”

“Probably because unpacking that disaster called moving boxes was a job in itself!” Chris slapped a hand to his chest while boisterously laughing before he started telling the story to the family of how he had to dig through pots and pans just to find Nat’s socks but the playful teasing seemed to gloss over her feelings that she struggled to even wrap her brain around, let alone share, so once again Nat just pushed those emotions away for the time being.

She knew she’d have to figure out a way to settle in and figure out her new life in San Francisco, especially after how hard she fought to take this position, but now wasn’t the time. Nat was here in Chris’ house, which felt like it was partly her home too with her section of clothes in the closet, hair products in the shower, and her little touches of throw pillows and artwork around the house. She was sitting here with the man that she loved more than she ever knew was possible and her family that was here to go to the premiere of the movie that changed her life. Right now she didn’t have to think about going back to San Francisco, she was here with the things that mattered most to her in life and she was happy.

The minutes on the clock kept passing as the family all hung around eating and talking while the kids played, in their own bubble of happiness until Chris’ phone chimed with a notification from his older sister. Quickly, Chris and Nat scurried to the door to open the gate to Chris’ home, wide grins on their faces as they finally got to see Chris’ family arrive for the premiere. His mother and older sister Carly, along with her husband, Kevin, and their kids had made the trip from Massachusetts to Los Angeles, but that wasn’t the only thing Nat was excited about.

Chris’ niece and nephews were each holding a few randomly colored balloons in their hands as they ran up the front walkway to greet their uncle, and Carly held a bag, giving Nat a knowing smile as she followed Lisa up the path, who held a box in her hands.

Nat had reached out to Lisa a few weeks prior when she realized that Chris’ promotional schedule had him flying to London just before his birthday, putting him thousands of miles apart from everyone during his special day. They’d decided on doing a small celebration for him, not only for his birthday, but to celebrate the hard work he’d put in for the film for years now.

She hung back, taking the ice cream from Carly and passing the cake to Alex as she came to help and went into the kitchen with her sister, giving Chris a moment to say hello to everyone and have some privacy. But as they slowly gathered everyone inside around the large dining table, passing cake and scoops of ice cream to everyone after they sang to Chris, she found herself sitting closely next to the man of the hour. His arm was around her shoulders as they stood at the island, his attention devoted to watching his niece and nephews as they ran around outside with the dog. His thumb moved side to side over Nat’s bare arm, occasionally tapping the skin there in a way that told her he felt just as happy as she did.

The conversation amongst the group flowed easily until Lisa switched the subject to what would be taking place tomorrow night and commented, “I can’t wait to see you two together tomorrow night. You’re going to look so good together!”

Upon hearing the comment of the impending news of their relationship being broken to the world tomorrow night, Carly was curious, “Nat, did you decide what you’re wearing?”

“Oh did you get that expensive dress?” Heather chimed in.

“No but what I picked was just as expensive,” she admitted with a chuckle. She remembered her weeks-long search, having consulted with Chris’ stylist to make sure what she’d wear wouldn’t clash with his planned outfit. She then shrugged as she added, “I figured if photos of Chris and I are going to be plastered all over the internet I might as well go all out.”

Carly smiled as she listened to Nat’s words, just as Nat’s brothers-in-law grabbed the kids to get them ready for bed after their long day of swimming. “So what did you choose?” She asked, eyes glancing outside at where her children were playing with Dodger before she looked at Nat with a raised brow.

Nat leaned back against Chris’ embrace, his thumb still moving over her skin. “Um, it’s over in that garment bag,” she began, nodding her chin to the two garment bags hanging in the doorway of the laundry room. One was smaller, a black bag with Chris’ name in his stylist’s handwriting on the outside of it and the other was full-length and a beige color.

Lisa, Carly, Heather, and Alex went over to the bag, unzipping it and taking in the chartreuse wide-leg pantsuit she’d had altered in the previous days. She hung back with Chris, relaxing in his touch as she heard the women excitedly whisper to each other as their eyes took in the outfit. Eric stayed near the couple, but his attention was captivated by the garment bag across the room as he craned his neck to sneak a peek at it. But with the women crowded around the clothes, hands reaching out to delicately run over the material and the embroidered bra she’d wear with it, Eric got up and headed over to get a better look.

“I’m so nervous,” Nat muttered quietly, chewing on her bottom lip.

Almost instantly, Chris tightened the arm that was tossed over her shoulder, pulling her close so that he could kiss her cheek and comfort her with, “Nattie, remember you don’t have to do this,”

“Well people have been hardcore speculating we’re together ever since the house party last year and then you coming to my art show and the other times we’ve been spotted, so it makes sense to just come out with it,” Nat shrugged, recalling the multiple conversations they’d had about this and finally coming forward publicly with their relationship. They had hoped just coming forward with it would help stop some of the speculation and let them have a little more freedom.

“I think so too,” Chris agreed before dipping his head and smiling at her sweetly while adding, “Besides, I want to be arm in arm with the most talented artist at Pixar.”

“So that means I have to be arm and arm with you then?” She couldn’t help but tease him.

“Sorry baby, you’re stuck with me now,” he simply shrugged. “If it makes you feel better though, I’m nervous about tomorrow too but it makes me feel better knowing I’ll have you with me. And now we won’t have to hide.”

Nat just nodded, tucking some of her curls behind her ear while acknowledging, “If you think it’s the right time to appear together, I trust that.”

Chris nodded toward her, silently saying he thought it was the best decision before sealing it with a soft kiss before telling her, “I love you, Nattie.”

“I love you too,” she smiled, knowing how easily those words fell out of her mouth.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, but held her close as it grew into a smile. His head leaned against her own as his hand slipped down her side to rest on the small of her back, fingers tapping absentmindedly against her worn shirt.

Nat was admittedly scared, she didn’t think there was anything anyone in her position could ever do to properly prepare for this. But at the end of the day, hiding would always cause more stress for the both of them. She struggled sometimes with knowing they couldn’t run to the grocery store together in most places for fear of him being spotted, which would spur further attention and interest in not only him, but Nat as well.

The attention on Nat’s personal life had calmed down much more when compared to this time last year, and she finally felt like she could breathe when she wasn’t faced with thousands of follow requests hourly on her social media. But with this big scary step towards finally acknowledging the relationship publicly, she and Chris had discussed how things would likely look going forwards. More interest and requests for interviews and comments to his press team, more speculation online, more attempts to get a glimpse into her private accounts… it all was just so foreign to her.

But she felt ready. She felt ready to get to be side-by-side with him as a partner, to finally be able to speak openly beyond their tight knit circles about their relationship statuses, to get to post things a little more freely without worrying if someone will see her in the background of a story of Dodger, if a hostess at the Italian place downtown would share that they were together having dinner, or any of the thousands of other scenarios her mind made up while she couldn’t sleep each night.

Even though she maybe wasn’t one hundred percent ready, she’d seen the frustration Chris felt, and tried to hide, when he’d admit that he just wished things could’ve been easier. That no one cared who he was with or if he was dating. So with that knowledge, and hearing Chris out when he came to her with the idea of walking the carpet together at this smaller-scale premiere than he normally had… she agreed. Maybe with a bit of anxiety, a bit more fretting than she anticipated, and with a bit of hesitancy, but she agreed. And now, in less than a day, she and Chris’ faces would likely be all over any coverage of the event.

She only hoped that this was the right choice, that this big leap and change in their relationship was for the better. He’d felt the same, she knew that he was excited for the event as a whole. It was hard to overlook the importance of the premiere for both of them. For Nat, her first released work as the lead character designer for the main character of the film. For Chris…. His lifelong dream of working in a Pixar movie was realized. And she couldn’t have been more proud of him and hoped he’d have a chance to remember that tomorrow.

“I still can’t believe how fuckin’ amazing that movie looked,” Chris whispered as he shut the bedroom door behind him quietly. They’d just arrived back at Chris’ after the premiere, having quietly made their way to their room, careful to not wake anyone in the rest of the home. Her family had left after the movie, with Alex and Zach coming home first with the kids to relieve the sitter for Jack, and the rest slowly making their way during the after-party. Chris’ voice was full of awe as he reminded her, “Baby, that was what you created.”

She smirked, lifting her shoulders in a half-shrug as she reached back and took off her necklace while she kicked off her heels. “Well you’re the one who brought it to life with your voice,” she pointed out, relaxing as her bare feet hit the hardwood floors.

“Are you kidding? Nobody could have given a shit about my voice, they were too busy staring at those incredible reflections on Buzz’s helmet,” she heard him protest as he made his way through the bedroom, bathroom, until he finally reached the large walk-in-closet. Nat followed him there, desperate to change out of the fancy clothes and into something comfortable. While she’d loved – practically adored – the outfit she’d worn and felt beautiful, she was ready to relax and just be Nattie, instead of Natalie Marton.

She smirked as he caught her eyes as he unbuttoned the knit polo, her voice quiet as she confessed, “Okay I will admit I was pretty proud of that.”

A soft smile was on Chris’ lips as he watched her carefully hang the blazer before she changed out of the rest of the clothes. “I’m pretty proud of you,” he told her honestly.

“And I’m proud of you. I can’t get over how talented you are and I feel like I got to see so much of that come to fruition tonight,” Nat admitted to Chris just as easily. She could see the effect her words had on him, the way he stood up a little taller, the smile growing on his lips, and she couldn’t help but be struck by the realization, yet again, that they were each other’s.

“I can say the exact same thing about you, Nattie,” Chris replied as he hung his clothes up and held a pair of sweatpants in his hand, placing them on the countertop in the center of the closet. He walked out into the bathroom in only his boxers, Nat’s eyes moving over the freckles and tattoos covering his torso until he was out of sight. Once she’d changed into pajamas, she joined him in the bathroom, side by side as they each washed off the perfectly applied makeup from earlier. “And I’m so proud of how well you handled everything tonight… you know, about us appearing together. I’ve done things like this before and it’s still not easy for me, so seeing how well you handled it really blew me away.”

“I don’t think the reality has settled in yet,” Nat admitted as she hung her wash cloth up, brushing off his praise a bit while she reached for her toothbrush. “I’m terrified to see what’s going to blow up on the internet tomorrow.”

“I’m sure it’s already blowing up now,” Chris simply stated as he quickly brushed his own teeth, causing Nat to look at him curiously as she moved her toothbrush over her teeth. She hadn’t really thought about it much during the premiere, too distracted by everything going on and listening to Chris’ publicist’s instructions, but back here, in the quiet of his canyon home… her mind started racing.

As she rinsed her mouth out and put her toothbrush back in its spot, she looked at Chris as he hung a towel on the shower door. Nat went into the bedroom and called back to him, “Do you think so?”

“Baby, let’s try not to worry about it now. We had an incredible night getting to celebrate what brought us together in the first place so let’s focus on that instead,” Chris told her, standing in the doorway as he shook his head at her, then told her he was going to shower and would be out in a few minutes.

Before Nat climbed into bed, she picked up her small clutch from her nightstand, pulling out the lipgloss, her phone, and her gum, placing them on her nightstand. As she heard the shower kick on in the bathroom behind the bed, she settled back on the luxurious pillows, staring at her phone as she weighed her options. She could sneak a glance, indulge a little bit and see what was going on… or she could sleep, relish in the time she was getting with Chris before his busy summer schedule truly kicked off, putting them hundreds and thousands of miles apart for most of the time, and face their new reality tomorrow once she was awake. But her curiosity got the best of her and she reached for her phone for the first time that evening, staring at the screen as it powered on.

Nat felt her stomach drop as she saw what felt like miles and miles of notifications on her phone from texts from friends who now found out she was dating Chris Evans, to thousands and thousands of new follow requests, and articles people were sending her. She wasn’t stupid, knowing that tonight would bring on a barrage of things like this, but actually clicking on a link to an article on People Magazine’s website and finding a picture of her there with the title “Chris Evans surprises at Lightyear premiere with secret girlfriend!”

It seemed like this entire year had brought on so much stress to Nat’s life. It had started with her having to work on two movies at once, causing her to be stuck in the office for all hours of the day and then had ended up with her being promoted. She had been so sure of this promotion, knowing it was the right thing for her career but had resulted in Chris walking out of her life. Although that had turned out well with them back together and stronger than ever, the job she had been so sure about hadn’t panned out the way she wanted.

San Francisco had been… lonely. Nat didn’t feel like she fit in there and had come to see that Chris’ words had been true and that being in charge of the department had left her feeling exhausted and burnt out in all the worst ways. But she had chosen this, she had put everything on the line for this and didn’t feel like she could give it up that easily, and the one thing that had been her saving grace was that she knew that she’d get this week off tucked in Chris’ home with him once again while their families surrounded them.

This past week she felt like she could finally breathe, causing her to see just how suffocated she was in her new life. But now even this safe place now came with her face all over the internet and all the stress that came with it. Tears welled in her eyes, feeling nothing but overwhelmed in this moment as she kept torturing herself by scrolling on her phone until suddenly it was being pulled out of her hands.

“Nattie, don’t do that,” Chris told her, a deep frown on his face as he put her phone down on his nightstand, sliding into the bed. His hair was still wet from the shower, sticking up messily from his attempt to towel dry it, and his chest was bare with a pair of sweats hung low on his hips. His frown remained as he explained to her, “Looking at everything right now is only going to stress you out, trust me.”

Nat blinked a few times, wiping the tears from her eyes harshly before her hands fidgeted at her side, absentmindedly wishing Dodger hadn’t gone to bed with the kids earlier. “I’m going to have to see it sooner or later,” she protested, tensing a bit as Chris’ hand found her own before he squeezed it comfortingly.

“Let’s not worry about it now,” he suggested, his voice soft and calm. He then lifted his shoulders in a shrug, pointing out, “Besides, I only have you for a few more days.”

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered, shaking her head. Her brain had a mental countdown to her flight on Saturday back to San Francisco, almost taunting her with the reminder of her return to her sad reality. “I don’t want to go back to work.”

Chris arched an eyebrow at her, his eyes surprised. “Nattie the workaholic is saying this? I don’t believe it,” he murmured through a laugh.

“You can believe it now.”

Nat just stared down at the blankets while using the back of her hand to wipe at the tears spilling down her cheeks until she felt a warm hand on her waist while a low voice coaxed her, “Hey, c’mere.”

Wanting his comforting touch more than anything, Nat scooted over, letting Chris’ thick arms wrap around her. She laid her head on his bare chest while his hands just rubbed up and down her back and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and tried to encourage her, “I know it’s taking a minute to settle in at your new job but you know it’s going to be just fine. You’ll get used to something new, I know you will. And everything from tonight and us appearing together seems big right now but it’ll all die down and be just fine.”

And although Nat wanted more than anything to have someone understand just how deep her emotions were, how scared and lonely she felt out in San Francisco, something else was stirring inside of her. She knew Chris meant well with those words, but she felt like she had to get over this. That it wasn’t an issue, that this was all in her head, and it was only reinforced by the continual promises of “It’ll get better!” each time she brought up her feelings around everything.

She’d stick it out. She’d get over it. It’d get better. It had to.

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sandersgrey · 1 year

Text

A Study in Greys

Eventual Kit/Ty Endgame, Mutual Pining, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Psychological Trauma, Kit Rook Has ADHD, Kit Rook has C-PTSD.

First / Second / Third / Fourth / Fifth / Prev. Fic also available on ao3.

Wordcount: 6k.

A/N: Huge thanks to everyone who commented and gave me the motivation to finally finish the chapter. As always, shout out to @thechangeling for being a very supportive friend and not killing me for the hiatus, and @jynxlovesluck for being the amazing partner and beta they've been this entire time. I could not do it without you. At the very least, I could not do it this well. TW for a bit of unconscious self harm right at the beginning, and for a lot of conflict between characters, including brief fear of domestic violence that doesn't come to pass. (Not a lot of physical injuries, though. Not... yet.)

Seventh Chapter: The Ghost At The Feast

“Absolutely fucking not.”

With her arms crossed and that snarl, Livy would be any horror director’s first pick. Ty could feature in it, too; he’s pretty enough to be the star cast in marble in the dusty light of the room, his silence heavy. He hasn’t spoken in five minutes.

Kit would have liked to say he’s been handling this tension with all the poise and resilience of a Herondale. It’s true if you know a Herondale’s bad habits. He’s bit down so hard on the inside of his cheek that the thin rope of badly-healed skin split open again, coating his tongue with a taste of iron.

He’s never been good at arguing with people he actually likes. It’s his biggest flaw.

Still. No better time to learn than the present. Draping a shaky arm over his knee, Kit risks a grin: “Are you sure?”

Livvy’s stare grows unimpressed:

“We’re not using you as bait.”

“Why not?” Kit asks. “I’d be really good at it.”

Ty’s frown deepens. He’s been incessantly tapping the ground since the idea first came up, faster the longer it went on. It’s honestly a little insulting. Kit might not be the best with a dagger, but he can figure out a social situation better than anyone in this room, alive or dead, that’s for sure. He resents the worry.

“No,” says Ty.

Livvy emphatically gestures at him. “Yes, thank you, Ty. It’s a terrible idea.”

“Eh, is it?”

“Kit, we’re not risking you getting hurt.” she sighs.

That gets a snort out of him. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m already at risk. I’ve been at risk since the beginning. The safest option- for everyone- is to shut down their entire operation as soon as we possibly can, or did you forget about their whole Puppet King idea?”

“That doesn’t mean we should put you at more risk!” Ty blurts out.

“I think that’s really up to me, isn’t it? We’re-” - sitting on top of a time bomb, waiting for it to explode- “ risking more the more we wait. Someone might figure out we know; I’d be really fucking surprised if they don’t already suspect you, and I’d really rather not figure out how subtler the next assassination attempt is gonna be, okay?”

Ty presses his thumb against the center of his palm, massaging the muscle. Stress tightens his shoulders into boulders- it makes Kit feel a little bad, honestly. He doesn’t mean this to be anxiety inducing to anyone else.

Rolling his tongue against the open wound in his mouth, Kit waits.

The mortar between the stones, at least, is easy pickings for a clever enough hand. He digs his nails into it and wonders how long it’d take to bring the whole castle down in itself. Longer than he has. He picks at it anyway.

“It’s too big a risk,” Ty says at last. “I won’t be able to get to you fast enough if you’re caught.”

Shaking his head impatiently, Kit says:

“Look, I can do it, alright? It’s like ten, fifteen minutes, tops, and then we’re home free. I know I fumbled it- I know I should’ve realized what they wanted sooner, but I’m not completely incompetent. I can handle some manipulative idiots.”

A tilted head. Confusion briefly crosses Ty’s expression, resolving itself into something unreadable. His clever fingers grip the hem of Kit’s jeans until the fabric stretches, near painfully, over his bruised knee. Kit doesn’t flinch. He can’t.

“It’s not about whether you could do it. You shouldn’t have to.”

Kit shrugs. “I shouldn’t have to do a lot of things.”

“What does that mean?”

Right. He sighs, more disappointed in himself than on anyone else, and pinches the bridge of his nose between his pointer and thumb. No more cryptic bullshit: Ty doesn’t play mind games.

But, as he opens his mouth… Kit finds himself stuck. He pauses, wondering, and closes it back again. What does that mean? Does it mean anything?

For some reason, what comes to mind is this: his ten years old self, the Market, and a pocketful of stolen wallets. Then: his fifteen years old self, the Market, and a pocketful of strange ingredients. The way he had felt stuck back then, too. The way he’d felt useful.

Ty’s attention tastes like iron. It feels like it, too.

“I just want-” Kit swallows. His exhale cracks, brittle. “I don’t know. I guess I can’t go home.”

He picks at a loose thread in his jeans, wrapping it around his finger until it turns his skin swollen, a purple protest. Lets go. Once, twice, a third time, relieving the pressure just before it bursts. Ty says:

“You could go.”

It hits like a wave of nausea. Kit squeezes his eyes shut, dizzy with it.

A familiar tempo, discarded like a dirty coat on the ground. There’s nothing to say. The thread digs into his knuckles, a bright spot of pain in the darkness, and Kit holds onto it.

“What we mean ,’ says Livvy, in a meaningful tone of voice, “is that it’s a really fucked up situation that you don’t need to stay in. We’re not saying we don’t want you around.”

“Of course we’re not,” Ty says, a little perplexed. His elegant fingers twitch towards Kit’s own.

Kit can’t help it: he laughs. God. How like Ty to utterly destroy him without even meaning to. Dragging a hand over his face, he presses the palm against the orbit of his skull until he could map the bones by feel alone and asks, tired:

“What even for?”

It’s nearly comforting how baffled Ty’s “What for?” sounds, like he can’t even figure out why they’d need a reason at all. Ty pauses, his grip on Kit’s jeans tightening. “Just because, I guess.”

Just because.

It’s not anything. It’s just a sentence. Kit lets his hand fall on his lap, exhausted, the strength of Ty’s earnest expression a little too heavy to bear. It’s no good. Kit can’t deal with that right now.

“I-”

His phone rings.

The sudden trrrrrrrr makes Ty wince back, his entire face scrunching up in pain.

Scrambling, Kit paws at his pocket, frantically mumbling sorry sorry sorry until sweat-slicked fingers manage to get a grip, pressing against the screen harder than they usually need to. He hangs up.

Ty rubs a thumb against the palm of his other hand, self-soothing. “Who was that?”

“It says Nessie”, Livvy observes from over Kit’s shoulders. He sighs, mourns his privacy, explains:

“A friend from Devon.”

“You’re not going to call back?”

A grimace. Kit gently kicks at Ty’s thigh until he gets the memo and lets his foot go. Pulling his knees up, Kit rests his chin in his arms, just a little bit colder, and says:

“Nah, all my friends at home are mad at me. I’m going to wait til the dust settles.”

Ty frowns, the perfect line of his jaw tightening, but Livvy tilts her head and a few of her hair strands no-clip into the wall. It never looks quite right. Kit holds back a shudder.

She asks:

“Why are they mad at you?”

He sucks air in through his teeth. “Well, Lizzie and Mari are mad because I left with Zach, which makes sense. He was a dick to them. Nessie is mad, because…” Wincing, Kit raises a shoulder in a how to put this? way. “Well, because I’m here.”

Ty shifts his weight to lean closer, staring down at the thread around Kit’s finger until Kit lets go of it, shame-faced. “What do you mean?”

The awkward position strains at the seams of Ty’s right sleeve, the sculpted, lean shape of his arm tensing to keep him upright. There’s deceptive strength there. It had felt like a steel bar across Kit’s chest when Ty had caught him.

Someone pointedly clears their throat:

“Could it be,” entones Livvy, “because you left? Did you even tell her you were coming here?”

The tiniest flicker of a flinch in Ty’s hand. Kit tightens the reins on his own gaze, tips his chin up at Livvy, half-lidded and scornful:

“How would you want me to explain this to her? Sorry, I can’t hang out this week, I’m too busy scheming? Would you mind putting our plans on hold while I uncover a conspiracy I can’t tell you about?”

“If that's the truth,” says Ty. Kit scoffs:

“She would’ve wanted to come.”

“Then let her.”

“Yeah, that sounds like such a great idea,” Kit sneers, then pauses, chagrined. Adds: “That’s sarcasm. Nessie is a vampire. Letting her come would probably be the most efficient way to get her fucking killed. It’s too dangerous. No , thank you.”

Ty says, aggrieved:

“Then tell her that.”

“Yeah? Have you told Alyssa?”

A pause. “How do you know about her?”

Kit looks away, dragging his feet across the floor. He hadn’t meant to say that.

(Dust rises through Livvy’s form. She shakes herself off, impatient, and floats a little away when that previsibly fails to do anything. Like this, they can barely see her.)

“You’re not hiding it as well as you think you are,” he says. “Not everyone thinks you’ve cut off all contact.”

“Ragnor wouldn’t tell.”

“You’re right, he wouldn't. He didn’t need to, anyway. Harry noticed you’ve been sneaking off.”

“Like you do? You haven’t been all that careful either,” Livvy points out.

Shrugging, Kit leans back against the wall as casually as possible. He tips his chin up, allows a leg to extend, and keeps a very tight lid on his voice as he says:

“Sure. The difference is that people suspect Ty’s ‘consorting with the enemy’ because he’s openly done it before,” like an idiot, Kit doesn’t say. “They think I’m having an affair because that’s the fun and exciting thing to believe.”

Ty pauses. “They think you-”

“There’s no proof, obviously, but that doesn’t matter. It makes sense. You should’ve given them a hint of a scandal, Ty… It would’ve worked better than silence.”

Shoving the (quite helpful, honestly) suggestion away with a gesture, Ty frowns:

“They think you’re having an affair… with me ?”

Livvy turns to the wall, concealing her laugh with a cough. Briefly, but fervidly, Kit wishes for the ability to banish a spirit.

“Sorry”, Kit says. “I know I’m not your type, but I figured it’d be safer than them realizing we’re colluding. It gets the message across now that they know they can’t just kill you off openly. Heather had a moment-”

“The poltergeist.”

Kit nods. “I know you noticed. Me insisting on going with you is what sealed it, I think. Now she’s at least going to be a little subtler about it- make sure it can’t be tracked back to her.” A pause, then: “You should be careful.”

“You should have told me.”

“I knew you already knew you were in danger, Ty.”

Ty drags himself into an upright position, jaw tight with the kind of defensiveness Kit usually saw in him around Julian. His dark brows are furrowed. They cast a shadow upon his eyes.

“I didn’t know about this ,” Ty snaps. “I’m glad you trust my intelligence, but I can’t just guess what you want, Kit. I can’t just know what you’re thinking. You need to tell me things.”

He bristles. “You didn't tell me anything until last night either!”

“I didn’t know you wanted to hear it.”

“Of course I do!”

“Kit”, Ty says, “I didn’t know. Of course I didn't tell you. The last time we’d seen each other you said you didn’t know when you’d forgive me, and then you show up here, years later, dating one of the people who are trying to kill me. I knew you were after something, but fuck if I knew exactly what-”

“I had to do that! I had to date him, how the fuck else was I gonna get here-”

He bites down, but it’s too late.

Dread filling his chest cavity with something far too cold and heavy to name, he watches, scared even to blink, as the blood drains from Ty’s face. There is something devastating about the delicate pink of Ty’s mouth trembling, the dark brows creasing his marble-perfect skin into the kind of expression that would send Kit to his knees if he could move at all.

Kit watches, and fears, and regrets only that he misspoke.

Slowly, Ty says: “You’re using him.”

The tone is very nearly casual. It’s the phrasing that sends a jolt of ice into his stomach. Kit lowers his head, sinking his teeth hard onto the inside of his cheek, and waits.

“That’s why it didn’t fit. That’s why you felt so off around him. You knew he was a centurion; you knew he could bring you here, so you… instead of doing anything else, you…”

“He was insulting my friends in a downworlder restaurant. He wanted a fight.” The voice out of his mouth is nearly unrecognizable. “Ty, he was a threat. I was unarmed.”

“And now?”

Hands into fists. Sharp nails.

“He’s still a threat. This is my best weapon.”

“So you lied to him.”

Kit raises his head, heated. “We just found out that they sent him as bait on purpose, so what does it matter? That’s what I was meant to do!”

“You didn’t know that back then!”

“I knew he was a racist piece of shit who would love a chance to kill all my friends,” he says. “I knew things were going wrong here and I knew that you’d know that, but- I couldn’t just stand there! I couldn’t just hope you’d be fine!”

That pale throat moves as Ty swallows, his face a blank canvas- Kit could project anything on it, anything and nothing at all. His mouth moves:

“You said you didn’t forgive me.”

“I don’t.”

“ When,” bites out Ty, “will you start making any fucking sense?”

Kit throws up his hands, careless of the dust:

“Well, fuck me, Ty, I don’t know what you want me to say!”

“Why are you here?” Ty immediately lists. “Why would you put yourself through all that trouble for someone you’ve said you don’t forgive? Why would you send the necklace? Why would you send the book ?”

Bashful, Kit says: “So you know about the book.”

“Of course I know about the book. There aren’t that many people who would anonymously send me a special edition of Sherlock Holmes. It was either you or Ragnor Fell.”

“Ragnor doesn’t do presents.”

“Yes. I know.”

Kit runs a hand through his hair, tugging just enough to feel it under his skin. “I don’t forgive you,” he says. “Fuck. That doesn’t mean I don’t…”

“You don’t?”

A strangled, frustrated noise, deep in Kit’s throat:

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Say what?”

“Oh, you never forget anything”, says Kit, bitterly. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out if you dig hard enough. It was a big day for you.”

From behind the dust, Livvy says: “Don’t talk in riddles.”

His amygdala screams. Feeling a little like he’s buzzing, Kit cradles the elbow he’d thrown against the wall and considers, not for the first time, the very few weapons the living have against the dead.

“ Fuck, Livvy, you scared me!”

“Boo”, she says flatly. “Shouldn’t have forgotten I’m here.”

“ Say something next time, Jesus-”

“I did-”

Movement in his periphery startles Kit back into his guard. Ty has taken a step forward, his delicate fingers hovering over Kit’s hold- too afraid to touch and overstep? The darkness of his brows have furrowed further, worried:

“You’re hurt.”

Kit shakes his head, softening. “It’s fine. I was just startled.”

Finally resolving himself, Ty lays a gentle hand on top of Kit’s. His skin is dry and bitingly cold, the tips of his fingers and parts of his palms hard with calluses, his grip loving. Kit clenches down on the shudder before it starts.

“If you weren’t fine,” says Ty slowly, “would you tell me?”

No. Kit wants to lean back against the wall, wrestle himself back into the shape of someone who doesn’t care about it, but he can’t risk Ty moving away. He stands still. “Does it matter?”

“ Yes.”

“I came here because you were in trouble,” Kit says, because that , at least, is easy. “I sent you the book because I thought you might like it.”

Something about Ty’s mouth softens. “I do.”

“Good.”

“I still don’t get it, though.”

He shakes his head:

“I can’t explain.” Please. “Don’t make me.”

Ty’s hold on his arm tightens, sinking nearly deep enough into his flesh to be satisfying, before Ty lets go. “Fine,” he bites out. It doesn’t feel good.

Hardly anything does, these days.

“I have to go back before anyone gets suspicious. We should put the plan in motion tonight- it’ll only get harder the longer we wait, alright?”

Alarm and frustration rise with Ty’s head: “Kit, no- you should at least have a weapon-”

“I’ll come with you,” Livvy interrupts. Both boys stop in their tracks. “It’s been a while”, she explains, confronted with Ty’s surprise. “Promise I won’t read over your shoulder, Kit.”

It’s a lie.

Kit lets her tag along anyway.

It’s not so bad at first. Livvy hums, some unfamiliar melody that echoes strangely in the stone corridors. Sound carries. Kit can imagine the notes floating down, down, down into the lived spaces where the enemy lies. He nearly tells her to be quieter before he remembers. If no one else can hear it, does it even make a sound?

Her white dress flutters to a wind that isn't there. Her hair is as still as the grave, irradiating a cold spot big enough to envelop Kit in its gelid embrace.

It’s never good to spend too much time around ghosts. You’ll forget how to be warm.

Her legs curl under her as Livvy leans forward, unbothered by gravity:

“He’s right, you know. You really should have something to fight with if you’re going through this.”

Didn’t help you, he doesn’t say. “I guess.”

Kit’s never liked swords much. They always make him feel like he’s pretending to be the storybook hero he just isn’t, but, besides the gun, they’re still what he’s best with. Getting close enough to use a dagger isn’t exactly his favored position.

And things are not nearly bad enough for the gun. He hopes, at least.

He’ll just stand behind Zach around his little posse. Idiot or not, he could make a good body shield. The shame churning inside his stomach isn’t relevant.

Livvy hums. “I’ve been thinking a lot about when we met.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s been three years…” and I haven’t changed since, her frown says. She catches him looking. “Kind of weird to be nostalgic for that, right? Everything was so awful.”

“I get nostalgic about that, too. Sometimes. I think it’s just human nature.”

That makes her smile. It’s a thin one, nearly invisible against the backdrop of the stone wall. “Back then,” she says, “did you already know?”

Kit sighs, resigned.

“Know what?”

“That you’re in love with my brother.”

This time, he manages to avoid his elbow making contact with the wall- Kit still curses, unnerved, and turns to her with about the same urgency of a spy who just heard his co-conspirator sneeze mid-infiltration:

“Don’t say that!”

Livvy straightens herself up, unimpressed: “If I can’t say it and you won’t, what’s the plan there? Morse code?”

“I’m not saying shit, and you better not fucking tattle.”

“Yeah, I got that . That’s why I’m asking about the plan,” she drawls. “I don’t think you’re the type to keep Zach as your pet centurion after this is over, but then again, I didn’t think you’d do it at all. Where did you learn how to honeypot?”

Sighing, he gently butts his head against the closest wall. Wishes for brain damage. Then starts walking again:

“I’m a good improviser.”

“I guess,” says Livvy, doubtful.

“And there’s no plan,” he adds. “ I’m going to get this over with, make sure Ty’s okay, and- I don’t know, go home, probably, if my friends aren’t waiting outside with torches and pitchforks… Livvy?”

She’s only a step or two behind him. Her expression is dark.

“So you’re leaving him again.”

“It’s not leaving him”, Kit scoffs. “What, did you want me to move in permanently? I should be going home soon anyway . Didn’t you guys just say I could go?”

“That’s different.”

“ How?”

“You’re not leaving because it’s dangerous,” she accuses. “You’re leaving because you’re a coward. You’re too afraid to be around him.”

There is, he thinks, something deeply wrong with his heart. “ And ?”

“You can’t do that to Ty. Not again.”

Kit scoffs, and turns to keep walking.

Temperature shock stops him in his tracks as Livvy emerges from his body and plants herself in his way, a dangerous glint in her eyes . His body shakes. The hallway behind her nearly fades from view.

Silver-green eyes.

“Christopher, you’re my friend,” her voice is like velvet. “But if you break his heart again, I’m going to make your life a living hell.”

It gives him a second of pause. Mostly, to assess the damage. It’s not so bad- he’ll stop trembling, but his body doesn’t know it yet. That’s always the hardest part.

“I didn’t break his heart a first time,” he finally says. “It’s not like that.”

“You didn’t see him then. Kit, he was-”

“Yeah, because the thing with you didn’t work. I bet he was fucked up about it, but it was never about me. ”

Livvy crosses her arms, stubborn as a mule and just as strong. “He needs you.”

“Sure,” Kit says, “like a thief needs a crowbar. But I’ve taught him about picking locks. He’ll be fine.”

“Could you, for just a fucking second, pretend like I know what I’m saying about my own twin brother and listen ?” Livvy snarls.

A half mocking sweep of the arm: “Go ahead.”

“He does need you, Kit. Not just to help solve this situation. He was devastated when you left- I’ve never seen him quite like that before, not once, and it wasn’t just because of me. I know you don’t want to believe it, but he lov-”

“No.”

“Kit!”

“Don’t you dare stand there and tell me that. I don’t want to hear it.”

She makes a deeply frustrated noise in the back of her throat: “Why not?!”

“Because,” Kit grits out, “it’s not fucking true.”

“But-”

“I told him, okay?” Kit snaps. “I told him, back then, and it changed nothing. I was never anything more than- than a shiny new toy, someone he could drag around and have fun with. It was never about me , Livvy, it was about the first guy his age who wasn’t either related to him or a piece of shit, and good for him!! I’m glad I could help for a bit! But I can’t- I can’t- I can’t let myself believe it means anything again. Livvy, you’re my friend, too, but let’s not pretend you wouldn’t bleed me like a pig if it would make Ty even slightly happier. I can’t do it, okay? I don’t have anything else to give.”

Livvy tries: “I wouldn’t-”

“You’re doing it right now,” says Kit. “You’re even doing it to yourself. Are you happy like this , Livvy? Really? Or are you just sticking around because you think that’s what Ty needs?”

The ghost says: “Fuck you.”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not even the one who dragged you back up.”

A sneer:

“You didn’t stop him.”

Kit lunges.

Something is deeply, deeply wrong.

It takes a small eternity. The fingers of his right hand cramp with the bone-deep certainty of the cold, but he sets his jaw, ignoring the oppressing pressure of Livvy’s presence grasping at him with much more force than a non-corporeal being should have any right to. She’s dead . She can’t keep him. That’s not how it works- that’s not what happens, and Kit shoulders through.

When he emerges, shivering, her eyes are as wide as plates.

She opens her mouth- Kit snarls, something primal taking over- and she snaps it shut with an expression of deep resentment.

Wordlessly, she turns her back and leaves.

And he’s the coward?

It takes him a long time to stop shaking. It’s not even the cold; it’s the fragile, flimsy way it’d made him feel, like ice ready to shatter. The pain is nearly welcome compared to that.

Distantly, Kit thinks his phone vibrates a few times while he gets himself together. It’s such a far off worry it barely registers until he can breathe again, uncurling himself from a fetal-like position next to the wall. God. With numb fingers, he clicks on his messages.

Jem. Jem, and an answer.

Not much, Kit thinks, could make him smile right now. This does.

It’s not a nice smile. It’s not a nice smile, but it’ll do.

He does get lost on the way back, though.

It’s fine. If you keep walking long enough, eventually you’ll get somewhere.

And, anyway, it’s not his fault every single hallway looks exactly the same. The Scholomance, Kit thinks, was designed by someone who thought labyrinthine was in fashion and so was bare, grey stone. You could drop a Minotaur at the center and it would not find a way out in seven years. It’d have to make itself wax wings. It’d have to drown.

At least it’s marginally warmer without any ghosts around. Raymond’s coat tail does briefly infringe upon his peace of mind, but the local spirit grimaces at him and disappears through a wall. Kit’s not even offended. He gets it.

He would also disappear through walls if he could. He’s done that once or twice, actually; it’s called climbing through windows.

Still. Ghosts do have an advantage in that field.

The window he’d nearly fallen through on his first day is, therefore, a welcoming sight. He has kind of some idea of how to get back from here.

“You’re really quite low, though,” Kit tells it. “That doesn’t seem safe.”

It doesn’t answer, which is good news.

The halls get less and less dusty as he goes on. His fingers stop leaving cleaner trails on the walls, gathering a thick layer of grime themselves. There’s a packet of tissues in his pocket, which means he can get most of it off, but seeing it there reminds him of Mina’s own sticky fingers, and it’s just- he misses home. He misses his family.

It’s better like this, though. If even shadowhunters are already trying to use him, they’re probably safer with him away. At least for now.

He wonders what his dad- what his first dad would say. Nothing good, probably. Nothing helpful.

What would his first mom say? Kit doesn’t know. She hadn’t stuck around long enough for him to be able to guess. Then again, maybe that’s an answer in and of itself. Maybe she’d agree with him.

Tessa wouldn’t. Kit sighs, shoving cleaner hands into his pockets.

“Herondale?”

“ Fuck ,” he groans.

The centurion, sword fortunately sheathed at her hip, raises a judgemental eyebrow. “Hello. I was unaware there were any cremations here today.”

He’s taken aback for a second before he realizes that the dust coating his jeans is peeling off, leaving a gray, grimy trail on the ground. Maddening. It’s stone, who the fuck cares- she should be at home with dust by now, old as their fucking traditions are, no chance centurions lower themselves to do spring cleaning.

None of that leaves his mouth. Instead, he smiles blankly and says: “Can I help you?”

Looking a lot like she wants nothing more than to correct him on the proper usage of can versus may , the centurion replies “No, I don’t think you can. However ”, and, with a flourish, takes an envelope out of her pocket, “I believe I can help you. This was left with the rest of the mail this morning. We checked for traps.”

The reason is clear. There is no name on it besides his, not even an address at all, and none of the marks of a fire message. “And it came out negative?”

“ Obviously,” she rolls her eyes.

He takes the envelope. It’s immediately, nearly dropped.

What the fuck? Even to his numb fingers, the stiff paper is cold- much, much colder than it should be, nearly enough to burn. His hand cramps again; he fumbles with the envelope, catching it at the last second.

The centurion scoffs. “Jace Herondale is alive and well, I presume? We all wish him a fruitful marriage.”

Envelope forgotten, Kit tucks it into an inner pocket and straightens up:

“Thanks. Virginia Whitecastle, was it?” Same patrol shifts as Zach. Which means he’s off duty right now, and yet was not the one to bring him the letter. Fuck shit damnit. “How’s your brother? Still hasn’t been sent out?”

Her upper lip curls. Bingo.

“He’s too important to be on the field,” she blusters.

“Oh, I bet. Don’t worry. I’m sure your brother is very, uh… integral to the cause, somehow. What’s he called again?... “

Whitecastle’s face is a silent mask of fury. “Shut it, H- Carstairs. I’m not here for chit chatting. Some of us are working, you know- you may want to check your correspondence yourself from now on.”

“Of course”, Kit says sweetly. “Thanks again for taking the time. I know your family is very busy.”

Her hand twitches toward the pommel of her sword; Kit tips his chin up, daring her. It twitches again, but she moves it away, her jaw set.

“You’re welcome,” she grits out.

Her tightly wound retreat, it must be said, is a sight for sore eyes.

Zach’s door looks the same as it has always been, which is to say: better than a lot of people.

The doorknob is a beautiful round mirror, as silver as mercury. Kit can never get himself to grip it right away- it always feels like he’s going to dirty it, somehow. Even the wood itself is shiny. The zipper on this hoodie, Kit knows, is rusted.

Eventually, you do have to face the music. The smooth surface of the doorknob feels judgmental.

“Christopher.”

Of course.

Zach is waiting for him on the bed.

Much like the door, he is- hatefully well groomed. Shoulders squared, hair carefully combed to a solid geometric shape, uniform precisely creased. His shoes shine so bright Kit starts automatically planning how to steal them.

When Zach’s eyes flick up to meet his, they’re shadowed by a deep scowl.

The only saving grace is that his sword has been carefully laid out on the dresser, out of arm’s reach. He’s not optimistic enough about human nature to assume Zach did it on purpose.

Resentfully, Kit allows the door behind him to slam shut with a bang. Zach winces. Good. Kit hopes he broke his precious door.

“It’s been an hour,” Zach informs him briskly.

“I’m sorry,” snaps Kit, “was I being timed?”

Thin lips purl like an asshole. “You know that’s not the point, Christopher. I can’t keep covering for your shenanigans. It’s not easy, people have already seen you chasing after ghosts like a madman-”

“You wanted a Herondale,” says Kit. “Don’t complain now that you’ve got one.”

“It’s not about that; I can’t keep protecting you.”

Halfway through hanging up his jacket, Kit pauses. “ Protecting me?”, he softly repeats.

Zach grimaces and turns his hands palm up in the air, pacifying: “Look, you know I think you belong here. You’re a shadowhunter too. But some people think- you weren’t raised as one of us, you didn’t drink from the cup, you don’t even live with other shadowhunters…”

“Jem was a Silent Brother. Tessa-”

“-is a warlock”, says Zach, “and Carstairs is retired, which isn’t supposed to happen. Face it. Your entire family is an outlier.”

Kit tugs the worn denim back onto his shoulders, its weight unnaturally light without the anchor of Oliver’s dagger. A muscle twitches in Zach’s jaw. His big hands flex, ripple the fabric of his gloves, but nothing else moves- still the perfect statue of a centurion. Raymond would be proud.

“And?”

“You can’t let them have leverage”, Zach emphasizes. “There are some concessions you get from being Jace Herondale’s cousin, but once people stop thinking you’re fun, they’ll- you’ll lose all privileges. Stop hanging out with the Blackthorn. He’s a ticking bomb.”

In a velvet tone, Kit says: “Would you like to elaborate on that?”

“Stop getting mad at me. I’m the one who should be angry- you’re making people think I’m a cuckold!”

“I haven’t done shit. It’s not my fault your kind doesn’t understand the concept of friendship. And, anyway, cuckold ? What the fuck kinda word choice is that? We’re not married, Zacharias.”

Zach says: “ Is it friendship, though? He has your fucking necklace.”

“It might be a little too complex for your little shadowhunter brain to understand,” Kit sneers, “But outside of this death trap of a cult, some of us manage to have meaningful friendships without having to have our skin burned about it.”

“You can’t possibly be comparing that to parabatai.”

The very idea is repugnant. Still- “I’m sorry, were you there for me when my dad fucking kicked it?”

“You haven’t talked in years!”

“As far as you know,” Kit scoffs.

“Why does it have to be fucking Tiberius Blackthorn, anyway? Can’t you pick literally anyone else?”

Kit takes a step closer. His hand grips the back of a chair, nails biting into the wood. “Oh? Would you like to explain to me why Ty is such a bad choice, then?”

Wisely, Zach stays silent.

“C’mon, now, don’t be shy. Tell me exactly what your thought process was on that one.”

“See?” Zach blurts out, glaring. “You’re even defending him now!”

It’s hard not to laugh at that. Kit doesn’t even try. “I never said I didn’t care. I’d like to believe I wouldn’t go for such an obvious lie, dollface.”

“You’re in love with him.”

Wood creaks. “ Don’t,” Kit bites out, “ ever say that again, or I swear, Zacharias Cross, I will end you.”

“You couldn’t. I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking, anyway.”

Carefully easing his death grip on the back of the chair, Kit puts forward a smile. “Oh, I love hearing gossip. Do go ahead.”

Stupidly, he does. “The Blackthorn’s family is half changeling already, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Tiberius were one of them, too. You know that. I don’t care how many privileges he gets because he’s the Unseelie King’s in law, the only one allowed headphones in the training room-”

“It’s not a privilege. He needs them.”

Zach makes a dismissive noise. “That’s what he wants you to think. The precious little Blackthorn- Ragnor Fell nearly bites off the head of anyone who dislikes him, it’s pathetic. You can’t expect people not to assume anyone who wants to be around that has ulterior reasons. You can’t expect them not to want to balance the scales a little.”

“I see.” Kit does. “Those people your friends?”

“Maybe. Maybe so.”

Kit allows the smile he can feel tugging at his mouth. Judging by Zach’s expression, he doesn’t find it very reassuring. What a shame.

“They actually tell you what they plan to do with their ulterior motives, or do you just do whatever the fuck they say and hope it works for the best?”

“Don’t- it’s fine, okay? They’re mad right now, but it’ll just blow over. I just need you to keep your head down.”

The bark of laughter startles both of them.

Kit leans into it, throwing his head back, until the hysteria bubbling up inside of him has left his stomach empty. He bares his teeth:

“Really? You think I can just keep my head down and everything will be fine ?”

“Sure. You’re a shadowhunter- you’re a Herondale. We’ll be fine. Just- just need to be careful, right now, just need you to stop acting like a Market rat, and then everything will be alright. It’s not like this shit will last forever.”

That’s hilarious. Laughter punches Kit’s throat, but he presses his lips together, grinning. The expression on Zach’s face nearly sends him right back into a fit. God. He should be spending more time around Zach, he really should; this is fucking priceless.

“Zach”, Kit manages, “They tried to kill you.”

A flinch. The smooth planes of Zach’s forehead scrunch up into mountain ranges, his confusion palpable. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Heather sent you to a famously shadowhunter-killing poltergeist in your uniform .”

“I mean, I know she wanted Ty to die-”

Now that’s new. Kit takes in a sharp inhale, reeling. “You knew?”

“It wasn’t subtle, of course I fucking knew. I knew as soon as Mayhew told me about the assignment- That’s why I volunteered. We don’t have enough centurions to be wasting them out of grudges; I knew you’d be acting up again, and I could handle it, anyway.”

“Aww. Could you?” A hysterical grin stretches Kit’s mouth a little too wide. He can see it in Zach, clear as day; the curl of his upper lip, the unnerved twist of his fingers against the bed, leaning away from him. “You were a second away from being minced meat when I saw you.”

“I had it under control-”

“She gave you physical weapon s to fight a ghost .”

“It worked the first time!”

Kit leans against the wall, running a hand through his hair. “You know, I did wonder about that. How could a poltergeist have turned up in Devon without me knowing about it? I have been dealing with those things for years.”

Zach’s eyes dart from him to the door and back, a cornered animal. Broad fingers twitch restlessly. His weapon is still laid out of immediate reach, an useless tool this far from home. Kit bets he’s regretting it now.

“Unless, of course, there was no poltergeist. Not really.”

“There was,” Zach immediately protests, “They wouldn’t-”

Kit drops the smile, face turning to stone. It makes Zach take a sharp inhale.

“They wouldn’t- what? Lie to you about it? You just admitted to believing they’re at least attempted murderers. Tell me, Zach. Did anything even happen when you walked into that first ‘haunted’ house?”

Silence. His lips twitch upwards.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“That makes no sense,” says Zach, empty.

A carefully casual shrug. Kit’s hand finds the doorknob behind his back, curling around the key ring. “Face it, Zach”, he says. “Your entire social circle is a death cult."

"You're lying. You’ve always hated them- of course you're lying! You want to keep me away from them so you can have your way with Blackthorn! Well, fuck that shit, I’m not falling for that!" Zach stands up, a head taller, two heads wider. Kit's back touches the perfect door:

"Alright. You’ve done me a favor, Cross, so I’ll do you one better. If they don't think you're disposable, if you feel like they actually care about you- then why don’t they know you're only second gen?"

Mid-step, Zach freezes.

"How do you-"

"Your surname was the first clue. Cross isn’t really a shadowhunter name, is it?” Kit says. “You guys like to pretend you’re not painfully Christian where it matters. Now, Zacharias- that’s a good, respectable name for a shadowhunter, if a little overused. I never understood the urge to recycle all the same names.”

“Kit…”

“You have my dad to thank for yours, you know? Jem oversaw your mother's Ascent. Sarah- the real poltergeist- that’s what made me think about it, because why wouldn’t you accept at least a little disguise, unless you’re overcompensating- but he’s the one who really confirmed it for me,” Kit adds, pleased. “That's the thing about him being a retired Silent Brother; he can actually talk , now. You'd be surprised just how much ."

Unlike some, Zach doesn’t look good that pale. It just makes him look unwell.

"You can't tell them. Please."

Kit can't help it: he coos, as sweet and cloying as honey. "Aww, what's wrong, Cross? Do you not trust your friends to stick by you?" He clicks his tongue. "Afraid to find out how little they really care? You can't escape that, you know. No matter how fast you run, you’ll always just be- their tool . You’re not even that important, you know? They were talking about replacing you."

Zach’s hand closes around the pommel.

Kit lurches back, twisting the doorknob, and the cold air of the hallway hits his back like a physical wall- Zach's eyes widen in horror; he takes one, two, three quick steps forward- Kit slams the door shut on his face-

And, at the end of his last shred of self control, Kit does what he does best.

He runs.

#alex wont shut up #alex's arty: writing #tda #tsc #sobh #twp #kit herondale #kit x ty #ty blackthorn #livvy blackthorn #zach au #a study in greys #blood tw #self harm tw

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alexstandoll · 2 years

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bodybag.

"wanna kiss you on your cheeks but i also wanna punch your teeth..."

read → part i: i’m scared as hell to want you

#13rw #13rwedit #13 reasons why #alex standoll #montgomery de la cruz #alex x monty #zach dempsey #hannah baker #justin foley #jessica davis #bryce walker #*writings #*multichapter #*moodboard #*malex #*malex:bodybag #*13rw #*2022 #i hope these show up in tags especially i put up a link.

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sunkissed-zegras · 5 months

Text

100 follower celly masterlist!

random "headcanons"

⟿ mark estapa

⟿ luca fantilli

⟿ ethan edwards

⟿ trevor zegras

⟿ luke hughes

⟿ jack hughes

⟿ cole caufield

⟿ quinn hughes

⟿ rutger mcgroarty

taylor songs that remind me of them

⟿ will 'fearless' smith ♡

⟿ luke 'how you get the girl' hughes ✪ -> ♡

⟿ jamie 'gorgeous' drysdale ♡

⟿ mark 'mine' estapa ✪ -> ♡

⟿ nico 'king of my heart' hischier ♡

⟿ rutger 'the way i loved you' mcgroarty ✪

zach bryan songs that remind me of them

...

fluffy blurbs

⟿ alex turcotte tries pumpkin spice for the first time ♡

⟿ trevor zegras burns muffins ♡

⟿ adam fantilli says he loves you for the first time ♡

⟿ quinn hughes loves sunday resets just as much as you ♡

⟿ adam fantilli doesn't like it when you stress ♡

⟿ nico hischier spends all his free time with you ♡

⟿ you help trevor zegras relax after a hard week ♡

⟿ luke hughes' comfort person is you def you ♡

⟿ mark estapa knows you better than anyone ♡

⟿ plucking alex turcotte's eyebrows ♡

⟿ jack hughes loves spending september nights with you ♡

angst blurbs

⟿ quinn hughes' is losing you ✪

⟿ luke hughes' says something out of line ✪

⟿ mark estapa breaks your heart ✪

⟿ cole caufield and you aren't working anymore ✪

⟿ trevor zegras lost the love of his life ✪

⟿ nico hischier's irreversible mistake ✪

smutty blurbs

⟿ quinn hughes is a munch b4 anything ✧

⟿ quinn eating you out for the first time ✧

⟿ luke hughes def whimpers ✧

⟿ trevor zegras x makeup sex ✧

⟿ hatefucking with trevor zegras ✧

⟿ mark estapa x morning sex ✧

⟿ adam fantilli is a tease ✧

⟿ nico hischier is a jealous asshole ✧

⟿ soft sex with mackie samos ✧

⟿ jack hughes x shower sex ✧

⟿ jack hughes' loves fingering you ✧

⟿ jamie drysdale loves head ✧

⟿ jamie drysdale hates sharing ✧

⟿ trevor zegras being an absolute sub ✧

⟿ alex turcotte is a softie, even in bed ✧

⟿ cole loves showing you off, in more ways than one ✧

⟿ mark estapa doesn't like to share, even when you're not his girl ✧

⟿ quinn hughes' loves you (and your amazing head skills) ✧

#── ✦ 𝐞𝐯'𝐬 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲!#late but my masterlist was getting crowded LOL #nhl imagines #nhl #nhl hockey #nhl imagine

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misschanadlerbong · 11 months

Text

Chapter 13 pt.2 - Fuck Patriarchy

Summary: Graduation ceremony and saying goodbyes.

Warning: Violence and swear words.

Word Count: 1.7k

< Previous

Finally, graduation day arrived, and graduation became more important when students voted you as the valedictorian. You wanted to give a perfect speech that would provoke a feeling of enthusiasm and motivation in the audience. There was just one thing that you were not allowed to say, Principal told you explicitly to not use any offending words. So, you spent days preparing for the speech which gave you an excuse to not talk about the fight Clay and you had on the night of Prom.

The fight could have led to the breakup but not if you do not talk about it. All you both did was pretend as if nothing happened and figure things out on your own. It created a distance between both of you, but you were still officially together.

You reached school with Tony, and Jessica, and met Charlie and Alex at the school gate. Justin and Clay were going to come together. Everyone stood in the hallway talking about how they will miss everyone and what they are pursuing after they graduate.

“I am going to miss you a lot, Alex.” Said Charlie holding his hand.

Alex pecked his lips and said, “I am going to miss you too Charles. But we have all summer, and you are graduating next year you can come to my college, and we can have a lot of fun together.”

Suddenly a boy came behind Alex and wrapped his hand around his shoulder. “Aww aren’t you guys the sweetest?” he mocked.

Alex threw his hand off his shoulder pushing him and yelled “Fuck off, Monty!”

“Fuck you, Alex! You fucking faggot!” growled Monty.

“No, Monty you’re not man enough.”

Everybody was shocked at Alex’s reply and started clapping at his sassiness. But Monty became furious and took a step toward Alex intending to hit him. You came in between and drove him off by your hand.

“Back off Monty.” You demanded.

Monty smirked and said, “At least now I know what your hand feels like against my chest,” you removed your hand from his chest with disgust on your face. Before you knew Clay came from behind and punched Monty in the face and howled “That’s my girlfriend you are talking about dick.”

You never saw Clay this angry before. You were supposed to worry but instead, a smile took over your face seeing your protective boyfriend. Monty started to retaliate and with him, his other friends also joined the fight. You came out of the battle zone and leaned beside a locker to watch. Jessica asked, “Aren’t we supposed to stop them?”

“No, if we go in there, we will end up getting hurt and I don’t think they are going to stop. You know what they say, never break up a dog’s fight.” You suggested.

“You have a point.” Jessica agreed.

The students were divided into two groups on one side it was Clay, Tony, Alex, Justin, Charlie and Monty, Scott, Bryce, Diego, and Luke on the other. Clay took it up with Bryce. All these days when he wanted to beat the shit out of him, he finally got the chance. “How…dare you… touch my…girlfriend” yelled Clay in intervals while pushing him with force.

Unfortunately, Clay was not strong enough to fight him all by himself and ended up getting punched by Bryce in his eye. Out of nowhere Zach came in between and pushed Bryce against the locker throwing limitless punches at him.

“You ruined my fucking life” howled Zach.

“All this because you didn’t get to fuck Y/N? Because I got to her while she was still dating you? Huh, Dempsey? She didn’t fuck you because you are a fucking pussy ass bitch.” Teased Bryce.

Zach got more furious and punched Bryce harder this time leading his nose to bleed. “Yeah, right. At least I didn’t get punched by Y/N like you did multiple times. And for the record, you couldn’t fuck her either.” Said Zach returning the favor.

Before the fight could escalate more Principal Bolan and the school counselor came in between to stop the fight and shouted “Stop it, everybody! It is a good thing you cannot get suspended now. Proceed to the ground for your graduation ceremony, everyone now!”

Everyone stopped and started walking towards the school ground for the ceremony. All it took was just one intense argument to release all the stored anger these boys. Clay walked towards you stretching out his hand for you to hold it.

“That was fucking impressive Jensen.”

“Thank you!” Clay chuckled lightly.

“You know you are gonna have a blue eye tomorrow, right?” you raised your eyebrow.

“Would you love me less if I did have a blue eye?” asked Clay.

“Eh, well…” you teased him and shrugged while chuckling.

You all assembled on the school ground. The ground was sunbathed with malachite green and bright yellow color, and the audience stand was decorated with the school’s official blue color. You all put on your blue gowns and caps and settled yourselves into the arranged seats in front of the stage. Above the stage hung a huge blue banner that said, ‘Congratulations Liberty High Class of 2023’.

The ceremony started with the principal’s welcome speech and then everybody was called up on the stage one by one to receive the graduation certificate. After the certificate distribution, Jessica as the Class president was asked to give a speech. Her speech was eloquent, engaging, and confident and had a spark of feminism in it.

After the class President, it was the valedictorian’s turn to enlighten the audience with her words. Hence, you climbed up on the stage to the podium and adjusted the mic according to your height.

“I came to this school with a lot of aspirations and hopes. Switching to this school has been a meaningful change in my life, I learned a lot during my time here. I made new friends, met new people, found love, and made new enemies,” you paused as the audience laughed at your ‘enemies’ point. “Halfway through the year, I thought I will not be able to survive this high school phase. It’s so hard to wake up every morning not knowing what challenge you will face today in school; would you get good grades? Would you be able to keep up with the trends? Would you be able to satisfy your parents? Will your friends remain your friends? High school is hard to survive but I am living proof, we all are. We survived high school. Struggling through all the challenges breaks us into pieces but we must pick up those pieces and create a new you, the unbreakable you. I wish you guys all the best for your life ahead…And yes as our president said, ‘fuck the patriarchy’.”

Hearing those last words your principal frowned and sighed and was forced to clap. The audience burst into a round of applause and a few parents including your parents even gave you a standing ovation. To mark the end of the ceremony everybody threw their caps in the sky. The sky got filled with blue caps flying into the air. The view was spectacular.

You climbed down the stage to meet the gang and Jessica came from behind announcing “We survived high school ya’ll bring it in.”

“Nah I don’t do hugs.” Said, Clay.

“Oh, come on Nerd, don’t throw tantrums.” You said dragging him into the group hug.

Clay wanted to talk to you about something so after having coffee at the Monéts with everybody you both climbed up to the cliff to enjoy the beautiful sunset whilst talking.

The view from the cliff was magnificent the evening sun cast long mysterious shadows on the ground. The setting sun's slanting rays gave the sky an orange tinge. The cliff was Clay’s special spot, whenever he felt sad or felt a need to be alone, he came here. You have been with Clay a couple of times to just enjoy the sweet air against your skin and cuddle up on the wintery nights.

You put your head on Clay’s shoulders and said, “Hey Clay, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I wanted to say something too about the fight we had, I guess we should talk.” Said Clay with a concerned tone in his voice.

“Okay, you go first.” You said sitting up straight and making eye contact with him.

“I am so sorry for storming off that night. I got too angry and feared I might say something that could have hurt you. So, I am sorry for that. But the thought of losing you was unbearable, and I thought about it. I think you can love people and still let them go. So, Y/N I love you, and I let you go, go live your dream. And you know if we happen to meet after a few years and are still single then maybe we can find a way back to each other.”

“Aww Clay, do you want me to cry? You are such a drama queen.”

“You wanted to say something?” inquired Clay.

“Yes, a couple of days earlier I received a mail from Stanford University, and guess what? I got in. So, I am sorry Clay Jensen you are stuck with me for a little longer here in California as I decided to go there.” You said with a cheery voice.

“But what about your dream college?” asked Clay.

“Clay, I did a little reflecting and realized that you are the best thing that has happened to me this year and someone told me that if you love someone hold onto them. Do not ever let go of them. Clay, you made me happy, if it were not for you, I don’t think I could have gotten any better after all things I have been through. So, I am never letting you go. And for the record, your mother offered me the summer internship, so I will be assisting her in her legal clinic.”

Clay’s piercing blue eyes started shining and a grin took over his pretty face adding a blush to his cheeks. You leaned in and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Ouch” cried, Clay.

“Oops,” you said realizing the cut he had on his lips due to the fight. You rested your forehead against him and then hugged him while the sun set down on the horizon.

THE END.

A/N: I want to thank you all for reading this book and giving it so much love. I hope you all enjoyed it and it was worth the read, thank you so much, I love you all.

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