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secretswiftymarvelfan · 8 months

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Court Of Public Opinion - Andy Barber x Reader (Part 4)

A/N: This is the sequel series to Memory Served and will contain major spoilers for that series so go read that one first if you haven’t already!

Summary: As news breaks about who your abductor was, things get more complicated

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: Angst! Language! Gas Lighting!

Dividers by me!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 4

Staring up at the trees you watched as the small amount of light dabbled through the leaves, many of which were beginning to take on an orange hue. The last time you’d been in this part the path was covered in blossom, the sweet smell of spring wafting through the air. Now dead leaves littered the floor, the air was turning chilly.

You had missed the entirety of summer. You didn’t see all the kids out on summer break running around and playing. You didn’t see the many, many barbeques that filled the park during the 4th of July weekend. You experienced a summer, but not the summer you knew.

“I’m so glad my nausea is gone but dog shit is gross at the worst of times” Carrie grumbled as she stepped back towards you.

You shook your head slightly to rid yourself of the fog that clouded your mind “Oh sorry I should have offered” You apologise.

Carrie gives you a small kind smile “It’s okay, I could tell you needed space for a moment”

You let out a long guilty sigh as you look down at your feet, kicking some of the leaves “I’m sorry” you apologise.

“Nope, we aren’t doing any of that apologising bullshit,” Carrie says looping her arm through yours as you began to walk “I get it, what happened doesn’t just go away and if you need to talk about whatever you were just thinking about then we got you” she continues nodding down to Nova who wagged her tail.

“I was just-” you start before taking a deep breath “It's weird, to me this place has gone from spring to autumn, there’s a whole four months missing, but I remember summer I was just another person… I dunno I don’t think I’m explaining it well” you sigh shaking your head.

“No I get it, I understand how disorientating it must be, coming back and so much has changed in an instant, it’s like you time-travelled or got stuck in a quantum realm or something” Carrie reassures you.

You couldn’t help but let out a small snort “Quantum realm?” you questioned to which she let out a long and dramatic sigh.

“Harrison won’t let me watch Rom-coms or anything like that because I’m getting too emotional and it’s not fair on him to constantly console me, which I get, I’m a fucking mess at the moment because of these hormones, I cried at a diaper advert yesterday” she explains.

You bite your lips to stop yourself from laughing “A diaper advert?”

“It had a cute baby which made me excited for our cute baby and then sad because it’s still ages until we meet our cute baby” Carries explains making you chuckle “Anyway, so in the meantime we’ve settled on sci-fi movies, they’re not that bad to be honest”

You could no longer hold back your laughter and a real smile appeared on your face “Well you’ll have to give me and Andy some recommendations” You smiled.

“I’ll have a list ready for your next date night” Carrie winks.

Your smile falters for a moment as your mind goes back to your date nights with Andy. Things had been getting better and it felt more normal but still just felt incredibly delicate. You felt like you were just waiting for the moment that he would break and the illusion would shatter. It was why you were trying so hard to be normal, stop letting the shadow of Ransom loom over you. Because in those normal moments, Andy still loved you, you weren’t tainted if he could forget what happened for just a moment then the chances of him leaving you were smaller.

You clear your throat as you pick a straw fibre from your jacket sleeve “Thank you, so what are you planning to do for Halloween?” you ask desperate to change the topic.

Carrie’s eyes instantly lit up because Halloween was her favourite time of the year, she and Harrison always killed it with their costumes. You and Andy tried to compete one year but it was pointless, Carrie and Harrison were the king and queen of Halloween. She then goes on to explain in great detail that the party is called ‘things that go bump in the night’ and that her costume is Kane from Alien.

As she talked you tried to focus on everything she was saying but you began to feel your ears burn and gazes on your back. You glanced over your shoulder a couple of times to see a pair of joggers behind you whispering, they both quickly jog past the two of you though. You shake your head slightly, they were probably just keeping their own conversation low as they passed you so they weren’t rude, not because they were talking about you.

You returned your attention back to Carrie and her elaborate plans to decorate her house for the party. However, you began to notice more people sparing glances your way as they passed by. It made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up from all the attention.

You knew it was inevitable though, this was a small town so people talked, you were still the big news story. You were just glad it seemed to be getting better though, people were calling by the house less. You preferred curious glances over continual questions and having to relive it all over and over again, putting on a brave face when all you wanted to do was tell them to fuck off and mind their own business.

“Oh and we got Nova the coolest spider costume too, you know from that viral video” Carrie continued.

You were about to respond when two teenage girls just appeared out of nowhere in front of you “Oh my god it’s you! You have to tell us everything about him!” One of them said, starstruck looks in their eyes.

You and Carrie exchanged a confused glance, even Nova tilted her head “I’m sorry who?” You ask.

“Harlan Thrombey!” The other girl exclaims, one of Harlan’s books now obvious in her hand.

“Oh… I um-“ you stutter taken aback “he was nice, I only met him a few times”

The girls in front of you continue to fangirl, bombarding you with questions that left both you and Carrie in a state of shock.

“Did he tell you about his new book?”

“What about that Netflix series?”

“Is it true he has a massive collection of knives?”

“Who does he think the watcher is?”

“And ohmygod his Grandson Ransom is so hot! What was he like? I bet he’s so dreamy!”

That last question snapped both you and Carrie out of your shocked states. It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped on you, while you could practically feel the heat of Carrie’s anger.

“Excuse me? You do know he abducted her and held her against her will?” Carrie seethes.

“How- how did you even know?” You mutter feeling your stomach turning.

“They announced it on the news this morning,” one of the girls said with a look that said ‘obviously’.

Had you known that? You weren’t sure. The detectives must have let Andy know that they were going to finally name Ransom today. Had he told you last night or this morning and you had just blocked it out? Or had he purposely not told you because he hated that you were tied to Ransom?

“Honestly I don’t blame you, I couldn’t think of a man better than Ransom, he has the looks, the money, the family” the other girl continues and the hearts in her eyes made you want to vomit.

Carrie absolutely exploded after hearing that, she already had the protective mama bear instinct and being pregnant just made it so much stronger. You knew she was completely ripping into the two girls and letting them know exactly how wrong they were but you couldn’t hear her over the ringing in your ears.

You blinked a couple of times when you felt someone tugging your elbow. Your vision refocused and you could see the girls were long gone and Carrie was leading you out of the park and back home. As you walked the ringing in your ears slowly began to subside and be replaced with Carrie muttering about how twisted those girls must be to see Ransom as a hero.

“You okay?” Carrie then asked fully snapping you back into the moment.

You blinked a couple of times and realised you were back home, standing outside your front door. Carrie must have been waiting for you to unlock it when she noticed you weren’t completely there.

“Yeah,” you managed to say fishing your keys from your pocket and unlocking the door.

“Don’t listen to those girls okay, they’re clearly just crime fanatics who refuse to see their hero as the person they really are” Carrie tells you as she follows you into the house, letting Nova off her lead.

You just nod as you walk into the kitchen. As you pass the island you spot a note from Andy saying he’s gone out for groceries and to donate the last of the pasta dishes to the homeless shelter. You breathed out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t in, you didn’t want him to hear about what had just happened. What happened wasn’t normal, you needed normal.

“Do you want me to call Andy?” Carrie then asks gently.

You shake your head “No it's okay” you tell her “I’m fine, he’ll just worry and come straight home when he doesn’t need to”

“Okay, are you sure you’re okay? It's okay if you’re not” Carrie reminds you.

You force a brave smile “Yeah it just threw me that's all like you said they’re immature girls with an unhealthy obsession with a celebrity” you tell her “I just have to remember I have the evidence on my side”

Carrie gives you a proud smile “Exactly, no amount of fangirls will be able to protect him” she says as she wraps her arm around you.

“Thank you though for getting me out, standing in my corner and getting me home,” you tell her with a grateful smile.

“It's nothing just give me and Nova a shout whenever you need it, I should probably get her home now but if you need us to stay we can stay” Carrie offers as she scratches Nova behind the ear.

“No I’m good, you get on home so Nova can have her post-walk treat” You smile down at Nova who was wagging her tail excitedly.

“Oh yes can’t forget about that” Carrie grinned as she put Nova back on the leash.

You follow Carrie back to the front door, as you did so you thought back to those girls in the park. If Andy had been there it would have gone down so much worse, hearing about how people fawned over Ransom, remind him of how you’d been with him, slept with him. You didn’t want those reminders.

“Don’t tell Andy about today” you suddenly say as Carrie opens the door.

Carrie freezes and looks back over at you, her eyes studying you for a moment “I won’t but… I think you should” she says gently

“I will I promise, I just want it to come from me” you lied, you would avoid telling him for as long as possible.

“Good,” Carrie says watching you for another moment before smiling “Just ring me when you need me”

“I will thank you” You smile giving her a small wave before closing the door and heading back to the kitchen.

You moved to make yourself a warm drink to warm yourself back up but then spotted a pile of mail beside the note Andy had left. One of the jobs that had kept you busy was going through all the mail that you missed while you were gone. Andy had already sorted the bills you had but there was still lots left over so dealing with mail as it came helped.

Flipping through the pile you saw a lot of it was for Andy anyway but at the end was a letter for you. When you saw the handwriting you instantly felt sick, your legs feeling weak as you just about managed to sit down. It was Ransom’s handwriting.

Your first instinct was to call Andy but just as you reached for your phone you froze. You had no idea what was in this letter, it could be a confession, a threat, or it could detail everything you did with Ransom. You knew that Ransom liked to play mind games, he would want to get under Andy’s skin.

No, you needed to find out what was in here first, then you would decide if you would show Andy or not. With shaking hands, you ripped open the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Kitten,

I don’t understand what happened. I thought you were happier. Happier with me. I’ve been lied to all my life by my parents, I know how to spot a lie. So I know it wasn’t a lie when you told me you loved me. I’m sorry though I should have told you the truth, but when they told me that you lost your memory I saw my chance. You promised you were going to leave him anyway so I thought that it would be easier for you if I didn’t remind you of him. I see now that it was wrong and I’m sorry, we can fix this and get through this together. I can’t wait to have you back in my arms, my house, my bed, where you belong. I love you kitten and I won’t stop fighting for us.

Love Ransom x

The letter fell out of your hands as you stumbled back struggling to take a breath. Your hand cupped your mouth as you gagged, your legs feeling weak. You couldn’t believe the lies Ransom was trying to sell, how he was trying to convince you that he was telling the truth. You would never leave Andy, not for anyone or any reason.

You couldn’t show this to Andy, you couldn’t have Ransom’s lies poisoning him. You could already feel the doubts and the hesitancy, you couldn’t make it worse by showing him a letter that would remind him of all the horrible things you did.

You had to act fast, you had no clue when he’d be home, you had to destroy this letter. Your hands were still shaking as you picked the letter back up and rushed over to the fireplace. Grabbing some kindling you got the fire going, using a match to set the letter alight and throw it into the fire.

A heavy feeling settled in your gut as you watched the letter burn. It was guilt, guilt that you were even in this position to begin with, the guilt of all the things you did with Ransom, guilt that you were hiding this from Andy. You thought for a second that maybe you should have shown it to him, the police could have done something, but it was too late the letter was just ash now.

The sound of the front door opening had you quickly standing up, Andy poked his head into the living room his brows furrowed slightly “Why’s the fire going?” he asked.

“Oh um it was quite cold after the walk with Carrie so I thought I’d make it nice and cosy” you lied brushing dust off of your hands.

A smile tugs at Andy’s lips “Sounds nice, let me put this away and I’ll make us some hot drinks too” he offers.

“Sounds great,” you say with a sigh of relief that he didn’t question it further, he gives you another smile before going to step away.

All of sudden you considered telling him the truth even calling out to stop him, but when he looked back at you his brows now furrowed slightly in concern you couldn't do it. So instead you walked the short distance towards him, gently cupping his cheek and reaching up to kiss him.

“I love you Andy” you whisper.

Andy tilts his head slightly but still smiles “I love you too honey” he says softly.

Andy let out a long sigh as he set another pasta dish on the draining board to dry only to look over and see so many more left to wash. He’d finally managed to get on top of all the food the neighbours had been dropping around, he took most of the excess to the homeless shelter, some were still in the freezer and the rest had been eaten. He swore if he ever saw another pasta dish for the rest of his life it would be too soon.

He decided to leave it there for now, the draining board was full anyway, grabbing a cloth he began to dry his hands. As he did so his eyes landed on his laptop, he’d been trying not to do much work on the case since all it did was make him feel angry and inadequate. Every time you’d seen him work on it too he could see the look of sadness in your eyes.

But you were out today, over at Carrie’s for the afternoon so it would be the perfect opportunity to do it. Maybe he could continue looking into businesses that were near the site of your crash, ask if any of their employees had seen a damaged car drive past.

He was just making his way around the kitchen island to his laptop when his phone started ringing. He paused throwing the towel on the counter before grabbing his phone and pulling it out to see it was Frank calling him.

Andy didn’t even get a chance to say hello before Frank was ranting down the phone at him “Whoa, whoa, Frank slow down I can’t hear you, what are you saying?” Andy says plugging his other ear trying to hear Frank better.

He heard Frank take a deep breath before starting again “I just picked Mary up from her university class and she’s in an absolute state over Y/N” Frank explains.

Andy’s brows furrow in concern “What? Why?” he asks.

“Some kids in class were talking about Y/N and she got all upset over it, Mary still hasn’t told me exactly what they said but she said it was mean and they said Y/N must be lying” Frank explains.

“Shit is Mary okay now?” Andy curses running his hand down his face.

“She’s calmed down a bit now but she was in floods of tears when I picked her up, I hadn’t told her much about the case because she’s only 8 but I had to explain it all to help her understand it, now she’s upset and wants to talk to Y/N” Frank explains with a heavy sigh.

“Sure, Y/N’s out with Carrie at the moment but tell Mary that she’ll call as soon as she gets home” Andy promises, worrying about how you’d feel having to talk about all this with Mary.

“Thanks, I just can’t believe the nerve of those girls how did they even come to that conclusion…shit” Frank mutters “Have you watched Fox News today?”

“No we don’t watch that bullshit, do you?” Andy huffs shaking his head.

“No but I just turned the TV on and you might want to turn it on, I think I’ve found out why those girls said what they did” Frank says.

Andy frowns walking into the living room and turning on the TV, he quickly changes the channel to Fox News a curse falling from his lips when he sees what Frank meant. Fox News was doing a report on your case but it wasn’t complimentary towards you. The anchors were discussing the case and how they just couldn’t believe Ransom would do what he did. It only got worse when they cut to an interview with Ransom’s parents.

“So what did you make of the allegations?” the broadcaster asked.

Linda shook her head “Unbelievable, my son would never do anything like that” she said playing the part of a shocked parent well.

“Ransom may have made some mistakes when he was younger but he’s not a criminal, he loved Y/N” Richard continues rubbing Linda’s back soothingly.

“So you don’t believe Ransom held Y/N captive against her will?” The broadcaster asks.

“No, she was never held against her will” Linda states with a definitive shake of her head “That’s all lies she’s told”

“When we first met her we were suspicious of her, the romance was such a whirlwind with her pushing Ransom to get married, but we said nothing because he was so in love with her” Richard adds “Now our poor son is in jail for a crime he didn’t commit”

“What the fuck is all bullshit! They can’t be saying this can they?” Frank exclaims.

“It's not a police interview or court testimony so yeah they can” Andy grumbles barely containing his anger.

“So what is Ransom’s side of the story?” The broadcaster asks leaning forward.

“He’s still not entirely sure what happened, he said they got into a fight and he threatened to call off the wedding and that’s when Y/N stormed out of the house and went to the police and made up this whole story about him abducting her, claiming he used her amnesia against her” Linda exclaims, dabbing her dry eye with a tissue “I knew she only wanted him for his money, we’ve told him this and he still loves her”

“Amnesia?” the broadcaster presses.

“Yes 4 months ago Y/N was in a terrible accident and lost her memory, she was already planning to leave her partner Andy Barber so Ransom thought it would be easier on her to just pretend she already had” Richard explains with a long sigh “he explained it all in this letter” he adds leaning forward to pass the broadcaster the letter.

“I can’t believe this, god this family is fucked up” Frank mutters but Andy wasn’t paying him much attention.

All Andy could focus on were the letters now being shown by Fox News. All of them, while addressed to his parents, were love letters to you. It made Andy sick. He knew he shouldn't but he ended up pausing the screen on one of them to read the letter. He read the way Ransom lamented to his parents, how heartbroken he was. He was trying to win the court of public opinion and relying on his grandfather’s fanbase to do so, it must have already gone viral if Mary had heard about it.

The sound of the front door opening had Andy looking over his shoulder “I have to go” Andy muttered to Frank who was still ranting on when Andy hung up.

You had a small smile on your face when you walked in but as soon as your eyes landed on the TV it quickly faded “What is this?” you whispered, your voice breaking.

“Ransom’s parents went on Fox News to tell his side of the story, it’s ridiculous they must have some connection with the owner or something, they even gave them letters from Ransom” Andy explains with an irritated huff shaking his head, beginning to pace back and forth beginning to rant.

“How- how did they know about them?” you whispered.

It took Andy a moment to fully process what you said, and when he did he froze and slowly turned back around to face you “What do you mean how do they know about them?” he asks.

Your eyes widened and you took a small step back “I-I-I- um- I-” you stuttered suddenly getting really flustered.

Andy’s brows furrowed in confusion as he watched you stutter and panic, it was like when he caught a defendant out on the stand. He thought for a moment replaying what you said in the context of the letters, glancing up at the TV he could see that the letter he had paused on didn’t show who it was addressed to.

“Wait” Andy says holding out his hand “Have you been sent letters from Ransom?”

You start fiddling with your fingers, looking down at the floor. It was an answer already but Andy was still praying you hadn’t.

“Yes” you weakly whisper, not looking up from the floor.

“Why didn’t you tell me!” Andy exclaims in disbelief.

“I’m sorry I-I thought about it, I wanted to but I just couldn’t” you apologise.

Andy lets out an irritated huff, he was furious that Ransom had found a way to send letters to you. Prisoners were not allowed any communication with the victims, he must have found a loophole and gotten his parents to forward it on to you.

“Where are they? What did you do with them?” Andy demands, he needed to shut this down now by taking the letters to the police.

“I-I burnt the first-” you started before Andy interrupted.

“You burnt them!” he practically shouted in disbelief “Why would you do that? It’s evidence! They’re going to use this against you and say you have something to hide!”

“Andy I’m sorry i-i-” you stutter shaking your head.

“He’s already doing everything he can to try and get out of this! We can’t be giving him more ammunition!” Andy roars, his anger and fear getting the better of him.

“Please stop shouting- I’m sorry- I’m so so sorry” you sobbed completely breaking down.

Andy’s shoulders dropped as he watched you sob “shit” he muttered to himself walking over “I’m sorry honey I shouldn’t have shouted, I’m angry at him not you” he apologised wrapping his arms around you, breathing out a sigh of relief when you didn’t push him away.

“I regretted it straight away, I didn’t burn them all just the first, the rest I just hid” you admit looking up at him, tears still streaming down your face.

Andy let out a sigh of relief, they still had something to go to the police with “Okay, why didn’t you tell me about them?” he asked carefully.

You took a long, deep, shaky breath before answering “I- I didn’t want you to see them” you whispered.

Andy let out a long sigh “Okay, well we can take those ones to the police because this is witness intimidation and they can put a stop to it, take away his privileges, it’s all going to be okay I promise”

“They can?” you ask, doubt clear in your voice.

“Yes it’s all going to be okay I promise” Andy swears kissing the top of your head.

“Okay I’ll- I’ll go get them,” you say wiping away the last of your tears and stepping out of Andy’s embrace.

You felt sick as you made your way upstairs to the bedroom where you had hidden the letters. You had received one every day since the first one, and each time a new one arrived you considered telling Andy but they kept getting more and more graphic and detailed and you just couldn’t bring yourself to.

You knew it was a mistake now, if Andy was right the police could have put a stop to this already. You just didn’t want him to read all the horrible things you had done. Read how dirty and tainted you were.

Walking back down the stairs you handed Andy the 6 letters you had received from Ransom, brushing your hands down your arms once he had taken them. He quickly flicked through them and you watched anxiously as his eyes darted over the pages. Thankfully he didn’t read them for long so you hoped he hadn’t read the worst of them.

He gave you a tight smile as he reached out to take your hand “We’re going to fix this I promise” he says kissing the top of your head quickly “c’mon let’s go”

You follow after him, nervously picking at your coat that you still wore as Andy pulled his on. You gave him a small smile when he gave you a reassuring one and took your hand. As you stepped outside you spotted a couple of news vans parked outside, Andy must have done too because he picked up the pace towards the car.

He opened the car door for you but as he did so you noticed something had been spraypainted on your garage door. You quickly tap him on the arm and point it out, his back straightening as he turns and spots the words ‘cheating whore’ written in red spray paint.

“Fuckers” he growled “I’ll deal with that later I promise,” he says gently pushing you to get in the car, shutting the car door a little harder than he probably meant to.

As Andy made his way around to the driver's seat, you kept your head down brushing your hands down your jeans and picking at your nails. You kept your head down the entire drive to the police station, not only to avoid the press outside your home but to avoid the stares of passersbyers. It felt like everyone you passed was judging you, no longer trusting your side of the story. Glancing up at Andy you began to worry if he was doubting it too.

Pulling up outside of the police station you could see there was press here too and you suddenly felt sick, your body beginning to shake as you stared up at the building.

“Hey,” Andy says softly reaching out to take your hand “It’s going to be okay, I promise”

You nod your head “Won’t this look bad? Us going to the police?” you ask quietly.

“No, it would look worse if the police came to us, by doing this it’s showing we have nothing to hide and we don’t” Andy explains gently squeezing your hand.

You force a small smile before moving to climb out of the car. Andy followed after you, gently taking your hand as you walked into the police station to hand over the letters. You were surprised to find Inspector Blanc putting on his jacket about to leave.

“Ah I was just about to come find you” he smiles when he spots you.

“You saw Fox News?” Andy asks.

“Yes, it’s a dangerous game they’re playing” Blanc sighs “I was coming to ask if you had received any letters, the others doubted it but if they can get themselves on the news, they can pass on a letter” he shrugs glancing over his shoulder.

“Well it was a good hunch” Andy says passing the letters over to him “There were 7 in total”

“Seven?” Blanc says his brow arching “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” he asks glancing over at you.

You shrugged your shoulders “I dunno, i-i- panicked- didn’t realise it was something you could stop” you admit “I only told Andy after he saw the news”

Blanc nods as he flips through the letters, reading each one, you nervously gulp as he does so, trying to read the expression on his face “Well given the contents it's understandable” he says “There’s only six here, you said there was seven” he then points out.

“I burnt the first one it- it was a mistake I know but- but those are the more…graphic ones… each one got more intense” you swallow looking down at the floor unable to bring yourself to see the look on Andy’s face.

“We’re guessing he sent them to his parents and they forwarded them on, which is witness intimidation” Andy suggests his hand squeezing yours slightly.

“Damn right it is” Blanc grumbles “C’mon let's talk about this more upstairs,” he says gesturing for you to follow him deeper into the building.

“Thank you” Andy sighs placing his hand on the small of your back to guide you.

You wrap your arms around you tightly as Blanc leads the both of you through the precinct towards the other detectives who instantly stand to attention when they notice you.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t settle on a wager” Blanc states as he slaps the letters into Detective Elliot’s hand.

Elliot quickly flips through them his eyes widening before he passes them over to Wagner to read, you shift uncomfortably as they do so worried that maybe Ransom was planting seeds of doubt in their minds.

“Were you really not going to check if she received any letters?” Andy demands hands clenched into fists by his side.

“We’re sorry it won’t happen again” Elliot promises holding his hands up to placate Andy, he then turns his attention to Wagner “Get in contact with the prison and shut this down, take away all privileges if you have to” he orders.

Wagner nods passing the letters back to Elliot before stepping away to make the call “We’ll be submitting these to evidence, see if we can lift any fingerprints” Blanc reassures you “We can promise he won’t be able to contact you any more”

You breathe out a shaky sigh of relief “Thank you” you manage to say.

“It's the least we can do, have you guys experienced any other negative attention following the news?” Elliot asks grabbing a notepad.

“Yes our garage door was graffitied” Andy sighs glancing down at you, you immediately advert your gaze and look down at the floor.

“Okay we can station an officer outside to prevent any more vandalism, is there anything else?” Elliot asks.

“No” Andy states as you say “I-”

Andy’s brows furrow as he turns to look down at you “Honey? What is it?” he asks placing a calming hand on your shoulder.

“I-” you start again before screwing your eyes shut and shaking your head “It’s nothing” you mutter.

“Honey if it’s worrying you it can’t be nothing” he says softly turning you to face him, hands running up and down your arms soothingly.

“The same day the first letter arrived these girls ran over to me and Carrie at the park, it was all a bit of a blur but they were fans of Harlan and Ransom and said they didn’t blame me for being with him” You admit quietly, looking down at the floor.

Andy’s hands tense for a split second around your arms before relaxing and returning to their soothing rhythm “Why didn’t you tell me?” Andy says his tone soft.

“I didn’t want you to worry” you whisper finally looking back up at him and seeing the pained look on his face “I’m sorry” you apologise as tears collect in your eyes.

“It's okay, it's okay” Andy sighs wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into his embrace and rubbing your back soothingly.

You let out a shuddering breath as you buried your face into his chest and deeply breathed in his cologne which always seemed to calm you. Closing your eyes you could almost pretend none of this was happening, that you weren’t in a police station handing over letters that detailed everything you were guilty of.

“We promise we’ll try and get on top of the press, we can release a statement and do a press conference to dispel the rumours” Elliot promises “The preliminary hearing is in two weeks so hopefully we can collect the final bits of evidence we need to ensure he goes down for this”

“In the meantime, it might be good to get away” Blanc suggests “Stay with a family or-or a friend and have some peace and quiet before the ruckus of the trail starts” he says gesturing with his hand.

“Won’t that look like we’re running away?” you ask glancing up at Andy.

He lets out a long sigh considering it before shaking his head “No because we have nothing to run from, they can try and paint you as the villain all they like but we know you’re innocent and the evidence shows it too” he states “we can go visit Frank and Mary” he suggests.

A smile involuntarily creeps onto your lips at the thought of heading down south to see Frank and Mary “Yeah.. That sounds nice” you nod.

Andy gives you a soft smile before leaning down to press a kiss to the top of your head “Great, I’ll give Frank a call”

You give him another smile hoping that maybe this getaway would be what fixed everything between you. Time away from the press, nothing to remind Andy of everything you’d done.

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This series has no schedule, please don’t ask when it will be updated!

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#NiamhWrites #CoPO #Andy Barber #andy barber fanfiction #andy barber x reader #andy barber x you #ransom drysdale #frank adler

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early2000smovieimagines · 4 years

Text

Meeting and Dating Tod Waggner

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(So sorry this took so long!)

- You and Tod met after being seated next to each other in class. Since you literally sat side by side, when it was time for your teacher to assign partners for classwork, you usually ended up working with him.

- When you and Tod met, neither of you were really thinking of each other in a romantic way. Tod acknowledged; in his head, that you were pretty but for a while, his thoughts never moved past that. He was more preoccupied with Christa and Blake.

- Then one day, he’d told you some stupid joke and you’d laughed, touching his arm for a split second and his heart just went …boom. He had butterflies, he was sweating, he couldn’t speak; he was a mess. After that, you were all he could really think about.

- Tod isn’t shy but he does tend to strategize when it comes to girls. He can’t just ask them out, he has to ease into things, test the waters and make sure that they like him back. He’s not gonna jump into things just to get rejected on the first try, he’s gonna worm his way into your heart nice and slow. But taking things nice and slow is a dangerous game.

- There’s a noticeable shift in his behavior towards you but you just chalk it up to him deciding to get friendly since you’re always working together. Is is sort of strange that he’s now constantly greeting you and following you around like a lost puppy but you try not to assume anything, not wanting to jump to conclusions and wind up feeling stupid.

- A few months into his attempts and he’s preparing to ask you out. The two of you had been hanging out together when he asked if you liked him, saying it nonchalantly and joking enough that you hadn’t suspected anything by it. It was then that you dropped the bombshell on him.

“...Yeah? I wouldn’t be friends with you if I didn’t?” You’d laughed. Friends with him. Friends. He couldn’t even think of a good way to respond to that.

“Yeah, well uh, ...yeah. Just making sure, haha.” He quickly excused himself, rubbing a hand down his face as he hurried away, internally losing his mind.

- What has he done? He laid awake in bed that night contemplating whether or not he should kill himself.

- Sure, having you like him enough to be his friend was all fine and dandy, but he had not artfully flirted with you for the past few months to just be your friend. He saw now that he really had to ask you out and soon too, before you only saw him as a friend and considered other options.

“What’s your favorite food?” He’d asked you pretty much out nowhere as the two of you sat together after school one day. You gave him a bit of a quizzical look but replied to his question.

“Really? Mine too. It’s eerie how much we have in common.” He joked and you laughed, shaking your head a little as you went back to what you were doing.

“Well... you know, since it’s your favorite, and it’s my favorite, why don’t we go eat some …together?” He said a bit nervously though his voice was laced with flirtation.

- He’s still a little surprised that you agreed, even though he was almost sure that you would.

- So the two of you have your first date at a restaurant that serves said food. He may or may not have pretended to like said food just to ask you out and was stuck having to eat it because he wasn’t prepared to admit that he lied.

- You shared your first kiss on your third date. He’d taken you bowling and teasingly made a bet that if he could knock down all the pins in one shot, he could get a kiss in return. Spoiler alert: he failed, but you still generously allowed him to after he playfully persuaded you that he deserved “at least a little one”.

- And with that kiss, he’d successfully made himself a forever home in your heart.

- Lots of pda. He wants everyone to know that you’re his girlfriend; he’s very proud.

- Hugs from behind. He likes to nuzzle into you and press a kiss to the top of your head before he lets go.

- Gentle kisses. You usually lean in, expecting to pull away just as quickly, then wind up spending a full minute with your lips locked. You don’t know how he does it, but he manages to do it every time.

- Whenever the two of you are making out; which is quite often if we’re being honest here, he’ll always chase your lips when you move to pull away. He does not make not kissing him easy.

- Babe, baby, darling, angel, sweetheart, love of my life. And said in that exact order when you aren’t paying attention to him. He always smiles amusedly when you finally turn to him and/or realize that he’s talking to you; his grin always just gets bigger the longer it takes.

- Does he ever stop smiling? It’s like a happy grin is his default face, and you saying that he looks adorable only makes him smile wider.

- Cheek kisses! It doesn’t even matter if he’s giving or receiving, he just loves them.

- Want a puppy for a boyfriend? He’s always smiling big whenever you touch or call his name. You swear that if he had a tail, he’d be wagging it every time he saw you.

- Stealing his clothes, usually just to wear at his house.

- He’s a sucker for cuddling; he can never get enough of it. He’s usually the big spoon but he also really likes when you baby him, wrapping your arms around him and playing with his hair while he nuzzles his face into your chest/stomach.

- He rests his hand on your boob a lot. It’s not even a conscious decision; his hand just always ends up on your chest whenever he has his arm around you. It’s just so soft and warm, he can’t help it.

- He definitely calls himself “daddy”, like “listen to daddy” and “can daddy have a kiss”. He likes seeing the expression on your face whenever he says it.

- Getting close to George and Alex. If he’s not with you, he’s with them so you’ll see them a lot; if only just to find out where your boyfriend is.

- Study dates. He pays attention all of ten minutes before he starts to try and distract you.

- Kid and comedy movie marathons.

- Hanging out at the mall together.

- He’s pretty much up for anything date-wise. If you have an idea then he’s more than happy to do it. He just likes adventures, no matter how big or how small.

- Day trips. The two of you will just up and go do something whenever it pops into your heads, usually with little to no planning.

- Knickknack gifts. They’re oftentimes cheap and slightly tacky but you think that they’re cute nonetheless.

- He’s probably written you; surprisingly good, romantic poetry but would literally die if you showed any of them to anyone.

- You’re always the first person he looks at whenever something funny happens. You’re also always the first person he wants to tell a story to; that is, if you aren’t around to see it happen.

- The two of you talk on the phone practically every night, even though you pretty much see each other every day.

- You’re sort of inseparable most of the time. He isn’t a fan of doing things alone; in general, so whenever he can have you by his side, he’ll eagerly accept the company.

- He definitely brags about you, like constantly. With a girlfriend like you, why wouldn’t he?

- He’s somewhat obnoxious but in a cute way. You can never be too annoyed or bothered by him, especially after he gives you an adoring look whenever you call his name to tell him to shut up/stop doing something.

- He’s sort of a sissy when it comes to pain but he does tend to exaggerate his reactions just to tease you, repeatedly complaining like you just punted him into next Tuesday whenever you gently hit or push him.

- Kissing his injuries. He swoons every time.

- He likes to mess with you. He thinks your reactions are hilarious.

- Teasing each other. You both make small dick jokes about him because you both know it isn't really true, and he’s more than willing to remind you of that fact whenever you ask. ;)

- I feel like he likes getting hickeys more than he likes giving them. Perhaps he shaves his barely there stubble so that you can devour his neck like a vampire with the munchies at any given time of day?

- He’s weirdly meticulous about some parts of his grooming; especially after you get together. He wants to look his best for you so he always agonizes over whether or not he’s in tip top shape or if he has to add something else to his nightly/morning routine.

- He isn’t very observant so don’t expect him to be able to see when you’re uncomfortable. He won’t notice until you’re very blatant about it or finally just tell him. While he isn’t very attentive at first, he immediately tries to do something to make up for it, feeling bad for not noticing.

- He takes care of you, doing whatever has to be done that will make you feel better and safer. Maybe calling your parents or just anxiously sitting next to and watching you, holding you loosely and/or patting your shoulder. Seeing you work yourself into a fit really spooks him so rest assured, he’s gonna keep checking up on you every other minute.

- He doesn't accept your self depreciation whether they’re jokes or not. He’ll refuse your comments in a joking manner but the sentiment remains the same. You’re perfect, shut up.

- Whenever it rains, he’ll hold his jacket over your head so that you can stay dry, letting himself get soaked in the process. Being cold and wet is worth the kisses that you give him for his chivalry.

- He’s sort of scared that you’ll fall for his brother. He doesn’t necessarily think of himself as a downgrade but he can’t help but acknowledge that his older brother is much more popular and sought after than he is.

- Whenever he gets jealous, he’ll usually watch from afar, his jaw set while he fights off the urge to completely scowl. He’ll give you that typical “who was that” routine when you’re alone together again, dwelling on the matter for far longer than he really needs to.

- He’s a bit self conscious so he always appreciates it whenever you compliment and/or reassure him that you love him.

- He doesn’t consider himself to be a protective person but when push comes to shove, he’s the first one to insult or lunge at whoever is being aggressive/rude to you. He quite literally has to be held back from fighting someone in your honor.

- Things can get a little heated when the two of you get into a fight. He’s usually fairly good at keeping his emotions at bay but if you rile him up enough; or if someone else does, then he does have a tendency to curse and raise his voice.

- One of you is going to walk out at some point, either him after throwing in an “I’m not doing this” or you. If you’re the one leaving then he’ll ask where you’re going, maybe adding in an “oh yeah, sure, just walk out” as you flip him off. Pretty much as soon as you leave, his breathing evens out and his shoulders slump and he’s left just feeling really shitty.

- When it comes to apologies, you’re probably the one to cave first; even after his brother tries to talk some sense into him. The two of you will go somewhere at the same time and take turns glancing at each other for a little while before you finally speak; it’s usually you because he doesn’t want to cause more trouble. After you make the first move, he’ll apologize and admit that he’s missed you.

- Lots of “I love you’s”. They’re mainly said playfully but occasionally he’ll say one seriously, making complete heart eyes at you while he does so.

- He’s sort of planning his future around yours. You’re going to x college? How crazy, he was thinking of that one too! Hey, maybe you should move in together. I mean, just cause it’s convenient, ya know?

#tod waggner imagine #tod waggner headcanons #tod waggner headcanon #final destination imagine #final destination headcanons #final destination headcanon #early 2000s imagine #early 2000s movie imagine #early 2000s movie headcanons #early 2000s movie headcanon

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optimistic-dinosaur-nacho · 4 years

Text

Imprisoned - Series

Chapter I

Story Rating: 14+

Warnings: Violence, Murder, Mentions of Murder, Language

Summary: Y/N is Andy and Laurie Barber’s 14-year-old daughter who is a high-grade student in Archer Middle School. Her best friend, Alice Miller had been gone for a while. They search for the lost student and find out that Alice Miller’s body has the prints of Andy and Laurie Barber’s daughter, Y/N.

Author’s Note: Not sure if I should make this a series, this is basically a daughter and dad situation. I DO NOT know what happens in DEFENDING JACOB. So don’t think I know it if I get these episodes correct. (Which I won’t)

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XII Chapter XIII

Spoiler free but will soon be spoiler alerts!

The song that reminds me about the readers character is Fitzpleasure by Alt-J Idk why

~~~

Going over the papers once again. This stress is getting to his head. Shoving the papers off to the side, he sighs. Needing to move on to some other case than that. His phone buzzes on the desk and he sees his wife’s name pop up. Taking the energy to take his phone, he looks at her message.

You busy?

He types in his phone with ‘a little bit’. He was curious was she needed so he replied with a ‘why?’.

Your daughter needs a ride.

The man looks at the time on his desk. It was 10 minutes after their last bell. He texts her back and picks up the papers, organizing them a little bit before grabbing his bag.

He walks out of his office and heads out, “Mr. Barber, you’re heading out?” The woman asks. The man turns around, “I gotta pick up my daughter. I’ll sure be back. If someone calls in for me, tell them to call me back.”

The woman nods, “All right. See ya, Mr. Barber.”

The man nods with a grin and pushes out the doors. He gets into his car and pulls out of the parking lot. He pulls out his phone and sees his daughter’s text.

I’m at the park :)

He drops his phone into the cup holder and drives towards the school. The students continuing to leave the building as he keeps driving up the street towards the park. The park he would take her sometimes as a little kid. There was a forest near that park and she would go back there and find some cool sticks she would bring home and play as if she was a knight in their backyard.

He sees the park come into view and two girls on the swings. He pulls up to the sidewalk and rolls his window down.

The two girls laughed as they swung back and forth. He smiled at them and a few seconds later, one of the girls brought their attention to him. “Oh, he’s here!” The girl says, she hops off the swing and grabs her bag.

Her friend follows her as they rushed up to the car. “Hey, dad!” The girl says, the man smiles at her. “Hey, champ.”

The girl grips on her backpack, “Is it okay if we take Alice to her mom’s house?” The girl asked. The dark-haired girl peaks over the other, “I’m sorry, Mr. Barber. It’s just my dad isn’t getting off work for another 3 hours and my mom is stuck at the store.” The man nods.

“Sure, I’m happy to drive you home. Hop in girls,” He says.

The girl smiles, “Thanks, dad.” The girl lets Alice hop in first and scoots over to the other side as the h/c girl sits next to her. “How was school?” The man asked.

“It was good. How was work?” His daughter asked.

He placed his hand on top of the wheel, glancing in the rear mirror to see them buckle their seat belts. “It was good. Your mother texted me to get you, so I might have to return back to work.”

“That’s okay. Mom was asking me to help her with some things around the house. We can finish the show tomorrow,” She says.

“That’s right, we’re both off. Spring break, right?” He asked.

“Yep,” She says. He grins and drives away from the park. He hears the two chatter in the back, laughing and pointing at their phones of funny or cute things on their devices. He tilts his head to the side to relief the pain in his neck. “How was practice, Y/N?” He asked.

“Hm? Oh, it was raining a little bit so the field was a bit too wet to play,” He looks back at his daughter Y/N who was rolling the soccer ball in her lap as she glanced at Alice’s phone. The two continued to laugh and chatter as he gotten closer to Alice’s neighborhood.

He pulls up to the light blue house and stops right behind her mother’s second car that was a dark van. “All right, Alice. It was nice seeing you again,” He says.

“Thank you, Mr. Barber.”

“Bye, Alice,” Y/N says, Alice grabs her bag and waves. “Bye!” She closes the door and she heads into her home, unlocking it herself and heads in. Y/N throws her backpack into the front and slides between the two front seats and sits in the passengers side.

“You got to stop doing that, Y/N.”

“What?” She smiles. He grins at her, “You’re too old now.”

“Says the old man, himself,” Y/N says, he shakes his head and pulls out of Alice’s neighborhood. “Did you get your test today?” He asked. Y/N shook her head, “No. Mrs. Lim wasn’t there today. Apparently, she left for her trip to Tokyo.”

“Tokyo? What’s over there?”

“Her family. Her mother’s birthday was coming up in a few days,” Y/N says, he hums, “And how do you know that?” He asked. Y/N looks at him, “Because me and Mrs. Lim always hang out during lunch! She likes me and Alice in the class.”

He nods, “All right, all right. What about that one kid? What’s his name again?”

“Henry?”

“Yeah, how’s his mom doing at the department? I haven’t seen her since the last pot luck,” He says, Y/N nods her head this time. “She’s good. His dad has to pick him up more because his mom is always taking late night shifts from 3 to 12.”

“Really? Nine hours of work?” He asked, Y/N nods, “It’s police work, you know?” His daughter was a student in Archer Middle. Top student and she has a big dream ahead of her. She wanted to be like her dad. A district attorney. He let her follow that and even filled her in with some of his cases he had been working on.

They were getting closer to the end of the school year and were glad to get it done. Y/N was their only child and couldn’t ask for a better daughter. She was kind, energetic and a good sense of humor.

He reached their house and stopped in front of the driveway, spotting his wife’s car. “You got yourself from here?” He asked, Y/N digs into her bag, “Yep!”

She pulls out her keys, “Thanks, dad.” She leans over and kisses his cheek. He smiled at her, “You behave yourself till I get back,” He says. She steps out and leans in to look at him.

“I will. Love you!” She closes the door and walks around to go up their lawn. “Love you too!” He shouts back, he sees the front door open to his wife and she kisses Y/N’s head before heading down over to him.

His wife smiles at him and leans into his window, kissing him. “What’s going on?” She asked.

“I still got stuff to do, I’ll try and make it for dinner.”

“Andy...” She says, he grins, “I’ll be here in time for dinner, I promise,” He says. Laurie gives him a nod and pulls away, “You should not work too hard, your daughter is insisting on finishing that show.” He slightly laughs, Y/N was into her crime drama shows.

“I’ll try not to.” She gives him a soft smile and walks back into the house. He rolls his window back up and drives off. His hand on top of the wheel, he drives back to his office.

Y/N drops her bag next to her desk and plops onto her bed with her phone in hand. Without knowing, something jumps on the bed and licks her face. “Aye! Milo!” Y/N says. She tries to push her Pointer hound who wagged his tail furiously.

Milo was from Andy’s friends a while back, the dog was a well-trained hunter and he needed a home.

Andy got the dog for Y/N and they became best buddies. Y/N watched as Milo sprawls out on her bed and begs for a belly rub. Y/N smiles and rubs his belly. “Y/N, sweetheart! Can you help me with the dishes?” Her mother calls.

“Coming! Come on, bubs,” She jumps up with her dog and they rush into the kitchen.

It was past 9 at night and Andy had returned. Opening his garage door, he parks his black small car into it. Closing the door afterwards, he walks into his home. The sound of the television going off and sound of the Live PD show played.

Andy walks into the kitchen to see his wife by the sink. Dropping his keys on the counter, that got his wife’s attention. “Hey,” He kisses her and turns to the table to see a plate that hadn’t been washed yet. It might’ve been Y/N’s.

He sighs, knowing he had missed dinner. Laurie scrubs the dishes as he looks at her, “I’m sorry, I tried to get as much done.”

“She’s more upset than I am,” Laurie said, Andy looks over to the living room and walks in the dark room only lit by the huge screen TV.

He walks around the couch to see Y/N and Milo spooning. Her eyes were closed as Andy kneels in front of her view of the TV. He gently pushes a strand behind her ear and that made her open her eyes up.

“Hey...” He says, softly, Y/N doesn’t say anything and closes her eyes again. He pierced his lips, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I tried to.” She doesn’t reply and he reaches over to pet Milo.

Sighing, he stands up and walks back into the kitchen. Laurie looks over her shoulder, “You hungry?” She asked. He shakes his head, “I’m okay. Thank you.” She grabs the plate off the table and brings it to the sink.

Scrubbing off the food, Andy walks away and tugs his jacket off his shoulders, throwing it in his bedroom on the chair. Pulling his tie off, he unbuttons his shirt and heads over to the drawer. He tossed his shirt and tie in the basket and grabbed a t-shirt. He slips that on and sits on the edge of his bed to take his dress shoes off.

Laurie came in and leaned on the door frame. “She still loves you.”

Andy slips out of his pants and throws them in the basket as well, “I know. But I just feel like a prick either way,” He says.

Laurie tilts her head, “Why do you think that?”

“A father should be there for their kid. She has games and everyone but me doesn’t go. I never went to one single game.”

“That doesn’t make you a bad parent, An,” She says, crossing her arms. He slips on sweats. “It makes me feel like one. The only thing we do is watch her favorite show and that’s it. I take her friend home and I don’t go out with you guys.”

“You don’t have to worry about us. We know you love us, but don’t let it get to you and make you feel like you can’t do much for us. We already know you are doing so much of it. We love you either way.” He sighs, dropping his head. Laurie comes over to the edge of the bed, pulling his head to her stomach.

Her hands caressing his head as he wraps his arms around her hips. Something they did when Laurie had a huge bump.

“Y/N loves you. She won’t ever hate you.”

“Ready?” Y/N asked, she holds the ball up to Milo, “Fetch!” She throws the ball out in the backyard and Milo runs after it. She watched as Milo jumps up and down at the ball’s movements before catching it into his mouth and returning it.

“Good boy!” She kneels down and takes the ball. “Wanna go again?” She shakes the ball in her hand, Milo barks. “Go get it!” She throws it and he runs off. Not knowing her father had walked out and watched her with a small grin.

Y/N knelt down for Milo but the hound runs past her and towards Andy. Begging Andy to throw it, he takes the ball. One swift throw, Milo runs for the ball across the backyard and Andy walks up to Y/N.

“Did you want to watch ‘Cage of the Past’?” He asked, the show was her favorite crime drama show on Netflix and they were on the third season out of eight. She gets the ball from Milo.

“Actually I was gonna ask if I can go to a party.”

“When? With who?” Andy asked. Y/N slightly shrugged, “Henry and Alice were gonna be there. It was at a girl’s house, named Emily. It’s her birthday,” Y/N said. Andy knew having his daughter out a lot, it worried him. He would have to make sure she had a ride home.

“Who’s gonna take you home?” He asked. “Alice’s dad was gonna take me home. I told them they can bring me back around nine.” Andy thought about this hard enough. Ride was given. Phone? Clothing? Right, what she said. Time.

“You promise to be back by 9?” He asked, Y/N nods. He sighs, “Okay. I trust you. You stay at that house.”

Y/N nods once again, “I’ll text you when we’re heading back over.” He nods at her and she throws the ball out to the yard one last time.

“You’re letting her go out to a party?” Laurie asked, she turns to lean on the counter, facing Andy. “It’s just a birthday party. Alice and Y/N were gonna come back after it ends.”

“Will she be back around 9?”

“I told her about coming home and she understands.” Laurie nods, “Okay, so we just keep an eye on our phones.” Andy nods in agreement. Y/N steps down into the kitchen from upstairs and she heads for the door. “Y/N, where’s your phone?” Laurie calls.

Y/N lifts up her phone, “It’s fully charged! I’ll text you guys, okay?” She says, Laurie smiles. “Okay, have fun.”

“Thanks mom. Love you both!” The two watched her leave that front door and stepped into Alice’s car with her father. Laurie watched the vehicle disappear and she sighs. “I hope they’re not having alcohol there.”

Andy smiles, “I’m sure she’ll be responsible.” Laurie looks at him and grins.

Let’s hope she is.

~~~

TAGS:

@jtargaryen18 @joannaliceevans-fanficblog @chrisevans-imagines @iguessweallcrazyithinktho @elliee1497 @princess-evans-addict @chrisevans-source

#andy barber x daughter!reader #andy barber #andy barber x reader #daughter!reader #chris evans #defending jacob #laurie barber #cevans #murder #novel #chris evans x reader #steve rogers x reader #captain america #steve rogers

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queen-scribbles · 3 years

Text

Breather

Oh, look, another @speakergame fic for Phillip. It’s only fair, right? Callie has one with Delia and one with Sebastian, so now Phillip has one with Steph and one with Rory. EQUALITY. :P (vaguely spoiler-adjacent, technically, for the end of the last update.)

----

The human body did have its limits, and no amount of dread or determination could overrule them forever. So while rotating drivers meant they didn’t have to stop overnight on their dash back to Nivio, back to people who could help, who would know what was wrong with Stephanie(and, by extension, him), they would have to make brief pauses at a couple rest stops along the way.

They made it an hour or so into Colorado before the first one. While part of Phillip chafed at the delay, the part that desperately needed a breather, needed to stretch his legs kept him from going insane. He and Steph (and Lily) were all too familiar with the importance of not sitting too long, but under the circumstances he almost wished they were pushing “too long” even further than they already had.

So he paced. Rapid, driven figure-eights around a pair of empty weather-beaten picnic tables, occasionally widening to loop a nearby clump of prairie grass. Arms crossed, head... somewhere. There was too much on his mind for a specific chain of thought.

He was so drowning in that too much he almost walked slap-bang into Rory.

She rocked back on one heel with a sound that was almost a yelp to avoid their collision, then grinned. “Okay, much as I would have deserved that, I do come in peace.” She held up a pair of small crinkly orange and white bags. “With snacks.”

One side of his mouth made a brief attempt at a sheepish smile and he raked one hand through his hair. “Sorry. And thanks, but I’m not really hungry.”

Rory shrugged and tucked the bag she’d offered in the pocket of her flannel shirt. “Alright, more for me.” She plunked down on one of the picnic tables, feet braced on the bench seat, and had the other bag tugged open before she paused to look at him. “Unless you wanna be alone with whatever thoughts have you all.... like that.” She swirled a hand in a general encompassing gesture toward him and Phillip couldn’t help huffing a small laugh.

“Nah, you’re fine,” he assured her, voice still hoarse and breaking from the aftermath of Cammore. He’d kill for another good cup of tea.

Rory nodded and fished a pretzel nugget out of the bag. “Okay, 'cause I saw you over here by yourself an’ thought you might want company, but just realized some people like to be alone sometimes, so I don’t wanna intrude if you’re one of those people. ‘Specially with all the shit you have going on right now."

This time he couldn’t stop a full laugh. “I am one of those people, but this is not one of those times. I just needed room to pace. Your- Company’s prob’ly a good thing; distract from the radio static in my head.”

She wrinkled her nose sympathetically and tossed the pretzel nugget in the air, leaning sideways to catch it in her mouth. “Well, then, I’m happy to distract you, Phillip.”

He liked the way she said his name, barely managed to keep from saying so in his frazzled, sleep-deprived state. “Thanks."

Rory studied him as he paced and she chewed. “I’d say you can take a seat, but after all that time in a car, you probably wanna stretch those long legs, huh?”

“Yeah.” Especially with Lily driving and Sebastian up front again; he’d been squished in one of the back end seats with Steph practically in his lap. Not a bad thing, given the circumstances, but still very cramped. (He decided not to overthink long legs. His height was pretty obvious and he’d already blushed far too much around this woman to be reading extra meaning into things she said. Even if she did think it was cute.)

Despite the mention of distraction, neither of them spoke through his next couple figure eights. Rory made a good show of catching the pretzel nuggets each time she flicked one in the air. Phillip’s pacing showed as he watched.

“See something you like?” Rory teased when she caught him and his ears started burning immediately.

“No- I mean, that’s not...” Phillip groaned and suppressed the urge to yank his jacket’s hood up over his face. “You’re good at that” --a nod toward the snack bag--”and I-I’m impressed.”

“With my snack-catching skills?” She grinned. “Fitting, I guess, huh? Considering the whole.... were-something thing..”

He laughed. “Hadn’t thought of that.”

Rory cocked her head, fiddling with the next pretzel nugget a moment before tossing it up. “Whatever it is, I hope it’s something cool.” She flicked the pretzel nugget up and leaned forward to catch it.

Phillip shrugged. “I think it’s cool in general, whatever your animal form winds up being.” He didn’t mention the year in elementary school he’d spent wishing he was a werecat instead of a Speaker. They hadn’t known each other quite long enough for that. Yet.

“Aw, you’re sweet,” she said with a light laugh. “So. How ‘bout you?” She picked out another pretzel. “How’re your snack catching skills?”

“I do alright,” he said, a brief smile tugging his lips. “Better’n my sister, anyway.”

Rory’s grin widened and she patted the table next to her. “Lemme see.”

Phillip only hesitated the barest second before taking her up on the playful challenge. He sat next to her--closer than he normally would have to avoid what looked like bird droppings--and took the bag of snacks she passed him.

The first one he caught. Second one bounced off his nose but did go in his mouth. Third one he missed because Rory was giggling about the second one.

The fourth one he leaned so far back to catch she had to grab his arm to keep him from falling off the table. The fifth one, at least, was a clean catch that allowed him to reclaim some of his dignity.

“See?” Phillip mumbled around the mouthful of pretzel and cheese. “I’m okay, but not as good as you.”

“Mmhm,” Rory laughed as she balled up her snack bag and tucked it in her pocket. “I did see.”

Phillip half-smiled in answer to the twinkle in her hazel eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. He wished this could just be what it looked like; sitting on a rest stop picnic table with a pretty girl, goofing off with snack food and not minding how silly they looked. But his throat was still sore and he could see Rory’s scars and couldn’t quite forget the shaken, pissed look in Steph’s, or that Lily didn’t know what was going on.

The distraction had been nice while it lasted.

“Thanks,” he said softly, fishing out another pretzel and eating it normally.

“Don’t mention it.” Rory raked a hand through her hair, curls tumbling even more helter-skelter behind the motion. She nudged his knee with her own. “Least I can do after how much you’ve all helped me.”

Phillip opened his mouth to protest, but just then Samson trotted over and stuck his head against the hand not holding a mostly empty bag of pretzels. Phillip’s first instinct was something happened to Stephanie, but a quick glance showed her in conversation with Sebastian and Az and seemingly just fine. (Considering) So he scritched Samson’s ears instead as he commented to Rory, “You say that like you haven’t done anything else to help.”

“Well, you did save my life and all,” she said with a shrug. “And I gotta wonder what the dreaming about you thing means, so call it curiosity coupled with gratitude.”

“Just don’t want you thinking you owe us or anything...” His voice started cracking again and he let the end trail off.

Rory flashed him a sympathetic smile. “Maybe you should hold off on the talking?”

“Leave it all to you?” Phillip asked hoarsely, glad the playful intent still carried in the words.

“Well, I am good at it,” she laughed.

He nodded and smiled and scratched under Samson’s chin, watching black wisps drift off the dog’s rapidly wagging tail.

They lapsed into silence a moment before Rory started humming. Phillip cocked his head a few bars in, vaguely recognizing the tune.

“That’s a song,” he mumbled, more to Samson than Rory, but she still paused.

“Uh-huh.”

Way to state the obvious, his thoughts jibed. “No, I mean, I know it, but don’t remember from where...” His hand stilled on Samson’s neck a moment later. “Cammore. When...” I was screaming myself hoarse. “You sang it while you were sitting with me.”

Rory’s brows arched and she leaned forward to brace her forearms against her knees. “Wow, yeah. You heard that?”

“Not... really?” Phillip said slowly. “It’s more an... impression than a memory, if that makes sense? Like, I don’t remember the words or anything but the melody’s familiar?”

She nodded and grinned. “Oh, good, I don’t have to worry about my singing voice scaring you off.”

“That wouldn’t be a risk anyway,” he mumbled, not realizing it had been out loud until her grin widened.

“Charmer,” she winked. “But yeah, you’d been screaming and I'd been babbling and sorta... ran out of things to say for a minute, and it seemed like a good idea?”

“What song was it?” Phillip resumed petting Samson at an irritated wuff(which came from behind him rather than by his knee).

“Welsh lullaby,” Rory said. She ran a hand through her hair again. “I dunno, a lullaby seemed fitting, somehow.”

“Well, if I heard it enough for it to make an impression, seems like it helped.”

“Good point.”

He hesitated a moment before asking, “Could you teach me?”

“What, the lullaby?”

“Yes, and, um, Welsh in general, too?”

She shrugged. “Dunno how good a teacher I’ll be, but we can give it a shot.” A teasing grin split her face, crinkling scars and freckles alike. “Do you actually wanna learn, or is this a way of spending time with me? ‘Cause you don’t need an excuse for that.”

“...Both?” God, he’d love to blame the way the word squeaked on his half-gone voice, but from the heat climbing his neck, that was no more than partly to blame.

Rory bit her lip, graciously holding back whatever remark had sprung to mind, and tugged one of her curls. “Your honesty is appreciated. So, you like languages? Not many people out there with a burning desire to learning Welsh for the heck of it. "

Phillip nodded, clearing his throat. “Yeah. Aside from English I only speak Russian and maybe a smattering of Spanish and Latin, but I’ve been wanting to learn another for a while.”

“Russian?” She arched a brow.

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a long story.”

“Ah. Well, it looks like it’s one you’ll have to tell me back in your town.” Rory craned her neck to look toward where the others were all congregating in the direction of the cars and her motorcycle. “Seems the break’s over.” She squeezed his knee as she pushed to her feet and hopped down. “C’mon, Prince Charming, time to hit the road.”

Right. The road back to Nivio. To figure out what the hell was going on.

She’d done a very good job distracting him from that. It was blessing enough he wouldn’t question the nickname. (yet.) But reality could only be ignored or avoided for so long, and in this case especially there could be serious consequences for pushing it too far.

So Phillip climbed down from the table with a sigh and whistled for Samson to follow as he headed back to his car. It was his turn to drive, and he didn’t want to waste any time.

There was one last pretzel nugget in the bag when he went to crumple it, and he pulled it out to eat before throwing the bag away. No point wasting and besides--he waved at Rory as her bike purred to life--every little bit helped.

(He didn’t just mean the snacks.)

#queens fic #speaker #phillip prince #rory kane #phillip/rory #god he's such a dork #i love him #rory's super fun to write y'all #now cue the ''hope i got her right'' anxiety that always hits with friend's characters xD #speaker game

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