#i can make them get together in 6 chapters with no trouble

[magics-neptunes-things]

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Hi :)

So like I said last time, this one might be a little darker than the other, you will kind of learn of Y/N's dark background but I try to put some fluff to make the balance.

I hope you will enjoy it, I puted warning inside the chapter for people who might be bothered by the TW.

TW : Angst, mention of torture (?), domestic violence, mention of smut.

PART 1 I PART 2 I PART 3 I PART 5 I PART 6 | PART 7

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After your first time together, it’s like you opened the floodgates of a churn. You and Leah just can’t resist each other’s call anymore. There’s not a night you’ve spent separately, constantly rediscovering each other’s bodies. You don’t know if this is the expectation you have imposed on yourself talking but you don’t really care about the truth. You’ve never felt so good and confident with someone, Leah even managed to stop making you wonder everyday how you would survive the end of your relationship. Still without a label, by the way.

Of course, sometimes Leah goes out without you at night, finding friends like Alex. You take advantage of these evenings to spend time with yours or to call others who are not in the same place as you. Either you go out for a drink or you end up in Alessia’s apartment, alone with her or with other people. It has become a routine without really being one but it suits you very well like that.

********

"What is it?"

You’re lying on your front with your face on the pillow that Leah usually sleeps on, in her house. Lying on her side, facing you, Leah was sliding her fingers on your bare back. You know exactly what it is, but you feel your heart racing when her fingers stop on a mark on your back. You know that a star is drawn right here, masking one scar under the colors of your tattoo. You hardly swallow your saliva and close your eyes before answering her.

"A scar" you mumble

Behind you, Leah frowns and rises herself slightly, leaning on her elbow. Her fingers slide towards another star, realizing that there is here another hidden scar. Your breathing also accelerated when Leah slipped her fingers on all the stars, all the scars, present on your back.

"What happened to you?" whispers Leah.

You close your eyes stronger, as if this gesture would allow you to escape the emotions that gradually take hold of you. Leah seems to notice your trouble, getting closer to you to wrap you in a comforting embrace. It takes you a few seconds to realize that it works. Her presence serves as a shield against all these negative emotions that usually invade you when you think about this part of your past. That make you breath a little easily.

Leah’s question made you feel like she didn’t need an answer back, which is why you take the time to answer it.

"These are cigarette burns"

A deafening silence takes place in the room and you feel Leah gently detaching from your back. You miss her touch, but she gently turns you on her back, an extra care cutting with the visible fury in her eyes. It takes your breath away.

"Who did that to you?"

Her voice is low with anger. You shake your head and bite your lip. You’ve never felt more vulnerable than at this moment, yet you know you can have full confidence in her. Understanding once again what is happening in your head, Leah gently takes your cheek in her hand and caresses you gently with her thumb, waiting for you to answer.

"It’s in the past, Lee" you answer in a low voice.

Her gaze plunged into yours probes you at length, but she finally nods. You slide an arm around her waist when she lies on you to press her forehead against yours.

"I’ll tell you one day, I promise." you mumble

"Just… I want you to know that I’m here, Y/N. Against all odds, even if it’s a day when we’re fighting over kid stuff. Call me and I’ll be there."

You can't answer anything at that, the emotions way to strong, your throat clenching with them. But Leah doesn't seems to mind, kissing your cheek lovingly and laying her head next to yours. You can feel her starring, but your gaze stay fixed on the ceiling. You don't want to hide from her, but you don't want to scare her either.

"Stop overthinking Cutie"

You smile when you hear her whispers and kissing the corner of your mouth.

"You miss" you whisper back, turning your head in her direction.

Leah smiles back and kiss you full on your lips, stroking your jaw with her thumb. You fall asleep not long after, protecting from the darkness with her arms.

********

The return of the championship in January also announces the return of Leah on the fields. And you couldn’t be more excited to see her play again and especially to play with her. Until now you have only had her as an opponent and she has always given you a hard time. To have her as an opponent only during your training where you end up teasing each time like two teenagers suits you very well.

Leah returned only a few minutes acte the second half, but the cheer and joy of the crowd was worth the wait. Leah’s smile too and since all eyes must be turned towards her, you do not refrain from looking over her. It’s worth a playing elbow from Katie, to whom you pull out your tongue.

Despite the slight worry of seeing her play again, the rest of the game went very well. When the blonde launches into a perfectly executed slid tackle to steal the ball from the opponent, you can’t help but smile.

"She’s back" says an excited Alessia by putting an arm around your shoulders.

"Yeah. She’s back" you answer with a smile.

The party that takes place at Kim’s to celebrate the team’s victory and Leah’s return will certainly earn her some enmity in her neighborhood. Almost all players are present, even those who usually prefer to go home. You found yourself in Leah’s arms at the beginning of the evening, but overall you managed to let her enjoy this evening with everyone.

It’s only when you’re beating Alessia and Laia Codina at the beerpong with Wally as a teammate that the blonde makes her appearance back at you.

"Leah stop" you laugh when you feel her pinching your ribs.

You’ve always been awfully ticklish, something Leah has only discovered very recently. Since then, she hasn’t been shy about abusing it.

"Hey, stop distracting my partner."

Lia gently pushes Leah from you to allow you to throw your ball, but Laia barely drank the liquid inside that Leah finds herself glued to you again, your back pressed against her.

"I need my hugs" Leah whines, wrapping around you like an octopus.

You smile tenderly, turning your head in her direction to put a kiss on her cheek.

"We just need Less to miss twice more and we won" you answer maliciously.

"Hey that's mean!" exclaims Alessia, frowning from the other end of the table.

The truth is that you have to wait three shots instead of two, Alessia succeeding hers but Laia missing the other two.

"Winner winner!" sing Lia

You high five with her, all smiles, Leah still hanging on your back. Laia tries to demand revenge, but it was not counting the intervention of the blonde.

"Oh no! She’s mine now"

And with that she takes you inside, leaving Victoria to help Lia win her second game of the evening.

The hangover of the next day is awful. It's only at 2pm that you manage to get out of bed to go slump on your couch, after swallowing water and tablets that are supposed to make your headache go away.

The struggle seems to be general since soon after, Alessia slips into your apartment with the same tired face as you, a giant paper bag in her hand.

"I made a mistake in my food order, I hope you like Chinese"

It turns out that instead of ordering a pack of chicken skewers, Alessia accidentally ordered 10. After you’ve cleaned them to the best of their peanut sauce, Leah agree to eat some of them with baked potatoes you made for her, Alessia teasing you about you being so whipped. For your part, you gladly help Alessia to reduce her pile of Cantonese rice.

"Lia is alive and Katie and Caitlin too. I’m not sure about Beth though" Leah informs you after throwing her phone somewhere in your couch.

You laugh slowly, finishing your chicken. You end the day watching nonsense on television, your head leaning on Leah’s shoulder while sitting against her and Alessia’s legs lying on your knees. And honestly, this is the best hangover day you’ve ever had.

********

The almost daily presence of Leah in your apartment doesn’t prevent Alessia from coming to meet you as regularly as before. It even happens that you go to her appartment with Leah, as is the case today for a cup of coffee before training. After you finish yours, you get up, dropping a quick kiss on Leah’s hair before you slip away to finish getting ready.

Leah continues the conversation with Alessia for a few moments, before losing herself in contemplation of the bottom of her cup of coffee. Deciding to leave her in her thoughts, Less quietly finishes hers, nevertheless raising her gaze on her friend when she resumes speaking.

"Can I ask you something?" Leah suddenly said.

"Of course"

Curiosity takes hold of Alessia who looks at Leah with an interrogative air.

"Look, I have a question. I know you’ve slept with Y/N.. " Leah begin before interrumpting herself when she sees Alessia’s wide-eyes. "Oh god no. Not like that Less"

"Yeah well because not at all"

Leah rolls her eyes and shakes her head smiling.

"I mean of course she’s pretty but…"

"Ok stop fantasing about my girl and focus please. But I was wondering, did she ever have nightmares when she was with you?"

Frowning again, Alessia looks thoughtfully at Leah, trying to remember this information.

"Maybe once, yes. But I’m a heavy sleeper, it’s not for nothing that I have to set ten alarms before getting up. She woke up suddenly and jumped, that’s what woke me up. Why?"

Leah bite her lip and shrugs, her cup still thoughtfully in her hands. She doesn’t know how open you are to her talking to your friends about your sleep problems, but if Alessia already knows, it doesn’t ok, right?

"I don’t know. She’s got a lot of them lately…"

"Did you try to talk about it with her?"

Leah shakes her head negatively. No, she never wanted to talk to you about it since you usually fall back down quite quickly against her and you go back to sleep just as quickly. And in the morning, you don’t seem to want to talk about it either.

"Maybe give it a try."

"Try what?" you ask when you come back to Miss Russo’s apartment.

"To be on time at training, for once" Leah replies, getting up after glancing at the clock on the wall.

********

TW : MENTION OF TORTURE

You’re lying on a bed where you haven’t been back on in years. The room is more oppressive, more gloomy and unhealthy than you remember. Other than that, nothing seems to have changed. Not even the unpleasant contraction that twists your belly when the apartment door opens and is slammed a few seconds later. Helena’s heavy steps seem to echo throughout the apartment as she makes her way to her bedroom.

You jump when the door opens and you understand in one glance that she is in an awful mood.

"I thought I told you to drop your stupid football?"

The force of her words is equivalent to the door of the room slamming when she closes it. After that, she approaches you to tackle you against the mattress.

"As if you were able to achieve anything good. You're less than nothing, I don't even know what I do with you."

Her icy voice gives you goose bump but you manage to find the strength to answer her, hating the way your voice looks so small.

"They said I’m good enough to join the national team"

"Shut up."

The slap you receive is usual, but still humiliating. Hurtful. You desperately hold back your tears but you become aware of the extent of her anger when she grabs you by the hair to turn you on the stomach. The noise of the lighter she lights and the noise that makes the cigarette pack when she opens it terrorize you.

END TW : MENTION OF TORTURE

"No, please, please!"

"Babe wake up!"

You are awakened by hands on your shoulders, shaking you hard with the obvious purpose of waking you up. When you open your eyes you’re facing Leah’s blue eyes, full of concern and maybe a little of panic.

If your first reflex was to retreat abruptly until you find yourself pinned to the headboard, you quickly regain awareness of reality. You’re with Leah and her blue eyes, not your ex and her icy gray eyes.

"It’s okay, honey, you were having a nightmare. You’re safe, yeah?"

You swallow and nod, trying to catch your breath. Your shirt is wet with sweat and you’re wondering how long Leah’s been trying to wake you up. She asks you about your nightmares two days before and was looking at you since then. Especially when you told her that she didn't have to worry about it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Leah gently asks as she chases a lock of hair from your face.

She doesn’t seem to be bothered by your reaction. You close your eyes and gently shake your head. You don’t want to impose her the world that was yours before. You don’t know why you had this nightmare again, it’s been months since it happened to you. And when it did, you were alone. You never spent the night with your other ex, just afraid that this kind of thing would happen. But, again, you trust Leah. You just don’t want her to learn all the details of what you’ve been through. You’re afraid it will change her outlook on you.

"Hug?"

This time you smile softly, opening your eyes. You sigh of relief as you feel Leah’s arms around you and slide your face into the hollow of her neck. You stay there for many minutes, calming your nerves, until you feel good enough to realize that cuddling someone full of sweat like you are doesn’t have to be very pleasant.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"Of course not" Leah replies simply.

You smile again and push back the sheet that is wrapped around your legs to get out of bed. Just then, Leah gently grabs your chin in her hand.

"Hey" says the blonde softly, her eyes into yours. "Whatever it is, Y/N. I’ll always be there"

Unable to answer her, you just kiss her wrist. This kind of promise reassures you, but also scares you a little. Because the more time passes, the more you get attached to her and the more you risk burning your wings if she decides you’re too much for her. Even if you don’t think about her leaving you everyday, it’s one of your biggest fear.

You let her kiss your temple by sliding her hand on your cheek to tighten against her for a few seconds, before releasing you. You know the way to her bathroom by heart and you know where to find what you need. With time, you know her apartment as well as yours. As much as Leah knows yours. You quickly get rid of your wet clothes and turn on the water, waiting for it to heat up to the right temperature.

In the meantime, you find yourself caught in the spiral of your thoughts, perhaps returning a little too much towards your nightmare. Your eyes are mechanically on the bathroom door when Leah knocks it gently.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course"

Leah’s seen you naked dozens of times, but you appreciate her asking before she walks into the room. It’s exactly those little things that make you realize she’s different from the others. You even give her a sincere smile to which she answers, before you slip under the hot water.

"Need some help down there?"

When you look back at Leah, she has her famous smirk and that playing look that makes you fall in love every time again. You smile again and shrug.

"Maybe I need help rubbing my back"

Quickly rid of her clothes, Leah joins you under the hot water, not giving a care about the fact that it’s two in the morning. You didn’t expect her to take your joke at face value, but you see her grab the bottle of shower gel and put it in her hands before applying it to your back. A gesture perhaps banal for many, but so comforting and intimate that you feel your throat tie.

But you don’t cry, though. You're trying to put your weak moment behind. You close your eyes and sigh, enjoying Leah’s touch and pleasant massage.

When she has finished, you turn around to be able to look at her better. The heat of the water filled the bathroom with steam, but that doesn’t prevent you from distinguishing each of Leah’s features accurately. She looks back for some seconds before you slowly put a lock of her hair behind her ear. The amount of affection, love, you feel for here make your heart ache.

"I love you, Leah. I’m so in love with you."

The surprise lasts a few seconds on her face, before being replaced by a big smile. Different from the one you could see in the photos of the Euro 2022, certainly because it's another emotion that currently inhabits her. But her arms draw you against her and you let yourself going against her very willingly. The way your body seems to fit perfectly with hers will probably never cease to impress you. When Leah talk again, you can hear the emotions in her voice.

"I’m in love with you, too. I love you so much, I wouldn’t even know what words to use to describe it."

Your heart is pounding and you wonder if Leah can feel it against her skin. You lose yourself a few seconds in the vastness of the blue of her eyes before resuming talking.

"If I tell you everything about my past, you have to promise to never tell anyone"

You see Leah hesitating, slightly frowned. You have the impression of being able to read her thoughts and you know that she wonders if she will be able to keep such a promise, according to what you will tell her. You know that some informations will make her angry, scared or sad.

"It’s related to tonight’s nightmare?" she asks before continuing when you nod "And the scars in your back"

It’s not really a question, but you still answer it with a positive nod once again. You already knew she had drawn conclusions in her head, but you don’t know how right or wrong she is. Her gaze studies you for a few long seconds before she sighs, seeming to accept your request.

So you tell her everything.

Your meeting with Helena, your parents' opposition to you dating her, not because she was a girl but because she didn’t seem to be mentally stable enough. You tell her how much you wanted to stand up to them and prove them wrong, then how much you were wrong about her. You tell her about the shame you felt at the idea of asking for the help of your parents, yet so benevolent and affectionate with you. You talk to her about the physical abuse she’s inflicted on you, the verbal abuse, the sequestrations. And when you tell her the final step of the cigarettes she used extinguish on your back, Leah squeezes you so tightly that it would be impossible for the slightest drop of water to pass between your two bodies. It’s the most intimate thing you’ve ever experienced. Much stronger than sex. A silence settled between both of you, only disturbed by the sound of the water and your breaths.

"How did you get out?" Leah whispers, her face on your shoulder, after a few moments of silence at the end of your story.

"Ingrid picked me up. The training camp for the national team was in my city and I had been called. When she learns that I wasn't here without any explanation to anyone, she came to the house and helps me get out of here."

"Ingrid Engen knows all this?"

Leah steps back a few inches to look at you and you give her a sad smile.

"No. Well, she knows that Helena was opposed to me playing football and that I was not happy with her. She picked me up, helped me pack my things and I never saw Helena again from that day on. She never forced me to explain, just to support and advise me when I needed it. She took me back to my parents after that, until I had the contract with Man City."

"Being such a good person and ending up with Maria Leon" sighs Leah, making you laugh. "What a shame"

"We must stop this rivalry with the Spanish players, Williamson"

Leah makes a horrible grimace that makes you laugh again. You feel relieved to have shared this story with Leah, more than you could have imagined. And seeing her react the way you needed to is more than comforting. You feel like a weight was carry out of you.

"I owe her" Leah said after another silence.

"Mapi?"

"Nah, ew." Leah rolls her eyes "Ingrid."

"Why?"

"Because without her, I would never have had the chance to meet you."

A soft smile spreads on your face and you gently kiss your girlfriend. After a few minutes of cuddling under the hot water, you decide to return to the bedroom to enjoy the last hours of sleep before you have to prepare for tomorrow morning’s training. Leah proposes for you to skip it, but you don't want to.

Dressed in an old Leah jersey and underwear, you slip under the duvet and stick yourself directly against Leah when she joins you in her bed. It takes a few moments for you to regain a state of drowsiness and, as often, your mind starts again.

"Leah?" You whisper after a few minutes.

"Mh?"

She seems lost in her thoughts too.

"Would you tell me if everything I just said was too much for you?"

"What do you mean?" asks the pretty blonde while moving so she can look at you.

"I never told you about all this because I was afraid it would impact you too much. Let the… darkness within me invade you and mark you too much. I was afraid to dirty you with all this story"

You see Leah thinking a few seconds before answering you, probably to choose the best words to convey everything she thinks. Despite the fact that English isn't your first language, you have never had problems making yourself understood and vice versa.

"It’s part of your story Y/N, even if I would give everything so that you could go back in the past and escape that part of your story, it contributed to who you are. And I wouldn’t change anything about you. I fell in love with the person you are, with your qualities, your flaws and your past."

"Don’t you think I’m too damaged for you?"

"I think you’re perfect for me" Leah replies tenderly.

"Good. 'Cause you’re perfect for me, too."

"Good. Now back to sleep. You have to be in shape for tomorrow, when I’ll make you do extra tricks with Alessia and Manuela because of your antics."

You roll your eyes, laying again against your favorite blonde. She gently strokes your hair like she knows it make you fall asleep quite quickly.

"Lee?" you mumble some times after

"Yes Sweetheart?"

"Thank you"

********

Confiding in Leah about your past helped dispel the nightmares you had from time to time. While you thought that this would open the door to all kinds of memories, you realize that you continue to manage to keep them aside, well compartmentalized in a corner of your brain.

You carefully observed Leah’s behavior after you confessed, still fearing a change in it. Perhaps the only thing that has changed is her protective side. You have seen her wince several times when you find yourself on the ground after contacts during games, relaxing only when your eyes cross and you smile at her to reassure her that everything is fine.

Just before the middle of February, you find yourself at the table in your apartment and she takes advantage of Alessia having to take a phone call to ask you a question. You’ve noticed that she’s been trying to talk to you about something since this morning, but she changes her mind at the last minute. Fearing it was something related to your past, you cowardly decided not to insist on your side. Leah already asked you why you didn’t press charges and pointed out that it was still possible. She seemed upset when you told her you just needed to forget about that part of your past but she gave up.

"I was wondering" finally begins the blonde playing with her rings "Valentine’s Day. Would you like to do something special?"

"Oh."

Valentine’s Day, you honestly hadn’t thought about it for a single second and you feel a wave of panic seizing you. You don’t have any gifts planned for her and you’ve always sucked for ideas. It’s probably too late to order something from the internet anyway, with delivery times at a time of year like that.

"Hello?"

Leah’s voice resounds again and you suddenly shift your attention to her.

"Valentine’s Day? You want us to do something?"

You think for a few seconds while biting your lip before finally shrugging your shoulders.

"Honestly, I’ve never really celebrated Valentine’s Day. But I’m never against spending time with you, quite the contrary. We don’t need to do something extraordinary, just you and me and a good movie. It’ll be just fine."

It was not knowing Leah at all.

The only thing she listened in that sentence is that you never celebrated Valentine’s Day and she intends to make your first one special. You don’t even react when she informs you that she won’t go home with you right away after training on Valentine’s Day, having something to do before returning.

For your part, you imagine that you will just spend the evening at home with her. You thankfully managed to find her a gift. You asked Lia to go with you somewhere to find something for Leah, she knows her well. Lia initially refused, saying you were better placed to know Leah’s tastes. But in front of your despair and your supplications, she finally accepted.

Actually she was right and what you found, you could have found it on your own. But it was nice to have the Swiss woman by your side. You opted for a jewel, rather refined but that Leah can wear with just about anything she wants.

You are only dressed in your towel in the bathroom when you hear your apartment door open. Leah having had the double of your keys a long time ago, like Alessia, you pass your head by the door to know which of the two blondes is in your apartment.

"You could have waited for me" Leah jokes, making her way quickly to you when she realises you are almost naked.

"I thought you had already showered before leaving" you answer with a smile.

"True. I wouldn’t mind doing it again tho"

Leah sticks her arms around your waist. Your eyes meet in the mirror and she smiles at you gently before putting kisses along your jaw. Of course it makes you shiver and Leah knows exactly what she’s doing.

"Is this what you want to do on our Valentine’s Day party instead of the movie?"

Leah smiles mischievously and puts a kiss right under your ear before answering you.

"You don’t have to be so attractive"

You get a new kiss before she takes off from you, laughing softly as you sulk when she does.

"As much I like undress you, we can’t now. We have an appointment somewhere"

"What do you mean?" You turn around and ask.

"Get dressed darling" Leah said as she walked out of the bathroom.

One hour and a half later, you find yourself outside the city of London, a place you’ve never been to before. You went beyond Leah’s birthplace, which you recognized very easily since she took you there several times, and since then, you are lost. Leah seems to be in an excellent mood, you put her playlist on and you have fun hearing her sing with all her voice the songs that pass on her Spotify.

The night falling very quickly at this time of year, you can only admire her in the light of the street lamps or headlights of the cars you cross, but if you were in the apartment of one or the other, you would have jumped on her to kiss her a long time agi.

"Have we arrived?" you ask when the blonde is parking the car.

"Yes, ma'am" she happily answers by turning off the engine.

You didn’t wait more and you don’t hesitate to take her face with both hands to kiss her. You are no longer afraid to give in to your outbursts of love for her now that you have realized that she was still very far from complaining about it.

Leah don’t wait to answer your kiss, leaning over her seat to deepen it. Her tongue soon caresses yours and you momentarily forget where you are.

"Keep it up and you won’t even see your surprise" Leah whispers after a few minutes.

She’s as out of breath as you are, and you need a few seconds to regain control. When you decide to get out of the car, the fresh air helps you recover your spirits and you find that apart from the building that stands in front of you, you are surrounded only by houses.

"Is this where you plan to take me to kill me?" you joke while the blonde grabs your arm.

She laughs softly as she hears you, opening the door of the establishment in which she planned her surprise.

"Are we gonna get a massage?" you ask with a smile, realizing you’re in a spa.

"In some ways"

You bow an inquisitive eyebrow but Leah is content to answer you with an innocent smile before approaching the reception. You follow her quietly, looking around with curiosity. You’ve never set foot in an institute like this before. The massages you get are usually from Arsenal physiotherapists. Or Leah, when you watch a movie.

Lost in your contemplation, you come back to yourself when Leah trains you with her, following the receptionist. She invites you to undress in the locker room and you turn to Leah with a surprised look when she left.

"Um Lee? I don’t have a swimsuit?"

"Don’t worry. I got it all planned Honey."

This is how you find yourself a few minutes later wearing a black swimsuit, bought and offered by Leah, in a jacuzzi with a glass of champagne in your hand. After drinking a bit, she sticks to you and you make her sit with pleasure on your knees.

"It’s better than a movie in front of the television, right?" smiled the blonde.

"Definitely"

You smile back and steal a kiss, since you can. You are in a private space, reserved for you for the evening. You learn that Leah knew this place through a friend of her mother’s and you are strangely relieved to learn that this is the first time she comes there too. A little bit of jealousy would been sad in such a successful evening.

"I really like this swimsuit" Leah smiles when you come out of the jacuzzi, remembering that you thought about taking your gift with you. "But I’m not sure I’ll let you carry it without me"

You roll your eyes for any answer, coming back with the box containing the jewel you found. You give it to her timidly, but the smile that illuminates her face when she discovers it is enough to know that she likes it.

When you ask what she meant by a "more or less" massage, Leah simply smiles at you and offers you to lie on the massage table in a corner of the room. You quickly understand that your masseuse will be nobody but Leah and that’s even better like this.

"If I had known you were so good, I would have asked you to massage me earlier" you mumble, half asleep.

"You know I’m good with my fingers"

You hear the smirk in her voice and you open an eye to look at her. You can only smile when you hear her laugh. You continue to observe her, wondering by what alignment of the stars you managed to find such a perfect girl. Who seems to ask nothing more than to accept you as you are, with whom you get along so well and who makes you so happy.

"What?" Leah asks after a few moments, realizing that you continue to look at her.

"Nothing. I’m just happy."

"Well I’m happy you’re happy" laughs softly the blonde.

"Are you? Happy?"

"More than ever my girl"

______________________________________________________________

For the next part I was thinking about some jealousy but if you have something else in my I will listen with pleasure :)

#woso x reader #woso imagine #leah williamson #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson imagine #leah williamson x you

[rorywritesjunk]

No longer locked upon the land but free on the rolling waves

You and Buggy come face to face with himself from the past, and while you’re fully accepting that this is your husband as a child, Buggy doesn’t want to accept it.

Rating: PG-13ish, but just due to some swearing.

Warning: Upset kid, upset husband. Reader is way too nice, doesn’t necessarily take husband’s feelings into account as well.

A/N: A combined request. I did a few versions of this story before feeling like it hit the marks I was wanting to hit. Also, I’m just trying to vibe off what I’ve seen of Kid Buggy. I’m no expert. I’d protect that kid with my life. He’s so adorable. I also like the trope of “Meeting your self from another time” and “gets turned back into kid-self”. This is the former, and I know shit about time travel but I just kind of made something up. This story has also been a lot of fun to work on and the reaction from people has been lovely, thank you! There's at least one more chapter (unless I get a surge and suddenly write way more), but I may write a few one shots about Buggy and his wife because I've come to adore her a lot. Title comes from "Sailing Song" by S.J. Tucker.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6/Epilogue

TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @misadventures0fdes @sylum @valen-yamyam16 @dohkyu @fluffybunnyu @skyofsteel @lavalampskyy @gingernut1314 @ane5e

Chapter Four

“Is he mad at me?” Buggy asked when the two of you were in the kitchen together. He was helping you make dinner; you gave him the task of cutting up carrots while you cut up onions and celery to throw in a large pot. Neither of you saw Buggy ever since the kid asked him about Shanks, and that was a few hours ago. He thought maybe he was in trouble, that the captain was mad at him for asking those questions. 

“No, he isn’t.” You assured him as you wiped your knife on your apron. “Shanks is… a sensitive subject for him. I don’t even know what happened, but don’t worry, okay?” You smiled and took one of the pieces of carrot, popping it into your mouth. “I know the captain enjoyed showing the place off to you, y’know.”

“I liked seeing everything, especially those Buggy Balls!” Buggy grinned. “Can we fire one out of a cannon?”

“Oh uh, maybe?” You munched on the carrot as you took what he cut up so far, dumping them into the pot. “We’ll ask the captain next time we see him.”

Buggy nodded, watching the veggies get stirred in the pot for a bit before looking back up at you. “How long do I get to stay with you?”

That was a question you were waiting for but didn’t want to hear asked because you weren’t sure how to answer it. You didn’t know how long he would be with you, but what would get him home? Maybe tomorrow you could head back into town with him, see if anything can trigger his return, but part of you wanted to keep him around. Admittedly, that was a selfish want. He needed to return home because he had his own timeline to live through, and if he stayed here could it mess something up. 

You smiled at him and shrugged. “I dunno, but maybe tomorrow we head into town where we met and see if anything happens. I bet you wanna head home.”

“Yea…” He trailed off, looking back down at the veggies. “But if I could stay… I think I would.”

That was a knife to the heart again, because you would let him stay if you could. You’d give him the love and attention you knew he deserved, support his dreams and endeavors, everything. 

But he couldn’t stay. He needed to return home and that broke your heart. You just smiled at him and tossed some salt and pepper into the pot before pouring in some water.

“If you could, I know you would, and I’d be fine with that, Buggy.” You replied as you gave the pot a good stir before putting the lid on. “But… you have to go home at some point, because I don’t… know what could happen if you stay.” Turning to face him, you suddenly pulled him into your arms and hugged him. “I have loved having you around, you know. You’re a wonderful kid.”

He allowed the hug for a moment before pulling away, crossing his arms as he turned red. You chose not to say anything, instead just smiling and standing back up. He eyed you before bolting out of the kitchen all of a sudden, catching you off guard. What just happened? Did you upset him? 

Your husband entered the kitchen at that moment, looking in the direction the kid ran off too. “What just happened?”

“I don’t know.” You said with a frown. “I hugged him and called him wonderful, then he took off.”

“Huh.” Adult Buggy shrugged and went over to the stove to see what was being made for dinner. As he lifted the lid off, seeing the soup starting to slowly simmer, the kid came rushing back in with something in his hand. Buggy frowned at his younger self. “What’s going on?”

The kid looked him up and down before turning to you, holding something in his hands. He looked smug as he grabbed your hand and placed the item into it. You were confused for a moment, and when he pulled his hand back and you saw what it was, you almost dropped it. You had completely forgotten about the pendant and this was the first time you really got to see it up close and you nearly dropped it in surprise. 

“Consider this my proposal for when we meet again.” He said, looking quite proud of himself as he crossed his arms. Your husband’s jaw dropped and he raised the lid up, looking like he was going to throw it at him. You intervened and pocketed the pendant, kneeling down in front of the kid once more. It was hard not to laugh because the look of pride on the kid’s face was the same one you saw on a certain pirate captain when he asked you to marry him years ago, except you were given a bouquet of flowers with no petals (having been destroyed after he stole them and ran off with them) and a ring with a rock the size of his nose (also stolen). 

“Thank you, it’s lovely.” You told him; your husband grumbled and put the lid back. He wouldn’t risk hitting you with it by accident. You leaned over and gave the kid a kiss on the cheek, choosing not to comment further when his face turned bright red. Instead, you stood up and patted him on the head. “I’ll treasure it, Buggy.”

The kid side-eyed the husband, smirking at him despite blushing brightly. The little shit, he should have at least kept it until he met you later on. It didn’t make sense to give it to you now while you were already married to his adult self, but Adult Buggy didn’t say anything after you gave him that look that told him to keep his mouth shut or there would be consequences since he would likely say something stupid. Grumbling, he decided to take a seat at the table instead, the kid taking the seat across from him. He glared at the kid and the kid just smirked. To you, this was just hilarious but you were doing your best not to start laughing. 

~

You allowed them to fire one Buggy Ball out to the water after dinner and that was it. There was to be no town destroying during this trip and the identical grumpy looks from the two of them was amusing, but you put your foot down. You even stood by, watching to make sure it was just one, and the look of excitement on the kid’s face almost made you cave to allow a second one, but you remained strong. You didn’t cave, even when the two of them gave you doe eyes after your husband asked if they could. 

And you decided to allow it after reminding the captain that it was wasting ammo, and that a demonstration was one thing, but now it was just a waste. He hated it when you pointed those things out. Reluctantly, he decided not to fire off a second one, much to his and the kid’s disappointment.

As it grew later into the evening, you decided it was time to settle in for the night. The kid was easier to get ready for bed than your own husband, but you knew the captain also needed to make sure the crew had taken care of the ship for the night as well. 

The pendant was still in your pocket from the kid’s little proposal, the weight of it a reminder from a moment in your own past. You got the kid ready for bed but you didn’t change into your own sleep clothes, which he noticed and frowned at.

“You’re not ready for bed.” He pointed out as you tucked him under the covers. He reached out and grabbed your arm. “Are you leaving?”

“What? No, no.” You shook your head as you sat down on the edge of the bed. “I promise I’m not leaving the ship tonight, Buggy.” You reached over and touched his cheek softly with your free hand and he let go of you. “I need to go talk to my husband about something, but I won’t leave the room until you fall asleep, okay?”

Buggy wasn’t sure about that. You were constantly around, but now you were going to leave him alone in your room? You saw the hesitation on his face and sighed softly. “Promise I’ll be here when you wake up in the morning, but if you wake up after I leave the room tonight, you can come find me. I’ll just be out on deck with the captain, okay? I won’t be mad if you need me, Buggy.”

That seemed to help. The kid just nodded and settled down under the covers, pulling them up to his nose. You leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before straightening back up. “How about you tell me another story about your time on the Oro Jackson?”

He beamed and nodded, launching into a story about some mischief him and Shanks got into. He yawned a few times while telling it, and it wasn’t too long before his eyes closed and he fell asleep. You made sure he was comfortable, watching him for a few minutes while he slept before getting up and heading to the doorway. You looked back once more, making sure he was asleep before you left the room to go find your husband.

The captain was on deck, arms crossed as several crewmen lingered about, no doubt on the night watch shift. He glanced back at you when he heard you approach, holding his arm out to you to pull you close to him. He shrugged his captain’s coat off, draping it over you as you reached into your pocket and pulled the pendant out, holding it up to him. He frowned as he looked down at it. 

It was an oval shape, cut from a piece of moss agate that when you held it up to the light, it was as though you were looking up at the sun through a thick forest of tall trees. You remember watching your father cut down and smooth the stone out to the shape it was while your mother fastened a chain to it, creating a lovely necklace for anyone who desired it. You remember it being on the table at their booth along with other pieces, but after a group walked past the table, it was missing. You remember being mad that it happened but your parents just shrugged it off, not bothered by the missing piece.

Now you had it in your hand over twenty five years later. 

“What’s this?” Your husband asked as he took it out of your hand, frowning as he looked at it. He studied it for a moment, eyes widening slowly as he started to remember what it was. “This-”

“Mhm, my parents had it on the edge of their table, making it a prime target for anyone with sticky fingers to steal it.” You told him as you took it out of his hand and stuck it back into your pocket. “Didn’t think my husband was the one who stole it.”

“I-I-”

“Buggy, it’s okay.” You chuckled at the look of panic on his face. Did he think you were going to divorce him over something petty he did to your family as a kid? “I wanted to show it to you, but… I wanted to ask you something.”

“Anything.” He blurted out, trying to mask the concern on his face after seeing that pendant. “Whatever you want, babe, just don’t… ask for a divorce, please.”

“No, I’m not asking for a divorce.” You assured him, wrapping your arms around him. “But… I’m just curious what happened to you as a kid. Do you… remember any of this happening?” 

He stared down at you and you tightened your arms around him, thinking he would bolt from you. Minutes went by before he finally shook his head and you frowned. He didn’t remember any of this, really?

“What… do you remember?” 

He hesitated for a moment, checking his surroundings for a moment to make sure no one else was listening. The crewmen paid you no mind, knowing better than to stare or make any comments about the two of you when there was any sort of display of affection between the two of you. After what felt like an eternity, your husband sighed and just shrugged.

“I remember snatching the pendant off the table when we walked past, and I was a few steps ahead of everyone.” He reached up and rubbed his face while you continued watching him, resting your chin against his chest as you listened to him talk. “There was some kind of light and… I walked into it, but there was just a moment of darkness, like I blinked or something, and then I was back and nowhere near the crew without the pendant. They said they lost sight of me for about fifteen or twenty minutes, but they weren’t worried.”

“They weren’t worried?” You repeated with a frown. “A kid under their watch disappears for that long and they weren’t worried?”

“We’re pirates, it didn’t matter-”

“It matters to me.” You said firmly. “Pirates or not, you were a kid who got lost and ended up somewhere new and scary, Buggy. I can’t… I can’t even imagine what that would have been like.” You huffed, releasing your hold on him just a bit. “Were… you scared of the kid because of what had happened to you back then? About not remembering what happened?”

He nodded slowly. You reached up and put your hands on his cheeks, bringing his head down to kiss him. You were trying not to lose your head at that moment because the love you had for him was a lot. You’d level a city to get to him, burn down a town, and if you had the chance you’d go back with the kid and give that crew a talking to about how to handle a missing kid. It wasn’t right, fair, anything and your heart hurt knowing this. Every kid deserved love, to feel safe and protected, and here your husband just told you that the adults he knew just shrugged off the fact that he had been missing for just a few minutes, while the kid in your care had been with you almost three days. 

You really wondered if you could sneak back in the timeline with the kid and give them a piece of your mind.

Your husband pulled back from the kiss first, a grin on his face as one of his hands went to your back, pulling your body closer to his. 

“It’s fine now, babe, I’m fine.” He insisted as his hand slid down your back. “Seeing the kid was just… startling.”

“You threw him overboard.” You reminded him as his hand stopped at the base of your spine.

He rolled his eyes. “Stop bringing that up.” 

“Don’t attempt to grab my ass when I’m being serious with you.” You shot back. 

“Now hang on-”

“What’re you two arguing about?” 

The two of you turned and saw the kid glaring sleepily in your direction. You pulled away from your husband and went over to him, lifting him up into your arms as he wrapped himself around you. With one arm you held him while the other pulled the coat off and draped it over him, wanting to make sure he was warm.

“Are you okay?” You asked him as you hugged him. He let his head drop onto your shoulder, nodding sleepily. “Come on, let’s go back to bed. I’m tired too.”

Your husband wanted to protest, he wanted more time with you, but the kid locked eyes with him and smirked. Oh, that little shit. Buggy huffed angrily, he would not be competing with a kid for your attention, but he was also very clingy of his wife, just like the kid was in this moment, and he would very much be ready to compete for your attention if needed.

“Buggy, come on, time for bed.” You called to him with a smile as you headed to the bedroom. The kid stuck his tongue out at the captain and he bristled angrily, ready to throw the kid overboard again if he needed to. Grumbling something about bratty kids, Buggy followed after you, wondering if he could throw the kid overboard without you noticing. 

#buggy the clown #buggy the clown x reader #buggy x reader #buggy x you #buggy the clown x you #opla buggy the clown #opla buggy the clown x reader #opla buggy x reader #opla buggy the clown x you #opla buggy x you #sunny x buggy #one piece #one piece oc #one piece fanfiction

[yelenasdiary]

Forbidden || Meet The Characters - Natasha Romanoff

No Warnings | 0.6K

Forbidden Masterlist

Hi there! I'm Natasha, Yelena's older sister. I have a place in Drybellow where I run an orphanage for young girls. I'm sure Yelena has told a little of our back story and why I have this orphanage, so I won't bother you with more details on that. 

I house 16 girls from ages 6 to 20. These girls have nowhere else to go, these are girls who have run away, girls in trouble and girls who's parents couldn't look after. I do my best; I have a small background on basic medicine, so I am able to treat them correctly when they need it. I educate them and teach them things a woman in this world should know. I'd do anything and everything for them. 

We all live together on some land, well, you'd probably call it a small ranch. We grow our own fruits and vegetables, and we have some animals. Everybody helps out and has their own chores to do before they go off and do their own thing. I don't like to make them feel like they need to work to keep a bed here, when they are ready, I help them find a job and a new home to stay at. Most girls will write and give me updates on their new chapter of life and others like to come back for a visit. 

Some of the older girls and I like to knit things like blankets and clothing for new-borns, that's one of the ways we make some money to help keep this place running. Gardening is also something we all do, the younger girls love planting anything they can find so our home is full of orange, yellow, red, and purple plants. I like to try and keep the younger ones more entertained, long walks around the small, wooded area near the ranch, walks along the coastline, painting when we get some supplies, playing in the mud, enjoying their freedom and letting to be children is important to me. 

Every single girl that comes into my care will leave with the skills they need to care for themselves, look out for themselves and make something wonderful of themselves. But enough about that, I'm sure I've just bored you with all that information. 

As for me, I like doing many things. I do a lot of reading, mostly books that teach you something. Cooking, I love to cook! I've taught the girls how to fish and sometimes when the girls go on a walk, they'll bring back a dead rabbit for me to cook. When my days aren't spent looking after the girls, I'm usually trying to keep track of where Yelena is! We have a system; she is to write to me when she's off catching outlaws and if she doesn't, I'll go looking for her. That's if I don't hear from her within two weeks. 

I don't do all of this by myself though. I have to thank Maria Hill for being such a rock through all of this. She has been with me since I told her about the idea of buying this old, broken and run down property and turn it into something beautiful. She helps with everything, looks after the girls as if they were her own, we both do. Without Maria, this place wouldn't be possible. 

Well, I won't chew your ear off any longer! Feel free to write us a little letter, we're the ranch closeted to the railway station in Drybellow! We would love to hear from you. Stay safe out there! 

~ Natasha, Maria & the Girls of Black Hill Ranch.

Taglist: @madislayyy | @riveramorylunar | @teganmiller | @kyleeservopoulos | @yelenaslyubov | @kacka84 | @lesbiarmy | @meurgen | @caporal-nino | @sl-ut | @scarletwidowblackwitch | @dogtamer415 | @mousetheorist | 

If you want to be on the taglist for this series, please see the masterlist. It's link at the top of this post.

#fanfiction #marvel #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #forbiddenau

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

WIP Wednesday Thursday

Happy Thursday y'all! It's been a while since I gave an update on the Dancing with the Stars Dieter fic, Closed Position.

As mentioned before, I do not plan to fully dive into this fic and start posting until Destiny & Deliverance has been completed. However, there is only one chapter and the epilogue left (I'm not ready). Since, it's not that far off...I have started working on my outline for dancing Dieter. More below the cut. 👇

I have it planned out fairly well, so I am sharing my chapter list with you today. This could change slightly when I start digging in, but this is the format I'm going with:

Prologue

Introductions

Week 1 - Foxtrot

Week 2 - Cha Cha

Week 3 - Jive

Week 4 - Rumba

Week 5 - Argentine Tango

Week 6 - Paso Doble

Week 7 - Jazz

Week 8 - Viennese Waltz

Week 9 - Quickstep

Week 10 - Samba

Week 11 - Finale

Epilogue

I've been doing a ton of homework on the show, so I plan to incorporate a lot of crazy behind the scenes stuff that actually happens and makes for an entertaining plot. Anyone down for a weekly spray tan? No? Dieter isn't a fan either.

This fic will not be anywhere near as angsty as D & D. However, some tough topics are mentioned, mostly relating to Kat's (OFC) asshole ex who will be very present as another professional dancer on the show. Then of course, Dieter's issues with drugs and alcohol are discussed too. He will be sober in this fic, but early on in his journey. Still very much our loveable, hot mess trash panda though.

I would like to do a lot more extras with this fic. I plan to share some inspiration videos for each chapter so you will have a visual of the dances. I think it will help you understand what ultimately causes Dieter and Kat to fall for each other. If nothing else, the visuals are just hot AF.

There will be a lot of Latin dances, just because we have to show off Dieter's loose hips. You know there are going to be jokes about that. I feel like it's a good excuse to take Dieter's button allergy up a few notches too. 😏 Here is a sexy little Rumba video to get us started. This dance may or may not be the one that gets them in trouble...🤐

Series Summary: Dieter Bravo was looking to change his bad boy image and clean up his act after hitting rock bottom. His team hoped that having him join the nationally televised family friendly dance competition would be a good first step, if they can keep him out of trouble. 

Katarina Stamos expected her last season as a professional dance partner to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars to go the same as it had for the past nine seasons. That all changed when she was partnered with the infamous Dieter Bravo. 

Dieter and Katarina are reluctantly thrown into their partnership and must learn to work together to succeed in the competition. In the process they form a deeper connection beyond the dance floor that neither anticipated.

If you would like to be added to my taglist for this fic, feel free to comment below or shoot me a message and I will get you added.

Tagging all my usuals. If this isn't a fic you would like to be tagged on, let me know and I will remove you. 😉

@rhoorl @chaoticfestninja @survivingandenduring @partyofone3413 @wannab-urs @cakipy-blog @titlee78 @poodlebae @guelyury @missladym1981 @maried01 @alokaerza @samiamproductions @misstokyo7love @themonadiaries-blog @madnessofadaydreamer @darkheartgatita @avastrasposts @weho2kcmo @harriedandharassed @tkchaos @girlofchaos @yghuibt @musings-of-a-rose @secretelephanttattoo @maggiemayhemnj @legendary-pink-dot @linzels-blog @morallyinept @undercoverpena @sin-djarin @trulybetty @goodwithcheese @jazzloveslatte @timpletance @myloveistoolittle @annieispunk @bitchwitch1981 @readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94 @for-a-longlongtime @hisandsnakes @sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @copperhalfcent

#dieter bravo #dieter bravo fic #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fanfic #dancing dieter #closed position teaser #closed position series #Youtube

[callsign-magnolia]

Undiagnosed // Ch. 6

Mature Content 18+

Jake Seresin x Neurodivergent OC

Summary: Katie Blair grew up trying to be the perfect daughter. She always struggled to be the prim and proper little girl her parents wanted. Big personality as a kid, but now at 25, she's the shy admiral's daughter who just keeps her head down and tries to get through law school. So what happens when she's had enough and with help from a certain Lieutenant, she gets out.

Warnings: Emotional abuse, trauma response, abusive parents.

Word Count: 6.0k

Chapter 5 | Masterlist

The house was quaint. It was a simple blue color with a concrete front porch, the white railing framing it and giving it the perfect American dream look. He parked next to a small white SUV in the driveway, throwing the truck in park. I stared at the house, feeling frozen in my seat until the door opened. "C'mon, let's get you inside." He said, holding out his hand for me. I gently slipped my hand in his, getting out of the truck as he closed the door. His hand rested on my lower back as he guided me to the door. He swung the door open, guiding me inside before closing and locking it. 

The lock made me nervous but then he smiled at me and I felt better. He walked into the living room and I slowly followed. "Babe?" He yelled out as I looked around the house, it looked bare, almost as if he was never here. "Oh hey." A soft voice said, making me look towards the kitchen. "Kelly, you remember Katie." Jake said, motioning over to me. "Yeah, I do." She gave me a small smile as she walked over to Jake. "Can I talk to you?" She asked him and he nodded. "Feel free to sit on the couch and relax." He said and I nodded as they went into the kitchen. I took notice of the sectional and the large flat screen mounted above the fireplace. I opted to sit on the edge of the couch, setting my purse next to me as I crossed my legs, resting my hands on my knees. 

My legs bounced wildly as I picked at my nails. I knew the conversation was about me. I'd be stupid to think otherwise. I have a feeling Kelly isn't my biggest fan, and I wouldn't blame her. She saw me come out of a room with her boyfriend and it looked bad. I don't know what their conversation was after that, but I'm sure it was a tense one. I wasn't sure how long I was sitting there but a hand on my shoulder scared me, making me jump off the couch. "Just me." Kelly said as I turned to her. "Sorry. It's a reaction." She gave me a small smile. "Jake said you're in a bit of trouble." I nodded. "Well he went to shower and change. I'm cooking dinner if you want to join me." I nodded, following her. "Oh, here." She gently took my bag, hanging it on a hook in the foyer next to another bag. "That's where I hang mine. No point in carrying it all over the house." I nodded and followed her into the kitchen. "I hope you like Italian. I'm making tuscan chicken pasta." I nodded, sitting at the island. "I love it."

I watched as she cooked and felt weird. Any time Mom cooked, I was required to help. "Do you need any help?" She looked back at me. "You cook?" I nodded. "I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen." She nodded. "Cut the tomato?" I nodded, grabbing a cutting board from the counter and a knife from the knife block. We quietly got dinner together and I felt awkward. Jake invited me to live with him and now I'm standing in the kitchen with his girlfriend who I can't tell if she likes me or not. I finished the tomato and handed it to her before going to the sink to wash the knife. “Hey baby.” Jake’s voice was deep. I turned to see him with his arms wrapped around Kelly’s waist. I turned back around, a blush creeping up my cheeks. I felt like I intruded on a moment and I didn’t want them to know I saw that. 

“You okay?” Jake asked, coming to stand next to me. “Yeah.” He raised a brow at me. “You sure?” I nodded. “Positive.” After that I just stood in the corner of the counters, staying out of the way. “Can I get in the cabinet behind you?” Kelly asked and I rushed out of the way. “I’m so sorry! Next time just shove me out of the way.” She gave me a small smile. “I wouldn’t do that. Mind help me set the table?” I nodded and she handed me the plates as she got the silverware. I set the plates down, mine a little farther down. “Why’d you set that one there?” I wanted to shrink in on myself. “I kind of feel like I’m intruding. Figured I’d give you two some space.” She smiled at me, sliding it closer to the end of the table. “You’re not intruding. You were invited.” She said before disappearing into the kitchen. I stared at the table, seeing one at the head and one on either side. It reminded me of the way my mother sets the table, it felt right. “Let’s eat.” Jake said, carrying in the bowl of pasta while Kelly had the basket of bread. Jake set the food down and turned to me. “What do you want to drink?” He asked. “Uh, water.” He turned but I stopped him. “I can get it.” He turned back to me, large hands landing on my shoulders, making me wince. “Sorry.” He said, easing his grip. 

He pulled out a chair, pushing me gently to sit in the chair. He disappeared into the kitchen as Kelly sat across from me. Soon he came back, setting a glass in front of me before sitting at the head of the table between Kelly and I. “You want some?” He asked. “Uh, you go ahead and get some.” I said. I was always used to getting my food last, so it feels weird getting it first. He nodded, getting himself some and then Kelly before I grabbed some. They started a conversation which I blocked out, not wanting them to think I was eavesdropping. “Katie?” My head snapped up from my plate, looking at Kelly wide eyed. “Jake tells me you’re in law school. Have you figured out a specialty?” I nodded. “Medical law.” She nodded. “I thought you said that’s what your parents wanted you to do?” Jake said and my face fell. “Um yeah. It is.” I said. “So why would you do it if it’s not what you want to do?” Kelly asked. I stared down at my plate, shifting my food around not knowing what to say. ‘I don’t know how to do anything for myself.’ I couldn’t say that. Tears sprung to my eyes and I took a deep breath. “May I be excused?” I asked calmly. “Uh, yeah. Why?” Jake replied, a single eyebrow raised. I didn’t answer, just getting up and walking down the hallway towards the bathroom. 

I shut the door, locking it as I leaned on the counter. Bile rose in my throat and I took deep breaths in hopes I could fight it, but I couldn’t. I leaned over the toilet, retching up everything I had in my system, which was basically nothing since I hadn’t eaten today. Once I was done I stood, staring at myself in the mirror. Mascara ran down my face as I sniffled. I turned on the water, wiping away the streaks on my face. I wish I had makeup wipes or something to just clean myself off. A knock startled me as I turned off the water. “Katie?” It was Kelly. “I’m fine.” I said. It took a second before she responded. “Okay. You’ll let us know if you need anything?” I nodded. “Yeah.” It was a quiet response and I heard her walk away. I took a few deep breaths, sliding down the wall as more tears fell. How could I think this was a good idea? I didn’t know how to be a functioning adult. What made me think I could just walk away from everything I knew and just start a new life? My thoughts plagued me for a while and I questioned going back out there but soon there was another knock on the door. “Katie. Open the door, please..” I sighed and stood, opening the door. I looked at Kelly through teary eyes and she gave me a small smile before stepping into the bathroom. “What happened?” I shook my head, leaning against the wall. “I was just overwhelmed. I’m not used to all this.” She looked at me confused. “What do you mean ‘all this’?” I bit my lip, holding back more tears.

“I don’t know how to do anything for myself.” It was a whisper but her face fell. “Oh, Katie. I’m sure you can do things for yourself. I mean, you decided this. You decided to leave, and now you’re here with us.” I scoffed. “I don’t hardly know how to speak if I’m not spoken to first.” She gave me a small smile, opting to sit next to me on the floor as I slid down the wall. “We’ll change that. It’s going to take time to unlearn everything, but we’ll figure it out. Jake didn’t give me any details. He just said your parents weren’t good people and you needed somewhere to go.” I wiped the tears from my eyes and she smiled at me. “I know it seems hard, but we’re all here. I know that you know if you need someone you can go to Jake, Natasha or Bradley. But you can come to me too, Katie.” I nodded, soothing myself slowly. “I’m sorry for interrupting dinner.” She shook her head. “You have nothing to apologize for. If you’re still hungry, foods still on the table.” I nodded and she stood before helping me off the floor. I followed her back to the dining room and sat back down in my seat. Jake was gone but the food was still on the table. I ate as Kelly grabbed her plate going back to the kitchen. After a minute Jake came out and gave me a small smile. “Everything okay?” He asked, sitting next to me again. “It is. I just got super overwhelmed all of a sudden.” He smiled at me before Kelly joined us and they spoke to me while I ate.

After dinner Jake cleaned the kitchen after Kelly went home but not before stopping me. “Hey, if you need me you can have Jake call me. Once you get a new phone I’ll put my number in there for you.” I nodded before she squeezed my hand, leaving for her house. While Jake finished in the kitchen I went upstairs to look at my room. It had a single dresser and a bed. It wasn’t much and it felt weird to be in a room that’s mine, but it’s not ‘mine’. I heard soft footsteps behind me and turned to find Jake with some clothes in his hands. “I grabbed some of Kelly’s clothes that she keeps here. I’m not sure if it'll fit though.” I took the clothes from him, looking at them. “You can shower if you want.” I shook my head. “I’m super tired. So I think I’m just going to change and go to bed.” He nodded before grabbing the door. “I’m gonna close this, if you need me my room is at the end of the hallway.” I nodded. 

I slipped on the clothes, finding that the shorts fit, but the top did not. It was way too small. So I slipped my dress back on and walked down the hallway. His bedroom door was open, and he was laid back in bed flipping through tv channels. “You okay?” I bit my lip, not sure how to tell him. But it was like he read my mind. “Did the clothes fit?” He asked and I shook my head. “I mean, the shorts did. But the shirt was too small.” He got up, getting into his dresser and pulling out a white shirt and tossed it to me. “Try that.” He said as he crawled back in bed. “Thank you.” I squeaked before going down the hallway. I knew I got on his nerves, otherwise he wouldn’t have tossed the shirt at me. I slipped the shirt on once I got back to my room and looked down at it. It was an old Top Gun shirt and it came down to the tops of my thighs. A blush flooded my cheeks as I looked at the shirt, realizing it belonged to Jake. I set my dress on the dresser and walked over to the bed, pulling the covers down and crawling in it. I was about to lay back but a knock on the door startled me. “Come in.” I said quietly and the door opened. “The shirt work?” He asked, looking at me as he leaned on the doorframe. I nodded, messing with the hem of it. “It did.” He nodded, giving me a small smile. “Well I do have work in the morning, so I’m going to bed. I usually get up around four and go for a run so I’ll be quiet and try not to wake you.” I nodded. “Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge and really anything in the house. We can go get you some clothes when I get off work tomorrow.” I just nodded and he smiled at me. “Night, darlin’.” 

“Goodnight.” With that he gently closed the door and once again I was left alone in the dark room. I looked out the window seeing the moon and stars, the only thing illuminating the room. I pulled my knees up to my chest, leaning back on the wall. I sat in the silence, the thoughts in my head louder than ever. My parents are either at home, celebrating me being gone, or they’re pissed and searching for me. I turned my attention to the covers, white just like the ones I had in my room back home. ‘Home’ for a place that felt like a living hell. It was also the only place I could ever consider home. Being here, in Jake’s house, it felt wrong. Like I wasn’t supposed to be here. In all actuality, Jake probably felt sorry for me and felt like he had to offer me a place to stay. One thing I learned growing up, is people don’t just do nice things without expecting something in return. What would Jake expect from me? I thought about it. Maybe he wanted someone who would keep his place clean while he was at work. For the most part that’s what my mom did. She didn’t work. She was basically a glorified house cleaner who got expensive jewelry and designer clothing. 

I didn’t want to be like my mother. She ruined me, I know she did but it was so weird to have someone be nice to me. I was used to cruel words and being forced to do things I didn’t want to do. But I like to think it was making me a stronger person. I don’t know where to go from here. Do I stay here for a while or do I find something else to do with my life? At least with my parents I knew what each day held. School, studying on base, making dinner. The unknown was terrifying and the thought of it had tears running down my face. What if my parents wanted to find me? They never seemed to care about anything other than their image and a run away daughter would not be a good look. I looked down at the shirt, rubbing the soft material between my fingers. I felt restless and decided to get up. I looked at the empty walls in the hallway before making my way downstairs. I went into the kitchen, grabbing a cup from the cabinet and getting some water. As I did I took notice of the kitchen. It looked like Kelly did most of the stuff in here. You could tell it had a feminine touch. As I looked around, my eyes wandered to the living room. There was a table I hadn’t paid attention to. It held a few awards as well as pictures. There was one of him and Bradley shaking hands, one with his team and a few others, including one in his dress blues. I remember every time my dad added a new award to the mantle, there used to be an abundance of pictures up there, but over the years those have dwindled away only to be replaced with awards only. I saw a few that my dad also had, it made me think that if Jake never apologized my dad might try to get me to go out with him. 

Then a thought crossed my mind. What if my parents found out I’m with Jake? My father would ruin him in more ways than one. The thought hit me like a runaway train. You'll ruin his career, Katie. You'll ruin his life. He could lose everything. His job, his house, his truck. Literally everything if my father wanted to make that happen. I walked into the kitchen and looked at the clock, seeing it said one-thirty. I’ve been up for hours, letting my thoughts eat me alive. I decided to go back upstairs and into my room. As I walked in, I looked at my dress, neatly folded on the dresser. If my father ruined Jake, he would surely hand me back over to my parents. He would blame me for everything and in turn, Bradley and Natasha might feel the same way. Was my freedom really worth losing the few friends I had? It wasn’t. I rushed to the dresser quietly, pulling off the clothes Jake gave me and slipping my dress back on. I knew Jake would be mad at me for leaving, but he would understand once I told him why. I couldn't let him lose everything because of me. I went to walk out the door, but turned back to the bed, deciding to make it so he wouldn't have to clean up after me and I left the clothes neatly folded on the bed. I grabbed my shoes and my bag, quietly going downstairs and into the kitchen where I found a notepad. I wrote him a note explaining everything and that I appreciated what he did for me. With tears in my eyes I quietly opened his front door, reaching in and locking the bottom lock before closing it. There was no going back now. I couldn't change my mind. I walked off his front step, opting to carry my heels versus walking in them. 

Jake’s little neighborhood was off a main road, one that I was very familiar with so finding my way home was easy but it would be easier if I had my glasses. It just took me an hour to get there and once I reached my neighborhood, I cursed my parents for buying a house on a hill. I stopped a few feet away from the driveway, seeing the living room lights were still on, which was odd since my father was a stickler for leaving lights on. My car was backed into the driveway so I knew they picked it up and brought it home. I slowly walked up the walkway towards the door, hoping that by some crazy coincidence the door was unlocked and I wouldn't have to knock. I grabbed the door handle and a shadow passed by the large picture window in front of the house, the curtains only producing a silhouette but I knew from the height it was my mother. I gently and slowly twisted the door handle and found it locked. Tears sprung to my eyes realizing I would have to knock but I didn't have a choice. I couldn't go back to Jake's and I had nowhere else to go. Who knows if my parents even want me back?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and gently knocked on the door. Within seconds I heard rushed footsteps and the door swung open to reveal my mother. Her hair was a wreck and her face was pale and splotchy as if she'd been crying. "Katie!" She screamed, yanking me into her arms. I was startled by the hug, it wasn't something my mother did with the exception of one or two times. She pulled me inside and shut the door. "Honey! Katie's home! Our Katie came back!" She yelled up the stairs as tears fell from her eyes. "Oh thank God!" She yelled, hugging me again. Thunderous footsteps caused me to launch myself out of her arms, slamming my back into the wall as my father rushed towards me. Without saying a word he pulled me into his arms, squeezing me tightly as his shoulders shook. "Why did you leave?" He was crying. "You've had us scared to death! Not knowing where you were. Why did you leave?" The sadness in his voice was clear as day. I immediately felt bad, knowing that I worried them. "I was upset and thought I could make it on my own." I answered.

"Katie, sweetie. We've told you before, you can't make it without us." Mom said, squeezing my hand as my dad held me. "I know. I know that now." She smiled at me all teary eyed. "You hungry?" I nodded. "A little." She grabbed my hand, gently pulling me into the kitchen and having me sit down at the table, my dad across from me. "Where did you go?" He asked and I froze. "I um, just walked. But then it got late and I realized I had nowhere to sleep." He nodded, sitting back in his chair. "Guess I really can't make it on my own." Mom agreed as she set a bowl in front of me. It had what looked like rice, chicken and vegetables in it. "I told you." Mom said quietly as she sat down next to my dad. "The world is harsh and cruel, keeping you here keeps you safe and we can set you up for an easy life. That's why we put you in Law school." I nodded as I ate some of the food. "I know." They were acting out of character, but maybe my leaving made them realize that they actually do care about me and that the way they treat me isn't right. 

Once I was done eating mom washed the bowl and I went upstairs and put my pajamas on. I looked at where my fish tank was, the broken glass a clear reminder of what happened. A body in my doorway startled me, my dad towering over everything. "I uh… I should apologize about the fish tank and your glasses. My temper got the best of me." So many alarms were ringing in my head. My dad has never apologized to anyone, especially me. "We haven't been the best parents to you over the years, but you leaving made us realize that." He said and mom walked in, stepping by him and sitting next to me on the bed. "But that changes starting now." Mom took my hand, making me flinch but she just smiled and held my hand in both of hers. "We're so sorry for everything we've done to you. Can you ever forgive us?" Tears were streaming down her cheeks and I looked between her and my dad, deciding to be honest with them. "It'll take some time, and effort. But I'm willing to try." She smiled, standing up and leaning over to kiss my cheek.

"We love you." My dad came over and kissed my forehead before they walked towards the door. "Sweet dreams." Mom said before she shut the door. It was dark in my room, but I was comfortable here. At least, as comfortable as I can be after all that. They were acting differently, but they really seemed to want to try and do better, and maybe by giving them the opportunity, our relationship would be better. Tomorrow morning, when I get up, I’ll see if they would agree to some boundaries, something to give me just a little more freedom. A small smile settled on my face as I laid back in my bed, pulling my covers up. When I get up in the morning, I'll ask for my phone and text Jake and tell him everything. He'll be happy to know my parents are trying to be better. With that thought, I slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of how much better my life would be. 

~~~

I sat up in bed when my alarm went off, quickly turning it off so it wouldn't wake Katie. I quietly got up, putting on some shorts and lacing up my shoes before quietly heading downstairs. I stopped at the guest room door, seeing it was open when I know I closed it last night. Maybe she opened the door? I leaned in to look and make sure Katie was still asleep and my heart fell when I saw the bed. It was empty and made up. The clothes I loaned her were neatly folded at the end of the bed. My head snapped to the dresser seeing her dress was gone and her heels weren’t on the floor anymore I rushed over, yanking open the drawers in hopes she just put her dress in there but all of them were empty. “Katie?” I yelled, rushing downstairs in hopes she was down there. “Katie!” I yelled realizing she wasn’t in the living room. I rushed into the kitchen, nothing. But then I saw the note. 

Jake, 

Thank you for everything you’ve done. But I don’t know what I was thinking. It was the heat of the moment and I was so angry with my parents. You presented me with an opportunity and I took it and I am so grateful for that. But sitting alone in the dark, my thoughts raced and I realized something. If my dad found out I was with you, he’d ruin you. You’d lose everything Jake and I couldn’t live with myself knowing I was the reason you were in ruins and lost anything, especially your career. You worked hard to get where you are, and I’m not worth losing that over. So I decided to go back home. I know you’re going to be angry with me for a while, but I couldn’t cost you everything and have you hate me for the rest of your life. I’d rather you be mad at me for a while and still be a friend. I’ll see you on base, Jake. I’ll text you in the morning to let you know I made it home.

Love, Katie

“No. No.” I ripped up the note, rushing for the front door to see the deadbolt was unlocked, but the knob itself was. She walked out of the house and made sure the door was locked. I threw the door open stepping outside in hopes she got up just minutes before me but the streets were empty and it was still dark. She walked the whole way home. There was no way she took a car, she didn’t have a phone to get an uber or a lyft. “Oh my god.” My fingers went through my hair, stress pumping through my veins. God knows what her parents did to her when she got home, if she even made it home. I rushed back inside, calling Rooster as I paced around my living room. “What’s wrong? You never call me this early.” “Katie’s gone.” I blurted out. “Katie? She’s probably in that hell hole at her parent’s house. What do you mean she’s gone?” I bit my lip, realizing I never told him or Phoenix. “Yesterday, she was really upset and she wanted out. So I offered for her to stay here.” I heard rustling on the other end. “Are you telling me that Katie stayed at your house last night?” I nodded. “She said she wanted to go, so we rushed out through the hangar and she got in the truck and we just drove off base.” 

“Holy shit.” “Rooster, I put her to bed in the guest room and I woke up and she’s gone. The clothes I gave her were folded up, her dress and shoes were gone and I have a note sitting here on my counter that says she went back to her parents.” I slid down the wall, my head falling back against it. “Rooster man. What if she didn’t even make it home? She left in the dark and walked. What if she never made it?” The thought of her not making it home scared me because there were a million other things that could’ve happened. “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do. Go about your day normally. When it comes time for her to show up on base, we’ll see if she shows up. If not, we’ll go from there but if she does then we know she’s okay.” I scoffed. “You want me to wait ten hours before doing anything?” It was harsh, but I couldn’t wait that long. “If we do anything beforehand, it shows that you know she was gone and Commander Blair will know you had something to do with her leaving. If he ties you up in anything, you can’t help her.” I knew he was right, I knew he was. But I wanted so badly to go to her parents house and kick the door in. “Okay. Okay. But Rooster, if she doesn’t show up-” “We’ll figure out a plan.” I nodded. “Just go on your run and get ready for work.” He said and I sighed, getting up. “Okay, I’ll see you later.” I said before hanging up, walking out my front door. 

The day dragged by and I only wanted to be in the air to pass the time, but of course I had to be in the hangar for a while. I kept checking my phone, for the time and Katie’s text. She never texted me this morning like she said she would. Phoenix and Kelly are both trying to reassure me that she just forgot but something isn’t sitting right with me. Around the time she would arrive, Phoenix and Rooster followed me to the rec room and my face fell when I didn’t see her. “Maybe she got tied up in her dad’s office.” Rooster said and we all agreed to sit on the couch and wait. We had plenty of time. After about ten minutes Coop and Blake appeared in the doorway, shaking Commander Blair’s hand with a smile. Finally they turned and walked into the room. “It was only a matter of time.” Coop said with a smirk. “What are you two assholes smirking about?” Natasha asked. “Finally got rid of that bitch Katie.” Coop said and I stood, glaring at him. “What did you say?” Rooster stood as well, placing a hand on my shoulder. “She’s no longer allowed on base. Apparently you three were too much of a distraction for her. I mean, I’ll miss giving her a hard time but it’ll be nice to finally have peace and quiet.” 

“You call what you did a hard time?” He gave me that annoying smirk and I wanted to punch it off his face. “Not my fault she couldn’t take a joke.” I pulled my fist back until a smaller hand caught my arm. “Hangman!” Phoenix’s voice stopped me and I turned to see she was the one holding my arm. “He’s not worth it.” I glared at him, knowing she was right. But I still wanted to hurt him. "Let's go. Mav has some paperwork for us." They hauled me out of the room and I yanked myself free. "What the hell kind of paperwork does Maverick have for us?" I asked and Rooster laughed. "He doesn't. We just had to get you out of there." I scoffed, following them towards the hangar. "So what do we do now?" I asked. "We figure out what the hell happened to Katie. It's not unlikely that Commander Blair barred her from base,  but I want to find out for myself." Phoenix said. "It's not gonna be easy." Rooster responded and I sighed. "No one said it would be."

~~~

I woke up to the sun shining in through my window, blinding me as I opened my eyes. I hate that my room caught the morning sun. I closed my eyes, rolling onto my back as I took a deep breath. Everything would change today and my relationship with my parents would be better. I laid there in the silence until a loud whirring outside my door startled me. I shot up in my bed, looking at my door as my heart thudded in my chest. I slowly got up when the noise stopped and I made my way to the door, pressing my ear to it. The noise started again and I jumped back. I grabbed the door handle, attempting to twist it and it didn't move. I looked down and noticed the lock that was usually on my door handle was no longer there. 

I yanked on the handle, hoping to pull it open but I stopped when there was a click and it opened slightly. I could see my dad’s face on the other side and he glared at me, but what caught my attention even more was the silver chain crossing in front of his face. "Daddy? What are you doing?" I asked. "Making sure you never leave this room again." He said before slamming the door and locking it from the outside. "No!" I grabbed the handle but it wouldn't budge. "Why are you doing this?" I asked as I cried, the tears immediately coating my cheeks. "Because if we can't control you, you give us no choice than to keep you here. I will not let you ruin this family!" He yelled and I rested my forehead on the door. "What about last night?" I asked. It was quiet for a moment before the lock clicked and the chain moved. 

My mother quickly walked in as I sat up, her back resting against the door. "You are an ungrateful little shit. Do you really think we meant anything we said last night? If we hadn't acted the way we did, you would've tried to leave again. It was easier to get you up here and get the lock on while you were asleep." I furrowed my brows. "How did you know I'd come home?" She just laughed. "You can't survive without your father or I. I knew you'd be back, it would only be a matter of time." I was growing angry. At my mother for doing this, at myself for allowing it. "You're a royal bitch." I snapped. Her hand shot out, smacking me in the face. I should be used to it by now but it still caught me off guard. 

"I'm done with the disrespect! This is why we're locking you in here! Because you're an awful daughter! We can't deal with you anymore, but we won't let you ruin this family!" She yelled before grabbing the door handle. "Have fun staring at the same four walls for the rest of your life." I jumped up and she shut the door, locking it and putting the chain on. I pulled on the handle, hoping it would open. I started to panic, knowing she would make good on her words. I would spend my life in here if she thought that was right. "LET ME OUT!" I screamed, pounding on the door, hoping somehow I would knock it down. "You can't keep me in here!" I sobbed. I finally stopped beating on the door when my hands started to bleed. "Let me out. Please, let me out!" I cried as I slid down the door. "You can't do this to me! Let me out!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @wkndwlff @alltimereverie @cherrycola27 @daisydaisygoose @rosiahills22 @deanoheartspie @cornishkat @high-speed-r @fogle97 @mygyn @ohgodnotagainn @emma8895eb @senjoritanana @genius2050 @sandaltoesocks @mayhemmanaged @dempy @itsdesiree86 @callsign-athena @jstarr86 @brooke-stinson @rachkon @topguncultleader @bethbunnyy @topgun-imagines @clancycucumber230 @seitmai @kkrenae @djs8891 @shanimallina87 @wildxwidow @eugene-emt-roe @hisredheadedgoddess28 @littlewhiterose @formulapierre @wade-wilsons-chew-toy

#top gun maverick #undiagnosed #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #hangman seresin #hangman #hangman fanfiction #top gun hangman #hangman fluff #jake seresin x neurodivergent oc #ADHD OC

[rottenprincessshura100]

Why season 3 will be great.

Mephisto is a tertiary character in the first two seasons of the blue exorcist anime. He's there in the background, watching and scheming.

But in the Illuminati arc, he gets significant character development. He's still as mysterious as always, but he gives us more clues about who he really is and how complex he is. Or how complex he wants us to think he is...

In a way, we get Izumo's story arc and Mephisto's.

What do we learn about Mephisto in the new season?

Mephisto is an Otaku, and he's a prolific one.

Mephisto teaches Rin "demon manners" and finally admits that he is a demon king and one of the highest powers in Gehenna. He then takes Rin's mind into Gehenna and flexes his powers. Mephisto is trying to teach Rin about being a demon in a human world, but he's also being as intimidating as fuck. Mephisto wants Rin to know that he's a force to be reckoned with and somebody not to cross. He wants Rin to know the pecking order and how superior he is.

3. Mephisto is so powerful that he can temporarily stop a hole between Gehenna and Assiah. (Some exorcists hint that he's not commonly seen amongst the order. He's a mysterious and infamous person. His fame really makes Angel jealous.) (If they don't anime this, it's a horrendous crime.)

4. Mephisto thinks he knows everything about human nature and how humans can all be tempted by certain things. Mephisto can control the humans and believes them all the same, or if given a suitable catalyst, they can be "bought." They are all like Faust, right? Humans want simple things sex, money, power and knowledge. Knowledge being the the most important.

5. Even though he's the school director, he's a lazy teacher, and I find this entertaining and admirable, no? Kids learn through experience. He lets them get into as much trouble as possible and learn critical thinking in the process.

6. Mephisto can be pushed into extreme violence. As we see when he's torturing Amaimon...for being...Amaimon.

7. Mephisto plays cat and mouse with Shura. He seems like he's being incredibly evil and threatening and wants her to know she's playing with fire. Superior demon fire.

If she continues spying on him, he vows to have her crushed.

And he does crush her in a roundabout way. Being the king of time, he knows what's coming in the future. He chooses to protect the exwires, but Shura gets severely hurt by Lucifer's seraphim. After it all happens, Mephisto gets her medical care and gives her gifts (he feels guilty!?)

8. Mephisto's complex barriers keep True Cross safe from demon invasion; he's the only glue holding things together. But as Mephisto rebuilds the barriers, they are represented as a delicate house of cards. Each card is stamped with Mephisto's demon heart. As strong as he is, his grip on Assiah is tenuous and shows a sense of fragility. This visual will be so beautiful to see animated!

9. That weird kid, Takara, is named after a corporation that Mephisto owns. Mephisto is very wealthy, and that kid is very mysterious. Takara is kept calm and asleep by Mephisto through a possessed puppet. When Shima uses his K'rik, its Armumahel powers weaken Mephisto but wake up Takara, unleashing a powerful blast that sends Shima tumbling.

10. Mephisto was probably behind saving Izumo from the Illuminati; he lets her be recaptured, but she gets the closure she needs, including reconciling with her mother. Mephisto also saved her baby sister and had her raised by the CEO of Takara Corporation.

11. Mephisto gets to tease Lucifer for an entire chapter. He fears his more powerful brother, but it doesn't limit his capacity for sass.

12. And finally, Mephisto even admits he doesn't have all the answers...and he's in the same boat as everyone else. Even though he thinks he's powerful and superior, he has the exact wants and needs as humans. Knowledge.

Knowledge that evades him.

It makes him almost human, doesn't it?

#blue exorcist #mephisto pheles #ao no exorcist #blue exorcist theories #blue exorcist mephisto #blue exorcist season 3

[write4tomorrow]

Chapter 1: Zeus

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x CIA Agent!Reader

Summary: During the training with Maverick for the mission, the pilots must also complete “hostile condition” training with a CIA interrogator (reader). Hangman thinks this type of training is a waste of time until the reader exposes him. Enemies to Lovers. 

Genre: Adventure / Fluff

A/N: This is the first in a six part series. I had the idea for this story and immediately wrote the first four chapters. More to come soon!

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Epilogue (Complete)

Maverick walked into the briefing room with Cyclone and Warlock, glancing at photos on the projected screen. Looking back at him were the faces of the best pilots in the Navy - including Rooster. 

“Is there a problem, captain?” Cyclone asked. Maverick looked at Rooster’s face.

“You know there is,” Maverick clenched his jaw and turned back to face Cyclone. 

“Bradley Bradshaw,” Cyclone nodded, “You flew with his old man.”

“I’ve known him since he was a kid. Don’t make me choose-” Maverick was silenced with a wave of Cyclone’s hand. He nodded at Warlock. 

“In addition to your flight training,” Warlock explained, “the pilots will be given what the CIA calls, ‘hostile environment’ training. We’re doing everything we can to make sure they’re ready for this mission, captain. Meaning the pilots will be equipped by the best to fly themselves home and to survive enemy interrogation tactics if they are forced to eject.” 

“You say ‘the best’ but who…” Maverick turned back toward the projector screen as a new face appeared. Maverick’s jaw dropped. “No-” Maverick hissed.

“You know her?” Warlock asked. Maverick nodded. Cyclone raised an eyebrow, but Maverick’s gaze was glued to your illuminated face.

“She’s been one of Rooster’s best friends since they were stationed together.” Maverick turned back towards Warlock and Cyclone. “She was doing work for the Navy. She has the best poker face I've ever seen. Nearly swindled me out of a small fortune playing cards. But y/n and Rooster - I’m not going to risk both of them.”

“She isn’t going with them, Captain. She’s just training the pilots.” Warlock said slowly. Maverick noticed the way Warlock kept glancing at Cyclone. 

“She’s the best. She’ll get the pilots ready.” Cyclone said, keeping his eyes on Maverick. 

“You’ve met her?” Maverick asked. 

“She’s my daughter, Captain.” Cyclone answered. 

The bar was so crowded. Even for a weeknight. Still, you were glad to be back at Top Gun and were practically giddy when you saw Penny behind the bar of The Hard Deck. When she noticed you, Penny’s eyes went wide. She slid out from behind the bar and pulled you into a crushing hug. 

“How’s your dad, kiddo?” Penny asked, pulling back to look at your face. Before you can answer, you hear your name from somewhere near the pool tables. 

“Go,” Penny says with a wink, “we’ll talk later.” She pushes you towards the crowd of young pilots and you rush right past the seated Maverick. 

“She didn’t even notice me,” Maverick muttered to Penny. “She still has that same smile, though.”

“What smile,” Penny asked. 

“The one that means trouble.” Maverick said as he watched you give Rooster a hug. Bradley towered over you and something in Maverick’s heart ached when he saw how familiar you two seemed. He was even surprised to see you hug a few of the other pilots. Harvard, Yale, Fritz. How many of these guys did you already know?

“Look who’s in town!” Phoenix passed her pool stick to Rooster to give you a tight hug. You hugged her back, feeling lighter than you had in a long time. 

“What are you doing here?” Rooster asked. You cleared your throat, wondering how much you were allowed to say. You settled for silence and gave Rooster one of your famous grins. 

“I guess the spy master still has her secrets,” Phoenix said, knowing what the look meant. But Rooster wasn’t going to let it go. He asked again and you knew you needed to tell him something. Luckily, someone interrupted you before you could even think of a good excuse. 

“Who do we have here, Phoenix? Don’t tell me you brought a friend to Top Gun.” You saw Phoenix roll her eyes before you turned to find the speaker. He was tall, just as tall as Rooster, with a grin that could rival your own. You marveled at how pristine his uniform, hair, watch, - even the stupid toothpick in his mouth - seemed to be. 

This one has an ego, you told yourself. Years of training and learning how to read people meant that you were very good at making first impressions. You knew what ego’s meant at Top Gun. Sure, they were a dime a dozen, but they were also dangerous. 

You decided to play into the man’s ego. 

“You look like you were made by the greek gods,” you said, giving the newcomer your most awed expression. Hangman’s smile widened as you bashfully glanced away. You heard Rooster groan from behind you. But your eyes briefly slid to Phoenix. The female pilot had a grin on her face, she knew the game you were playing. 

“We call him Hangman,” she said, nodding her head at the guy. You turned your attention back to him. He leaned in a little closer, placing his drink on the pool table by his hip. He leaned in so that his face was close to yours. 

“But you can call me Zeus. Let me buy you a drink,” Hangman said with a wink. “And you know what they said about the god of lightning-”

“Oh, so you’re an inbred kid,” you said, trying not to let your glee show too much, “Don’t worry, I’ll speak very slowly so you can understand me.” You paused for a moment to take in Hangman’s shocked face. Then, you flicked the toothpick out of his mouth before gently patting his cheek. There was laughter around you and you were pretty sure Rooster choked on his drink.

“Well,” you said, taking Hangman’s drink off the pool table, “my name is y/n and I’m about to hand your ass to you in this game of pool.” You winked up at Hangman as you took a sip from his beer. It wasn’t your favorite flavor, but the expression on Hangman’s face was delicious. 

“It didn’t take long for her to find trouble,” Penny said. She and Maverick had been watching you tease Hangman. Maverick found himself smiling, enjoying the way Rooster cheered you on as you began your game of pool. 

Maverick began thinking about the coming weeks and the training that would probably wear down on you and the pilots. 

“Why are you making that face?” Penny asked, turning her full attention to Maverick.

“This might be a long few weeks.” Maverick said with a sigh. 

Indeed, the next morning came too quickly and seemed to be drawn out for far too long. Maverick entered the room with the waiting pilots as Cyclone introduced him. It was by no means a warm welcome. Hangman groaned when he realized that he had physically thrown his new instructor out of a bar the night before. Rooster was staring daggers through Maverick. Even the awkward Bob seemed to pick up on the tension in the room. But Maverick continued to outline his plan for the week to the pilots. 

“So suit up.” Maverick finished, “We’re starting dog fights today.” He moved to leave the room, but Cyclone quickly stepped in. 

“Hang on,” he said, giving Maverick a glance, “You’ll have one more instructor.” Maverick listened to Cyclone explain that hostile interrogation tactics will also be part of the pilot’s training. Maverick couldn’t help but smile as you walked in, letting Cyclone list your credentials. He found his gaze going to Rooster who was giving you a small, understanding nod. Did he not know you were going to be helping the navy with this mission? 

Maverick didn’t have much time to wonder because his attention was quickly pulled to Hangman. The others had seen you by now and quite a few of them were whispering among themselves. Hangman’s shoulders dropped when he saw you. 

Your eyes locked with his and there was no hint of the playfulness you had displayed at the bar last night. Instead, you looked entirely professional, cold, and stared at Hangman with an evaluating once over.

“Today you will focus on flying,” Cyclone finished, “your training with Ms. y/l/n will begin tomorrow after she’s had a chance to observe everyone. For now, go get ready for dog fights with Maverick. You are dismissed.” 

Hangman was the first pilot to leave the room.

Part 2

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think or feel free to give any helpful feedback.

#hangman top gun #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin #top gun x reader #top gun imagine

[hufflegruff]

Chapter 2: A Knowing Look

Pairing: Sebastian x F!Reader Summary: In which Sebastian is whipped and literally everyone can see from a mile away that this is more than friendship.

“Sebastian, would you like to join us next time?” “Oh me? Beasts watching?” He drawled absentmindedly, “Can’t say it’s really my thing.” Poppy nodded, “I figured as much. But our dear friend has recently been so terribly insistent on finding the snidgets before the poachers do and I feel bad for taking up so much of her time. Seeing as you’re courting, I thought you might like to spend more time together.” Sebastian stopped and his brain short circuited entirely. What did she just say? Did Poppy Sweeting just say courting?

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 AO3 link

Chapter 2: Poppy

Sebastian felt a little ill. 

Like a thousand lacewing flies were lodged deep inside a crevice in his stomach, threatening to burst and split him wide open.

Perhaps it was the pumpkin pasties from lunch. Perhaps Lucan Brattleby poisoned him out of spite after he’d told him that he’d have to miss Crossed Wands due to more pressing matters. Perhaps it was the plague.

Whatever it was, he needed it gone. Like pronto.

After Ominis’ outrageous comments and his whole spiel about friends not looking at each other like that… Well, it was all he could damn well think about now. 

Especially now that it was just the two of them. In close proximity. In a secluded corner of the library where the eyes of prying students couldn’t reach them. 

She sat calmly next to him. Her attention solely on the pile of books in front of her. How? He wondered, when he felt so unsettled. Their knees were just barely touching. Their shoulders were a Diricawl feather apart. Their breaths were atrociously loud in the silence. Sebastian’s mind was racing a million miles a second.  

Damn Ominis. Making him over-think.

Okay fine. Sure. Sebastian tended to keep an eye out for her. Which to the untrained eye (or the blind), could be misconstrued for lovelorn longing.

But how could he not look out for her? When she was practically a walking Ashwinder magnet, Goblin bait and a flight risk balled into one. If he didn’t, who knew what kind of ridiculous trouble she’d get herself into? As a friend , that would be terribly thoughtless of him. This misunderstanding honestly just stemmed from his good conscience as a friend, worried for another dear friend.

Yes. That was well and truly it.

But then again… he supposed there was also the matter of her appearance.

As if it had been waiting on cue, the clouds parted and the library skylight casted a perfect beam of light onto her. He took this chance to look at her properly, to observe the focused crease of her brow. The rougeish glint in her eyes. The soft curve of her cheek. The flecks of light caught in her hair and the way it cascaded over her shoulders. The traces of scars on her fingers from burdensome battles and arduous work. The delicate shape of her neck. The slight pout of her lips. 

All of these parts of her came together, through hell and fire, to forge her. The prodigal hero. The slayer of trolls. The girl like no other.

And Gods, was she pretty. 

So pretty that it was difficult for him to look away.

But that didn’t mean anything. None of it meant anything. Because friends could certainly be pretty. Sebastian had been friends with tons of pretty girls before. And it was just a fact of nature that pretty things were made to be looked at. 

His eyes dropped to her fingers that stroked the edge of an old book. All of a sudden (overwhelmingly at once) the urge to hold onto it became not a want but a need.

Was it dastardly (blasphemous? outrageous?) to assume that some pretty things were made to be touched too?

He was so close to her. If he just reached out his hands he would —

Oh no. No no no.

He shooed away the rogue thought that sneaked its way into his mind. Merlin’s beard, how did that get there?

In a quick bid to distract himself, he picked up a random book from the pile she had haphazardly curated. But that proved to be a terrible mistake, when - what he assumed must’ve been - centuries worth of dust scattered into the stagnant library air. Sebastian went into an ungraceful coughing fit.

“What does Thistlewood have us looking for again?” Sebastian choked out as he waved the dust out of his eyes. 

She didn’t look at him (to his disappointment) but replied, “An old book. Helena said she heard a rumour that her ancestors hid an enchanted map to the heirloom in an old book in the Hogwarts library.”

He raised a brow, “Okay? Anything else?” 

Was that too haughty? Too sardonic? If she was annoyed, she didn’t show it.

But surely there must be more. Surely Helena Thistlewood gave the Hero of Hogwarts more to go on than that. 

“Unfortunately,” she replied diplomatically, “That’s all the clues I have at hand.”

Nevermind that she had just admitted she was grasping at straws - she still wasn’t looking at him. Why wouldn’t she look at him? He knew they were here with a job to do - but the books couldn’t be that much more interesting than him that she couldn’t even spare a glance. 

Could they? 

Sebastian always felt an inexplicable compulsion to look at her (as all friends would, he assumed). So by some wicked thread of logic, he believed it would only make cosmic sense she felt the same. 

“Well, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but this entire library is filled to the brim with old books,” he quipped wittily.

And then finally, after what felt like aeons, she turned to look at him. Sebastian had to physically fight the smile that threatened to form on his face. Her attention was all too thrilling. 

Perhaps he would’ve been better off if she hadn’t looked at him. Then he wouldn’t have suffered the terribly ill fate of looking so bloody stupid. 

Unbothered, she coyly replied.

“Shrewd as ever, Mr. Sallow. They don’t call you the brightest wizard in Slytherin for nothing,”

Mr. Sallow. Oh, the way his name rolled off her tongue was much too lovely. 

“You do know that this means we could be looking for days? ”

“I never said it would be easy,” She said.

“You never said it would be impossible either,” He bantered. 

Their exchanges were never a song and dance. It was like fencing. Every quip a lunge, every retort an en garde. But that made him love it all the more.

“Well I thought you’d be up for the challenge. Hidden treasures tend to be - well, hidden.” She said with a hearty laugh.

And like kerosine to a flame, the sound made his chest swell.

“Who knew that you’d be sending me on an impossible goose chase,” Sebastian said with a dramatic sigh.

Not that he was complaining of course. Despite the niggling pit in his stomach that knew he couldn’t explain why - he revelled in every moment he was blessed to spend in her company.

She rolled her eyes, “Don’t even pretend like you don’t love it.” 

Okay, now the smile on his face was truly repulsive. His cheeks were getting sore. 

“Oh no, I absolutely adore it.”

She swatted him gently with the stray book in her hand. But soon enough (too soon), her attention went back to the task at hand. He could feel the pout growing on his face as he watched her bury her nose deep into another book. 

Sebastian genuinely tried to help. He truly did. But the moment something no longer amused him, he was a lost cause. And while he was only joking, he was starting to feel like maybe this was proving to be an impossible task.

So instead, he chose to spend his time observing her. Until something caught his eye. 

The edges of her school robes were… singed? The seams were frayed and burnt, which was odd. When did she manage that? He hadn’t noticed that earlier. 

“What happened to your robes?” He asked.

Unexpectedly, she stiffened and looked away, “I’d rather not say.”

Now his curiosity was truly peaked. What deviousness did she get up to in his absence? What schemes was she committing without him?

“Well now you absolutely have to say.” He said.

Sebastian detested secrets he was not privy to. Especially hers. With every ounce of charm his brown eyes could muster, he looked at her expectantly, imploring her to tell him. 

When her face turned a delightful shade of pink, he knew she had folded. Check and mate.

“Fine.” She conceded.

On the edge of his seat, he urged her to continue.

Hesitantly, she did, “…I had a rather unfortunate accident yesterday.”

Sebastian cocked an eyebrow, “What did you do?”

“I might have… accidentally held my wand the wrong way round and confringoed myself in a duel with Clopton…”

Oh. Oh? Did he hear that right? 

Of all the things that she could’ve said, he was certainly not expecting that. He tried his best — he genuinely did — to not laugh. But he simply could not help himself from breaking into hounds of laughter. 

“Shut up!” She hissed, “It’s not funny Sallow.” 

As he wiped a stray tear from his eye, he quipped, “I beg to differ. It is actually very funny. I might have to rescind the title of best duellist in Hogwarts with that kind of shoddy wandwork.”

The glare on her face alone could’ve taken down trolls.

“Not even two rounds of washing got rid of the stench!” She yelled in whispers.

“I think that makes it objectively funnier.”

“You’re infuriating,” she huffed, “And I smell like burnt toast.”

He gave her a cheeky grin, “Oh, don’t be like that. I’m sure you smell fine. Lovely even. Let me see.”

“Hey, wait a minute—!”

Before the protests could leave her lips; before the rational part of his brain had time to think,  Sebastian moved towards her. Like lightning to the tallest peaks; like a comet caught in gravity's pull — he moved towards her.  

As he breathed into her, her breath hitched. 

Just as he had suspected, there was no hint of anything unpleasant. She smelled of mallowsweet and pine trees and warm fires. The mallowsweet she grew diligently in her garden. The early morning dew of pine trees from the forbidden forest. The crackle of her usual seat by the common room fireplace. 

If he could commit a scent to memory, Sebastian decided that this would be it. How was it possible that a smell could feel like home? What undiscovered sorcery was this? She didn’t smell like Feldcroft or the Undercroft — but it gripped onto him like a warm embrace that he yearned to always return to. 

It left him in such a daze that when she cleared her throat, it sounded miles away.

“...Sebastian?”

What was he doing again?

Right. He was reassuring her. That she was all good.

So how did he end up in the crook of her neck again? 

When he noticed how close he was to the delicate curve of her neck, he knew that he was in trouble. And he thought they were sitting in close proximity before. How in good conscience did he allow himself to get here?

Evidently, his conscience was not at all good and very much out to destroy him. 

When he finally gathered the nerve to bring his eyes to meet hers, he realised that she was looking directly at him. Her eyes were heavy with the weight of something indiscernible. Whatever it was, he couldn’t read it - but he could sense it was important. All of the sudden, the air in his lungs wasn't enough to keep him going. The words in his mouth wouldn’t form coherently.

Was it just him, or was the room spinning? 

Despite himself, he managed to get out in a whisper, “Just like I said. Sunshine and daisies.”

And more his traitorous mouth itched to confess.

Beneath lowered lashes, she replied barely above a whisper, “...thanks.” 

To his surprise, the look in her eyes turned bashful. Which was… something. In their time together, Sebastian had seen her embarrassed and flustered; but not once had he seen her bashful. Bashfulness was reserved for demure wallflowers and girlish first years. Not the hero of Hogwarts.

And in this moment, Sebastian cursed her for it.

Never in his 17 years of feeble existence had he seen anything so disgustingly disarming. And bloody hell, for the sake of his poor, erratic heart, he would need her to swear on Salazar to never ever, ever, ever ever look at him like that again — 

“Oh, hello friends!” 

Like a douse of cold water, a cheerful voice broke them out of their reverie, and suddenly they were scrambling apart. The air shifted. The tension dissipated. The scent of her no longer pervaded his senses. There was now (what felt like, at least to Sebastian) an astronomical distance between them. All that he had left to show for it was the stupid look on his face.

Sebastian felt like he was waking up from a fever dream. He didn’t know whether he wanted to jump for joy or throw up. Whether he was relieved or infuriated by the intrusion.

Who was it that intruded anyway?

“P-Poppy!” The girl beside him exclaimed, looking like a deer caught in headlights herself.

“Poppy.” Sebastian repeated, almost robotically.

Before them stood Poppy Sweeting, with a wide-eyed smile on her face. If she had noticed any tension between them, she didn’t mention it. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Poppy said, apologetically.

“Oh not at all!” His friend said hurriedly.

Sebastian begged to differ.

Poppy turned to address the girl wonder directly, “I was wondering if you had that magical creatures book? Natty and I were planning on visiting the fwoopers den up North, and I was hoping to bring it out with me today.”

Abruptly, she jumped from her seat and snapped her fingers in recollection.

“Oh! Right. I left it with Scribner at her desk. Let me go get it.” 

With rushed fervour, she stood up to go. Her hair and the folds of her skirt swayed hurriedly behind her. He watched with heavy eyes as she walked out of sight; as she robbed him of mallowsweet, pine trees and warm fires.

Now that she was gone — without rhyme or reason — his chest felt hollower. Why? Surely that lonely feeling that gripped his chest couldn’t have been from her absence. She would only be gone for a few minutes at most. What was he — a hapless puppy? 

Poppy’s bright voice broke him out of his trance.

“Sebastian, would you like to join us next time?”

His brain was still spiralling, so it took him a while to process the question. Or even realise that Poppy was speaking to him. But he managed to muster enough mental energy to reply.

“Oh me? Beasts watching?” He drawled absentmindedly, “Can’t say it’s really my thing.” 

Hippogriffs aside, he never really cared much for beasts no matter how mythical. And it wasn’t like he and Poppy Sweeting were particularly chummy either. 

Poppy nodded, “I figured as much. But our dear friend has recently been so terribly insistent on finding the snidgets before the poachers do—”

“Sounds just like her,” he interjected. It was valiant and righteous and just so bloody like her it made him want to scream. Just a tiny one, to help relieve the lingering warmth and tightness he felt in his traitorous chest.

Poppy continued, “—and I feel bad for taking up so much of her time. And seeing as you’re courting, I thought you might like to spend more time together.”

Sebastian stopped and his brain short circuited entirely.

What did she just say? Did Poppy Sweeting just say courting?

He swore he physically felt the neurons in his brain melt, “We’re not - I don’t - She —” Once again, Sebastian found his words failing him.

Poppy was looking at him expectantly, like an over-eager kneazle. But the weight of her expectation crushed him. After a few agonising moments of Sebastian completely butchering the English language, Poppy finally caught on. Sebastian’s words refused to cooperate, so he could only watch feebly as the gears seemed to finally turn in Poppy’s head.

“Oh!” She said in disbelief, “Sorry! I just thought, the way you were looking at her - and you looked so close that —”

Oh God. The way he was looking at her? Poppy Sweeting just basically implied that he was a hapless puppy. Obviously, Sebastian knew that the thoughts on his brain were a complete travesty — but he didn’t think he wore it on his face. 

Did he? Well apparently fucking so.

Sebastian was mortified. “It’s not like that,” he said quickly, “We’re just friends.”

A tentative pause filled the air. To his dismay, Poppy only dignified his response with a look of sheer disbelief. As if he’d grown two extra heads and still couldn’t find between them a single brain cell. 

Sebastian felt the urge to crawl into a Dugbog nest so he could be swallowed whole. If even Poppy Sweeting was questioning their relationship, then who else? Ominis he could handle. But the rest of the student body? He wouldn’t survive it. 

“Friends.” Poppy repeated the word painfully slow, as if tasting the word her tongue would help make it all make sense. Eventually, she nodded and said cryptically, “I see.” 

“Yes. Friends.” He repeated.

The cavern of lacewing flies that plagued him earlier returned, and they were back with a vengeance . It’s not like he was at all prudish. Let it be known that Sebastian Sallow was no stranger to a romantic dalliance or two (Third year was a whole thing, don’t ask). Flirting was his status quo, being charming came to him as easily as breathing. As naturally as a moth to a roaring open flame.  

But courting? Her? The very thought made his insides scream.

Poppy looked unsurely at him, as if she had much more to say (or protest even). But she kept her mouth shut to maintain the civility of it all, as if she decided that even one word more would likely fracture Sebastian’s thin semblance of normality. And Poppy didn’t want to be to blame for his pitiful unravelling. 

So they just sat in silence.

“Here you go Poppy!”

Eventually, when their friend returned, she was surprised to find both her friends sitting in complete silence. When she handed Poppy her book back, she was taken aback by the pitiful look in her eyes. And as if to apologise, (for what exactly she had no idea) Poppy gave her a soothing pat on the back. She said a quick thanks and left. 

The girl wonder turned to look at Sebastian curiously, but decided against prying. 

From the look on his face, she had a feeling that whatever it was, was better left alone. —— We love to see Sebastian flustered!!!

I have like little bits of all the chapter written out, and this took me way longer than I thought it would! Hopefully yall enjoy the pining and how in love Seb is <3

Thank you so so much for everyone who liked and reblogged, they really made my week! Also thank you @peterwandaparker @wt-fxck @pugsnotdrugs92 @ithinkweallsing For your lovely comments <3 This is a side blog so I can't reply but I'm soooo glad you guys like it!

#sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian x reader #sebastian sallow imagines #sebastian sallow fic #hogwarts legacy

[youwillfindilluminating]

Roy x Jamie x Keeley & Roy x Jamie fic recs - Part 3

Part 1 is here

Part 2 is here

These recs cover the fics I’ve read from about 6/19/23 - 11/23/23, but some of them were written earlier. Sometimes there are spoilers for the fics themselves in the descriptions/quotes, but not too many. (They're all happily-ever-afters anyway. 🥰)

-

Roy x Jamie x Keeley:

Heart Trouble - MoreThanSlightly (cadignan) - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 7k. Set post-S3-fist-fight at Keeley’s. She asks them to reenact their fight and basically physically shoves them together in a NOW KISS situation. It’s fantastic! Roy working through his feelings, figuring his shit out in the moment - with lots of help from Keeley. Keeley directs R & J, and then she kicks them out to shower, and they still get kebabs and talk about their feelings.

family, right - jedusaur - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] @jedusaur 3k. Jamie and Keeley go to a Pride parade with Phoebe and the team. Roy stays home and bakes them a rainbow cake, because he wants to be private about that kind of thing. It’s all very sweet! (No pun intended.)

There are so many quiet people Roy could have fallen in love with.

Triple blend - Dancey96 - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 7k. Holy SHIT, this is fantastic. An OT3 fic set right after Keeley kicks them out in S3. Roy and Jamie go to the kebab shop and talk about what she meant by “mixing their coffees.” The feelings and the way they take care of Jamie and just everything about it is so perfect. This could be canon.

Jamie licks the corner of his mouth, tongue poking out as he smirks at Roy. “You’d have sex with me, then?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Roy groans.

-

“That I was queer?”

Roy snaps his head up to look at Jamie. “You can’t say that.”

“Yes, I can,” Jamie says. “We’ve reclaimed it or whatever. That’s the word I use.”

-

“What are we gonna do with this one?” she asks.

“You tell me,” Roy offers, fingers scratching at Jamie’s scalp absently.

“You’re gonna make me come too soon, is what your gonna do,” Jamie manages to get out, teeth clenched under the strain of staying still.

we start and end as one - Chapter 1 - FlYiNgPiGlEtS - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 8k. An OT3 established relationship fic where Roy and Jamie get in a fight after Jamie is asked to come back on Love Conquers All (he says no, obviously). I love a good fight and make up fic! The last chapter with the convo between Roy and Jamie is so great.

the body of someone you love - goodmorninglovelies - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] @goodmorninglovelies42 2k. OT3 h/c where Jamie gets rear-ended by Colin when leaving practice. He gets stitches and Roy is all pissy because he only knows how to express his worry as anger. Then he and Jamie fight a bit. Keeley draws Jamie a bath at home and Roy apologizes. It’s lovely!

-

Roy x Jamie:

so afraid that time will take it all from me - LikeAMovieIOnceSaw - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 10k. A really good fic about Roy being gay. Starts from when he was little through all the Ted Lasso seasons, basically. Kind of an AU/rewrite. The scene where he and Jamie finally kiss at his house is really, really sweet. Roy starts crying because he’s so overwhelmed and didn’t think he could allow himself to have this. Also some cute stuff with Phoebe like Uncle’s Day and Roy and her going to the England match. I’m always impressed by Roy fics because the man will forever remain a mystery to me.

let your hook be always cast - Literatus - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  @literatus-ao3 25k. The fic starts when Jamie joins the team. There is SO much good pining, from both of them, although Roy doesn’t get it yet. And there’s a good amount of angst because obviously Jamie’s loved him forever and Roy treats him like shit when he first gets to the team. Then Roy starts to have sex dreams about Jamie, and they’re hot. Jamie is also super cute with Phoebe. He’s her favorite player and there’s a cute scene where Roy introduces them, and Jamie suggests they play a little football.

“Her mum is bringing her around in thirty minutes, and you’re going to be nice and fucking charming and you’re not going to upset her. If you do, I’ll rearrange that pretty fucking face of yours.”

Jamie blinks at him slowly. “You think I’m pretty.”

absolutely definitely nota - Chapter 1 - talkfast - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 12k. Roy watches Lust Conquers All with the yoga mums. Sort of a speed run/AU of S2 and S3 where Roy hugs Jamie after his fight with his dad, and starts training him much sooner (I think).  [Stefon voice] This fic has everything - Magic pancakes, tunnel hugs, Jamie finding out Roy watched Lust Conquers All and being self-conscious about his nails being painted on the show, Jamie painting Roy’s nails, the yoga mums meeting Jamie then making Roy a cake about it, and a tandem bike gag gift!

The moment feels too gentle. Like Roy should set the volume to maximum and startle Jamie awake.

He doesn’t do that.

Instead he just fucking sits there until Jamie shifts and stretches out his limbs with a hum. Jamie blinks blearily at the ceiling and turns towards Roy without lifting his head from the couch cushion. When he sees that Roy is still there, his mouth curves into a sweet smile.

Roy’s heart stops for a second.

I could be violet sky - liesmyth - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] @liesmyth 9k. Sadist Roy and accommodating Jamie written by one of the best authors out there! Jamie finds out Roy gets off on hurting him. Everything is consensual. In the end they talk more, and Roy admits he likes it even more because Jamie isn’t into pain. But Jamie likes it when he slaps him because it “means he’s his.” ROMANTIC BDSM MY BELOVED.

That’s kind of a trend—after Roy’s rough with him, he likes to hover, oddly solicitous, and Jamie’s not above taking shameless advantage. If Roy really wants to attend to his every need, then good for him—Jamie’s got plenty of those. He sends Roy running round the house to get him freshly squeezed orange juice or Jamie’s favorite pillow that he left in the bedroom, and Roy tells him to fuck off but he still does it, and always tilts down his chin to accept a kiss.

-

“I can be great all the time. Watch me.”

“I’m always watching you.” Roy’s voice is raw, frightfully open. “Leave me no other choice, do you?”

Roy Kent's Dramatic but Inevitable Jamie Tartt Induced Bisexual Awakening - chelicerata - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  8k. This is part 1 of a lovely set of fics. Roy kisses Jamie when they’re on the couch after he makes dinner for them, they fool around, and then Roy freaks out a bit and Jamie leaves. There is a little bit of angst here! Eventually Roy apologizes (after talking with Keeley about bi stuff), and then R & J have dinner and fool around but this time with feelings! Poster talk. Light D/s. All things that are good.

The thing about him and Jamie - the worst part, the absolute worst part, the part he thinks about when staring up at his ceiling at four in the fucking morning is that Roy doesn’t just want to fuck Jamie, and doesn’t just want to be his friend again. He wants to kiss his stupid pouting face and tell him what a good job he’s doing and fucking cuddle with him at night and sink his teeth in and never, ever, ever let him go.

-

“I’m not doing anything to fuck up my star player,” Roy says, aware that he’s being completely fucking mental about it.

“Your star player, am I?” Jamie looks immensely pleased and at least a little turned on.

Roy Kent's Long and Incredibly Fucking Irritating Coming Out Saga - chelicerata - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] Part 2 of the above fic. 10k. Established relationship from Roy’s perspective. The process of coming out to various people – Phoebe, Georgie and Simon, etc. This fic is so gorgeous, and you already know I’m impressed by Roy meta!

“You’re… out?” The words feel awkwardly shaped in Roy’s mouth, like he’s mimicking lines that he’s only seen in films, lines that shouldn’t belong to him.

better than dreaming - Literatus - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 16k. Get-together fic. Jamie buys Roy a Garmin watch and it tells him every time Jamie jerks off (via his wrist). Lots of talk about how Jamie used to be obsessed with him (which I love!). And Roy telling Jamie he can keep a house key. And Roy wanting more than sex. And just!!! So many lines in this made me want to scream with happiness.

“Easy,” Jamie soothes, like he’s coaxing a skittish animal. “Bet you’ve not been wanking. Probably afraid you were going to think about me, right?”

Roy’s skin heats. “Shut up.”

“I think about you,” Jamie says, conversationally. “Have done for fucking years. That poster on my wall I told you about—we had a beautiful relationship.” His eyes are dark and lovely. “I had this fantasy ‘bout you.”

-

Roy could fall asleep like this, standing up and with Jamie in his arms. “I don’t yell at you.”

“Yeah, you do.” Jamie presses in closer, dipping his head so that his entire face is pressed into the curve of Roy’s neck. “Like it though. Makes me better. Feels like you care.”

There’s so much to unpack in that, too much for when there’s Phoebe in the other room. So he spreads his palm across Jamie’s back instead, letting it settle right between his shoulder blades while fighting the urge to dip the other beneath his jacket to touch skin.

where it goes from here - Literatus - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] A 12k fic where Jamie gets hit in the butt with a ball, and that leads to them getting together. FULL of fanboy Jamie (he gets fucked in the trophy room). The dialog is really good, and the ending is so sweet. Roy tells Jamie he wants a proper relationship. This particular bit has been stuck in my head ever since:

“I’m…a lot. I don’t mean to be, but I’m…Keeley said I’m suffocating.”

“I’m not Keeley,” he says, relaxing, happiness spreading through him and making his toes tingle. “Fucking suffocate me, coach. More suffocation.”

run it up - immordelle - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 16k. Roy accidentally becomes Jamie’s sugar daddy. Or rather, he shows his love through gifts. This is one of those fics that I read basically having to stop and whisper-scream into my hands, it’s so good.

The cologne, the necklace, the way everyone at Richmond and every journalist at their press conferences know, without needing it to be said aloud, that Jamie is Roy’s pet project. He’s been Roy’s this whole time.

-

“Are we going shopping?” he asks. […]

“I’m taking you shopping,” he corrects, and Jamie’s eyes widen.

7 for Roy x Jamie. Also, I adore your writing! ❤ - do i dare disturb the universe (tumblr.com) A tumblr ficlet by @reinvent-and-believe where Georgie teases Roy for being like two years younger than her and she also teases Jamie about his crush on Roy when he was younger. Love at first sight! Pure fluff. <3

A Sure Thing - smashthatlikebutton - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 14k. Jamie meets the yoga mums. Fake dating, kind of. I usually don’t like fake dating that much, but I read this and OH BOY I’m so glad I did! Roy brings Jamie to yoga night, and when the ladies assume they’re together, neither Roy nor Jamie corrects them. When Roy calls Jamie “love,” … I will NEVER RECOVER. This has the feel of a romance novel in the best way, I don’t know how else to describe it.

“Uh, no thanks,” Jamie says, looking at Roy for permission first. As though Roy would let him drink on this diet, let alone in the run-up to the Everton match. Christine raises her eyebrows at the two of them, like ”I didn’t know the two of you were like that.” Roy is incredibly surprised when Jamie flushes all over, “It’s not— he’s my— it’s part of my training.”

-

Jamie stares at him. “You’re nothing like him, you know that, right? You’re not an arsehole. Well, you are, but not in that way. You’re nice, even. In your own way.” 

Roy isn’t choked up. He is not going to cry. He stares straight ahead of him and blinks rapidly.

a little of what's going on - Literatus - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own]  A 10k fic where Roy convinces Jamie to do coke at Ted’s going away party. The hotness and the sweetness are truly cranked up to 11 here.

“Oi,” Jamie laughs. “How d’you flirt then? Is it all—I’m Roy Kent, fuck me?” “Let’s find out,” he says, lowering his voice and leaning closer. Jamie freezes, eyes wide as Roy’s voice turns into a velvet rumble. “I’m Roy Kent, fuck me.” Jamie whimpers. “You prick.”

-

“You’re fucking important to me. Muppet.”

Jamie huffs a laugh, hands fluttering light and hopeful against Roy’s side. “You love the Muppets.”

I love you, Roy thinks, but he’s not going to put that out there. Not now.

suffering, the optional pain - Literatus - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 10k. Fuuucking Christ, I loved this one. This one might not be for everyone because it isn’t that fluffy, but ohhh boy, if it’s your thing it’ll hit just right. I love a fight within an established relationship, and this one doesn’t shy away from Roy being a bastard and really snapping at everyone. Roy fucks up his knee when playing with Phoebe and gets real pissed about it. Treats everyone like shit for days. Yells at a player, snaps at Phoebe when she runs into him and it hurts his knee again. Jamie has to set him straight. Bottom!Roy, D/s, very mild dub-con.

“I deserve a fucking medal for putting up with you. Fucking hard work, you are. Making everyone walk on eggshells around you. It’s rude, is what it is. What the fuck am I going to do with you, huh?”

-

Gen:

Something to be said - macaronicism - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 6k. A really great fic from 2021 that deals with post-Man City stuff. Jamie’s nervous to go back to practice and face the guys, but he does and it’s all fine. He talks to Sam and Ted and finally Roy. It’s all very sweet and protective and really well done. This needed to happen in canon!

Lemons and Lavender - LivingProof - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 8k. A Jamie h/c fic from 2021. He ends up in the hospital and at first his dad shows up and is a piece of shit, then Roy and Ted show up and save the day. It’s SO precious. It’s technically gen, but it could be read as pre-slash. The writing is fantastic. Fuzzy Jamie written in a believable way.

Letting go, holding on - Chapter 1 - macaronicism - Ted Lasso (TV) [Archive of Our Own] 8k. Another amazing h/c story that is technically platonic. Set after the finale. Roy apologizes to Jamie about the beer date thing being about Keeley. Then finds out Jamie is planning on talking to his dad, and tells him he’s against it. Lots of emotional h/c!  Jamie stays the night at Roy’s in the spare room and gets some good sleep, and Roy gets Ted to come over the next day and talk to Jamie more about his dad, etc. <3

#roy x jamie #roy x jamie x keeley #ted lasso ot3 #ted lasso #jamie tartt #roy kent #keeley jones #fic rec #fic recs #ted lasso fic recs #I tagged everyone whose tumblr username I know #I didn't used to tag folks in these posts but then I saw that poll where it seemed like most people wanted to be tagged so I'm trying it! #I love this fandom 💖🥰 #royjamie #royjamiekeeley #royjamie fic recs #royjamie recs

[amica-aenigmata-naboo]

COLLISION

Astarion x Y/N - Chapter 6 - 3.4K WC - NSFW 18+

Masterlist

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 NSFW 18+

Chapter 6 NSFW 18+ (you are here!)

Chapter 7 NSFW 18+

Warnings: Cazador getting his shit absolutely wrecked, inner turmoil, penetrative sex & oral sex NSFW 18+ (no descriptions of genitals, gender neutral), fluff, drug usage (elixir), violence/murder

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

You laid in the lush grass atop a hill near camp. Using the owl bear as a pillow, Scratch under one arm, and Grub under the other. Your eyes hazily watched the sunset, the comfort of the animals making you feel warm and happy inside. 

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people you know…” you say aloud.

“How did you know I was there?” Astarion scoffed.

“Maybe you’re not as stealthy as you think.” You smiled, opening your eyes fully to see him. 

Astarion sat next to you, gently going for your hand. The owlbear lowly growled. Astarion snatched his hand back, looking at the owlbear as if it betrayed him. You giggled before slowly sitting up and stretching. You gave each animal their well deserved pets before chucking Scratch’s ball down by the stream where they all ran off to. 

“That oversized snack growled at me.” Astarion said, still in shock. 

“Maybe it’s because you call them ‘an oversized snack.’” You said as you shifted your position so you were lying down but your head was in Astarion’s lap.

“Something’s troubling you my love?” Astarion’s eyebrows were drawn together in concern, his big doe eyes present. He smoothed over the creases of your face, pushing your worries away.

You huffed. Tomorrow is the day you take down Cazador and you worry Astarion will elect to ascend himself. Over the past few weeks running around Rivington and Baldur’s Gate, every time he spoke of Cazador, he spoke of the ritual. He spoke of how he wanted to ascend. You picked at your nails, maybe now is the right time to tell him about you, so he can make a better choice. 

“I think it’s time I tell you the truth.” You said eyes flicking to him before sitting adjacent to him. He immediately went to hold your hands, growing more concerned by your stoic face and distant eyes. 

“Darling whatever it is… it won’t change us.” He spoke softly.

“I’m not sure how to explain it, and you'll probably think I’m insane by the end of it….” You paused, sucking in a breath before letting out a sigh. “I'm not from Toril… I’m from Earth which is pretty similar to Toril. My world is full of technology, it’s run by machines…” Astarion’s eyes watched you intently. 

“In my world… there is a game… and it’s where all of you live… you’re a game character where I’m from. It’s why I know so much about all of you… it’s why I’m so nervous about tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow I’ll finally be free.” Astarion said with a tinge of confusion in his voice.

“Free, yes. But you have a choice to make and that will decide everything.” You gave him a minute to process everything.

“What happens tomorrow? You said you knew about us all so you must know how everything ends.” he asks curiously.

“You will choose to ascend or not….” 

“And once I do?” he said.

“You’ll be free and have power… but you’ll lose yourself. Everything about you that makes you… you… it’ll be gone. You won’t love me, you’ll want to control me. You’ll kill so many people…” you looked anywhere but at him. 

“The spawn? There’s only seven and they aren’t exactly innocent.” he scoffed.

“Not seven… 7000. Children, innocents, fools, the random unlucky… That is what troubles me, Astarion. I love you and I want you to be happy and live a life you can be proud of… and I understand after spending 200 years in the shadows power sounds delicious… but… but you become something… other.” your voice wavered a bit at the end and Astarion didn’t miss it. “But I will leave the decision with you, it is not one I can make for you… just be prepared to live with the outcome of your choice.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Astarion said, sitting in silence with you for what felt like days, “So you’re from another world?” He smiled at you a bit. “Glad to know my charm works across the worlds.” 

You chuckled a bit, the worry still eating at the back of your mind, this wasn’t a game. You can’t simply pick the right dialogue and make him not ascend. This will be his choice, he has to make it alone. And you just have to hope to god he chooses the right thing. You’ll love him regardless. You have to, he has your heart. 

“I have questions…” he started.

“I figured you would… Anything you want to know, I will answer.”

“What is the year where you’re from?” He looked like a child, ready to burst with inquiries. 

“2023,” you smiled at him, “I was born in ____.” 

Astarion’s eyes looked at you with wonder, “Are there more things like your phone in the future?”

“Oh yes, much grander too. Our technology knows no bounds. It is always changing, advancing.” you told him.

“Sounds powerful, helpful even.” he said tracing the lines on your palm.

“It has brought humanity great advances… and great pain.” you said solemnly. 

“What do you do in your realm?” he changed the subject knowing the slight pain in your voice, not wanting to make it worse. 

You laughed, “I’m an… alchemist.” this wasn’t entirely untrue, you worked in the chemistry lab at your university, working to make a substitute for white blood cells which would aid the world immensely. You had only been doing it for a few months before you got sucked into the game.  

“Is that why you chose to be a cleric?” he asked.

“Yes, though the alchemy I practiced was to aid humanity. The alchemy I practice here is… different.” you said, not knowing if those were the right words. 

“Vampires in your world?” he asked.

You giggled. “Maybe once, but for the most part they are fantasy. So is everything else you have here. Dragons, fairies, druids, potions, wizards, devils… all of it. None of it exists in my world, they’re fairy tales.”

“Sounds mundane,” he retorted. “Are people in your world happy?”

“Is anyone truly happy?” you asked, your eyes looked dull. “I… I’m staying here, Astarion. I don’t want to go back. I am happy here, with you. And… that, that’s all I need. It’s all I want. Us, everything else is background noise.” you said kissing the back of his hand, eyes finally looking up to him.

“I… don’t know what to say.” he said.

“I dropped a lot of information on you. I’m from a completely different planet, possibly a different plane of existence… you take all the time you need.” you told him shifting to get up. 

He held your hand and got up himself before slipping something on your finger. The shadowblade ring, his hand adorning the other. “I do know that I want you with me, always. I may not understand your world, perhaps I never will. And you chose quite the damaged artifact to love,” You shook your head at him holding his hand tightly, caressing his face gently. “Whatever comes, we shall face it together. I care for you deeply, I love you, I see you.” 

You knew you were crying like a big sap, but you couldn’t help it. You let out a relieved chuckle, pulling him into a kiss, just as the sun faded away behind the horizon. “I see you too. Together?” you asked him, holding out your pinky. He stared at it not really knowing what it meant. You hooked your finger with his, “Promise, this means promise.” you explained.

He squeezed your pinkie in his, “Promise.” 

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

The battle against Cazador was long and brutal. You used everything you had in you, your spirit guardians fighting to give you some sort of reprieve. Cazador’s helpers fought hard and by the end of the fight, everyone was exhausted. 

Astarion ripped Cazador from his coffin, screaming at him. You hung back with everyone, wanting to let Astarion take the lead on this. Astarion held Cazador’s staff, the iridescent red lights swirling about. Astarion had a decision to make. His eyes held fury towards Cazador, he wanted to make him pay. 

“Astarion” your voice rang out, it sounded distant and echoed in his mind. He was lost in a haze of hatred. He could feel the power emanating from the staff. The world was at his fingertips and all he had to do was take it. He came out of his trance when he felt a trembling hand cover his on the staff. Your eyes were puffy, tears brimming but you wouldn’t let them fall. Your voice quivered as your lip trembled.

“Astarion…” you said again with a whimper.

“Darling… the heavens and the earth are ours to take… I want to give you everything… give us everything.”

“I have everything I need…” you said softly, voice still wavering. “I will stand with you between the heavens and the earth but… but you have to stand with me. Please…” you begged him, the tears starting to slip at the very thought of him ascending. You smoothed your thumb over his ring, the one matching yours. The one tying you together.  “I cannot face the world alone, darling please...” you looked into his glowing red eyes. Perhaps he was too far gone.

Astarion shoved you back before planting the staff in front of him, red magic swirled about the room as if it was leaking from every crevice. Astarion twisted the staff. You heard… the gates in the hall open? You whipped your head back to look at Astarion. He was looking down at Cazador, staff discarded on the floor. 

He didn’t ascend. 

You watched him in what felt like slow motion, he stalked towards Cazador, pure resentment on his face. He stabbed and slashed his old master repeatedly. Until he was nearly cut in half. The others looked at Astarion with horror and understanding. He fell to the ground sobbing; finally, you rushed to him. Arms securing themselves around his waist, head resting on his shoulder. He slumped into you, shaking violently. You whispered words of affirmation to him, hoping to calm him. The others left the hall, getting to the spawn to explain the directions to the Underdark. Astarion eventually turned catatonic, it felt as though he wasn’t breathing. You gently pulled away to peer at his face. His eyes were closed, he looked… at peace. You barely touched your fingers to his jaw. His eyes stirred beneath his lids for a moment before opening to reveal his scarlet eyes. His eyes were soft, his face relaxed. He looked so vulnerable like this. 

“Are you ok?” he whispered.

“What? Of course I’m ok, are you ok?” you asked in disbelief. 

“I’m… numb? The weight of everything, it’ll take time to settle in.” you nodded in agreement. “Can we go home?” Astarion asked, searching your eyes.

“Let's go home.” you kissed his forehead. You both stood, pain settled in different parts of your body, reminding you of the battle. 

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

You met everyone else out front, everyone looking empathetically to Astarion. You entered the portal and were instantly transported to your little grassy hill. You led Astarion to his tent, both of you sitting on the bedroll. The silence between you was comfortable.

“Thank you.” Astarion said randomly.

“For what?” you asked genuinely. 

“For saving me from… myself. I felt a fraction of that power and it was glorious, but… I also felt no love when I looked at you. I wanted to dominate you, control you - nothing more. It felt wrong. I couldn’t do that to you.” he admitted, feeling disgusted with himself.

“I’m proud of you, ya know. You gave 7000 people a chance at life again.” you said, smiling at him.

“Ever so hopeful.” he chuckled at you. His eyes held the smallest bit of fire in them, but fire for what?

Astarion grabbed your hips and draped you across his lap. You gasped, taken back by the swift action. He softly captured your lips in his, moving slowly. His hands explored you with a feather light touch, getting progressively needier. His hand snuck up your leg, between your thighs.

“May I?” he asked quietly, barely pulling away from your lips.

You nodded, attempting to pull him back to you.

“Words, I need words.” he said leaving kisses on your jaw.

“Yes… please…” you breathed out, already lost in him. 

Astarion put his hand to work, pleasing you with intentional touches. Your head fell back and your eyes rolled. You ran your hands over his chest, trying to feel all of him. You tugged at his pants. His eyes met yours before he hooked his fingers into the soft fabric, pulling it down. Astarion forced your hips down roughly, holding your waist tight with one arm, the other holding your face. You and Astarion moved your small clothes to the side before having him fill you up in the most splendid way. 

“I love you” Astarion whimpered out, his breathing becoming more ragged by the minute.

You rode him slowly, savoring each movement. Astarion pulled your shirt open, going to town on your chest and all the spots he knew made you tick. Astarion picked up the pace, he was desperate and sloppy. You came first with a stifled moan, Astarion soon after with a grunt.

You rolled over to reach inside your supply pack. You handed Astarion the familiar bottle, Elixir of Folly. 

“Oh my, how I’ve corrupted you.” he said with a smirk, resting on his elbow as he opened the bottle. He took a few swigs of it before passing it back to you, the warm numbing feeling overtaking his lips. 

“Hush, we deserve to celebrate.” you smiled while drinking the rest of the potion.

Finally laying down together, you traced the features of his face, “Perfect.” is all you could say.

Astarion smiled at the word. He kissed you again before cuddling into the crook of your neck.

“What do you dream of?” you asked softly, playing with the curly wisps of hair at the nape of Astarion’s neck.

“You.” he mumbled into your neck, you could feel the smile on his face. 

You chuckled before gently tugging at the roots of his hair. He groaned before pulling his head back enough to look into your eyes. 

“Seriously, you’re free. And immortal. Gotta come up with some plans to fill that eternity.” your finger traced down his nose and ghosted over his lips.

Astarion looked off distantly. He was immortal. He hadn’t even considered the fact that he would live forever and you would not. He knew he wanted to turn you. As you said - a life without each other is no life at all. He could help you as a spawn and then you could make your plans to see the world. You just have to agree to a life in the shadows. Astarion didn’t know if he could ask that to you.

You noticed the silence but let it beat on. When Astarion’s hold tightened you spoke up, “What is it?” you said, looking at him with concern. 

“I… I have something incredibly selfish to ask of you…” he said, lacing his fingers through yours.

“Honey you can ask me anything, why do you sound so scared?” you said, face scrunched up. 

“Because it would change everything…” his eyes met yours.

“Oh gods please don’t tell me you want to have a baby…” you looked at him with shock and a bit of caution.

Astarion laughed, a full laugh that made the corners of his eyes crinkle, it calmed your heart. “No darling… vampires rarely conceive anyways.” he sucked in a breath and willed his unbeating heart to calm itself. “I want you to become immortal.” 

Silence. 

“I know it would change you and everything you’ve known. You’d have to live in the shadows. You’d have to drink blood. You’d become undead. It is possibly the most selfish thing I could ask of you and I understand if that is not the path you want for your life… but… the thought of you… not being with me for eternity… it eats away at me and I can’t… I won’t… I just…” 

You pulled him into a tender kiss. Silencing his babbling. You knew the moment you fell for the vampire that your fate would forever be mingled with his. If that meant giving up aging and your days in the sun - it was a small price to pay. 1000 lifetimes, one true love. What more could you ask for?

“Astarion,” you said, your eyes glazed over, the elixir working in your body. Unwinding every muscle, relaxing every joint, quelling every concern, a euphoric pit in your stomach. Astarion watched you with big eyes, bracing himself for the worst. “I will stand with you between the heavens and the earth as long as you stand with me. Forever?” you questioned holding your pinky out to him. He smoothly rolled on top of you so he was straddling your frame. He lent down, sliding his hands into yours and moving them above your head. His lips met yours, “Forever, until the world crumbles around us.” he kissed along your neck. The elixir was amplifying all of your sensations. His kisses felt like fire against you, contrasting against his icy fingers that trailed along the hem of your shirt. Not waiting for him to ask, you pulled your shirt off. 

Astarion traced his lips over any and all available skin, never getting enough of you. He slid his hand up your thigh as you raised it to wrap around his waist.

“Eager little pup?” he said between kisses. “Allow me to show you my gratitude? And what you have to look forward to for eternity." He wore the most sultry, lust filled, down right devilish smirk.

You nodded at him, watching as he descended to plant himself between your legs. His arms hooking around your thighs to keep them open and keep your hips pressed to the bed. The second his mouth was on you, your hands flew to his snowy curls. He knew exactly what made you feel good and yet, he explored you. Trying to find every little thing that made you see stars. Your back arched and Astarion’s grip on you tightened. He loved feeling you writhe beneath him at every little touch. The more you moved the closer you got and Astarion could feel it. He continued his ministrations, adding more pressure. You toppled over the edge, the elixir setting your body alight as you came. He kept on you until you tugged his head back, breathing heavily and trying to regain any semblance of composure. You pulled Astarion to you, capturing him in a deep kiss.

“Was it good?” he asked.

“Pffft… was it good? I think that was the hardest I’ve ever cum in my life.” you laughed, kissing him again before looking at his pants and back to his eyes. 

“No more darling, one is enough for me.” he said, caressing your face, you nodded in understanding. 

“When do you want to turn me?” you asked, basking in the afterglow. 

“When do you want me to?” he asked, this was about you in almost every way. Your comfort and consent was his priority. 

“Tomorrow?” you asked, playing with his hand that found itself tracing the curve of your waist. 

“Tomorrow it is.” he said.

“Will it hurt?” you asked, the smallest bit of apprehension in your voice.

“It isn’t pleasant… it will hurt but only for a few moments. Then you’ll just feel… numb for a bit.” Astarion said, trying to recall how he felt 200 years ago. 

You nodded, figuring it wasn’t all roses and daisies. Anything was to be endured if it meant you had him forever. 

“Sleep now darling, tomorrow we embrace eternity together.” he said, kissing your lips, cheek, and forehead. 

You snuggled further into his chest, legs mingling with his. The elixir pulling you into slumber quickly, “Love you.” was the last thing you whispered out before soft snores came from your lips. 

Astarion traced letters into your shoulder as you slept. A - E - T - E - R - N - A , he paused briefly before continuing his writing, A - M - A - N - T - E - S. He would love you forever, and he hoped to all the gods in a collective prayer, something he hadn't done in a millennium, that you would love him back - just as much - for just as long.

Hey everyone! I hope this chapter is to everyone’s liking, I think this story might be coming to an end :( don’t worry tho! I’ll post other new stuff. Please send requests, I love them! Thank you all for reading Ilysm 💖💖💖💖

#baldurs gate 3 #astarion x tav #astarion x reader #bg3 #writing #bg3 wyll #gale of waterdeep #isekai #karlach #lae'zel #baldur's gate iii #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate astarion #baldur's gate oc #blade of frontiers #astarion #astarion ancunin #baldurs gate #baulders gate 3 #fanfiction #fanfic #baldur's gate #balduran #astarionposting #astarion x you #bg3 astarion #astarion bg3 #astarion romance #astarion my beloved #bg3 companions

[igot-sarang-ggg]

Jolyne's Teacher Pt. 1 (Teacher reader x Jotaro)

Masterlist | Chapter 2- Panic

Small Summary: It's a new school year, you're a third grade teacher at an elementary school in Florida with Jolyne Cujoh being in your class. You thought most of the teacher reports regarding Jolyne were lies or jokes but they turned out to be true. Jolyne likes to do things on her own even showing up to the schools annual Open house by herself. Seeing as she was by herself you take back to her house and meet Mr Cujoh for the first time. You and Mr. Cujoh seem to hit if off after a few months of talking… but you can't help but notice some bizarre things keep happening around the Cujoh's

Small mentions: SPOILERS, Jotaro gets divorced sooner then what is stated in manga

Chapter 1- Open House

A new school year had just begun which means new students and new names to learn. We had a meeting on Friday since school starts again on Monday. "Did you get Malcolm Sanchez this year?" A lot of the teachers were asking who they got this year and how lucky they were that they didn't have so and so students. I normally keep to myself when it comes to that talk, but, "Hey Y/n did you get Jolyne Cujoh this year? I had her for second grade."

"I do, why?" A few teachers that were listening chuckled and laughed, "Jolyne is quite the hand full."

"Be careful with her."

"I heard she starts fights with other kids for no reason."

They started to gossip about her and her family, "The father is a good for nothing husband that's why his wife left him-" I decided to walk out and not listen to them. You never know a family's circumstances so you can't judge them so quickly. If Jolyne is the type to do those things then it might be for a reason.

**A month later**

"And that is how you divide..." I turned around to look at the rest of the class, "Any questions?" A few students raised their hands, and I called out to them and answered their questions. I'm a third-grade teacher for room 203, "I'll be doing separate tutoring at the table in the back tomorrow if any of you are still having trouble with math. The bell is about to ring. Please make sure to pack all of your things away and take your math packet with you today so you can practice at home."

They all got up from their seats and grabbed their belongings from the cubbies, "Ah I almost forgot. Alright, class listen up." I clapped my hands to get their attention, "Remember today is Open house at 6 pm at the school. It's a chance for your parent to meet your new teacher. When you come to the school go through the main office and then come to my classroom. I can't wait to see you all later tonight." The bell finally rang, "Have a great rest of your day class! Those of you who are taking the bus can go and those that are getting picked up, stand in line in front of the door and wait for me."

I noticed one of my students Jolyne Cujoh looked upset as she stood in line she was in the back of the line. "Morgan start opening the door! Jolyne is something wrong?"

"I can't come to the open House today... my dad is busy working." She looked upset about not being able to go. I locked the door to the classroom. "It's okay if you're not able to come... Trust me nothing special ever happens at an open house." I chuckled, "I know but... you're one of the best teachers I've had so far and I want to be there today."

"Okay... well, do you have any other realities that can take you?... What about your mom or grandparents?" I looked at Jolyne who was looking down at the ground as we walked to the car pick area. She went quiet, did I ask the wrong question? "My grandparents live in Japan and New York, plus... my mom and dad aren't together anymore." Shit, what do I say now? "I'm sorry to hear that Jolyne... Well, maybe Annie's parents can take you tonight. You two live near each other so maybe you could go together." Jolyne lit up at the idea I gave her.

"I'll go ask her parents! Thank you Ms. L/N." She waved goodbye and entered the car with Annie I waved back to them and made my way to my car.

I forgot the other teachers had spoken about Jolyne's parents being separated due to the father working so much that he doesn't have time for them. But instead of taking Jolyne with her, she left Jolyne with her father, and he doesn't have time a lot of time to spend with her. I feel bad for her she probably spends most of her time alone at home or at a friend's house. Poor Jolyne.

I went home changed my cloth and got ready for the meeting. As I arrived at the school I saw someone sitting in front of the classroom door, "Jolyne, what are you doing here? Where's your father?" She was sitting alone, "He couldn't come he got stuck at work."

"Did Annie's parents take you here?" Please tell me they did! "No... I came here by myself." I blinked a few times trying to understand the situation at hand, on the inside I was screaming and panicking. A child walked alone to school and probably no one knows where she is... great... and its raining to it off... just what I needed to start the open house, "Okay, Jolyne I want you to stay by my side for the night. If anyone offers to take you home you tell them no, okay?" She nodded, "Good, let's go inside the others should be coming soon."

As the other students and parents entered the room I kept calling Mr. Cujoh's number, but no answer. I'll have to leave a voice mail since it's already six pm and I need to start the meeting, "Hello Mr. Cujoh this is Y/N L/N I'm Jolyne's Third-grade teacher. It appears Jolyne had made her way to the school to open house. She is here with me in the classroom at the moment. When you can please call back at this number." I hung up taking a deep breath, hopefully, he gets back to me soon. "Welcome to today's open house, I'm Ms. L/n, it's nice to meet you all..."

After speaking and presenting myself to the parents, I made sure Jolyne stayed within eyesight she sat at her desk and was drawing while I talked to some parents and answered any of their questions. Some of the parents gave me their contact information and then left. Now it was just me and Jolyne in the class. "Jolyne, this is your father's phone number, correct?" I showed her the phone number, "Yeah, that's his number." I might have to drive her home if no one calls or comes within the next ten minutes. Luckily I live nearby so it's not much of a hassle.

I called his number again, "Hello Mr. Cujoh, It's Y/N L/N Jolyne's teacher again. The open house is over and I can't stay any longer in the school since the main office is closing soon. I'll be taking Jolyne home, hopefully, we can talk by then, See you soon." I was about to hang up when Jolyne took the phone from my hand, "Jolyne!" She started laughing, "I'm okay dad, Ms. L/n is really nice and she'll make sure I get home safely! Bye, dad! He's gonna be so mad when I get home!" I chuckled taking the phone from her and hanging up. "Alright, let's go to your house."

Pulling up to the driveway there was a car that was parked, that must be Mr. Cujoh's car. We both got out and walked to the front door. I held an umbrella covering us both. I felt something touch my hand, it was Jolyne she held onto my hand as footsteps can be heard from inside. The door swung up and a tall man stood in front wearing a white sleeveless turtleneck, his hair looked a bit messy, "What is it?" His voice sound upset and angry, he looked so intimidating that I didn't know what to say to him. Our eyes meet causing me to flinch and look at Jolyne, "Jolyne!" He bent down hugging Jolyne in his arm and then let go. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" He took a deep breath, "Go to your room, we'll talk later."

Jolyne waved goodbye as she walked in. Her father watched as she left us alone. "Thank you for bringing her here... Ms..."

"L/n, Y/n L/N. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Cujoh I'm Jolyne's teacher. She came to the school's open house today." His eyes widen, "I'm so sorry about that... please come inside it's raining you could get sick." He moved to the side allowing me to enter, "Thank you." I walked into his house, he closed the door. Taking a look around there were quite a few pictures of Mr. Cujoh and marine animals. "I'll have to repay you for today. I'm so sorry for all of this." I could tell he felt embarrassed by this even though the tone of his voice says otherwise. "It's fine... It's actually the first time I've ever had a student do that. It's sweet seeing a student to support their teacher." I smiled to myself as I followed behind him.

"Still, I can't thank you enough. Jolyne... She's very special... to me." As we walked in there were a few pictures of him when he was younger with a group of friends and pictures with Jolyne. "Here," I was busy looking at the pictures in the house that I didn't notice we were in his office room. I looked down at his hands he had two twenty-dollar bills. "This is for gas money and as a thanks." I lightly pushed his hand away, he looked at me confused, "Don't worry about it Mr. Cujoh. I live near the area so it was no trouble at all." He put the money away.

"Well do you drink? I can take you out for drinks this weekend if you'd like." Is he asking me out?... No, he's just being nice. "I'm not much of a drinker... how about some coffee, I know this nice coffee place nearby. We can meet there on Saturday morning."

"Yeah, sure. I'll pay for your coffee then. Maybe you could tell about how Jolyne is doing in class." I smiled at him, "Yeah, defiantly." He cleared his throat, "It's getting late you should be heading home, I bet your partner is worried about you." I showed him my hands, "I'm not married... Divorced."

"Sorry, I didn-" I cut him off, "Don't worry about it. Anyway, let me give you my personal number. The number I was calling you with before is actually my work number." He gave me a pen and paper, and I began writing my number and name down. "Call me on Friday night so we can make plans for the time we'll meet."

"I'll call you Friday then." We walked over to the door, "Were you calling my phone before?" I was about to leave, "I did but you didn't answer." He sighed, "My phone ran out of battery, and star... Never mind. I'll see you on Saturday then." He opened the door for me, "Drive carefully and get home safely."

"Will do. Bye, Mr. Cujoh." We said our goodbye and I headed home. If today's event I just wanted to sleep it off.

Series Masterlist

#jjba x reader #jjba fanfic #jjba x you #jjba #jjba headcanons #jojos bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo x reader #jojo kimyou na bouken #jojo #joseph jojo #joestar family #jjba part4 #jjba part 4 #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba jotaro #jotaro kujo #star platinum #jotaro x y/n #jotaro cujoh #jolyne cujoh #jojo part 6

[claymoresword]

The Queen And Her Knight | Chp: 6

Alicent Hightower x Knight Fem!Reader

Summary: Alicent Hightower against her better judgement, falls in love with her sworn protector. Can she bear to fight her feelings or will she finally just give in?

Wordcount: 2.8k

Pairing: Alicent x Reader

Warnings: mention of SA, fluff, angst, smut (?)

Note: as i added in the warning above there is mention of assault in this. ive added asterisks before the paragraph so u can skip it if u need to but again do not read it if its going to be triggering! take care of urselves pls

initially i had ideas to write actual smut for this chapter but leading up to it didn't really feel organic so i changed my mind

i do have plans for it in the future though pls dont get mad it will come have patience!

anyway i hope u enjoy this one as usual let me know what u think <3

taglist: : @blackbirdv98 @flaiire1805 @alicentfangirl @memarrymilf @thegayassbit-ch @pandoraboxofgay @vantestark @babylesbean06 @lelleel @hauntedfictionland @livinginafantasysposts @baddie-on-a-mission-xx @katieask @alanatabalno12 @slytherin-sun @eclosionducharme @evolutionsglory @darthtargnister @jayreadingforfun314 @dxrewclf @rozmrazaradelfinow

The council meeting had ended hours ago but the day’s far from over.

You’ve been searching every inch of the castle for the crown Prince but to no avail.

Stepping inside Alicent’s chambers you spot Ser Criston next to her. It seems you had walked in on them mid conversation.

“Whatever you may feel for me, as your Queen.” You catch Alicent whisper to Criston.

Your eyebrows knitted together, what could they have been possibly speaking about that would warrant such a statement?

“I will not fail you.” Criston responds.

A beat passes and they still failed to acknowledge your presence.

You cleared your throat before speaking.

“You asked to see me, Your Grace?”

Alicent turns to look at you, moving to further her distance from the other Knight.

“Yes, Lady y/n.” You catch Alicent let out a relieved sigh and for a moment you wonder if she shared the same sentiment.

That early morning’s events had left you feeling repugnant. Criston always had trouble controlling his impulses but witnessing him kill an innocent man in cold blood was not something you could overlook. He was a man without honor and you did not respect it.

Seeing him in close proximity to the Queen now, you could not help but feel protective. Your hand reflexively resting on the hilt of your sword.

“That will be all Ser Criston, you may go.” Alicent says.

Criston doesn’t move. Instead, he shoots you a hard stare, a look you had no problem reciprocating. You gripped your sword tighter, prepared for the physical challenge if it presented itself.

He forfeits the staring contest to glance at the Queen once more before bowing his head at her. Finally walking out, leaving the two of you alone.

How a man at his age could behave with such pettiness was beyond you.

Alicent walks over to her door quickly shutting it. Making her way back she pulls you into a kiss. The sudden nature of it was followed by a familiar fluttering in your belly as the Queen’s lips moved against yours.

Smiling into the kiss, your hand found her face, holding it tenderly.

“I despise today.” Alicent says after ending the kiss.

Brushing your thumb against her cheek, you spoke.

“I’m afraid I must disappoint you further my Queen. I had no luck locating the Prince.”

“I checked in with Ser Erryk and he only mentioned the Prince might have gone into the city.”

“Erryk? Which one’s that?”

Alicent asks with some asperity and you have to suppress the urge to laugh.

“He’s the Prince’s sworn guard, Alicent.”

“Oh, that’s right– Erryk.” The Queen nods, walking away from you.

“Just as well, I have already sent Ser Criston to search for Aegon in the city. I only hope he will have better luck.”

You attempt to hide your disapproval at that but your face betrays you.

Alicent notices before you manage to school your expression.

“What is it?” The Queen questions as she takes a seat at her table.

“After this morning’s theatrics I can’t help but doubt his competence.” You answer after a beat.

Alicent furrows her eyebrows.

“Yes, Ser Criston has always been..” The Queen pauses as if trying to find the right words.

“Passionate.”

She finally says.

That left you feeling even more unsettled. Her answer provided no reassurance.

You stepped forward kneeling down in front of Alicent, your hands on the armrests of her chair.

“Should I be worried?”

Her eyes met yours, gaze softened with adoration. You watched as her eyes flitted to your lips before answering.

“He has never laid a hand on me, my love.” Alicent says.

You scan her face for a moment, trying to catch any trace of dishonesty. You knew how good she was at deceiving others when it came to her emotions but you had gotten even better at seeing through it.

“Okay.” You said once satisfied that she was telling you the truth.

“But I swear if he ever tries to hurt you he will not be returning to Dorne in one piec–”

Alicent cuts you off by planting a quick kiss on your lips. Earning a smile from you. Your heart feeling like it could burst for the amount of love you felt for your Queen.

Your fingers getting lost in her hair, you quickly pulled her in for a real kiss. You moved to deepen it right away, tongue grazing her bottom lip and Alicent's mouth opens wider in response. The Queen lets out a whimper against your lips as she pulls you closer by your collar, making it difficult for you to think clearly.

Your hands moved to grip her waist. Tilting your head, you left a trail of kisses starting from her jaw, and then her neck.

Alicent’s chest is heaving as you pulled down her dress slightly to place an open mouthed kiss against her collar bone. Moving further down, you planted another at the swell of her breast.

The Queen’s hand finds the back of your neck before moving to grip your hair, she tugs at it forcing you to lift your head.

“Wait–” She says in between pants.

Alicent’s darkened gaze further igniting your desire for her.

Placing her hands on your shoulders she shoves you lightly before sitting upright.

“You have many talents y/n and distracting me is evidently one of them.”

She states and a smirk forms on your lips.

“Well you flatter me, Your Grace.” You quipped, smirk growing into a broad smile.

Alicent rolls her eyes at you before looking away to hide her own grin. Your heart swells at the sight.

“Will you please escort me to the Tower Of The Hand? I have to speak to my father.” Alicent says before standing up, compelling you to do the same.

The air between the both of you still thick. You are admittedly having trouble shaking off the intense make out session that was just abruptly ended moments ago.

Alicent must have noticed as she tugs at the hem of your breeches causing your face to be inches away from hers again, she kisses you deeply.

“Let us have supper tonight? Once the matter with Aegon is settled.” She whispers against your lips.

“I would love to.”

══════════════════════════════════════════════

Walking through Maegor’s Holdfast, you had intentions to visit Prince Aegon as you had not seen him since before he disappeared.

You had the desire to make sure he was prepared for his coronation tomorrow and perhaps talk him out of any plots he might have of escaping again.

Walking past a group of handmaidens you gave them a warm smile before bowing at them politely. Soon you spotted the Lord Hand in the distance speaking to somebody just out of your range of vision, they were hidden behind a pillar.

It wasn’t unusual for you come across Otto of course but his hushed tone is what made you feel inclined to stop and eavesdrop.

“I noticed you have spent many hours with the Queen as of late, Lord Larys.”

“There is no reason those hours could not in the end benefit you.”

Hearing the tail end of that conversation was enough to make you physically recoil.

What in the seven hells was he implying?

You weren’t allowed much time to ruminate as the Hand quickly spots you.

Resuming your walk to Aegon’s chambers you pretended to have not overheard their talk.

Larys throwing you a smile as he passes you, his attempt at gallantry merely causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand up.

“My Lord Hand.”

You bowed your head in respect to quickly acknowledge Otto but he stops you in your tracks again by harshly grabbing your arm.

You had no choice but to listen to what he had to say.

“The Prince needs his rest my Lady, he will not welcome any vistors.”

Otto states and you feel anger creeping up on you quickly. Forcing your lips into a cold smile before responding to him.

“Did the Prince himself, say that my Lord? Or are you merely speaking for him?”

Otto doesn’t respond instead he stares at you in a way that suggested his word was final.

The day has been challenging enough and you did not wish to add to the burden.

Bowing your head again you turn around to take your leave. You settled at the prospect of visiting Aegon early on the morrow.

══════════════════════════════════════════════

Alicent sighed as she shut the door to her chambers. Immediately dragging her feet to the flagon of wine, pouring herself a cup.

Truth be told she was more than ready to get into bed and fall into a slumber, but the supper with you was one thing she had been looking forward to since you left her side.

She hears the door open and is glad to be greeted by your presence but an unwanted voice calls out to her instead.

“Your Grace.”

“The hour is late, Lord Larys.” Alicent doesn’t attempt to mask her exasperation.

“I only desired to share a conversation I had with the Lord Hand early today, Your Grace.”

“As you were the topic of said conversation I feel it would not be fair to keep it from you.”

Alicent’s swallows the lump in her throat.

Lord Larys’ presence may often be a discomfort to her but as far as she knows he had always told her the truth.

“Go on my Lord, what did my father have to say?”

Alicent doesn’t bother facing him, instead she lifts the cup to her lips, taking a large swig of wine.

“There was a mention of your shortage of allies as of late, Your Grace.” Larys starts.

“I simply put myself forward as a remedy to that.”

Alicent felt sick.

Larys was speaking in riddles but she understood him well enough.

“As of tomorrow the realm will be officially divided, you will need as many on your side as possible.”

“As Lord of Harrenhal I can assist in ensuring that you will always have somebody by your side.”

Larys steps closer and any effort Alicent has made to move away did not work.

She felt paralysed.

“You must get so lonely.” He reaches out brushing a strand of hair out of Alicent’s face.

She could not move but she mustered just enough to speak.

“You cross a line Lord Strong. How dare you lay a hand on your Queen.”

══════════════════════════════════════════════

You made your way over to Alicent’s chambers later than usual as you had spent some of the day with Prince Aemond. You could always count on him to make you to lose track of time.

Nearing the Queen’s room you had noticed her door had been left slightly ajar but Ser Criston was nowhere to be seen. Either he left his post to find a chamber pot or he is in the room with her, again.

**

Pushing the door open, you stepped inside. The sight you are met with makes your blood run cold.

Larys had Alicent pinned on the ground, you watched as she squirmed underneath him trying to fight her way out of his hold.

You unsheathed your sword storming up to him. You roughly grabbed the back of his shirt, successfully pulling him off her with one harsh tug.

He falls backwards onto the ground, a look on his face that only made you grow hot with fury. He had the audacity to look shocked at your interference.

“Have you lost your mind?!” You shouted.

Larys attempted to sit up but you pressed the tip of your sword directly into his neck, drawing blood.

He winces at the pain and it only urged you to push further.

**

“Have you any last words before I remove your head? You miserable fuck.” You were trembling with anger.

“Wait y/n. You can’t– don’t kill him.”

Alicent says in between sobs, her voice barely audible.

You glanced at the Queen not making any moves to remove your sword. Still intent on taking the man’s life that assaulted her.

Alicent knew you too well to mince words with you in this moment.

“Spare him. I command it.”

You removed the steel from his neck, sheathing your sword at once.

As much as you hated it Alicent was right, the Lord of Harrenhal murdered in the Queen’s chambers the night before Aegon’s coronation would look very bad.

“What do you suppose I do with him instead, Your Grace?”

Alicent opens her mouth to answer but she is interrupted by Ser Criston walking in, rushing over to the scene.

Making eye contact with him, your fist moved quicker than your mind could comprehend.

You punched him in the face.

Criston stumbles back holding his face in shock.

“Why did you let him in?” You asked through gritted teeth, your hand gripping the collar of his shirt.

“I-” He stutters, failing to answer and you roll your eyes.

Hand still gripping his shirt you pulled him closer to speak directly into his ear.

“Lord Larys had just tried to assault the Queen. You make sure he rots in a cell until the end of his days.”

Criston nods, harshly grabbing Larys to force him on his feet practically dragging him out of the Queen’s chambers.

Somewhere during your confrontation with Criston, Alicent had began sobbing again. Now that the two of you were alone she still has not stopped.

You knelt down, hand instinctively on Alicent’s back you were weary of touching her too much. Unsure if she even wanted you to.

“I’m so sorry Alicent.” You say and she immediately turns to pull you into a hug.

For several minutes you held the Queen in your arms as she sobbed in your chest.

After her crying subsided Alicent remained resting her head against your shoulder with your arms around her. The Queen makes no effort to move to her bed so you decide to help her.

“Come my love let’s get you to bed.”

Alicent doesn’t respond for a moment but eventually she nods before standing up. You swiftly lifted her in your arms before she could walk, the Queen lets out yelp in surprise.

Carrying her to bed bridal style, adorably you caught a faint blush forming on Alicent’s cheeks but decide not to comment on it.

Setting Alicent down in her bed gently you carefully draped the covers over her.

“Do you want me to stay?”

The answer was obvious by the way Alicent was gripping your arm but you felt it important to ask before climbing into bed with her after the night she’s had.

“Please.” Alicent nods, pulling you closer she shuffles to the other side allowing you space to lay in her bed.

Putting out the candle on your side of the bed you reached over to do the same to her side but Alicent surprises you by crashing her lips against yours.

Expecting it to be a quick kiss, you reciprocated. You attempted to pull away but Alicent stills your movement by placing a hand on the back of your neck.

“Please just keep kissing me. I want to feel you.” Alicent’s breath against your lips.

You leaned in, kissing her properly this time. Your hand that remained firmly against her jaw she quickly guided to her waist.

You kiss her deeply, still cautious but tender. Alicent moves her hand underneath your shirt running her palm across your bare stomach. No doubt she can feel your goose bumps forming at her touch.

Disconnecting the kiss to speak, you leaned back to look at her.

“My love, are you sure?”

Alicent nods, her other hand moving to the back of your neck once again. Pulling you close.

“I need to feel you.” She repeats.

Alicent need not ask again, you understood what she was saying.

Moving fully under the covers, you settled your hips in between Alicent’s legs as you placed feather light kisses on her cheek down to her neck, chest and everywhere else she allowed.

Erasing any trace of Larys there may be left on her skin.

══════════════════════════════════════════════

“I want to make you Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.”

Alicent blurts out into a silent dark room and you let out a huff in amusement.

“Alicent, you must try and sleep.”

You moved your hand along her back soothingly, you’d truthfully been drifting off yourself before she spoken.

“I’m being serious.” She says firmly.

“As am I. You are going to be exhausted come the morrow.” You matched her tone.

“You do not accept?” Alicent lifts her head to look at you.

“Your Grace, I am hardly competent enough to lead.”

“You would make a better leader than Ser Criston.” Alicent remarks, her hand moving to rest on your chest.

“That much we know for certain.” You mutter.

“Will you sleep on it? Give me an answer on the morrow.”

You nod, arguing with your Queen no further.

Alicent seemed content at that, moving closer she lifts your arm to drape it around herself. Head resting against your shoulder as she finally drifted off to sleep.

#alicent hightower #alicent hightower x reader #aemond targaryen #rhaenicent #aegon ii targaryen #criston cole x reader

[alovesreading]

Constant Repeat | Part 15

Summary: Having worked at Focus Creeps for a year, Ella knows that as a production assistant and part of the crew, there’s one important rule: don’t interact with the talent unless it’s needed. But once she meets Arctic Monkeys, and the recording of the music videos for their upcoming fourth studio album starts, the band seem to become her exception. Not only because they treat her more like a friend than just someone else they’re working with but when Alex continuously makes her blush with his flirting, so enthralled by her that he forgets he’s got a girlfriend, Ella finds herself growing closer to him. As videos are filmed, wrapped and edited, the friendship lines become blurry. Situations unfold, secrets are told and others are kept under lock and key, but how long can Alex and Ella endure being stuck in each other’s minds on constant repeat.

Word Count: 32.4k

Story Warnings: Throughout this series there will be suggestive talk, jealousy, cheating, alcohol and drug use, angst, smut.

A/N: Hiii!! I'm finally back with chapter 15 and I'm still baffled at the fact that this one is the longest chapter in CR so far. Well, there was one chapter from the UK trip that ended up being almost 40k so I had to split it in half - but I made you wait long enough so I'm giving you it just as it ended up being. I've very quickly proofread it so I apologise for any grammatical and orthographic errors. Anyway, thanks for your patience everyone, I really really appreciate your support and your sweet messages and all the funny comments you leave here. I hope you lot enjoy this one, sending lots of love xx

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 |

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

It was weird for Ella to go from seeing Alex almost every day to only being able to talk to him through texts sporadically throughout the week.

Not only was the time difference being a horrible obstacle, but also their jobs.

Ella usually got a chance to send a text when she woke up and was getting ready to go to work or in between her lunch breaks, and Alex would usually text her when he had a chance to be on his phone peacefully before the gigs or when he was having trouble falling asleep on the tour bus.

Thankfully, the band had had a week off in Italy by the beginning of them resuming the tour so that the O'Malleys could go on their honeymoon, which meant she got to hear from Alex more often. Ella had been swooning over the pictures Kelly was posting of them in a gorgeous villa in Lake Como, and she'd had the chance to tell Alex how jealous she was of their picturesque views when they had managed to facetime on a random Wednesday during that week off. Alex was in Sorrento with Matt, Jamie and Katie and it was funny hearing how Alex and Matt were being third wheels to the fiances.

Picking up her phone to find random pictures of the places Alex was visiting was something Ella was growing used to. Sometimes it'd be accompanied with a cute 'You'd love this place x' or 'Wish you were here xx', and other times it would be a picture Matt had managed to ruin of a lovely view and it'd come with 'I'm tempted to throw him off this cliff x' to which Ella usually replied with a 'Please do x'.

The pictures Alex got back were mostly of Ella behind the cameras or Ella rolling her eyes by her laptop opened on her email. Being a director meant loads of things on her plate but despite putting on a face for the camera, Ella absolutely loved it. Sometimes the singer would get videos Ella had taken behind the scenes of a production she was shooting, or a quick run through the crew putting everything together for a shoot and Ella excitedly talking about which company it was for and a quick summary of what they were gonna be doing.

But then, the Monkeys resumed their tour so it went back to the little they were managing to talk on the daily, but they were making an effort to keep each other in on what was going on.

They'd talk about anything but what they were itching to say. Because there wasn't a day that would go by without them thinking about that kiss, or rather the couple of kisses they shared in Alex's guest room. And the thought was always accompanied by the hope of another kiss being on the cards for them the next time they'd see each other.

There had been nights on tour Alex had been so drunk he'd found himself writing some sort of message to Ella. Something along the lines of 'I think about those seven minutes far too often darling, and I'm stupidly hoping for them to happen once more when I see you again xxxx' but he'd always delete them, his thumb hovering over the send button for too long as he read and read the message, overthinking it so much that his drunk mind called him a fool for thinking those were the words that were gonna win him Ella.

When the 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?' music video came out on August 10th, the band was in Paris. Ella had called them to congratulate them and since they were in the greenroom, waiting for Pale Waves to finish their set before they could go on, Ella had managed to speak to all of them.

It had been a tad emotional, seeing them through a screen having the time of their lives. Ella had teared up when she said she missed them but her tears had cleared from her face when Matt took the piss out of her for not being able to live without them. Nick had smacked the back of the drummer's head, earning him a thank you from Ella and the video call had comically gone on with them pretending Ella was there.

Jamie had poured her a glass of wine that he put right beside Alex's phone which was propped on the drinks table, by a bottle of vodka. Ella had the best time, laughing away in her office as they purposely put on a show for her, chaotically singing along to the music they had loudly ringing through the speakers in the greenroom.

However, the call ended a little bit under half an hour later since the band had to go on stage, but Ella was left with her heart swelling in her chest when they sent her blown kisses and 'love you's as they went, Katie promising to record bits of the show to send her later.

By the time that show had ended and they were taken back to the hotel, Ella had been in a meeting with Ben, Aaron and the manager of an artist that wanted to work with Focus Creeps. That was why she had missed Alex's call, one that could've changed it all.

Alex had been on a high after the gig, but he'd found himself going back to Ella's messages and scrolling up their scattered conversations of the past month, so many feelings sparked inside him that it was almost like an instinct to call her and tell her everything that was coming to his mind: how much he wanted to see her again, to hold her and kiss her, to hear every story from her lips and in person, for her to see every show with her very own eyes and not through videos Katie managed to send her from time to time.

But Ella didn't answer and maybe it was a sign, maybe it wasn't the right time and Alex had that confirmed when Ella texted him hours later saying 'I'm so sorry I couldn't pick up, was in a meeting. I just got a three music video deal with this record label and I'll be doing it all by myself!!! I hope the show went amazing sweets, love you!! xx'

She'd seen the missed call almost two hours later and she'd thought about calling back for a split second before she remembered the difference in time zones and she cringed at the thought of stealing minutes of sleep from him.

Not that Alex wouldn't have answered. He had fallen asleep, phone in hand, waiting for her to call him back but that call never came.

Waking up to the text was bittersweet. A painful weight coming to press on his chest. It felt like another confirmation of him wanting to ask for too much from her, another confirmation of how selfish he was being. He concealed it easily through texts, sharing her excitement for her upcoming projects and even though the elation he felt for her was genuine, the situation continued to hurt nonetheless.

It felt like he was slowly losing her when his chest ached the most for her, an excruciating type of longing that had him zoning out from time to time when he thought too much about it.

And she was no better, every time she would go on her messages to see her latest texts yet to be answered it would dawn on her just how complicated this all was—the stubborn and afraid side of her hidden in the very depths of her mind telling her an annoying told you so every time her thoughts would go to this being the very reason why it wouldn't have ever worked out between them.

Distance was cruel and so was time—which seemed to go by slower than ever as if to mock them for how long they had to stay away from each other.

Another month went by with the same predicament: texts here and there, random pictures and videos of their days, one or two video calls if they were lucky to find the time to call each other without interrupting sleep or work. Ella claimed almost every thought of his and it got worse when the album finally came out.

There were many songs he had written with her in mind, 'Arabella' being the most obvious one, and Alex wanted so badly for her to catch on and say something about it. He understood why she hadn't back when they were recording but now, after everything that had happened, he was hopeful.

Yet, to his dismay, Ella didn't say anything about it when she texted him the day AM came out.

(09/09/2013 07:17) This record is incredible Al! Got it delivered right in time and I played it on the way to the office today. I keep thinking back to watching y'all record it in Rancho de la Luna and getting emotional at the memories :'( it was truly magical and hearing the album finally be out for everyone to hear makes me so fucking proud!!!! You guys are fucking amazing!!! The reviews are great, I told you this one would make history and it's already looking pretty damn good over here ;) Can't wait to see the gig later tonight! Love you!! xx

Ella had texted George to congratulate him for The 1975's debut album coming out the first day of the month, and after a little flirting from the drummer which had her blushing and struggling to reply, he had told her they'd be playing a set at the iTunes Festival that would be available to stream later.

That was how she'd found out she would be able to watch the Monkeys' set, since they were also playing the festival, when she got home from work and she was absolutely buzzing. It had been so much fun watching The 1975 while having a glass of wine the night before, and she'd ended asking Flo when they'd be touring the US so that she could get tickets to see them in LA.

Alex had thanked her for the love when he was sitting in the greenroom and he had joked about the set being dedicated to her. But he wasn't really joking. He really wished she was there with them, just like Breana, who had joined them in the previous week of the tour and was sitting on Matt's lap as they all chatted and laughed with drinks in hand.

They were due to be in the States again in a week so Alex figured he could arrange something up. They had a festival run for most of the month and it wouldn't be until the end of the month that they would go to LA for a headline show so he made a few calls to try and sort something out to see Ella earlier and he managed to convince his team of recording the music video for their next single before they got to LA, and it would be recorded with Focus Creeps again.

Before they resumed their tour, they had settled that 'One For The Road' would be the next single, along with 'You're So Dark' as its b-side.

A few emails and calls between AM's team and Focus Creeps was all it took to arrange it and the day for the shoot had fallen on the 23rd of September so the crew would be flying out to Chicago.

Alex had been buzzing in anticipation, the whole week leading up to the shoot he had spent it with an extremely good mood at the prospect of seeing Ella again, even if it was just merely a week earlier than their actual gig in Los Angeles.

But his hopes had been shattered in an instant when Ella had managed to text him back three days before the shoot saying that Aaron had been the one to be assigned the music video. One of the three videos she'd signed a contract with a record label to direct had been scheduled for that same Monday, meaning that it was between Ben and Aaron to take over and, eventually, Aaron had been the one to volunteer himself for it.

Ella'd had a tough time hiding just how upset she was about it, but Ben had caught up on it the day Aaron and his crew were checking they had everything ready for the shoot, her cheeks had gone bright red when the director came into her office and finished his quick chat about her shoot with, "Don't worry, they'll be here by the end of the month and you'll see him then."

Ben didn't need to say more than that for her to know exactly what he meant and she hated the fact that she couldn't manage to reply with anything, only a nod of her head which took her far too long to offer and Ben left the room with a knowing chuckle.

In hindsight, he must've seen the longing written all over her face as she stared at the open YouTube tab she had displayed on her computer with the latest BBC Live Lounge video which was of the Monkeys covering a Drake song she hadn't heard before. Ella sighed as she put her earphones back on and pressed play yet again, hearing the cover for the millionth time that week as she went back over the reviewed checklist Lydia had handed her over an hour before.

Aaron and his crew had gone to Chicago on Sunday morning and had a nice day settling down in the city, being mindful of properly resting since they were set to film with the band on Monday morning.

By the time Ella had woken up on Monday and was getting ready for a long day ahead, she had a text from Alex which consisted of a selfie of the band already in suits and on set, which funnily enough was a large farm, accompanied by a text that read 'Jamie Cook will be the camera's muse today. Miss you darling xx'

Those last words turned her into mush and a loopy smile stayed on her face as she drove to the office and then left to the site they were filming at. She sent back a picture there, when she was settled behind the cameras as the lighting crew finished setting up, a pout on her face to emphasize on her message that accompanied the picture: 'Behind the wrong cameras today :( Miss you too sweets xx'

Alex saw it about an hour after she sent it, during a break Aaron had let them have because of how hot it had gotten for them all in the tailored suits under the blazing sun that not even Chicago's wind helped them bear. He'd smiled like a fool as he went over every little detail of her face, the wrinkles in the middle of her brows as she frowned, those pretty eyes of hers almost hidden away behind her almost closed lids, the freckles he loved counting whenever he had her close perfectly showcased against her skin under the sun, her lips pink and soft in a pout that he wanted so badly to kiss away.

Alex just wanted her to be there with him, to have his arms around her and keep her close the whole time, to feel her laugh in his hold so their chests rumbled with joy together, to watch her pupils dilating as she drank with them, to have her pleading to take his picture or just sneakily taking one without him noticing, to feel the warmth of her touch all over him. To hear her call him that nickname she'd given him, sweetness, that was more her than it was him but it made him melt and maybe it was just her coming to swallow him entirely and melting him into a puddle of sweetness, all sticky like honey.

He missed her and it hurt, he ached for her presence and, if he had been already begging for the days to go by faster, now he was on his knees begging for them to fly by. He just couldn't survive anymore with just pictures and videos and those texts she sends. He needed her like he hadn't before. Because now it just wasn't something physical, it was this desperate need for a fix of her presence and how she made him feel when she was close, when she looked at him, when she laughed with him and touched him.

After that Alex had been distracted almost the whole recording of the video and when he watched as a girl stood there in front of the camera wearing the 'One For The Road' leather jacket, he couldn't help but think he was taking that with him to LA and giving it to Ella.

It seemed like Alex wasn't the only one moping around, for Ella went straight to Los Feliz the second the crew went back to the office and finished putting everything away. But she felt empty going alone into the theater yet again, and in desperate need to feel like he was there with her like how badly she wanted, she bought a ticket for a Blade Runner screening.

She sent a picture of her ticket and her melancholy slipped a little when she captioned it 'Your favorite today because I miss you and Los Feliz is looking a little dull without you here to make commentary xx'

Waking up to that made Alex feel a bit better, knowing he wasn't alone in his longing and a spark of hope ignited inside his chest. His thoughts the usual push and pull of does she, doesn't she that drove him insane on the daily.

He sang 'Arabella' and 'Do I Wanna Know?'with a lot more intent that night, as if she could hear him and answer just what he was implicitly asking.

But, of course, she wasn't listening because she wasn't in San Francisco that night.

However, being in San Francisco meant there were merely a handful more sleeps left until he got to see her and that soothed his soul. If he closed his eyes and thought hard enough, he could already feel her and hear her and breathe in her scent.

Just a few more days, Alex reminded himself every night before falling asleep—a smile on his face that stayed even throughout his dreams which were oh so coincidentally about Ella.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Ella had been so nervous getting ready the Sunday the band arrived in Los Angeles. They'd gotten into town in the morning and they'd gone straight to the venue so that their crew could set up and they could soundcheck by noon.

She'd been wide awake since seven in the morning and tossed and turned in bed as she waited for any sign of life from Alex.

He Facetimed her almost three hours later, the second the lads had settled down in their greenroom and he could escape to the back of the venue.

"Good morning, darling." Alex greeted her the second she answered and he smiled like a right fool when he saw her still in bed, hair splayed out on her pillow and a smile that had her eyes closing.

"Good morning sweetness." She yawned softly behind her hand and rubbed her eye with her knuckles before she basically begged, "Please tell me you're here already."

His cheeks hurt from how hard he was smiling and he put his sunglasses up on top of his head to see her properly despite the sun burning his corneas, "We are. Just got settled in the greenroom and the crew is setting up the stage so we can soundcheck soon."

Ella shifted in bed to her side so she could squeal into her pillow and Alex wanted to have the ability to teleport just so he could lay over her and shower her in kisses because of how fucking adorable she was.

"Okay, I'm gonna have breakfast and get ready to head over there before rush hour." She all but jumped out of bed and Alex held his breath when he noticed which top she'd worn to sleep.

It was the Clockwork Orange top he gave her when she'd stayed with him that night of the wedding, which he had fully forgotten about. But seeing her wearing it had him feeling a rush of warmth running through his veins and he fucking loved it.

The words left him before he could even process them, "Lovely top you've got on."

He watched as a pink flush coated her cheeks and a soft string of giggles slipped past her lips, "Sorry, I'll give it back when I see you later."

But that wasn't what he wanted, no. If anything he wanted to give her whichever shirt of his she fancied if it meant he'd get to see her wearing them right after.

"No." He quickly replied, a shake of his head to ensure she got the message, "Please keep it, darling. Looks better on you anyway."

She rolled her eyes as she walked to the bathroom, getting more flustered by the second. Her bare feet on the cold wood flooring of her house helped bring her temperature down slightly but she still looked quite red when she propped him up by the sink.

"Yeah, I think I pull it off quite well." Ella cockily quipped back with a smirk on her face as she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste.

She was looking at herself in the mirror for a few seconds so she missed the way Alex was stuck gawking at her through the screen. It was painfully obvious she wasn't wearing a bra underneath it and it was driving him insane.

"You really do, darling." Alex managed out his agape mouth, he was almost drooling. He wanted to kiss her again so badly.

Right before she could start brushing her teeth, she said, "Right sweets, I'm gonna get ready as fast as I can yeah?"

He hummed, nodding his head like a kid which was bargaining an hour of good behavior for an ice cream cone.

"Love you, I'll see you soon." She leaned in closer to the camera and offered him a bright smile, fluttering lashes as she watched him glow under the sun.

He matched her grin and reciprocated the feeling with much more hidden passion than she knew, "Love you darling. Can't wait to see you."

A giggle escaped her as she waved at the camera and he did just the same, two seconds of a wave before she pressed the red button to end the call.

He sighed, really dreading however long it would be until he saw her, feet lazily taking him back to the greenroom where he and the lads went on to have the food and drinks on their raider.

Ella was actually rushing through everything, cooking her breakfast and practically inhaling it before heading back to the bathroom to take the quickest shower and she half assed the job of drying her hair, letting the dampness still present to air dry as she dressed and did her makeup.

In less than an hour she was out the door, throwing herself in her car and quickly backing out of her driveway to rush over to the venue.

It was a fucking joke how even at eleven in the morning, the LA traffic was still a pain in the ass. It wasn't as bad as it could really get but Ella wanted to be there already and having to wait twenty more minutes sitting in traffic on the highway was exasperating.

She smiled when she got off into Koreatown and realized they were only a few miles away from Los Feliz, thinking whether or not there would be a possibility to sneak out of the venue to at least take a stroll over there. It would have to be that very day though, because the next two shows, she'd be able to make it just in time before Pale Waves were set to start if she was going to the venue directly from work.

It took her a few minutes to park right across the venue and cross the street to where people were already gathering in a short line for the show. Arctic Monkeys - Tonight at 8PM - with support of Pale Waves - Sold Out it read on the display right below the big red letters of The Wiltern Theater, Ella smiled to herself as a wave of excitement and pride came over her and her palms started sweating in anticipation.

That was a bit shadowed when she had to walk up to the security guard in the very front of the line and say she was in the guest list, the big bulky scary man offering her a soft smile and asking her for her ID and then to wait just as he made sure she was indeed in the guest list.

She heard the muffle voice of however was talking through the radio he had in hand and she took in the curious glances of the people in line when the guard nodded, handed her ID back and opened the door for her to walk in, "To your right walk all the way down, their tour manager is waiting for you."

"Thank you," Ella said shyly, a tight lip smile and a nod was all she left the guard with before she followed the instructions and just as she'd been told, Steve was waiting for her at the end of the hallway.

"Ella!" He greeted her warmly and she smiled at him, a comforting relief coming over her at the familiar face she hadn't seen in very very long, more specifically since Glastonbury.

"Hi Steve!" She greeted just as enthusiastically and hugged him tightly, "How are you? How's tour life treating you?"

He pulled away from the hug and answered as he started walking through a maze of hallways with her beside him, "The usual, everything's fucking mental but we make it work."

"That you do." She chuckled, she'd seen a few clips here and there of the tour and it always looked absolutely incredible. She couldn't wait to hear the new songs live though.

They walked past a few doors before she managed to see the one with the latest Arctic Monkeys logo, in the same font as Black Sabbath's which she loved so much but she was surprised when Steve walked right past it.

Her mouth opened to ask where he was taking her if the greenroom was right there but he beat her to it when he said, "They're out there soundchecking right now."

It was a quarter past twelve so she nodded understandingly, and she let herself get more and more excited as they walked closer to the door by the side of the stage. And when they finally walked past those doors, she was drowned with the strumming of guitars and that soft voice she'd missed so much.

Her fingers dug into her thighs, trying to wipe the sweat off her palms on her shorts and somehow release a bit of the nerves that were cursing her but when she walked in front of the stage beside Steve and Alex's eyes fell on hers, it was like it had all disappeared.

Alex stopped mid verse, the biggest smile appearing on his face and making it impossible for him to continue. She was right there, finally. So he turned to the lads and the sound crew for a second, asking, "That sounds good right?" But not waiting for an answer at all, only nodding like he knew it was right and quickly propping his guitar up on its stand, to rush to the side of the stage and run towards her.

His arms opened as he dashed for her and she did just the same, meeting in the middle harshly, the force of their collision not even being something they acknowledge as they clinged into each other tightly, he even lifted her off the ground to spin them around once before he set her down and mumbled, "Oh darling, finally." in her ear.

"I missed you so fucking much." Ella whispered back, a knot forming in her throat when it all fell into place, this was all that she was missing.

"Me too," He said desperately, cradling her head with his right hand while the other held her tightly around her waist, "You've no idea how much."

But she could imagine, because she had missed him in such a pathetic way, every day spent thinking about what he might be doing and envious of those who got to see him on the daily, every night breathlessly calling out his name as she touched herself wishing it was him.

She pushed aside the thought of one particular night she'd bought herself a new toy and all that she'd pictured was him filling her up instead of some stupid piece of plastic, only for her actions to flood her brain so much that she dreamt about it and she was left frustrated that she couldn't fulfill her want and her needs with him.

"Ella!" Nick called out as he walked across the stage, she pulled back and smiled brightly at him, waving at him to come to her and he did just that.

Alex reluctantly let her go for the rest of the lads to hug her and Ella found herself silently shedding a few tears at the reunion.

"Missed you." She mumbled against Matt's shoulder, sniffling right after so the drummer left a bunch of kisses on her temple, hugging her tightly to him and leaving his teasing persona on the side to say, "Missed you too, Ellie."

She let go and fiddled with her fingers as she looked around the guys, "Sorry I interrupted. You guys can continue."

"Do we have to?" Alex directed the question at the sound guys and sighed in annoyance when they nodded. He knew they'd just started soundcheck merely a few minutes before but he wanted it to be over and spend as much time as he could with Ella.

"It's fine." Ella waved him off, "I'll go look for Bre. She's in the greenroom isn't she?"

Matt nodded, "Yeah, she's been waiting for you."

So it was settled then, Ella would go over to wait for them backstage and she would see her best friend after being apart for so long.

Before she could leave though, she made sure to hug them all over again like it was the last time she could. Alex reveled in the feeling of her arms over his shoulders and around his neck holding him close to her and he melted when she left a loud kiss on his cheek before she was walking away back to the greenroom.

Ella was feeling so chipper as she walked up to the greenroom, a skip in her step and a massive smile on her face. Steve had left her on her own when she assured him she remembered the way there so he could stay to watch the soundcheck. So she knocked on the door softly when she got there and she opened it slowly to be greeted by her best friend who jumped up from the settee and ran over to her.

There was barely a second to close the door behind her when Bre threw herself in Ella's arms and they squealed at them finally being reunited back home.

"Can you not leave me again? I missed you bitch!" Ella complained in Breana's ear, eyes closed and relishing in the feeling of having her best friend with her again.

"I'm sorry." Bre laughed, "Committed to the groupie life now."

Ella cackled, pulling back as she softly pushed Bre away, "Of course."

A voice coming from the left side of the room interrupted her before she could tease Breana, "Hello gorgeous."

Her head turned so quickly and she smiled sheepishly when she saw Alice standing there. That smirk of hers promising pure mischief but just as inviting as it always was.

"Allie!" Ella said as she walked up to her, wrapping her arms around the singer's waist and pulling her into a hug.

"How've you been?" Alice asked, brushing a strand of her behind Ella's ear which had her biting her tongue not to smile too hard about.

Alice and George both would forever hold the power to make her crumble in an instant with the simplest of touches. It was kind of embarrassing.

"Alright, y'know. Filming loads now, so I'm very busy. But it's just what I dreamed of, really couldn't ask for anything else."

Alice nodded, a genuine smile on her face as her eyes took in how Ella was glowing, "M'glad baby." She squeezed Ella's waist, letting her hold slowly leave her side and Ella smiled as she took one step back. "You look beautiful." Alice took her in with one slow sweep of her eyes down her figure and Ella blushed at the compliment.

Ella really didn't think her blue jean shorts, her striped button down that was tucked into them and her chelsea boots was much of a fashionable outfit. Still she gave Alice a bright grin and said, "Thank you. So do you."

Oscar and Connor walked in through the door then and they instantly recognized her and walked over to hug her hello, and then they introduced them to the last member of Pale Waves that she still hadn't had the chance to meet, their drummer, Zara.

"Hi, I'm Ella! Nice to finally meet you!" The director said, putting her hand out for Zara to shake.

"Zara," the drummer said and welcomed the gesture just as kindly but then she teased her by saying, "So you're the famous Ella..."

Ella's eyes widened ever so slightly, entirely surprised about the hint of insinuation and a tad confused, but Oscar was the one to let her know what she meant by explaining, "Alice loved your pictures so much she has a few framed and up on her walls and Zara was quite intrigued."

"Oh..." Ella let out, her cheeks burning up and the flush coming all the way down to her neck. It was so noticeable since she had the top buttons of her shirt undone and her collarbones and chest were exposed for everyone to see. "Glad you liked the pictures. I guess."

Alice snorted in laughter beside her, finding it so amusing and just as endearing that she reacted like this and Zara smirked as well, "Yeah, they were quite something. But, in all seriousness, they were really good."

At that Ella puffed her chest out slightly, pride filling up her chest and overshadowing the embarrassment, "Thank you."

They all moved to sit down in the settees and chairs available and little by little they went onto catching up on what had been happening in the past two months. Some things Ella knew from Alex's texts or what Breana had managed to let her know when she joined the lads at the start of the month.

About twenty minutes later the lads came back into the room and Ella's heart swelled in her chest when Alex took a seat beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her flush against his side. She smiled loopily and she let her head fall on his shoulder as she listened to the new conversation sparking in the room. Alex left a kiss atop of her head, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes in utter bliss.

It felt like being home.

Time went fast, one moment they'd gotten food delivered to the venue and Alex and Matt were making everyone drinks and the other, Pale Waves was about to go on stage for their forty minute set before the Monkeys.

"Are you coming out to watch us?" Alice asked Ella as one of the sound guys fixed her mic pack on the top of her skirt.

Ella nodded with a smile, "Absolutely." but Alex's hold tightening on her waist made her turn to watch him and ask, "D'you wanna come with me?"

If it was anyone else asking, he would've said no—finding nothing worse than to have to watch Alice on stage yet again—but it was Ella so he nodded without a hint of doubt, "Of course darling. Let's go to the side of the stage, yeah?"

Alice had been throwing flirty comments at Ella the whole afternoon and it had Alex grinding his teeth. Ella had been playing along here and there but she never left his side and that was the only thing he was going to focus on. They'd had their touch on each other the whole time, if it wasn't his arm around her waist, it was her fingers fiddling with his, or him playing with her hair, or her legs thrown over his lap so he held her in place with a warm hand over her knee.

They were making up for lost time and it was clear to everyone, but they kept their mouths shut for their sake. To not disturb the bubble they had created around themselves. Alice was the only one to poke it with a faint touch every time she flirted with Ella but it seemed like it was beneficial to Alex since the director would only lean into his touch every time that happened.

It was like Ella was replying with her words but subconsciously she was telling Alice how much she just wanted the man rubbing circles on her thighs.

Ella stood up and reached her hand out for Alex to grab, and when he intertwined their fingers she pulled him up to have him walk with her. After grabbing their drinks, they went over to the stage along with the band, only they stopped on the side of it and Ella marveled at the sight of that many people and the volume of the crowd the second Pale Waves stepped out.

Alex stood behind Ella to her right side, one arm thrown over her shoulders and fiddling with the collar of her shirt as they watched the band perform. Ella had a smile on her face as she sang along and Alex was surprised to hear how she knew almost every line to every song.

A screech came from Ella when the second to last song started, 'There's A Honey' was probably her favorite off their record and she was ecstatic to finally hear it live.

When it was over, she turned to look at Alex with the biggest smile, "They're so good!"

Alex reluctantly agreed with a simple nod, taking in the way her face lit up under the red lighting of the stage.

But her smile faltered when 'Came In Close' started and she turned around to watch the band again, this time entirely silent just taking in the lyrics.

The first time Ella had heard the song when she played the full record, days after she got back home from her trip to the UK, she'd instantly made the connection of it to Alex and it was one of them things she couldn't really shake.

The same way it was hard to listen to The Strokes after Julian, the same way she couldn't listen to Highlight of my Life by Dolly Parton without feeling that pinch to her chest from her first heartbreak.

Ella sighed to herself when the set ended and Alice thanked everyone for coming, giving a brief shoutout to the Monkeys for having them on tour. She just hoped Alex hadn't caught onto that, especially because it was just sending her into a pathetic spiral.

Is it a sign? She wondered with a soft frown on her face.

"Y'alright?" Alex asked as she turned around, ready to leave.

"Yeah, yeah." Ella quickly muttered, taking a gulp of her still half full cup. "Let's go." She got a hold of his wrist and tugged him to walk beside her back to the greenroom.

The lads still had 30 minutes left until they had to go on stage so Ella wanted to just spend it in their presence, considering she only really had those three days with them and then they'd be gone again until December.

An overly hyper Alice and Oscar ran up to the pair and quickly started asking Ella if she liked their set, the American nodded eagerly and pointed out her favorite parts, accentuating how happy she was to hear her favorite song of theirs live.

When they got back, the energy buzzing through Alice and her bandmates was palpable in the air, so the lads turned to see them walk into the room with a smile on their faces.

"How was it?" Jamie was the one to ask, seeing Pale Waves touring with them and their reactions to the masses that gathered in front of them every night of tour reminded him of the Monkeys when they had just started and it was nostalgic and endearing.

Zara whistled in awe, "Fucking brilliant."

Oscar nodded, walking straight towards the table filled with drinks, "Honestly, amazing crowd."

"It's Los Angeles, baby, of course it is." Ella said proudly, lifting her cup in the air and throwing a wink on Alice's way.

Alice winked back and blew her a kiss, one that Alex rolled his eyes at as Ella hid her blushy cheeks behind the glass while she finally drank the last of her cocktail.

Matt stood up then and with a chipper tone in his voice, he suggested, "Right so... another round of margaritas?"

Everyone nodded, Pale Waves wanted to celebrate yet another successful night and the lads wanted to continue letting loose knowing that it was their turn to go up on stage in about half an hour.

So Matt and Alex took over, with a little help from Connor, and just like that everyone was cheering to an incredible night five minutes later.

The group had gotten caught up in lively chatter as they waited, but before they even realized, time had flown right past them and the lads were snatched from the greenroom and instructed to go up on stage.

Bre and Ella ran out to join the crowd in the GA floor area and they cheered just as loud as everyone around them when the band walked in on stage. The stage looked stunning, and she thought about just how hot it would get from the hard lights. She couldn't even imagine how much it would be on the lads considering Alex, Jamie and Nick were wearing blazers and long sleeve button ups.

If Ella had been amazed at the crowd's volume during Pale Waves' set, then she was absolutely mindblown when 'Do I Wanna Know?' started and the screams were deafening. The walls shook with the bass and the sneer of the drums, each strum of the guitars reverberated in her chest and she swore she could feel the floor shaking beneath her feet when Alex started singing.

Ella was entirely entranced by it all, she had missed seeing them on stage after months and the wonder never withered away. There was a feeling bubbling up inside her that she was sure wasn't due to the pair of cocktails she'd nursed earlier, though she really hoped she would have blamed it on it. When Alex found her in the back of the crowd, the feeling multiplied and Ella felt almost dizzy from it.

It was like Alex tried his best to steer away from Ella but his eyes were magnetized to her almost throughout the whole show, and not only the guys but also Breana noticed the change in Alex's demeanor compared to past shows. He was smiling so much as he sang, his gaze swimming through the crowd to end up looking at her and there was something laced around his words that showed especially when he sang those tunes he'd written with Ella in mind.

He'd raised his eyebrows and smirked at her right before they started 'Teddy Picker' and his eyes looked pleading as he stared at her when he sang 'Arabella'—Ella had been left breathless when he sang the bridge and didn't move his gaze from her, her eyes stuck on his mouth and the way it grazed the mic with every word as the sweat dripped down the sides of his face and his neck, unable to stop watching how he brushed his hair back to keep it from sticking to his forehead.

She and Bre went absolutely crazy with the crowd at the end of 'Do Me A Favour?' and Ella was a mess of giggles when Alex teased the crowd as he introduced their last song, 'R U Mine?'

Ella had her eyes stuck watching the way Alex's fingers swiftly moved up on the neck of his guitar, not even a glance down to where to place them as he sang with his eyes half lidded. She bit her lip while she watched his hips sway to the song, a smoothness to every one of his moves that had her mind going places.

It had been a fright when a fan managed to go on stage and grabbed the setlist from its place on the floor of the stage, she'd gasped seeing a security guard chase the teenager and catch him right behind Nick, but she'd eventually laughed at the band staying cool and unbothered at the situation.

The walls rumbled with the intensity of the voices that sang along the last chorus and it was an incredible buzz that lingered in the air like a charged cloud ready to thunder down when the guys waved as they left the stage, Alex blowing kisses and throwing peace signs in thanks to the audience for their attendance.

Trying their best to make their way through the crowd, Ella and Bre managed to go backstage again, flashing their AAA passes and when they walked past the doors and saw the lads slowly walking back to the greenroom, they took off to hug them.

Bre jumped on Matt's back, who instinctively grabbed the backs of her thighs and managed to stabilize himself as the model attacked the side of his face with chaste kisses. And Ella had ran into Alex's back, slamming into him with an oof and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"That was fucking incredible!" Ella squealed in excitement, her eyes glimmering with admiration that Alex got to see when he unwrapped Ella's arms from him to pull her to his side and throw his arm over her shoulders.

Alex smiled wide down at her, leaning in to leave a kiss on her temple, "Did you like it?"

Ella scrunched up her nose at him at the kiss, letting herself take in the feeling of his lips on her before nodding and saying, "Loved it!" Her fingers squeezed at his waist softly as she added, "Thank you for keeping my favorite in the setlist."

He hummed with a smirk on his face, "I couldn't ever take it off, especially not if you're in attendance."

He winked at her and her cheeks were quickly dusted with a pink flush. It filled him with warmth seeing her blush at him again, he had missed that so much.

But his reminiscing was changed for surprise when she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Good boy." before leaving his side and throwing herself at Jamie, ruffling the guitarist's hair and congratulating him for being amazing and effortlessly pulling off the War Pigs riff by the end of the song.

Alex was left stupefied by that for a few minutes, not really knowing how to act anymore after that. He just wanted to walk up to her and interrupt her conversation with Jamie to kiss her hard and take her somewhere else. He wanted her all to himself.

Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Not when they had to stay for an hour in the greenroom to ride out the adrenaline running through them after the show, whilst they waited for the crew to pack things up and leave their gear in order for the gig the next day.

When Steve came back to let them know they could leave, Pale Waves were the first to take a cab to the hotel they were all staying at. They'd said goodbye to Ella and she'd promised to be back to see them the next day.

So Ella, Bre and the lads slowly walked out the back of the venue towards the exit where their tour team was waiting for them to say what they were doing next.

Matt gestured towards Steve to give them a few minutes so that the group could figure it out, Alex and Jamie deciding to have a cigarette as they spoke and offering their packs up for anyone else who wanted a smoke.

Ella plucked one out from Alex's pack, and she thanked Jamie when he lit it up for her.

"Where are you staying?" She curiously asked them, taking a long drag of smoke.

Nick shrugged, barely remembering the area it was at, "Some fancy hotel on Sunset Strip."

"Oh..." Ella nodded, her brows raised at the mention of the neighborhood. She was intrigued so she thought about it aloud, just throwing a question into the air, "Is it the Edition?"

And to Ella's luck, she guessed correctly. "Yep, that one." Bre smirked in confirmation, she couldn't believe it when the band's tour bus drove past there and Steve had told them they'd be staying there.

The director whistled funnily in amazement, "Fucking hell. Record's doing quite well then."

Jamie and Alex snorted out a laugh, their heads shaking side to side at Ella's tone. But Matt scoffed, "Why wouldn't it?"

"Alright, Helders." Ella rolled her eyes, the smoke slipping past her lips as she spoke, "Forgot you've got a big ass head."

The drummer smirked and quickly joked by replying, "Next time ask Bre so you don't forget." ending it with a wink that made Ella dramatically frown and gag.

"You're disgusting..." She pointed at him with the lit up end of her cig, and then she sighed in exasperation, "That's my cue. I'm going."

"This early?" Alex let out instantly, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Ella was sure it was way past eleven, since the last time she'd checked her phone was a while ago and it was a quarter to eleven, so she pulled out her phone and the screen showed her a horrendous 11:47 pm.

"It's almost midnight." She pouted, she still had to drive a whole fifty minutes back to her house and she was fucking knackered.

"The night is young!" Bre exclaimed as if that was going to convince her, she prayed Ella could see the 'call in sick for work tomorrow and come with us!' written all over her face.

It filled Ella with sorrow to be logical and actually take her responsibilities into consideration, "I've got work tomorrow and I'm driving home."

Bre winced silently when she realized how far Ella's was from the venue so she nodded sadly but understanding the situation.

To Ella's left though, Alex let his jaw drop slightly at the piece of information and a soft gasp came from him before he scolded her, "Darling, why'd you have those margaritas then?!"

Ella chuckled at him and waved him off, "Oh I only had two and it's been a while. I'm completely sober, I promise."

"You sure?" Alex asked seriously, not a hint of amusement on his face.

She nodded in confirmation at the same time as Nick offered, "You can always stay with us."

"Making you get another room just because yous want me to go out for drinks? No." She loved them and they were some of her closest friends but she wouldn't at all consider being that much of a burden not only to them but to their team. Accepting to have them spend money on a hotel room for her when she was just an hour away from home was silly and embarrassing.

And, of course, Matt took the opportunity to be a dickhead for he shrugged and suggested, "You can always share a room with someone."

"Matthew, don't." Ella glared at him with a fury that the drummer wasn't expecting, he had to press his lips together to not ask why the sudden intensity, but he didn't even get the chance because Ella took one last drag of her cigarette and then turned to her right to say goodbye, "Okay, that's it. Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave hugs around, all warm and with intent, and whispered goodbyes and love yous in their ears. When it got to Alex, she clutched him the tightest and kissed his cheek.

"Same time?" Matt asked from behind her since she was still hugging Alex.

"Later, unfortunately." Ella sighed out with a hint of sorrow, "Coming straight from the office once I'm done with work."

Alex wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her in and left a quick kiss on her temple before assuring her, "S'alright. As long as you're here, darling."

She turned to offer him a sweet smile and confirmed, "I will certainly be."

A breathy and soft "Good." was what Alex replied before letting her go and she took a few steps before turning around and blowing everyone a kiss, "Love you guys." She saw the nearest exit and waved them goodbye before quickly walking out of the venue with a loud and cheery, "See ya'!"

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She had tried her best to leave early, but she'd been caught up in a long meeting with Ben, Aaron and a few other people from Universal Music who had come over to the office to talk about signing a contract with Focus Creeps for a year.

It was exciting, the creative liberty they were offering alongside the good pay and the opportunity to work with multiple artists, but she kept glancing down at the time on her phone and it was annoying how every time five minutes seemed to pass like lightning.

When she had finally shook the hands of the reps and wished them farewell after she, Ben and Aaron had finally signed the contract, it had been half past six so she knew she'd be caught in horrendous traffic on the way there.

By the time she managed to find a spot in the parking lot across the street from the venue, she knew she'd missed Pale Waves' set. Thankfully, it was the same guard as the day before who stood at the door and he quickly let her inside.

She was power walking to the greenroom, a sliver of guilt threading through her ribs up her chest for being so late, so much so that the "Hello!" she offered everyone, just as she walked through the door after knocking three times, came out a little shy and strangled.

A loud "Ella!" was heard in chorus as everyone turned to the door to see her walk in.

Before she could even hug Bre who was right by the door with her camera in hand, seemingly having been about to take a picture, Ella turned to Zara and Alice who were standing across the room and apologized, "I'm so sorry. I missed your set, didn't I?"

Oscar, who Ella hadn't noticed was right beside her, threw his arm around her shoulders and sighed, "Yeah, we just came back in about ten minutes ago."

"Fucks sake." She let her shoulders drop in dismay and mumbled another curse under her breath to then point out, "Traffic was horrendous."

Alice waved her off with a quick, "S'alright." and a lighthearted wink and to make that frown disappear from her face, the singer offered, "Do you want a drink?"

Ella leaned into Oscar's hold to side hug him before leaving his side and going up to Bre to say hello. When she pulled back from hugging her best friend, she shook her head, "No, sorry I'm driving again and I don't think I'll sober up in time if I do."

The rest of the group held her tightly when she went up to hug them hello and she ended up plopping down on the settee next to Alex when she was done.

"How was work today?" Alex ask her genuinely, he had texted her earlier when the lads had agreed on going with him for lunch in Los Feliz and he'd send Ella a selfie along with a 'We're just missing you x' to which Ella had replied with a sad face and a promise to be at the venue as soon as she could.

She sighed as her day flashed through her mind in a sped up reel, "The usual, calls and emails to answer, projects to go over. Although, we did sign a year-long contract with UMG just an hour ago."

"Universal Music?" Zara asked with a brow raised, Alice looking at her with wide eyes beside the drummer.

A hint of blush came to Ella's face when she nodded, "Yep."

Bre squeaked and ran behind the settee to hug Ella from behind, keeping her in a loving chokehold as she pressed kisses on her cheek, "Congratulations!"

The rest of the group followed, congratulating Ella with chipper voices as she was now stuck in Breana and Alex's hold. Ella said "Thank you." between giggles and when Bre finally let go and Alex stopped squeezing her in his arms, she turned to Jamie and Nick who were sitting across from her and pointed out, "Oh I saw the editing department halfway done with 'One For The Road' earlier! It looks so good."

"Does it?" Alex teased as he headbutted her softly.

She chuckled lightly and added, "Yes! Y'all looked beautiful."

A loud snort came from the left side of the room, from Matt to be exact. He had a smirk on his face and repeated, "Beautiful?" as he found Ella's choice of an adjective to be hilarious and slightly thinking she was taking the piss.

"Oh what, is that not sitting well with you?" Ella scowled, she had actually meant it because from the clips she'd seen, they did look amazing. So she scoffed, trying to think of some other word that would appease the drummer, "What do you want me to say? You looked fit?"

Matt lifting up his beer bottle as in a cheers to that, had Ella rolling her eyes,"Now that's more like it."

"We need to get you back in England, darling." Alex joked further, his fingers pinching her waist, making her jolt in her place.

With a faint hit to his arm, she just said, "Oh shush." and just turned her attention back on Breana to ask, "D'you wanna go up to the balcony with me today?"

"Absolutely babe." Bre nodded with a big smile on her face, "That'll be fun."

"You're gonna get a good view that's for sure." Jamie pointed out. They'd gone up to the balcony the day before when they'd just gotten to the venue and he thought about how cool it must look during the show with all the lights and the crowd down on the floor.

"Counting on it." Ella quipped back as she straightened up on her seat, about to get up and leave the room with Bre, but she looked at Alex once more and she took the time to fully take in how he looked.

There was a hint of a smirk on her face when she said, "You look good." He looked fucking stunning, "I like this blazer." Her fingers traced down the lapel of the sparkly red blazer he had on, but her eyes went further down and properly stared at every detail of him.

She found herself thinking I also like this golden chain and this black shirt and how you've not buttoned it up completely, and those black jeans and that belt with the big buckle.

Alex grinned at her while she kept gawking down at him, she was entranced by the big golden buckle of his belt and he felt a tingle rushing to every nerve ending of his body.

"My eyes are up here, darling." He teased her, eyes not leaving her until she glanced back up at him with pink cheeks that she didn't let him really admire because she all but jumped up from beside him.

"Shut up." Ella called out, her gaze falling on her best friend so she didn't see the way everyone in the room was snickering and holding in their teasing laughter.

Without giving her much of an option, Ella grabbed Breana by the wrist and pulled her so that she could walk with her out of the room, "Bre let's go." And right before they could walk past the door, she turned around and said, "Bye boys. Break a leg."

The show started shortly after Ella and Bre had managed to settle in two of the seats up on the left side balcony, and just like the previous night, it had been fucking incredible.

They weren't sure how it was possible but the crowd sounded a bit louder this night and it was blowing them away.

It was so crazy from the second the first guitar strum of 'Do I Wanna Know?' hit everyone's ears, Ella and Bre's hearts were racing at the feeling of the floor shaking beneath their feet—it felt like the mezzanine was going to collapse.

When Alex found her, just a song before 'Teddy Picker', he winked at her and her stomach flooded with butterflies that had her heart racing more than the adrenaline rushing throughout the crowd.

And Alex only managed to have Ella's heart rate stuttering even more when he pointed at her as he sang 'The horizon tries but it's just not as kind on the eye'.

She bit her tongue about it for the rest of the show, only letting the feeling take over her and releasing it when she and Bre hollered along with the crowd.

"I don't get how you do it." Ella said breathlessly in Alex's ear when she got back to the greenroom after the show had ended.

Alex clutched her tightly around the waist, taking a deep breath and relishing in her scent and the feeling of her skin on his fingertips, the way their bodies molded together and swelled his chest.

He hummed back at her in confusion and once he pulled back to look at her, he actually asked, "What?"

"Putting on such great shows days in a row." Ella exclaimed like it was obvious, she was in awe and it showed like a gleam through her eyes and her unwavering smile.

Alex shrugged and before he could properly think about it, the words let loose and slipped past his lips, "These shows are for you. I have to."

Ella just couldn't not react to his words, her cheeks lit up in flames that washed all over her and she let her face fall on its side on his chest so she could hide from him as she mumbled a whiney, "Alex." almost like she was scolding him for saying stuff like that.

"What?" His chest rumbled with a giggle beneath her cheek and his hand came to cradle the back of her head, fingers brushing through her hair as he silently instructed her to look at him.

She did, a bit apprehensive since she knew her blush was still noticeable on her face but he delighted on the view. A soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his hand coming to cup her jaw when he asked, "Are you staying for a little longer?"

Her answer was a soft "Yeah." which sounded almost like a little squeak, her voice getting stuck in her throat from the tenderness of his touch and the memory of those kisses they shared months before coming to the forefront of her mind.

It burned. The desperate need to close the distance and feel his lips on hers again, a need that shifted into more when she let her mind rush with all that she fantasized when it came to him.

But she had no clue if it was okay or if it would be cruel on herself to let her get another taste when it would just be snatched away from her just as fast.

She sighed in despair and only allowed her lips to pucker up and leave a chaste kiss on the palm of his hand to take a short step back and create a bit of distance between them. It would be too challenging to stay this close to him and not do a thing.

"Next time please don't do your shows on a weekday, sweets." She tried to chuckle, to make it a lighthearted joke but she actually was so sad over the fact that she just couldn't try to spend more time with them after or before the show.

If there was the possibility of leaving with them, even if just to take the show's after party to a bar, then she knew she would gain the courage to act up on everything she'd been thinking about since she left. But she had to get to work at eight in the morning the next day and it was only half an hour until the clock struck midnight and she'd have to leave by then if she wanted to be a proper human being at the office the next morning.

"I know." Alex winced, his heart going through a weird tumble of feelings from the kiss she pressed on his skin and the way she stepped away from him right after. "Sorry."

Instantly, she shook her head at his apology, "S'not your fault, silly." And then she took a moment to really look at him and there was a hint of sadness written on his face that crushed her and she just had to step back in his arms.

"I can't believe you're leaving me again tomorrow." Ella mumbled into his shoulder, her hair tickling Alex's neck and making goosebumps cover every inch of his skin.

His fingers dug a bit more into the clothed flesh of her waist where he held her tightly against him, "Don't mention it."

There was a slight strain to his voice that could be more attributed to him getting upset than having sang for an hour just a mere few minutes before, so she pulled back to see his face, "Are you gonna cry?"

"Maybe." He hid behind a joke, with a crooked smile that mirrored on her face.

A bubbly laugh came from her, the wrinkles on the corners of her eyes showing as she smiled brighter, "You're adorable."

Alex wanted so badly to let it all out, but they were in a corner of the greenroom and obnoxiously surrounded by their friends so he didn't really think it would be that much of a great idea to let his heart bleed out for her at that very moment.

So he settled for kissing her cheek and telling her, "Love you." and it worked to soothe that need to bare his soul to her even just a little bit.

"Love you too." Ella reciprocated with ease, a whirlwind of emotions rushing through her whenever she heard him say those words and whenever she could utter them to him. It felt so much better to hear it and say it in person than it did through text or a call.

The two went back into the center of the room, finally deciding to join their friends after Alex grabbed himself another beer bottle, Ella sticking to a can of Coke that would hopefully help her stay up a little longer.

She wanted to cry thinking about the almost hour-long drive back to her house.

Connor and Oscar were going on and on about the hotel and how heavenly the beds were, and how the views to the Hollywood hills were to die for, until they started arguing about how Oscar snored way too much that he kept him up most of the night so he had to go smoke out on the balcony and he fell asleep in one of the chairs there.

The bickering was hilarious and the story went from that to Pale Waves sharing the worst nights on tour they'd ever had.

Even Alex found himself laughing at some of the anecdotes, though it was mostly because he felt so relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy every bit of the moment with Ella playing with his fingers as she attentively listened and laughed.

Alice and Oscar were trying to remember one particular night in Japan, from the first time they'd played a gig there, and the room had fallen into a softer chatter so Alex leaned into Ella's shoulder to mumble into her ear, "You know... There's someone coming tomorrow."

The sudden tease made her curious self perk up and she turned around to solely focus on Alex to ask, "Who?"

But Alex was in the mood to taunt her, for he shrugged and replied nonchalantly with a frustrating, "Can't say, it's a surprise."

Her mouth fell agape slowly at the nerve he had to leave her intrigued like that so she hissed through her teeth, "Alex! No, you can't do that."

Her frustration only grew when he puffed his chest out and proudly quipped, "Well, I'm doing it."

She huffed and squirmed in her seat like a child about to throw a tantrum, "Do I know them?"

Feeling just a bit kind, Alex genuinely replied "Yes." to offer her a small hint.

"Who is it?!" She didn't have the mind to try and guess at the moment, the only answer coming straight to her mind was a certain scouser she hadn't seen in months. "Is it Miles?"

And yet again, Alex shrugged, "I dunno."

Her teeth caught the tip of her tongue to bite down on it so she wouldn't groan loudly, "Alexander David Turner." She recited easily in a scorn, one that he took so lightly he let out a chesty laugh that brought Bre's attention to them for a brief moment.

Ella narrowed her eyes on Alex and she pointed out, "It better not be Miles because if he's visiting and hasn't told me, I'm gonna be fuming."

Just as she had been texting the Monkeys whilst they were away, Ella found herself chatting with Miles as much as they could. He was touring the album he had put out in earlier June and it was always nice to catch up with him whenever there was a chance in between their responsibilities.

Aled raised his brows and feigned complete seriousness, "Right."

The sarcasm in the single word had Ella rolling her eyes, "If it is, I have warned you."

And Alex played along to egg her on a bit more, "Sure, I'll let him know."

"So it is Miles!" She gasped out loud, feeling betrayed that the scouser hadn't told her anything about being in LA when they had been on the phone to each other about a week before.

"Lips are sealed." Alex said with a gesture that he was zipping his mouth shut.

"I hate you." Ella replied with a huff, crossing her arms and straightening in her seat so she stared ahead at the wall of the room instead of her best friend.

That comment gave him the perfect opportunity to just keep pushing her buttons so he menacingly crowded her space to say, "You weren't saying that a minute ago." in a low tone that made Ella's stomach flip.

She puffed out a breath of annoyance, trying her best to conceal the fact that the words went straight down between her legs. And it worked because he laughed and hugged her, fully missing the flash of lust that shadowed the hazel green of her eyes for a few seconds. Lust that disappeared instantly when his fingers came to poke her on the ribs before he started tickling her.

She stood stiff for a fraction of a second before she screeched out and squirmed in his hold, trying to crawl away from him but he hooked an arm around her middle so she couldn't escape.

"No! Don't!" She squealed out, moving around like a damn worm and her arms pressing on his chest to try and create some distance between them, but he was stronger than her.

Alex gave her a chance, stopping his actions to challenge her, "What was it then? You hate me?"

She really didn't want to be tickled again but she wanted to mess with him some more so she meekly replied, "Yes." and it wasn't a surprise that he resumed his attack. "Love you, love you! Sorry!" She desperately replied with a cackle, and more giggles came from her for the few seconds it took him to stop, "Fucks sake!"

Ella was trying to act like that had annoyed her, a faux frown on her face made Alex laugh breathlessly and he dropped a sweet brief kiss on the skin of her neck, just below her jaw, before he proudly reciprocated the sentiment, "Love you too."

The laugh that came from her was involuntary but she couldn't help it when the warmth that filled her insides made her feel so good.

The look Jamie gave them when their attention turned back to the conversation the rest of the group was having, said a million things that Ella just wanted to ignore at the moment so she flipped him off with a loving smile. Jamie chuckled to himself and turned back around with a shake of his head—he wondered when it'd be that they would do something about whatever they had going on because he was about to place bets with Matt and Nick about it.

Zara was in the middle of a horror story about a night she'd almost gotten her gear stolen when she was loading up after a gig when Ella turned to Alex and whispered, "So you're playing 505 tomorrow then?"

Alex looked at her with a frown, completely taken aback by the sudden question. But she found herself thinking about who it could be and since they hadn't done 505 yet, she thought it made sense that Miles would be coming to play 505 with them the following night since it was their last LA show.

"Well Miles is coming in as a surprise, isn't it? So you're doing 505." She was almost entirely sure it would be happening so she was growing excited to hear the song with Miles on stage as well. It had been absolutely magical in Glastonbury.

It took Alex a second to realize that she was still thinking about who he'd been talking about, so he chuckled under his breath and continued playing into the mysteriousness of it all, "You're not getting anything out of me."

"Rude." Ella scoffed, rolling her eyes and shaking his head at him.

Alex laughed again, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her closer to his side and agreed with her, "The worst."

The sarcasm in his tone had Ella giggling, but his thumb started rubbing soft circles on her stomach over the fabric of her shirt and she found herself melting into him—head resting on his shoulder, almost hidden away in the crook of his neck and he rested his head right over hers.

Once again, she waited until they were leaving too to make her way back to the car and go back home. It was a bit over midnight and she kept yawning so there were many double checks as she hugged everyone goodbye to see if she was sure she could drive back home without falling asleep behind the wheel.

She swore she was fine and Alex had made her promise to send a text when she got home, and she did just that as she crossed the threshold of her front door and, after locking up, she walked to her room with her eyes locke on the phone and typed her promised text with one hand, sending it just before she got ready for bed.

(01/10/2013 01:21) Made it safe and sound. Say hello to Miles for me if he's already gotten here, I'll see him tomorrow. Love you sweets! Goodnight x

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Ella was sure that the second she pushed the door open, Miles would be standing there with that smile of his and his arms open ready for Ella to crush him in a hug.

But when the door creaked and showed the inside of the greenroom, Josh Homme was standing by the drinks table chatting with Nick and Ella was entirely shocked.

"Oh my god." She squeaked out, turning around to scowl at the singer who was standing right behind her, "Alex!"

Alex cackled at her reaction and further taunted her by letting out a cheeky, "Surprise!"

The familiar sound of Alex's laughter was enough to have Josh turning around to greet the person Alex had excused himself to escort into the venue.

Josh had a great memory and, even though he hadn't seen her face since that day at Rancho de la Luna, her name came easily back to his mind, "Ella right?"

Ella matched the grin the legendary rockstar had on his face and a breathless "Yeah." was her answer.

"Sorry, I didn't know if I was remembering correctly." Josh joked sweetly, coming up to her to give her a brief hug.

"No, yeah. I'm Ella." She replied in his quick embrace, "Nice to see you again after so long Mr. Homme."

He pulled a funny face at Ella's choice of words and waved her off for the formalities, "Oh please Ella, I told you it's Josh. We're friends."

"Right. Of course." Ella nodded, still in disbelief he remembered her name and let alone considered her a friend.

Josh laughed a little at her dumbfounded expression and pointed out, "She's cute."

Ella blushed at the comment and slowly moved back beside Alex, the gears in her head moving quickly and coming to a conclusion, "Wait, does this mean you're doing Knee Socks with them tonight?"

Josh raised his brows and pointed at her, "Smart girl."

Alex proudly threw his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder softly as if in a silent way of saying 'good job', "We are, yes."

A massive grin broke on her face in anticipation to that, "Oh people are gonna go fucking insane." She could almost hear the crowd going wild the second they saw Josh walking on the stage.

She looked around the room and when she found Breana, she inquired about their plan for the night, "What are we doing today Bre? Floor again?"

Bre nodded, "Yes please, I thought the balcony was gonna collapse last night and with Josh here tonight, it might as well give out this time."

Ella couldn't wait, she was so excited for tonight but she also wanted it to last forever. She was dreading having to say goodbye once more. She didn't want to.

Suddenly, she noticed the absence of the Pale Waves group and her heart dropped, "Where's Alice and Zara and the lads?" Thinking about having missed their set again had her freezing in her spot.

Alex noticed her tense under his touch so he quickly let her know, "Getting ready in their greenroom. They're about to go on."

"Oh, thank god. Thought I had missed them again." Her shoulders sagged in relief, she would've felt so awful if she had missed her last chance to see them before they left.

Of course, Alex took the opportunity to take a dig at Alice, "You know that wouldn't be that bad."

"Alex!" She elbowed him lightly in response, calling him out by saying, "Don't be an ass."

Josh laughed at the way Alex folded slightly into her and groaned in fake pain, noticing the way Ella blushed when she heard the sound coming from Alex and the proximity her attack had caused. He smirked and made a mental note to ask Alex about it since he hadn't mentioned he was coming to get his girlfriend.

Instead of being nosy right then, Josh asked, "Is that the opener band you're talking about?"

Ella perked up and smiled, "Yes, Pale Waves! Wanna come with me and Bre to see their set?"

"Sure."

"Amazing, let's go!" She all but jumped out of Alex's hold and ran to Bre, intertwining her fingers so that it was easier to pull her along with her as she walked out of the greenroom.

When they left the room, they could see Alice and Oscar by the end of the hallway and almost getting to the door that led them to the stairs on the side of the stage. So Ella led the way, power walking down the concrete floors and rushing out to stand on the side of the stage just as Alice picked up her guitar and strummed it to start the first song.

It had been so much fun dancing and singing with Bre, Josh nodding his head along the bass and complimenting Zara's skilled drumming that certainly brought so much to the songs. Unfortunately their set wasn't as long as she would've liked but she'd enjoyed it so much, she almost jumped into Alice's arms when she walked out of the stage by the end of the set.

When they all went back to the Monkeys' greenroom, Pale Waves settled in two of the settees and Josh joined them as they talked about the album they were currently recording.

Time went by faster than ever and before they could notice, the Monkeys were being called up on stage. Bre and Ella walked beside them up until they went up the stairs, so the girls ran to the further left side of the crowd and stood at the very back with excitement making them jump up and down in their places.

Even though it was the third time Ella was watching this show, the feeling that drowned the room when the lights that formed 'AM' went on and the band walked on stage, was still the same as the very first time. 'Do I Wanna Know?' as the opener song to the show was brilliant, the bass reverberating on everyone's chests and the guitars' rumbles shaking the walls made for an incredible experience and the best introduction to what the show would be like.

When 'Snap Out of It' died down and Alex thanked the hollering crowd, Ella was ready to scream along every line of 'Evil Twin', her hand clutching Bre's so they could dance around together as they reminisced about the filming of that very music video being how they met, but instead of the b-side, the starting heavy bass notes to a song she loved very much from 'Suck It and See' managed to get a gasp out of her.

There was a desperate conviction behind every line Alex sang, accentuating every one of the words that composed 'Reckless Serenade' in perfection. Ella sang her heart out, and despite turning to Bre to scream the lyrics at each other, her gaze ended up stuck on Alex and how amazing he looked on stage.

He was wearing a sparkly blazer again, only this one was black and it went incredibly well with the rest of his black outfit. The golden big buckle of his belt and the thin golden chain around his neck were the things that stood out against the dark clothes. Ella felt a wild fluttering in her stomach every time she took a glance at him.

With it being the last show in LA, hearing Alex sing 'Arabella' had her head spinning and she almost wished she could be drinking so every one of her wild thoughts could be justified on the alcohol in her system.

By the time 'Fluorescent Adolescent' finished with a deafening cheer from the crowd, Bre and Ella held each other with big smiles on their faces, they knew 'Knee Socks' was next and their eyes fell on the people around and in front of them for their reactions when Alex announced the song.

The atmosphere lit up and blew into hysterical exhilaration the second Josh walked into the stage, with a microphone in hand. His voice added even more to the already beautiful vocals from the lads on stage and it was certainly an experience.

When the band walked out of the stage before the encore, the volume of the crowd got impossibly louder, everyone begging for another song and chanting their pleas for the band to come back on. Ella had been to football games before and it was crazy to think this was just as loud as the crowds in those events.

The encore was three songs long with 'R U Mine?' closing the gig for good, and once again, the girls relished in the rush of adrenaline that buzzed through them as they slowly walked out of the crowd and to the backstage area.

Bre ran into the arms of her boyfriend the second they got to the greenroom, and Ella had a loopy smile on her face as she took in every last second of the whole thing.

Josh walked up to her and asked her about his cameo during 'Knee Socks' and she gladly went on about how much she'd enjoyed it and how insane the crowd's reaction was. Pale Waves had been watching the whole show as well, but from the side of the stage so they piped into the description of the sea of people jumping throwing their hands up the second Josh walked onto the stage.

Since the guys had to be in San Diego the very next day, their crew amped up on their efforts to pack everything up and they'd ended up having to leave the venue a bit over eleven in the evening. It was far too soon, and Ella wanted to cry about it but the lads purposely had walked slower out to the back of the venue and when they got there, Jamie made sure to ask for ten more minutes.

Ten minutes that flew past their unaware heads, and only realized they had gone by when Steve sighed out a sorrowful, "We really need to go lads."

Steve knew why they were putting it off, the reason had a first and last name, and he couldn't blame them at all but they really needed to get to San Diego as soon as they could and time was running out.

Alex didn't miss the sad sigh Ella let out and how her shoulders fell as well as the corners of her lips. She pouted as she took it upon herself to make the tough decision of saying goodbye, walking up to Jamie first to envelope him in a sweet hug.

She slowly made her way around the group and just as she was letting go of Matt, she asked nobody in particular "You're back in December right?" since Arctic Monkeys and Pale Waves would remain touring together until their holiday break.

When her arms wrapped tightly over Alex's shoulder, the drummer replied, "Yeah, we finish the tour on the west coast mid December."

A hum of bliss came from her right before she pulled away from her best friend's embrace and she assured, looking straight into Alex's eyes, "Okay. I'll see you in a few months then."

Behind her, Bre reminded her, "I'm coming back next month."

To which Ella turned around with a challenging point of her finger at the model, "Yeah, you better because then you're leaving me for the holidays too."

Bre pouted as if to apologize without words. She felt bad she was leaving Ella alone this year since she wasn't going to Tennessee for the holidays that year, work too close to the important dates to even manage a week in her hometown and she knew she'd get homesick if she rushed her visit. But the model was going to spend the festive season with Matt and his family and she just couldn't not go.

"Sorry babe." Bre apologized just half heartedly, and Ella assured her she was half joking with a blown kiss.

"Alright everyone, this is it. I'll be looking forward to seeing you soon." Ella said before she could properly leave, a weight falling on her shoulders that almost made breathing a little harder, like it was pressing right over her ribs and lungs.

But before she could turn around and walk away, Alex offered, "Do you want me to walk you over to your car?"

Ella froze in her place. She had not wanted anything more than to have some time alone with Alex but it being just when they were about to be snatched apart felt so cruel, she quickly pointed out, "It's across the street in that parking lot building. You sure it won't be an issue? Steve is calling you."

Something deep inside her filled with a flash of happiness when he shrugged and took a step closer to her, "He will live."

"Okay." It was merely a mumble, a heat creeping up her chest and her neck and threatening to dust her cheeks with pink blush, one that she hoped wasn't visible when she turned to her side to wave everyone one final goodbye and then start leading the way with Alex in tow.

They silently walked next to each other, a comfortable silence they both had missed so much and that they found themselves already longing for. He had slipped his hand into hers and intertwined their fingers together the second their skin brushed. He wasn't going to miss the opportunity of having something he knew he found himself wanting on the daily and not take the chance to feel it.

The walk to the side exit wasn't long so Ella was the one to slow down her steps to make sure the moment lasted even a few more seconds longer, and she smiled when he caught exactly what she was doing and went along with her slow pace.

What they weren't expecting though, was the long queue of fans waiting behind the fence that lined the venue. Fans who screeched loudly into the air at the sudden sight of Alex.

"Oh shit." Ella cursed loudly, completely startled, clutching onto Alex's hand the tiniest bit tighter from the fright.

Alex was dumbfounded by the amount of people standing there with posters and CDs in hand, sharpies ready for him to go up and snatch away to sign all the memorabilia the people wanted, "They're still here?"

There was a slight hint of annoyance in his voice that she found amusing so she quipped, "They're dedicated." as if to make him giggle a little at the situation and lighten his mood up.

He frowned and turned to her, huffing like a little kid, "They are but this isn't ideal."

Ella knew exactly what he meant and she knew just as much that he was trying to figure out a way to make it work so she tried stopping his train of thought, logically pointing out the facts, "You can't go with me, they're gonna follow you and then coming back in here to leave will be horrendous."

"I can get one of the security guards–" Alex tried fighting her logic but she interrupted him.

"No, sweetness, it's alright. I don't wanna be a burden."

Alex scoffed, it was lighthearted, more like calling herself a burden hurt him. He shook his head and assured her, "You're not."

But Ella wasn't having his obstinacy at the moment, not when it would involve putting his team through something unnecessary and wasting time that could end up being precious for the crew to set up in the next city, "Steve has been waiting for over ten minutes now. Calling your security to avoid you getting mobbed is gonna be an unnecessary burden on y'all."

"But–" Alex tried fighting again but she shook her head, a frown on her face and her lips pressed together as if she was fighting herself as well.

"It's okay." Ella promised with sweetness seeping through her voice. Taking a step forward, she pressed closer against his chest and took her hands up to brush his hair back, the rich brown strands damp and soft through her fingers. Slowly she let her hands softly fall down the sides of his face so she could cup his jaw, all she wanted to do was press their lips together.

Their breaths grew heavy as their gazes went over each other's faces but at the sight of such a tender scene, the people broke out in a new wave of screams that ended up making her flinch and the bubble burst. Their lips didn't meet, instead she settled for throwing herself into her arms, her hand cradling the back of his head as she whispered, "Love you, Al."

Sentiment that he had no trouble reciprocating, only he wished he could've been able to show it in more ways than just "Love you too, Ellie."

He wondered if it would be a good moment to just let everything out, have her turn around and take back those few steps she'd already taken away from him to crash their lips together at the prospect of hearing him scream out loud how much he wanted her to be much more than just this.

But he couldn't. Not in front of all those people, not when they'd still have to leave. The thought of telling her everything and then leaving for two whole months was cruel enough on his stupid heart, he wouldn't want to imagine if she reciprocated, how badly he could hurt her just up and leaving like that.

And he most definitely didn't want to think about the very plausible chance that she didn't feel the same way. Not waking up to a single text from her, no silly pictures at work or movie reviews she'd seen in Los Feliz. It was hell just to think about, and he didn't want to ruin things by rushing to say the things he could never take back, not even if they were at a wrong time.

So Alex stayed there watching her leave, the venue's security had to walk with her a few meters down the sidewalk to avoid her getting trampled. People got louder when they turned their attention back to him, he forced a smile and waved at them just to kindly acknowledge them. As if he didn't want to curse them all out for ruining the chance of finally having a moment alone with her like he'd been begging for since she left on a plane that August morning.

His eyes moved back to Ella, who had already crossed the road, and he managed to catch her gaze on him right before she walked into the building. He blew her a kiss, one that she mimicked to catch with a smile, pocketing it before she finally turned into the building.

A horrendous wave of regret, anger and disappointment enveloped him, leaving his skin uncomfortable and sticky like the humidity that comes after a summer thunderstorm.

If he closed his eyes he could picture himself walking beside her, getting to her car and catching a glimpse of the mirrorball hanging from her rearview mirror. The lights of the building hitting every fragment of it and cascading in rays inside her car, almost as bright as her smile—a smile that he knows she would've flashed him after he trapped her lips with his in a kiss he had been dreaming of giving her for months.

His heart was heavy as he walked back to the tour bus, where Steve was sighing in exhaustion and asking him where he had been. A question that got no answer because Alex was in complete silence, wallowing in self pity and all the promises of what could've been.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Las Vegas was always a silent promise of something unexpected happening. Alex knew that quite well. He'd been to the bustling decadent city enough times to gather that, his memory too fuzzy when it came to some of the nights he'd spent there over the years to recall some events.

But this time it was somehow worse.

Worse because he had not only alcohol and wild parties to blame, but Alice.

And himself.

It would be unfair to not blame himself. And his lack of self-control. And the inability to live with his own frustration. And the cruelty of his own mind to remind him how badly he wanted someone who was miles away and unattainable until he was truly willing to risk it all.

The show in Vegas came after two consecutive nights in San Diego, so it had been three unbearably long days since they'd parted ways with Ella and Alex had let himself wallow in self pity the more he counted the time it took them to text each other back. It was like the second he had to put his phone down for a while, Ella replied to his messages but not when he was with his eyes stuck on the device counting each second in desperate hope of one of her messages coming through.

That particular show had been incredible, it seemed like the crowd put in extra effort to make their last gig in the States the very best for they were as loud as ever and Alex coil feel their voices still ringing in his ears.

They would be going back to the UK to continue with another round of tour in the home country and then move along to Europe, so they took the chance of their last night in America to properly celebrate.

Alex hadn't even known the type of club they were visiting, entirely unaware of the stupid little blindfold charade Matt had signed him up for until it was too late.

He'd been guided into a room where he was meant to kiss someone and guess whoever it could be from the group that had come along to the club. The struggle here was that he wasn't sure who had signed up and he was silently praying that it was Zara who had grabbed him by his neck and kissed him passionately until they slowly lost control and they were pressed against each other. He felt the way her legs clenched around his thigh, which was placed between the girl's legs, but when he heard that moan, he knew that it was no one else than the walking nightmare he'd had to put up with for months up until then.

Alice.

They weren't meant to take the blindfold off but he pushed her away the second he recognized the high pitch of her cry of pleasure, after having unfortunately had to hear it through the walls of his flat time and time again, and they both snatched the piece of fabric off their eyes and scowled in horror.

Before any of them could utter a word, the girl in charge of the game, and who had walked Alex into the room, scolded them for breaking the rules of the game and telling them their time was up.

None of them spoke, both putting walls up and pretending that hadn't happened and guessing poorly whoever their kiss had been despite knowing exactly who it was.

After that had happened, it was like they were competing on who could take the most alcohol and they'd end up stumbling their way out of the club with the rest of the group.

Oscar was almost blacked out and having to be almost carried by Nick and Connor, Jamie was the one who was the most sober of all of them but still wasn't in great shape. Matt and Breana were being disgustingly adorable in their drunken haze, holding each other as they walked outside to get a taxi back to their hotel. Alice and Zara clutched each other tightly, giggling about everything and anything, erupting in loud cackles whenever one of them tripped on the sidewalk. Alex was putting his mind to focus on every step he took, but his mind was swarmed with a mess of thoughts that made him silently wince. He could feel the headache brewing already and he hated it.

Two taxis had to be taken for the whole group to comfortably make it back. The first one had been taken by Nick, Connor, Oscar, Alice and Zara; and the second had been occupied by Matt, Bre, Jamie and Alex.

All Alex wanted to do was go back to the hotel and get in bed, exhaustion was finally catching up to him since the energy from the show was dwindling down thanks to the many margaritas he'd had.

But it seemed like his luck had run out completely because the second he'd finally gotten to his room and shed the coat he had on, his very much inconsiderate neighbor was blasting loud music that he could hear booming through the walls.

He sighed in exasperation but closed his eyes and dropped himself face down on the bed, thinking about just giving it a few minutes for Alice to turn off the music and go to sleep.

But five minutes went by and she didn't and Alex only had the patience to grace her five more, and when those went by and she was still playing music as loud as she could, Alex slammed his fist on the mattress and jumped up from the bed.

He stormed out of his room, snatching his keycard and pocketing it to walk to the room to his left, the last room of the hallway.

His fist pounded incessantly against the wooden door and a whole minute went by without her answering. She started singing louder then, and it angered Alex so fucking much that she was blatantly ignoring the clear knocks on her door.

So he hit the door harsher, and if it wasn't for her opening the door after another minute, Alex would've taken it down.

There was no kindness to be grasped when he opened his mouth the second that Alice opened the door, "Can you shut the fuck up? People are trying to sleep." His words came out slow though, and it was all because seeing her in just her cropped white vest top, which showed very clearly her nipple piercings, and the flimsy black fabric of her underwear made his brain haywire.

And in full honesty, Alice couldn't give less of a fuck, so she rolled her eyes as she took a gulp of the mini vodka bottle in her hand that she'd gotten from the mini bar and scoffed, "You're so fucking boring. It's barely two in the morning Alex, fuck off."

Alex couldn't believe her nerve, harshly running his fingers through his hair and spitting out his words with venom, "You're the most fucking inconsiderate person to exist."

"Blah, blah, blah. I don't care. Bye." Alice was done with the pointless argument, she was sure he was exaggerating about the volume and he could definitely find a way to fall asleep even if he faintly heard her music through the walls, so she pushed the door to slam it close but Alex put his foot forward to impede it closing.

She was so over it, she just turned around back to the middle of her room and started singing along to the All Time Low song that was blasting off the speakers.

"Turn your fucking music off. Now." Alex sternly said as he walked into the room, the door closing behind him with a loud thud from how hard he'd slammed it.

Alice watched as he looked around the room for her phone, knowing she'd connected it to the speakers in the room but she smirked in defiance and yelled, "No!"

He groaned loudly, making Alice spin around to watch him. He was red with anger and she foudnit the slightest bit amusing, especially when he clenched his jaw and hissed through his teeth, "Shut the fuck up Alice, I want to fucking sleep."

It was so entertaining for her to get under his skin so she easily found the words to pick at him, "Yeah you're the only one trying to because where in fucking Vegas, everyone else in this damn building is getting it on. Live a fucking little Turner."

His fists clenched in fury, "I swear to god Alice–"

She didn't even give him the opportunity to try and finish another one of his ultimatums, because she knew he was all talk, "What?! What will you do? You're fucking exhausting, all bark no bite." Walking up to him, downing the rest of the vodka and tossing the little bottle behind her, she lifted her chin up and stopped when she was pressed against his chest, "Tell me to shut up once more and you'll see what happens."

There really wasn't an explanation behind his actions, no way for Alex to find the logic behind why he'd wrapped his fingers around her neck and pulled her in to finally shut her up with a messy kiss.

He got a flash of the memory of a chat he'd had with Flo where she called him out for fancying Alice, for clearly having a certain desire towards her that he'd always denied. And this being the first time he acted up about it felt odd.

But the unfamiliar feeling was completely overpowered by the sudden eagerness and hunger that filled them up and made the kiss desperate. Alex growled into Alice's mouth when her tongue came to press against his lips, and when they finally tasted each other, something snapped.

Still, even in this situation, it felt like they were trying to make it a competition, see who was the one to pull away for air first, to smirk down at them for being weak. Alice was the one to pull away with a loud smack of their lips, but before he could come at her, she put on an unimpressed face and challenged him, "Really? This is how you choose to shut me up?"

Alex didn't say a word. In his mind, he thought if she was talking this way it meant that she wanted more and if it was like that, then he'd give her something to talk about. So he brought up his right hand, his index and middle fingers coming to press against her lips and when she parted them, he pushed them into her mouth.

Alice's cheeks hollowed as she sucked his fingers but he didn't stop there, he kept pushing them further until she rolled her eyes and gagged around them when he hit the back of her throat. She tried her hardest not to moan, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of know she was enjoying this, despite feeling the pooling wetness in between her legs.

When Alex dragged his fingers out of her mouth, Alice released them with a pop before raising a brow and spouting more faux unimpressed words, "At least make me enjoy gagging around something, Turner."

He let out a snort of laughter, one that was purely mocking, "Is that it then? You want your mouth stuffed to finally shut the fuck up?" He didn't know what had come over him, but he couldn't hold himself back and his fingers came down to quickly undo his belt.

The smirk that appeared on her face seemed sarcastic, but she wasn't doing anything to impede him continuing, instead she mused, "Is this you trying your chances to prove you can make a woman cum?"

Without missing a beat, Alex replied, "This is me giving that mouth something useful to do."

Alice hummed as if she was taking it into consideration, a funny question coming to her mind, "And what makes you think I wanna bruise my knees for you, Red?"

He rolled his eyes at the nickname, but chatted back with clear evidence that Alice just couldn't deny, "I dunno Loveless, do you not want to? Because I can still hear you moaning against my mouth when we kissed at the club, clenching those thighs around my leg."

"You're obsessed." Was the only thing Alice could come back with, and it made him chuckle.

"Sure. Just as much as you are." Sarcasm was thickly wrapped around every one of his words.

Alice rolled her eyes, looking down at the way he was slowly bringing the zip down of his black jeans, so she sank to her knees and roughly snatched the fabric down, "You're so fucking slow, fucks sake."

It had taken those few kisses to have him hardening in his pants, but it wasn't enough so Alice licked the palm of her hand and started stroking him up and down. It was a relentless pace that she built, looking up through her lashes and smirking at how easy it was to have him throwing his head back and cursing under his breath.

That gave her the impulse she needed to wrap her lips around him and take him all the way until he hit the back of her throat, gagging and swallowing around him when he instinctively bucked his hips forward with a high pitched moan.

"Pathetic." She muttered when she pulled back off him, her hand continuing to stroke him while she got her breath back and then went back in to take him in her mouth.

She kept doing that over and over, pulling back to insult him or throw comments that came for him and his ego, but he retaliated the best he could in between the cloud of pleasure that she was bringing him.

Up until the point where he felt he was about to burst inside her mouth, so he fisted her hair and pulled her off him, roughly pulling her back up to her feet so that he could throw her on the bed.

Another challenging raise of her eyebrow accompanied by a mocking, "Oh, now you're gonna prove it?" irked Alex further.

"Shush." He harshly called out as he kneeled in between her legs on the bed, spreading them apart to expose the wet patch that was ruining her underwear.

She scoffed, totally hiding the tingles that run up her spine at the feel of his fingers digging into the flesh of her inner thighs, "No manners. Typical."

Alex wasted no time to grab at the sides of her underwear and peel it off her, throwing it behind him as his eyes were stuck watching her glistening cunt with a growing hunger that had him getting impossibly harder. He sucked his fingers and brought them to her cunt, one glide up and down to gather her wetness and then brought it up to his mouth. He hummed at her taste, which was sure to drive him a bit crazier but he wouldn't admit that out loud.

Alice was just glaring at him, trying to act stoic as if his fingers coming back down to tease her entrance and then go up to rub on her clit wasn't making her grip the sheets tightly. He was watching every twitch of her mouth and brows as he went, wanting to get a reaction out of her just like she'd gotten from him. But she wasn't letting up and he was growing impatient so she just filled her up with two fingers and curled them perfectly to shatter her facade.

Her brows furrowing and her teeth biting on her bottom lip was all he got as she swallowed her moans, so Alex had to coax it out of her with more. "C'mon now, Loveless. That's a bit unfair, isn't it?" He leaned down, breath hitting her still covered chest and bit one of her nipples through the fabric of her shirt, eliciting a sweet whine from her that he wanted to increase in volume by curling his fingers once again, "Don't fight it."

"Fuck..." Alice finally moaned loudly when he flicked his tongue over her nipple at the same time as he curled his fingers and from then on she couldn't keep up with her act.

He continued his actions, deliberately and with an increasing rhythm that was driving her mad, until a new song came on and his own voice drowned the room entirely. It was such poor timing for 'Dangerous Animals' to come on and she cackled loudly in between moans.

"Sure you don't want me to turn the music off now?" There was a slur to her words, she was so close to edge and he could feel it from how hard she was clenching around him.

"No." He didn't relent despite how pathetic the scene was now, covering up the feeling with another venomous comment at Alice's expense, "I don't want people to hear and you're obnoxiously loud."

But that comment gave her the perfect setup to come at him and hit a sore spot she knew would have him even more angry, "Just as loud as your pretty little Ella." She panted out a scoff when his fingers stilled inside her but she still didn't stop her mocking, "Bet you loved hearing us through the walls, didn't you?"

He was fuming by then, so he pulled his fingers out of her and frowned even more when she dared to call him a, "Twat." at him stopping his actions.

"Turn around." He instructed, his slick covered hand coming to wrap around his cock and swallowing a groan at the soft wave of relief.

Confused, Alice asked an exasperated, "What?" If he was messing with her then she'd kick him out and make herself cum.

Alex repeated himself with a huff, like he was annoyed he had to say the instruction again, "Turn around."

She scoffed but did as he said, and it bothered her how the need for release was clouding every bit of decency left in her. She wished she could just kick him out of the room, but the ache between her legs was so strong she was willing to shove aside the hate she had for Alex and indulge in the pleasure he was bringing her now.

He quickly took his pants fully off and crouched down to grab a condom from his pocket, something Alice noticed and called out immediately over her shoulder, "Came prepared? Were you that desperate?"

"I always have one on me." Alex explained easily, as if that made it less pathetic.

And Alice chuckled, "Right. Whore." She didn't expect the comment to have him strike a hit on her ass, but he did and she yelped out in surprise.

"Shut up before I stuff that mouth with my cock again." He threatened as he rolled the latex down his length, "It'd be a fucking pity leaving you clenching around nothing, wouldn't it?"

"Just–" Alice couldn't take the anticipation anymore and his words were going straight down to her core so she wiggled her ass on the bed and lifted it the slightes bit upwards to show her glistening cunt at him as she told him, "Fuck me Alex."

He groaned with his fingers wrapped around his cock, pumping himself at the sight of her dripping hole, "Since you asked so nicely."

She was so wet she welcomed his cock easily inside her, and he drove himself inside her until his hips pressed flush against her ass. The both of them threw their heads back at the pleasure, Alex groaning loudly when she clenched around him. He fucked relentlessly into her, purely needing to cum and she met him in the middle, pushing her hips backwards so he hit that spot over and over again.

Nothing else was really said, only curses and moans heard inside the room as they go, the slapping of their skin and bed creaking beneath them. It was just the same when they came. No call of each other's name, no sweet pet names accidentally slipping out in the heat of the moment. Just lewd noises and curses as they fell over the edge.

When they got their wits together and it dawned on them just what had happened, Alex stood up silently to shed the condom off himself and walked to the bathroom to dispose of it. And he was glad to see that when he walked back out into the room and grabbed his discarded pants and boxers, Alice had turned the music off completely and was getting some clothes on herself.

She yawned softly, like what had just happened hadn't been anything spectacular and once he finally buckled his belt in place, she shooed him off the room with a wave of her hand, "Right, off you go."

Alex scoffed, incredibly irritated still by her stupid attitude. He shook his head and pointed out, "That can't happen again."

To which Alice nodded, "Agreed."

With a stern "Good." Alex turned around and left the room, slamming the door because he still fucking hated her. Nothing could ever change that.

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(24/10/2013 13:06) Still confused about the tractor and Aaron's vision but Cookie looks incredible in this music video. As do the rest of you I guess... I'm joking! Y'all looked so handsome, I miss your pretty faces :( I also miss London, that's where you're today right? Love you lots!!! xx

Alex had smiled when he walked back into the greenroom after the show to Ella's text, going up to the lads to show the message and taking a quick funny selfie to send back to her.

The second she got it, she smiled knowing her lunch break was coming up soon and she could sneak out for a smoke and facetime them at least for a little bit.

It was like the more days went by apart and in different timezones, the more they got used to it and started to get the gist of it. Messages sent that would be seen after a gig or the morning after and replies that she would get by the end of her work day that she answered when she got home.

Nothing was better than finally relaxing on her settee, with some takeout and Mexican coke, texting Alex as she mindlessly watched a movie or a show. Now that they were in the UK, the time difference was a little easier to allow them to facetime her in their greenroom so she had a fun end to her nights seeing them enjoy the post-show energy.

On the days in between shows, there would be interviews or radio shows that would have either Alex and Matt or just Alex as guests—he had always hated that bit of being the frontman—so Ella wouldn't have much luck getting Alex to herself on the day's off the band had on tour.

Sometimes the rest of lads would text her on those to catch up with her, despite knowing things through Alex, and Ella's heart warmed up every time one of them would facetime her, even if briefly, on those days. She still couldn't believe how close they'd all gotten to her. It made her a bit emotional knowing how much she loved them all and it hit harder every time how much he missed them all.

It made her even more emotional whenever she allowed herself to indulge in every feeling Alex brought to her, and most of the time she truly had to force herself to stop because the squeeze of her heart inside her chest hurt too much.

But every day that went by meant a day closer to having him close again. She pushed aside the fact that it would only be one day that they would spend in Los Angeles before they had to leave, she wanted to see just the positive side of it all.

Soon enough Halloween day rolled around and the end of the month brought Ella more excitement than the actual holiday—which actually was her absolute favorite.

Since Breana wasn't due back in Los Angeles until the tenth of November, then Ella was stuck just enjoying the Halloween party Ben was throwing at his house. It would be mostly people from work and a few of Ben's friends, so Ella didn't really find the need to look for a proper costume.

She'd put on a pair of blue jeans, her favorite brown cowboy boots along with a brown cowboy hat and a funny shirt that Bre had gotten her for her birthday that she had yet to wear which read 'cowboy pillows' right over her tits. She finished it off by tying a red bandana around her neck, to emphasize the fact that she was going as a cowgirl and it wasn't just a regular fit she would wear.

Either way, when she arrived at Ben's everyone told her she'd cheated because it really didn't look like a costume considering she usually wore similar looking outfits.

It had been even funnier when she posted a picture of herself to her instagram that night and she'd woken up to a text from Alex that called her out for her costume not really being one.

He'd cursed under his breath when he opened the app mindlessly in the lounge of the tour bus and saw her looking as gorgeous as ever, and especially with that damn shirt that sent his mind reeling.

There hadn't been a moment to act on the sudden rush of need though, because everyone at the office had agreed on taking the following day off, which meant that Ella was home and had woken up way earlier than necessary and had all the time in the world to be on the phone to him so she facetimed him.

Thankfully, the signal wasn't that bad as the band went from one city in Germany to another so the video call went on smoothly, and Ella and Alex had probably been on the phone for most of the day. With interruptions from everyone else here and there but the smiles on their faces showed just how much they appreciated the chance to just somehow be in each other's presence for longer than a thirty minute call or a string of texts and selfies.

And they cherished the long weekend Ella had and the chance she got to check on her phone more often for they spoke loads those three days, and when they had to focus back on their work at the start of the following week, the memory of the great amount of time they'd managed to chat and spend hearing each other and seeing each other through the screen helped endure the days they had to wait until their reunion.

When Breana went back to Los Angeles, Ella felt like a bit of home had been brought to her and the wave of relief that flooded her had been enough to have her cry in her best friend's arms when Ella had brought her over to her house after picking her up from the airport and they finally shared a bottle of wine like they always used to.

Upon properly catching up, Bre found Ella had been diving straight into work to keep herself busy and really not giving herself enough time to have fun and go out. There still were her Los Feliz escapades on the weekends but they were all by herself and it was only from time to time that she met up with her work friends to have brunch or drink at one of their houses.

But there certainly wasn't much for her to tell when it came to dates or potential romantic interests. Ella had completely been avoiding dating, turning down a few people who had gone up to her asking for her number when she'd been out—always saying she'd a partner and that she appreciated them asking, a little white lie that really had no actual reasoning behind, though if she really listened to her subconscious then she'd find that there was a little hush voice wishing the partner she was mentioning was Alex.

She always shooed away the thought. Ridiculous, you're ridiculous, she told herself when the hope lit up with a spark like the ones that came from two stones being struck together.

It was pointless to indulge in the thought any further when she really couldn't do much about it. What good could it make to say something that could shift things in an exponential way when he was so far away to try and fix it.

She'd rather die.

Still, though, the sparks of hope flashed inside her chest and threatened to cause a fire whenever he signed off his texts with a 'Love you' or he took pictures of things she'd enjoy and send them to her, or when he recorded videos of the views he had even if it was just the venue and she could hear him whispering behind the camera "Isn't it so pretty, darling?"

November went by in a flash of loads of work and cute texts from Alex, and Bre getting her to leave her house, accompanied with a side of visits to Los Feliz theater and a lovely escapade to Manchester to spend Thanksgiving with her family.

That year Ella would unfortunately not be able to spend the holidays back home, because of already booked work around the dates that wouldn't allow her to spend proper time with her family and hometown friends, so she booked a week-long holiday off to Tennessee for Thanksgiving and it was such a breath of fresh air to fall back into the familiarity of the big barn house that she'd grown up in and her parents and sister—and Jayne, who had managed to get a lucky two days off from work.

Surreal would be the word Ella would describe how it felt to go back to Los Angeles and realize it would only be six more days until the lads were back in town. It was more like five days since they'd be arriving very late at night on the sixth, but she'd be spending the whole day with them on the seventh and Ella just couldn't wait.

Especially not when she and Alex had agreed that since it would be the only time they'd see each other right before the holidays, they wanted to give each other for Christmas and that they'd be allowed to open it on that very day just to allow them to feel like it was actually Christmas for just the two of them.

That was why Ella had gone all out and got them ugly sweaters to wear to the cinema, where she'd made sure they would watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Bre had cackled when she jumped into Ella's car that Saturday morning and caught a glimpse of the obnoxious sweaters in the backseat of her car.

"You're cute." Bre said in between giggles, "I need to get a picture of you two in them."

And that she did.

When Ella pulled into the hotel they'd stayed at overnight, which was a five-star hotel in Downtown LA, and they walked inside the building to find Alex and Matt waiting for them in a lounge area by the lobby, Bre had them put the sweaters on first thing after they'd hugged hello. Alex hadn't even gotten a proper chance to look at what he had been given to wear and it had Ella creasing when he looked down his torso to find a horrendous bright green tree made out of actual green tinsel garland on a bright red knitted sweater—it had red and gold pom poms as ornaments and a golden bow on the very top of the tree.

His jaw dropped in horror when he looked down at Ella's which was a big wreath made out of the same green tinsel garland and had a big red bow on it along with two little elf legs sticking out from the middle of it.

Alex's face was actually priceless and Ella actually changed Alex's contact picture to the one Bre had snapped of the two of them.

"We don't have to wear them," Ella promised, still trying her best not to laugh at the way Alex's face contorted in absolute disbelief when he looked down to see the sweater, "It's really sunny outside either way, so we're gonna want to take them off."

"It's horrific." Alex stated, looking up at her but with a smile so big that contradicted his words, "But thank you darling, I love it." He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaving Ella to throw her arms over his shoulders and she hummed in bliss at the feeling.

"No you don't." Ella corrected him with a goofy smile that Bre could see over Alex's shoulder, so she took another picture of them like that before they could notice when they pulled back.

Matt snorted in laughter and shook his head, "God, that's an ugly fucking sweater if I've ever seen one."

"I know." Ella proudly admired her obnoxious work, "I did so well."

It was such an American tradition and really, mostly a silly thing her parents had started when she and her sister had been little but had continued well up until they moved out, but she loved it so much. Her mom and dad had loved the sweaters when Ella sent them a picture of them and that was all the reassurance she needed.

"Alright." Ella muttered as she started shedding the sweater off herself, giving Alex the greenlight to do so too. "Shall we go?"

Alex nodded as she folded the sweater and shoved it into a little gift bag that Ella knew was the gift he'd told her he'd get her. She smirked looking at it and wished she could see through things because she had been so intrigued about it for weeks.

Matt and Bre went their own way, to a park so they could have a lovely picnic Bre had prepared for them, so Ella and Alex walked back to Ella's car and they quickly got out into the road to drive to Los Feliz.

They'd sat directly next to each other instead of across from each other when they got to a cafe a couple blocks away from the theater and they'd been giggling and whispering like teenagers poorly keeping a secret.

Without them realizing, they'd spent almost a whole hour at the coffee shop and they were cutting it close to the time the film was supposed to start so they sped walk down to the cinema. Ella got their tickets after pleading with him to let her get them if he had already paid for their breakfast. He reluctantly nodded and she had the biggest smile on her face when she got handed the tickets and they walked down to the auditorium they had to go to.

Seeing Jim Carrey's genius on the big screen never got old and the joy that radiated from Ella at the moment was almost palpable. It exuded off her in warm heat and a glint in her eye, her face glowed under the flash of lights coming from the screen which were just as bright as her smile. She quoted lines from the movie in a whisper and it had Alex smiling like an absolute idiot. Their cheeks hurt immensely by the time the movie finished and they walked out of the theater, both with hearts full from having finally revived a tradition they'd missed sharing for so long.

Alex knew he had up until two in the afternoon to show up for soundcheck, but even though they were cutting it quite close, he still dragged the both of them out for a quick lunch before they had to go to the venue.

It was just a little sandwich and a couple of Mexican cokes that they ordered to go and they agreed to have in Ella's car. They'd also agreed that it would be best if they opened their gifts there instead of the venue and the anticipation was hanging over them with every step they took over to the parking lot where they'd left Ella's car at.

The second they got inside and Ella turned on the car so the AC would help them cool off a little—the sun had been burning their skin despite for the chilly winds of December—and she put down the food instantly, not being able to wait any longer to give Alex the present she'd taken a while to perfect.

"I want you to open your present first." She struggled against her smile to say it properly, sitting sideways so that she could stare directly at Alex.

Alex found her so fucking adorable, turning on the seat to look straight at her too, his head cocked to the side as his brows furrowed slightly with pure adoration coating his features.

"You sure?" He asked softly as if his heart wasn't hammering against his chest when he tried to imagine what her reaction to her gift would be.

Ella nodded and hummed, "Please? I really cannot wait any longer to see your reaction."

She really didn't need to plead, he was already nodding at her request, setting own food down at the foot of his seat to reach back for the gift bag that had her present.

He took out the ugly sweater she'd given him and with an amused smile set it over his lap just as he agreed, "Sure darling. But I also cannot wait to see your reaction so do you wanna open them at the same time?"

She doubted for a bit only because she really wanted to take in his reaction completely but inevitably, she nodded, "Yeah, okay. Sounds great." Reaching behind her, she got the bag that contained his gift and softly placed it over her thighs.

They slowly exchanged bags, a wary and curious look in both their faces before their fingers grasped the bags and Ella's eyes went instantly wide at the weight of hers.

"What is this?" She asked instantly, breathily like she already couldn't believe what he'd gotten her.

He raised a brow teasingly, "Well why don't you open it and see?"

Alex was afraid he was gonna get a 'you first' that he'd have to chat back to but the curiosity got to her and completely made her forget about her own request to have him open his present first.

The anticipation bubbled and extended to every nerve ending of his body like a fuzzy tingling as she dove for the contents of the bag and she got the small items first.

Her fingers were quick to rip the wrapping paper and when the words 'Portra 400 120' came into view, Ella looked up slowly at Alex with her mouth agape, "Stop."

Alex snickered and she finished unwrapping the multiple film boxes, each time with a louder gasp, until she finally dove for the bigger item.

The second her fingers touched the leather and felt the shape of the item, a small sob came from her chest and her eyes started welling up.

"Alex, stop..." She begged for no reason, a pout coming to her face when she fully pulled out the object from the bag and a little cry escaped her when she actually saw the gorgeous camera she was now holding in her hands.

A tear ran down her cheek and Alex let his hand come over her thigh to squeeze lightly in reassurance, "Don't cry, darling."

"I can't–," She managed out with a strangled voice, she couldn't finish saying that she just couldn't accept the gift. But her fingers worked against her thoughts and carefully shed the camera from the brown leather case and when the stunning Rolleiflex came into her blurry view, she choked on another sob, "Can't accept this, Alex."

There was no way in hell she would accept this present. Not when she knew the price of it, which had been exactly why she'd yet to get one for herself. It was so hard to find those cameras and if it looked as good as the one she was holding right then, then she was sure it would have to be way over the thousand dollar mark. Adding to that, the leather case and the multiple packs of film he had gotten her, it was just way too much to accept.

Especially with how simple her gift now looked like in comparison.

"You are." Alex stated firmly, his voice still sweet and soothing in her ears though.

"I can't!" She hiccuped, struggling to peel her eyes from the camera to look at him, "D'you know how expensive these are? I can't possibly–"

Alex interrupted her, "You are accepting it darling. Because I'm certainly not returning it and yes, I'm well aware of the price and I couldn't care less about it. Not when I know it'll make you the happiest."

Her bottom lip wobbled at the tenderness of his words and her chest hurt from how much she was feeling at the very moment. She exhaled heavily and shakily, thinking about it for a second and her worries came back up so she tried to argue again with a, "But–" that was again interrupted by Alex.

Another squeeze to her thigh was what she felt as encouragement for her to look up at him and take in the genuinity behind his every word, "Ella, I bought this for you and only you. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind when I got it and I was the happiest picking out a pretty case for your new camera and had trouble controlling myself when it came to getting you all those film rolls." He softened his features even more, like he was trying to do puppy eyes on her, "Please accept it darling? Nothing would make me happier."

She stayed quiet for a few seconds, eyes going back down to the pretty camera, debating whether or not to actually let herself accept such a gift but when she looked back up at him and saw those brown eyes she had missed looking into so much, she let her shoulders hang and gave into his wishes.

"Okay." She sighed out quietly like it hurt her, and she preoccupied herself with putting her new camera back in its case and putting it slowly inside the bag.

Once that was done, after almost a minute of her working ehr task in utter silence, she started saying, "But I'm gonna get you something else and I'll give it to you next time we see each other because that," She pointed at the gift bag in Alex's hands with a scowl, "Is way too simple."

"Eleanor." He called out for her to stop the rambling he knew would soon ensue if he didn't stop it from happening.

She sighed like she was regretting every one of her decisions and replied with a shy, "Hmm?"

"Stop that." He instructed her, a hint of an amused smile on his face. Not because he found this predicament funny but because she looked like she was about to throw a little tantrum and it was adorable.

She huffed like a child, about to chat back playing dumb about what he was implying, "Wha–"

But he stopped her with a soft, "Don't" that worked to keep her quiet and slightly reassured her, "I'm gonna love this, I know it." He lifted the bag slightly and decided to just go for it before Ella could continue spiraling. "You know what?" He trailed off before diving right into the bag for the gift that was well guarded inside a pretty wrapping paper and a little bow.

"It's so simple." Ella pointed out when Alex took it out of the bag and set it over his legs.

He shook his head as he started carefully undoing the creases at the bottom of the paper and when he saw the handmade cover of the big square journal she'd gotten him, his heart bursted in his chest.

Alex could faintly read 'On The Road' which was made with magazine cutout letters and a written subheading in a dainty piece of white paper beneath it that read 'A picture collection by Ella'. As he took the book out of the paper, he noticed polaroid frames sticking out along with ends of ribbons and hints of color seeping through the pages.

"Is this...?" He asked wordlessly, without really a need to because he knew it was a scrapbook.

Ella sighed, fiddling with her fingers, "Yeah."

Opening it, he found she'd written a little dedication page first. It had pictures of the pretty sunsets he knew they'd seen together and she'd photographed throughout the years. He could name them if she asked him to: it was the one from her first day in London, then that day coming out of Belmont Park, the first sunset they'd seen together when they recorded Brick by Brick, the one they'd also had the chance of appreciating together when he took her to the beach after everything with Julian had happened.

And in the middle of it all was a pasted note that seemed to be purposely and carefully made to look like a ripped piece of paper, attached to the page with two pieces of beige tape on opposite ends, that read the sweetest dedication:

Alex, I found myself lost in memory lane when I stumbled into pictures I had taken the first few times I met you and the guys. It's crazy to think it's been two years since then, it feels like it's been a lifetime but also just a few months ago at the same time. I got lost in every frame for hours and the warmth that spread through my chest felt so nice, I thought it would be kind to share the feeling. Of course, I had to make it better than a photo album so I took my sweet time meticulously putting every page together in a way my mind seems to assemble things. I hope you understand my vision. And if not, then I blame my lack of crafting skills.

Merry Christmas sweetness, love you lots!

- Ella xx

"Darling..." Alex said softly, a knot forming in his throat after reading that and it only got tighter when he flipped the page and saw the few pictures of the band Ella had taken back in 2011.

But she didn't even catch the emotion behind Alex's whisper because she was so lost in her own mind, "I know, I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting you giving me a camera worth a fucking grand sweets! I should've established a budget."

"Ella." Alex said the tiniest bit louder this time, eyes getting more and more glassy the more he flipped through the pages, "This is the sweetest fucking thing." His voice was a bit strangled, but his smile didn't falter at all, his eyes dropped to the page he was on and his chest swelled even more seeing a picture where she was smiling hard at the camera, eyes closing from the big grin, with Alex resting his chin over her shoulder as he hugged her from behind.

"Come here." He mumbled, letting the book close on his lap to pull her in by her wrists and crushing her in a tight hug, an awkward one since the space in the car didn't allow for much.

He left a bunch of kisses on the side of her face, dropping a few down her jaw and neck, giggles bloomed from her chest and felt like music to his ears.

"Did you like it?" Ella asked shyly in his ear.

He pulled back, cupping her face with his hands and assuring her, "I fucking love it."

"Really?" She asked breathlessly, a hint of doubt behind her eyes that had Alex needing to keep flipping through the pages so that she could see it clearly on his face just how much he loved what she'd done.

"I really do." He skipped through the ones that he remembered had been snapped in that little west coast tour they did at the start of 2012 to the beginning of all the ones she'd taken when she'd been at the studio with them while they recorded AM, "I had never seen half of these!"

Ella winced a little, knowing it was true because she had never had a proper chance to show them to him. She had sent a few to his team just in case they wanted them for AM promo, alongside the first draft of the finished AM making documentary she'd filmed.

"Sorry, I have to send the scans to you." There were so many pictures she'd forgotten to show him that she knew he'd love because so many were of him in his element.

He hummed in agreement, "Please email them to me, darling." And then, he flipped onto another page and he giggled a bit before pointing out, "I wanna hang this one."

"Oh stop, it's so bad." Ella rolled her eyes when she caught which one he was talking about.

Shaking his head, he chatted back, "No, I love it."

"I was crying and you can tell I was." It was a picture of her birthday, one after they'd been drinking and singing karaoke in her house and she had started crying from how much love she felt. The 'Birthday Girl' cowboy hat the lads had gotten her was perched on her head and she was scrunching her nose in laughter with her eyes half lidded as Alex attacked her face with chaste kisses.

"And?" Alex didn't care for the way it was clear her mascara was smudged and the tears running down her face were clear in the picture, she looked as beautiful as ever, "Look at you."

Her face lit up in flames at the way he looked up at her and back down to the picture, there was so much written on his face that was making her heart beat faster with every second, "Shut up."

Alex kept flipping through it all, entirely in awe of the detailing on every page and the way she'd set up every picture. He went from her birthday to the last few months of recording, to their Los Feliz escapades, to Glastonbury and the entirety of her holiday over in the UK, to the few pictures she'd managed when they had three gigs in LA a few months before.

He wished they could move forward in time and see which other pictures would join the collection.

"Darling, this is so sweet." Alex mused, going back to see his favorites, which were mostly the ones he'd taken of her and she'd put together in a page that read 'The shots you took when you were coming for my career'. His smile got impossibly bigger, "Thank you." He pulled her in for another hug, pressing a long kiss on her cheek and mumbling a sweet, "I love you." against her skin.

"I love you too." She reciprocated and hummed in delight, but when she pulled back and saw the difference of presents perched on each other's laps, she let herself get emotional all over again and looked up at him with a pout, "Thank you so much Al, honestly."

He didn't like seeing her cry at all but knowing that it was happiness that was moving her this much, he smiled and endured it, "Merry Christmas darling."

Ella threw herself over him this time, giving him the biggest hug and mumbled, "You're the best."

To get her to laugh, he teased, "Am I?" and he was entirely satisfied when a loud cackle came from her.

"You're so annoying." She whined when she pulled back, softly shoving him by the shoulders.

He shook his head, "I'm joking." And intertwined their fingers together to have her in his arms again, "Come here, gimme a hug."

They didn't want to let go, not when it felt so right to hold each other and when it just made sense in this bubble charged with so much warmth and affection. There was not a worry in the world that could poke at them, until Alex's phone started to ring and, though he let it go to voicemail once, he got a swarm of notifications along with another phone call.

Reluctantly, he let go of Ella, still holding her hand and rubbing circles on the back of her hand as he answered with an annoyed, "Hello?"

His frown quickly melted for a clearly stressed out expression and he heavily sighed before he apologized, "Fuck. Yeah, sorry." Ella could barely make out what was being said through the phone, it was pure gibberish to her ears but she squeezed his hand in hopes to soothe whatever was happening.

He smiled sweetly at her and it heavily contrasted with his wary tone as he said, "We're about thirty minutes away, if that's alright?" And she saw his shoulders fall in slight relief after that. He ended the call with a calm, "Sure. See ya' mate." but let out a long exhale when he pressed the red button on the screen of his phone.

"We have to go?" She asked, it was the only thing she could imagine him getting in trouble about.

He nodded, "Yep. Soundcheck was supposed to start half an hour ago."

"Oh fuck." Ella cursed under her breath, carefully putting her gift bag in the backseat floor, placing the bag with her food beside it and chucking her ugly sweater behind her without much of a care for it.

"S'alright darling. They'll wait for me." He assured her, putting his seatbelt on after she'd quickly done so and turned on the car.

But Ella felt bad for making other people struggle with time just because they'd gotten carried away, "Sorry, I wasn't meaning to get you back late."

She almost melted on her seat though, when he shrugged and squeezed her thigh, "It's not your fault. Plus I'd do it again. I couldn't be arsed about being on time if I'm with you."

He caught a flash of her grin as she looked behind her and pulled out of their parking spot, "You're too cute."

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It had been all hot and pathetic tears that just wouldn't stop when Ella had to say goodbye to them that night. And it was so unfair that it was that night that they had to leave as soon as possible, because she would've been able to actually stay for as long as she could.

There also was the fact that Bre was going with them so it was hitting her how she was spending the holidays on her own whilst the lads and their missus would be all spending it together.

The only consolation prize she had was that Florence would be coming to Los Angeles with the 1975 as they had a few gigs in town the following week so the prospect of seeing her and the band after so long brought a bit of familiarity she'd be missing until she got to see everyone again.

Which, now, she wasn't sure when it would be.

Just that had made her cry a bit more when she'd gotten home and when Alex had made it a mission to be on the phone with her almost the entirety of the day after, up until he had to go on stage.

The following days had been hard because her mind was plagued with the thought of Alex to the point that she was struggling to focus even at work. It was embarrassing the amount of times she'd gotten aggressively honked out of her thoughts when she was driving, and the amount of times Lydia had to snap her back into reality with waves of her hand in front of her face.

She needed a distraction, desperately, and when The 1975 and Florence arrived in LA, it was perfect timing.

They'd gotten into town on the morning of a Thursday so Ella couldn't go see them as soon as they got there, but Flo had gone to visit her at the office just a few hours before she was leaving and it had been such a lovely surprise, Ella had almost tumbled the both of them to the floor from how hard she'd hugged her.

Instead of going home and changing like she'd planned, Ella just drove the both of them to the venue where the lads would be playing and she got the warmest welcome when she walked into their greenroom.

She'd laugh so much from the moment she got there, and she couldn't help but find herself comparing the energy to when she was with the Monkeys in their greenroom. The 1975 guys were so much more chaotic, Matty and George together in a room was the funniest chaos and Ross added a spoonful to it that made her lose it altogether even more. Flo's cousin, Adam, was the more grounded one, but after a spliff or two that they'd all shared, he found himself giggling and throwing jokes that made Ella gasp in surprise at the lewdness of some of them.

It had been slightly refreshing that George had resumed his flirting with her and the affection he was showing her as they waited for the show to start, reminded her just how long it had been since she'd properly gotten any relief from someone else.

George had cheekily managed to get a kiss from Ella, claiming it was for good luck and that he would really need it. Ella had shaken her head but given in, and the feeling that washed over her made her want to beg for him to take her somewhere else when the gig was over.

Ella and Flo had joined the crowd and managed to wiggle their ways into the sea of people until they stood on the left side of the stage a few people away from the barricade. The venue was smaller than the ones the Monkeys had played when they came to LA but there was a good one thousand people inside the venue and the anticipation was even more palpable somehow.

When the lights went down and the big rectangle box flashed behind George's drum kit, the walls shook with the loud screams from the crowd and when the album intro boomed through the speakers just as the band walked out on stage, the people got impossibly louder. Ella and Flo joined in, the adrenaline coursing through their veins as the intro built up and peaked into their first song.

Hearing the many songs she'd absolutely loved from their debut album had been incredible and she'd been particularly louder when they got to 'Pressure' which was definitely her favorite from the album.

After the show, she'd helped them set their gear back in the small tour bus they had and she'd ended up saying goodbye not long after. She promised to be back the next day as soon as she could and she truly couldn't wait to watch another one of their shows.

"You should come over to mine after the show to celebrate." She invited easily, already thinking about having to get a few more bottles of wine for Flo and Matty. "I can drive y'all, we can manage to fit in my car."

They all nodded and agreed, they were staying in Los Angeles until the following Tuesday, so it would be perfect to get pissed at Ella's house and enjoy a proper catch up and finally take in her neck of the woods.

So, the next day, Ella arrived at the venue during soundcheck and she'd had the best time watching them mess about on stage before the show. Matty had snuck in the chorus of 'I Want It That Way' and 'There She Goes' in between their songs while Adam along with the sound people of the venue checked it was all perfect.

They'd gotten high and chatted about everything and anything until they were due on stage, Flo and Ella sneaking into the crowd once again in between giggles and managing to have a few conversations with some girls around them.

The show had been fucking mental, the energy that Matty exuded on stage was so contagious that the crowd gave him even more energy back and it was a vicious cycle that assured for the post-show rush to last a while.

It was a never-ending adrenaline rush that stayed with them the whole night, making for a really fun drinking night with them all.

Ella hadn't gotten that drunk, aware that she had suggested them all staying over so they didn't have to get a expensive taxi back to their hotel so she had to be a good host the next morning, but she'd gotten tipsy enough to settle the fact that George would be sharing her bed once everyone was ready to go to sleep.

They'd been getting off all throughout the night and all the 'get a room' comments had ended up in her deciding that they indeed needed to get a room for themselves that night. Though she knew they wouldn't be able to do much with everyone in the house, she wanted to enjoy having George to herself for a little longer.

Everyone groaned and complained about how they wouldn't get any sleep if George went with Ella but she flipped them all off and told them, "There's a guest room at the end of the hallway, the bathroom is right here and I'm gonna go get the air mattress. Someone is gonna have to sleep on the couch if that's alright."

Matty and Flo basically sprinted to the guest room and chucked themselves on the bed with Ella following behind to get the air mattress, "You two better not keep me up all night or have me change the sheets in the middle of the night."

Flo smirked as she watched her clumsily go through the things stored in the closet of the guest room, "Don't worry, we don't make messes. I swallow."

Matty laughed so loud at his wife's comment and Ella was left speechless at the sudden comment, "Jesus Christ, you filthy bitch."

"What? You don't?" Flo asked with a quirk of her brow, purely taunting her for an answer.

George startled her when he answered from the threshold of the room's door where he was leaning, "She does."

Ella blushed hard at the comment, getting embarrassingly wet at the memory of having her mouth stuffed with his cock and her mouth watering at the thought of it happening again.

"Shut up." She scorned him as she walked right past him, air mattress box, two pillows and blankets in hand.

WIth Ross and Adam's help, they cleared out the middle of the living room and set up the air mattress. Adam had kindly let Ross take it as he settled down for the night on the settee and they thanked Ella for the pillows and blankets she'd brought for them.

"Sweet dreams guys." She called out before she walked back to her room, where George was eagerly waiting for her with that smile of his luring her right in to sit on his lap at the edge of the bed.

At first it was just a continuation of the kisses they'd been sharing all night, until he felt just how wet she was and she couldn't keep down the moan that the feeling of his fingers on her clit elicited out of her.

She startled herself and stopped him, "We can't. I know I won't be able to keep quiet."

He of course understood, but she seemed so afraid of everyone hearing her that he had to joke to settle her down a bit before they stopped, "Should I gag you then?"

And that sparked an idea in her head.

She stood up from bed quickly, scaring George who instantly apologized and said he didn't mean it but he was surprised when she shushed him and told him it was alright to then walk up to her closet and pull out a big box that when she opened, made George's mouth fall slack at the amount of sex toys and kinky accessories she had in it.

"Ella, fucking hell." He cursed under his breath, watching her fingers move stuff around until she found what she was looking for: a silicone bar gag with a leather collar to buckle in place.

Something snapped inside of George when Ella so innocently went to put the box back in its place and slowly walked back to bed. He'd pulled her in by the waist and quickly hovered over her, kissing her hungrily until she was squirming due to the lack of relief when she was so uncomfortably wet already.

The gag had helped her not be as loud as she knew she would've been after such a long time without having someone in her bed, but still, George was so good with his tongue and his fingers that she'd been biting down hard most of the time, her jaw ached by the third time she came.

He'd been so hard, Ella was sad she truly couldn't feel comfortable enough to take him in her mouth after having her jaw clenched so hard for so long, so she used her hand to get him off and got him to finish on her tongue.

Ella had the best night of sleep cuddled up to George and it had been a struggle to give up the way his limbs felt tangled over her body so that she could make everyone breakfast.

The food had been a great apology for the noises that had managed to slip out of Ella's bedroom, for which Flo and Matty took the piss out of them both, and eventually, they all left. Everyone but George. He had kindly declined going around Los Angeles with them all to spend the day with Ella, more like on and in Ella, and practically kicking them all out of the house when they started teasing them just as they were leaving Ella's.

"We might be going out tonight. Any recommendations? And do you wanna come with us or are yous gonna be too busy?" Ross raised his brow as he asked them both with a smirk on his face, being the last to walk through the door.

Ella hummed, "There's this club in Hollywood called The Sound or something like that. I'll send you the address, we'll see you there."

Ross nodded and walked up to the taxi that was waiting for them, Matty and Flo already inside the vehicle while Adam was waiting for Ross to finish talking so that he could get in the car. Ella waved them goodbye, feeling George behindher doing the same while his free hand came to clutch onto her waist.

As soon as the taxi was gone and Ella closed the door, George lifted her from the floor and threw her onto his shoulder to all but run up to her room, where he threw her on the bed and hungrily pounced on her as he'd wanted since they woke up.

"You're gonna grab that box and we're testing everything inside it." George mumbled against her lips after dizzying her with a heated kiss.

Ella panted as she nodded and it took her a few seconds after he got off her to realize she had to get up and get it.

It was fair to say they spent most of the day trying the different things in the box, taking breaks in between and chatting like it was just another day, until they got another rush of lust and they went at it again.

They'd gotten interrupted by seven in the evening when Flo called Ella to make sure if she and George we coming with them to the club, to which she said yes but let her know it wasn't opening until ten, so they'd all have time to get ready and leave and get there early enough to be first in line and get a good table.

Ella had no idea how George had the amount of energy he had because they took their fun even to the shower when she was supposed to be getting ready, but he'd easily convinced her to let him join her and her hands started to roam and before she could even comprehend, she was sucking George's fingers and begging him to fill her up again.

When the pair got to the club, the group was practically asking every question out there with just their eyes but they got nothing.

Adam and Ella were staying sober that night, so they both had their entertainment sorted by a drunk Matty, Florence, Ross and George. Though, George had kept it within his limits because he was going back home with Ella and he didn't want to pass out on her. It was Ross the one who was the drunkest and it was hilarious to see the tall bearded man being so clumsy and avidly spouting random shit in between conversations.

By the end of the night, which was around two in the morning for them because Ross was falling asleep, they were all knackered from all the dancing. Adam had been left to look after a drunk Ross while Matty was being the best husband and making sure Flo didn't fall on her face as she'd had too many shots—she had most of them double, to compensate for the fact that Ella wasn't drinking, she said.

Ella had driven all the way back home and she'd been pleasantly surprised by how much of a cute drunk George was. She tended to him and when she got back to her room, he was fighting his exhaustion to wait for her to come back and cuddle into him.

He was so warm and she loved how he felt like a weighted blanket on her, her eyes were closing and she was relishing in the bliss until he slurred his words in her ear, "I wanted you to ride my face but I'm so knackered."

She shook with loud laughter that made him giggle in her ear, "Go to sleep, you idiot."

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Ella gave George and the rest of the group a nice drive around her favorite places in Los Angeles, ending it with a nice stroll by the beach and invited them all out for dinner that Sunday. It had been so fun being the one to show the place she considered home to them all, and she found herself even happier when she saw them enjoying every place they went to.

George had spent that night over as well, Ella cheekily asking if he wanted to come over—she texted Ben right after George agreed enthusiastically and said she'd be taking the Monday off.

It felt good and easy, something casual with someone she trusted and she was incredibly happy even though she was sad to see them go that Monday night. She drove George back to where they were staying and actually went inside the airport with them to properly say goodbye. It was very late at night and their flight was leaving around three in the morning, but that didn't keep Ella from staying as long as she could until they had to leave to go through security.

Unlike with the Monkeys, Ella found it a bit easier to bid them farewell. It probably was because she felt so at ease with them that she was grateful for how they'd gotten her out of her miserable thoughts of the past week.

Plus the fact that there wasn't an underlying tension that she had no idea how to solve.

She sighed heavily once they all disappeared behind the white wall after they got through security, suddenly her mind flooded back with the same million thoughts of Alex and the distance between them. Like George's presence had been just some dense fog that made the mountain of every unsolved question and undiscovered feeling about Alex disappear for just a brief moment.

Now it came all back in sight and she didn't know what to do. There wasn't really much she could do.

The next morning, she drowned herself in work to muffle every distraction thought of her turmoil and when she got home, she started brainstorming photoshoots and putting together moodboards to take up on photography consistently again.

But as she took shelter in work and planning, Alex had been moping around alone in the tour bus on the way to Kansas City, the last stop of the tour.

Before the 1975 and Flo left LA, George had found a print of a picture Ella had taken the day they went on a date in London—the one with her thighs on each sides of his waist with his hands on her legs—, she had it perched up on one of her shelves next to a bunch of other pictures that she loved. It was a collection of pictures she'd taken and grown to love so she sprinkled them around her room proudly.

George had picked it up and teased her for it, which ended up in them kissing for a while, hands wandering everywhere until Ella got on top of him and they stopped just to take in their view. Ella had grabbed the picture, which had been printed in a size similar to a polaroid and placed it on George's abdomen. She'd picked up her phone and, after quickly making sure they were in the same position as the original picture, she took the same picture with the print in the middle—the black and white of the print contrasted against George's skin.

And Ella had posted it, after she'd ridden George until they both came and they were left sweaty and hazy from their orgasms. 'Nice kind of messy' she had captioned it and when Alex had seen it, his heart had dropped and his blood had grown cold.

Alex knew the 1975 were on a small tour in the States and he also knew that they were going to be in Los Angeles a few days, Florence had told him just that. And Alex recognized the print in the middle of the picture clearly, it was George—it was the same box tattoo he had on his thumb next to Ella's red ink 'Divine Feminine' tattoo.

Jealousy was something Alex was more clearly able to recognize nowadays when it came to Ella but this horrible sourness that rose up his throat and made him feel ill was new. It was far stronger than anything he'd felt before and he didn't know what to do other than hide away in the back lounge of the bus, the scrapbook Ella had gifted him in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other.

Swig after swig, he'd ended up confusing the sway of the bus on the road for the dizziness that made his vision spin. He had ended up opening one of the big windows to smoke a few cigarettes inside the room, going over every poor decision he'd made so far that had kept him from telling Ella exactly how he felt. Keeping it to himself was so painful but he didn't know who he should talk to about it.

He was debating calling Florence, trying to make the math for the time difference in his head but eventually giving up when the memory of Ella's recent post came to the forefront of his mind like a cruel mocking his own brain was throwing at him.

He fell asleep on the settee there, the vodka bottle half empty and the scrapbook open on the pictures he'd taken of her. Time had completely slipped from his grasp when he woke up to Matt knocking on the lounge door, Alex only hummed in response and Matt told him they'd arrive at the venue so everyone would be going out to get some food. The show wouldn't be until the next day, so they'd be staying overnight at the place in the tour bus, and it made sense to go look for something good to eat after having had a typical tour bus breakfast that barely got them through the day. But Alex had no appetite for food at the moment, so he hummed again and mumbled a slurred, "M'staying."

Matt left shortly after, he'd asked if he wanted anything but since he got no response, he figured to just leave his best mate to rest.

But Alex couldn't really find rest after that, not when he saw the scrapbook again and picked it back up and, before he could think about it properly, he pulled out his phone to open her instagram to only be hit with the clear reminder that Ella had gotten with George again.

When Matt said 'everyone' was going out to get food, Alex thought he was entirely alone in the bus. But when someone opened the lounge door suddenly, the lingering hint of alcohol in his blood got startled away. If the nap hadn't sobered him up fully, it was the fright of someone coming into the room that did it.

It got even worse when that someone was none other than Alice.

Alice, who laughed loudly at the clear fright on his face and got even more amused when she saw him disheveled and really fucking sad.

Pathetic, she thought.

Her gaze fell on the handmade looking book he had perched on his lap and she asked, "What is that?" Her tone was clearly taunting, she was trying to get a rise out of him. He looked so fucking sorrowful that she was intrigued and incredibly amused at the same time.

"Go away Loveless." Alex said, exhausted, letting out a long sigh that he hoped told her enough about how he wasn't really in the mood at all for her attitude.

"Oh come on Red. I thought we were friends?" She played again, if his presence there had just ruined her plans of relieving herself in the peace of an empty tour bus, then she would get her fill of entertainment from him. "Tell me what's that and why's it got you so pathetically miserable."

He kissed his teeth and hissed a stern, "Fuck off."

But Alice wasn't planning on it. So she quickly came up to him with all the intention of snatching the book from him to take a peek at it, yet Alex acted quicker than her and raised it upwards and away from her.

That had turned out to be a mistake though, because Alice was stubborn and she had no issue in placing her knees on each side of his hips and using his shoulder as leverage to reach the book in his hands. And when she finally plucked it from his hand, she let herself sink down and took a seat on his lap.

Alice smiled to herself reading it had been made by Ella, thinking about how sweet she was, completely missing the way Alex swallowed a groan at the sudden contact and the way his hands instantly came to hold her hips.

She flipped through the pages in silence, admiring every little detail of Ella's work on the scrapbook and smiling harder when she got to see different sides of Ella that she was so jealous had been all there for Alex to witness.

God, did she want her.

Alice wasn't dumb though, she was able to quickly put it all together and she hummed to herself when she came to the conclusion that Alex's tragic mood was all due to the fact that she'd clearly slept with someone else and posted it proudly for everyone to know.

Yet, playing dumb just to push his buttons sounded like a far more interesting turn of events.

"Did you see what she posted today?" Alice asked him with a fake tone of naivety in her voice. When she remembered the picture though, she felt a heat come over her all over again and she let her sinful thoughts slip out easily, "It's all I've been thinking about while I was waiting for everyone to leave so I could play with myself to the memory of her on top of me."

"Alice." Alex muttered, his words sounded strangled like he was in pain hearing that, his hips shifting beneath her subconsciously.

"What?" She asked innocently, clearly noticing his writhing and biting her lip at the brief friction she got from it. She had been unable to get herself off for almost a week now and it was fucking painful.

"Please, shut the fuck up." He was willing to beg her to just go but his thoughts were being clouded by how close she was to him and how good it felt to have her heat radiating into him.

"Oh why? Are you having trouble again?" She chuckled, faux pity making her lips curl into a forced pout, "You know I love seeing her posts, makes me reminisce. I know you're stupid but I don't think as much as to not have seen those pictures she posts and not do a single thing about it."

He groaned in response, one of Ella's pictures coming to the forefront of his mind and the latest one he'd fucked his fist to which was the Halloween one. The same one to which Alice had fucked herself too, wishing it was Ella doing it.

"It's so sad isn't it?" Alice pushed further, "How he's had her twice now, maybe even more than thrice whilst you're left here fucking your fist alone in your bunk." She wished the image of that didn't turn her on as much as it did.

Just to irk him even more, the singer continued, "She gave me the honor of having her twice and god, Alex. Do you wanna hear a rundown about it?"

The 'no' he wanted to say got stuck in his throat when she shifted on top of him, a groan managing to slip from him. His fingers harshly digging into her skin and keeping her flush against his hardening cock was enough of an answer for her to continue.

Alice hummed, and her hips started rocking on his lap more consciously now, "Do you wanna hear about how she fucked herself on my fingers only to end up riding my thigh? Her hips moving just like this at the start, and god those pretty sounds she makes," She leaned into his ear and moaned sweetly, just like Ella did, rocking her hips harder and feeling the perfect amount of pressure on her clit to have her drench her underwear further, "They're fucking addicting."

"She was dripping all over my thigh, her head thrown back and those perfect tits all over my fucking face for me to suck on." Alex exhaled heavily against Alice's tits, his lips parting even more as if one part of him was tempted to suck on them like she was talking about, like he was fantasizing about doing to Ella.

His grip got stronger then. Ella. It was all that he was starting to think about, with his eyes fully closing to just picture her.

"She looked so fucking pretty when she came, Alex. I swear I can see and hear it clearly every time I need something to think about on lonely nights." It wasn't a bluff, the thought of Ella was a promise of a great orgasm for Alex and she was starting to go in that direction despite having Alex actually beneath her.

Another image of Ella flashed through her mind, making her moan loudly before she continued, "Do you wanna hear about how well she uses that pretty mouth of hers? How she ate me out like she was fucking starved only to fuck me with my toys until I fucking squirted all over her?"

A breathy moan fell from his lips then, cursing under his breath at the thought Ella's mouth all over him, wrapped around him, "Fucking hell."

"I know, it pains me that I can't have her every fucking day." Alice admitted, her mouth watering at the thought of Ella's taste on her tongue, "And do you wanna hear about how hard she kissed me and how much she begged for me to make her cum multiple times? She's insatiable, you know." Her pace got faster, hips moving erratically on his, "Fucking insatiable and you just can't never say no to her."

"Can you Alex? Huh?" She opened her eyes to look down at him, falling apart just from hearing it all.

He shook his head, answering honestly because how could he not agree? There was nothing he would deny Ella. Nothing.

He was growing harder by the second in his pants. Painfully harder, all just from picturing every word Alice was uttering and it was genuinely driving him insane.

Alice wanted more, she needed proper relief so she grabbed his hand and lifted it towards her mouth. She parted her lips and welcomed two of his fingers, sucking them and dragging them down her body until they reached under her skirt.

"She was so damn good to me. Knowing exactly how to touch me," She dragged him slowly up her soaked underwear until his digits pressed on her clit, "Exactly how to tease me." She made him draw circles on her clit multiple times until she shuddered at the pleasure rushing down her spine, "Exactly how to make me fall apart for her." She pushed her underwear aside and guided his fingers to her entrance but Alex was the one to push them in.

"Oh fuck." Alice cursed in a moan, struggling to continue, "She filled me up so fucking good." Alex curled his fingers at the image in his head and Alice smirked, swallowing a moan to praise, "Yeah, just like that."

It only took a few minutes of him thrusting his fingers in and out of Alice for him to lose control. His eyes were closed, so he was fully just picturing every single thing he was doing to be with Ella. To Ella.

Just like Alice was picturing Ella instead of Alex.

Suddenly, it seemed like a fair trade—both frustrated over Ella's absence and filling the void of carnal desires with each other.

So they ended up fucking again, both of them coming undone shortly after Alex sank himself into Alice. Their hips snapping fast and hard against each other, skin slapping and raw moans filling up the small space.

Nothing else needed to be said. It was over and done with and they both got what they needed: release.

Yet, it felt definitive and they both knew it.

Alice wasn't interested in keeping this up, Alex was far too complicated and whatever their relationship was had always been enough of a mess to even navigate for professional purposes.

Alex though, he felt a bitterness settling inside of him and it seemed to be an awful lot like regret and self deprecation. Ella flooded his mind but his heart was also filled with her and every detail that came with her existence and the fact that he had just got back in bed with Alice for a second time, to the thought of her made him feel disgusted. Of himself, of his actions, of the way he wasn't acting according to what his heart felt.

And that's when he realized he was far more tangled with Ella than he had imagined, even if he knew it was strong already, the feeling of every mile that separated them came to weigh heavily on his chest and he wanted to be sick.

It was just Ella. Ella was the one he wanted, and no one would ever compare.

And now, he felt like he'd completely betrayed her once again. And he had no idea how to fix it.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Going back home for a holiday break to the ceiling silence of his flat seemed to be the repentance Alex needed.

At first, the guilt had been present constantly when he thought of her or he saw the pictures on his walls where she appeared. Whenever she'd text him, or call him, there was the nagging feeling in the back of his head that made him nauseous. It was like he was hiding something from her and he hated it so much.

But how would he even let it out in order to feel free of the burden? Alex had no idea.

Calling Flo and telling her everything had been helpful though, and Florence being the wise woman that she was, told him that he had to forgive himself because there wasn't gonna be anything good to come out of him making himself miserable over his decisions. She also reminded him that he hadn't really done anything wrong, both he and Alice had willingly done it and both seemed to have shared the same sentiment of thinking of Ella.

"I suppose it isn't the best of things to use someone to satiate the need of somebody else but it's not like neither of you knew." Flo commented with a sigh and a merciful look on her face. "You'll be alright Shakespeare. Just stop messing about and tell Ella."

When? was the golden question.

The one Alex was still trying to find an answer to as Christmas rolled around which he spent at his parents' house. Penny and David had asked all about tour and much more about Ella the second Alex first mentioned her when he got to telling them about the American leg of tour.

He had spent Boxing day with them as well, loving being able to spoil his parents with presents, and it brought him much peace to think about the time Ella spent over. He texted her again that night, being embarrassingly melancholic about the memory and hoping to wake up to her feeling the same wave of nostalgia over it.

The day after boxing day, he went back to London and got ready to head to Matt's for the Christmas party he was throwing. The Monkeys were all invited, Katie and Kelly joining, as well as the 1975 lads and Flo, and many more of Matt's friends.

Alex had drunk plenty that night, all to help himself a bit more when it came to actually letting himself enjoy the moment and laugh a bit easier. He'd ended up stumbling into Matt's guest room and passing out on the bed as soon as his head hit the pillows, utterly and completely exhausted from having to mingle with such a large crowd.

When he woke up the next morning, if it could be called morning as he had slept in until almost one in the afternoon, he found two missed calls from Ella sitting in his notifications. His head was pounding and his vision was fuzzy as he opened his messages and saw a few ones that made him smile for he could almost hear the pout on her face as she said 'Throwing a Christmas party without me is so rude :( I'm alone at home watching a marathon of Home Alone, at least facetime me!' but he'd been long gone by then.

The next ones were a mess of typos that he could barely make out and he figured maybe she'd found a party herself to get drunk at to forget about the lonesome holidays.

The following ones, though, had him frowning. It was just after one of the calls he'd missed and she'd simply texted, 'Alex pleaseeeee' followed by another missed call and a final, 'Please?'

There was nothing else said that could give him a hint about what she could mean with her pleading, and he was starting to get concerned. She'd sent those at around three in the morning for her, and it was about to be five in Los Angeles, so he figured she'd be already asleep but still he sent a worried, 'Is everything alright darling?' and went along with his day, trying to be patient since it would definitely be a long time until she answered.

But she didn't answer for a long while, not until he was deep into nursing a few beers in the comfort of Flo and Matty's flat where everyone was gathered in a more intimate Christmas party.

He read her message that said, 'Sorry, I was very drunk. Everything's alright except for this stupid hangover that I need to disappear before work tomorrow.' just as Florence asked George something. Alex tuned the drummer out for a second, a smile forming in his face as he imagined Ella sleepily trying to move around her house, but it faltered when he heard Ella's name being mentioned in the chat. His ears perked up just in time to catch a piece of information he didn't need.

At all.

"Ella woke me up today, actually." George smirked against the rim of his glass.

Flo raised a brow at the mention of the director, she just said, "Go on." in response, knowing that there was more to the story and she really wanted to know what he was implying.

George shrugged his shoulders, "Let's say it was a really nice surprise to wake up to."

Flo squeaked and so did Bre, who asked very quickly, "Did she send a picture?"

"No," George blushed slightly and it only made the girls more curious, "She called me."

When George said that, it was like a truck carrying a full load had tumbled over and dropped all of its weight over Alex. There's no way, he thought. And before he could even think about there not being a possibility of it getting worse for him, it did.

"And because I'm a gentleman I won't divulge more than the fact that it was a very non PG call and I think I had a heart attack and died at 11am."

Alex froze in his place, not even the loud squeals from the girls managing to stop him from zoning out—the fact that he had missed that call dawning on him and it was the worst joke of all time.

He took a minute to count until a hundred, trying not to kick off at himself for getting wankered and sleeping so deep to have missed that, even more so when it meant that Ella had chosen him first, only to be replaced by George.

Fucking George, he cursed in his mind before standing up and excusing himself to go for a cig.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

The New Year had come faster than expected and Alex's birthday creeped around the corner with it.

It seemed like 2014 was taking pity on Alex and giving him an early birthday present though, when he got an email from Steve and his team with the following tour dates coming up.

Alex had almost missed it, the letters on the screen of his phone merging into a big pile that confused him as he scrolled and scrolled. Until his eyes landed in a certain place that he had begged his manager to get.

Bonnaroo Music Festival 2014 - Manchester, TN, USA - 15/06/2014

He almost dropped his phone twice in the haste of dialing her phone, waiting eagerly for her to answer and trying again when it went to voicemail.

"Hello?" Ella asked breathlessly, and it sounded almost like she was running away from a loud place because the loud chatter faded away as the seconds passed.

"Promise me you're not gonna cry." He said first and foremost, and that only had a big ball of anxiety settling on Ella's stomach.

She bit her bottom lip with a frown, "Yeah, I'm not sure I can."

"Darling..." He warned as if he needed that promise to tell her the news.

She squeaked in stress, "Alex you can't just say that and expect me to say I promise! What is it?! Are you okay?!"

He smiled at the way her words stumbled into each other, "I'm more than okay darling. I just need you to promise me there won't be any tears when I tell you this."

There was loud silence for a few seconds before she hesitantly said, "Okay, I promise. Now what is it?"

"You sure you promise?" He asked again, but she could hear through his voice the smirk he clearly had on his face and she rolled her eyes.

"Stop teasing! What is it?!" She said desperately this time.

Alex let out a shaky breath before he finally let her know, "We're playing Bonnaroo darling."

A beat or two of silence were followed by a loud gasp. He giggled at her reaction and even more when her voice wavered as she asked, "Actually? For real? This year?"

He nodded stupidly, a foolish smile on his face and his heart hammering against his chest, "Yes, darling, this year."

Her scream was deafening, and he really wondered where she was just to take the piss out of her for making a scene in some public space. But then he heard her sniffling and he knew she was silently sobbing.

"You promised no tears, Eleanor." He reminded her with a soft voice.

Another sniffle was heard louder this time, "I know, I know. I'm sorry." Ella apologized halfheartedly, "I know. It's just," She stopped herself to take a deep breath and her heart felt like it was about to burst at the news, "You're coming home."

Home.

Alex thought about how Ella had grown to feel like home to him, and if the happiness and all the warmth he felt within him at that very moment didn't back that up, then he was sure he'd know the second he got to see her again. This time in her actual home.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

A/N: I'm actually so damn excited to get to Bonnaroo finally!!! When I found out they'd played there in 2014 as I was plotting the basics of this fic back in April 2022, I genuinely gasped so loud. It just played so well into the timeline and building everything around it was so much fun. We're finally getting to my favourite bits of this story and I'm honestly buzzing about it - this means that we're closer to the end though :((( Only 4 more chapters and the epilogue left *cries* I hope you enjoyed this one and also hope to see you with the next one very soon - I'll try my  best I promise!! Have a great weekend darlings xx

Taglist:   @imagine-that-100 @red---moon @kennedy-brooke @faveficz @indierockgirrl @ladydraculasthings @moonvr @unwantedlovergirl @eaglestar31 @nikisfwn @funniestpersoninnyc @andrearroe @justacaliforniandreamer @alexturnersgf69 @yourorganiccigarette @chickenxdrum

#alex turner #alex #turner #alex turner x reader #alex turner arctic monkeys #alex arctic monkeys #arctic monkeys #alex turner fanfiction #alex turner fanfic #alex turner fic #alex turner fluff #alex turner smut #alex turner angst #alex turner one shot #alex turner blurb #alex turner drabble #alex turner imagine #alex turner x you #alex turner x y/n #alex turner x oc #matt helders #jamie cook #nick omalley

[amethystamaranth]

Sasunaru Fic Recs

1. Before Today is Over by oshit, T-rated, 12k

Given summary: Above him, Sasuke leans over the edge of the pier to watch. Naruto hears him laugh and even with his face draped in shadow, he can imagine Sasuke’s cheshire grin, eyes crinkling with mirth. He feels Sasuke smiling at him. Naruto would pluck every star from the heavens to keep that feeling.

My summary: post-war fic with getting together, ft. letter writing and a day spent in a seaside town

2. Homesick for a Mountain’s Song by kintou, M-rated, 51k

Given Summary: Sasuke tries to get away from the world by buying an abandoned house on a mountain. Naruto, tired from his long days in Konoha, gets a little too excited about growing vegetables in Sasuke's garden. 

Notes Summary: This story will mainly be Fluff or Hurt/Comfort. Just boys being soft on top of a mountain. There will probably be some dealing with trauma going on, since living on top of a mountain gives a man a lot of time to think. Anyway, I'm just a sucker for farmfics, and I think stoic Sasuke would fit in very well with all of these rough farmers.

3. Two Moons by iluxia, M-rated, 11k 

Given summary: Paths diverge after the Fourth War, in this new world Naruto works hard to build. He holds his highest dreams within his hands, but is he happy? [ Picks up post-Kaguya, some elements of Boruto & post-700 but not entirely adherent.] 

My summary: post-canon fic where Naruto at long last discovers what (who) truly makes him happy, and consequently has a midlife crisis over it, fix-it fic

4. Syzygy by glassedplanets, T-rated, 31k 

Given summary: In which Sasuke comes home, an errand needs to be run, several people tell him things, and he realizes just what home really is, for him. 

Tags for my summary: Reunions, Homecoming, Canon Divergence, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Chapter 699 (Naruto), Fluff, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending

5. Kizuna Hikari by YoungAndOverIntelligent, M-rated, 204k 

Given Summary: The only reason Sasuke keeps coming back to Konoha is because of that mattress. The bed is his only respite. And perhaps the dumbass who owns said bed might be worth it, too. 

Or, another canon divergence 699 that showers Sasuke with too much (deserved) love and attention that we all need for these unprecedented times. Title means "Bonded Light". It'll make sense when you're about 100K in 

My summary: There was only one bed, chakra sharing, adopted cat, so much happens it’s 200k long but it flies by it’s so good

6. Rebuilding by KinomiAkai, E-rated, 25k (and anything and everything by them!! Seriously binge read all of their Naruto fics they are all amazing I had such trouble just picking one!!) 

Given Summary: Sasuke has spent every day since the war’s end trying to rebuild. It's a good thing Naruto has been doing the same, isn't it? 

My summary: Naruto’s been working himself to the bone trying to make Kohona into a place Sasuke would like to call home, when Sasuke notices and decides to help him in his endeavor--cue a developing relationship get together!

7. Everybody Knows That You Cradle the Sun by Kyxxie, 17k, E-rated 

Given summary: “Y’know—before mom passed—she used to tell me about my dad. She'd tell me the kind of person you wanted to end up with, someone you kept around. She'd tell me about opposites, about calming the other one down and bringing them back up, about how they'd do the same for you. She'd say that you wanted someone who remembered things about you, not just the big stuff. Mundane shit that doesn't need to be remembered, but they do anyway. She'd say 'keep those who chronicle your life because it's theirs, too'." 

OR 

Naruto challenges Sasuke to a game of “who knows the other person better”. Sasuke panics when he realizes that he might be the winner because what in the actual fuck does that mean? He doesn’t know. Naruto tells him.

8. The Moon Will Sing (I Loved You Like the Sun) by FlowerCitti, E-rated, 18k

Given Summary: Sasuke comes back to the village after a few months away. (Or, Sasuke realizes that Naruto is more of a home to him than Konoha ever was.) 

My Summary: Post-canon, Naruto trying to make Kohona a home for Sasuke, in the process he overworks himself, getting together

9. Armistice by surveycorpsjean, M-rated, 15k 

Given summary: Sasuke is still here. Or maybe; love hasn't passed them yet. 

My Summary: Post-Boruto movie fix-it fic, getting together, AU where Naruto gets married (then divorced) but Sasuke never does, lovely conversations

10. Komorebi by saltedpotato, M-rated, 68k

Given Summary: Komorebi: A Japanese word for the way sunlight filters through the leaves of a tree canopy His responsibilities to the world fulfilled, Naruto Uzumaki takes Sasuke Uchiha and disappears from the public eye, letting the world readjust by itself in the aftermath of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Follow along with a series of windows into the lives of two boys as they relearn what they mean to the world and what they mean to each other.

Enjoy <3

#sasunaru fic recs #sns fic recs #narusasu fic recs #sasunaru #narusasu #also apologies for not linking authors tumblr wouldn't let me alas

[muninnhuginn]

Link Click Watch Order

Thought I'd put together a recommended watch order for those who want to get into Link Click. This pretty much follows airing order, but as most people getting into the series now probably don't know when every single bit and piece aired, I thought it'd still be useful to put them all in one place.

Season One episodes 1 to 5 - These are split into arcs which make for obvious places to take breaks when watching.

Bonus episode (5.5) - This was aired as a bonus episode and takes place some time ambiguously around season one. However, events from it get referenced quite a bit. Its airing position between episodes 5 and 6 is probably the best place to watch it, though technically you could also watch after episodes 1 or 2.

Season One episodes 6 to 11

(Optional: Shiguang Zhaoxiangguan de Richang/Daily Life in the Lightime - These are short chibi episodes that are (largely) pretty light and comedic in tone. They contain a number of indirect references you'll only really get after watching season one. The episodes were canonised as of season two and fill in a few holes here and there in terms of minor questions you may have. That said, you can easily move on from season one to season two without feeling like you're missing something.)

Season Two episodes 1 to 12 - This is much more serialised than season one so if you think you need to watch the next episode in case it's a more obvious place to stop, it really isn't. Just stop wherever you want to. There are no obvious breaks.

Notes:

Even though it has an official English name, it's still helpful to know the series' other names when hunting around: Shiguang Dailiren/时光代理人/Time Agents.

There is an upcoming story called Link Click: Yingdu Chapter we don't yet have an airdate for. I haven't included it in the watchlist for obvious reasons, but I imagine that when it releases it'll occupy a similar place as between-season content like the chibi shorts, to be watched between season two and the currently unaired season three.

There is various other bonus content which doesn't really fit anywhere in the mainline watch order. 'Link Click: Troubles of Ordinary' people is another bonus chibi episode separate from the rest of the shorts, but isn't referenced in the mainline series unless I'm forgetting something. There's also an audiodrama, but I'm unsure if there are English subtitles available for them which apparently has English subtitles. Aside from these, there are also some short animated ads/collabs. My personal take on all these bonus bits is to leave them aside for now and just watch if you're desperate enough for extra content when you're finished with the series.

#link click #shiguang daili ren #I haven't really included where to watch these but for the most part the regular sites have all of s1 and s2 so it's only the chibi stuff #and bonus content you'd struggle to find anyway. #I'm sure I've seen somewhere lists of where to find the bonus stuff but can't remember where for the life of me #if someone could link me so I could link to it on this post it would be much appreciated #I will fully admit I half wrote this so when I finally annoy a friend into starting on it I can just link this and not have to worry #about forgetting to mention anything

[523rdrebel]

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5, Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Chapter Summary: Omega and Wrecker's plan unfolds. The family wanders the Life Day Festival and feelings are brought to a head.

This chapter is mostly from Crosshair's POV. His internal thoughts will be identified by Italics without quotation marks.

Rating: T, SFW

Warnings: None

Crosshair divider by Snotbuggle, Star and Moon Dividers by Saradika

Desi and Isabella had intended to have a leisurely morning with brunch and preparations for the upcoming Life Day Festival. But things rarely go to plan.

They instead got caught up in the frustrating intricacies that came with romantic relationships, and had yet to leave Desi and Taayo’s sitting room. Desi was thoroughly enjoying Isabella’s recounting of her encounter with Wrecker and Omega, “Clever girl!” She laughed boisterously, clapping her hands together in delight, “I’ve had half a mind myself to lock the two of you in a room until this little issue is solved!”

“These things aren’t that simple and you know it, Desi.”

“I wouldn’t mind a chance to clock him one in that smug face of his, though…For hurting you.”

“Desi, he didn’t… It wasn’t his fault.”

“I’m not talking about the chip.”

Isabella sighed, running a hand over her face, “I don’t blame him for wanting space. I just– I wish he would talk to me.”

“I’m still not convinced he can talk…”

“Desi!” She let out a startled laugh but recovered quickly, “I just think, maybe I shouldn’t go at all. I’m not convinced Omega and Wrecker haven’t devised some scheme to force Crosshair and I to be alone…”

“You’re blushing.” Desi waggled her eyebrows, then wrapped her arm around Isabella’s shoulders, giving a soft, reassuring squeeze, “Look, Izzy– I don’t see the problem here. Just wear the dress and go to the Festival! If the man can’t handle you being at an event that will span a majority of the bottom two levels of the city…”

Isabella rolled her eyes, “I don’t want to push him further away, Desi. Besides– maybe he’s right. Maybe I did treat him like a project– What if I was wrong?”

“Stars and Skies, Izzy! You are going to the Festival and if that man doesn’t kiss you like some holo-period-drama protagonist I will wring his neck myself!” Her tone left no room for protest and she stood, grabbing Isabella’s hand and dragging her towards the door. “Come on! We’ve got preparations to make and then I’ll help you get ready!” Desi paused, shouting across the house, “Taayo! We’re leaving!”

“See you later, darling! Don’t get Izzy into too much trouble…again!” He had a gentle voice that always sounded like he was on the verge of laughing.

“Spoil sport!”

They spent most of the day running around frantically to and fro with Desi barking orders like a military sergeant, and Isabella happily assisting. It was a wonderful distraction, she had no time to worry about the coming evening or what to do about a certain grumpy someone, instead her thoughts involved how best to place decorations for maximum festivity and keeping Desi from injuring herself in her dramatic rushing.

Now that Desi and Isabella were in her home, they’d taken turns in the ‘fresher, washing off the sweat, dust and dirt from their day. The quiet calm of a full day was hanging over them with an undercurrent of nervous excitement.

“Alright Izzy, which dress did you say was his favorite?”

“Wrecker said the blue–”

“Well? Put it on!”

“Desi–”

“Nope! No second guessing! Go–”

She loosed a fond, if exasperated sigh, Desi hadn’t steered her wrong yet so she put on the dress. It was a lovely cornflower blue embroidered with stylized golden stars that sparkled when she moved. It had long flowing sleeves and a rather daring neckline, a sharp v that ended just below the bust. She twirled in front of the mirror and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. The last time she’d worn it, she’d been wandering the market with Desi and Taayo and had run into Omega and her brothers. She tried to recall if Crosshair had shown any sort of outward reaction to signal that he’d liked the dress, but failed. He was too good at hiding and she was too afraid she’d been wrong.

“Oh! At least he’s got taste… Brings out your eyes.” Desi hugged her shoulders from behind, “If this doesn’t knock that scowl off his face– then he doesn’t deserve you.”

Isabella reached up and squeezed her friend’s hand gently, “Thank you.”

She returned the soft smile, winked, and whispered, “Now, lets go catch you a stubborn-ass sniper!”

Wrecker didn’t bother knocking, Tech had already deactivated the lock so he burst into Crosshair’s home with a wall-shaking bellow, “CROSSHAIR!”

He groaned in response. He stood uselessly before his meager clothing options, still in just his comfortable lounge pants, his recently grown out white curls mussed from running his hands nervously over his head. A toothpick sat securely in the corner of his mouth, which he chewed absentmindedly.

Wrecker continued to bellow as he entered, followed quickly after by Tech, “Happy Life Day!” They were both dressed in the nicest clothes they owned, comfortable and light, but certainly better than what Crosshair felt he had to offer. Why does it matter what I wear? I’ll just sneak away at the first opportunity…

“You are not dressed.” Tech remarked flatly.

“Figured that out by yourself, did you?” Crosshair snarked, rolling his eyes.

“It was a simple observation.”

“Come on Cross! Omega and Hunter are waiting for us!” Wrecker looked quickly over Crosshair’s clothing options, humming loudly to himself and wiggling his fingers as he made his selections. “AHA!” He tossed the items at his brother, who caught them mid-air with a scowl, ���Put those on and let’s go!”

It was a simple outfit, a loose black shirt of comfortable, breathable cloth, and a pair of dark patterned pants. Crosshair shrugged and began to dress. At least it’ll be comfortable. He added on his simple boots and grabbed his gundark leather jacket he’d filched on a supply run– nights got cool on Pabu. He sighed, schooled his face into an unaffected mask, and followed his excitable siblings out the door.

“Izzy! Izzy! Izzy! Are you ready?” Omega was bouncing up and down, blond curls bouncing wildly. Hunter leaned against the wall outside, amused smile and soft gaze trained on the energetic little girl.

“I’m coming, ‘Mega!” Isabella called, voice bright with laughter. She took a moment at the door, taking a few steadying breaths and steeled herself for what was sure to be an interesting night. Omega’s eyes sparkled and she gasped, “You wore the dress!!” She clapped her hands excitedly and Hunter chuckled, a deep amused rumble. Isabella could’ve sworn she heard him mumble, “Cross is a goner…” But she chose to ignore it.

“Of course I did! You asked me to.”

“Come on! I told Wrecker to meet us here–” Omega beamed at her then grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the street. Hunter followed quietly after.

Only moments later they heard the bellowing, joyful laughter of Wrecker, then saw the trio rounding the corner towards them. Wrecker had one arm around Crosshair’s hunched shoulders, practically dragging him along as they walked. Crosshair’s scowl was deep but there was the tiniest hint of humor in his eyes. He stopped short, eyes locking onto Isabella like a target. His scowl deepened and the whites of his eyes flashed with something, but it passed too quickly to identify.

He looked good. Really good. Isabella couldn’t deny that fact anymore than she could deny the warm blush growing on her face nor the painful clenching in her chest. She sighed, took a deep breath, and plastered a smile on her face, for Omega, she reasoned.

“Crosshair!” Omega exclaimed, full of mirth, then grabbed his hand and pulled him along towards the lower levels of Pabu. Crosshair grumbled, “What’s the rush, shortstack?” Hunter tried and failed to hide his chuckle at the sight.

It was a long and awkward walk, at least where two of the group were concerned, Isabella kept trying to sneak looks at Crosshair, attempting to gauge if she’d made things worse by agreeing to come with them.

Crosshair scrunched his face, trying to hide away from everyone but being in too public of a place to hide. He couldn’t keep the tiniest curve of his lips from showing at Omega’s bright enthusiasm, though he rolled his eyes and made snide remarks.

Omega led the charge into the festival running towards the bright lights and festively decorated tables, then raced back towards the group to chatter in wonder and excitement. There were colored lights everywhere, booths were filled to the brim with handmade goods and decorated with a festive, Life Day flare. It hurt Crosshair’s eyes, all the gaudy, colorful items, the whimsical recreations of historical figures in fanciful Life Day garb, the happy, wide toothed grins of the towns-people. Ugh… 

Omega grabbed Crosshair’s hand and pulled him towards a table, “Look Crosshair!” She pointed at a wooden carving of a Tooka wearing a red festive hat. He rolled his eyes, but she had already run off to the next booth, excitedly exclaiming about a holopicture projector of a snowy planet. He sighed, picking up the Tooka figurine and placing credits on the table with a scowl. The merchant raised an eyebrow but, wisely, kept silent. After nearly an hour of this, Crosshair’s hands were full of items Omega had pointed out before running off to the next shiny thing that caught her eye.

“Those will look great in your home, Cross. Goes great with the decor.” Hunter elbowed his side, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

“Keep it up, Hunter. All these are going to your place. And at least half of them are noise-makers.”

Hunter’s smile faltered every so slightly, then walked quickly off after Omega, “No more gifts!”

Echo joined the group for a while, wandering the festival with them and chatting with Hunter while the others browsed the tables. There were game booths set up periodically, which Echo and Wrecker took turns doing with Omega. They had some sort of competition going, but Crosshair didn't pay enough attention to know what it was.

Crosshair tried not to stare as Isabella wandered the stalls, making small talk and surveying the items.

“You look stunning this evening, Izzy!”

“Thank you! Omega picked it out for me.”

“Oh! Smart girl!”

Hunter chuckled, “You could just talk to her, you know…”

“Stay out of it, Hunter.”

“Maybe if you weren’t staring at her like a love-sick Akk-pup, I would.”

Crosshair made a disgusted noise, pushing past Hunter with a forceful push with his shoulder, and stalked away. He pointedly ignored Hunter’s laughter.

Eventually, Wrecker stopped at Daisy’s stall, full of all manner of baked goods and scenting the area with the comforting aroma of fresh bread. He stayed there, grinning happily, as Daisy regaled him with a story and he listened with rapt attention. Echo had wandered off at some point, speaking animatedly with someone about his work with Rex. Next was Tech, getting into a rousing debate with Phee and a few other history and culture enthusiasts at a stand promoting different cultural holidays similar to Life Day. He’d be busy for the reminder of the evening. And finally, Omega dragged Hunter away, his arms now laden with the gifts Crosshair had acquired, to play with Lyana and Shep, leaving Isabella and Crosshair alone.

Crosshair scowled, he knew that Wrecker and Omega had set this up, knew that they expected there to be some sort of resolution, but he felt too lost. Adrift in the swirling emotions he’d been trying to force into containment under the shell of anger and fear. He had tried to keep his distance, tried to ignore that she’d chosen to wear the dress he felt most closely fit her. She was beautiful, he wouldn’t deny that. He groaned inwardly, This shouldn’t be this hard! Just stay away. She’s just a person.You’ve never liked people anyway.

They walk slowly and in silence, observing everything, neither willing to break the ice quite yet. Crosshair’s eyes land on the constructed bar area, where they were serving festive spiced drinks. To him, that looked like an escape. He wasn’t prepared to face Bells yet, wasn’t ready to see the hurt in her eyes again, wasn’t ready to remember the guilt and the anger. He was quite content to wallow, thank you.

The bar had been prepared with four specialty Life Day drinks: the Fuzzy Tauntaun, Jedi Mind Trick, Outer Rim, and Yub Nub. He scoffed at the silly names, but grabbed one that looked the least festive and most appealing and found a silent spot in the corner against the bar.

Isabella followed him, but kept her distance, she was at a loss at what to do. It seemed obvious that Crosshair didn’t want her here and she didn’t think that a productive conversation would be had in such a public setting. She couldn’t hide her disappointment, she had hoped, perhaps foolishly, that Desi would be right– "Ugh, it’s not a holo-film Izzy! Don’t be so stupid!" She whispered under her breath. She grabbed a drink as well and took a healthy swallow, taking comfort in the burn. She was too antsy to sit still so she ambled around the area, sipping her drink and ignoring the swirling emotions and the intense presence at the corner of the bar. She walked, she mingled, doing little more than greetings and small talk, some small part of her wishing she’d just stayed home, despite the eager insistence of her friends.

Crosshair watched as Isabella wandered the area, talking and drinking, she was a natural in a social setting but he couldn’t shake the feeling that her smiles were dimmer and her eyes did not carry that familiar warmth. What would you know about it anyway? He chided himself internally, You didn’t want her around, you don’t actually think she misses you? The alcohol did little to improve his mood, but he sipped at it anyway.

Now Isabella was chatting with some tall man with a sickly sweet smile, Crosshair tried not to listen.

“Izzy! Or is it Bells now? I’ve heard someone calling you that now, I think.”

“Oh, that’s Crosshair’s nickname for me actually.” Was that regret he was hearing?

“What, he too good to call you Izzy?” Try me, Di’kut…

“Uh- He’s a little stubborn. But I don’t mind, actually, I like it.” 

“Should I start calling you Bells too, then?” I shouldn’t be jealous. You aren’t even mine.

“That’s alright. Izzy will do.” Kriff… I need to leave.

“He gets a special nickname? What if I called you…Bella?”

“Absolutely not.” That’s interesting. Is she mad? “You can call me Isabella or Izzy–”

“What’s wrong with Bella?”

“Call me Bella one more time, Mr. Keis.” Damn, Bells…

He found himself standing and crossing the distance between himself and the pair, standing behind her glaring menacingly before he’d really registered he’s moved.

“Uh–Maybe I should go…” Mr. Keis cleared his throat, gave a half hearted smile, and practically ran away, “Later, Be–Izzy!”

Crosshair’s heart was racing, the pounding loud in his ears when Bells turned around, her face flashing with shock and relief?

“Crosshair–” The way she breathed his name broke something in him and he panicked, turned on his heels and walked away, seeking shadows, desperately searching for a place to be alone. The eyes of everyone he passed burned against his back, ears ringing and pounding, drowning out any other sounds. He was oblivious to the figure that followed him.

He finally stopped in a small decorative garden area, it was shadowed and quiet, without a soul in sight. He stood rigid, breathing heavily, with his head leaned back facing the starry night sky.

A soft voice tentatively called his name and he squeezed his eyes shut, he wasn’t ready to face her. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be.

“Cross– You don’t have to say anything, but I just, I need you to listen.” He stays silent and doesn’t move. “I don’t blame you for what happened.”

He turned to face her, face stuck in a pained expression. She reached out a hand, but stopped short of touching him, “Wait– Just listen. Please.” Isabella took a deep breath, then words started spilling out, “You didn’t hurt me. It was the inhibitor chip. I watched you fight it, and I was terrified– not of you but for you. And then when you woke up, you shut me out and I was hurt and confused and angry. I thought…” She stops, voice shaking and eyes full of emotion.

Crosshair couldn’t look away. He wanted to run, wanted to shut the world out again, like he always did, push the feelings down where no one can touch them. I thought if I’d pretended not to care, then I wouldn’t.

Isabella shivered, the night had taken on a sharp chill, and she crossed her arms over her chest for warmth. She continued, speaking softly, “My brother joined the Empire, you know…They bombed our city, our parents died, and he joined them.” She laughed, an empty humorless sound, it was not a sound he associated with Bells. “I was…away when it happened. I didn’t even know about it until nearly four cycles after the funeral. He was changed. He tried to get me to join them too, but I refused. He got angry and…we both said things we shouldn’t have and I ran. What I wouldn’t give for a chance to talk to him again.” Tears flowed freely down her face and Crosshair ached to wipe them away. Her eyes pleaded at him and she whispered, “What I wouldn’t give to talk to you again.”

He sighed, his fists clenching and unclenching, and he started to pace, “You don’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like to lose control of your body–your mind– Two voices and both of them feel right and both of them are me. One says Follow orders! Eliminate the threat the other says, This is wrong.” He stopped pacing, shook his head, then pointed one finger painfully against his chest, “My brothers left me behind because I chose it. But I hated them for it. The choice… it was right. I knew it was. The Empire was going to fix things, to fix me.” He ignored the tears streaming down his face, grimacing against the emotions that were finally being released, “But it was a lie. Everything I thought, everything I believed was a lie.” He faced Bells straight on, meeting her eyes finally, “Now you look at me and tell me how I’m supposed to know what part was the chip and what part was me? How am I supposed to trust myself? How am I supposed to–”

She took a chance, closing the distance between them and taking his hands in hers, he did not pull away, “Crosshair– You are not to blame for the actions of the people who made you.” The silence spurred her onward, “Here’s how I see you: strong and capable, and a bit of an ass.” He chuckled despite himself, and she continued, “You care deeply, even if you hide it behind harsh words and sarcasm, and you’re incredibly smart. You are more than what they made you.”

The earnest feeling behind her words slammed against his heart painfully, “Don’t you ever get tired of being so fucking nice?”

She shook her head, “You want me to be mean? To yell at you? To hate you?”

He growled, all his frustration bubbling to the surface, “Why? Why can’t you just give up on me?”

“Believe it or not, Crosshair– and brace yourself, this may come as a shock– I actually like you. Specifically you.”

“You like everybody…”

“Not everybody, but most people, yes.” She places one gentle hand on the side of his face, “Is it so hard to believe that I care about you?”

He leans into her hand, eyes falling shut, but the silence stretches, so she speaks again, desperation clear in her words, “I will respect your wishes if you don’t want to see me again after this, but I–I miss you. Maybe I’m naive. Maybe I’m soft. And maybe I shouldn’t, but I did think that kiss meant something…”

“I…don’t know how to be what you want, Bells.”

“And if I said you already are?”

Silence. Hesitance. A knowing sense that this will change everything.

"What do you want from me? I wasn’t made for this…" Crosshair was confused, uncertain, never before had he been faced with such a strange and intimate challenge.

"Because it's not what you want or because you're a clone?"

He sighed, groaning inwardly, Leave it to Bells to read between the lines so clearly.

She placed her other hand on his face, pulling him down to look at her directly, "I don't give a damn what your makers claimed your purpose was. They made you, but they're gone now. You're here. You're alive. You can choose!"

"And how the kriff am I supposed to know how to do that!?" He pulled away, the feeling of her hands on his face burning the shape of her fingers into his memory. He turned his back to her, breathing heavily, "My whole damn life has been orders and structure, fighting and surviving!" He turned back towards her sharply, "And what about you, huh? You talk about freedom and choice–" His tone was sharp, accusatory, "What do you want?"

This shocked her, her eyes darting around in confusion, "Me? It-It doesn't matter what I want, Crosshair!"

"Wrong answer, BELLS."

"Cross–"

"No! Stop trying to be nice. I want you to be selfish!" His long strides brought him back to her space, leaning over her, begging her, daring her to answer, "What about you? What do you want?"

She let out a string of curses, of which Crosshair would later be impressed, anxiously shaking her hands at her sides, "I–" she started pacing back and forth, then comes to an abrupt stop once again in front of Crosshair, "I want you." It was a simple admission. No frills, no questions.  Crosshair was silent, unsure what to say, frozen in place. Bells started speaking again, a rush of words spilling out, "I’m drawn to you, Crosshair. In a way that I’ve never been drawn to anyone before. I want to spend all of my time with you.  I want to make you smile, or better yet, make you laugh. I want to paint and hear you snark that I've gotten more paint on myself than on the actual canvas. I want to kiss you– Damn, I want to have you kiss me senseless and to quiet your past when I can… hold you when I can't. I want you safe," She closes her eyes briefly, "even if it isn't with me." 

He slowly gets closer then gently reaches his hand up to cradle the side of her face. He laughs, deep and rough, "Kriff, woman! Even when you're being selfish you can't help but worry over someone else." He paused, feeling her lean into the palm of his hand and in that moment he decided to try to stop running, if this was where he got to stay. "Kiss you senseless, huh?" His mouth curled upward in a challenging smirk.

"Please…" He needed no further encouragement and his mouth crashed into hers, finding it blessedly soft and eager. His tongue runs over her lips and she whines, opening her lips to allow entrance. He grabbed her firmly around her waist, pulling her close and running his fingernails across her back. He pulled away from the kiss, smirking down at Bells, taking in her hooded eyes and kiss-swollen lips, "Begging already?"

"I could always yell at you instead," she smiled then leaned up on her toes to catch his bottom lip between her teeth. 

"Maybe later." He leaned back in, capturing her lips once more, taking his time with slow, languid kisses.

Bells responded eagerly, hungrily, kissing him back with a fervor he never would have expected. Her hands explored his back with soft, gentle touches, caressing his form with reverence. It mesmerized him and he nearly lost himself in the moment. He pressed kisses along her jaw, eliciting bubbling, joyous laughter.

“I KNEW IT!” Wrecker’s voice boomed from behind them and Crosshair’s head shot up, fixing his boisterous brother with a withering glare. Wrecker laughed loudly, and started typing on his wrist com unit. The pair separated reluctantly, standing side by side, with Bells leaning into his side. Crosshair wordlessly removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Moments later, all three of their com units began dinging with notifications.

GETWRECKERED: <3 Found Crosshair! Aaaand Izzy! <3

BanDADna: Ugh Finally!

Echoohc3: You all owe me 50 credits!

TECH-nically: I will mark this day on the calendar.

CrissCross: I will kill you all.

DrSunshine: No he wont. <3

Ye Olde taglist:

@anxiouspineapple99 @wings-and-beskar @starrylothcat @secondaryrealm @arctrooper69 @sev-on-kamino @littlemissmanga @wolffegirlsunite @dystopicjumpsuit @idontgetanysleep @clonemedickix @sunshinesdaydream @followthepurrgil @yubnubhub @jediknightjana @dangraccoon @wizardofrozz @mythical-illustrator @echoxbuggs @trixie2023 @ezras-left-thumb

#rebelwrites #Suflowers & Blasters #Crosshair x OC #OC - Dr. Isabella Ramót #Grumpy & Sunshine #star wars fanfic #star wars fanfiction #Rebel Writes #Sunflowers & Blasters #Sunflowers and Blasters #crosshair x oc #Crosshair x “Bells” #Crosshair x Dr. Isabella Ramot #Star War AU #star wars #the bad batch #tbb #tbb crosshair #tbb Omega #Slow Burn #Sibling Meddling #tbb wrecker #chapter 9