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archerygun · 2 months

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Welcome to Hell (my most recent rewrite of the blue people Avatar movie).

DISCLAIMER. No hate to anyone that likes these movies, also, I haven’t seen the second movie. Maybe they get better. But this movie and its absolute lack of characters (except Trudy Chacon she is an icon and will not be forgotten) has haunted me for three years. This IS an exorcism. Double disclaimer, I have NOT bothered researching Avatar lore so bear that in mind. There’s only so long I can think about this movie without going insane.

So, the very, very first thing that got me about this movie is how quickly they move on from the whole “Your twin’s dead, we’re gonna put you into his body.” thing like what the actual fuck. Jake’s twin is called Tom (Tommy) Sully, he was a scientist working on the project and he was killed by a thief attempting to take his wallet, if you needed a refresher. I’ve been calling him Tim for the past three years so don’t worry about forgetting him.

My setup starts similarly to the movie: Tom’s dead, and his alien body has gone missing. It will take years to create a new body with the genetic traits of a completely new person, which will be incredibly expensive and time-consuming. However, there’s a loophole. He has a twin! Jake! The setup is basically the same, Jake is promised the healthcare to get his legs back in return for joining the program.

Sidenote: I’m imagining in this interpretation one of Jake’s deciding factors for joining the marines was to be able to pay for Tom to get further education, as well as to cover the costs of living for their family. Their father had serious medical issues from his time in the military and their mother died serving when the twins were fairly young. Jake was always the one taking care of everyone as well as the sportier one who never did super well in school and he knew Tom would never survive the military. He joined so Tom could get higher education and go into a science job instead, as well as to pay for his dad’s healthcare. I imagine soldiers in this universe are ready to kill from the time they are very young, because they’ve been raised in a society where the narrative and reality is always “There’s not enough for everyone.” (because of heavy corruption, this is not true, but yay wealth inequality). They know it’s kill or be killed. They are shown that the path to a safe decent life has to be carved out in blood.

Grace and Norman are initially more interested in forming diplomatic connections with the Na’vi so they can mine unobtanium - they are disliked by the army at large and at first by Jake because the soldiers view them as having cushy lives and never having to work (kill/die) for anything - because the alternative is the company invading and destroying everything. They think by getting the Na’vi to cooperate with the company, they can work things out (the higher-ups at the company privately agree that the Na’vi will have to be ‘relocated’, sure we can all guess what that means).

Jake slowly becomes friends with Grace and Norman. He doesn’t understand science and in fact he’s barely literate, but he really likes listening to them talk and hearing their enthusiasm. It reminds him of his twin. He explains what life is like for a soldier to them, how they know the army views them as cannon fodder but fight anyway because it’s the only way to make any upward progress in life. It helps them understand a little better why the soldiers dislike them so intensely.

Anyway, while Grace and Norman focus on their mission, Jake becomes a little obsessed with finding Tom’s avatar body so he can bury it; in this version Tom’s death was militarily classified and cannot be spoken about so Jake is desperate for some sort of connection with his dead twin.

So, you’re media literate, you’ve probably guessed where this is going. That’s right, Tom’s alive! But he’s stuck in avatar form because his human body is very much dead as fuck. And the company will super want him dead 2.0 if they find out because he has vital information that they don’t want the Na’vi getting their hands on.

Speaking of the Na’vi, they aren’t paying attention to the humans right now because they’re in the middle of a political crisis. Instead of being engaged, Tsu’tey and Neytiri are fighting for leadership of the Na’vi. Neytiri and her friends have taken in Tom after finding him alone and scared in the forest and Tsu’tey is using it to his political advantage to try and discredit her. (Which is kind of fair, they don’t have any way of knowing he’s not a spy).

(Also I am removing the whole ‘chosen one’ thing that was a little weird and awkward and made me feel a bit iffy. Maybe the ‘chosen one’ is Neytiri or something. Maybe there isn’t one. But I’m gonna make Jake EARN their respect and friendship the hard(er) way).

And here’s some central conflict for you. Tom is a scientist. He’s interested in making connection, trying to stop war from breaking out and preserving the safety of the Na’vi even if some of them super want him dead. Jake just wants his legs back and to make sure his brother’s alright. He doesn’t really give a shit if the Na’vi get genocide as long as Tom’s okay.

So you can have the good old

“Jake, there are more important things in life than your legs.”

“Maybe I’d still HAVE my fucking legs if you weren’t so pathetic!”

Cue sad music.

I want to explore Jake and Tom’s dynamic. Tom being more idealistic and wanting to help people because that was the example his brother unknowingly set for him growing up. Jake being more pessimistic and disaffected because he’s been trained for years to shoot and not think about the people on the other side of the gun. This man has for sure killed people, and the only way he could cope with his actions without breaking completely was to become a mindless killing machine essentially. So they’re gonna have to deprogram that out of him. Jake being selfishly motivated without realising he’d unintentionally brought about his brother’s selflessness. Tom dealing with the weight of Jake probably having some form of PTSD. Jake being overprotective and Ready To Fight at a moment’s notice for Tom.

Grace and Norman are also more likely to now fully side with the Na’vi against the company because Tom’s their close friend and his safety depends on it. Jake’s basically just some stranger to them. Also, I think it’d be really funny if Tom tries really hard to impress the Na’vi with his knowledge of their culture that he’s been studying for ages and it does not work in the slightest, but Jake’s already made like 5 friends by being a dumbass.

“I can recite your entire history :))))”

“?????��

Meanwhile:

“Bet I’m faster than you.”

“Bet you’re not.”

Jumps off of cliff.

Jake was definitely the sporty twin before his legs got deleted. If I included romance between Jake and Neytiri, I think powerful political leader and her sportsball 2 braincells trophy husband is an excellent dynamic.

“……….I’m fucking the future chief.”

“JAKE WE LEFT YOU ALONE FOR TWO MINUTES.”

And my ideal ending would be one in which Jake has to give up his avatar body to save the Na’vi and his other friends. Instead, they cut ties with the rest of humanity and integrate human innovation with Na’vi knowledge to create a successful human society in cohabitation with the Na’vi. Jake engineers a souped up wheelchair that lets him move around way easier and becomes the leader of the new settlement. Sure, it’s a horrible planet to set up a society on. But so is every other planet because human society in this universe is majorly fucked up. They have no money from the company or government or anything, they’re starting basically from scratch with what the mining company left behind. A lot of soldiers stay behind, too, because Jake doesn’t demand that they lay down their lives for him just to be able to feed themselves.

Jake and Neytiri can’t be a proper couple because he’s permanently human now, his avatar body is dead as fuck. (I think him and Tom could probably switch bodies if need be but they would absolutely prefer not to because they’re siblings and they find it gross and weird). But they see each other frequently as leaders of their respective settlements, they live apart but in harmony with each other. The Na’vi interact with the humans, but their different biology and stuff means while the two live close together in a joint society, they have to be somewhat separate from each other.

Because movie Jake doesn’t really go through a story arc. He gets everything he wanted at the start of the movie and all he had to do was fight people he already hated. Idk man. He didn’t really struggle for anything. He was such a non-character.

Anyway, that was long. I’ll definitely post more about this sort of rambly rewrite pitch because I have a lot of thoughts, but that’s it for now. If you have any feedback, anything to add, or any criticism, feel free to add it. This isn’t meant to be me saying you can’t enjoy Avatar or anything. I just personally have a hate obsession about it and cannot be normal. I won’t fault or judge you for liking it.

#avatar movie #james cameron avatar #avatar #jake sully #tom sully #norm spellman #dr grace augustine #movie rewrite #rewriting #trudy chacon is perfect no notes #i love her #my family just called her maverick because her name wasn’t really brought up much #she was great #neytiri #tsu’tey

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13uswntimagines · 4 years

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It’s called Drowning- Not Surfing (Bino!Child x USWNT)

Request: Sequel (prequel) to You’re in Wubble Now detailing what happened with Tobin. Tobin takes reader Surfing and the little Daredevil gets a little more than she bargained for, while Tobin is just trying to be a responsible babysitter.

You sat on the beach, halfheartedly running the sand through your fingers, pouting up at your three favorite aunts (not that you would tell the others that). It was an off day at camp, and Kelley, Tobin, and Ashlyn had all decided to go to the beach. You begged your mom enough to convince her that you would be fine to go along, and the cool crew was always happy to have you.

What you didn’t realize was that they were going to spend the day surfing and that they had no intention of allowing you to join them in the waves. That and their girlfriends were going shopping so you had no one to hang out with you and knock a ball around on the beach with. Sure you were kinda tiny for 10, but you weren’t a wimp. You were capable of extreme sports.

“Come on Aunt Toby, I wanna be able to hang out with you and Aunt Kelley and Aunt Ash without being left alone on the beach,” you whined for the millionth time, giving the woman your best pout, fluttering your eyelashes at her.

“We always leave someone with you,” She groaned, wishing more than anything that Christen was here. Chris was always better at denying you things than she was. That dam pout was too powerful. How your mom denied you of anything, was far beyond her.

“I can do it guys, please?” You changed tactics, targeting Kelley instead. She was always the easiest to convince that you weren’t too small or too young to do something. She understood what it was like to be underestimated, and your enthusiasm always seemed to convince her to at least let you try. She threw her head back with a groan, unable to withstand the full power of your pout. Your moms were going to kill them for this.

“I mean she can snowboard and wakeboard. This isn’t that much different,” Kelley shrugged, ignoring Ashlyn’s raised eyebrows. Ash was well aware of your propensity for extreme sports and how you never really thought your death-defying acts through. She also knew how overprotective your parents were. If Megan found out that you had gone surfing without her explicit permission, it would probably be worse than the time they let you skateboard through the mall.

“I believe her mother said no death-defying stunts after you and Emily took her cliff diving in Hawaii,” Tobin rolled her eyes at you, crossing her arms firmly over her chest, adamantly looking away from you. You hadn’t told your mom that Emily was taking you cliff diving, and the sight of you diving off the tallest perch you could into the water had nearly given them a heart attack. Emily was just lucky that Lindsey was there to save her when Mama Pino got to her.

“You might be blowing this a little out of proportion, the waves are super small,” Ashlyn scoffed, patting Tobin on the back. You were an extremely athletic kid, and the waves were decidedly tiny. This was probably the least dangerous thing you could have asked to do, plus with the three women watching you, there would be no reason for Megan to flip out. You would be returned to her in perfect condition and hopefully, this would help your rambunctious self sleep tonight.

“Please, Aunt Toby?” You asked, your bottom lip trembling, your eyes wide and innocent.

“Fine, but if the waves get bigger, you’re coming back in,” Tobin huffed, rubbing the back of her neck, tightly closing her eyes. Megan was going to kill her if this didn’t turn out alright, and Alex and Christen would never let her live down her inability to say no to you.

“Yay!!” You squeezed, grabbing your child-sized board and rushing towards the water. Only to be stopped by Ashlyn’s warm hand on your arm.

“Whoa there scampi, let’s get some of the basics down on dry land first,” Kelley snorted, grabbing your other arm, so you couldn’t escape to the water with out the proper instruction. You sighed, your shoulders dropping. You didn’t wanna learn on land, you wanted to get into the water and just… surf.

“Fine,” You mumbled, making the women laugh. Tobin ruffled your hair as she led you towards a flat area near the water. You were going to be the death of them.

*****

Your head popped back up above the water, and you clutched onto the surfboard as you took big gulping breaths, a large smile etched on your face. You had just ridden a wave, well almost ridden. When you attempted to stand, your board flew out from beneath you, but you almost made it. The feeling of the ocean propelling you forward was intoxicating and you couldn’t wait to do it again.

“You ok kid?” Tobin questioned as she paddled up beside you, worriedly looking at you as you climbed back onto your board.

“Yeah, why did I fall?” You laughed, whipping your wet hair out of your face.

Tobin sighed. She knew one fall wouldn’t discourage you enough to quit, and one look of the determined face you were making told her that she was quite right. In fact, this may spur you on way more than anyone wanted it to. You had a habit of trying 10 times harder when something didn’t work out the first time. You were as stubborn as Sue and Megan combined.

“Your hands were too close together when you tried to push up, make them and your feet wider and you’ll be good to go,” She said, worriedly watching you as you paddled off towards Kelley. You had just flown off your board and you were already up and ready to go again. Tobin shook her head. Your parents were going to kill her.

*****

You sat farther out in the water, stat tilting your board, your hand playing with the surface, watching for waves with Kelley. Things had seemed to calm down for a bit, but you could feel the big one coming. It began to build in the distance, and you glanced at Kelley to see if this was the one. She smiled, reaching over to pat your leg.

“This one is a little big, I’m gonna take it and you wait for the next one alright?” She asked, turning around and getting into position. it was a set of three, and the first one was a monster that no beginner should even attempt, but the two behind it looked much more promising for you.

You huffed but nodded anyway. You would never get away with your plan if you didn’t placate her first. The wave looked sick and you would be dammed if you missed it. You waited for Kelley to start paddocking first, making sure that none of her attention was on you before you took off after her.

You felt the pulse of the wave pick you up, and you paddled even harder, waiting for just the right moment before standing on your board. Everything was perfect, you were perched atop a wave with the power of the ocean behind you. It was an addictive feeling of bliss, that was until it wasn’t. You let out an elated giggle, moving your arms like all the stereotypical surfers you had seen in movies do.

One second you were standing on your board, and the next you were in the water with no idea of what happened. You didn’t know which way was up or which way was down, all you knew was that you were being tossed around like a sock during the spin cycle.

You opened your eyes to try and get your bearings, but all you saw was bubbles. Before you knew it, you were shoved against something hard and dragged along it by the force of the water. The wave slammed you against the bottom over and over again without mercy. You needed to get off the bottom and back to the surface, and you needed to do it now. You were running out of air and the thought of never seeing your mom and mama again was terrifying. But it gave you the strength you needed to get moving.

Your lungs screamed in protest as you fought to get your feet underneath you, and launched yourself towards the surface.

*****

Tobin let out a breath when she saw your head break the surface. She saw you take a wave that was way to big for you, and she saw you crash out on said wave, and was paddocking the area when you didn’t immediately reappear above the water's surface. She shook her head, Megan wasn’t going to be happy when they told her you had almost drowned to death.

She quickly maneuvered towards your floating form and easily scooped you up and onto her board. You cling to her, water spraying from your nose as you coughed and tried to get enough air.

“Shh kid, your alright,” She murmured into your ear, rubbing your back with one hand and trying to get back to shore with the other.

You made it back to the beach with Ashlyn’s assistance, all three women looking at you worriedly when you didn’t unattach yourself from Tobin.

“Kell, get a towel,” Tobin gestured towards the bags as she finally got a good look at your shivering form. Your normally tan skin was pale, your eyes bloodshot. Kelley nodded, hesitating as she held up the requested material.

“I’m afraid to touch her back, sand in those cuts will hurt like a bitch,” She said, taking in the deep gashes along your spine. The reef was deep, so she never even thought about the possibility of you getting dragged along it, she also didn’t think that you’d try and take on a giant wave by yourself.

Ashlyn bit her lip, slipping her jacket off and wrapping it carefully around your shaking form, rubbing the back of your head in a comforting fashion. How she wished Ali was here, she was always good at comforting you. She let out a breath, they were totally going to be in trouble with your mom and their significant others when they caught a glimpse of your back.

“What the fuck is going on,” Megan’s voice sounded from behind them as she rushed towards you. She and the girls decided to surprise you and keep you company while the others surfed. They hadn’t expected to walk up on a rescue mission.

“Mama?” You asked, finally lifting your head from Tobin’s shoulder.

“Shit,” Tobing huffed as Christen shot her a “seriously” look. She had one job that she consistently failed miserably at, and that was preventing you from danger.

“Hey baby, I’m here,” You mama said softly, rubbing the back of your neck and gathering you up into her arms. You wobbled during the transfer from Tobin’s arms to your mom’s, whimpering when her comforting hands pressed too hard on the cuts on your back. Your mom’s eyebrows furrowed when you flinched, and then grabbed you head from the dizziness.

“You didn’t hit your head on the bottom right?” Kelley asked with wide eyes. They were extremely lucky that you hadn’t been knocked out.

“Excuse me, the bottom? Please tell me that you didn’t let her go surfing in that,” Megan gave the women her best mama glare, gesturing towards the monster set that was crashing on the shore.

“Was smaller,” You groaned, her raised voice only intensifying your headache. Your chest was burning, your back was stinging and all you wanted was to cuddle up with your mama and let her and Roary take away your pain.

“let’s go get you checked out by the doc on baby? I think you might have a concussion,” Megan’s voice softened, as she ran worried hands through your hair. You were a little daredevil, something that she always hoped you would grow out of, and now you could have gotten seriously hurt. She knew that you were frightened just by the way you were clinging to her. They needed to get you checked out and into some comfier clothing. She didn’t like the way you were shivering.

****

“Hey Babes, you doing ok?” Your mom grinned through the phone, smiling at how cute you looked cuddled up with her wife on one side and your famed stuffed triceratops on the other. You forced your eyelids open, blinking slowly at your mama. The painkillers the doctors had given you were making you very tired.

“We’re doing better, aren't we little one?” Megan answered, nudging your side, mindful of the gauze that covered most of your back. Sue’s eyebrows furrowed. She hated that she wasn’t there to help Megan comfort you.

“Much better,” You added sleepily, rubbing Roary’s soft fur on your nose. You shifted slightly, giving Sue a great view of the bruises that covered the tops of your shoulders.

“I’m going to kill Tobin, Ash, and Kelley when I see them,” Sue growled, her fist clenching around the phone so tight she was afraid it would break. How had they let you get so hurt? How had they not known that they were teaching a beginner above a fucking reef?

“Wasn’t their fault, though I could take the wave,” You grumbled, your voice muffled by your stuffed animal.

“They should have been watching you better,” Sue said sternly, shooting a look your way, making it clear that she thought that both you and them were at fault for this incident. They would be having another talk with you about safety, and she was sure they were each getting an earful from their respective significant others.

“We’re never letting you go with them alone again,” Megan nodded. There had been too many accidents for them to be considered good babysitters. Too many problems and incidents of you getting hurt.

“You can’t keep me locked up in my room all day,” You rolled your eyes.

“Wanna bet,” Sue raised her eyebrows at you. Perhaps that was a better solution. At least you couldn’t almost drowned if you were stuck in your room, though knowing you, you’d find an inventive way to “have fun” as you put it.

“You guys are overprotective,” You huffed, sticking your tongue out at the women before retreating behind Roary’s protective form. He would keep you safe from their wrath.

“Well you almost drowned to death today, I think we’re entitled,” Sue said sternly, and you sighed. You were 10, not 2.

“And we only do it because we love you,” Megan pulled you closer to her, and you melted into her embrace. You supposed that they had a good reason to be a little protective right now. You guessed you could give in at least until the scratches on your back healed.

“I love you too,”

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #Bino x Reader #Bino Imagine #tobin heath x reader #tobin heath imagines

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wr1ter-reader-dreamer · 3 years

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Angel (Pt. 2)

Harry Styles x Reader

A/N: This one was inspired by Harry’s song Only Angel. It’s five parts in total. If you like it, be sure to give it a reblog and check out the other parts linked below. Thanks, and enjoy <3

Warnings: Ummmmmm anger? Alludes to sex. That’s about it.

Masterlist

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

My first walk went by in a flash. I hardly realized I was out there before I was disappearing behind the curtain again. Still, I was filled with adrenaline and exuberance when I stepped off and realized that I was a true Angel now. Unable to stop myself from laughing, I allowed myself to be ushered to the rack of clothes holding my outfits for the night. I completely forgot that Harry was even there as I quickly changed and got ready to walk again. With every pass on the runway, I gained confidence. Before too long I was having fun and interacting with the performers, just like the Angels who had been doing this for years.

The show passed by all too fast, and suddenly it was time for the final segment, the Goddesses. As the assistant strapped on my wings, I realized that this time I would have to walk while Harry performed. My nerves returned in droves as I lined up with the other girls and Harry made his way onto the runway.

Harry’s song filtered through the air and Romee started her walk. I closed my eyes as I waited my turn, allowing the smooth voice of my brother’s best friend to fill me. Despite everything that had happened, it still relaxed me, and by the time it was my turn to walk, my nerves were all but gone again.

“Couldn’t take you home to mother in a skirt that short,” Harry sang as I stepped forward.

I smiled as I remembered a time when he had told me something similar. I was fifteen at the time and wearing a mini skirt for the first time. Harry, who was a few years older than me, had whistled and told me both our mothers would kill me if they saw me. With an eye roll I had told him to fuck off, which earned me another smart-mouthed comment. Five minutes later my mom saw me and yelled at me to go change. Harry teased me about it for weeks.

Seconds later and I was stepping onto the runway, a large smile on my face. Harry’s back was to me as I walked forward, but it wouldn’t be long before he caught site of me. A small part of me admitted that I was excited to see his face when he saw me walk the runway for the first time.

I was at the end of the runway, just finishing my pose and preparing to turn back, when Harry sang the line that made everything about this song click into place.

“Told it to her brother and she told it to me, that she’s gonna be an Angel just you wait and see,” Harry sang, causing me to almost stumble.

My eyes snapped to him, barely concealed horror on my face as I realized that this song was about me. He had written a song about me, of all people.

Then he smirked, holding my eyes and forcing my heart into overdrive as he sang, “When it turns out she’s a devil in between the sheets and there’s nothing she can do about it.”

It took every ounce of my willpower to not drop my smile or blush or stumble. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me because I knew that even though the world didn’t know he was singing about me, both our families did. Unfortunately though, I had to finish my walk with enthusiasm and a smile, all under Harry’s amused gaze.

As soon as i stepped backstage, my smile dropped and my hands began to shake. I made my way to get changed into my final outfit, but I could barely breathe. He had taken the simultaneously best and worst event of my life, written a song about it, and shared it with the world. I knew, even then, that that’s what he did, he wrote songs, but I never thought he’d let the world hear a song about that. To make matters worse, he chose to sing it at the fashion show I had been working toward my whole life. He knew how important this was to me and what seeing him, let alone hearing that song, would do to me. He had ruined this fashion show for me, and had nearly ruined my career, and I was pissed.

I embraced my anger, using it to help me pull myself back together. By the time I was stepping back onto the runway, it was like nothing had happened. Harry was singing the first verse of his song again, but I refused to be swept up in any memories. This time I walked stronger, still with a smile but no longer as playful as I had been before. And this time when I turned at the end of the runway and let my eyes meet his, all that there was for Harry to see was rage.

He didn’t falter as I had hoped, he was too good for that, but he sang the next line with a softer look in his eyes.

“My only angel, woo ooh-ooh,” he sang, his eyes pleading.

Smiling a smile I knew he would notice was fake, I blew him a kiss. harry placed his hand against his heart with a smile that was more genuine than mine and continued singing. Focusing my eyes forward again, I finished my walk. I knew that no one would catch the undertones of the exchange. To them it looked like childhood friends having fun with each other on stage, but to us it was very different. Harry knew me well enough to see the hostility of the action and how angry I was at having my hurtful past forced into the open like that; and I knew him well enough to see the apology in his eyes and the acknowledgement that our pass hurt him too. We were always really good at reading each other, I just didn’t care about his pain anymore. Not after what he did to me then, and especially not after what he just did to me now.

I didn’t have any time to rest before we were lining up for the final walk. Harry stepped off the runway and the first model stepped on. I could feel Harry’s eyes on me but refused to look at him, instead focusing on Martha’s wings in front of me. He would hear from me, but not till after my job was done.

The final walk was exciting, everyone on stage together, confetti falling from the ceiling. But like everything else, it was over all too fast, and we were popping champagne backstage to celebrate. Not in the mood, I made my way back to my rack to get changed into my street clothes.

“Y/N!” Elsa called just as I was slipping my t-shirt on, “You’re coming to the after part right?”

I grinned, “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Yay!” she squealed, giving me a hug then running off to get changed.

I chuckled at her energy, allowing myself to revel in the moment. I had just walked in a Victoria’s Secret fashion Show, as an official Angel, and now I would go to an official after party. Chuckling again, I thought about Harry’s song and how perfect it really was for the show. I told him I would make it, and I finally did. But I was still going to kill him for releasing that song.

Pulling my phone out of my purse that was sitting next to the rack, I searched for Harry’s contact. It had changed a lot over the years, but he always sent me the new one, and for reasons I wasn’t going to admit, I always saved it. Quickly finding it, my thumb hovered over the “message” option, stopped by his contact picture.

It was the same picture it had always been, from long ago when things were happy. Harry was standing with his arms around me, holding me tight against his chest. He was pressing a sloppy kiss to my forehead, and I was making a face at the camera, but it was obvious that I enjoyed it. We were both happy, and our happiness was shining from us like a light. It was after we had realized how we felt, but before everything went wrong.

Sighing, I pushed back the emotions bubbling up at the sight of the picture and clicked on the “message” option. I typed out a quick message and hit send before I could second guess myself.

‘Are you coming to the after party’

Within seconds the little typing bubble popped up. I held my breathe as I waited a few seconds for his reply.

‘Do you want me to?’

I rolled my eyes and contemplated just ignoring him. Of course I didn’t want him to go, but I also wanted the chance to yell at him for that song. Deciding to let him sit and stew for a bit, I gathered up my things instead of replying.

Once I had my purse, shoes, and jacket on, I pulled my phone back out. I decided on, ‘We need to talk’ so I didn’t have to actually answer his question. He replied almost instantly.

‘Is the party really the best place to talk?’

‘Yes, there will be too many witnesses for me to kill you.’

I smiled to myself, pleased with my answer.

‘Lol. Really, angel? You, kill me?’

I huffed, annoyed at his use of the nickname he had given me years ago when I insisted I’d be an Angel one day. When I was younger it was cute, but after the first night we… it wasn’t cute anymore.

‘Yes. Are you coming or not?’

I waited about a minute for a response, but when I didn’t get one, I decided to head to my hotel room. I still had to get ready for the party after all.

My phone dinged just as I got into a cab. I told the driver the name of the hotel we had been put up in, then took out my phone.

‘Yes, I’m coming. But this would probably be better in private. Come to my hotel room. 839 at the Park Hyatt.’

I laughed and rolled my eyes. Of course he was staying at the same hotel as us. But, he was right. There would be a lot of cameras and people at the party, and this wouldn’t exactly be a casual conversation. I would probably yell, and he would probably try to remind me of the happy times, and I didn’t really want anyone to hear that. Not only would it end up all over the Internet, but the girls and I weren’t exactly close. They don’t need to know about my past.

Huffing, I typed out a reply just as the cab pulled up to the hotel.

‘Fine. I’ll be there in 5.’

I paid the cabbie and thanked him for the ride, then slid out. Summoning my anger back to the forefront of my mind, I stormed through the lobby. Before I could get onto the elevator, however, I heard someone call my name from behind.

Turning, I saw Alessandra making her way toward me with concern on her face.

“Hey Ali,” I sighed, “what’s up?”

“I just wanted to make sure you’re ok. You haven’t really talked to any of us since the show started,” she said softly.

“I’m fine, I promise,” I smiled softly, appreciating her concern, “I just have something I need to do before the party.”

“Ok,” she said cautiously, not convinced that I was actually fine, “But promise to call me if you need anything.”

My smile widened, knowing she really meant it, “Ok mom, I will.”

Alessandra laughed, pushing my shoulder and telling me bye as she walked away. I smiled after her. She really was like a mom, and I was honestly glad that I had her here with me. Especially since I didn’t exactly have my family anymore.

Sighing, I hit the button for the elevator. I tapped my foot as I waited, my nerves bubbling up full force. I was pissed, but I was also nervous. I hadn’t been alone with Harry in five years, and the last time I was, I made the mistake that cost me my entire family. He was so charming, and so good at getting me to forget why I was mad. But I couldn’t let myself forget, not this time. This time was too important, and he had ruined my life too many times already.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Taking a deep breathe, I steeled my nerves and stepped on. It was time to face the music and to finally face my past.

#harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry x reader #harry x y/n #x reader #x y/n #reader insert #multipart #part 2 #angel #ex!harry styles #ex!harry #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harry styles x reader smut

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raisedbyfandomwolves · 3 years

Note

prompt: write something bad :)

YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD ME WITH THIS.

BUT YOU WERE WRONG.

I TRIUMPHED.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

...

(clears throat)

Anyway, enjoy.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Cryptun and it was ruled by the kind and beautiful Princess Ka-rah. Princess Ka-rah was as kind as she was beautiful and everyone in her kingdom loved her because she was the best princess ever and she made sure they were always happy.

One day, Princess Ka-rah was travelling to a village on the border of her kingdom when she found a handsome young man lying on the side of the road. He looked hurt so Princess Ka-rah decided to bring him back to her castle and help him get better.

When the handsome young man finally woke up, he told Princess Ka-rah that his name was Mi-key and he had been attacked by evil pirates who had stolen everything he had. Princess Ka-rah felt bad for him so she told him that he could stay with her until he was all better and could go home.

While Mi-key was getting better in Princess Ka-rah's castle, he caused a lot of trouble like a naughty stray puppy. Mi-key played a lot of pranks and made Princess Ka-rah very angry a lot of times but the pranks were actually really funny and no one ever got hurt and also he would say the funniest jokes ever and she would laugh until she forgot why she was angry at him.

After another one of Mi-key's pranks one morning, Princess Ka-rah was chasing him through the palace garden to scold him when suddenly a giant robot T-Rex appeared and attacked her. Just as it was going to really hurt her, Mi-key flew into the air and used his magic cape to defeat the giant robot T-Rex.

Princess Ka-rah was very happy he had saved her and actually she secretly like-liked him a lot so she asked him if he wanted to stay with her forever. Mi-key was also very happy because he secretly like-liked her a lot too so he said yes and the giant robot T-Rex became their pet.

While they were having a party to celebrate Mi-key staying, however, a dark cloud of evil magic appeared in the room and two ugly evil-looking women came out of it. The older ugly evil-looking woman turned out to be Queen Le-xe of the nearby kingdom of Daxxim and the other one was her daughter Princess Lee-na. Queen Le-xe was actually the evil stepmother of Mi-key who was actually the prince of Daxxim and she was there to kill him so that her daughter Princess Lee-na could rule Daxxim instead.

Princess Ka-rah was very angry at Prince Mi-key for not telling her that he was actually a prince but Prince Mi-key told her that he had been hurt that day by evil pirates that Queen Le-xe had sent to kill him. He told her that he had been scared to tell her the truth because he didn't want to go home and get killed but also because he like-liked her a lot the moment he saw her and wanted to stay with her instead.

Even though she was still a little angry at Prince Mi-key, Princess Ka-rah decided to forgive him because she was super kind and because she still like-liked him a lot too so she told Queen Le-xe that she wasn't going to let the ugly evil stepmother queen or her ugly evil daughter hurt him.

Queen Le-xe and Princess Lee-na were very angry so they decided to try and kill Princess Kara too but Princess Kara and Prince Mi-key used their magic capes to fight the evil queen and princess and they won. Then the giant robot T-Rex which had also been sent by the evil Queen Le-xe to kill Prince Mikey chomp-chomp-chomped the evil queen and princess because they were really really mean to him last time.

Now that Queen Le-xe and Princess Lee-na were dead, Prince Mi-key was safe and he could go home to become the king of Daxxim. Even though she was very happy for him, Princess Ka-rah was also very sad because she didn't want to say goodbye to Prince Mi-key.

Then Prince Mi-key said he didn't want to leave her so he asked her to marry him and bring their kingdoms together. Princess Ka-rah was really really happy to hear that so of course she said yes and they had a big beautiful wedding and lived happily ever after and had lots of beautiful babies.

---xXx---

“The end,” Abigail finished reading with a proud smile on her face before looking up at her parents who were sitting on the couch in front of her. “What do you think of my story, Mommy, Daddy?”

Both Kara and Mike could only blink, stupefied, as they tried to find the words to answer their daughter. “Well... it's, um... it's very... unique,” Kara ventured hesitantly. “Just, um... I just have a few questions?”

Mike covertly pinched her thigh with just enough strength to get her attention. “Kara, are you seriously going to critique our six-year-old daughter's writing assignment?”

“I'm not critiquing! I just want to clarify a few things!” Kara hissed angrily before plastering a smile on her face and turning back towards an earnest and oblivious Abigail. “So, um... Why is... Shouldn't Princess Ka-rah be a queen if she's ruling her kingdom?”

“But princesses are cooler than queens, Mommy!” Abigail protested with a frown.

“I... I see...” It was only then that Kara remembered they'd had a Disney Princesses movie marathon during Abigail's sleepover party just a week ago. “Okay, um... So how was it Princess Ka-rah didn't recognise... um, Prince Mi-key if he was from a kingdom so close to hers? I mean, she had to have seen him at least once before, right?”

“Oh, she's just silly like that,” Abigail giggled.

Mike made a shoddy attempt at disguising his snicker with a cough that turned into a pained wheeze when Kara ground her heel into his foot.

“A-And... why a giant robot T-Rex?” Kara asked next, knowing that her husband would be even more insufferable if she asked more questions about Princess Ka-rah's 'silliness'.

Abigail beamed. “Because robots are cool and dinosaurs are cool so robot dinosaurs are twice as cool!”

“...I see.” It struck Kara then that 'because it's cool' was probably going to be the reason for all the random elements in her daughter's story. “Is that... Is that why Prince Mi-key suddenly has a magic cape too?”

“That's because he's a superhero!” Abigail cheerfully corrected her mother as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mike instantly sat up straight. “Wait, he's a prince and a superhero?”

“Uh huh!”

Kara glared at her husband and the stupid self-satisfied grin growing on his face, all too sure exactly what he was thinking. “Well then, that means Princess Ka-rah is a superhero too since she also has a magic cape, right?” A magic cape she didn't have until that last moment out of the blue, she added mentally.

Abigail nodded vigorously, too caught up in her enthusiasm to notice the looks her parents were giving each other. “That's another reason they're perfect together!”

“...Okay...” Deciding that she was probably going to get even stranger answers if she asked any more questions about this particular aspect of the story, Kara moved on but not before throwing one last glare in Mike's direction. “So... um, one last question: Was it really necessary for, uh, Queen Le-xe and Princess Lee-na to be, um... eaten by the... giant robot T-Rex?”

“But they're evil, Mommy!” Abigail insisted in a way that only a six year old could. “Evil people should get eaten by giant robot T-Rexes! Then there would be less evil people in the world and the robot T-Rexes won't go hungry!”

It was at that point that Kara finally gave up and decided to let things be... until she heard Mike let out another poorly disguised snicker. That was it. If she had to suffer – okay, so maybe she had brought it on herself but that was not the point – then so did he. “So what did you think of the story, honey?” she asked in a voice that dripped with false sweetness.

Mike predictably choked once he realised both his wife and daughter were now looking at him very intensely for different reasons. “Uh... I've, uh... never heard anything like it before,” he floundered for a bit at first before inspiration struck and he beamed. “It's very avant-garde for sure.”

Abigail's eager expression turned into one of adorable confusion. “Evan... card...?” she tried and failed to repeat what her father had said. “What does that mean, Daddy?”

The smile on Mike's face instantly vanished. “Uhhh... It means rich people will pay a lot of money for it!” he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

Just like that, Abigail's smile returned in full force. “So it's good?”

Once again, Mike was rendered speechless and even Kara had to blink at their daughter's conclusion. “Uhhh... yes...?” he offered uncertainly.

“Yay! Thanks, Mommy, Daddy!” With a great big cheer, Abigail ran over to hug both her parents in turn. “I'm going to go draw pictures to go with my story now!”

For several long minutes after Abigail had run off to her room, both Kara and Mike could do nothing more than stare blankly at the spot where their daughter had been standing.

Unsurprisingly, Kara was the first to speak. “She's not going to... draw us, is she?”

Mike levelled a flat look at her. “Considering the names of her characters are nearly identical to ours, what do you think?”

“Oh god...” she groaned in embarrassment as she buried her face in her hands. “Her teachers are going to think- I don't even know what they're going to think about us now.”

“You're overreacting,” he brushed off her fretting breezily. “At most, they'll probably chalk it up to how much she loves us or something. Which, you know, is pretty true since she clearly thinks we're cool enough to be royalty and superheroes at the same time.”

“Of course you'd focus on that part...” she muttered accusingly. “I bet you didn't even notice that our daughter seems to have forgotten the 'stranger danger' talk we had with her if she's writing about bringing home random guys lying on the side of the road as a good thing...”

“Kara, it's a story that didn't even make sense most of the time! I mean, pirates on land? A giant robot T-Rex? Magic capes appearing out of nowhere? You're really taking it way too seriously.”

“Am not! I-I'm just... concerned about what it might mean! Mike, our daughter is writing about... about people getting essentially murdered in a very gruesome manner!”

“Evil people, Kara. And they're just characters.”

“Characters very obviously based on two people we know!”

“Two people we know and really don't like, I might add. Which is probably where she got the inspiration. Although I'm not sure how to feel about the idea of a fictional Lex Luthor in drag being my evil stepmother...”

“Mike, would you please focus?! Our daughter's apparently in favour of some kind of... extreme vigilante justice!”

“Again, it's just a story. Besides, if you can fantasise about throwing your sadistic boss into the sun with powers you don't have to blow off steam, I think we can let our daughter imagine obviously evil people getting eaten by giant robot T-Rexes that don't exist.”

“I should've known you'd react like this. Or should I say I should've expected nothing less especially since she probably got this from you?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“You! You're such a... a... weirdo sometimes! Like how you insist that orange juice should go well on cereal just because it's normal to have them both in a single breakfast!”

“Yeah, well, you married and had a kid with this weirdo so what does that say about you?”

Abigail paid no attention to the sound of her parents bickering in the living room. After all, she already knew that this fight would end the same way all the others had in the past: They would get all kissy-kissy, lock themselves in their bedroom, make a lot of funny noises and then be really happy for the rest of the day.

Sure enough, the sound of their bedroom door clicking shut followed not long after but by then Abigail was too engrossed drawing the wedding of Princess Ka-rah and Prince Mi-key to notice.

#prompt fic #zrnas

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novannna · 3 years

Text

Write Our Story in the Stars

so for school we did nanowrimo and i actually like the story I wrote so i’m posting it to tumblr :)

This story is about a girl and a princess who grow up together, closer than sisters. The girl wants only to be the princess’s guard so they can stay together forever. When she gets a chance to prove herself worthy to be the princess’s sole protector, she jumps on the oppurtunity. She and the princess leave on a journey to find a stolen treasure. While on the journey, the girl finds out a dark secret about her past....(cliche, ik)

tw: blood, death, violence, mentions of abuse in later chapters

wc: 2589

Chapter 1

This story starts like most fairy tales. It starts with a princess. But she is not the main character. No, our story is about the little girl who was raised in her shadow. This girl has never had an easy life. She was orphaned at an early age, and sent to live with an abusive family. At only ten years of age, she escaped her home and went to live in the great capital city. She found work in the palace, and quickly befriended the princess. You may think that being overshadowed in such a way would anger the young girl. It did the opposite. She never liked attention. All she wanted was the princess’s love as they were the closest of friends.

As time passed the princess grew older and had other duties to tend to. And the young girl was now no longer so young. She had a new goal in her life. She wanted to be the princess’s protector. The royal guards laughed and scorned her for wanting to become a warrior, but that did not stop the girl. She trained night and day, waiting for a chance to prove her worth. She was still ignored, but not by the one who mattered most. The princess saw everything her friend did. She watched, and her heart hurt for the girl whose life was so different than her own. The princess never knew the hardships the girl faced. She knew she would never face anything as hard as the girl. She could never suffer an equal amount of pain. And so, when a chance came for the girl to earn her place, the princess jumped on it.

Chapter 1

“Mallory, come on!” Talia laughed. “You’ve been out here for hours. Aren’t you hungry?”

“No.” Mallory gritted her teeth, and pulled another arrow out of her quiver. “I have to keep training. You know that.”

“Mal, come on. You have to eat sometimes,” Talia begged. “You can keep training tomorrow, but it's almost nine.”

Mallory ignored her. She let her arrow fly, and it hit the center of the target, running right through an arrow already there.

Talia groaned. “This is for your own good.” She pushed up her sleeves, and marched over towards the girl. “If you won’t come willingly, I’ll have to drag you in. And do you really want that?”

Mallory scoffed. “Will you?”

Talia bobbed her head up and down. “Yes. I will, thank you very much.”

Mallory sighed. “Listen, Tal, I have to train. I have to be the best if you and I want to be together forever. This is the only way we have a chance to stay together.”

“You are already the best. You’ve beaten every single person who’s fought you. You're the strongest person I know. Come in for the night. Please.”

“Fine,” Mallory groaned. “But I still have to train tomorrow. No exceptions.”

“Yeah yeah. Come on!” Talia tugged Mallory towards the door.

“Don’t you have boring princess duties to take care of?”

“They can wait. I feel like I never see you anymore. So… tonight we’re hanging out, just the two of us!”

“Yay,” Mallory replied with little enthusiasm.

“That’s the spirit. Race you to my bedroom!” Talia shot off, her hair billowing out from behind her. “Last one there’s a rotten egg.”

Mallory shook her head and chuckled. She started to sprint after her best friend.

---

“I won,” Mallory said breathlessly.

Talia pouted. “No fair, you took the servants path. That’s cheating.”

“No, I just thought smarter than you. We never said it wasn’t allowed.”

“Fine. But I’ll get you next time. Just you wait.” Talia pretended to glare at Mallory.

“I’m terrified,” Mallory dead-panned.

“Oh! I have something for you!” Talia grinned wildly, and reached under her bed.

Mallory smiled from Talia’s infectious joy. “Do you?” She held out her hands to grab the long parcel Talia dropped into them.

She started to unwrap it, but Talia stopped her. “Wait! Open this first.” She handed a heavy looking large bundle that clanked suspiciously.

“What is it?” Mallory asked nervously.

“Just open it!”

Mallory carefully tore away the paper. Gleaming metal and fabric shone up at her. A uniform. But, not just any uniform.

“Is this…”

“The uniform of the princess’s guard? Yes, yes it is.”

Mallory’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe it. Everything she had ever worked for. A chance to stay with her friend forever. A chance to be together till they died. This was her dream. Her dream ever since she had laid eyes on the princess. She knew it was silly. Who would ever let her, a nobody, guard the princess? But the gleaming armor was right in front of her.

“How?” Mallory asked, her face shining with joy. “This… this is incredible!”

“I pulled a few strings. But, you have to prove yourself first. It’s not a solid position yet, but you have a chance.” Talia said. “A chance for us to stick together, no matter what.”

Mallory’s heart fell. She did not get this because she had dedicated her life to this, she had gotten this opportunity because Talia had asked for her to get this. She didn’t earn this. But, it didn’t matter, she told herself. You and Talia both know you deserve this. Yes, it would have been nicer if she had earned it on her own, but she still had a chance. And she would not waste it.

“Talia, this is amazing. What did you mean by prove myself? Is there some sort of test or…” she trailed off.

“Nope.” Talia’s face brightened. “They have a job of sorts for you to complete. A weapon that was stolen from the treasury long ago. The jewel of Asno. And they want you to get it.”

“I’ll be away for a long time then. So why do you look so happy?” She asked. Talia was smiling ear to ear.

“Because… only someone of royal blood can touch it. Which means I’m going with you.” She slung her hands over Mallory’s shoulders. “It’s going to be so fun! You and me, on an adventure. It’s a chance for you to prove yourself, and a chance for you and me to go on a trip together.”

Mallory squirmed away. “Your dad is letting this happen?”

“That’s the beauty of it! He doesn't have a choice. The princess can choose her guard, and they can prove themselves in a task of her choice. So he has to let me do this.”

Mallory smiled slightly. “Thank you for this.”

“Of course! You’re my best friend. I’d do anything for you.” Her eyes brightened. “Oh, wait. Don’t forget this!” She nearly shoved the long parcel into Mallory.

“...okay.” Mallory pulled out a beautiful sword from the parcel. “Oh,” she said quietly. “It’s beautiful.” The blade was made of an odd black metal, and the handle had pearl and gold inlaid in a criss-crossing pattern. Mallory drew her thumb across the blade, and hissed as red blood welled up.

“I thought you’d like it. It is really beautiful isn’t it.”

Mallory nodded mutely. “And deadly.” She jumped to her feet, and swiped the blade through the hair. It cut without a sound. A smile split her face. “Thank you Tal. Thank you so much. For everything.”

“Of course Mal. This is your dream. And you’ve earned it.”

“Not alone. I’d still be stuck as some lowly servant if you hadn’t seen me. I’d probably be dead. You encouraged me, and never let me down. Thank you so much for that Tal.”

“Well, of course I’d do that. You’re like my sister. I love you. Now,” She shoved Mallory lightly. “Go try it on. I want to see how my trusted protector looks!”

Mallory rolled her eyes. “If you insist.”

“I do.” She turned around. “I’m not looking, I promise.”

Mallory laughed and started to put the uniform on. It fit perfectly. She walked towards the mirror once she had finished, the metal barely making a sound. The uniform was beautiful as well.

Black pants with shining metal greaves, similar to the sword, tucked into black boots. A red shirt underneath a black chest plate. She tucked her hair up into a helmet with a vibrant red plume. Finally, she strapped her sword over her back.

“It’s beautiful,” Mallory whispered. “I- I can’t thank you enough, Tal. You’ve given me everything.”

“Can I turn around now?” Talia asked.

“Oh,” Mallory laughed. “Yes, you can.”

Talia leapt to her feet and squealed. “Oh, it’s perfect. You’re perfect.” She clasped Mallory’s hands tightly in her own, and spun around the room. “You did it Mal. You’ll be my guard, and wherever I go, you can follow.”

“Inseparable till the end.” Mallory took her helmet off, and set it down. It was far too hot to wear it there. “When do we leave?”

“A week’s time.” Talia sighed dreamily. “Oh, it’ll be amazing. Can’t you imagine.” She leaned her head on Mallory’s shoulder. “Green hills, and mountains, and deep blue lakes. It’ll be everything I dreamed of.”

“You’ve never really been out of Asnon have you?”

“Well… I’ve been to other palaces. But I’ve never been to the real world.” She spun around, her arms wide. “Isn’t it so exciting.”

Mallory laughed. “The real world isn’t a paradise princess. It’s got ugly parts too. Asnon is beautiful compared to other places. This isn’t going to be easy. We’ll be in danger the whole time. From the moment we leave the borders assume everyone hates you, and wants to kill you.”

“But I don’t have to worry about it. Because you’ll be there to protect me.”She returned to Mallory, and clasped their hands together. They leaned forward as one, and pressed their foreheads together.

“I’m so proud of you, Mal,” Talia whispered, her words warm on Mallory’s face. “You’ve deserved to get this from the second I met you. I love you so much.”

“Thank you for getting me a chance. I promise, I’ll never leave you. I swear, my life belongs to you, and I am yours to command.”

Talia giggled. “Well, I command you to come with me to the kitchen. I’m starving, and you must be too.”

“Your word is my command, princess,” Mallory replied with a bow. She extended an elbow, and the princess looped her own through it. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” They turned, and walked out the doors as one.

---

Back in the safety of her own room, Mallory began to take off her uniform. She had everything she had ever wanted, so why was she so disappointed.

She knew Talia loved her like a sister, and just wanted the best for her, but it still stung to get things only because the princess had helped. She had always wanted to be the princess’s protector, but she had wanted to get there on her own. She did not want the princess calling in favors or asking nicely. She wanted the captain of the guard to look at her and realize that Mallory was perfect for the job. She was hard working, and fierce, and tough. She was a better fighter than anyone in Asnon. But they still looked down on her. Because she was born a nobody. An orphan, sent to live with a family that didn’t want her. A family that hurt her, and told her she was worthless. Mallory had fought tooth and nail to live, and she wanted to earn her place in the world. She didn’t want it to be handed to her. Then people would question her right. No, Mallory wanted to fight for it. She wanted everyone to watch, and see she was the only person, woman or man, who was worthy enough to protect the princess. She sighed and flopped down, onto her bed.

She should not be complaining. Her life was perfect. She had a chance to win everything. She should not be disappointed. But she was.

Mallory was furious that the princess didn’t understand. She’d never understand.

And that was not her fault. Talia didn’t understand how much it hurt to know that everything Mallory had achieved was because of her. She didn’t understand, and she was just trying to help.

Mallory groaned and rolled over. She pressed her face into her pillow.

A knock sounded on her door.

Mallory grimaced, and slowly got up. She opened the door to find the captain of the guard and the king standing in her doorway.

Mallory dropped into a low curtsy.

“Your highness. What do I owe this… visit?” She asked uncertaintly.

“Good evening Mallory. My daughter has told me she wishes to make you her personal guard,” the king said in his deep voice.

“Yes. It is an incredible honor. I hope to serve her as best as possible.”

“I wanted you to know that I do not approve of her choice. I know that you two are close, but you have not proved yourself.”

Mallory bit her lip. She knew that most people would not approve of Talia’s choice.

“I understand sir…” She started.

“-However,” he continued. “I will give you the benefit of doubt. Talia and you are to travel across the land, to Monopya, to find a stolen weapon. That is your chance to prove yourself. In order for you to gain my trust, I’m sending the captain the captainwith you to ensure the princess’s safety, and observe your progress.”

The captain straightened, and nodded his head sharply at Mallory.

“Is this understood? This is your one chance to prove to me I can trust my daughter’s life in your hands.”

Mallory nodded. “I’d die for her your highness.”

“I am happy to hear this. I wish you luck on your journey.” The king nodded sharply, and spun on his heel. He marched off, the captain close on his heels.

Mallory shut the door, and slid down to the floor. Great. This was just great.

Her every move was going to be watched. And if she messed up, she’d never have a chance again. She’d probably have to leave the palace.

And the captain of the guard was coming. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the man, he had helped her train when she was younger. He never treated her like a kid. He had let her use his weapons and swords. He had helped her learn complicated moves. But he never offered her a chance to become something. And she was still hurt from that. He knew how much it meant to her, but he never said anything. And now he was going on a journey that was supposed to be just her and Talia.

“This is your dream Mallory. You can’t change it now, so go with it,” she said to herself.

Mallory sat on her bed and hugged her knees to her chest. She had gotten so far already. What was one more mountain? She’d conquer it the way she always did.

Still. The sting of knowing it wasn’t her skill that had gotten her there still hurt. But not enough. Not enough to make her turn away.

Besides. Mallory did not trust anyone else with Talia’s life.

Mallory lay down on her bed, and shut her eyes. “This will work,” her mind whispered. “It has too. If it doesn’t, then you're out of luck.” Everything was on stake. Her very life could be. She would not fail Talia. She would not fail. She could not fail.

#my own writing #my oc's #write our story in the stars #Mallory #Talia #let me know what you think!#Nanowrimo

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oddsnendsfanfics · 4 years

Text

Unraveling at the Seams Pt 16

Genre: Fan Fiction Pairing: Alex Høgh Andersen/OFC, Henry Cavill/OFC Warnings: Language, Sexual Innuendo, Possible NSFW Rating: M Length: Multi Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.

A/N: fingers crossed all the tags work today.

thank you @flowers-in-your-hayr for the header :D

Catch Up Here

Packing up their life had come with frustration and tears, in the past. Mostly from Nell, a few from Ivan, and then there was Henry. This time the only tears, so far, had come from the amounts of laughter that Ivan would induce. Once his room was nearly ready to go, the essentials remaining, Henry had convinced his son to help him start on the rest of the house. Nell had enough on her plate, packing was the least they could do.

Hour three of their morning packing, Kal and Ivan were growing restless. A sign that they needed to get out and have a good run around. A trip to the park allowing both of them to enjoy the sun was exactly the cure.

A few kids climbed on the play structure, shouting and calling to one another. Ivan recognized one or two kids from his soon to be previous school, though he didn't bother to play with them. Keeping to his dad and Kal. He'd spent time with his friends, the ones who mattered, when Henry had allowed him another sleepover with Leo and Sam.

Stoic in his actions, Ivan had thought he'd hid his tears well. Racing up the stairs and hiding in his room when his friends had gone home. Henry had done his best to hold it all together, reassuring Ivan that things would be fine and once they got settled, they would video chat his friends as much as possible.

Waving at a girl, a few inches taller and probably a year or two older, Ivan blushed and turned back to throw the ball for Kal. His actions not going unnoticed by Henry, who had been in the middle of sending Nell a photo of Ivan and Kal.

“A friend from school?” Henry stood a few feet from Ivan, waiting to intercept the ball from Kal. He'd noticed Ivan shyly letting the same girl pet Kal a few days ago.

“Uh, no. Not really. She was a peer monitor, in my class, for reading.” Ivan explained.

“Why don't you go over and say hello?”

“Nah, it's okay. She's with Kayla and I don't want to.” Shaking his head, Ivan frowned when Kal blew by him with the ball still in his mouth. “Kal, drop it. Kal!” he clapped calling the dog. Trying to use the same deep tone his dad would. Useless.

Henry rolled his eyes, kids.

“Kal,” Henry whistled, lowering his voice to show Kal it was time to knock it off and bring the back the ball.

Ivan sighed, rubbing his hands on his shorts. Maybe nobody saw that. Silly dog.

“Dad, what do you do when you like a girl?”

A knowing smirk, Henry checked to make sure the path was clear before launching the ball and telling Kal to go get it. “What do I do? Or in general?”

“Both?”

“Well, if it were me, I'd walk over and say hi. Ask how her day was. If she had a good summer, compliment her dress. Maybe tell her a joke.” Groaning, Ivan made a suddenly disgusted face. “What is it?”

“Dad, please, never tell a girl a joke. Your jokes are terrible.”

“Hey, I will have you know my jokes are fine. It worked when I asked your mum out.”

“Mum's jokes are bad, too.” Ivan laughed at the shocked expression on his dad's face. “Jordan said Alex pestered mum until she agreed. I pester her, but she always tells me no.” He frowned.

“I don't think the pestering was the same type.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Scratching his head, Ivan let go of the dating topic. Kal slid to a stop at Ivan's side, dropping his ball and panting. Flopping to the cool grass, the big dog yawned and rested his head on his paws. “I think Kal wants to go home.”

Kal had impeccable timing, for which Henry had never been more thankful.

“I think we've worn him out, haven't we bear?” Henry stooped to collect the ball and give Kal a well deserved scratch under the chin. “He'll have loads of time to rest, once we get moved.”

“Do you think Kal would want to live with mum?”

“What do you mean?”

“She's going to be alone, maybe he could live with her? I think she'd like it,” Ivan lowered his voice, leaning in to his dad, “and he would keep her safe.”

“I think your mum can keep herself fairly safe, but it is awfully generous of you to offer her company.” Henry ran his hand over the back of his neck, “Kal is an awful lot of work.”

Ivan shrugged, “So am I. Ms. Inglewood said so, but mum keeps me.”

“Let me talk to your mum about it, but I think Kal will probably come with us.” Henry smiled giving Kal another scratch as he leaned down to put on the dog's leash. “Speaking of mum, we need to stop in and pick up her gift.”

After days of agonizing searches, according to Ivan, they had found the perfect gift for his mum. He was proud of his purchase and couldn't wait to give it to her. Henry had told him that she was coming over this afternoon to help pack, the perfect time to give her the special present.

Unknowingly, Nell had picked her own present. She was going to be shocked, Ivan hoped she would love it.

Taking the morning to organize and rearrange a few things in the studio, per request, Nell was happy to go home. Even if it meant more packing. Since she hadn't been on set, she hadn't saw Alex in the last two days. Odd not having somebody interrupting her day, while she tried to work. Well, it was what it. Whatever it was, it was over and they were both free to move on and do as they pleased.

Armed with her favourite coffee, two okay three brownie cookies– thank you Sophie, along enough tape and paper to wrap a life time of items Nell headed to her room to begin purging and packing her closet. Henry had neatly packed his things this morning to keep them from getting in the mess that would be tossed around the room by dinner time.

Thankful for his initiative. Nell pulled out a large suitcase, and a handful of hangers getting to work. Thirty or forty minutes in felt like a lifetime, keep on the bed. Discard on the floor by the black dresser. Packing the suitcase with some winter clothing, Nell groaned when her phone rang.

“Hi, mom.” She answered with a grunt.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine, I'm fine. What's new?”

Pleasantries and informal community gossip, from both ends, out of the way Evelyn began to dive into the finer details of life. Nell listened as her mother went on about this and that, bringing her up to date with the family. Stuffing the last item into the large suitcase, Nell huffed in triumph.

“Sadie and Dave are expecting, again.” Evelyn delivered the joyful news. Her oldest daughter had so much on the go, if it was up to Sadie the baby would be two and she'd still never get around to telling her little sister.

“Oh, wow.” Nell furrowed her brow, tongue between her teeth, trying to zip her suitcase.

Ivan would be a wreck the next few months, stressing whether his new cousin would dethrone him as the only boy. He took his place with great pride.

“Is that all you have to say?” Evelyn chastised her youngest daughter. “I tell you some good news and all I get from you is sarcasm?”

Short of sitting on the suitcase, Nell sighed, shifting her phone and rolling her eyes. “No, mom. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I meant oh! Wow! Good for them! Yay, they must be so excited.” She lifted her voice, faking her best enthusiasm.

“Really, Janelle. You're incorrigible.”

“I'm sorry, really, but Sadie having another baby isn't on my list of priorities right now.” Rubbing her hand against her forehead, Nell braced herself for the lecture.

The sigh on the other end of the phone told her it was coming. 5. she waited, 4. Nell shook her head 3...2 -

“I know that you have a lot going on.” 1. “It wouldn't kill you to think of somebody else's happiness for two seconds. I expect you to at least send her a nice card. One that you've put some thought into.”

“She's my sister, of course I'll send her a nice card. I was planning to send her a nice gift too, or would that be too much like being nice?” Nell scoffed, “Mom, I'm happy for her. Really, I am. It's just...” she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Ivan's moving in with Henry and I'm heading to Hungary to work. We're trying to find our own balance and things here are crazy.”

Silence, followed by a slight hitch in Evelyn's breath. Nell sat on the side of the bed, glaring at the offending suitcase. She would conquer that beast.

“Ivan is moving in with Henry, when? Why?”

So Henry hadn't said anything. For once he had left something for Nell to report to her mother. There was a first time for everything.

“They're leaving next week. I decided that it would be best, if Ivan was with Henry for a while. It may make moving easier. You know how he hates to move.”

“What about the new job Henry's taking? He won't have time for Ivan, too. Are you sure this is the right thing, Nelly?”

“Yes, I am.” Sitting straighter, Nell lifted her chin in confidence. “Henry and Ivan are on board, it's good to go. I'll be there, too. Well, not there there, but I'll be in Budapest if they need me and it's only as long as Ivan wants. He's free to move houses however he pleases.”

“You took the job with Henry, then?”

“I never said anything about my new job,” Nell frowned. Fucking Henry.

“Henry mentioned it, back when he told me that he was going there to work. He asked if it would be too overbearing and desperate, if he offered you the job. He said he wanted the best person for the job and you were the only person he could think of. I told him to go with his gut. Nothing more.” Evelyn's tone was softer, as she explained her role in all of this. “I'm happy that you took it. It's a great job and I know you'll so, so well.”

Biting her bottom lip, Nell sat silent for a moment. As much as she wanted to be mad at Henry for giving away her news, how could she argue with a compliment like that?

“Thanks, mom.”

Inhaling deeply, Nell could practically hear her mother smile. “Your father and I have never been to Hungary. We did France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland one year though. It was right before we found out we were having your brother and sister. Gorgeous countries.”

“Once we're settled and things are running smooth, I am sure Henry and Ivan would love to have you.”

“I'm sure they would, but what about you?”

“Not that I don't want you, but I suspect Henry will have a bigger space. I mean, he's got Ivan and Kal. Plus I'm just the lady making sure he's dressed on screen. I'll be lucky to get a one room with a cupboard to stick Ivan in when he comes over.” Nell smirked, laughing slightly.

“Go on with ya, Nelly. Sticking that poor boy in the cupboard.” Evelyn laughed along with her daughter.

“Yeah, you're right. He's nearly too tall.”

“We miss him, you know. We miss you, too. Once things are settled, I do want to come see you. I know it's hard to get home right now.” Evelyn settled the jokes, turning on her serious mothering side.

“I'm going to try and come home for Christmas. I don't know what Ivan will want to do, but you could always come over for his birthday. He'd love that.”

“I'll talk to your father and maybe we will come surprise him. As for Christmas, we'll talk about that when it gets closer.” Evelyn concluded, telling Nell that she would talk with her later. Sending her love and to make sure Ivan gave her a call, sometimes soon.

Packing and purging, Nell was into a rhythm by the time Henry showed up. In the bedroom, Nell was placed in the middle of the floor, a box on one side and items to be packed on the other. Her closet nearly empty, she had a large pile of clothing by the dresser ready to be sent off to good will. Boxes and two suitcases sitting in the closet, where there had once been hanging clothes.

“Wow, you have a lot packed.” Henry whistled taking a look around the room. “I'm impressed.”

“No sense wasting time.” Nell shrugged tucking another wrapped trinket in the box. She'd made the decision to ship and store most of their belongings in London. She had a storage locker there, which would soon be restocked and left while she and Ivan went on their next adventure.

“I couldn't agree more, but you could have waited. I don't mind helping.” Henry grabbed the roll of paper, cutting off a few pieces to help pack.

“Ah well, I decided that I needed to do something, keep my mind busy.”

“How so?” Henry sat on his knees, taking a pause from his new job.

“Life. Things.” Shrugging, Nell took the next item to be wrapped from the pile. “I talked to my mom, this afternoon.”

“How are things with your parents?” Henry hadn't spoke to them, beyond asking Walt for help with dinner.

“My sister is having another baby,” Nell made conversation.

“Huh, good for them.”

“I suppose.” Nell shrugged. “Mom and dad want to come over for Ivan's birthday, as well.”

“That would be fantastic. I was thinking of asking mum and dad to come visit around then.”

“We could have a small birthday for him. He'd like that. Of course grandparents aren't the same as kids, but it will be nice.”

“I'm sure he'll have some new mates in no time. We can have a Sunday tea for family. Maybe a Saturday afternoon for friends?”

“Sounds great.”

Reaching for the tape, Nell held the box shut, while Henry laid a few strips of the packing tape across the top. Since he had briefly chatted with her earlier in the day, her mood had shifted.

“Mom said that you told her about the job. How you wanted to ask me.”

“I did,” Henry confessed. “I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy in asking.”

“Why did you really ask me, Henry?” Staring at the tape in her hands, Nell blinked hard.

Sitting back, Henry rubbed his chin, a light stubble beginning to grow. “I wanted the best person for the job. I know that you won't admit it, but you're every bit the geek I am and I wanted someone who I could trust to get every detail right.”

Rolling her eyes, Nell cleared her throat, the tape still the most fascinating thing in the world. “Projects like this have insane resources, I doubt you needed me.”

“Maybe I wanted you?” Henry cocked his head, his brow knit as he searched for some kind of justification. “Nell, I have told you before, you are the right person for the job. No hidden agenda. You're good at what you do, I can trust you, and this has potential to be more than one job. What is so wrong, with surrounding myself in people who are excellent at what they do?”

Shifting around, Nell swung her legs out from under her, extending the distance between her and Henry. Curling her toes, she looked at the pale pink polish. Wiggling her toes at Henry, she smirked.

“I can't believe you asked my mom.”

“I happen to respect her opinion.” Henry grinned. Tapping the top of her right foot, he moved to sit cross legged on the floor. A nearly impossible feat given how big his damn legs were. “More than once I have asked your mother for advice.”

“She is good at giving it straight and she does adore you.” Nell moved her foot away from Henry, his fingers absentmindedly stroking over the top, lightly up her ankle.

“Are you happy?” Turning to look at Nell face on, Henry asked the question.

“Why wouldn't I be happy? I mean, there isn't anything for me to be unhappy about.” Nell sat on the floor, scanning the things that still needed to be boxed and ready to move. A break wouldn't hurt. “Are you happy?”

“Sometimes.” Henry confessed. “Do you ever wonder, if we'd stayed...”

“Don't. No. Please, don't do that.” Nell shook her head. She was not in the right frame of mind to play this game. Henry turned his head, blinking a few times, he scrunched up his face. “I think about it more than I should and we don't need to argue, not today.”

“That is a fair point.” Henry agreed. Blowing out a breath, he puffed out his cheeks, tapping his thighs in an anxious manner.

“If it makes any difference,” Nell paused, picking up a photo frame to wrap, “I have a failed relationship because of us.”

Henry had several. It wasn't a competition.

“Alex thought that, never mind.”

“Was Alex really a relationship?” Arching his brow, Henry pursed his lips. “I mean, it wasn't nothing, but was it really all that?”

“Yes. Maybe. I don't know.” Nell's shoulders sagged in defeat. “Part of his reason for it being over, was because he thinks you and I are still in love.” She laughed lightly. “How insane does that sound?”

“Huh,” followed by a subdued laugh, Henry reached for the next empty box dragging it closer.

Wrapping and packing this and that, Henry didn't continue the conversation. Silently, he did his job, allowing himself to process whatever other issues would have risen, if they had continued.

Some day they would sit and have a very long, very tough, very emotion filled discussion. Today was not that day.

“When we're done here, Ivan has something he wants you to see. By the way. He and Kal went over to hang out with Sophie.” Henry broke the silence after several moments of packing without a word.

“Why don't you run over and get them, I can finish this.” Nell smiled weakly.

The air in the room was lifted, the unspoken thoughts and feelings vanished with Henry. Cleaning up the pile of boxes, tape, and various packing materials Nell dusted her hands off on her pants. She hadn't noticed the time, sending Henry to collect Ivan and Kal had been a better idea than known.

A short visit with Ivan and Nell would be off to her hotel, surely Henry and Ivan would want her to stay for dinner, which is why she had come up with the excuse that she had some work to do and wanted to get back before it was too late.

Downstairs the door opened and chaos entered.

“Mum, momma, mum.” Ivan chanted rushing into the house.

“I'm coming,” Nell called from the stairs.

Barely off the bottom step, Ivan rushed her.

“Hi.” he wrapped his arms around Nell's waist.

“Well hello, Wild boy.” Nell smiled hugging him to her side. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Dad and I went to the park and then we went to get this,” Ivan took the bag Henry had been holding. Fishing out the neatly wrapped box, he extended it to his mother.

“This is from you?” Raising her brow, Nell took the box from Ivan, who was nodding eagerly.

“I picked it myself. In case you miss me. I didn't want you to be sad. Open it.”

Nell was going to miss the whirlwind of energy that her son brought everywhere. Thankfully they would be in the same city and she could see him, whenever she wanted.

“Aren't you sweet? Okay,” Nell smiled, gently pulling the bow off of the brightly coloured box. “Ivan.” she cooed, revealing the horizontal hanging bar necklace. The same one she had mentioned liking shortly before her birthday, then again before Mother's Day.

“Read it, read it.” Ivan urged.

“Love, Ivan.” Nell read the words engraved across the front of the white gold bar.

“I wrote that and then the lady put it on the necklace.” He bounced in place, like a rocket ship ready to launch. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, wild boy.”

“I wanted to get you a car, but dad said you didn't need an Aston Martin. So we got you this.”

“Thank you and your dad is absolutely right, I love this way more than a car.” Nell kissed the top of his head. “I love you, way more than anything.”

“Dad, too?” Ivan wiggled his way out of his mother's hug. Looking up, blinking at his mom, he looked quickly to Henry.

A deer in the headlights, Henry shook his head.

“Dad and Kal, both.”

Glancing over his shoulder at Henry, Ivan smiled, his eyes bright. His silent “told ya so.” more than evident.

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artificialqueens · 4 years

Text

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Chapter 1 (Crygi, Jan x Nicky) - Joley

ao3 link

“Mail call!” Crystal called out, even though it was only her and Jan in the apartment. She sorted the pile out between the two of them, ending up with two slightly messy stacks. “Looks like you got an international package!”

That brought Jan barreling out of her room, nearly slipping on the rug on her way in. She grabbed onto the counter to support herself, taking a gasp of air before standing upright. “Oh yay!” She grabbed the package with the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning and took it back to her room along with the rest of her pile, not bothering to close the door behind her.

Crystal chuckled, looking over to see her cat perched on the couch, staring into Jan’s bedroom with something of a perplexed expression. “It’s nothing for you, Tic. But maybe she’ll let you play in the box,” she mused before her gaze drifted back to her pile of mail, sifting through what inevitably turned out to be nothing but junk. With nothing else of her immediate interest, she wandered into her roommate’s room, sitting on the bed while Jan was at her desk. “What’d you get?”

Jan carefully opened the box, gliding the box cutter down the tape seams so she didn’t have to rip and yank and risk tearing anything inside. She took the neatly folded letter out first, holding it to her face and taking a deep inhale. The scent of patchouli and vanilla wafted into her nose and made her smile. It was the smell she most associated with Nicky, every package and letter she sent came laced with the aroma of her perfume.

“Bonjour, mon petite poupée,” she started to read, ignoring the way Crystal started to laugh at her butchering of the French phrases. “I hope spring is as beautiful there as it is here. I have sent you a box of macarons—I enjoy them year-round, but my mother always loved to bake them the most this time of year. I wanted to send you some of hers, but hopefully bakery ones will suffice. I’d love it if you FaceTime or Skype me when you get them, I want to see your live reaction, and I sent you enough to share with Crystal, so be nice. Until then, câlins et bisous, Nicky.”

Jan smiled broadly as she finished reading the letter, noticing the lipstick kiss print that Nicky signed off every letter with, and gently set it aside. “Okay, it’s like nine at night where she is, she’ll still be up,” she said as she took the pastel box tied neatly with a white lace bow out of the package. “Oh look, this is so cute.” She took out another piece of paper where Nicky had hand-drawn each macaron and wrote the flavor next to it, making a color-coded guide. “Isn’t she so sweet and thoughtful?”

“She told you to share, so yes.” Crystal chuckled, running her hand through her hair to look presentable while Jan called Nicky on Skype.

Nicky answered the call right away. “Hi Jan! Hi Crystal!” She greeted them with energy even though she was dressed for bedtime, wearing a black tank top and white cotton shorts (the latter not being visible in the frame). Her hair was damp, air-drying, and draped over her desk chair. “Did you get my mail?”

Jan nodded, holding the box up for her to see. “Just did. Thank you so much, Nicks. That’s so sweet of you.”

“Of course, I’m still making my way through the gift basket you sent for my birthday. I have opinions on all the different Oreo flavors.” Nicky giggled. They had gotten into a discussion about all the different flavors of the cookie, and she had become obsessed with the idea of trying the variety. So, when her birthday rolled around, Jan had painstakingly arranged a cookie bouquet (along with a few other treats) with as many flavors as she could find.

In the year they’d been communicating, Nicky had both come to expect Jan to go the extra mile and would still be surprised every time. The university course that had brought them together through its pen pal program certainly didn’t require an exchange of presents, but it started with Jan not being to help herself and (unbeknownst to Nicky) progressed into an ever-present desire to impress her.

“We can get to that next, I’m really excited to try these. Which one is your favorite?” Jan asked as she took the bow off the box without untying it and opened it up. “Oooh, it still smells fresh-baked.”

Nicky grinned as she watched her, opening up a bottle of rosé and pouring herself a glass. “I am partial to the red velvet and the apricot.”

Jan licked her lips. “You know I love red velvet.” She plucked the deep red cookie from the box before handing it to Crystal, who was making grabby-hands at it. She waited for her friend to choose and set the box down on her desk. “On three.” She counted down, then took a bite. “Holy shit.” She covered her mouth, not wanting to talk with her mouth full. “Nicks, these are delicious. You’re gonna have to send these on the regular.”

Crystal was enjoying herself just as much. “Is there a word for like, food horny? You know, like it tastes so good, I’m kind of turned on?”

Nicky snorted and Jan looked down and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just say you like it, Crystal.”

“I do,” she confirmed, then looked down at her phone. “Anyway, gotta go. Bye Nicky, thanks for the cookies!” She waved at the screen before darting right out of the room.

Jan chuckled, knowing exactly what propelled Crystal out of the room so quickly and shouted “Tell Gigi I said hi!” after her. Then she faced forward again, her attention effortlessly returned to Nicky. “Anyway, how have you been?” “No complainings,” Nicky hummed, aimlessly strumming her fingers against her glass. “Did you get around to listening to that study playlist I sent you?”

“Oh my god yeah, I forgot to say anything because I kept listening to it after I was done studying and fell asleep,” Jan admitted with a laugh. “You have impeccable taste.”

She twirled her slowly drying hair around her manicured finger. “Tell me something I do not know, darling.” She winked.

Jan’s breath hitched in her throat and she covered it with a cough. Nicky exuded a seductive beauty so effortlessly and it didn’t take much for Jan to get flustered. If their friendship wasn’t exclusively long distance, her crush would have been impossible for Nicky or anyone else to not pick up on. Hell, Crystal only knew because she had been aching for the release of gushing about her feelings and her roommate lent a willing ear. “Last time I did that, we ended up talking about juice boxes for an hour,” she retorted once her body had unclenched.

Nicky chuckled softly at the memory. It was so easy for them to go off on tangents about the smallest things. It was probably her favorite part of her conversations with Jan, everything flowed so easily, awkward silence simply didn’t exist between them. “That is true,” she conceded. “But I’ve got to go eat dinner. We’ll talk tomorrow, yes?”

“Go eat.” She never quite grasped how Nicky always ate dinner so late at night, but she had all but memorized her schedule by now. “Au revoir,” she cooed, just because she knew it would make her laugh, and waved as she ended the call.

——

When Crystal got the text ‘come hang out, im done with class,’ she was out the door before she even sent ‘ok.’ Gigi was a junior while she and Jan were seniors, but all of them going to the same university had their schedules aligning relatively often. But she and Jan were living off-campus, so she didn’t want to waste any time on getting to her.

“Hey.” Gigi smiled, greeting her best friend with a hug. “Come on, we’re going on a coffee run,” she said, leading the way. Her direct nature was something Crystal had appreciated—she didn’t ask questions, she made statements, and it came off as harsh to some, but Crystal was terrible at making daily decisions, so she was happy to leave it in her hands.

“Sounds good. You should come over soon, Jan got these amazing French cookies from Nicky. I think she’ll let us steal some,” Crystal mused, linking their arms as they walked.

“Cool.” She nodded. “Has Jan told Nicky she’s in love with her yet?” It had come up in conversation in the past, leading to Crystal giving the entire backstory of Jan and Nicky’s relationship. Luckily, Jan hadn’t held it against her and could live with one more person knowing the truth.

Crystal laughed softly and shook her head. “Nope. But, you know, you can’t push someone to admit how they feel if they aren’t ready.” Her tone was a bit strained in the remark, looking straight ahead as she spoke.

But Gigi didn’t notice the shift in her voice anyway. “That’s stupid,” she said flatly. “They’re like, four thousand miles apart, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Feelings are feelings.” She shrugged as they entered the café. Of course, she could relate to what Jan was going through, but as far as she was concerned, her situation was worse. A pen pal could be out of sight and out of mind, she reasoned. But having a crush on your best friend made day-to-day life excruciating. She was constantly torn between the desire to distance herself so her emotions didn’t overwhelm, and the powerful urge to spend as much time and be as physically close to Gigi as possible. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the latter would always win. “So, how’s your final project going?”

Gigi let out an exasperated groan. “God, I’m killing myself making a dress for the wedding I’ll never have,” she lamented. “I never want to see white lace again once I’m done with it.”

Crystal winced, averting her gaze. “You don’t think you’ll ever get married?”

“Not the takeaway here, Crys,” she rolled her eyes, but there was still fondness in her expression. “Listen, I’ve made it this far in life without a relationship, maybe that’s just my destiny. I’ll just be far too busy taking over the fashion industry to worry about it.”

It wasn’t a personal rejection, but it was painfully difficult for Crystal not to take it as one. Her heart ached and her chest felt heavy with a sudden sadness, coupled with her active efforts not to let it show. “No, yeah, I get it.”

Gigi rubbed her arm gently. “Don’t let my cynicism ruin that hopeless romantic in you. It gives me hope in this cold, dark world.” She looked into her eyes, silently offering the apology she was just a little too proud to verbalize.

Crystal lightened back up, though she was embarrassed that Gigi had such a hold on her emotions without even realizing it. “I’ll do my best.”

——

Crystal returned to the apartment just as the sun was setting. Coffee had turned to dinner and time had just slipped away from her. But when she got inside, she went right over to knock on Jan’s door, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Come in!”

“Jan, I had an idea!” Crystal let herself in and sat at the desk, as Jan was now in bed with her laptop.

Jan closed the laptop and set it aside. “I’m scared already,” she joked.

“No, no, no, I’m totally serious, and it’s a good idea,” Crystal insisted, shifting to sit cross-legged on the chair. “You and Nicky are like, a million miles apart and that really sucks, right?”

“Yes, thank you for reminding me.”

Crystal waved the comment off and continued. “So here’s the plan—you tell her there’s a big event that you’re going to this summer and you want her to come to visit. Dunno what the event would be, but we can worry about it later.”

The brunette tilted her head to the side. “Like graduation?”

“That’s not enough time. It has to be something that’ll happen in like, a month or something,” she explained. “But you guys will just be so excited to be together that you’ll forget about the event entirely, problem solved.”

Jan stared blankly at her friend, wondering if she had become delirious from too many all-nighters. But then she shrugged, what did she have to lose? “I’ll talk to her about it in the morning, then. It couldn’t hurt to bring up…”

“That’s the spirit!” Crystal clapped her hands together. “Let me know how it goes!” And with that, she left the room with a spring in her step.

And Jan did sleep on it, weighing out the pros and cons of creating an elaborate ruse just to get the girl she was pining after to travel overseas. It wasn’t that they hadn’t talked about visiting each other, but they could never ‘justify’ it, there was always something else they needed to focus on, or the finances just wouldn’t allow it (she wasn’t about to ask her parents to send her to France when they were already paying her bills). The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a decent idea.

After breakfast and a shower, Jan called up Nicky on FaceTime. “Are you busy? I’ve gotta ask you something.”

“You have my undivided attention,” Nicky assured.

Jan smiled, sitting down on the couch. “So, I’ve got this big event coming up next month, and I know we haven’t been able to arrange a visit yet, but I think this would be the perfect opportunity. I really want to see you.”

Nicky tilted her head in curiosity. “I want to see you too. What is the event?”

“A wedding,” Jan answered confidently. She had decided that it would make perfect sense for the time of year.

“I love weddings.” Nicky’s face lit up. “Whose is it?”

Fuck. Why hadn’t she planned one step further? “It’s…” At that moment, she somehow forgot the name of everyone she had ever known for a brief moment, and she wanted to yell at Crystal for giving her this stupid idea in the first place and—

“Crystal and Gigi’s,” she blurted out.

Nicky knew Crystal had a romantic interest in Gigi just from passing conversations, but she had never quite pieced together the nature of their relationship. She was a little surprised at how serious it apparently was, but decided there was no need to question it. “Oh, good for them. I’ll have to double-check, but I think I will be able to be your plus one.”

Jan didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she exhaled in relief. “Great! I’m so excited, I’m sure Crystal will be thrilled to hear it.”

“Send her my good wishes, I have to get to class, though,” Nicky replied, exchanging goodbyes before the call ended.

“What am I gonna be thrilled to hear?” Crystal asked as she tossed her bag into her bedroom. The door was always left open so TicTac could go in and out as he pleased. She had just returned from class, dried paint splotches still staining her fingers and palms.

Jan’s face froze. Yet another issue she had not accounted for. “Nicky is going to come visit.”

Crystal beamed triumphantly, getting ready to rub her brilliance in the other girl’s face. “See? I told you it—”

“She’s visiting for your and Gigi’s wedding.”

She blinked, looking at her incredulously. “Mine and Gigi’s what now?”

“Look, I panicked, it was the only thing I could think of. And this was your idea anyway, so if I’m going down, you’re coming to hell with me,” Jan got up as she spoke, pacing around the room as she desperately tried to figure out what to do next. “Just go with it, please.”

It had taken another moment for Crystal to fully process the information. How was she supposed to tell Gigi? What was she going to do if she couldn’t get her on board? But she didn’t want to compound Jan’s panic and make everything worse. “Well, Gigi does have a wedding dress in the works…” She looked over at her friend who was still on the verge of an anxiety attack and rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around her. “Listen, we’ll make this work. I don’t know how, but we will, I promise.”

Jan took a few deep breaths, allowing herself to be calmed down. She hugged Crystal tightly, hiding her face against her shoulder. “Where do we go from here?” Her voice couldn’t reach above a whisper.

Crystal chewed her lip as she rubbed Jan’s back. “I guess first thing’s first—I have to tell Gigi we’re getting married.”

#rpdr fanfiction #jan sport #nicky doll #gigi goode #crystal methyd #crygi #jan x nicky #lesbian au #university au #college au #signed sealed delivered #joley #s12

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iatheia · 3 years

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EDA reviews part 2 - books 10-18

Previous part here

10) Legacy of the Daleks - A very enjoyable read, even though it doesn’t mesh well with Big Finish continuity. I have a few headcanons on how to rectify that, though... The meeting between the Eight and Delgado’s Master left me grinning ear to ear, the way Eight was posturing, wholly aware of the way the Master ticks. I’m not sure I liked Susan quite as much, though - nor was she that fundamental to the story, spending most of the time off screen, but being somewhat unlikeable when she was there. Her final confrontation with the Master was a bit much... Similarly, it was hard to accept Master not recognizing her. That said, the rest of it was a fun romp, and Eight’s thoughts towards the end were particularly poignant, 9/10

11) Dreamstone Moon - Starting right off the bat with an author self insert, and have him being both the source of the conflict and the one to ultimately save the day, kind of - it’s a bold choice.... It’s been said before, but Doctor’s companions really should unionize huh? Eight’s in particular. It really is quite striking that the situation with Sam is pretty much the exact same one as it will be with Charlie - thinking that the Doctor is dead, abandoned, alone, without any network of support. And I’m finally about to have context for that post, so, cheers, I guess. That said, Sam and the Doctor are very much representative of the “quit telling everyone I’m dead - sometimes I can still hear his voice” meme. I’ve lost count how many times Sam decided that the Doctor’s dead within five minutes of seeing him very much alive. (Ok, no, I jest, but it’s a good book, throughly enjoyable from the beginning to end, 10/10)

12) Seeing I - I, uh, really struggle to follow Sam’s logic in the beginning here. I don’t really understand how she ended up in the place she did, after the last novel. Because, she wasn’t alone, she wasn’t abandoned, she was in a company of people, who, uh, cared about her might be putting it a bit too strongly, but who at least could vouch for her. So this disconnect is a bit odd. And, as good as this novel is, as good as the character work in here is, I have a slight disconnect with the rest of it, too. There is too big of a gulf with where the story begun and where it ended - there are too many things going on, too many plots introduced and then unceremoniously dropped. It’s like... Revolution of the Daleks inside of Kerblam, with Nightmare in Silver thrown in with half a dozen other themes from other episodes. When you have the doctor in the machine and the psychologist guy go from primary antagonists to the supporting cast we’re supposed to root for, there is something mildly dissatisfying about it, thematically speaking. Overall, the story in its entirety is less than a sum of its parts. Breaking it into pieces, though, there is a lot of exciting stuff there. 9/10

13) Placebo Effect - Controversial opinion time - I don’t care for Ark in Space. I think it’s a pretty forgettable episode. So any time I encounter any reference to the wirrrn, my reaction is “wait, who?”. And even though I like Leisure Hive well enough, I dare you to find anyone who has been clamoring for the return of Foamasi. This rather made me immediately apprehensive, straight from the preface. In general, there was too much continuity. Stacy & Ssard, really? How deep do you need to be to appreciate their appearance? They are so utterly unnecessary, too, they disappear less than a quarter of the way into the novel, they aren’t even there for set up, they are there for a set up of a set up. If you are actually a person who knew who they were, and wanted to see more of them, I can’t imagine this being all that satisfying. It’s a rather abrupt transition from the previous ark. I dare even say, aggressive, to the degree you have Sam going from “she is afraid to be even in the same room with him, lest she kills him with her soaked through panties” to “she is absolutely delighted when he imparts onto her his grandfatherly wisdom”. Then again, any time either Eight or Sam opened their mouth, I didn’t see Eight or Sam. I saw Four and Sarah Jane. It’s not well written, either. It’s very clunky. The dialogues in particular are obnoxious. Stacy’s and Sam’s conversation, and later on dogmatic discussion between Sam and the priests gave me full on psychic damage. I mostly skimmed beyond that, can’t say there was much to catch the eye. 2/10

14) Vanderdeken's Children - This book is aiming to be a masterpiece, but it’ll just have to settle for being good enough. It does have some interesting twists and turns in here, even though most of them are pretty predictable and expected from the set up. The last couple of chapters, the ending overall, are quite decent (even though all the ebook versions I was able to find cut off the last couple of pages, argh!), but the middle is very middling, with mostly uninspiring secondary characters that are ever so slowly being positioned on the chess board. 7/10

15) The Scarlet Empress - Where to begin... It’s a series of mostly unrelated short stories in a trench coat pretending to be a novel. It’s set up in a middle of a road trip, unrelated not just to each other, but also the measly bit of plot that was given to us? I found it’s quite difficult to engage with the story overall, or follow it, really. It tries to be more character driven than plot driven, which is an admirable aim, and some of the character stuff they have in here is nice, except... Outside of may be bits of chapter 1, I couldn’t really hear Doctor’s voice - any version of him, let alone Eight. Sam fares a bit better, but, at the end of the day... It doesn’t really feel like Doctor Who story. The pacing is completely off, as is the structure, and it was quite nonsensical and whimsical, more akin to Alice in Wonderland than Doctor Who. Not bad in and of itself, just, hard for me to appreciate as a part of this marathon. A note on Iris. I haven’t yet listened to her stand-alone adventures, but I generally enjoy whenever she shows up in Big Finish. Here, though, she was rather lacking Katy Manning’s charm and personality. And, I feel, if you didn’t have any existing fondness for the character before, this novel isn’t going to give you much to care about her. Except, *checks notes*, this was one of her first major outings? Not really a good start. Oh, and prior to this she was in a few short stories, by the same writer. Well, that checks out. 6/10

16) The Janus Conjunction - I really liked this one. Not much to say beyond it, but, very well written, very easy read, practically in a single breath. Excellent characterization for both Doctor and Sam, just a right degree of joyful, determined, adventurous, death defying, mad, delirious, and codependent, almost moreso than any other I’ve read so far. Rather dark, though, I can feel it resonating in the pit of my stomach, and it gets inside your head. 10/10

17) Beltempest - What did the Doctor do to deserve this character assassination??? It’s not without redeeming bits (looks like “I’m not a man” quote comes from here, big yay), but, in large part, is barely a pale shadow of a character I like. Especially in the beginning - he think that Sam might have died and he is ok with this??? After the Dreamstone Moon??? And he is incredibly obnoxious? And Sam was barely herself, even before being... uh, possessed? for plot related reasons. I can’t describe how much disconnect I have with the protagonists here, or with any characters in the rest of the book, for that matter, and how much the dialogue made me roll my eyes. And, ah, the technobabble. I generally try not to overthink the physics of most things in fiction, because, as a certified space scientist, otherwise I’d be here all day, but there comes a point where it crosses the line. After everything else, to read the words “newly born main sequence star” with my own two eyes is just too much. I’m a good person, I do not deserve this nonsense... The first half of the book left me rather put off. The second part left me feeling absolutely flat. No emotions, either positive or negative. And, uh, there was a post going around on tumblr along the lines of “the worst you can do to the character is having them mention a certain food, because the fandom will turn it into an obsession” - it’s rather the same here with Eight and books & classical music. I am rather starting to loose count of the number of times they are trying to emulate the scene with the ending of the movie, where he is lounging about and reading, or specifically mentioning Pucchini. To be fair, it’s not just this novel, but it definitely starting to take me out of it. 5/10

18) The Face-Eater - I’m generally a bit wary of cold opens in the books, because some tend to ramble a bit, with the characters I don’t already know and love, so it’s often is a chore to muster enthusiasm to care about them. This one, though, despite all that, starts very effectively, in a way that made me immediately sit up straight. Very snappish, in a style of noir novels. Too bad it doesn’t quite sustain that energy throughout it. The plot is... interesting, I guess. Characterization is decent, for the most part - although some moments, especially early on gave me a pause, it more than makes up for it in other places. 7/10

Overall impressions so far: Much better than the first set of 9, which often were too deeply rooted in nostalgia to try to offer anything unique. And, I guess, with more writers having a chance to read each others works, the characterization is a bit more consistent (not for every writer, mind, but, in general). How long does it take for them to write a novel of this length, I wonder? A book a month is a rather grueling pace for the series - how far in advance do they start? How many other books come out during that time?

Sam in particular incrementally found her footing (though, there is a bit of a lag from novel to novel). Instead of imagining literally any other companion, there were certain novels that really helped me to grasp her character. Though, hmm... being Doctor’s companion is not a safe job by any stretch of imagination, but this girl has really been through a wringer. I’m rather struggling to think of any other companion that has been put through so much (non-lethal) battering. There comes a point when one just wants to just to let her have some good time. And, uh, there was a horrible thought that occurred to me, and went to look up how she will depart the TARDIS in the end, and... well, I have a feeling that sometime afterwards I will not like what will happen.

Also, there is this trend of separating her and the Doctor, for a prolonged period of time, them having no idea where to find each other, without any contact, just, stumbling onto one another eventually. It’s a way for writers to have them cover more narrative ground, and you certainly don’t want them attached by the hip, but when they spend less than 20 pages a book in each other’s company, that’s, uh... not a trend I particularly care for.

Well, onto the next batch where we meet Fitz, and say good bye to Sam.

Next part here

#doctor who #eighth doctor #eighth doctor adventures #eda

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brianandthemays · 4 years

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Snow Will Bring Us Together (Ben Hardy x reader)

Surprise and Merry Christmas and Hannukah and Kwanzaa! This is for the lovely @rogah-wrote-gaga who has been my secret santa person for the past month or so! It’s been a pleasure getting to know you and I do hope you enjoy!!!!

As usual let me know what y’all think! I love any kind of feedback!

Warnings: Fluff and some angst

Word count: 2.3k

____________________________________________

Ben walked into the apartment, keys in hand and his coat in the other. He was just about to announce his presence when he saw her on the couch. She was sleeping, a blanket pulled up to her chin, an episode of Good Omen’s playing softly on the tv with her chest lifting and falling softly with her breath. She was so beautiful. Even sleeping with drool coming out of her mouth and her hair scattered over her face she was still beautiful. And she was his roommate, and best friend.

He’d known her since middle school. During class one day, she’d gotten up to write something on the board and there was a red stain on the back of her shorts. The class started to giggle, and her face turned so red. When she hurried to sit back down, Ben slid off his jacket and handed it to her with a smile. And they’d been inseparably since.

Through high school, she’d gone to every rugby game and he went to all of her shows. Then, when he injured himself and was told he couldn’t play rugby competitively again, she stood by him and helped him through his anger and sadness. Through college, they were there for each other through every stressful final, heartbreak, and achievement. Now they shared a lease and a dog.

Friends were supposed to be there for each other. Through thick and thin. Friends weren’t supposed to be head over heels in love with heir best friend. They weren’t supposed to notice the way their eyes crinkled when they smiled, how their laugh made him feel like he was flying, how she completed every part of him that was incomplete.

He sighed to himself as she started to stir, moving to place his keys on the table. She blinked her eyes open and smiled at him.

“Hey, killer.” Her voice was heavy with sleep and she rubbed her eyes. “Is it snowing yet?”

She loved the snow, loved it more than anything. And it had yet to snow, leaving her feeling a little sad. But they lived in London, it would snow eventually.

“Hey, sleepyhead. How’re you feeling?” he returned, picking up her feet so he could sit next to her. “And no, it’s not.”

She sat up, wiggling her feet in his lap. “Better, how was your audition?”

He shrugged, giving a noncommittal grunt. He wasn’t really interested in the part, just another stupid jock role who’s only purpose was to look hot and not talk. But work was work and that was something he needed desperately. She gave him a sad smile and rubbed his arm. Her touch sent shock waves down his arm and he had to try desperately not to react.

“You’ll find something, I know you will,” she told him. “But right now, I need to get ready.”

He leaned his head back against the couch. Looking at her with his head hanging upside down.

“You goin’ out tonight?” he asked.

She smiled at him and winked. “Yeah, remember Daniel from my work?”

“Yeah.”

“Finally asked me out! I can’t wait!” she squealed.

Ben frowned, picking his head up from off the couch. “Oh… that’s great!”

She mirrored his frown, looking at the back of his head, her movements stilling.

“What?” Her voice lost its excitement and it sent a pang to his heart. He didn’t have any claim to her, and he shouldn’t take her happiness away from her. He hopped up off the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an apple.

“Nothing! Just tired I guess,” he explained with a smile. “What time are you leaving?” She clearly didn’t believe him, but she also didn’t seem to want to press the subject.

“7, he’s taking me to that nice Italian place down the block. You know the one that…”

He let her voice fade out as he watched her talk. Her face was so active every emotion crossing her face as she talked. He loved how emotive she was, her hands always moving and her eyes telling him every thought.

“Anyways, would you help me choose my outfit.” She asked, prompting him to raise his eyebrows at her request. She continued, explaining. “You always have great style and look so handsome…” His chest tightened. “So maybe you’d help me.”

He pursed his lips, trying not to show how much this was killing him. “Yeah, sure, yeah.”

“Great! Let me go put on my first idea!” she squealed in excitement. She placed a kiss on his cheek and hurried off towards her room. He groaned, bringing his face into his hands, rubbing over his hair.

The whole time she tried on different clothes, he had to force a smile and enthusiasm. She looked amazing in everything. And she looked so excited. She always talked to him about these daydreams she had. Daydreams of celebrities coming to take her away or characters from movies or tv shows. She was waiting for the day that someone came and swept her off her feet. He wanted to be that for her. But he was scared that she would reject him. Then he would lose not only his love but his best friend as well.

“So, which one you think?” she questioned, smoothing out the dress and spinning around.

He blinked at her, trying to come up with something to say. “Uh, I like the blue top with that black skirt.”

“Me too! Yay!” she agreed, running into her bathroom.

He sat with her as she told him about her day; putting up decorations since tomorrow was Christmas eve, watching Good Omens, as always, and listening to Queen whenever she could. Then she told him about Daniel. This guy who was coming to sweep her off her feet. He probably couldn’t care less but he wanted her to be excited. Her smile was the brightest thing in the world. Then the doorbell rang.

“Ah! That’ll be him,” she squealed, smiling brightly. She grabbed her purse and walked out of her room, turning back quickly. “I’ll probably be out late, so… see you tomorrow!” Then she was gone.

Ben spent the night as he always did when he was alone. Bowl of popcorn in his hand and a Parks and Rec marathon going. It hadn’t been more than an hour or two when the door opened up and (Y/N) came flying into the house. He sat up and opened his mouth to greet her, but she just walked past him, sniffling softly. His eyebrows furrowed as he realized she was crying. He heard her door slam and sighed.

He paused the TV and stood, going to her door and leaning against the frame. He could hear her sniffling still and it broke his heart. He knocked softly on the door.

“Go away, Ben,” you croaked.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what happened,” he returned, crossing his arms.

There was silence for a moment and Ben was afraid he was going to have to stand there all night. But then the door opened. She glared up at him, her make up smeared down her face and face red from the cold outside. But to him, she still looked amazing.

“I hate you,” she muttered.

“No, you don’t,” he hmphed, reaching his arm out to rub her arm. “Now tell me what happened.

She looked up and away before turning around and sitting on her bed. She reached a wrist up and wiped away the tears in her eyes then she sighed, looking at her hands in her lap.

“He just…” She struggled to find words. “He didn’t really want to get dinner.” Ben cocked his head in question. “He was coming onto me the whole time.” She explained. Ben’s eyebrows raised. “And when I told him to stop… he told me he just asked me out because he thought…” She started to get choked up again. “He thought I was easy… and apparently, people at work think I fucked my boss to get my job.”

That sent Ben. He knew how hard she worked. All throughout college she worked her ass off to be top of the class; she got internships, pulled all-nighters, and I did anything she could to be the best. Once she got her first job at this company, she worked even harder to move up in the chain.

“Oh, love.” He wrapped his arms around her and brought her into his chest. She grabbed onto his shirt and let it all out. He rubbed up and down her back, letting her cry into his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

She leaned back and wiped her face again, then she let out a soft laughed. “Ben, I got make up all over your shirt.”

“Love, you can get make up on all my shirts if it’ll make you smile,” he told her.

She smiled at him, but it didn’t last. She turned away from him and put her elbows on her knees, resting her head on her hands.

“I don’t understand…” she murmured. “How can I be so unlovable.”

Ben shook his head. “No, you’re not. They’re just wankers. All of them.”

“But Ben… that doesn’t help me,” she complained. “Why do I attract people who I love but who never love me. I guess I’m just destined to be alone.”

“(Y/N), you don’t know how wrong you are,” Ben said, lowering his voice.

“But I’m not! My whole life, I’ve been in crappy relationships with guys who only want to fuck me or guys who don’t care about me like I care about him. And I put myself in these fantasies where someone who doesn’t know I exist comes and sweeps me off my feet but none of it is real. And I just want something to be real.”

He looked at her, wanting to take all her pain away. He wanted to tell her everything she meant to him. So, he did.

“(Y/N), you don’t know how wrong you are because…” He took a breath. “Because I’m in love with you.”

She snapped her head over at him, looking more hurt than surprised. “Ben, don’t lie to me to make me feel better.”

“I’m not lying! I would never…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been in love with you since the seventh grade.”

“Ben--“

“No, let me tell you how much I love you.” He grabbed her hands and held them in his, rubbing his thumbs over the back of her hands. “I love your smile.” He reached up and brushed your hair back. “I love your hair.” He smiles at her. “I love how you can always make me laugh, and how you have always been by my side. Through everything I’ve been through you’ve been there.” He looks down at her as she furrowed her eyebrows. “I love how you’re so passionate about so many things. Like Christmas and Queen and standing up for what’s right.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I… I’m so sorry that anyone would treat you wrongly. You deserve the world and more. And I genuinely love you, so much…”

He waited for her reply. But she just sat there, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes darting back and forth. Ben bit his bottom lip and brought his thumb up to clasp around her chin.

“Can I show you?” he aske softly.

She looked up at him, eyes big and wondering. But she nodded and smiled. He reached down and pressed his lips to her, pouring every ounce of love and comfort into the kiss. She reached up and wrapped her hand around his neck, tugging on the curls near the nape. He groaned and pressed her down onto the bed, helping her lift her legs underneath him. He kissed down your jaw, wanting to cover every exposed inch of skin with his lips.

And once he had her there under him, he kept her there for the rest of the night. Then two times before 6:00am. He made her feel love in every possible way. Specifically, with his mouth, fingers and eventually his cock. He let her know everything he felt for her. And then he fell asleep with her in his arms.

The next morning when you woke up, you were warm. Much warmer than normal. You shifted slightly then realized something was wrapped around your waist. More like someone was. Then the memories of the night before came back to you. And a dull ache between your thighs helped jog your memories. You turned slightly, Ben’s chin falling on your shoulder. You couldn’t help the smile growing on your face. You’d never felt anything like that before.

Who would’ve thought that your stupid dork hunk of a roommate could have the same feelings you did? The feelings that you’d shoved away years ago. Feelings that reached a peak last night. Several times. But what did this mean now? Would things change now that you’d slept together?

You let your lips trail along his forehead, your fingers intertwining with his. But that was for another day. It was Christmas eve and you were in the arms of the warmest man in the world and there was literally no where else you’d want to be.

Just as you were settling into him further, he started shifting next to you, his hand tightening around your waist. He pressed his lips into your shoulder, then blinked his eyes open looking at you. A smirk washed over his face and he pressed up to place his lips on yours again.

“Morning, love.” His voice was thick with sleep, almost a growl in the morning. “How are you feeling.”

“Amazing,” you murmured back. “I feel amazing.”

His smile was so bright, and he nuzzled his face into your neck. You reached a hand up to wrap around his head, turning back onto your side. You looked out the window and tapped your finger against his cheek to get him to look up.

“Ben, look,” you whispered. He rested his chin on your chest. “It’s snowing.”

#Ben Hardy #Ben Hardy x reader #Ben Hardy Imagines.

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missjanjie · 4 years

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered | (1/?)

Title: Signed, Sealed, Delivered Summary: Jan is in love with her French pen pal, Nicky. Her roommate, Crystal, is in love with her best friend, Gigi. A (perhaps ill-thought out) plan emerges: give Nicky a reason to visit by inviting her to Crystal and Gigi's wedding. With a month to pull the scheme together, no one knows how this will end up. Word Count: 2.8k (this chapter) Relationship(s): Sportsdoll (Jan Sport/Nicky Doll), Crygi (Crystal Methyd/Gigi Goode Rating: T (so far)

Read on AO3

also, thanks to @janssports and @imalwaysaslutfordrag for beta-ing xo