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#throw Zoey in somewhere too
Aphmau x Aaron x Laurance x Garroth
Except they're all lesbians
yuh huh
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i need to draw the Hoenn kids all hanging out together and watching movies . for my soul
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damiansgoodgirll · 6 months
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Hello, I came across your post for Damian Priest requests, and thought I'd drop by and make one.
If it isn't too much trouble, can you do Damian Priest being protective of the reader after they were injured? The reader nicknames him Harbinger of Doom in response to a nickname he calls the reader. Angst/Fluff. (I'm a sucker for a fluffy ending). It doesn't matter which version of Priesty it is. He's awesome through it all lol.
damian priest x reader
i’m so sorry i had no idea of how to use the nickname :(( i hope you like it anyway!
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nothing to prove
being the youngest and the last member of the judgment day had its pros a cons. you loved how everyone cared about you, especially a cute guy named damian. you and him bonded immediately and even if it started as a simple and cute friendship, everyone knew that you were in love with him.
and everyone knew that he was in love with you.
you were the official couple in the squad, making the fans going crazy everytime you teased each other on live television.
the constant flirting and stolen kisses were enough for the fans to start calling you “mom and dad” and even if it seemed a little weird at first you ended up loving it.
but despite everyone loving you, you started to hate how they all became protective of you. you didn’t matter damian or rhea - mostly damian - throwing a tantrum everytime you got slightly injured, it was cute how he was protecting you but overtime you got bored and even if you told him that, he never stopped doing so.
one special night turned to be a living nightmare.
you were so happy to have your own match against zoey stark. you two were friends but you knew how she could get everytime she was wrestling. she would be brutal and she wouldn’t care if she played dirty, as long as she gets the win, everything is fine to her.
and that’s what she did.
it wasn’t supposed to go like that, you were supposed to win, it was an easy match but of course she played dirty and she slightly injured your back. but the constant hits on your shoulders and back made it hurt more that you could barely stand. you just wanted the match to end so you rapidly tap out, just to end everything.
you were in too much pain that you didn’t even hear rhea attacking zoey and damian kneeling in front of inside the ring.
“you’re crazy!” you slightly heard rhea yelling “i’m gonna make you pay for this” and you knew she wasn’t kidding. she was your best friend and even if that was all a play, you were injured for rhea and that was something she couldn’t forgive.
“mi amor are you okay? estas bien?” damian asked in a whisper.
your back was killing you and your head was spinning. even the fans realised something was wrong when they saw how you couldn’t even move nor stand.
you only felt damian scooping you up in his arms and taking you to get checked. your head was hurting and when damian laid you on the bed you drifted off. tired and in pain.
when you regain consciousness you watched in the small tv inside the locker room how rhea was attacking zoey and how damian was doing nothing to stop her.
referees were trying to stop her but they couldn’t get her away from zoey. damian was laughing and teasing her in spanish.
you didn’t want that to happen. you knew zoey overstepped but that was your business, not theirs. damian was only protecting you but he was acting crazy and you couldn’t handle it anymore so you violently turned off the tv and threw the remote somewhere in the room.
you waited patiently for their feud to be over so you could talk to damian - no, so you could scream at damian for his childish behaviour.
he definitely didn’t expect to see you awake but what he also didn’t expect was to see your pissed look.
“are you okay hermosa?” he slowly started walking towards the couch you decided to sit on.
“don’t come closer damian…”
“what? are you okay?” he asked a little worried.
“you gotta explain why you went all crazy on zoey…that was none of your business” you said. you were clearly still in pain and having a fight right now wasn’t the greatest idea you ever had but you needed to speak with him.
“why? the way your face looks in pain is the reason i went all crazy on her…” he tried to keep his tone low, as he hated fighting with you.
“i know but that wasn’t your business…i could have handled her”
“oh, could you ?” he said back probably too fast.
that was low, even for him.
“i didn’t mean it like that…” he immediately apologised but if you were pissed before, now you were completely mad.
“you know what? i can handle her and i can handle myself, i have nothing to prove, especially not to you damian so if you think i’m not good enough, you can leave…” you knew you were hurting him but his words already hurt you.
“i get it, you’re mad…you’re mad because i overstepped and i shouldn’t have…but i was here backstage watching you crying in pain and knowing that i couldn’t do anything for you was killing me. it took everything in rhea’s power to hold me back from running to you when she first hit your back, knowing that she shouldn’t have…” he started explaining himself and truth be told, you couldn’t stay mad at him for longer than 10 minutes “…i was scared when i saw you almost paralyzed inside the ring…and everything i told her was because she deserved it, i don’t care if she’s your friend, she shouldn’t have done that, so yeah maybe i’m too protective of you but it’s because i love you and i can’t fucking stand seeing you hurt and in pain” he slowly knelt in front of you, taking your hands into his bigger ones “i know you can handle yourself and you proved it so many times now, but if there’s a way i can protect you from getting hurt, i might get hurt from trying princess…” he whispered, bringing your hands to his lips.
you even forgot why you were mad in the first place “you would really get hurt for me?”
“i would take a hundred of bullets for you, i gotta protect what’s mine…” he slowly teased you.
“so i’m yours…”
“from the moment i saw you in the gym training with rhea” he helped you standing up “now…we’re gonna get you checked one more time and when you’re all clear to go, i’m gonna take you back to the hotel and we’re gonna have a very nice and cozy night in…just me and you” he proposed and you nodded.
happy that someone was there to take care of you, and that the person was damian himself.
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murkystarlight · 5 days
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DREAMZzz S2 spoilers pt.2
Okay- I lost all progress once. But this time it'll be fine. Right? Anyways... I lost my energy so I'm going to make it a bit more shorter and brief....
Starting off with the sirens. Can we appreciate that glossy tail?? We need them as figurines ASAP.
Izzie and Cooper suffering
I like the sticky hand Mateo makes. Probably the best one he made during his... *I miss z-blob phase*
And- have I mentioned the opening song before?? Cause it's really nice
RIP Sandman... where did he go??😭
I personally loved all the ✨family drama✨ in this season (also, poor Izzie that keeps thinking she forgot stuff she doesn't actually know. Must be really confusing)
And do they not know that their parents got divorced? I mean... they gotta be divorced, right?
(Did anyone hear Mr. Oz grumbling while he took out the dreamy-screamy?)
Cooper, not having any knowledge on tech giving an idea for using a Lumi-Caster, that's used for making light, while they're in broad daylight? Sad. But adorable
Why do they have headphones in the library? For kids who have trouble with the noise?
Zoey winking? And mentioning Way of the departed?? Then she punches a siren in the face???
(Logan needs more appreciation)
Dallas is doing a great job knitting
Throws headphones, lands on their heads perfectly
"Woah-"
Also, they almost get eaten. EATEN. By the sirens!? We need angst art on this👍
"Remember, DO IT QUIETLY" (he's Dumbledore) ((what color can I give mr oz? This is the only one left so))
Mrs. Castillo is the best
Cooper stressing out from not being able to turn on a computer- he's losing brain cells, oh god... and he got a temper like have you seen Mateo and Zoey's face? Shocked
(Oh~ then we must go north!)
Why are their colors the same? In the last season when they went through the rift the colors were like... faded and... dreamy
Or preferably. Like Zoey
"The fantasy realm? Sirens dont belong here!" (That's a bit mean- be like Cooper->) "well, they have to be somewhere, don't they?"
Why did Mateo tell Logan to play his song before they left the rift?? Or- at least when they're a little bit closer to the rift?
"I hope they don't eat anyone though"
Cooper was badass with that frying pan.
We got a new
Rapunzel
He looks so happy when he tagged the ravennn (the wacky-tracky looks like it resembles a bird. Don't you think? Or... is it just me..?)
aughhhh my heart
José and Jasmin look so happy togethr
(He also seems really down, he says so himself that "if I do one thing right today, please be this" he needs help y'alll)
Episode 4
And Mateo got over his mom a teenie weenie bit "we're all just figuring it out, right?"
(Sounds a bit...🏳️‍🌈) just saying! Don't take any of what I'm saying seriously
Logan's song. Let's see the good parts I found-
Mateo singing along and dancing(and being mad about it- btw, the z-blob drawing right in front of Mateo when he wakes up has got to be one of the cutest drawings yet). Zoey, Cooper, Mr. Oz and Albert dancing
Now-
Why can't they be supporting? I mean... okay.. maybe it's a bit weird (and I thought it was a bit weird too- especially when the other guy suddenly got so popular just as fast as Logan) but he's your friend?? Is it that surprising that Logan have fans? ....yeah.. okay, maybe?
(Also, Logan can do splits??)
Uh- I just noticed, Izzie has pickles on her lunch plate. Like- a full sized pickle! That's pretty much all she has on her plate
✨Sparkles✨
But Zoey. That was kinda mean- you... you were more than harsh
They really tried to make us belive that Jasmin is a witch or smth- but! I know my cliches. And at this situation? She's definitely just a normal person(and I was right)
Does Logan's beast crafting only work with his anger? I remember seeing a cool artwork with Logan using it with other emotions. Maybe later if he develops his powers?? Or.. something similar?
Why does some people only think of dancing and some people can keep thinking 'what the- why can't I stop??' And all that(like Zoey still complained)
Rupert Finneas Shufflebottom Oswald
How did Mateo and Izzie get up in a tree??
Cooper looks so darn cute!! Look at his smile! So precious
He looks... genuinely happy. Like... has he really been losing brain cells?
When Logan has his head down, the mouth animations looked really cool(also, I love the captions. Logan's official name as the blue gremlin is Lo-lo)
Zian and the frog cab is also dancing! Cute
"A lizard person from planet Sikoria!"
"And- why are we sitting on mrs. Castillo's food truck?"
"I don't want dad to hurt like I'm hurting right now.." such- a good kid
Is it just me or did Cooper really, actually get more laid-back than before??
Oh- so Logan is the tech guy now?
Logan looks so sad-
Well Zoey. You tried. It wasn't a bad apology, but.... not the best.
And Logan with a new instrument??
Episode 5
We need info! Why is the Never witch so mad?!!
But seriously- her incantations are just... really nice
Really sad that Izzie can't remember Phil...
Hate Royce
Cooper being...
Rebellious
Phil being the best wingman ever-
(The hug.... Phil- oh god)
"Coop, did you mess with this thing?"
"No, why?"
"Just wondering if you broke it"
"Wow."
The raven was being happy and cute making it's nest... aww
I like how Izzie keeps repeating what she did the first time(like trying to fly)
"Oh! Try asking it to lead us to the witch!"
"[Laughs].... oh, you're serious"
Oh right! The Grimm spawn disguise! We have a new costume now~
Logan's moms being bird ladies and everyone staring at Logan like he's gone mad
Izzie still doing the Naruto run
"We're close"
"Uh- close to what?"
"Her"
Yup. He's losing brain cells...
And that one scene when they retrieve their memories?(kinda). Oh..... boy
Cooper you poor thing! Nooooooo
I was very happy when I heard the sound of glass shattering. And.. why was it so sad?? They do not have the right to make it seem so sad
But like- even though this is great. Love the angst and all...(he barely got to be sad about it? He barely showed it) I hope Cooper gets his tech powers back. He can be a chef, and a tech guy. Like that show on Netflix! Baking impossible? I think it was? Making functioning cakes. But maybe the whole "tech guy" thing was like... a fence for him? He only thinks of things in that way. Maybe that's why he was the most closed(least creative) person at first. But now he's out of that boundary. And he does look like he's being more care-free and seems more brighter? (...in case you haven't noticed yet. He's my favorite character. He's going to take up about... half of the space in my rambling;;)
Zoey's past!
That was dark. Like... really cool though
I love how Izzie gets her memories back!
The armor coming together? Coool
Inspector Strick actually helping them??
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raspberrysmoon · 1 month
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Sorry if this is too many characters (and sorry they’re both bastard characters) but Sam sweetly and Wiley/Wilbur in I curse the day PLEASE
ohhhhhh you, my friend, have opened up a LARGE can of worms, and have asked about 3 characters and their partners/families :3 (also zero worries abt it being too many omg,,, you could send me 15 and id answer with joy. and i love bastard characters)
honey queen!zoey mention start
sam sweetly is. hes having a rough go
sam's girlfriend dies... really suddenly. he assumes she moved to clivesdale (as honey queens tend to) but i think he knows shes dead. he struggles with the lack of pussy this causes him, but he doesn't really mourn her.
then charlotte divorces him, and his world actually kind of falls apart. he really did care about her, i think, but he just didn't want to. so he didn't. its sort of like when an abusive parent dies, and while you wish you weren't upset, you still are.
he throws himself into work after that. she took the house (it was hers to begin with) and it.. would've left him homeless had he not been able to fall back on a coworker. he manages to get an apartment, but he only goes there to sleep.
sam doesn't really have a strong connection to anyone. probably wiggly, but its not even strong enough to cause any side effects
sam sweetly is killing himself, whether he knows it or not. if he does, then he certainly knows whos fault it is. he'll die in the line of duty, and they'll only bury him to get his body out of sight.
honey queen!zoey mention end
now, wilbur and wiley. i have a lot of feelings about these two. and, yes, i said two.
wilbur cross was a strong willed man. he was going to go home to his wife, and he was going to manage it unharmed.
thats what he told himself.
it didn't work out that way.
he fell to the hands (tentacles?) of his patron god, and no matter how strong willed you think you are, you can't fight the will of wiggly.
even if he wanted to, he can't come home anymore. there is no home for him to go home to. his wife is gone- more cursed than he- and the only other person he could call family has orders to shoot him on sight. six in the head, two in the heart. ideally, if john can stomach to do it, he would tear wilburs heart out, and tear it apart.
wilbur is still in there, somewhere. he's trapped and suffering more than any man could comprehend. if his wife could escape, then so could he.. but john can't hear him anymore.
mild gore warning for wiley. wiley is gross
uncle wiley is... a doormat. it'd probably have self-esteem issues if wiggly would let it. it grew out of the ashes of wilbur cross like a phoenix, and it hasn't lost its grip on life since.
if it can even be called alive. its skin falls off at a touch and its bones crack and crumble into dust under the pressure of gravity. but it can walk and speak and kill, so it must be alive.
it has no wife. it has no son. it has nothing but its god. it has no reason to want anything or anyone but its god. it will never dream of anything more than this.
(even if its god causes seizures so intense it takes days to wake up. even if its god takes its memories, and his consciousness. even if its god takes its ability to speak or swallow or breathe. uncle wiley doesn't need anything but wiggly.)
uncle wiley feels nothing but hatred toward miss holloway. it does not know her name, and it does not know where the ring on her came from. it does not know where that denim jacket came from. it wants that denim jacket. wiggly wants it to take the denim jacket.
it will have to kill to get that denim jacket.
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latinokokonoi · 25 days
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👽+ theo!!
👽 = a headcanon about a weird quirk of theirs
theo catches fish with his bare hands and throws some of them to bears and other piscivores. he keeps the other half for dinners with his parents or the bandits. he gives a few to sanji too <3
theo also always blushes and hides in a corner somewhere in the sunny when seeing nami appear because he has a puppy crush on her 😭😭 he refuses to come out of it, no matter how hard the adults and zoey try to convince him
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doctorofmagic · 2 years
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@brambleheartthestrange​ said:
Really sad to see, I loved the first semester and it looked like it had so much potential to be a regular, consistently good book
@digicom-online​ said:
Given how long it's been since there was even a peep of a follow-up, I'm starting to wonder if it was stealth canceled. The fact that Zoey is involved in a team book suggests that may be the case as well.
@eileen-crys​ said:
Disappointed again... it seems Skottie has no idea of how to handle the magic characters around Stephen (Jericho, Zelma, etc.) nor the Sanctum. It's all so random and disrespectful to the Strange lore and I'm sad because this series used to be good and I was very eager to get more. Marvel authors really need to talk with each other before throwing plots a la "random bullshit go!"
@kat-of-nine-tales​ said:
Hopefully it is cancelled and my girls Zoey and Dessy can show up somewhere else, like Midnight Suns.
What it pisses me off the most is the wasted potential about the relationships between teachers and students, like Illyana and Dessy (she’s S'ym’s daughter ffs!), Jericho and Zoe, Gus and Loki (Gus never ever having his character explored is also such a wasted potential) etc etc etc. Instead, the book went downhill with nothing to add to their relationships except a terrible portrayal.
The book wasn’t really cancelled since it’s coming back on summer but I do hope it’s just a final saga with Emily going full crazy and the Academy shutting down. Sorry, the characters deserve better, and it does warm my heart to see Zoe in the current canon instead. Free them please!!
And yes, I agree that Skottie butchered v4′s lore, first by using Mr. Misery in a way that portrays Stephen as a villain (as if it was his fault for manifesting depression, ok), then making Emily sympathize with Imperator, you know, the guy who burned sorcerers alive, yeah. And the latter for nothing cause Emily is now evil (?)
The characters are really amazing and interesting but the lack of respect is just... I KNOOOOW it’s a book for teenagers but still?? I can read IDW’s Marvel all day and it doesn’t make me roll my eyes in disappointment.
@prettywitchiusaka​ said:
Yeah. I'm tired of Waldron, too. I really hope for the third film that Ben pulls rank and demands a different writer, cause let's face it; Waldron's an idiot.
Amen, Vishanti. And speaking of which... have you folks watched the HISHE DSITMOM video? It's out and it’s already better than the movie itself x] it’s on youtube btw!
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Okay sooooo.. hear me out. here’s what we believe from the article  -
The OG 3 are not returning :( sigh.
And as we know, the factss are
1) The east high pix were taken way before hsmtmts s4 even began filming. As Tim said in an interview ages ago that V and Z “weren’t on the hsmtmts payroll” at that time but it felt very fate-like as they went ahead with the plot of season 4 being a reunion etc etc and that he then begun “actively persuing Z and V” for s4. I’m 100% sure that Zac was in Utah with Kodiak pancakes and the team/him made a lil pit stop just for funsies. and as V said in another interview she went by herself for a lil nostalgia cause she was there for a bball game.
HOWEVER take a trip down my wormhole for one sec…
They pick their words VERY carefully with the press.
“Ashley called me personally and was so lovely. She’s very busy launching brands and it just wasn’t the right timing,” Federle said. “And I got the feeling with Zac and Vanessa, who I don’t know personally but I’m a fan, reading the tea leaves, that by the time you get into negotiating what this would take, we’re gonna wrap and the show will be over.”
We for sure gather from here that Ashley won’t be in it and it wasn’t the right timing.
However, with Zac and Van he didn’t explicitly say no. It’s heavily implied that he must have spoken to their teams probably and they didn’t say noooo but the whole ordeal of them actually doing it would not have been possible with their other commitments. i mean, we are racking our brains here trying to figure out when they could’ve done it?? because FOR SURE both of them have been traveling like CRAZYYYY. like half the time we don’t even know how van gets from point a to b. like it’s INSANE. same with Zac like he’s here, then he pops up somewhere else like it’s wild. 
BUT he did say while he’s a fan he’s never MET them… hmmmm. could they have recorded something….?? (it’s giving 2016, 10 year reunion vibes with Zac). Still wouldn’t mean tim directly SPOKE to them/knows them etc but maybe there was a MOMENT with one of the cast?? like a quick phone call or smth idk.
Now, the ONLY things i don’t understand:
1) Why sweet, innocent Dylan got us hyped with his cryptic lil smiley on E news. Do we think maybe he knew zac had van had been approached (maybe he encouraged zac to do the cameo) but then alas, everyone’s schedules didn’t match up.
2) Why would they publish this article BEFORE the season drops. like… it doesn’t make sense strategically like - keep us guessing till the end. i mean sure we’ll be sad but i mean publicity wise josh and sofia are doing a better job lol being all cryptic like oo we can’t say who our favourite OG is hehe. And is it possible Tim would lie? to throw us off? idk. he hasn’t really done that b4 - i think he’s being pretty truthful.
3) THE FOLLOW. ?????? Although… i’m secretly not mad at the follow if it was for smth else / just reconnecting after a long time and NOT the show :)
4) WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT DEUXMOI BLIND. The AOL references (early 2000s stars for sure. Re:Union = reunion duh. SIX = the OG six. “something new” aka the start of something new. And decades old fandom is our old geriatric fandom ass LOL). the fact that it came up on aug 4 too… the same time the tim article came up. now, i’d think it was zoey 101 stuff but that was in july… and we’ve known about that movie for ages so….. EEEEEE FINGERS CROSSED???? IDK !
Also what about kenny? I wonder if he’s going to show up at any point??
Either way we’ll get more answers on August 9 lol.
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derangedangel · 3 years
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Kiss Interrupted - Klaus Mikaelson
Summary: Almost kiss, but interrupted for @idkhaylijah’s 3k followers challenge
Klaus Mikaelson x Reader
Word Count: 3,663
Author’s Note: Watch Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist which inspired this fic... okay it’s literally the base of this fic. Also, I didn’t realize until half way through it should be under 2k... sorry lol. Also the dress description I tried to give is the dress from Anastasia when she goes to the ballet. I haven’t posted in almost a year so be gentle please. 
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It was a quiet afternoon in the Mikaelson home and you were enjoying a lunch with Rebekah. These moments where rare and few. You told your friend you didn’t feel like going out so she had lunch brought to the two of you. The dining table was set up beautifully so you still felt like you were dinging at one of New Orleans’s finest restaurants. Elijah was off to the side, enjoying a new novel. 
“Dear sister, why didn’t I receive an invitation to your lunch,” Klaus asked making his presence known as he entered from his study. 
Rebecca sighed placing her raspberry lemonade down before she acknowledged her annoying brother. “Nik, if you want to go on a lunch date with Y/N, just ask her yourself,” she quipped then smirked at Klaus. 
Your eyes grew as you paused mid-fork lift at Rebekah’s statement. 
Klaus replied quickly, no one noticing you get flustered at the thought of Klaus and you on a date. “I just wanted to bond with my little sister.”
“Oh, rubbish,” Rebekah said.
After you regained your composure you spoke up. “Would you care to join us, Klaus? There’s plenty of food.”
Rebekah spoke up before Klaus could respond. “Don’t offer him anything, Y/N. He’s just trying to bother us.”
Ignoring his sister Klaus smiled at you and said, “Thank you, love, but I’ll pass.”
“See, you don’t have to be nice to him,” Rebekah said, taking another sip of her drink.
“I like your family, Beks,” you replied, smiling at your friend. “In fact, I was thinking about having a dinner for my birthday next week if you would all like to come,” you asked looking at each of the Mikaelsons in the room.
Rebekah looked at you in shock. “Your birthday is next week?! How did I not know this?”
“Well, we’ve only know each other for a little over a year and last year when it was my birthday you Mikaelsons were having one of your... wars in the quarter,” you answered Rebekah but eyed Klaus at the last part of your sentence. 
Klaus raised his hands up in defense. “Don’t blame me. Blame the witches.”
“No friend of mine’s is just going to have a bloody dinner for her birthday,” Rebekah protested.
“Rebekah, I’ve had 49 other birthdays before this one. It’s no big deal,” you said nonchalantly before you took another bite of your meal.
“You’re turning 50,” Rebekah practically screeched. 
“Yeah. I’m a vampire, birthdays really don’t mean much anymore. I’m fine with a quiet dinner. I don’t need a lot of fuss over it.”
“Oh poppycock, Y/N. Fifty is a huge deal, regardless of the fact that you’re a vampire now. I’m throwing you a party. End of discussion,” Rebekah said then wiped the side of her mouth with her napkin and preceded to get up.
“You really don’t ha-,” you began to say but Rebekah interrupted you.
“No, I don’t want to hear it. The party is already in motion. And you deserve it.”
Elijah finally spoke up from his quiet corner, flipping the page in his book as he spoke. “There’s no use in fighting it, Y/N. Once my sister has plans for an event in her head, there’s no stopping her.”
You sighed, “Fine, do what you must Rebekah.”
“Fantastic,” Rebekah said clasping her hands together in joy. “And you won’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll start planning right now.”
                                                        ~.~
A few days later, you were once again at the Mikaelson home. It started to feel like you were there more than you were at your own place. But as a vampire, you had nothing but time and wanted to spend it with people you cared about. 
You sat at the kitchen counter while Klaus poured you some blood.
“How’s the party planning going,” Klaus asked making eye contact with you as he finished pouring. 
“I wouldn’t know. The only thing Bekah asked me about was a guest list and colors. She told me to come over this morning and that’s all I know.”
“I suppose she’s staying to true to the part about you not having to worry then,” Klaus said. He poured himself a glass of blood as well, but was standing on the other side of the counter. You were happy with the distance. For the past few months, something was brewing between you and the hybrid. You tried to ignore it. It was wrong. Klaus was Rebekah’s brother. He had a daughter to worry about and a city to rule. Not to mention, you knew he was trouble. It was best just to be strictly platonic with Klaus.
“I wish that were the case. From what I’ve seen, she’s going all out. A huge ball, which is completely unnecessary. And, no offense, but I’ve heard whenever you Mikaelsons throw a ball, something bad goes down.”
Klaus took a sip from his glass and titled his head. “In our defense, when we through a ball, it’s usually a ploy to find out what the wolves, witches, or other vampires are up too, or stake our claim in a new town.”
“So your record of successful, nondeath having balls would be?”
Klaus paused and thought for a moment. “None.”
“See,” you shouted pointing out the potential problem with your birthday party. 
A small smile graced Klaus’s face as he shook his head. “I’m sure your birthday will be the exception to that record.”
“How do you know,” you asked worried. Klaus began to move closer to your side of the counter. 
“No one would dare ruin a ball in your honor,” Klaus answered in a slightly serious tone.
“Okay, but how do you know that? Things have been pretty good for your family lately. And what would be a better time to strike than at a ball?”
“I wouldn’t allow anything to ruin your night. I’ll make sure the entirety of New Orleans knows not to try anything on Saturday night. They can burn down the city on Sunday for all I care, but I’ll rip their throats out if they try anything on Saturday,” Klaus replied. Somehow in your worriedness over your party, Klaus ended up right in front of you. 
You chuckled at Klaus’s statement. “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course.”
The two of you stared at each other in silence. Klaus could hear your heart pounding in your chest and you knew it from the way he smirked. He glanced down at your lips and you swallowed out of nervousness. He began to lean in slowly and you knew what was coming. You wanted this to happen. You had imagined how Klaus’s lips would feel against your own and it was finally about to happen. Forget your hesitance about why you should just be friends. You wanted him.
Your eyelids fluttered closed but then the two of you jumped apart at the sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen.
“Y/N,” Hope shouted excitedly. 
“Hope,” you replied just as excitedly trying to ignore the pit in your stomach from almost kissing Klaus.
“Aunt Beks told me all about your party and I was wondering...,” she started then lingered hoping you would get the hit before she even had to ask.
You nodded smiling at the teenager. “Yes, Hope, you can invited whatever boy you have in mind.”
“Thank you,” she said eagerly as she hugged you.
“Boy?” Klaus perked up from where he now stood behind the counter again. “What boy?”
Hope looked to her father, but you spoke up before things had to get awkward between the lovestruck teenager and her overprotective father. “Oh Klaus, let the girl bring a date. It’s my party and I’m allowing it.”
“Well she’s my daughter,” Klaus replied.
“And it’s my party,” you said, eyes gleaming at Klaus. You had a sort of confidence at the fact that Klaus was going to kiss you. A boost in your ego if you will. “You wouldn’t deny the birthday girl what she wants on her birthday, would you?”
Klaus leaned over the counter smirking at you. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
You smiled back knowingly at him. 
You were a little lost in Klaus’s eyes so you didn’t initially notice when Rebekah entered the room.
“Alright, we’re already getting a late start. We’ve got to get moving, Y/N,” Rebekah said.
You turned away from Klaus to face your friend. “A late start on what, Bekah?”
“Dress shopping,” Rebekah said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. We have to find you a gown and have a seamstress tailor it to you. You have to look absolutely flawless on Saturday. I want it to look like you were born in that dress.”
You sighed closing your eyes to prepare yourself for the long day you knew you were about to have. Granted, you loved an extravagant gown and didn’t usually have a reason to wear one. But you knew Rebekah in party planning mode wasn’t going to be easy to deal with. “Fine, let me grab my bag and we can go.”
“Can I come too,” Hope asked looking between you and her aunt.
“Of course,” you smiled, happy to bring a buffer between you and Rebekah. 
                                                        ~.~
You were currently in your fourth dress. “Rebekah this is Hopeless.”
“I’m literally right here,” Hope said being cheeky.
You scowled at her joke and turned in the mirror. “I’m not loving any of these dresses. And this is our second store!”
“Be patient, darling,” Rebekah said as she went though another rack of dresses. “The prefect dress is here somewhere. Well, at least the perfect last minute dress.”
“Oh and speaking of last minute,” you said, stepping off the podium that was in front of the mirror, “I don’t have a date. How am I supposed to go to my own birthday ball dateless?”
“With the party I’m planning and the guest who will be trying to schmooze with you, you won’t even have time to entertain a date. And I’ll be busy on hostess duty so when I’m not with Marcel, you can dance with him.”
“Oh joy,” you said sarcastically turning on your heel. 
“And I’m sure one of my brothers will be loitering around somewhere. You can dance with one of them,” Rebekah said nonchalantly. Good thing she was busy looking at dresses or she would have seen your checks grow hot at the thought of dancing with Klaus. 
You walked over to another rack of dresses hoping to find the perfect one for your party. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw it. The perfect, show stopping, all eyes on you dress you had been searching for.
“Beks... I found it.”
Rebekah approached you and saw the dress you were holding so delicately in your hands. “You haven’t even tried it on yet.”
“I don’t need too. I already know.” You held the dress up to your body feeling the velvet material against your skin. “You think this is how brides feel when they find their wedding dress?”
Rebekah sighed, “I wouldn’t know.”
                                                            ~.~
After what felt like the longest week of your life, it was finally the night of your party. Rebekah made sure everything was taken care of, including having someone to do your hair and makeup. She even pulled out some old diamonds to go with your outfit. She mentioned something about a duchess owning them once, but your were to busy being blinded by the extravagant necklace to care. 
“Alright, the guest are starting to arrive,” Rebekah announced as she came into her room witch was your designated dressing room for the night. 
“Great! I’m ready,” you said standing up from your spot in front of the vanity. 
“Oh, you’re not going anywhere yet.”
“Why not,” you asked highly confused.
“You have to make an entrance! And you can’t do that with only ten people here,” Rebekah answered like you were out of your mind for even considering going down stairs.
You sat back down sighing. “So how long do I have to wait?”
“About thirty minutes.”
“What? But I’m ready now and-,” you began to say but Rebekah cut you off.
“No buts. You’ll thank me for it later when you see all those adoring people fawning over how incredible you look.”
“Fine,” you said crossing your arms over your chest. “Whatever.”
Thirty minutes later exactly, Rebekah returned and told you it was time. You left her room then waited for her to properly announce you before you made your way to the top of the stairs. She was right. It felt good to have everyone awing at how amazing you looked. You began to descend the stairs careful not to fall. Once you made it a few steps down, you saw Elijah ascend the stairs. Once he reached you, he held out his hand to escort you the rest of the way.
You smiled to the partygoers but spoke to the noble Mikaelson. “Thank you, Elijah. I was nervous I would tumble down these stairs then have to abruptly end the party out of embarrassment.”
Elijah kept his eyes forward as he lead you down the final steps. “You are more than welcome, Y/N. We couldn’t have the birthday girl enter her own party without a proper escort.”
You turned and smiled at him once you reached the bottom of the stairs. “We couldn’t,” you said then reached up to peck Elijah on the cheek. Out of the corner of your eye, you could have sworn you saw Klaus scowl at his older brother. 
The party was going smoothly. Rebekah did an incredible job and was a great hostess. Every passing minute, you worries about a potential Mikaleson threat ruining the night faded away. You danced with Marcel twice, and Elijah excused himself from Hayley to dance with you. Hope was having a wonderful time with her date, and as far as you could tell, Klaus hadn’t threatened the young man at all. Speaking of Klaus, you hadn’t seen much of him the whole night. 
The live band Rebekah hired switch to a new slow song and you quickly recognized the instrumental ballad they were playing. 
“I love this song,” you said softly to yourself. 
“Pardon me,” you heard a low accented voice say from behind you and you turned.  
“Would the birthday girl care to join me for a dance,” Klaus asked, his hand outstretched to you.
You tried to control you smile, but it grew wide and bright. “I’d love to,” you answered, then placed your hand in Klaus’s.
Klaus walked you to the dancefloor then slowly wrapped his hand around the small of your back and raised your join hands together.
“It’s about time you spoke to me tonight,” you said, being the first to break the silence. “I was beginning to think an enemy crashed my party and you were handling it.”
“I spent the past week threatening every supernatural creature within a 500 mile radius so that very thing would not happen,” Klaus said. 
Klaus was light on his feet. Elijah danced very formally. His steps were calculated. Marcel’s steps were more on the modern side. He danced to more upbeat songs with you. Saving the slow ones for Rebekah, so he could hold her close. Klaus was... smooth. You could tell he had the same classical dance style as his older brother, but he wasn’t as focused on making the next perfect step. He was graceful, but carefree. 
“Please forgive me for not finding you earlier to tell you how ravishing you look,” Klaus said making you blush and look away from his piercing eyes. Although it felt like Klaus was ghost for most of the night, his eyes didn’t leave you wherever you went in the room. From the moment you entered the party, his eyes were glued to you. He was jealous he didn’t get to help you down the stairs. Your navy dress fit you like a glove. The sparkles on the cape-like feature always hit the light just right so you couldn’t be missed. He wished you weren’t wearing gloves so he could feel the velvet soft skin of your hand against his.
“Thank you. It was all Rebekah honestly,” you said then looked back up into Klaus’s eyes, “she put all this together. I just picked out the dress.” 
“No,” Klaus said softly shaking his head at you. You tilted your head in question at his response. “Do not give my sister the credit. Yes, she may have helped with your hair and the makeup, but even without that, you would still be breathtaking.”
After that compliment you were sure you would have a permeant smile on your face for the rest of the night. You didn’t know how to respond to Klaus’s sweet words. Your hand that was placed on his shoulder gently went to the nape of his neck. You moved in closer to him so your chests were now pressed against each other. Klaus’s grip around your waist tightened. There was a warmth in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before. He began to lean down and your eyes fluttered shut.
“May I have everyone’s attention,” Rebekah’s voice boomed around the room without the need for a mic in her hands.
The bleak feeling of disappointment overtook you and Klaus as you pulled apart. Your hand glided down his arm, wanting to remain touching him in some way. 
“If the birthday girl would please come to the front so...”
                                                         ~.~
The party was basically over now. Just a few stragglers left. Everything went off without a hitch. You couldn’t have asked for a better night. Well, there was one thing you could ask for.
“Klaus?”
Klaus was alone on the balcony. Typical dramatic Mikaelson. 
He turned when you called his name. Your silhouette was perfect against the night sky. “Shouldn’t you be inside entertaining guest,” Klaus asked.
“I’m all party-ied out now,” you said then chuckled. A short breeze came by making you shiver as you reached Klaus near the railing.
“Here,” Klaus said, taking off his suit jacket and placing it over your shoulders. His hands lingered on you arms. “You should be inside.”
You tried to ignore the thud of you heart against your rib cage so you could speak. “You should be inside, too,” you pointed out, seeing as he was outside before you.
“Thousand year old hybrid here, love,” Klaus said smiling down at you. His hands left your arms and were now in his pant’s pockets.
“Fifty year old vampire here, Nik,” you stated being a smartass. 
Klaus shook his head as he laughed. “I think I may have you beat by a few hundred years.”
“Yeah, well, I should be fine out here as long as you’re here,” you said turning to the balcony, no longer looking at him.
There it was again. That warmth he felt when he was around you. It was like sunshine after a long and dark snowstorm. He felt light, at ease with you.
“You will be,” Klaus said. You turned your head to look at him and he was smirking at you. 
You felt nervous and giddy at the same time. Like a high schooler texting a new crush.  “What,” you asked smiling at him.
“You...,” Klaus said, his eyes trailed over your body. “You’re remarkable. I’ve done a countless amount of horrible things, but somehow, I’ve gotten the chance to know you... and you’re incredible.”
Your nerves were getting the best of you. Once again, you tried your best to control you smile, but you face was getting hot. “Klaus...,” you mutter, his name coming off your lips like a secret you wanted to keep for yourself. You nudged him lightly with your hand in a playful matter, but he grabbed it. His eyes serious on you.
He pulled you in closer. Your eyes searching his face for an answer to the thousands of questions that were going through your head. Suddenly, he let go of your hand and walked away. You were shocked to say the least. Blinking back utter confusion. 
Klaus walked up to the balcony doors and shut them. He turned around and faced you, a devilish grin on his face. “So we don’t get interrupted this time.”
Your shoulders relaxed as you smiled. Your sudden confusion melting away and turning to joy. “Good thinking.” 
Klaus took wide steps towards you, meeting you most of the way as you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around his shoulders once he reached you. His hands gripped your waist. His lips finally collided with yours. No interruptions. No worrying about what other people would think, or reasons why this could be a bad idea. Just you and him.
It was a good thing that the two of you were already dead, because the kiss was heart stopping. You removed your gloves earlier in the night, so your delicate hands were roaming through his hair as the kiss grew more intense. 
A flame ignited in Klaus’s chest from your touch. Your kiss was intoxicating and he knew he would never get enough. Why did he wait so long to do this again?
Klaus pulled back just as breathless as you. His hands rested respectfully on your lower back, while one of your hands was on his chest and the other in his hair. 
“Happy birthday, Y/N, ” Klaus said softly. 
In you post kiss daze you replied, “huh?”
“It’s after midnight,” Klaus explained. “You’re party was on Saturday, but now it’s Sunday. So it’s officially your birthday.”
A warm feeling grew in your tummy. This man already knew you so well. “Thank you,” you said gleaming up at him. You were already in deep with Klaus. There was no turning back now.
“You’re welcome, love,” Klaus replied. His hand now cupping your cheek as he gazed into your eyes. 
“Best. Birthday. Ever.”
149 notes · View notes
drmmyrs · 3 years
Text
The Way I Loved You (Poppy x MC)
Soo bear with me since I think this might be a long series. This part is mostly just establishing the story so there is little to no fluff yet.
But stiiill, let me know what you guys think and I’d really appreciate feedback/constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy and if not, thanks for reading anyways :)) 
tag list: @whackawriting @samanthadalton @crazzyplays @uselesslesbianfr (ithis is my taglist I thiiink, but if you wanna be added or removed just let me know)  
Pairing: Poppy x MC (Bea)
Word Count: 1650
Warning: Little swearing (at least for this part)
A/N: This is from the part before Poppy and MC were paired for a project
Bea had been at Belvoire for two months now, but she still wasn't used to waking up on a queen-sized canopy bed fitted with luxe sateen sheets in a bedroom which probably cost more than her family's house back at Farmsville. She glanced at the clock–11:30 am. She still had some time to spare before her first class. How people managed to wake up early on this luxurious bed made of clouds, she didn't know.
After a few more minutes of daydreaming, Bea begrudgingly pulled herself out of bed. She was preparing her outfit when the smell of heaven wafted through the bedroom door–bacon and pancakes. Like some kind of puppet on strings, Bea let herself be led by the delicious aroma to the kitchen where Zoey was expertly pouring pancake batter on a pan.
"I didn't know I was roommates with a master chef," Bea jested.
Zoey turned around at Bea's voice, and as she saw her, a smirk crawled up her lips.
"Well, don't you look sexy." Zoey eyed Bea up and down with an amused look on her face.
Bea glanced down at her outfit and saw that she was still in her pajamas. "Whatever Zo, not everyone can rock designer outfits even in bed."
"Hey, I'm not complaining. Besides, Spongebob PJs do have a certain charm."
Bea rolled her eyes while smiling. "So, what are we having for breakfast?"
"I'm pretty sure it's lunch. And aren't you supposed to be in class, like, right about now?"
"Nah, my Tuesday classes aren't until one o'clock."
Zoey stared at Bea. "Babe, it's Wednesday."
Bea's eyes widened at Zoey's words. "No, no, no, Professor Roberta is gonna kill me."
Bea rushed to her room and hastily changed her clothes faster than she thought was possible. She contemplated going to class au naturel, but ultimately decided against it. Bea was not ugly by any means without makeup, but in a sea of extremely contoured cheeks and false eyelashes, having no makeup was basically social suicide, especially since Poppy was in that class. Ugh, great. Of course, I'm late to the only class I have with Poppy.
When Bea thought she was presentable enough, she sprinted out the door but not before grabbing a handful of pancakes and shoving it to her mouth, looking like a chipmunk in the process. The T is gonna have a field day if someone saw me like this. Bea slowed her sprint to a stride as she swallowed the last of the pancakes.
Bea arrived in class forty-five minutes late.
"Look who finally decided to join us," Professor Roberta said in disdain.
"Sorry Professor, won't happen again."
"I'm sure it won't. And since you decided to join us so late, you're gonna have to work with Ms. Min-Sinclair over here for your community service project."
Oh hell no.
Sure enough, Poppy was sitting alone, glaring at her, and Bea could almost swear she could see smoke coming out of her nose.
Bea hesitantly sat down beside Poppy.
"Look Poppy, let's be civil about this and finish this project fast so we–"
"We're not going to do anything, Farmsville. I will ace this project and you will stay out of my damn way."
"Like hell I'm gonna let you take all the credit."
"Is there a problem here?" The professor glowered at Poppy and Bea.
"None professor, we were just calmly discussing the details of the project," Poppy responded with a fake smile.
Bea rolled her eyes. Kiss ass.
Once the professor was out of earshot, Poppy sharply turned to Bea. "Be ready on Friday, we're going to a foster home in Middletown."
"Middletown? But that's like an hour away!"
"I don't see you coming up with better ideas," Poppy hissed.
"I–I–"
"I thought so. Do not be late, Farmsville. I don't want you taking more of my time than you already do," Poppy said with a glare before she grabbed her Chanel purse and strode away.
***
Back at her dorm, Bea was resting her head on her hands on the dining table when Zoey arrived.
Upon seeing Bea, Zoey immediately took a seat beside her and placed her hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "Aww, babe. Was Professor Roberta that mad?"
Bea turned to face Zoey. "No, but it was much, much worse."
Zoey raised her eyebrow.
"I was paired with Satan for our project."
"Poppy?"
Bea nodded. "She even wanted to do the project in Middletown. Middletown. That's like an hour away! I mean surely there has to be another community that needs servicing that doesn't require an hour drive with Poppy."
Zoey pretended to think thoughtfully. "Hmm, maybe she finally found a way to get rid of you permanently?"
"I'm serious, Zo." Bea glared at Zoey.
Zoey laughed. "Okay, okay, sorry. But do bring holy water just in case."
Bea groaned and stood up from the chair before ambling to her bedroom. "I'm going to bed."
Before Bea was able to shut the door, Zoey called out after her. "You'll survive, babe! Give her hell for me."
***
Just a few minutes after Bea got back from her classes, she heard the sound of consecutive horns outside which she immediately knew were from Poppy. No one else is obnoxious enough to disturb an entire dormitory. With a sigh, Bea grabbed her things and trudged outside.
When Bea got outside, Poppy's Range Rover was parked at the curb. Bea walked to the passenger's side and opened the door.
"Be a dear will you and don't touch anything, I don't want your filthy hands staining my car."
Bea rolled her eyes. Hello to you, too.
The first few minutes of the drive were silent except for the light rain that started drizzling on the windshield, that is, until Bea asked Poppy, "why are we going all the way to Middletown anyway? There's probably some–"
"Remember that time when I asked for your opinion?"
Bea just glared at Poppy.
"Me neither. So, shut up, Hughes."
"How about you take a day off from being a bitch, Poppy. Seeing that you've had your whole life being just that," Bea rebuked.
The entire car ride was spent with both girls hurling insults at each other that it was honestly surprising that Poppy didn't kick Bea out of the car in the middle of the road.
After one looong hour, they finally arrived.
"Don't get in my way, Farmsville," Poppy warned as she approached the house and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, a middle-aged woman opened the door.
"Poppy! What a pleasant surprise. Come on in." The woman gestured them inside.
Hang on, how does she know Poppy?
The woman led Bea and Poppy to a couch and asked them if they wanted something to drink, to which both of them politely declined.
"So, Brenda. How is the family?" Poppy was wearing a smile that might actually be... genuine?
Bea stared at Poppy in shock. Not only were they on a first-name basis, but Poppy was actually nice to someone that doesn't involve sucking up.
"They're doing great! Thomas actually just got promoted recently so we're gonna take the kids somewhere nice sometime next week."
"That's amazing, send Thomas my regards."
Okay, what the hell is happening?
After a few more polite conversations, Brenda turned to Bea. "You haven't introduced me to your friend yet." Brenda extended her hand to Bea. "I'm Brenda."
Bea wore her biggest smile as she shook Brenda's hand. "Bea. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Poppy cleared her throat. "Actually, we came here for a community service project, and we were hoping that we could throw the kids a small party and maybe at the same time we can do a photography shoot that can be shared to prospective families. Do you think we can do that?"
"Oh, certainly! I'm sure the kids would love that."
"That's great to hear. Where are they anyway?"
"They're actually out there playing with the toys you sent them. Come on, I'll lead you to them." Brenda stood up and walked towards the back door.
Poppy started to follow her but turned around when she noticed Bea was still sitting down.
"If you're just gonna sit there like a half-wit, do us a favor Farmsville, and do it far away from here."
Still in disbelief, Bea stood up and followed Poppy and Brenda to the yard where Poppy was greeted enthusiastically by five kids. She watched as Poppy played with them with such kindness and compassion that she couldn't help but smile as most of her anger towards the blonde was replaced with warmth and some other indescribable feelings. After a few more games where Bea was basically manhandled by Poppy to join, all of them went back inside exhausted. As it was already getting late, Bea and Poppy said their farewells to Brenda and the kids with a promise of returning on Sunday for the party and went back on the road.
Bea had so many questions she wanted to ask Poppy but the look on Poppy's face implied that she probably won't be answering any of those. A few minutes later, there was suddenly a huge downpour of rain that Poppy had to park the car. Bea then received a text from Zoey, and as she read it, a look of dread flashed across her face.
Poppy frowned upon seeing the look on Bea's face. "What is it now?"
"There's a typhoon. We're stuck here."
***
Bea and Poppy managed to find a decent hotel nearby where they decided to stay until the typhoon passed.
"Two rooms, please. And make them as far away as possible," Poppy said to the receptionist while handing him her credit card, giving Bea a glare at the last sentence.
And here I thought we're finally making progress.
"I'm sorry Ms. Min-Sinclair, we only have one more room available for tonight."
111 notes · View notes
rookie-ramsey · 3 years
Text
Eclipse, Chapter 2 (Ethan X MC)
Description: Five years after the birth of their unexpected twins, Ethan and Olivia are expecting their third child. Even if they planned the pregnancy this time around, they learn that not everything goes as planned.
Rating: PG-13
Preview: Ethan’s hand brushed against her warm forehead. “You’re not nauseous from the pregnancy. Zoey and Jonah are both sick. They’re throwing up and have temperatures of 100 and 100.2.”
Olivia sighed. “I should’ve thought of that. The stomach bug is going through their school. They can sleep in here if they want to. You should sleep somewhere else so we don’t give you the plague.”
Ethan shook his head. “I haven’t had a stomach virus since I was ten.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re the Dr. Infallible Ramsey, immune to all human ailments. You have a golden immune system.”
Previous Chapter
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On Sunday afternoon, Ethan read a book on the couch while the kids played and Olivia was out for lunch with Sienna. He looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Jonah and Zoey walking into the living room, both wearing their little lab coats and carrying their toy doctor’s kit.
“Daddy, can you play with us?”
Ethan set his book aside and nodded. “Sure.”
“What are your symptoms, Daddy?” Zoey grabbed a stethoscope, one of Ethan’s old ones, and knelt next to him on the couch. She touched the stethoscope to his chest and listened.
Playing along, Ethan pressed his lips in thought. “I have a terrible headache. Can you take care of it?”
“Yep! Jonah, get the Band-Aids!”
Jonah grabbed a box of bandages from their bag. “Got em!”
Zoey dug a Cookie Monster Band-Aid out of the box and unwrapped it. She stuck it to Ethan’s forehead and nodded in approval. “Okay. We’re done with you.”
Ethan feigned a frown. “A Band-Aid for a headache? Don’t you think you should be more thorough?”
“It’s a Cookie Monster Band-Aid,” Zoey supplied, shaking her head as she put the package back in their bag.
Jonah wrote some numbers on a piece of construction paper. With a mischievous smile, he handed it to his father. “Here’s your bill! That’s gonna be two hundred eleven dollars and… eight cents.”
“Did you even try to bill my insurance?”
“We don’t do that here!”
Ethan arched a brow. “I think this clinic is corrupt. I come in with a severe headache and I don’t even get an MRI?”
“Nope,” Jonah responded, trying to contain a laugh.
“Hmm. Why should I pay this bill?”
Zoey shrugged. “Okay, then. If you don’t pay, you can’t keep the Band-Aid.” With a giggle, she peeled the bandage off his forehead and tossed it aside.
“I think I’d like to see your medical licenses.”
Jonah shook his head. “I lost mine!”
“And you’re still practicing?”
“I’m just the bill person now.” Jonah shrugged. “I get to be the doctor next.”
Zoey handed him another sheet of construction paper with her name scrawled on it. “See? It says Doctor Zoey Ramsey on it!”
“Hmm. I still think this is medical negligence.”
Both kids laughed. Jonah took the stethoscope from his sister and leaned against Ethan’s knee. “Alright, I’m the doctor now. Make up a new sickness.”
When the front door opened, the twins looked up and waved. “Hi, Mommy!”
“Hi there. What’s going on in here?”
Jonah held up their doctor’s kit. “Medical negligence!”
“You can’t have a fun Sunday afternoon without that.”
“How was your lunch?” Ethan asked as she sat down next to him.
“Good. The baby made me eat tacos. We’ll see if they make a reappearance later. So far, I’ve only violently puked three times this pregnancy.”
“Here you go!” Jonah opened the Band-Aid box and stuck a Big Bird one to her abdomen.
“Huh. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be amused or offended at the Big Bird implication.” Olivia ran her hand over her stomach when she felt a soft kick.
“Is our sister kicking?” Jonah asked.
“Uh huh.” Olivia took each of their hands and guided them to her stomach. “Feel it?”
“Yeah!” Zoey’s brow pinched in concentration. “It tickles my hand.”
“You two kicked a lot, but you didn’t start it until a little later. I’m pretty sure you were trying to kick each other.”
They laughed and picked up their toys before they left to play in their playroom. Olivia rested her feet on the table and leaned against Ethan, making herself comfortable.
“How are you feeling?”
“Alright. For now I just want to focus on controlling what I can. Even if she has to have a major heart surgery, we don’t have all the answers yet. Worrying 24/7 won’t change that.”
Ethan slipped his arm around her. “We’ll find out more at your next appointment.”
She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze. “Aside from being treated by five-year-old doctors, how was your day?”
He chuckled. “Uneventful. They asked for chicken tonight.”
“I agree with that.”
That evening, she helped Ethan fix dinner. Even though the chicken and potatoes looked and smelled mouth-watering, Olivia could feel the beginnings of nausea and she ate lightly to avoid unsettling her stomach.
Some time after they’d gone to bed, she awoke with an uncomfortable churning in her stomach. She grimaced and curled up on her side, willing the feeling to pass.
It didn’t, and she lurched out of bed when bile rose in her throat. She made it to their bathroom just in time and dropped to her knees in front of the toilet. A gag escaped her as she emptied the contents of her stomach.
Awoken by the noise, Ethan joined her in the bathroom. He held her hair back and rubbed her back with his other hand.
Olivia groaned. “I think I jinxed myself. Morning sickness just struck at one in the morning.”
“It happened like that last time. It’s not common for morning sickness to start in the second trimester, but it’s not unheard of.”
“It should be.” Olivia cringed and wiped at her mouth. She brushed her teeth to get the bitter taste out, then yawned and sleepily made her way back to bed. “Can you get me some water?”
Ethan retrieved a bottle of water from the kitchen and took it to Olivia. “Here. Keep yourself hydrated.”
Olivia sipped slowly from the water and yawned. “I guess the baby decided she doesn’t like tacos. Or chicken and potatoes.”
In the hallway, a door swung open. Ethan heard footsteps darting into the hallway bathroom. He left their room to investigate and found Jonah hunched over the toilet, throwing up.
Uh oh.
Suspecting that they were in fact not dealing with morning sickness, Ethan followed his son into the bathroom. His expression softened when Jonah looked up with a sad frown. “Feeling bad?”
“Yeah…” Jonah made a face as he leaned over the toilet again. Ethan knelt next to him and pressed his hand to his forehead, finding it warm to the touch.
Zoey ran into the bathroom with her hands clasped over her mouth. Seeing her brother leaning over the toilet, she dropped to her knees and retched into the trash can. “Yuck…”
Ethan found the thermometer and checked their temperatures. They were elevated, but not badly, to his relief. “Let’s get back to bed.”
He picked them up and carried Jonah to his room first. He tucked him into bed and moved his trash can next to his bed in case he threw up again. “Here you go. I’m going to get your sister to bed, and then I’ll bring you something to drink.”
“Okay…”
Ethan repeated the process with Zoey and made sure both kids were settled before he returned to his bedroom.
Olivia emerged from the bathroom, her expression sour. “I thought I was empty, but apparently not.”
Ethan’s hand brushed against her warm forehead. “You’re not nauseous from the pregnancy. Zoey and Jonah are both sick. They’re throwing up and have temperatures of 100 and 100.2.”
Olivia sighed. “I should’ve thought of that. The stomach bug is going through their school. They can sleep in here if they want to. You should sleep somewhere else so we don’t give you the plague.”
Ethan shook his head. “I haven’t had a stomach virus since I was ten.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re the Dr. Infallible Ramsey, immune to all human ailments. You have a golden immune system.”
He shrugged. “Either way, I’ve already been exposed to all three of you. There’s not much point in isolating myself now.”
“Fair enough.”
Ethan left the room to check on the kids, finding them both awake and purely miserable. He carried them to their bedroom and set them down on the bed. They immediately ducked under the covers. When Ethan lay down, Zoey and Jonah snuggled in between their parents and closed their eyes.
“I think a king-sized bed was the right choice,” Olivia yawned, closing her eyes and pulling the covers up to her chin.
“Are we gonna have to take medicine?” At the thought, Zoey wrinkled her nose.
Ethan shook his head. “It wouldn’t help a stomach virus. All you can do is stay hydrated and try to rest as much as possible.”
“Okay. Are you gonna get sick, too?”
“No.”
“Daddy never gets sick,” Jonah reminded his sister.
Olivia snorted. “We’ll see if that theory is true in a few hours.”
By four in the morning, they had a pile of vomit-soiled clothes and sheets. Eventually, after a few hours and cups of ginger ale,  they drifted off to sleep and slept through the early morning hours without waking up to throw up.
Despite the long night, Ethan’s internal alarm woke him moments before sunlight spilled through the window blinds. He stifled a yawn and gently untangled himself from Jonah’s arm thrown across his chest and Zoey’s leg draped across his stomach.
He gathered the pajamas and bedding and started the washing machine, then emptied all of the trash cans and put clean bags in them in case they had a round two of last night’s occurrences.
An hour later, Olivia yawned as she joined him in the living room. “Did you call in?”
“Mm hmm. For both of us, and I called the school.”
“I’m lucky to have someone who’s programmed to run off of two minutes of sleep. I refuse to wake up before the sun when I have a day off.”
“Habit. I try, but my brain isn’t wired to sleep in on days I’m used to going to work.”
Olivia nodded as she opened the fridge and poured a small glass of ginger ale. She took a tentative sip, drinking it slowly in case her stomach decided to expel that, too. “The kids are still out cold. None of us have thrown up for over three hours.”
“The worst of it is probably over.”
“Well, we did have a doctor who made a night-long house call,” she chuckled. “Even if it meant letting three contagious people sleep in his bed all night.”
Ethan laughed quietly. “Sounds like a good doctor.”
Zoey and Jonah shuffled into the kitchen, both yawning and wearing Ethan’s old tee shirts from Hopkins. They climbed into their seats at the table. Ethan didn’t want them to risk unsettling their stomachs again, so he gave them each a cup of Pedialyte and some toast to try.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and raised the mug to his lips. When the scent of freshly brewed coffee hit his senses, he paused. Normally the smell was inviting in the morning, but today it made him blanch.
Olivia gave him a curious glance. “You look like I did last night.”
“I think I feel that way, too.”  Cringing, he set the mug down and poured a glass of ginger ale instead. He took a few sips, only to set it down moments later. Olivia followed him when he left the room and found him throwing up in their bathroom.
“I’d say I told you so, but I know that would be a little harsh right now,” she teased gently, laying her hand on his back.
Ethan winced in disgust and took a swig of mouthwash to get rid of the taste. “I suppose my ego had me convinced I wouldn’t get sick. I stand corrected.”
She squeezed his shoulder. “Well, I’m feeling better than I did last night, so I think I can manage Zoey and Jonah for now. They’ll probably just nap most of the day.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am.” Taking over, Olivia gripped his shoulders and steered him toward the bed. She urged him to lie down and pulled the covers over him. “Let me get the kids settled in and I’ll be right back.”
“Alright.”
She made her way to their bedroom door and paused, glancing back at him with an accusatory frown. “Oh, and by the way…. I told you so.”
Next Chapter
Tags, part 1
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k-llama-llama · 4 years
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Income
Stray Kids AU: 9th member
Tori x Stray Kids
The boys start to pick up on something during a vlive.
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“Tori, can you dance to Blueming?” Seungmin read the comments.
Tori wrinkled her nose at the camera. “Wouldn’t you rather see me dance to something else?”
Minho watched as the comments rolled in. “Are you afraid to show them? Have you already forgotten the choreography?”
Tori shook her head with a laugh. “Not a chance. But Stay just watched me promote for two weeks, I’m sure they’d like to see me do something else.”
“If you won’t show them Blueming, then I guess we’ll have to.” Seungmin pushed himself up off the floor.
“Yah, don’t embarrass me.” Tori laughed.
“I won’t.” Minho gave the camera a thumbs up. “I taught her everything she knows.”
“That’s not true.” Tori whispered as she pulled up the song on her phone.
She rarely did solo vlives, preferring to feature in someone else’s or just wait for group ones. But having just finished her solo promotions she’d figured that it would be nice to do a solo vlive and thank the fans for being so wonderful during her first ever solo.
Of course, then Seungmin and Minho had decided to join in on her ‘solo’ vlive.
“I hope everyone is ready for this.” Tori laughed as she hit play on her song.
“The dance is a lot harder than it looks.” Tori said, looking at the camera and readings the comments as the boys freestyled behind her. “It took me along time to learn it, but I wanted to make sure that Stay would enjoy my performance.”
“Stop talking, here we go!” Seungmin shouted.
Tori scooted over so that the camera had a good view of whatever the boys were planning.
Which was apparently an overexaggerated rendition of her song. Minho looked close to throwing out a hip, and Seungmin looked like he was putting everything into it, but was probably going to roll an ankle.
“Yah, Lee Know!” Tori shouted. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I’m a flower blooming!” He protested, before beginning to sing. “I feel Blooooom, Bloooom!”
Seungmin made a noise that sounded somewhere between a whistle and a squeak. “I gotta know, Tor – how did you do this in those dresses.”
“Everything is easier in a pretty dress.” Tori explained. “Look, I still have my nails done.” She showed the camera the delicately done blue roses. “I need to pick a new design. Do you think I should get a mermaid design or clouds?”
She was asking the camera, but the boys didn’t hesitate to give their input as well.
“I vote mermaid.” Seungmin said.
“I vote clouds.” Minho answered.
“I wasn’t asking you guys.” Tori leaned forward to read the comments. “You guys all have different opinions. How about I post on Instagram tomorrow, and everyone can vote there, okay?”
“Vote clouds!” Seungmin shouted.
“Be quiet, weirdo.” Tori gave him a shove. “Thank you all so much for hanging out with us tonight, and for supporting me during the Blueming promotions. I promise to do another vlive soon!”
The guys said their goodbyes, and then Tori blew one final kiss and shut off the camera.
“Phew.” She collapsed back to lay on the ground. “We did it.”
“We did it?” Minho crouched down next to her. “You just talked the whole time.”
“And then just wanted to dance to other songs.” Seungmin added. “As much as we love Twice, I think everyone wanted to see you dance to your song.”
“They’ve been watching it for two weeks.” Tori did a backwards somersault to stand up. “I can dance to something else. I still need to work on the Open Mind choreography though.”
“You dress different now.” Minho said, looking up at her.
“What?” She glanced at Seungmin, who just shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“She’s just in her practice clothes.” Seungmin said. “Maybe a little less homeless than usual.”
“Thanks, man.” Tori rolled her eyes, turning to look in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. She was wearing low rise baggy sweatpants and a black cropped tank top. It didn’t seem any different from what she’d normally wear.
“I don’t mean right now.” Minho said. “I mean in general. Yesterday you wore a Chanel shirt to practice.”
“Sumi gave it to me.”
“And the day before, you had sneakers that were easily a thousand dollars.”
“You know….” Seungmin tilted his head. “You were using that new bag – the black one with the pearl stuff on it. Is that Chanel too?”
Tori crossed her arms. “The shirt and bag were from Sumi. She has a brand deal. And the sneakers I bought with my own money.”
“Since when do you wear designer stuff?” Minho asked.
“Since now?” Tori rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about? I’m not allowed to dress nice?”
“Sure, you can. I’m just trying to find out why you won’t perform your solo song but are dressing in nice clothes you pay for with your solo stuff.” Minho tilted his head.
“What do you mean I won’t perform my solo song?” She exclaimed. “I performed it like a hundred times over the past few weeks.”
“So you’re tired of it?”
“Sure…I…I guess so.” She hesitated slightly, and they both noticed.
Seungmin sat straight up. “You’re lying. Why are you lying?”
“I’m not lying.” Tori protested.
“You’re not tired of your solo song, and you bought all of those clothes for yourself.” Minho declared. “It’s not a bad thing.”
“Just tell us why you’re being weird about it.” Seungmin told her. “Why don’t you want to perform or admit you bought things for yourself?”
Tori sighed, looking at the ground. “Was it that obvious.”
“Yes.” Minho said.
“Not really.” Seungmin said.
Tori sighed again. “I don’t know….you guys put a lot on hold for me to be able to promote this song. I just don’t want to drag it out any more than I already have.”
“You aren’t dragging it out. Your song is awesome.” Seungmin told her. “You can be excited about it for as long as you want, because we’re excited about it too.”
“And why would we care about what clothes you wear?” Minho asked. “We’ve literally never cared.”
“I know…but it’s more of…you know, that I’m making…”
“Money?” Minho finished. “Is this because you’re making money?”
“We’re all making money.” Seungmin looked confused.
Tori just looked at the ground.
“But you’re making more.” Minho realized. “Is that what this is about? You feel weird because you’re making more money than us?”
“It’s just with the girl group and then this…plus the thing I did with Zoey…I just didn’t want to make it weird.”
 “Tor, we don’t care.” Seungmin laughed. “We’re proud of you, everyone is.”
“I know, and I love you guys for it.” She frowned. “I just didn’t want to…rub it in, I guess. By starting to wear all of the nice clothes.”
“It’s your money, you can spend it however you want.” Minho said.
“I bought the shirt when I was out with Sumi. And the sneakers were Yinnie’s idea and I didn’t want to seem weird but I-“
“Tor, you don’t have to explain it.” Seungmin rolled his eyes. “You can dress as nice as you like. All it means is that you’re doing awesome, and we’ll expect nicer Christmas gifts.”
She bit her lip. “I’m good at Christmas gifts.”
“Cool. So stop being weird about your song.” Minho flopped onto his back. “Dress however you want and we’re not going to have a problem.”
“What if I just start wearing all Gucci or something?”
Seungmin snorted. “You aren’t making that much money.”
“I could be!”
“You’re not.” Minho replied. “And honestly you’ve been ordering your clothes from Amazon for too long. This is probably good for the group in the long run.”
“Amazon has a lot of nice stuff.”
“Not as nice as Chanel.”
“This is true.”
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ecoamerica · 2 months
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youtube
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
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palukoo · 3 years
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ooh Idea- donna is AMY’s assistant for the au asks?
ooh boy okay!! this got really fucking long because of course it did! yk, the post said 5+, so!! there’s like 11 bullet points that are all very long under a cut
donna still does go to the bartlet campaign first. i think she maybe leaves a little bit in because she realizes she doesn't like campaigning that much, because you aren't getting anything done yet, and she wants to be getting things done now. or maybe, actually, when she leaves the bartlet campaign for her boyfriend, she's too embarassed to go back after breaking up with him, and ends up looking for other ways of working in politics
how she ends up working for amy, and where amy is working are really, really funny conceptually to me. because i'm a little obsessive about where amy is working when but the timelines don't make a ton of sense? she'd either be at now or the wlc, probably, and either is fine bc tww is also pretty vague on what amy actually like functionally does? she's a political director iirc, but i make her more of a lobbyist, bc she does some lobbying in canon, but she also gives speeches and does debate prep? idk. anyways, i like the idea of donna just going into the wlc or now bc women's rights! but i also think it's kind of hysterical if it's more pointed/less random, like josh either suggests it or mentions amy in passing and donna is like oh that sounds fun. i feel like she may actually apply in this case, but who knows? anyways, amy is impressed by her work ethic and sense of humor and her experience with the bartlets and josh (and her reasons for leaving, if its about not liking campaigns) and hires her on the spot
oh god, the banter is so fun to think about. i mean, i've genuinely written so much about just like. how amy and donna bounce off of each other, because it's fun, and because it's them it's probably flirtatious, but amy would absolutely not genuinely make a move on her assistant. i think they also both help a lot with the other's self doubt or whatever, with donna pushing amy to do more but also to take care of herself and take a step back sometimes, and amy just showing that she cares about donna's opinions and insights into whatever they're working on, and sort of forgetting that she's her assistant and not her co-conspirator, and sort of calling donna on her constant bad dates in early seasons, too ("don't go on that date, donna" "jealous?" and maybe she is, sort of, a bit, but that's really not the point. "disappointed in your taste. or your concept of yourself." "what's that mean?" "you could do better." "could I?" "yes." "then give me something better to do tonight, amy." and amy doesn’t ask her to stay) (don't think about amy finding out about dr. freeride and the conversation that would follow don't think about it don't think about it)
oh but things get fun once we get to a point where amy's there in canon, because you now have donna working with josh again in a roundabout way, and she left him, and she still feels guilty about it, and she can sort of see the glimpse into what it would've been like, if she had stayed. and amy and josh are like. just a mess, obviously. my brain is also stuck on the concept of that conversation amy and josh have in women of qumar but in reverse ("are you dating donna?" "no." "i heard you might be" "i'm not" "she's cute." "she's my assistant." but it also has a lot more. implications for him to hear that than for her to, so. that's fun). i kind of have no idea what amy and josh's relationship would look like in this au so. not gonna dwell on that. (except to say that the concept of donna "gather ye rose buds"-ing amy about josh is Really fucking funny, partially bc amy would just be like "he's a thorn not a bud")
when amy gets fired, donna's upset with josh about it, because she's spent the last... three and a half? years working with amy, so she's probably more on amy's side here, even if she will admit it was kind of reckless. donna's given a chance to stay at the wlc, but she goes with amy, which amy is baffled and terrified by, because she doesn't know what to do with that kind of loyalty (”you’ll never lose me amy” “please don’t say that”) and because she... doesn't have a job, really, at the moment. she pays donna, anyways, and makes sure she has a job with the stackhouse campaign with her if she wants it. donna takes it, and doesn't question why amy's doing it. she doesn't question why amy leaves, either, and amy doesn't get why she comes with her, again.
around when amy gets hired by abbey (and brings donna on with her if she wants it, which of course she does) amy kind of snaps and asks her why she keeps working with her, why she won't stay somewhere and climb up a ladder or go anywhere, she's qualified as hell and could and should be working a better job, should be doing anything other than following amy over cliff after cliff, should not be working for her at this point, and... donna kind of thinks its obvious. she loves working with amy, loves that they do new things all the time, that the work feels important, loves the opportunities amy has given her and that the work feels important. amy sort of lets it rest and throws herself into work with abbey, and we finally get to have donna with the whole group again somewhat, but its a conversation that they sort of keep having without really having, until donna finally snaps and says something like "do you want me to quit?" or "do you want to fire me?" or "do you want me to leave?" idk, and amy maybe says yes, and maybe doesn't answer, and that's commencement (of course the idea of donna and josh doing "you have to get amy" and "are you in love with amy" is also really. interesting to me bc of how you'd have to make it work and i don't not have thoughts)
once things have settled, a little bit, after zoey's gotten back, donna goes to amy and tells her like "i'll resign. if you don't want me here... i'm not gonna make you fire me, but if you don't want me here, i'll go." and amy is a mess of a person, so she's like. "okay." and donna's naturally upset by that, and oh, this is happening during constituency of one, by the way! so donna leaves, amy gets yelled at by jed, goes to josh's office and sort of has a breakdown about everything, and when he says "apologize, you gotta apologize" he means to jed and to donna, and she goes to jed and quits and everything ('this building isn't very conducive to relationships’ hits here, huh) and tells him that he or abbey should hire donna, that she's incredible and one of the best people she's ever worked with, and she leaves.
donna takes the job (i'm not sure about specifically what job? i do really like the concept of her being abbey's cos for a lot of reasons but idk if she'd be like "qualified" for it at this point? maybe she gets taken on as like an interim cos for her but abbey just keeps her, anyways. or it could be something in legislative affairs bc i loved angela and donna working together) and feels too weird and sort of hurt to reach out to amy even though she does get amy well enough to sort of get it, she's also too insecure to really get it. someone mentions, in passing, at some point, that amy told jed to give donna a job, and she's sort of touched and sort of insulted and it's all complicated, and abbey or whoever reassures her that she has this job because she deserves this job, not just because amy recommended her. very highly.
cj probably points out a lot of stuff about amy and their relationship to donna in my no exit analog bc i love a good bottle episode, and cj being friends with both of them and being super perceptive is so important to me. i will also not be discussing gaza here bc i honestly don't think in this au that donna would be going
she and amy run into each other either at some fundraiser thing abbey and amy are both speaking at, or in some lobbying meeting or something, and amy's glad to see her doing well, and it assuages a little of her guilt over the whole thing. they have a really awkward conversation, something like "are you enjoying the new job?" "yeah, i really am. i guess i should thank you, since i hear you helped me get it." "you don't... it kind of felt like the least i could do." "yeah, well. thanks, anyways." "i miss you." "then why did you tell me to leave?" "you're the best assistant and probably the best friend i've ever had, you know." "so you decided to ensure i was no longer either?" "i was kind of only going for the first one." “well, you always were an overachiever.” and then they have to like. go and do their jobs bc they’re very busy people. but things are a little better between them now
finally, at some point, god knows when or how or why, donna’s probably made a joke about it, or something, and amy just says something like “i didn’t want you to work for me anymore because i knew you could do better, could do more, than being my assistant, but i didn’t want to tell you to leave.” and donna, who gets amy just nods and says “i appreciate that. i really did love working with you, but i appreciate that. could’ve said that then.” and amy laughs and rolls her eyes, and donna gives her a look. “is that the only reason you didn’t want me to work for you anymore?” and amy just shakes her head, and donna starts to say something, expects to have to say something, but amy kisses her and says “i’m really glad you don’t work for me anymore.” and donna laughs and says “i am, too.”
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julies-butterflies · 3 years
Note
“I can tell you’re upset. Do you need anything right now?” for (platonic) Alex and Reggie?
cuddle dialogue prompts  ( accepting!! )                                        ( read on ao3! )
Alex’s friends don’t come over to his house anymore.
It’s a weird change, because they used to. Bobby’s garage has always been home base, but the boys used to go over to Luke’s or Alex’s just as often; and when things at Luke’s started to get weird, tense, like a powder keg on the verge of erupting, Alex’s doors were always open. His parents were friendly, if a bit overbearing. They didn’t even seem to mind the mess his friends brought with them, or the noise, or the inevitable chaos; they just liked seeing Alex hang out with other “boys his age”. Their cabinets were always well-stocked with Girl Scout cookies, and Alex’s little sister (the aforementioned Girl Scout) was a pest, in a way he didn’t really mind. 
The guys seemed to...  like it at his house, for some reason — and yeah, that filled his chest with bubbles and made him feel like coming off the high of a drum solo. Alex liked to be liked. He liked that his place could be somewhere his friends felt safe... even if they all conscientiously toned down the casual physical affection when Alex’s parents were around.
Ever since he came out, though... things have changed.
Everything’s changed, and his friends not coming over anymore is the least of it.
The biggest change is, he’s no longer welcome at church. Pastor Hamilton made that very clear with his final sermon — a fire and brimstone rant against the ‘sins of sodomy and perversion’. Alex sat there for an hour, boiling in his own skin, as the eyes of the rest of his congregation bore into him. He couldn’t get out of the building fast enough... and after that, swore never to go back. He wouldn’t be welcome, anyways.
There was no chance of his parents missing the yearly church retreat, though — and Christina has been looking forward to a camping trip for ages, so Alex doesn’t resent how eagerly she clambered in the family station wagon. She barely waved goodbye, too busy cramming her bags in the trunk; his parents, predictably, didn’t say anything at all. They trust Alex not to burn the house down in their absence, at least, so he’ll consider that a compliment.
Alex almost wishes he was bothered. If he were — if such blatant rejection from his family actually stung, if he could stew in his own hurt feelings and resent how quickly they pulled out of the driveway — then maybe it would actually matter. (Maybe it’d mean he’s a good son after all.) 
Alex is a lot of things, though, but he’s never been good at lying to himself.
An entire weekend home alone, with no one but the dogs to keep him company? Honestly, it sounds like heaven.
By nine o’clock at night, he’s well and truly deep in this teenage rebellion thing. He’s got Sixteen Candles queued up on the DVR, has his legs up on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn in his lap, and an entire bottle of Fanta threatening to stain his mother’s precious white carpet. There’s something to be said for living on the edge; he relishes every second of doing something forbidden, fueled by the thought of his parents’ faces if they could see him. Just imagining their horror is sweet; almost as sweet as Molly Ringwald’s bubblegum-pop fashion statements. 
The night stretches before him like a promise, calm and comfortable. He’s free to be himself in his own home. It shouldn’t feel as amazing as it does, because it shouldn’t be a novelty... but considering nowadays, Alex feels more like an intruder, he’ll take what he can get.
His first sign of anything amiss is the sound of barking from the front hall. Alex sits up, dislodging the bowl of popcorn from his lap. He scrambles to catch it before it can go everywhere. After a few more seconds of fumbling, he pauses the movie, and springs to his feet.
“You guys! I swear —“
As he trudges into the foyer, he’s thoroughly unsurprised at what he finds. Zoey, giant maniac that she is, is literally bouncing off the front door. She hits, rebounds, and is immediately back at it, scratching at the wood and barking her head off. A few steps behind her, Cooper hovers, his tail hung low. When he spots Alex, he lets out a relieved whine, and paces a circle around the foyer. Alex — who gets it, really, weird noises at the door are even more nerve-wracking than surprise phone calls — gives him a soothing scratch on the head. Cooper glues himself to his side, and Alex keeps one hand on his collar as he steps towards the door.
“Someone out there, girl?”
Zoey hurls herself bodily against the front door. She hits like a wrecking ball. From the other side, Alex hears a noise — somewhere between a gasp and a  “Whoa!”
He knows for a fact he didn’t order pizza; the neighbors are the “keep to yourselves” types; and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are like reverse vampires, never seen outside of daylight hours. There shouldn’t be  anyone at the door. A shiver of anxiety runs down Alex’s neck… but it’s drowned out by irritation at just how loud Zoey’s being. “Hey, hey,” Alex exclaims, hauling her back as she makes another jump towards the door. “Cut it out! Get outta here!”
He’s too busy wrestling with the dogs to be nervous when he throws the door open. (Worst case scenario, he can just let go of their collars, and sic them; let the dogs drown any potential burglars to death in kisses.) The face that greets him on the other side is… unexpected.
“Heya!” Reggie pulls his hand back from the doorknob, and offers a tiny wave. “What’s up, man?”
Zoey answers the question with a running leap.
Reggie’s ready for her. He hits the deck, arms open wide — and when she barrels him over, his whoop of delight rings through the quiet neighborhood. Alex grits his teeth, glancing anxiously around the street. His neighbors mind their own business, but that doesn’t mean they want to be disturbed in the middle of the night; this isn’t Reggie’s neighborhood, where sirens and bonfires are raging at all hours. Of course, though, Reggie has no concept of quiet… and he loses all self-control whenever dogs are involved. He’s too busy rolling around on the porch, ambushed by two giant golden retrievers, to notice anything else.
Alex leans against the doorframe, taps his feet, and sighs. He’s just starting to examine the calluses on his palms when Reggie finally emerges from the literal dogpile. “I know it’s late — I woulda called first, but — aaah, Zoey, that tickles!”
His screeches ring out like sirens, and Alex’s neighbors are  definitely going to call the cops if this keeps up. Alex has to cut in. Wrestling one dog back inside, and then the other, he hauls Reggie to his feet just as swiftly. “Come in then, quick,” he mutters. “Did you come here exclusively to steal my dogs?”
“Alex, I swear, you’re the one I wanted to see the most. Stealing your dogs is just... a fun side quest.” Reggie strides in like he owns the place. As the door closes behind him, he glances around the foyer. “Home alone, huh?”
“Yeah,” Alex replies. “It’s been fun.”
“I bet.” Reggie dodges another jump from Zoey, nearly tripping over Cooper. The dogs both recognize him, even though it’s been ages since he was last here;  animals and Reggie get along like pizza and pepperoni. If he really wanted to steal the Mercers’ dogs, it wouldn’t be a challenge. Thankfully, Reggie’s parents have a hard and fast “no pets” rule, and stick to it. (Reggie was able to hide an injured squirrel in his closet for a whole  three weeks  before anyone caught on — after it got loose, chewed through the wires of the family TV, and wreaked havoc in the kitchen. His parents still don’t know how it got in the house, but Reggie spent weeks mourning the loss of his “Beloved Frank”.)
As Reggie hits the ground on his knees, enthusiastically petting both dogs at once, Alex tucks his hands into his pockets. He’s not used to feeling nervous around his best friends… but suddenly, he’s on unstable ground, unsure of what to do. It’s just Reggie… but it’s Reggie in his house, where Alex’s friends, Alex’s life, are no longer welcome. It’s just Reggie showing up in the middle of the night, without any warning… and he’s acting fine, sure, but this also isn’t like him. Alex’s instincts are thrumming with a sense of wrong, wrong. He can’t help frowning as he steps back, watching his friend play.
Reggie feels his gaze. He ignores it.
“Who’s a good girl? Oh, yeah, you’re the  best  girl, yeah —“
Alex clears his throat. Reggie ignores that, too.
“Come on, Cooper, gimme a kiss — there you go! Did ya miss your old pal Reggie? I missed you!”
Enough is enough. Alex turns to the switch on the wall. The foyer is suddenly flooded with bright light, sparkling through the crystal fixtures overhead. Reggie falls back and blinks rapidly, entire face scrunching up against the glare. When his eyes adjust, he finds Alex crouched at his side.
“Not to be all ‘what are you doing in my house, Reg’, but…” Alex reaches over and pats Cooper’s head. “What are you doing here?”
Reggie’s blank stare lingers on him for a beat too long— a quarter of a second, but still, it’s the only giveaway Alex needs. 
“Just visiting! I knew you were home alone… figured you might want some company.” His friend grins, like everything’s normal, just another wild antic in the life of Reggie… but Alex knows better.
“Okay, that’s real generous, but…”
He drags the word out for a few seconds too long. Somehow, his brain gets stalled on Reggie’s face; the strain at the edges of his smile, the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes are a little puffy — he’s been crying. He holds onto Zoey, not just like he’s happy to see her, but like he needs her — needs something soft and comforting to ground him.
Reggie rode his bike all the way to Alex’s house in the middle of the night. He wouldn’t have done that without a good reason.
Alex sighs, and scratches behind Cooper’s ears. When he looks back up at Reggie, his smile is small, but Reggie’s clearly reassured by it nonetheless. “Yeah, you’re right. Things were getting pretty lonely around here.” Alex nudges his shoulder. “You feel like some popcorn?”
Reggie bounds to his feet. “Always!”
“We can finish watching the best John Hughes movie, and then I’ll generously  give you next pick…”
Reggie’s no fan of the classic 80s teen romances, but he’ll suffer through them for Alex’s sake. Alex, in return, has seen Star Wars fourteen times.  He honestly couldn’t care less about defending the galaxy, or whatever Mark Hamill’s trying to do with the long stick and the gross robes… but it makes Reggie happy, and for that, it’s worth it.
So he’s surprised when, instead of insisting on  A New Hope, Reggie buries his face in Alex’s most comfortable blanket, and murmurs something Alex barely catches.
“What?” Reggie doesn’t answer. “Dude, you’ve got to speak up, I can’t — did I not tell you to keep the popcorn in your mouth?” He snatches a few kernels out of Reggie’s lap before they can fall into the cushions and get lost forever. When he looks up again, Reggie’s cheeks are bright red. Alex nudges him in the shoulder again, prompting him to speak up.
“It’s just — uhh—“ Reggie shrugs. “Don’t really feel like Star Wars tonight.”
Alex’s brows shoot up. “Oh… kay. What do you want to watch, then?”
Reggie clears his throat, and studiously doesn’t look Alex in the eye. “Could we watch the Wizard of Oz maybe?”
Alex stares at him; after a few seconds, he snorts. Reggie’s head snaps toward him, indignant in a second.
“It’s a classic, okay? Iconic cinema! You can’t get any better than Judy Garland, and tell me the Wicked Witch didn’t scare your pants off as a kid! And, and, and the flying monkeys are crazy cool, and—“
“You’re such a dork,” Alex scoffs. 
Reggie’s cheeks flood with heat; he looks down again, picking the blankets with his chewed-up fingernails. “Am not,” he mutters — and that’s Alex’s third clue something’s really up.
Second clue: Reggie will never pass up a chance to watch Star Wars. It’s always his top pick… so, for him to choose a kid’s movie instead, he must need something familiar. Something comforting. Something where the ending is a foregone conclusion.
And a Reggie who doesn’t bounce back from Alex’s sharp edged comments like a rubber-band ball is clearly in one heck of a bad way.
Alex’s smile slowly fades. He leans forward on the couch, elbows on his knees, and studies Reggie sideways. When his friend refuses to look up, he nudges their knees together. When he still avoids him — as stubborn as Cooper at the groomers, god  — Alex inches closer to him, pressing their shoulders together.
“Okay,” he says, “what’s up?”
Reggie finally looks up at him, but it’s no victory. His eyes are wide and guilty. “Wh— what?”
“What’s going on, Reg?”
Reggie shrinks back from him… but there’s nowhere to go. Caught between Alex’s body and the couch, he settles for burrowing further into the blanket. He looks like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar… who’s expecting to get spanked for it.
“Nothing,” he mutters. “Nothing, man.” The way he hunches in on himself gives the game away, even if his miserable face didn’t. Alex’s stomach twists. “I just wanted to hang out, I just thought — didn’t want you to be lonely, I mean, it gets quiet here, in a big house all alone, and I know you get nervous, so I just thought maybe, but if you want me to go I’ll g—"
“Reggie.”
His voice breaks through the tidal wave of thought, somehow. Reggie goes still and silent, frowning down at his lap. When Alex lays a hand on his shoulder, he reluctantly looks at him.
“I can tell you’re upset, that’s all,” Alex says… and, as a flicker of something absolutely exhausted passes through Reggie’s eyes, the decision is made for him. “I’m not gonna press. I don’t need you to tell me anything, Reg, but I don’t want you to go.” He pauses, considers, and rubs his hand over Reggie’s shoulder. “Do you need anything?”
“I—“ Reggie exhales a shuddering breath, and shakes his head. “No. I’m, uhh, I’m… good.”
It’s hardly convincing… but Alex suspects it's the best he’s going to get.
Which is okay, because Reggie’s right here. They have the entire house to themselves for the night… and Alex has the Wizard of Oz on cassette tape.
Alex’s house can be a safe place, just for tonight, and that seems like what Reggie needs most of all.
Alex digs the movie out of their cabinet, and pops it in the VCR. As he sits down on the couch once again, curling up at Reggie’s side, he considers his mother’s suede couches — the pride and joy of their living room, which she dotes over and vacuums religiously every Tuesday. The Mercers have a lot of house rules, but Rule Number Two (after No Gays Allowed!) is Don’t Mess Up The Couch.
Alex glances at Reggie, raises his brows, and taps the leather couch three times in quick succession.
“Zoey! Cooper! Up!”
They don’t even have time to brace themselves. All at once, Alex and Reggie are buried under twin lumps of golden fur… and Reggie’s laughter might be the sweetest sound Alex has ever heard.
As the movie starts, and the dogs settle down — Cooper with his head in Alex’s lap, Zoey flopped practically on top of Reggie — a quiet contentment settles between them. The anxiety humming underneath Reggie’s skin quiets so much that Alex can’t hear it anymore… and, in turn, Alex’s own nerves find some peace.
“I’m glad you’re here, Reg,” he says softly, tucking an arm around Reggie’s shoulders. 
“I’m glad you are, too,” Reggie murmurs,.
It might not be exactly what he needs — him, and dogs, and cozy blankets and comfort movies — but as Reggie curls into him with a sigh, Alex hopes it’s enough.
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storyofwhoiam · 2 years
Text
𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞.
name : amy cameron residence : scotland / australia / usa (various locations - verse dependent) number of blankets : also verse dependent because it at least somewhat depends on where she is/the climate/etc. generally at least 2 so that she has choices to switch or double-up number of pillows : 2 type of clothing : generally either nothing, boxers, or boxers and a t-shirt do they sleep with company? : yes - she’s quite content sharing a bed with friends/people she’s not having sex with if the situation arises do they sleep better with company? : depends how restlessly her company sleeps does it matter where they sleep : amy does like her creature comforts and whilst she can nap most places, she does like having a decent bed what do they do if they cannot fall asleep : scroll on her phone, chat to friends back in scotland (making full advantage of time difference), work, have a drink frequent dreams, nightmares? : nightmares aren’t frequent but when she does have them (the anniversary of her partner’s death can be a driver), they can really shake her deep slumber or naps? : more often somewhere in between, longer spells of lighter sleeping what could wake them up? : she can wake relatively easily and it is very dependent on her state of mind how easily she’ll fall back asleep
name : caita lucas residence : italy / usa / south africa / uk number of blankets : generally just one, but she does not like the cold and will pile more on if it’s cooler number of pillows : at home 4 - two on each side - plus throw pillows type of clothing : proper pyjamas - button-up top and matching bottoms do they sleep with company? : yes but does not appreciate tossing/turning or company that takes up lots of room do they sleep better with company? : depends on the company - catia’s perfectly happy to sleep alone though does it matter where they sleep : to get sleep, no - to get good sleep, yes what do they do if they cannot fall asleep : read or exercise, depending on why she can’t sleep frequent dreams, nightmares? : no, once she’s asleep she tends to sleep soundly deep slumber or naps? : deep what could wake them up? : not a lot - being too hot or cold
name : donna moss residence : washington, d.c. number of blankets : a couple of thin ones number of pillows : 2 - any more would get knocked out of bed type of clothing : underwear and very oversized t-shirt do they sleep with company? : not all that commonly purely because work means that she doesn’t exactly have a lot of time for dating do they sleep better with company? : it makes very little difference either way, except if she’s getting distracted by the attractiveness of her company does it matter where they sleep : not at all what do they do if they cannot fall asleep : it’s rare - stare at the ceiling frequent dreams, nightmares? : she’s more likely to have bizarre dreams than nightmares, though they become more common after she was caught in an IED in Gaza deep slumber or naps? : both - due to her work she usually gets short periods of deep sleep but can nap at the drop of a hat what could wake them up? : donna’s not a super light sleeper but is very much used to having to get up and be functional quickly
name : zoey bartlet residence : manchester, new hampshire (childhood) / washington, d.c. number of blankets : it doesn’t matter a huge amount. If zoey’s going to be able to sleep she will regardless number of pillows : 2 type of clothing : t-shirt and pyjama pants do they sleep with company? : she won’t usually sleep with another - in either respect - until they’ve been dating for a little while do they sleep better with company? : yes does it matter where they sleep : it’s rare that she’d try to sleep anywhere other than her own bed in her place / her parents house / the white house what do they do if they cannot fall asleep : if she’s somewhere where she can, sit curled up with a blanket and hot chocolate / herbal tea frequent dreams, nightmares? : yes - even before any of the many moments of trauma in zoey’s life affecting her directly (shootings, kidnapping), she has plenty of worry about her family etc. that causes all kinds of nightmares deep slumber or naps? : zoey can sleep well (when not impacted by bad dreams) but her schedule often means she doesn’t get as much sleep as she probably should and naps aren’t unheard of on quieter days what could wake them up? : it very much depends on the quality of sleep she’s getting / what stress she’s under
tagged by: @shcftingpieces (who should also do tommy) tagging: @shareourtruth @paedsmd @aftermathed @emcrse @katesgotabow
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xcamay · 4 years
Text
Recruiting Chloe.
Hey there! I can’t believe it’s been years since I last published a fanfic on tumblr. And it’s been months since I last finished one... woo! It kind of feels great and rewarding though hehe. However, this is my first time writing a Choices fanfic, so I do hope it’ll be okay... Here goes nothing! Book: Queen B Pairings: Chloe x Veronica, and a little bit of Zoey x MC (Kate). Yes, I know many people don’t ship Chloe and Veronica, because “Veronica deserves better” and “Chloe’s an airhead and a meanie”, but I’m holding onto the fact that there’s more to Chloe than what we know... Warning: not entirely canon-compliant (seeing as I haven’t played since chapter 6 aired... I apologize if it sounds inaccurate sometimes). Also! This takes place after Veronica joined MC’s posse. And let’s forget about the Bacon-alia, okay? AO3 link ________________________________________________________________ “8:12 AM,” Kate slides her phone in her pocket and yawns, stretching her arms above her head, “Congratulations Zo, you got me out of bed early on a Wednesday. You know, the day we don’t have class in the morning.”
“Oh come on, I already apologized. But I really was craving some croissants this morning and I wanted you to try them,” Zoey smiles as she bites into her pastry, humming.
The two young women continue to stroll down the street at a relaxed pace, eating their respective croissant, joking around and sharing knowing smiles and glances. They stop next to a trash can, throwing the small bags while Zoey finishes her croissant, pinky finger raised.
“So? Verdict?” she offers Kate a wide smile, an eyebrow arched.
“Okay, you were right – they’re worth the awful alarm clock. Maybe we should get some more often. It’d be like our moment,” Kate grins as she steps closer, making Zoey grin back.
“Don’t we have enough moments already? You know, as roommates.”
“Is it really enough?”
“Do you think it is?”
“Do you?”
“Oh my god, Kate. Shut up and kiss me.”
“Your wish is my command, milady.”
They both smile before their lips tenderly meet for a few delightful seconds.
“Hey Zo,” Kate murmurs against her lips, “Let’s go back to our room.”
Zoey pecks her best friend’s lips one last time and nods, smiling. As they resume their walk, Kate slips her hand into Zoey’s.
“Wait a minute,” the new girl suddenly speaks, stopping in her tracks and squinting, “Is that Chloe over there?”
“Where?”
“There. Inside the coffee shop.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Zoey blinks, “Wow. She… she looks so sad.”
“I wonder what happened… Oh well. She probably had another fight with Satan.”
“Not really, no.”
Kate jumps the moment she hears a new, additional voice next to her, “Holy shit! Veronica! Where did you come from?”
The famous beauty influencer rolls her eyes, her lips slightly tugging upward, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
However, her light smile vanishes as she looks at her blonde-haired friend inside the coffee shop. She seems to be tormented, her brows furrowed and her gaze fixed on the table.
“This is supposed to be our moment,” Veronica sighs, an unexpected veil of sadness crossing her eyes.
Kate and Zoey glance at each other.
“What do you mean, your moment?”
“Chloe and I come here every week, on Wednesday mornings precisely because we don’t have class before 10. It’s just the two of us, for breakfast. No Poppy, no The T, no homework, no livestream… except if it gets interesting, of course,” Veronica smiles a little, but it promptly fades away, “There’s nothing else, no one else. Just Chloe and me. It’s our moment,” she pauses a second, then winces, “Or well… I guess it used to be our moment. We’re… not really talking to each other anymore, so well.”
Kate taps her chin several times, “I think it can still be your moment. Nothing’s here to stop you. Except if you don’t want it, of course.”
“No way. I still want it to be our moment.”
“I feel like there’s more to the story than what you’re telling us,” Zoey hums, barely trying to hide her curiosity, “Veronica, do you… uh…”
The two roommates share a glance, hesitating. Should they really ask something as private as that? As they ponder the answer to that question, Veronica beats them to it.
“Do I have romantic feelings for Chloe?”
They nod, and the ombré-haired girl sharply breathes in.
“I do.”
“Then go! Go get your girl!” Kate exclaims, almost bouncing on her feet like a child who was promised an ice cream.
Veronica raises her eyebrows, “You just want me to recruit her for you.”
“Of course not,” the new girl answers, at the same time as Zoey bluntly says, “Yes.”
“Zoey!”
The latter’s eyes widen and she immediately corrects herself, “No, of course not!”
The influencer rolls her eyes, prompting Kate to look sheepish as she scratches the inside of her elbow.
“One of you is at least being honest.”
“Alright… yes. And why not, anyway? With what we now know and with you helping us, I think it’s better if we get Chloe on our side. And I think she will be more willing to listen to you than us. It’s better if you recruit her yourself. But! We kind of want you two to be reunited too, you know?”
“Let’s kill two birds with one stone,” Zoey adds, serious, “Recruit her. But, most importantly, get your girlfriend back. Shoo, go.” ________________________________________________________________ As soon as she steps into the coffee shop, Veronica makes a beeline for the booth she usually occupies with Chloe on every Wednesday morning. However, she feels her heart break at the sight: Chloe is sitting there, alone, staring into space. It seems like she has barely sipped her hibiscus tea – two or three swallows at the most.
“Hey there.”
The unexpected voice startles Chloe, whose eyes widen when she realizes who is standing right next to her. Her heart rate instantly skyrockets.
“V-Veronica! You… Wh-what are you-”
“Is this seat taken?”
“N-no. But… I-I’m sorry but I have somewhere to be,” Chloe says as she abruptly stands, bumping into the table and almost knocking her white mug over.
“No you don’t,” Veronica hastily says, stopping the girl in her tracks. She lightly bites her lip, before adding in a whisper, “Chlo, please… Stay with me?”
“I-” Chloe gulps, eyes darting everywhere.
She looks conflicted, distressed – so much that it hurts Veronica inside – but eventually sits down again, fiddling with her fingers. She looks at everything, everyone but the beauty influencer sitting across from her.
“So,” Veronica clears her throat, trying to get Chloe’s attention, “We need to talk.”
“V, not now…”
“Then when? You’ve been avoiding me ever since you made up with Poppy. We haven’t even been able to spend some quality time together. We don’t laze around on the couch anymore, we also stopped doing our makeup together. You… you’re not coming to my room anymore. Look, we haven’t even had our Wednesday breakfast in weeks now.”
“You don’t understand!” Chloe seems alarmed for a second, but then she lowers her gaze, her light blue eyes reflecting a sorrow she is desperately trying to hide, “I… I-I can’t be seen talking to you…”
“Chlo, look at me.”
But Chloe weakly shakes her head, nibbling her lips, while Veronica resists the urge to grab her hand.
“Chloe.”
“Chloe St. James.”
This time, the girl looks up, albeit hesitantly.
“She won’t do anything to you. I promise.”
“She can-”
“Believe me, she better not.”
At this, a light (but pleased) smile graces Chloe’s features, which makes Veronica grin back. The moment only lasts a few seconds though, Chloe’s smile disappearing as she drinks a mouthful of her red-colored tea. The influencer clears her throat and places her hands on the table.
She wants to hold Chloe’s so bad.
“Chlo-”
“Sorry you had to wait,” a voice suddenly interrupts her – it’s the waiter who always serves them. They offer Veronica a welcoming smile, “The usual?”
“Uh, no, thank you,” then she hastily adds, an idea crossing her mind, “Just your best lava cake, please.”
At this, Chloe blinks, but keeps her mouth closed.
“Right away!”
And they leave. Veronica’s eyes land once again on her dearest friend, warmth, affection and worry dancing in them.
“I knew something was up. The moment you left me on read and started avoiding me, I knew something happened,” she sighs, “And surprise, surprise. Poppy’s the one behind all that, right?”
Chloe doesn’t answer – but her silence is enough.
“Chlo, she- she doesn’t have to control your life like that. You should be the one making decisions for yourself. You do whatever you want to do with whoever you want to.”
“I-”
“So what if you want to befriend Kate and Zoey? Or what if you want to spend time with me, the ‘traitorous cow’? She has no right to dictate your life.”
Chloe bites her lower lip, “V-”
“Chlo, you’re… you’re your own person. You’re not Poppy’s little lapdog-”
“I’m her second-in-command!”
“No, you’re- ah. Thank you.”
Veronica lets the waiter put the plate and the spoon on the table, before they leave. However, she doesn’t touch it, yet, capturing her friend’s attention once again.
“Chloe, no, you’re not her second-in-command. You’re the main pawn in her game, that’s all,” the blonde-haired girl lowers her gaze, pain twisting her features, and Veronica reaches for her – to no avail as Chloe’s hand immediately moves back, “Chlo…” she softly says, “You… do realize that, right? You know that ranking first is more important to Poppy than… you?”
“But she’s…” Chloe grabs her mug, seeking some support. Her knuckles quickly turn white before her shoulders sag, heavy, “She’s my best friend…”
“No, she’s not. Okay, she’s the first person who reached out to you here, I’ll give you that. But a best friend? Seriously? A girl who’s too blinded by her crown and who even goes as far as plotting revenge on you just because you ranked first for, what, a few hours? Do you really call that friendship? Is she really your best friend?”
Chloe bites her lips while sliding a shaky hand in her hair, the other still gripping tightly the mug’s handle.
“Chlo… You’re… you’re so much more than what she reduces you to.”
The blonde gulps with difficulty. She looks torn between so many things – what Poppy, her best friend, expects of her, their seemingly one-way deep friendship, her own needs and desires, the pressure which comes with her reputation at Belvoire, the dear friend she fell in love with…
“You deserve so much more.”
Veronica tentatively brushes Chloe’s fingertips with hers, her warm brown eyes never leaving her face, gauging her reaction. A tremor runs through Chloe, forcing her hand to let go of the mug and move back.
“Chlo…”
The beauty influencer can hear her heart suffocate, ready to crack. She is about to retract her own hand when she feels the tiniest, most hesitant caress on her fingers. Chloe looks at everything but Veronica, a light frown appearing on her face while her lips quiver, indicators of her internal, bone-crushing conflict.
“I-” Chloe starts, her voice clogged with guilt and sadness.
She draws in a deep, shaky breath and, finally, looks up when Veronica’s fingers interlace with hers. Her vision blurs as she holds back her tears.
“I miss you. I miss you so much.”
Veronica’s heart skips a beat, and she breathes back, “I miss you too.”
The grip around their intertwined fingers tightens, as if they are scared of letting the other go and losing her for good this time. Chloe’s first tears start rolling down her cheeks the moment their eyes meet, which prompts Veronica to immediately stand and sit on the booth seat next to her. She wraps an arm around her shoulders while the blonde-haired girl covers her face with her hands, sobbing quietly.
“Hey, hey,” Veronica whispers as she closes her eyes and presses her forehead against Chloe’s temple, heart painfully squeezing, “I’m so sorry I made you cry, Chlo… But you have to face the truth. It’s- it’s better if you do.”
“But it hurts…”
“I know… I know. The truth always hurts.”
Chloe shakily sniffs while slowly unveiling her face, trying to wipe all her tears away. She ends up smearing mascara under her eyes and removing her concealer. She looks so tired. Drained. Veronica’s brown eyes soften as she reaches for her purse and quickly pulls out a cotton pad and a vial filled with transparent liquid.
“My hero,” Chloe gives a weak smile, her light blue eyes still shining with tears, “I’m such a mess.”
“No,” Veronica gently dabs the damp pad under Chloe’s eyes, “You’re perfect.”
“V…”
Chloe’s body start shaking again from the tears she is desperately trying to hold back. No one has ever said things like that to her, not even Poppy, her supposed best friend. She could have, so many times – when they were getting dressed for a party together, for example.
You look nice in that dress.
This skirt’s color looks good on you.
Just… a compliment. Some recognition. A little something which would have made her feel like she was somewhat important, like she was worth it. But no. No one has ever said something nice to her. No one… except Veronica. But with Veronica… it only happened when they were in bed together.
You’re beautiful Chlo, she said the first time she undressed Chloe, making her blush.
You were awesome, she murmured once in the shower, pulling Chloe up and kissing her like she was the only one for her.
Chlo, you’re gorgeous, she groaned the day Chloe straddled her, their breathless moans mingling together in a sweet, loving melody.
You know what? I feel so lucky right now, she smiled when Chloe took her time removing her dress, slowly revealing her new red lacy lingerie.
I want you. And only you, she breathed in the crook of Chloe’s neck the day they had their most agonizing fight, kissing every inch of her jaw, throat and collarbone.
I love you, she cried out once, delirious, intoxicated by the friction, the caresses, the kisses they shared during their most passionate night. Chloe’s heart had never beaten as fast as it did that night.
Of course, all these times mean a lot to Chloe. She fell in love with her friend, after all. But right now, at the coffee shop, it means the world to her.
Veronica gently cups her face and brushes her thumbs on her skin, wiping away some tears. A tingling sensation dances in the influencer’s wrists the moment Chloe curls her fingers around them. Their eyes meet for a second and, when the blonde offers a weak smile, Veronica leans in, tenderly capturing Chloe’s lips. Something bursts in their chests, akin to fireworks, while their mouths slide together perfectly, in harmony. Once, twice. Chloe brings their bodies closer, arms wrapped around her lover’s neck, and the latter smiles, her hands landing on Chloe’s hips, right where they belong. Their lips meet again for the third time, impatient.
When they break the kiss, they press their foreheads together, the tip of their noses brushing.
“Babe, I promise it’ll be okay…” Veronica whispers as she strokes Chloe’s soft blonde locks, looping one behind her ear.
A soft, muffled laugh escapes Chloe’s lips as more tears roll down her cheeks, “You know, I really like it when you call me babe.”
Veronica chuckles and kisses Chloe one more time.
… Okay, three more times.
“Feeling better?”
“A little,” the blonde sniffs, hastily wiping some tears away, “I’m still scared though. What am I supposed to tell Poppy?”
“Nothing. Just… forget about her. We’ll deal with her later,” Veronica pecks the tip of her secret lover’s nose, “Just know that you’re not alone anymore, okay? We’re in this together,” and another peck – on the lips this time, “Babe.”
Chloe’s cute little laugh warms Veronica’s heart. She doesn’t look as downcast as earlier; she even looks relieved, like a huge weight has been taken off her mind, and her smile is more sincere, more instinctive. She looks more like herself – like the girl Veronica fell in love with.
“Now, I believe there’s a lava cake waiting for us before class starts. What do you say?”
Chloe snuggles against Veronica, burying her face in the crook of her neck, “Sounds perfect.” ________________________________________________________________ Meanwhile, outside the coffee shop, two girls give each other a high five, squealing in delight. ________________________________________________________________ Aaaaah I’m super nervous. :’3 But well, I do hope you guys liked that fic!
Thanks for reading and please, take care of yourself and your loved ones! See you. ♥
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ecoamerica · 1 month
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Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc
The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!
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