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words-for-holland · 3 years

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Distractions

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Tom and Y/N decide to work in the same room together. The problem...both of them get easily distracted and a whole lotta fluff comes with it.

A/N: Whoa its been awhile but here we are again! Thank you for 1,000+ followers it means the world! Surprises to come 😉

“Hello beautiful.” Tom greets Y/N with a cheeky smile on his face. He quickly pecks her soft cheek as he places his laptop across from his lovely girlfriend, who was currently focused on her work.

She takes a second to look up, returning his smile with a soft one. “Hey, good looking. What’s up?”

“Nothing really. Is it okay if I work here with you? I just want to be close to my girl.”Tom pouts.

Y/N’s heart could burst at the sight and reason he gave. An inaudible “aw” prolonging through her mind...until she quickly realized that there could be some complications with this as a slight frown starts to replace her dimpled smile. “Wait...are you sure?”, she asks. “Dont you have press interviews that require absolute silence? I doubt any of you will want to hear the constant typing in the background.”

“Yeah, your typing is horrendous with those lead heavy fingertips of yours.” Tom teases.

“Well these lead heavy fingertips aren’t leaving anytime soon, so youre probably better off working elsewhere.” She suggests, pointing off to the distance. Tom groans at the idea, using his one hand to put her finger down. He engulfs hers with his, lacing her fingers and holding on tightly.

“Noooo. Dont wanna be anywhere else. Please darling? ” He pouts once more.

She giggles at his plea, rolling her eyes. “Course you can, bubz.” Tom excitedly scoots his chair in as he rubs his hands together to prep for the work to come.

And work they did...for at least 10 minutes. Tom was getting antsy as he read through his next script. Occasionally his eyes would roll to the left, and observe Y/N as she continued to read through an article on her screen. Not that Tom didnt find his own work fun but he always found watching Y/N do her thing just a bit more interesting.

He hadn’t realized himself, but his body start to shift and lean more towards her. His arm extending to wrap her in, as it glided up and down in a steady motion. His thumb doodling hearts on her shoulder. Tom could tell it had an effect on Y/N, discreetly smirking to himself as he heard her audible shakey sigh.

He wanted to see what else could make her sigh like that, so instead of his thumb he used pointer and middle finger, running them up and down her shoulder. Tom could see the smile creeping on Y/N’s face and her little head shake. She knew what he was up to and yet, Y/N still wanted him to think that he was not gonna get her that easily. But God was it hard. Every touch felt like tiny fireworks against her skin, goosebumps forming all over her body with every touch. She to stay strong. No distractions.

Tom eyes perked up, at the action. He must go further, he thinks. Tom starts to trace his nose from her shoulder to her neck, leaving kisses at her jawline. “C’mon darling. Think its time for a break.”, he whispers in her ear.

She turns her head towards him as she smiles, leaving a quick kiss on Tom’s lips. “Its only been ten minutes.” She laughs. “Five if you want to count the distractions.”

He backs up, pretending to look appalled. “How dare you. I’ve been a good lad focusing on my script for the whole ten minutes.”

A playful glare formed on Y/N’s soft face which ultimately ended her up with a fit of giggles. She couldnt take him seriously, but then again she never did with anything. Tom has always said if they were kidnapped by a pair of robbers, her first reaction would be to laugh. As the laughter died down, Y/N paid her attention back to the screen which had been inactive during the playful banter and continued to type out those set of documents that she had been meaning to get to.

Tom on the other hand was still reading through his script, taking mental notes on how he was going to approach his character. This time he was completely engrossed in his work. His eyes moving left to right with every line he took in. Until...he felt something ticking his lower calves. Tom knew it was Y/N’s foot, by the way it brushed just as he had done with his hand on her shoulder. The movements never stopped, her legs now curling around his own. Y/N was trying to getting back at him, but one thing she always forgot was that Tom always wins.

Naturally he had to the same, and what once became a playful game of footsie, now ended up with Tom shifting Y/N to sit on his lap. Her legs now wrapped around his waist and his hands holding onto her hips. Both of them connecting their soft lips, feeling every spark and essence of love. He looked up at Y/N with admiration, thinking how lucky he is to have her in his life. Yeah Covid sucked for the most part and limited their ability to even do anything exciting outside, but it gave them the opportunity to be with each other far more than they could have on a normal day. On a normal day, Tom would be jumping around country to country while Y/N would be home miles and miles away from him. Course, nothings changed with jumping from country to country, but Tom gets to bring Y/N with him now and thats all that mattered to them.

But work never stopped them from keeping busy. Just as their kisses were getting more heated, and their hands tangling each others hair both their alarms went off. The couple stopped their antics as they leaned their heads back, groaning in synchronization.

“Ughh. Thats my cue. I have to prep for an interview.” He mumbles as he nuzzles into Y/N’s neck.

“I know. I have to get ready for another business meeting. Whoo.” she speaks in a sarcastic manner, dropping her head.

“What time?” He asked pressing a kiss to the shell of her ear.

“Mm...3. Why?”

Tom plays with the strands of her soft hair. “Was wondering if you’ll stay with me through mine and Ill stay with you through yours.”

“As much fun as that would be. I dont think were allowed to —“

“Im not saying we have to be on camera for each others meeting. But if one of us will be off camera itll be all right.” He plans, still looking at his girl with pleading eyes. Y/N’s mouth twitches to the left, her eyes furrowed with suspicion.

“You’re doing it again.” Tom states, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

“Doing what?”

“You’re making that face again.”

Her expression quickly changes to confusion, not entirely sure of what Tom was noticing that she didnt about her own face. “What face?”, she asks.

“The one where you twitch your lips and make your eyes look angry. You only do it when youre indecisive about something. Its bloody adorable.”

Y/N snorts at his comment, and tries to get off to give him time to prepare, only to be stopped by his hands pushing her back down on his lap.

“I was serious about wanting to stay with my girl the whole day while doing work. Please?” He pleads again, this time bringing out the puppy face. “I’ll be good and do the dishes tonight.”

To be fair, Y/N knew she was always gonna say yes to Tom. Its pretty hard to deny her dorky boyfriend when hes asking so sweetly and just wants to spend the day together. More so, if the roles were switched, she would have done the same thing. “Go get changed movie star, before youre late for your interview.” She murmurs to him, kissing his cheek before she scrambles of his lap to sit across from him.

Tom whoops with victory as he runs out the room quickly changing into his shirt, fixing his hair, and adding glasses for that sophisticated touch. Sure he wanted to look his best for the Cherry Press, but he made sure his outfit was something Y/N would very much adore as well.

“How do I look?” Tom asked coming out of their shared bedroom.

Y/N looks up from her computer, and smiles widely. “Handsome as always.” She couldnt take her eyes off of him, admiring every detail of the clothing and how it perfectly complimented Tom’s feature. She eyed him from top to bottom, until she noticed something. “Uhh..honey....you’re not wearing any pants.” She asked a bit confused. Her eyes engrossed in the muscles of his thighs and the fit of his Calvin Klein boxers.

Tom smirks at her. “Its uncomfortable wearing pants. Besides no one will see...except you.” He teases, gently lifting her head up so that her eyes meets his. “Eyes up here love.”

“Youre something else.” She laughs, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. “Well...least we know who wears the pants in the relationship.”

Tom laughs loudly at her comment. He hooks the waistband of Y/N’s sweatpants and snaps them back to further prove her point. “That was a good one. Ill give you that.” Tom and Y/N high five each other, and then it was press time.

Y/N kept quiet and tried her best to minimize the typing unless it was really needed. Seeing Tom talk about his work and dedication was something that she had always admired about him. He loved his job and everyone can see that. Occasionally they’d steal glances from each other, smiling and holding each others hand under table so that no one could see. But it was just one of those moments that Tom and Y/N couldnt help themselves too. Two hours passed and Tom was free.

“You did so well.” Y/N praised Tom and awarded him with a quick kiss. “I love it when you talk about your passion.”

“Thanks. I love that you were there with me to sit through it all.” He smiles. “I believe its your turn now. It’s almost 3.”

Y/N frowns, knowing shed have to dread through hers. Instead of getting to talk about her passions, itd all be about business, business, business. “Ugh. Do I have to?”she groans.

“Come on now. Dont be like that, you’re gonna be fine. Ill be here with you the whole time.” Tom reassures her with kisses all over her face.

“No distractions?” She asks.

“No distractions.”

#tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader

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crowdedimagines · 4 years

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Meant To Be - Harry Styles

i am a WHORE for singledad!harry 🤩 3k

Just like nearly all of the other boys in the band, Harry fell right in line and became a father shortly after the release of his first album. He couldn’t have been more excited, being a dad has always been something he craved. The only thing he would change would be the fact that he wished it happened out of love, rather than a one night stand with a woman who would give up full custody only eight days after their son was born.

She was young, not ready for motherhood and definitely not ready to deal with being the mother of Harry Styles’ child, and that Harry couldn’t blame her for that. Even though he would never understand how anyone could leave a part of themselves. How someone could give up their own child.

So for a while Harry took a break from the public and raised his son. His fans were understanding of the break, just waiting for the day he would come back to them. He was alone, but never really. He always had the help of Anne and Gemma, not to mention all of the close friends who wanted to steal away little Sawyer who was truly a mini Harry. A mess of loose brown curls that were impossible to tame.

Sawyer was nearly three when Y/n came into their lives. She was soft and warm, and both boys were quick to fall. Anne introduced them, she had come across Y/n at her grocery store.

“Harry, you just have to meet her.” Anne gushed, following Harry around her living room as he picks up toys that had been littered throughout her house.

“Mum, I don’t think I need you setting me up. I’m not looking for anything right now.” Harry tried explaining, he was tired about his mother talking about this woman that she had encountered and befriended.

“You guys are meant to be!”

“Mum-”

“Trust me on this one, when I met her I just had this gut feeling.”

“What d’ya mean?” Harry asks, finally pausing to look at her.

“Like she’s going to be family one day.”

Harry didn’t have time for dating, not while raising his son and still finding time to write music. He would love to share his life with someone other than Sawyer, but he didn’t need it.

He wasn’t surprised even slightly when he came down for breakfast with Sawyer tucked on his hip to find out that Y/n would be joining them for lunch. His mother wouldn’t miss the opportunity of him staying with her. She was taking advantage of Harry making a week-long trip north to visit.

Lunch came fast and Sawyer was just getting up from his nap when Y/n knocked on the door.

“Y/n! C’mon in!” Anne ushered her straight through the front door.

“Your home is lovely.”

Harry heard her voice before he caught a glimpse and it would be a lie to say that his heart didn’t skip a beat when he rounded the corner and saw her for the first time.

She was talking enthusiastically with Anne that had something to do with the paint in the entryway. His mother had mentioned something about her being an interior designer. He didn’t even have to exchange words with the girl to know what his mom was talking about. He had the same feeling that she had, this girl was different.

“Hi!” His typically shy boy says loudly, revealing to both of the women that he was standing there.

Y/n turns to face them, a warm grin already gracing her face.

“And you must be Sawyer.”

Sawyer nods, turning back to his shy roots. He ducks his head back against Harry’s neck to hide away a little.

“Hi, I’m Y/n.” She greets, introducing herself to both of them now.

“It’s lovely to meet you.” Harry smiles.

“Likewise.”

After that they moved onto lunch in Anne’s garden. The conversation was overflowing, Harry had never felt to at ease talking with someone, especially not after having Sawyer.

Anne was all too proud to say ‘I told you so’ to Harry as soon as she shut the door behind Y/n. It was impossible to miss the connection they shared, and if that wasn’t enough she caught them exchanging phone numbers towards the end of their day.

They moved quickly after that, texting, calling, and facetiming as often as they could which lead to dates. Only a month after meeting each other Harry asked her to be his girlfriend. She was happy to say yes, and just thankful to be exclusive with the boy who had taken over her heart and mind the past few weeks.

So for months they dated, things going better than any other relationship they had ever been in. Harry loved her for everything that made her Y/n. For the way she treated Sawyer and respected their relationship.

It was only seven months into their relationship when Harry decided that he was going to propose, he wanted Y/n to be his wife as soon as possible. He knew after the third date that he wanted to keep her around, but it was a cold day in London when he knew for sure that she would forever be family to himself and Sawyer.

Sawyer was on day two of his cold, he finally had medication but he was still having trouble with his cough and couldn’t always breath. Harry was worried, but he had been through the flu and colds with Sawyer before. Y/n hadn’t and she had been more than attentive at the doctor's office. Harry couldn’t help, but smile over her concern and her many many questions.

She settled once they got home and meds that could help.

“I hate feeling helpless like this.” Y/n mutters as she takes the kettle off so that both her and Harry could have some tea.

“You’re not helpless, love.” Harry reassures, “Kids get sick.”

“I know.” She sighs.

She lets out a yawn as she brings over a mug to Harry at the counter. Harry presses a kiss to her temple as a thank you. They were both tired, checking in on Sawyer last night a little, making sure that he was still breathing. Y/n spent the night, like she always does. Rarely does she leave the Styles home these days.

Y/n whips up some dinner for them, earlier than they would normally, but they all need their sleep. After they’ve all filled their bellies with a sufficient amount of pasta Harry gives Sawyer a bath while Y/n cleans up their dishes.

“Daddy, I want Y/n to pick out my pajamas.”

Harry pauses drying off his son, pleasantly surprised by his request. Sawyer likes Y/n, more than most, but the bond that the father and son had was tough to ever beat. Anything that he could get from his father, that’s the way he wanted it.

“Y/n, you’re being requested.” Harry yells just loud enough for her to hear downstairs.

“What can I do for my boys.” She leans against the doorway to the bathroom, a smile on her face.

Harry gives his boy a nudge to ask her himself.

“Will you pick out my pajamas tonight?”

“I would love to.” Y/n grins, “Lets go little man.”

Harry watches from the floor as they take off together for Sawyer’s room. He listens to them talk softly in the next room for a while before he drains the tub and puts away all of the toys. Once he’s cleaned up a bit he comes in to see Sawyer tucked in his bed, Y/n sitting on the edge. She’s just given him his night medication to help him sleep.

“Goodnight, Soy.” She presses a kiss to his forehead, Sawyer smiling at his nickname.

She gets up from the bed and notices Harry watching them from the doorway. She pats him on the shoulder as she walks out, giving them space to talk a little and say goodnight to each other. By the time Harry comes back to their room Y/n is sitting up against the headboard, rubbing in a lotion over her arms.

“Is he out?” She asks, looking up.

“Yeah, I think that medicine knocked him out. I just hope he can sleep through the night tonight.” Harry sighs, he lets himself fall on the bed. Y/n reaches out a hand to lightly rub his back. They stay like that for a few minutes until Harry gets up to turn off the lights and take off his clothes to sleep. The pair fall asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

It’s a few hours later when Harry can hear a soft voice, it’s enough to pull him out of his deep sleep and open his eyes. The door to his bedroom is open and the light is on in the hall.

“Daddy.” Sawyer whispers, grabbing his attention, Harry looks down to see his son standing at the edge of his bed.

“Hey, what’re you doing up?” Harry sits up, wiping at his eyes.

“My throat hurts.” Sawyer barks out a few coughs.

“Alright, let's get you some more medicine.” Harry checks the time to make sure he can give him another dose before grabbing it off of his night stand.

“Can I lay with Y/n?” Sawyer asks after having taken his medicine and drinking some more water. His request shocks Harry, but he couldn’t blame the boy for wanting to crawl right in bed with them while feeling ill.

“She’s asleep right now, could you settle for me?”

Slowly tears start to fill Sawyer’s eyes. Not that he doesn’t have love for his father, but with feeling sick all he wants is to be in her arms. No one could tell you why, but something about being in Y/n’s arms had a powerful calm to them.

Harry looks over to see his girlfriend sleeping peacefully next to him. Sawyer simply raises his arms to be lifted into the bed which Harry obliges. Sawyer crawls over Harry’s lap and lads on the edge of Y/n’s hair making Harry wince.

“Y/n.” Sawyer whispers loudly.

She stirs and turns over to face them, surprised to be face to face with the little three year old rather than her own boyfriend.

“Hi lovey, how’re you feeling?” She asks, walking up a little more with each second so she can look at the teary eyed boy. He looks exhausted and it breaks Y/n’s heart.

“Hold me?” Sawyer asks simply.

Y/n lifts up the covers and opens her arms for him. She doesn’t even flinch as he openly coughs into her neck where he settles his head. Y/n lays on her back and wraps her arms around the boy, pulling the covers back up over them.

She rubs her hand up and down his small back, finally looking over to see Harry watching them.

“Did you give him some more meds?” Y/n asks softly, Harry nods and settles back in a little. It looks like this is how they’re staying for the night.

Every once in a while Sawyer coughs to break the silence in the room, Y/n never stops slowly rubbing his back. Or pushing the curls off of his forehead to press a soft kiss. She’s kicked off their blanket, growing too hot under all the close contact but never wavering in holding his son. Harry’s heart is nearly bursting at the seams at the sight.

“Marry me.” Harry’s voice a whisper soft enough just for him and Y/n to hear. He had been thinking about it all night, not to mention the weeks or months that he’s known her. Tonight has only confirmed what he already knew. Y/n looks over at him, noticing that he hasn’t changed positions and stays on his side to watch over his two favorite people.

“We don’t even live together.” She laughs, not taking his words for more than anything other than a lack of sleep.

“You take up over half of my closet now, love. You check back in on your apartment once a month practically to restock. Sawyer thinks you live here.” Harry looks down at his boy who he knows for a fact, if tonight has proven anything, it’s that he wants Y/n to be just as much a part of his life as Harry.

“Are you crazy?” Y/n turns to fully look at him now, taking in how serious he is being. It’s only been a few months, he can’t be serious.

“Y/n I could’ve proposed the moment you walked through my mother’s front door. I knew then and she knew before we even met.” Harry reaches out to tuck a strand back off her forehead behind her ear, “Will you marry me?”

“Yes, even once you take it back in the morning once you’re no longer suffering from sleep deprivation.” She teases, still running her hand over Sawyer‘s back.

“Stay right there.” Harry throws off the covers, careful to not wake up Sawyer.

Y/n’s eyes follow him as he walks over to his dresser and digs around in the drawer closest to the bottom. She’s beyond confused until he lets out a soft cheer and comes back to the bed. A small black velvet box in hand.

Now Y/n realizes how very serious he is being. She didn’t think Harry would throw marriage around lightly, but they haven’t been together long. She would be lying if she didn’t say that she pictured the rest of her life with these boys.

A little black box which she’s ninety percent sure doesn’t contain earrings.

“I bought this with my Mum after our third real date. Before I even asked you to be my girl technically, I was afraid to jump the gun. So instead I made an investment, I didn’t know when, but I knew someday you would get this ring. I knew it then as much as I know it now that we are meant to be.”

He pauses to clear his throat, “Y/n let me ask one more time, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She sighs happily, Harry kneels on the bed, crawling back over to her. She finally pulls her hand away from Sawyer so he could slide the ring on.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She shifts a little more so her and Sawyer are a little more tucked into Harry’s side. All three of them cuddled up together.

“S’pretty.” She holds out her hand, looking at it shine in the moonlight.

“Picked it just for you.”

Slowly after that they all manage to drift off to sleep once again. Harry couldn’t wipe the grin off his face even if he wanted to. They manage to sleep in until late morning, finally Sawyer ends up stepping on Harry, successfully waking him up.

“I want breakfast.” Sawyer says.

“Alright let's go.” He pulls him off the bed and they make their way down to the kitchen. Harry has managed to make pancakes, eggs, and fresh orange juice by the time Y/n makes it downstairs.

“You want to take this back?” She holds up her hand to show off the large ring that now adorns it.

“Not even slightly, do you?” He looks back to her across the kitchen island.

She shakes her head, a wide smile now gracing her face. She walks over and presses a long kiss against his lips. She had been afraid that it was all a dream. It couldn’t be real that she could be this lucky to be asked into such a blessing of a family.

“Y/n!” Sawyer yells loudly from his chair at the table, “Guess what?”

“What?” She asks back with just as much enthusiasm, breaking away from her little bubble of Harry.

“You have healing hands!” He grins showing off his teeth.

“I do?” She walks over to sit beside him.

“Yeah, I don’t even feel sick anymore! Isn’t that right, Dad?”

“I think it is, buddy.” Harry smiles, bringing over a plate to Y/n.

“Really? And we’re sure that the medicine didn’t have anything to do with it?” She looks around at the boys. Giving Harry a smirk.

“NO!” Sawyer quickly shuts down, “I didn’t feel better until I came to sleep with you guys.”

“Ahh, healing hands it is then.” Y/n presses a kiss to the top of his head as she gets up to trade in her orange juice for some coffee.

Anne and Gemma let themselves in, eager to check in on their favorite grandson/nephew and see how he’s doing.

“Good morning!” All heads snap in the direction to see who’s arrived.

“Grandma!” Sawyer gets off his chair to race over to them, “Auntie Gem!”

“How are you feeling, love?” Anne asks, kneeling down to his height.

“I’m all better!” He cheers, causing everyone to laugh at his enthusiasm.

“You’re all better?” Gemma asks, stealing a hug from the boy.

“Yeah, and guess what! Y/n has healing hands!” He answers before giving anyone the chance to answer, not that ‘healing hands’ would’ve been at the top of the list.

“Does she now?” Anne asks, walking over to the table to join us.

“Yeah, you have to feel them!” Sawyer insists, “She gives the best hugs too.”

“Oi, what about my hugs?” Harry interrupts, grabbing his son to tickle his sides. Laughter filling the entire room.

“I think I need one of those hugs.” Anne laughs.

Y/n happily gets up from her spot to pull Anne in for a hug. She could hug this woman forever, being a second mom to her truly and the sole reason she met the love of her life.

“I think I know what you mean, Sawyer. She’s got some magic in her.”

“Let me see those healing hands.” Gemma teases, coming over.

I roll my eyes before holding out my hands for her. Gemma just as easily becoming a hugely important part of Y/n’s life.

“Holy shit.” She mutters, taking Y/n’s left hand in hers.

“Language, Gemma.” Anne says, reminding her off the impressionable three year old two feet away. “I swear sometimes you forget who you’re with-”

“When did you two get engaged?”

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #Harry Styles #singledad!harry

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levis-hazelnut · 3 years

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Levi x Reader Hate At First Sight

Summary: after hearing about you getting into a fight with some Military Police, Erwin and Levi go to try and enlist you as a scout, much to Levi’s dismay. Though, after some months spent there, you found yourself to be disliked by many scouts.

(a/n: look at my baby his side profile he’s so beautiful. also i do not hate petra it’s just for the sake of the fic so please don’t @ me lmao)

You gripped your knees, your back hunched while your chest rose and sank as you tried to catch your breath. The reason you were running was that moments ago, some men tried to molest you. Though you were able to beat them down, you obviously didn't want to stay around that area of filthy MPs. Yes, they were everywhere, but that particular place isn't somewhere where you should be late in the evening. Only whores would walk around there. And you definitely aren't one of them. You may have the face and figure of one, but you would never stoop to that level just to get money and to pleasure foul men who treat women as objects. It's good that you're poor because then you have loose clothes that don't make your curvaceous body show. Walking at a slower pace, you made your way to your 'home' which was just a place behind a store, which had sacks piled on top of each other, making it comfortable enough to sleep there rather than the gelid ground. And to be able to get the owner to let you stay there, you had a massive dispute that caused you to get attention to yourself and you were on the verge of pulling out the blade you keep in your boot. But now, you are on good terms with him.

A lot of the friends you had didn't remain with you because of your temper. Or they would have been caught by the Military Police. Either way, you don't have any of your past friends. Hey, it's not your fault you would go out of control at any time, sometimes for no reason. Well, it is your fault but you didn't make yourself this way, so tell that to whatever god is up there.

You plopped down onto the stack of sacks, staring up at the midnight blanket, where stars sparkled in and the gleaming moon gazed down at you. As you rested your head on your arm and your other arm laid across your torso, your stomach slightly grumbled from being deprived of food. Sighing, you jumped up, heading inside the shop you laid behind. Thankfully, it was a small restaurant. As you walked in, the owner glanced at you with a frown. "(Y/N), it's closing time. Why are you coming in now?" You put a hand to your stomach. "Don't tell me. It's my hollow stomach." "Here." He chucked you a whole loaf of bread and an apple. "Now, leave. I've got to clean up." "Thanks.” Sitting back down, you threw the apple up in the air and caught it in your left hand as you ate the bread. After finishing the food, you relaxed and closed your eyes, so you could escape from the life you have and dream about living somewhere else, somewhere cosy, somewhere warm and more home-like. And maybe even someone you could spend your life with without them leaving you because of your fierceness or dying. ~/~ "Corporal Levi?" "What?" aforementioned person replied with an exasperated sigh. "Commander Erwin said he needs to talk to you." "Tch. Okay." He walked away with profanities soaring through his mind, wanting to just go to his office and avoid people that were getting on his nerves. Stepping into the Commander's office, he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall after shutting the door. "What do you want?" The Commander gestured to a chair in front of him so the other male could sit down and he could inform him of the situation. "A while ago, in Wall Sina, there was a woman who got in a fight with a few Military Police and took off with ODM gear. She isn’t a soldier or anything, so she most likely hadn't handled gear before, but she was able to use it with ease, meaning she's someone skilled." "So?" "We need to go get her to enlist as a scout." "Tch. Why? She already sounds shitty and bratty." "We're going tonight, Levi." He stood up and left the office, clicking his tongue. All he wanted was to avoid people and now, he has to go get some bitch who probably doesn't even know how to wipe their ass. An hour, or so, ago... A group of four Military Police surrounded you, all of them having smug expressions that made you want to punch them in their faces... and then their balls. You wouldn't let them get away with only a punch to the face. Who do they think you are? A princess? You steal some gear thingy, that looked intriguing to you, from one of them and suddenly you're the bad guy? These idiots think they can beat you as well. You could just laugh. "Do you really think you can beat me?" you chuckled. You did just laugh. "We don't want to hurt you, darlin'. Just give us back the gear." "Who said you can call me darlin'?" you snarled and fly kicked one of them. He ended up slamming against the building behind him, sliding down the wall, knocked out. You charged at another, kicking their crotch and punching the top of his head as he dropped onto the ground with a thud.

Two more left... One of them came towards you with their fist drawn back to punch you with a force meant to harm you but you caught their fist and twisted their arm, pushing it towards their chest as they let out a cry of pain. You thrust your foot at his abdomen as he held his arm, groaning.

"Are you really going to try and beat me?" The last one only smirked, approaching you, so you pulled out the blades from the equipment you took from him and pressed it to his neck. He froze on the spot and gulped, cold sweat appeared on his flesh and dropped with a patter on the ground. "I'm going to give you five seconds to take your comrades and get your asses out of here." You put the blade back into its place and watched the panicking man pick up the other dirty humans and hurry away, not wanting to wait to see what you would do after five seconds. Ignoring the people gawking at you, you dusted your clothes before figuring out how to use the gear to head to your favourite shop, wanting something to drink. You were able to do it with ease, flying through the doors and swiftly landing on your feet. The bell rang to notify people that someone came in.

You sat on your table. Yes, it was your table and all the regulars knew that after seeing you pound a man for taking your table. Ever since then, no one has sat at that table apart from the drunk idiots who want your attention or people that haven't been to this place yet. It was near the window and it had the sofa seat so you would lean your back against the window, stretching your legs across the seat. You placed the equipment you took on the table.

"Oi, Luis," you called to the owner, and he looked at you from where he was at the counter. "The usual." He nodded at you and proceeded to make you your black tea with no sugar. After about five minutes, he placed the cup of tea in front of you as you handed him some money you were able to 'earn', paying him for the food he gave you the last few days as well. But you always got a discount so it wasn't too much of a problem for you to stea-- earn a bit of dough. "Hi, (Y/N)~" Yay, another drunken fool trying to hit on you. You rolled your eyes, disregarding his presence that sat opposite you as you drank your tea. He was saying shit you weren't listening to. But, seriously, who gets drunk during the day? He's probably just another jerk whose wife ran away from and took most of his money or something like that. All these snobby, egotistic people, who live within Wall Sina, piss you off to the extent that you want to make sure that their pained screams reach Wall Rose, so that those citizens would know what would happen if they pissed you off. "Hey, idiot, I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of my sight," you growled. All he did was smirk and lean over the table, trying to get closer to you. You punched him the middle of his face, but it didn't look like he could feel it. You stood up and dragged him off the seat, kicking him over and over as he laid on the sparkling, marble floor. "Hey, hey, hey!!" Luis jogged up to you. "(Y/N), you need to stop beating up my customers! Soon, you'll be my only customer." "Tell this bastard to get the fuck out and leave me alone, then." "I can't kick someone out for you." "Tch." You trudged out of the shop, wandering around the streets, hiding from any MPs that walked past, so you could evade another fight since you weren't in the mood for any action. "Hey, (Y/N)!" "Moritz," you greeted as he came up to you. "I haven't seen you in a while." "Just trying to stay away from any bastards. So, get away from me," you joked to which he chuckled softly. "My offer still stands... I'd like a daughter like you." "Sorry, Moritz. Leon isn't my type." "My son is in love with you. He's a kind and soft lad and if I'm being fair, he's handsome." "Exactly. That isn't my type. I want someone strong, feisty and someone able to handle my temper and maybe get into heated arguments with me. But of course, I want someone attractive." Several hours later... "Levi, are you ready?" "Yes." The stoic man let out a heavy breath and proceeded to leave his office, following the tall blonde. They both got their gear before leaving the building and entering a carriage waiting for them. "Why is this brat special? There are so many cadets that can use ODM gear." "As I said before, she isn’t a soldier and was able to use it without practice." "What's her name?" "(Y/N) (L/N)." The rest of the journey was quiet, only a few words of what they were going to do and the occasional click of the tongue because of how long the trip was. Finally, they arrived in front of a classy restaurant and it was filled with people due it being the evening when couples go there. You shimmied past the couples all dressed up in fancy clothes and you were able to make it out of it. Looking back over your shoulder, you rolled your eyes before frowning when you saw two men standing in front of you. You crossed your arms over your chest and arched an eyebrow. "Look, I took your friend's gear hours ago. Why are you still chasing after me? It's not that big of a deal." "Are you (Y/N) (L/N)?" the taller male asked. "... Yes. What do you want?" "May I see the gear you were talking about?" "Are you going to take it?" "No." "Okay. Follow me." You walked to your pile of sacks, expecting them to be behind you but they were in their place. "You coming or what?" They slowly approached you, wary of their surroundings. "What is this place?" the stoic male questioned, clearly disgusted. "Welcome to my humble abode." You ignored his criticism. You looked about for the gear but you couldn't find it, that's when you realised that you had left it in the restaurant. You hoped that no one took it. You sighed and looked into the restaurant, telling the two males where you left it, so they dismissed you, allowing you to get it and they followed you but waited outside. You opened the door, pushing people out of the way. "Move out the way, you fucking arrogant idiots," you muttered. You looked around your table where a couple sat but you didn't care since you weren't going to sit there and there wasn't any other space. You frowned when you didn't see it. Who the fuck took it? ... Oh, they did. There were two men and a woman on a table with the gear in front of them as they all put their nasty hands on it. The woman was drunk and holding a wine glass filled with a red liquid, one of the men was smoking and the other had a beer. You barged through the crowd, striding to their table. "Excuse me. This is mine." You tried taking it, but the man closest to you stopped you from doing that as he stood up, coming closer to you so you backed away. You could smell the cigarettes emitting from him as you held your breath at the foul smell. "Now, why would I let you take this without anything in return?" "Tch. Give it before I prevent you from having kids." "I wouldn't mind having a baby with a gal like you." "Get your breath out of my face. And give it to me. I swear, I'll knock you down so you won't be able to get up ever again," you grumbled. "I like my women feisty." You punched his left cheek and he stumbled back into his seat as you picked up the gear, turning around to face the entrance but all you saw was more people entering. Okay, you didn't care anymore. You swiped a man and stepped on him to get closer to the door but a woman came in your way, her boobs blocking your way. You slid through what little space there was and jumped over a short person, enabling you to exit and go back to the two men outside. The one with blue eyes looked surprised as you passed him the material. "That was impressive." "What?" "How you got past all those people." "Eh, it was nothing." "Anyway, are you able to use this properly?" "Yes. It isn't that hard." "Can you show me your skills with it?" "Why? Wait... how do you even know my name? Who are you people?" you inquired after realisation hit you. "I'm Commander Erwin Smith and this is Corporal Levi Ackerman. We're from the Scout Regiment and we heard that you got into a fight with some MPs and you were able to easily use this so I wanted to see your skills and see if you're worthy of becoming a scout." "Why would I want to join you? All of you are stupid to leave the walls to fight titans. I don't want to become like you. And there are a lot who don't even know how to fight and I don't want to fight with morons,” you responded. "Yes, I don't have a great life but it's better than risking it to go do something stupid. I don't care if you're the Commander and he's Humanity's Strongest Soldier, I'm not becoming a scout." "Tch. We don't do something stupid, we fight for humanity. You only fight to get away from trouble. I don't know why we have to save the likes of you but we do and we don't do it because we want to, we do it because we have to. And they may be idiots, but they're damn good soldiers who shouldn't be ill spoken about by someone like you," Levi growled lowly, venom laced in his words. 'Someone like you', who does this fucking midget think he is? You were probably around his height but women are generally shorter than men. You narrowed your eyes and proceeded to thrust your fist at his face but he dodged it before headbutting you. He punched your nose, causing it to bleed and he struck your gut straight after. He threw punches at you, one after another, until you had enough, bringing your leg up to kick the side of his head. He put his hand there, weakening the blow, and grabbed your ankle, slamming you down onto the stone ground. You felt slightly dizzy but you shook it off, standing up immediately, ramming your knuckles into his face and you tried to trip him over but he kept his balance. After punches being thrown and both of you being beaten up, to finish the fight off, he slid behind you and twisted your arm behind your back, stepping on your foot as his other hand held your wrist by your side. You tried shaking him off, but it was futile. He twisted your arm more, getting a quiet hiss of pain from you. "You may be able to beat up some useless MPs but we, at the Scout Regiment, are nothing like them. You better think twice before you try to fight with me." "Thank you, Le--" Erwin started but was cut off. "(Y/N)?" a gentle voice uttered, and you turned your head towards it. "What are you doing here, Leon?" "I-I came here to see you..." he shyly said, his ginger hair hiding his emerald eyes as he gazed at the ground where blood trailed. "What's happening? Who are these men?" He looked back up with concern pooling in his orbs. "It's nothing. Do you want to talk about something?" "It can wait. It looks like you have to deal with something." "Oi, get off of me. I won't try to put up a fight, or run away." "I don't trust you." You clicked your tongue and lifted your foot up to kick his groin but he wrapped his leg around yours so you weren't able to strike him. "Can I not talk to him?" you snapped. "Levi, let her go." "Idiot," you murmured loud enough so he was able to hear but he didn't say anything. You walked up to the boy. "Leon, I don't think you should tell me anything important because I don't know if I'm going to be able to see you after today. They're from the Survey Corps and they want to enlist me. I don't want to go, but it looks like they're going to force me." "But--" You could see the tears welling up in his pretty eyes. "I love you, (Y/N)." "I know. But that's how it is. Sorry." You didn't sound sorry at all, your tone was your usual dull, yet harsh one, but you genuinely did feel a bit of compassion for him. After two years of trying to get you to be his wife, you're going to leave his life without leaving any feelings for him. He was a gentleman and you liked him, however, not as a lover or whatever, he was just delightful to have around. You didn't want to leave him like this so you embraced him, gently rubbing his back and whispering a few words. "Will you ever come back?" "I don't know. It's a high possibility that I won't." "If you do, will you marry me then?" "We'll have to see," you smiled; it was the first smile you ever let break out onto your lips since you were around ten. "Tch. Why did I come to see this?" "Shut up, Levi. Just be glad that you'll have a valuable soldier on your side." A scowl replaced your smile. He scoffed. "We've got plenty of useful soldiers, including myself." "I might see you later, Leon. Bye." "Bye, (Y/N)." He took your hand and softly kissed it. And with that, you left the boy in heartbreak and started a new life as a scout after showing them your skills, which Levi scoffed at so you backhanded him. On the way to headquarters, you and Levi sat opposite each other and argued as Erwin silently sat there, wishing for the ride to be over. Since the journey was long and it was around midnight, you had fallen asleep after some time, allowing peace to settle into the carriage. Once you reached HQ, Erwin stepped out and stood by the carriage, waiting for you and Levi to get off. "Oi, brat, get up." Levi tried to awake you. "Brat, wake up." "Who you calling brat?" you asked tiredly, failing to convey your irritation. "You. Now, shut up and get out." "Tch. Don't go telling me what to do, Ackerman," you muttered angrily, too tired to put up a fight. All three of you entered the building and coincidentally, you were walking next to Levi, starting another argument so Erwin walked in between the both of you, leading you to his office, while Levi went to his.

"Take a seat, (Y/N),” he told you. "This is the key to your room. We'll fill out the paperwork and do everything tomorrow. For now, just go sleep and I'll tell you all you need to know tomorrow." "Whatever." You left his office after he told you the directions to your room and you went there, finding a single bed with a bedside table that had a lit lantern. The first thing you wanted to do was have a shower since you felt sweaty from all the action you had today. Once you showered, you went straight to bed, snuggling into the blanket, able to have a good night's sleep for once in ages. ~/~ After changing into your uniform, you looked at your reflection. It fit you very well but you didn't want it to. You don't like showing your curves, but it's not that you feel insecure with people looking, you just don't like it. You don't want your body to be the thing that attracts people and you don't want people coming after you because of your alluring figure. With no hesitation, you would punch anyone that tries to touch you. As you were told to, you went to Erwin's office before breakfast started, ignoring the gazes that were focused on your form. You rolled your eyes as you stepped into his office, slamming the door behind you. "Gosh, these idiots don't know how to keep their eyes in their sockets." You turned your head to the door, not noticing Erwin's cerulean eyes on you. He blinked to break himself out of his daze and cleared his throat as he gestured to the seat in front of him. You sat down casually, not caring about being formal. "Sit up, (Y/N)." "Tch." "Sit up," he repeated. "You shouldn't disobey your superiors." You sighed and did as he said. "Happy?" "I've got these papers for you to sign," he told you as he handed a few sheets. "And these papers have information that you'll need to know but I'm going to go through it with you. I'm going to put you in Hanji's command..." After about half an hour, you were able to leave his office and make it for breakfast. You entered the mess hall with him and grabbed some food, sitting down on an empty table since you have yet to get to know these people and you thought that people would come up to you first. "Who is she?" "Mmm~ Look at that ass." "Look at those boobs." "You lot are pervs." "You only say that because you have Krista." "Yeah, and she's better than whoever that woman is." "I think she's pretty." "She's certainly not ugly." "Eren?" "Mikasa, do you not say anything else?" "Eren?" "What?" "Stop ogling her." "I-I wasn't." "Yeah, right, Jaeger. Wipe the drool from your mouth." "I'm the one drooling? You look like you have rabies." "You want to take this outside?" "Both of you, stop being children." You glanced at the table making the most noise and saw that all ten of them were looking in your way. Some averted their eyes as others smiled at you, however, you gave a cold stare in return before looking back at your food. It wasn’t exactly intentional to look at them like that, it's basically just your usual expression. "Did you see that?" "She may be pretty, but she's rude." "Who does she think she is? Looking at us like that." "I didn't see what happened." "Of course you didn't. You were too busy stuffing your face with food." "I think we should go talk to her." "Yeah, teach her a lesson." "Guys, sit down. You can't do that do a new person." "Yeah, guys, what's wrong with you?... Wait like a week, then you can teach her a lesson." "Jean! Don't encourage them!" "Oi, you lot?" You stood at their table, their heads turning your way as they had just noticed that you were there. "If you try to beat me up, you'll be s-- What the hell are you doing?!" you yelled at the person on your left who just touched your ass. "Feeling your ass," he stated nonchalantly. "You people are pervs. I agree with whoever that it is." "Whoever that it is, is Ymir," said girl inserted. They all introduced themselves to you but you couldn't be any less interested. "Okay, whatever. I don't give a shit about who you are. I came here to tell you that if you, Eren, Ymir, Jean and Reiner, try to beat me up, you'll be sorry. And I don't understand, do you want to grope my ass or beat it, Reiner?" "Who said I can't do both?" he smirked as you rolled your eyes, about to go back to your table. "Wait, (Y/N). Why don't you sit with us?" "So I can get harassed? No, thanks." "Just sit with us. We promise we won’t do anything," Jean told you. With slight reluctance, you got your plate from the other table and sat on the end of the table next to Armin, everyone focused on you as you spoke about your life before you came here.

At times, you would notice brown eyes belonging to a strawberry-blonde girl and grey eyes belonging to a raven man flutter towards you, but every time you looked up, they pretended as if they weren't staring at you. You could feel their glares burn into you. And you knew Levi's stare was of anger, but what was that girl's problem? ~/~ You wore a vest top and shorts, training with Reiner who volunteered to, probably just so he could see you with fewer clothes on. It's been going on for the past few weeks. You were a bit distracted during training because you felt as if someone was watching you and they were giving off a dark aura. You looked around but couldn't find anyone. "(Y/N), are you okay?" "Yeah. Come on." You waited for him to attack you and he did but you were able to knock him down before you saw the cause of the dark aura in the distance. "Hey, you!" you shouted, going towards them. "Do you have something to say to me?" You crossed your arms over your chest. "No. Nothing at all." She clenched her jaw. "You're Petra, right?" "Yeah. Actually, I do want to tell you something, you stay away from Corporal Levi," she growled, scrunching your vest in her fist. "Woah, Petra! What are you doing to (Y/N)?" Reiner jogged up to the two of you. Damn, now you can't beat the crap out of her. She let go of you and put on a bright smile, facing Reiner who knew that that smile was fake. "Nothing. I was just giving her some advice about making friends." "We need to train so leave us alone," Reiner took your arm protectively and dragged you away, but you protested. "Wait. I'll train with Petra today," you smirked devilishly. "No." "Oi, Petra! How about you spar with me?" "... Why?" "Just." You shrugged. "Sure," she agreed when she saw Levi come outside of the building, taking the chance to get his attention. You knew she wasn't strong enough for her to beat you, so this wouldn't end well for her. You both got into a fighting stance, before you threw your fist forward at her face, but you stopped just before you hit her so she dodged the potential blow and wasn't able to elude the kick you gave at her side. She was about to topple over but she caught herself, not letting you be victorious just yet. She attempted to punch your gut but you blocked it by making a cross over yourself. A crowd formed around you two, including the Corporal that Petra seemed obsessed about. But, of course, with his short stature, he wasn't able to see who exactly was fighting, so he pushed people out of the way, able to reach the front and see you and Petra. She tried to trip you over but that failed miserably and she fell flat on her face. A few from the huddle snickered quietly as others applauded even though it wasn't a real win. You crouched down and whispered, "Good luck in impressing that stubborn idiot." You got back up, grabbed your uniform and walked off, ignoring Levi who called for you. "Hanji!" you called to get her attention as she strolled through the castle. "Yes?" "Does Petra like Levi or something?" "I think so, yes. Why are you asking?" "During my training, she was watching me and she said to stay away from him. We got into a small fight which quickly ended because of her stupidity. I'm guessing the only reason this happened is that she's jealous. But she's moronic if she thinks that I would try to move to Levi." "Who's moronic?" a familiar voice spoke from behind you. You turned around. "Petra. Why the fuck would she think that I like you? You're bothersome, you're stubborn, you're irritating, you're an ass, you annoy the hell out of me and you're a bastard." "Thanks," he replied sarcastically. "The same can be said about you." "Tch. Shut it, Ackerman." "You know, you have a temper problem. And you shouldn't talk to me like that." "This is who I am. I can talk to you in any way I like." "You might not be able to talk after I knock your teeth out," he threatened with a glare. "I'm not scared of you." "We'll see about that," he muttered before walking away. "And put some clothes on." "What did you do to Shorty to make him so angry with you?" "I called soldiers stupid. Got in a fight with him. We've argued a lot of times." "Oof. I would have advised you to stay on his good side." "Too late." You shrugged. "It won't last long. He'll soften up after some time." "I don't think he will. Whatever, I need to go 'put some clothes on'." "Okay. Can I borrow you after for help with experiments?" Hanji asked slowly, hoping you wouldn't yell at her like last time, saying how you didn't give a sh*t about it. "No," you bluntly said as you left her, going to your room but was stopped by an annoying figure who you rolled your eyes at. "Looking good, (Y/N)." "Shut up." "You look a little dirty, want to have a shower with me?" You grabbed Jean's collar and brought your face close to his, a glare etched on your visage as you saw his Adam's apple move down and then back into its place as he gulped. "Shut the hell up and I'll let this one time slide." He nodded and scurried off once you let you go of him, entering your room and locking the door behind you. You decided to shower since you were covered in sweat and you felt nasty. ~/~ "Eurgh, look who it is," a voice whispered a little too loud as you entered the mess hall for breakfast, striding to your usual table with a few of people that you don't mind being around and the few that aren't annoying you or bothering you in any way. "She doesn't belong here." "You know, I heard that before she came here she worked in a brothel." "Everyday, she wears her vest top and short shorts, acting like a slut." "The other day, she was being a bitch to me. She laughed at my figure when I was looking in my reflection. Then, she said that no one would love me when I have a body like this." "I've heard that she's flirted with every man she's had contact with." This has been going on for at least three months: people making fun of you, talking about you, pushing you about, calling you names and such. You haven't taken any of it to heart, but you wondered what happened to make nearly everyone despise you. Everyone but superiors and the ten scouts you had befriended first, and even though Levi dislikes you, he doesn't contribute to the crowd that is being cruel to you. He already hated you from the start. "They're still going at it?" "Forget about them," Erwin told you. "How can I when they're practically saying it to me? All of what they're saying isn't even true. And they shouldn't try to start a fight with me because I'll beat the sh*t out of them." "Well, you are a bitch, so that's true," Levi murmured. "Ackerman, I suggest you shut up before I beat the shit out of you." You rammed your heel into his foot under the table since you were opposite him. "Tch. You should be happy that some of us aren't part of those dumb brats." "Dumb?" you repeated. "So, you're saying that they're dumb for saying all that stuff about me?" "... No... They're stupid in general." "Mhm." "What was that?" He frowned. "What?" "That 'mhm'." "Nothing." After staring at each other questioningly, you both went quiet as the other superiors on your table carried on their own conversations. Halfway through breakfast, you felt something cold and wet being poured onto your head, soaking your shirt and falling down your shirt which sent a shiver through you. You stood up and turned around to the laughing bastards, kicking the boy in the nuts and slapping the girl which shut them up. "What the fuck is your problem?! What did I do to you?!" "Someone decided to go braless today," the girl whispered to the other. You looked down and felt your cheeks growing red, out of rage and embarrassment. Something landed on your head and hung over your chest. You realised that it was a cape that Levi threw at you, which you wrapped around yourself before heading to your room to change out of the drenched clothes that you had just changed into. "Why the hell are you doing this? Yeah, she can be a brat, but all of you are, so I don't know why you lot are acting like this towards her when she didn't do anything. Both of you have kitchen duty for two months. If I see you one of you two do anything to her, you won't see the end of it." "Yes, sir." "Now, get the hell out of my face," Levi ordered as he sat back down in his seat, the others on the table looking at him with surprise. Who knew he would stand up for you like that? "What are you looking at?" "How come you stood up for (Y/N) like that?" Miche asked. "I didn't stand up for her. I was scolding them for acting like that towards a cadet." "Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say," Hanji said quietly with a smirk. "You shut up, Shitty Glasses." "I'm just saying that I don't think you would have done that for any other scout." "... That may be true, but they're mistreating (Y/N) for no reason." "Getting close to her, are we?"

"Tch. Just shut up." "Shorty has a crush~" Hanji sang in a low voice near his ear as she sat next to him, her 'best friend'. "I've only known her for five damn months. How could I already like her?" "Why are you asking me? And five months isn't that short, it's quite long if you think about it." "I don't care. I don't like her." "Okay~ Whatever you say~" Levi shot daggers at her before going back to eating in silence, not interacting with any more annoying people who seem to have a habit of bothering him nearly every day. One day, they'll leave him and he can live in serenity. One day, when all the titans are rid of and he can leave this shithole. All he has to do wait for that damn day that's taking its time to arrive. Can't it be a little more considerate? "I have to agree with Hanji. You seem to be a little protective over (Y/N)," Erwin stated after some time. "I. Don't. Fucking. Like. That. Brat." "Calm down, Levi. It's not a bad thing to like (Y/N)," Moblit teased. "Tch." The raven stood up and left the mess hall as he could hear the others laughing at him in the background. He slammed the door shut and trudged to his office with a scowl. He found you standing outside his office, your hand reaching for the handle but you stopped when you saw him come your way. "What are you doing, brat?" "I was going to give you your cape back. Thanks," you muttered. "Shut up," he grumbled, snatching the material from your hands and stepping into his office, locking the door. "Oi! Why are you telling me to shut up when I said thanks?" you shouted. "Get away from my office!" he yelled back. You rolled your eyes and started to go back to the mess hall. "Last time I thank you, bastard," you mumbled to yourself. ~/~ Your door shut with a bang after you had stormed into it, and leaned your back against the wood, hiding your face in your hands as you cried. Your legs gave out so you dropped to the ground with your legs arched and your arms resting on your knees as you placed your head on your arms, feeling tears drop onto your lap, seeping through your clothes. Two minutes later, you heard laughing, yelling and then footsteps approach your room. Light knocks sounded from the door with the soft call of your name. You knew who it was, but didn't respond so they turned the handle, slowly pushing the door open, however, you prevented that from happening by sitting by the door. They slid through the small gap before closing the door again, crouching down to you. "(Y/N)." "Leave me alone!" you shouted, though it was muffled behind your sobs and your face was hidden. "No. You obviously need someone right now." "I hate you! I hate all of them! Just get the fuck out!!" you roared, tearing your face away from your arms and looking at Levi's gentle expression. He didn't seem startled at all. "... Why are they doing this to me?" you whispered and concealed your face again, not wanting Levi to see you in this state. "Ignore them." "You know, it's all that Petra's fault. The bitch is envious of me and just wants to break me down into nothing. All because she's in love with you and she thinks that I like you!" "Tch. I don't even like her. She can fuck off. And how is doing this going to make me fall for her? I was wondering why she was being more clingy than usual," he muttered, but it was more to himself before he turned his attention back to you. "Don't let her break you down. You're a strong woman, so don't let something petty like this ruin you." "What am I meant to do? You don't know how hard it is to overlook them. You don't know how hard it is to keep a straight face when I'm hurting inside. I don't care if Petra may be making them do this, I hate it!" Surprisingly, you felt arms loop around your cowered form and haul you onto Levi's lap which made you remove your head from your arms again, looking at the raven, who was now right in front of you and gazing at your bloodshot eyes. He gently wiped your tears away and brushed a few (H/C) tresses that stuck to your tear-stained face.

More tears escaped as you shoved your face into his chest, soaking his shirt with the salty moisture and snot. He cradled you in his arms until you stopped crying which was about under an hour. "Are you okay now?" "Yeah. Thank you," you murmured as you wiped your face with tissue that Levi got for you. "Don't mention it. Do you need to talk?" "What's there to talk about? Petra hates me so she got people to make my life hell and I broke down." "I don't know how you were able to put up with it for half a year." "Barely. I just put on a poker face." Levi gently grabbed your chin in between his index finger and thumb, tilting your head towards him as you saw a slight smile creep onto his lips. "Don't hide your feelings anymore," he whispered before tenderly kissing you, his eyes fluttering shut. You were taken aback before you were brought back to your senses, finding yourself kissing him back as you cupped his face with a single hand. One of his hands trailed up from your hips to your scalp, tangling his slender fingers in your tousled locks. He was the first to pull away with gleaming orbs gazing at you with affection, licking away the strand of saliva that connected his lips to yours. "I'll always be here for you. To protect you, to talk, to comfort you, or whatever else you want." "Thank you, Levi," you hummed, leaning your forehead against his, pecking his lips once more. "Come on. Let's go eat." "I don't want to go," you said with pleading eyes. "I told you that I'll be here for you. You have to eat something before you sleep." "Please, don't make me go." "Just sit with me. I'll make sure that no one does anything to you." "I can't." "You need to endure it to become stronger. I'll be right next to you, okay?."

Sighing shakily, you stood up with a nod. "Okay." "I like seeing this vulnerable side of you," Levi teased as he walked out of your room, you padding beside him. "Shut up. You aren't allowed to tell anyone about this." The Corporal only smirked as you rolled your eyes.

As you strolled through the corridors to get to the mess hall, a few people were lingering, standing on the side and snickering when you went past. You tried to ignore them, though, it was difficult. "I heard that she got Corporal Levi drunk to sleep with her." "I can't, Levi. I'm going back to my room." You proceeded to turn and walk away but he grabbed your forearm. "(Y/N)." He cupped your face with both of his hands, making you face him but you averted your eyes, feeling tears welling up. "Look at me." You reluctantly brought your eyes back to his. "She's a whore. She tried to make me have sex with her and my friend. She wanted a threesome!" "Levi, I'm going." You tried freeing yourself from his hold, but he didn't let you. "No. Look at me. Ignore them." "How am I meant to ignore them?!" "Look at me!" he commanded. "... You can ignore them if you put your mind to it. Don't let them cause you grief because then it pains me to see you hurt. I don't like seeing you in pain so don't get affected by them. Ignore them and keep your eyes on me." A tear rolled down your cheek so he embraced you tightly, stroking your back soothingly. He let out an inaudible huff, wishing he could relieve your pain. "I won't force you to go to the mess hall. Go to my office, I'll bring you food." You nodded and pulled away from his grip. When you made your way to his office, people would say or do things but you stayed strong, and you were kind of proud of yourself once you made it into his office. You sat down on his sofa, waiting for him to come back. About five minutes later, the raven appeared with a tray of two bowls, bread and two glasses of water. He settled it onto his desk after you helped him clear the surface. You both sat down and ate together, allowing him to see your smile that he was deprived of ever since people started to harass you. After years of dreaming of having a home, having someone to stay with you, they came true. You have someone strong, feisty and you're sure you'll have plenty more heated arguments to come. On top of it all, he was damn sexy.

#levi ackerman #levi x reader #aot #aot fanfiction #snk fanfiction #snk #snk imagines #aot imagines #levi ackerman x reader #reader insert #x reader #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #i dont hate petra

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libraryofsouls · 4 years

Note

Slashers with a s/o that dresses like them? Talk about clothing/mask/weapon stealing.

slashers with a s/o that dresses like them

asa emory / the collector

what are you up to, exactly? was this a conscious decision or did you read about partners looking similar after spending a lot of time together?

either way, he’s very neutral about it at first. sure, it’s a little odd but it seems pretty harmless enough.

that is until, you start with the stealing. asa has designated places for all of his things so it’s very unlikely for him to misplace anything. when he finds out that you took some of them, he’d be pissed.

would have some form of punishment so expect to be tied up in some way at the very least. just what were you planning to do with his things, hmm? kill him in his sleep? frame him?

once he finds out that it’s not the case - he’s still less trusting of you. might actually start keeping you in a room instead of letting you roam around his home stealing his things.

billy lenz

hehe piggy dress-up time. how fun! his clothes look silly on you though.

what kind of game is this? would he have to try on your clothes next?

when he realizes it’s not a game, he’s a little confused. why were you doing this then? were you cold? do you like his clothes?

doesn’t quite get it. he improvises with his kills so he doesn’t have a signature weapon per se, so really you’d just be stealing his clothes.

you are now left with a nude billy. this man has no shame so he’s generally unbothered by it. it’s a little cold though... maybe if you come a little closer? please? promises he’s not planning anything weird.

bo sinclair

flattered at first. c’mon now, he knows he’s handsome and charming but there’s only room for one heartthrob in ambrose. but when the weapons go missing he’d be pissed.

"it ain’t somethin’ you should be messin’ around with, ya hear?” expect a lot of scolding from him. understandably so, since one slip-up could be fatal when dealing with the victims.

doesn’t care if you wear his clothes (thinks it’s kind of hot actually,) - just as long as you leave the weapons alone.

don’t you have your own clothes though? as much as he secretly likes it, he’d still question your intentions. was it a boyfriend thing? because it smells like him? who knows.

would get annoyed after a while. yes, he’ll even let you borrow his hat for the day, just leave his suit alone. it’s for special occasions.

brahms heelshire

brahmsy would be disturbed to say the least. he’s the sneaky lad, not you! how did you even sneak past him within the walls? have you been practicing?

no matter how sneaky you are though, there’s no way you’re getting your hands on his mask. not even if you ask nicely.

but he has to admit, the cardigan fits nicely on you. he’ll allow it for now.

the rest of his clothes? what for? don’t be mistaken - he’s just as shameless as billy, but he’s also a horny brat.

tsk, tsk. naughty. if you want him out of his clothes, you’ll have to earn them. go on, do it. seduce him out of his clothes. he’s ready. patiently waits for you to suck him off.

bubba sawyer

oh my gosh you’re so cute!!!!!

unlike the other slashers, bubba would be gushing over you. the two of you match like a real couple now! how sweet of you!

his chainsaw? oh uh-- that’s okay too! but please be careful with it. it’s very heavy. this sweetheart would actually help you with it, making sure you don’t hurt yourself.

maybe start with the hammer for now? heeere you go! teaches you how to hold the hammer before patting you on the head. you can even have the honor of hammering tonight’s dinner!

oh you see actually, his mask is his face! he can’t let you borrow it. ask him for something else! anything else! really! ...please? please don’t make him take it off...

jason voorhees

where’d you go? manhandles the sentient pile of clothing. oh, there you are!

???? this man has many questions. why are you trying to dress like him, first of all? ah nevermind that. would you please dress like yourself again?

if he sees you with one of his weapons he will LOSE HIS MARBLES. immediately (but gently still) swipes it from your hands and holds it away from you. no! what if you get hurt?

if you continue regardless, he’ll start hiding all his weapons in places he knows you can’t reach. would you please not do that? if you’re scared he’s always here to protect you, you know.

don’t even try to go for his mask. he’ll be distraught and would lose his trust in you. just ask him for literally anything else. please.

jesse cromeans / chromeskull

thinks it’s sweet that you would wear his clothes. are you actively trying to seduce him? because this is how you seduce him. maybe take the pants off too while you’re at it.

the weapons are his and his alone. granted, you also belong to him but it just doesn’t work like that. do you need to be put in your place? he’ll happily punish you for it.

the mask is strictly off-limits. don’t even try.

jesse won’t be shy in reminding you not to touch his things. if you’re fond of having all your limbs intact, best leave them be.

horrible case of deja-vu. don’t even try to dress like him, he’s getting flashbacks. if you value your life, stop trying to be cheeky.

michael myers

would you like to die? this is how you die.

thomas hewitt

what are you up to now? oh.. are those his clothes? tommy’s feeling a little steamy all of a sudden. eye contact who? don’t know ‘em.

if you go for his weapons he’ll panic. you might hurt yourself! quickly confiscates them and makes sure to keep it on him at all times afterwards.

first you steal his clothes, then you steal his weapons? what is going on with you? his trust in you is starting to falter.

this makes him very uncomfortable. were you making fun of him? mocking him? please stop. he’s not sure why else you would be dressing up as him. maybe explain it to him and he’ll try to understand.

reach for his mask and he won’t be as patient with you. might actually decide to tie you up and keep you in his room for being a little troublemaker.

vincent sinclair

aha cute. sees you all bundled up in his clothes and he’ll be infatuated. here, have some of his other clothes too. which one do you like best?

oh no no no, please don’t touch those. quickly grabs his knives and keeps them away from you. now he’s also mindful of all the other weapons in the house. just in case.

instantly gets suspicious of your intentions. he’ll keep a close eye on you from now on.

reach for his mask and he will immediately jolt away from you. why? he feels violated. why would you do that? he’s very hurt and would appreciate some answers.

he may be heartbroken but he likes you far too much to actually kill you so he just might end up keeping you tied up in the basement.

#to recap: don't #requests #general headcanons #slashers #my writing #asa emory #the collector #billy lenz #bo sinclair #bubba sawyer #jason voorhees #jesse cromeans #chromeskull #michael myers #thomas hewitt #vincent sinclair #slasher party

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wefoundloveunderthelight · 3 years

Text

Skyline Manor by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 2/13

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly

Chapter 2: The Swan Thief

“Do I really have to go to dad’s tonight? I was gonna help Will with all the planning for the barbeque!” Henry was packing his clothes into his small suitcase that he used on the weekends he spent with his dad.

“Yes, this is his weekend, and you know it’s important that you spend time with him.”

“I know, I get it.” He groaned. “But can I still see Will before dad gets here?”

“Alright, but don’t be late getting back, your dad will be here in less than an hour. You know how much he hates to wait.”

“That’s because he gets uncomfortable being around you for longer than two minutes.”

Emma laughed. “Well, let’s not make him uncomfortable then.”

As soon as his mother walked out of his room, he reached into his drawer to pull out the notebook he kept so well guarded. He stuffed it into his backpack and zipped it shut. Carrying his stuff, he tossed everything down by the door and slipped into the hall.

Instead of heading across the hall to Will’s, he walked next door and knocked on 4C. Looking around anxiously, he waited for an answer. As he was about to give up, the door opened, Killian stood in front of him, his hair disheveled with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Morning, lad. Everything alright?”

Henry glanced down the hall toward his apartment. “Yup, just checking in to see how your first night went.”

“Are you some sort of welcoming committee?” He joked.

“Nah, did Ruby come by yet?”

“Ruby?” He said with a twitch of his lip and a look of confusion on his face, obviously she hadn’t invited him to the barbeque yet. God, no one ever did anything urgently around here.

He heard a bark from behind the man and a dog came skipping out from one of the rooms. “Cool dog.” He exclaimed, slipping under Killian’s arm, and entering the apartment.

“Why don’t you come in and say hello to the dog.” The man said sarcastically before pausing with a sigh. “His name’s Smee.”

“Hey Smee. I’m Henry.” He looked up at Killian. “Anyway, I stopped by to invite you to a barbeque, since apparently Ruby hasn’t done it yet. And by the looks of the place, you might need somewhere to eat.” He looked around at the empty apartment.

“Yeah, my stuff is supposed to arrive tomorrow. So, what’s this barbeque you’re going on about?”

“It’s an annual thing we do here, barbeque on the roof to welcome summer. Everyone comes and it’s a good place to meet all the neighbors. You can bring a friend or girlfriend…”

“Ah, well, I don’t have a girlfriend, but I suppose I can bring a date.”

No girlfriend. “So, you’re single?”

“You’re pretty nosey for a kid.”

“Mom says I’m curious. You should meet her; her name is Emma.”

“I think I met her boyfriend yesterday. Graham I believe.”

“Oh him, yeah. He’s a security guard for old people.” Henry said, brushing off the question.

“I beg your pardon?”

Henry ignored the question, not wanting to get into any discussion with him about Graham. “So, you’ll come to the barbeque?”

The man laughed. “Well, I don’t suppose you give me much choice, lad.”

“Awesome, I’ll let Ruby and Will know.”

“Is Ruby your little friend’s mom?”

Henry shrugged, “Ruby doesn’t have kids.”

Killian just shook his head, “Alright, well I need to get to work, so I guess I’ll be seeing you at this barbeque.”

“Oh, where do you work?”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Do you work for the CIA or something?”

“I bet you work on a boat.” Henry mused.

“Bloody hell kid.” The man’s eyes widened.

“I knew it.” Henry cheered as he patted the dog on the head and walked to the door. “It was the anchor keychain. And you seem like a boat guy.” He shrugged, stepping out into the hall. “See ya later, Killian.”

The door shut behind him and the grin on his face grew wide. He knew he was a Captain. He just knew it. He ran back to his apartment, turning back quickly to knock on Will’s door.

“Oi, I thought you went to Neal’s today.” The man answered with just a pair of shorts on. “You know I sleep in on Saturday’s.”

“Sorry, just wanted to tell you that 4C is coming to the barbeque.”

“Bloody hell, I didn’t even talk to Ruby yet, how did he know?”

“I invited him, we’re friends.” He said with a shrug, turning and entering his apartment, closing the door behind him. As soon as he did both of his parents turned around from the spot they were standing.

“There he is. I told you he would be on time.” His mother said with an icy tone.

“Hey kid, you ready to go?” His dad walked toward him, grabbing his bag from the floor.

“Yup.” He wrapped his arms around his mom and hugged her. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Love you, kiddo.”

“You too mom.” He squeezed her tightly and then gripped his backpack, turning to his father who nervously shifted toward the door.

“I’ll have him back by 7pm tomorrow. See ya then, Ems.” He paused, then opened the door, ushering Henry into the hall.

“Be good, Henry.” His mother hollered after him.

“Hold the elevator.” Henry looked up as his father called toward the man at the end of the hall. Henry smiled when he recognized Killian.

“Hey, Killian.” Henry greeted him happily as he entered and stood next to him.

“Hello again, lad.”

“This is my dad, Neal.” He said, staring back at his dad. “Dad, this is Killian, he just moved in next door.”

“Perfect.” His dad mumbled under his breath. “Why isn’t it ever an old lady?”

“Sorry, Mate, what did you say?” Killian inquired.

“I said, nice to meet you.” His father lied. Henry wanted to laugh at the man’s immediate reaction to Killian. His dad always seemed to be intimidated by other men, especially if they were anywhere near his mom.

He had long since given up the childish notion of his parent’s getting back together. While he was sure his dad still had an interest in his mom, he had overheard enough conversations between them where his mother had made it clear that there was no future between them.

His mother never said a negative thing about her father to him, but he was old enough to know that his dad wasn’t exactly husband material. He had heard Ruby refer to Neal as a “grown child” when she and his mom had returned from one of their “girl’s night out” parties.

The elevator arrived at the ground floor and Henry parted ways with Killian with a wave, climbing into his dad’s truck for the drive across town. His dad lived in the city, preferring to be in what he referred to as the hustle and bustle of the big wigs or something equally as stupid as that sounded.

As soon as he got to his room, he pulled out his notebook scribbling excitedly after the events of the afternoon.

Captain Jones strutted through the town of Bostonia, observing the townsfolk as they scurried around preparing for the annual ball. Occasionally he caught the eye of a maiden milling about, sizing up his options for the evening. He had been summoned by the King on an urgent yet delicate matter, one that required him to be discreet regarding the reason for his visit.

As he approached the castle, a guard gestured to him and immediately escorted him to the back of the castle, he was led into the garden and told that the King would be with him shortly. Killian had never been to Skyline Manor before, he was unfamiliar with the town of Bostonia, and its inhabitants.

“Captain Jones.” He turned and saw a man striding toward him. Surely this was King David. He bowed, then stood to meet the man’s eyes.

“Your Highness, I came as soon as I got word of your request.”

“I appreciate your expedience, as well as your discretion in this delicate situation.”

“I fear I do not know the details of why you have summoned me.”

The King caught the eye of his guard and nodded slightly, the man stepped inside the castle walls, leaving them alone. “I am not sure if you are aware of my sister’s situation.” Killian nodded that he did not know the situation that the man was speaking of. “Princess Emma is to choose a husband at the upcoming ball.”

“I am not looking for a wife.” Killian said with a slight chuckle.

The King laughed heartily. “No, no. My sister is being courted by a dear friend of mine, Duke Humbert. It is my hope that she will choose him to marry on this night.”

“Then I truly am confused as to why I have been summoned.”

“I don’t want anything to distract my sister from her suitor. However,…” He leaned toward the Captain. “Have you heard of The Swan Thief?”

“Aye, he is renowned throughout the lands. No one knows his true identity, yet he has managed to lighten the purses of many a kingdom. The rumor is that he has a reputation of sullying plenty of fair maidens in his wake.”

“Including my sister.” He said quietly. “Many years ago, my sister placed her misguided trust in him when he was but a young man, he deceived her, and she was left with a son. Obviously, the scandal of an unwed Princess suddenly finding herself with child would have brought dishonor on our kingdom and thus Princess Emma hid away until Sir Henry was born. Our people were told that Sir Henry’s father died and abandoned him, his pockets full from the kingdom’s coffers and Princess Emma took pity on the boy and raised him as her own.”

“And what of the boy? Does he know of his origins?”

“Sir Henry knows that he is the son of Princess Emma and that if the truth came out, it would be dangerous for both he and his mother.”

“My apologies, your highness. Your sister’s virtue aside, how does this involve me?”

“I have it on good word that The Swan Thief plans to disrupt the ball this evening.”

“He is in town?”

“Yes, my wife, Queen Margaret has received a special jewel from the Queen of Arendelle. I believe he will attempt to steal this item.”

“And you would like me to stop the man? Why me, I’m certain you have very capable guards?”

“You have a certain reputation, one that has reached the shores of Bostonia. You are the most feared Captain in all the realms, and you always catch your man.”

“For the right price.” The Captain added.

“Yes, and I believe you will find this price to be most pleasing.”

“And all you require of me is to capture this Swan Thief in order to take my payment?”

“Discreetly, yes. I do not wish my sister or my nephew to know of his presence. His being here would be most unpleasant for the festivities and my sister.”

“And where will I find this Swan Thief?”

“I believe he is on his way to the castle, even as we have this conversation.”

“And you will divulge to me his true identity?”

“His name is Neal Baelfire.”

~*~

Emma spent the rest of the evening nervously cleaning the apartment. She was never prepared for Henry to go to Neal’s. Half the time he would call and cancel hours before Henry’s was to leave, other times he would show up thirty minutes early wanting to know why he wasn’t ready to go.

As much as she wanted her son to have a relationship with his father, she hated the fact that she had to share him at all.

Her front door opened, and her best friend Will came bounding through the room. “Do you have beer over here?”

“I thought it was BYOB tonight?”

“It is, but I forgot to go shopping because I slept in.”

“Which one was it, did you forget to go shopping or sleep in?”

He laughed nervously, “Which one gets me beer?”

“Why do I love you so much?”

“Because I’m handsome and I put up with you?” He jumped over the back of her couch and landed on the cushions below him.

“How old are you?”

“Come on Em, please?”

The door swung open, and Ruby walked in with a twelve pack of beer and a bottle of rum in her hand. “Let’s get this party started.”

“My hero.” Will exclaimed, jumping up to unload Ruby of her treasures.

“I figured you would forget again.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

“I knew you loved me.” He said lovingly, kissing Ruby on the cheek.

“Eww, you know we’re never gonna happen right?” Ruby shoved him toward the kitchen.

“Only in my dreams, lass.” He teased in their usual ritual.

“Where’s Graham?”

“He gets off at eight, he’ll be here in a bit.”

“Is that when they put the old people to bed?” Will laughed.

“You’re as bad as Henry.” Emma groaned. “He has a great job.”

“I know. I’m kidding, Emma. It’s just…sometimes he’s a bit…”

“Wooden? Boring? Predictable?” Ruby chimed in.

“You guys are terrible friends.” She complained. “He’s a really nice guy and I like him a lot.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and Emma gave them both a warning glance before she opened the door. However, it wasn’t Graham at the door but the new neighbor she had seen in the hall the night before.

“Hello, sorry to bother you, lass, I’m your new neighbor. Killian Jones.” Emma tried not to stare, she really did, but the voice was mesmerizing and his eyes kept drawing her in, suddenly she found herself unable to blink. “Hello?” He repeated and she shook herself out of her trance.

“Sorry, yeah, I’m Emma.”

“My stuff is still being delivered and the moving company lost a few of my boxes. You wouldn’t happen to have a bowl I could borrow?”

“Um, sure, yes I mean. One second.” She turned around and wandered into the kitchen, looking through her cabinets for a bowl.

“So, you’re the mysterious Jones in 4C?” Will questioned the newcomer. “Henry told me he invited you to the barbeque next weekend.”

Emma’s head snapped toward Killian. Her son invited him to the barbeque?

“Um yes, the lad is very friendly.” He said with a tone of discomfort.

“Here you go.” She offered the bowl toward him.

“Thank you, love.” He responded and she felt as if her tongue was swelling in her mouth causing her to be unable to speak.

“Uh yeah, no problem.”

“I’ll bring it back tomorrow, if that’s alright.”

“Of course.”

“Well, enjoy your evening.” He turned to leave before Ruby crowded behind her.

“You like poker or alcohol?” Emma turned and glared at her friend. “We’re having an adult night.” She announced with her tongue practically hanging out of her mouth.

“Oh, well, I’m making dinner for my date, actually. But thanks for the invite. Perhaps another time.” He said with a smirk that made Emma’s heart race.

“You’re welcome any time at my place. I’m just across the hall at 4D.” Emma shoved her friend backwards into the apartment.

“Thanks again.” He smiled and Emma slammed the door shut quickly.

“Oh my God, Ruby, I’m surprised you didn’t throw your bra at him and start screaming his name.”

“Did you see that man? Damn.” Ruby sighed.

Emma bit her lip, she had to admit the man was easy on the eyes, but he did just say that he was making dinner for a date. And oh my God, she had a boyfriend. Greg or Garret… her brain was suddenly going blank.

~*~

Killian walked back to his apartment in a haze. So that was Henry’s mother. He had only caught a glimpse of her when he saw her in the hall previously, but up close she was almost intoxicating. It was a true shame that she was attached to the man he had met previously.

He opened the door to his apartment, Belle standing at the counter stirring the pasta on the stove. “Did they have a bowl.”

“Aye.”

“Oh great, it’s always nice to have good neighbors.”

They finished preparing dinner, sitting down at the table with Belle to enjoy their hard work. “I forgot to mention that I was invited to a barbeque this weekend, care to join me.”

“Who invited you?”

“Apparently I moved in right before the annual barbeque. Henry, the lad next door invited me.”

“You got invited by a kid?”

“Aye, odd child, very curious. Possibly working undercover for the CIA.” Killian joked.

“Aww, you made a friend your own age.” She teased.

“Very funny.”

“I’m serious though, it’s nice. Maybe he doesn’t have any other friends around here.”

“Not true, he said his best friend lives across the hall. I think he said his name was Will.”

“Well, I think it’s sweet.”

“You think everything is sweet, lass.” He teased.

“I think you’re sweet.” She blushed and he tried to ignore the smile on her face and the way she stared at him with emotion in her eyes.

“You wound me, French. I may be dashing, dare I say devilishly handsome even, but sweet? You take that back, woman.” He chased her down the hall toward the bedroom, capturing his prize as he dragged her into the darkened room.

~*~

When Henry returned home the next evening, he found his mother lying on the couch, her sleep mask over her face. “Mom?”

His dad dropped his bag on the ground loudly and Emma jumped from the couch. “Oh hey, what time is it?”

“It’s 7pm.” Neal announced. “Are you sick?”

“Not really, no. Headache.” She groaned. “Did you have fun, kid?”

Henry glanced at his dad and lied. “Loads, we watched Pokémon and ate pizza.”

His mother started to laugh, and Henry narrowed his eyes. She immediately recognized his warning. “Well, that’s great. Sounds fun.”

“I’ll uh guess I’ll see you in a couple weeks.” His dad announced, and Henry wrapped his arms around his waist before taking off down the hall toward his room as he shouted his goodbye.

He stopped at his door, listening to his parents talking softly in the other room.

“So, about the next visit. I have to…” His dad started before his mom cut him off.

“Seriously, Neal?”

“I’m going out of town for a couple of weeks. Business.”

Henry rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure the business he was talking about was a dark-haired woman with big boobs that his dad had spent all weekend facetiming.

“Did you tell him already?”

“I was kind of hoping you would just let him know.”

“Of course you were.” He mother said flatly.

“I just hate seeing the disappointment on his face.”

“Maybe try not disappointing him so often then.”

Henry sighed and quietly closed his bedroom door. He tossed his bag into his closet and slammed himself down onto his bed with a thud. Digging into his backpack he pulled out the old notebook and scanned through the last words he had put on paper. Biting his lip, he grabbed his pencil.

Neal Baelfire sat alone in a darkened corner of the Thirsty Lion tavern in the port of Bostonia. The busty red haired bar wench sauntered over to him with a cold mug of beer, slamming it on the table as the suds poured down the sides of his glass.

“Anything else I can get you?” She cooed.

“How bout some company?” He offered. “Perhaps just the two of us?”

“You payin’?” She said with a drawl.

“You got a room here? I need a place to stay.” He asked, dropping a cloth bag onto the table, the sound of coins clanging together bringing a smile to her face.

“Let me get you a key, sugar.”

As the woman retreated, Neal watched the portly man on the other side of the bar, drinking his pint alone. The man was always on time, never a moment late. His plan was falling into place. Soon he would take what he needed, what was owed to him. He would be able to afford the life of luxury that was denied him, that she had kept him from. Once he had the ice diamond, he could afford a new life, far away from Bostonia.

Once he had the ice diamond, he would have his son again.

#skyline manor #stacy's fics #killian jones #emma swan #captain swan #captain swan fics #captain swan au #captain swan modern au

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cupcakemolotov · 3 years

Text

Twisted Intentions: Chapter Two

@accidental-rambler let us not go back and check how long this chapter has been coming, yeah? But I think its finally finished? Probably. We are ending it here, at least.

Everyone please be checking the tags on this one. It is a fairly more darker take than I usually do, these two crazy murder fiends, and there is smut. The first scene below has some murder to it, but nothing smutty. You can find both chapters on A03: Chapter One, Chapter Two.

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Regency; Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon; Possessive Klaus Mikaelson; Vampire Caroline; F/F Smut; M/F smut; Non-Klaroline Smut (referenced); Referenced Threesome F/F/M; Canon-Typical Violence; Not Canon Compliant; Dark Caroline Forbes; Past-Prostitution; Klaroline End Game; no non-con; Suggested Sexual Coercion; Vampire Klaus Mikaelson; Hybrid Klaus Mikaelson; Compulsion; Murder; Dark; Violence; Smut; Orgasm Delay/Denial; Oral Sex; Sex; Murder Kink; Biting; Blood Kink; Mutual Masturbation

The pub was quiet so early in the evening, dust lingering the corners the same as the plague lingered on the street. It was not a place she would have willingly visited, but some summons could not be ignored. Casually, she ran her fingers over her lips to make sure she’d cleaned up any of the blood that might have lingered.

Today was her third day as a vampire, and tonight had been her first solo deliberate kill. Her sire had taught her how to compel a man, the taste of a rabbiting pulse against her tongue, the fastest way to a heart with her fingers, and she had taken well to the hunt. Caroline felt no shame in learning to enjoy what she had become, to embrace the choice that she had been given, that she had made.

Some monsters, after all, were not nearly so kind as to show their devil’s bargains with fangs and eyes, though she had learned to recognize them all the same. But while the life of a whore had taught her many things, this new existence had been illuminating. Caroline had learned to avoid the sun, begun to learn the language of the night outside of the stained sheets of her old bedroom, and not once had she gone hungry. Here in the midst of the plague, blood was as easy to steal as the streets made dying, and for the first time in her seventeen years, she felt strong. Powerful. The predator instead of prey, and it was a heady feeling after years of being powerless.

But dangerous. She could not forget the dangers of this new life. Dangerous that she had not yet fully come to recognize. While her sire was indulgent of his newest creations, she was not such a fool to take his pretty did not hide a terrible sort of lethal practicality. Those dimples masked a violence she had caught lingering in his eyes, and every instinct she had warned her that there was more to him than he wanted her to know. He was deliberately mysterious, and while he’d offered so few expectations for their behavior, showing them how best to indulge their sins, and Caroline wondered why.

Compulsion was no idle tool, and though it had opened the world to so many whims, greed was a risk she was not willing to indulge in. Not yet. Humans might easily be bent to her will, but she would do well to remember the lessons she’d learned and been taught in her handful of years. Avarice could leave her the fattened calf for others as easily she could take from those less wise. She was not the only creation her sire had made, and from his offhand comments, age seemed to make a difference in strength.

Better then, to teach herself control, to master every instinct and then indulge only when she controlled every aspect of the experience. She had no intention of letting the gift she had been given control her, not when she’d vowed never again would she have a master except herself.

Never again.

Though she would have to be careful.

Glancing towards the back of the room, she pursed her lips at the trio of men who unknowingly awaited her presence at a table. Caroline recognized two of them from her lessons, though her sire had not introduced her to them. She had not asked to know them, not when she understood how they watched her. Lustful, but stupid.

They thought themselves clever, and the new monster that lived in her bone and marrow that she knew in the back of her throat as hunger, did not approve of their ilk. They’d smelled weak. Eager. It wasn’t her place to judge her sire’s choices, but she’d been certain he’d picked up on her disapproval.

Chosen to be amused rather than offended.

Tonight, the blood that stained their clothing, the scent of sex and death that lingered on their skin did nothing endure her to them. Mixing those pleasures when you had so little control told her that her original assessment had been correct. Wrinkling her nose, Caroline wondered if leaving would be a mark against her.

She was not given the chance to find out.

Awareness and warning prickled down her spine, and Caroline turned to find her sire watching her from the doorway. His lips curled at the edges, a hint of dimple catching in one cheek, and he strode forward to meet her. “Good evening, love. I must say, your new life suits you.”

His eyes dropped from her face to skim her figure, the dimple deepening. Caroline gave the endearment little meaning, he dolled out charm too easily for it to be sincere. But even knowing some of his truth, the impact of him was unavoidable. Her sire was a feast for her eyes and the monster she had become did not find the violence of him unbecoming.

However, the compliment was sincere, so she allowed a smile to touch her lips. Her new dress was well made, but not so expensive to draw attention, but it was pretty and hers. It had been a very long time since she owned her own clothes.

“Thank you.”

His gaze swept back to her face as he approached and offered her his arm. She took it, because she would not be accused of not having manners, and he sighed, head angling as if letting her into his confidence. She took no stock in that either.

“It is a pity that the same cannot be said for the rest.”

Klaus, Caroline had learned, was as mercurial with his violence as he was with his mercy. He’d plucked her from the street as easily as he’d left others to die, had shown her the fastest way to a man’s heart with dimples and bloody clothes. Tonight, there was something in his voice, a hint of roughness that did not bode well for any of them and she had no intention of being a target for that rage.

“They seem to lack some... subtlety,” she agreed.

His smile shifted to a sort of dangerous amusement. “Let’s find out just how little they have exhibited, shall we?”

Very aware that this was not her choice, Caroline merely hummed in agreement and let him escort her to the table. Violence did not frighten her, but something about the way he moved, the pleasant tilt of his lips, was unnerving.

“Hello, lads. It seems that you have enjoyed yourselves.”

They went still in front of her, a court very aware of its king’s displeasure, for all that he was smiling. Lifting Caroline’s hand from his arm, he brushed her knuckles lightly with his lips. “Do make yourself comfortable, sweetheart.”

In the next heartbeat, he’d twisted and was suddenly holding a twitching heart in his left hand. Caroline paused from where she’d gathered her skirts to settle, her heart a thump in her throat at the ease, the speed of his strike. But it wasn’t exactly fear that danced beneath her skin, though wariness had her watching him carefully. Settling the heart casually on the table, he motioned for her to sit on the empty seat.

She sat.

Reaching into his pocket, Klaus removed a handkerchief and meticulously began to clean his hand. “It really is so much easier to deal with baby vampires when the sire bond exists, but I suppose you can’t win them all.” His smile widened at the sudden, sharp stink of fear. “I am a benevolent ruler, but there are some lines that will not be tolerated being crossed. Leaving bodies where they can be found by anyone, even during a plague, will not be allowed. Is that understood?”

Next to them, the body finally toppled to the floor, as if it had finally understood it was dead. Caroline stared at the heartless vampire, considered how quickly his life had been snuffed out, and she arranged her skirts to avoid the growing puddle of blood while wondering why she was here. She had not been so careless with her teeth or metaphorical cock.

Across from her, the remaining vampires stammered their understanding, but when her eyes returned to her sire’s face, it was to find him watching her. There was something about his expression, the set of his jaw, that left her very certain that this mess was much as a message for her as for them, and she worked through the whys. The point of this little warning. This show.

She had no care for these men, and she was certain, neither did her sire. Even with this warning, it was likely the remaining two vampires would be dead within the week. Klaus had never struck her as anything but calculating, even in his whims, and it dawned on her that perhaps that was his point.

Her sire wanted her to see just how easily he would snuff the life from his creations, should it be necessary. Should they make it necessary... Vampires were monsters, but they were hidden, tucked carefully between the shadows of the nights and humanity’s soft dreams of safety.

But if they did, he might offer a quick, clean death. That message was for these men. Her message was tangled in the quickness of the death, the way he had offered her his arm before leading her to this little slaughter. He might find her amusing, might be indulgent of her opinions, but she could not count on that indulgence to save her.

Caroline tipped her in silent acknowledgement of his message. Betrayal, she knew without it being said, would have far more dire consequences.

Link: A03

#my fic #klaroline #klaroline fanfic #darker than usual #please mind the tags #thank you!

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imemeyoumemeweallmeme · 3 years

Text

Quotes from “Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier” as starters

But today could be the day I finally make a difference!

Where are you off to today, you no good piece of shit?

You’ve got to dream a little harder!

It took you long enough, you shit-eating dog.

Oh, so you think you're better than me just because you can read?

Just try to keep your fat face out of that motherfucking book.

Why am I the only one who sees things as they are?

Oh, ___, sometimes I feel you're my only friend in this world.

Today, things got a little out of hand and a lot of good people are dead.

Did we get the loaf of bread back?

Why do you even bother visiting us commoners anymore, you aristocat?

I sure hope you haven't goofed this one up, ___.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, look at this mess. Dead bodies in the street.

Did you know in this barbaric country they only give you money if you work?

Who would seek employment when life offers such enjoyment?

You're only in trouble if you get caught.

My father says that you must marry me now, or I'll bring dishonor to my entire family.

I can't give up on my dreams and settle down just 'cause your dad's being a dick.

‘Cause you stole my daughter’s hymen!

That’s completely fair, but in my defense - dude, your daughter’s hot.

My ass cheeks…they're hanging out.

And what's this? Blood. Blood on my ass cheeks. Tell me, ___, how the fuck did it get there?

Oh I am grateful for your tiny ass, ___!

This really is an act of war, ___!

Do not feed me shit and call it couscous, ___!

Well an hour free is better than a lifetime in a cage. Being fed and pampered and cleaned up after. What kind of a life is that?

When are you going to learn that your actions have consequences?

One of these days, you're going to learn that life isn't about dreams coming true. It's a series of compromises and disappointment.

That's supporting a corrupt system. You're a part of the problem.

I want everything, and more!

My secret is simple, really. Anyone could do it. I just follow the golden rule!

Always treat others like sisters and brothers and they’ll do the same for you.

I get back what I give!

My hunger blinded me and forced me to act like an animal.

But we're not animals. We're gifted with minds to reason and hearts to love!

I think that's enough fun for one day, eh, ___?

Well, we have our own golden rule here. Whoever has the gold…makes the rules.

The gold that my neighbor earns through his labor is gold I’ll never see.

So keep your mouth shut and your palm open, and you may just get...filthy stinkin' rich!

You could start by telling me your name.

I suppose this will be the end of me.

I am a servant to the people, and therefore your servant.

Magic does nothing if not touch the soul.

I want to know your story, I want to know your past, I want to know your future too.

Fill my days and nights with the tale of you.

I never cared for stories until you entered mine.

Let’s make ours the story with no end.

Their mouths aren't fit to hold a donkey's shit.

Many years ago, I took my finger…and I pushed in my penis…and it hasn't come out since.

A very wise and enthralling tale, ___. We can all learn a lesson from it, I expect.

Where's my opium?

Speak now, ___! And don't fuck it up!

Well, maybe I have a new purpose now.

That is what your story is about.

I wish I had the power to rewrite this tale.

Never stop wishing it, ___.

We will be reunited one day, and unlock wonders beyond your wildest dreams!

After all, I must be pretty great, if you believed in me.

I only hope you haven't fallen prey to some sex-crazed ruffian!

Right this way, babe.

This is so unfair! Poor people need slaves just as much as rich people do! Maybe even a little bit more.

Of course it's a free thinker like who's struggling to get by. And all because of our totally corrupt class system.

I hate the class system. That's why I said, "Fuck it, I'm never going to school again."

So, you abandoned everything, to be free? That is so brave.

Brave? Me? Yeah.

All my parents ever did was support me. Give me a place to stay, tell me they loved me, no matter what. They were really bad parents.

How's a thirty-three-year-old kid supposed to know how to survive on his own?

But that is not fair! ___’s a victim of circumstance!

Don't look at me like that! These are my orders from ___.

Wait, wait, what? You slit people's throats? I didn't tell you to kill anyone! This is awful!

___, no. That is just an expression.

I'm gonna have so much gold I could swim through it! Like a pool. Do you think people can really do that?

Once I get my mind set on a chick, I just can't move on until I get this nut out.

I can’t wait to be a rich dude!

Stealing is so much easier when you’ve got already tons of gold.

We’ll get our happy ending tonight.

We weren't sure if you were ever coming back, ___.

Everyone, look at my ass!

You received the manhood of a badger?

Those are stretch marks, they happen.

Oh, I see! You received the manhood of a tiger!

Did you hear that, lads? ___ made love to a tiger!

Tiger fucker! Tiger fucker! Tiger fucker!

I DID NOT FUCK A TIGER!!!

Am I not a thing of beauty? Don't you want a piece of this? Wouldn't you gladly give up all of your worldly possessions just to greet me when I come home from a one-sided massacre, and bathe my sweaty, bloody body with your tongue?

Oh…you. Aren't you busy ruining my life?

I noticed you weren't at dinner, but I saw you tried to poison my wine. Usually when you do that, it means you want to talk. What's up, are you mad at me?

You ripped my heart out and smashed it into a million pieces. And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

He/she/they was perfect! Like if you cobbled together all the best features from all the best guys/girls/people, and then gave them a tragic backstory! It's like he/she/they was designed specifically to appeal to me.

I knew everything about him/her/them! He/she/they was my soul mate! My -- my -- God, I am freaking out, what was his/her/their name?

Believe it or not, I care about you.

I don't want to be prepared. I want to expect the unexpected.

Look, you're young. You don't exactly get how things work yet. And, while I don't appreciate any of your ideas, I do appreciate the fact that you HAVE ideas. Maybe one day you'll have some GOOD ones.

Sexual predators the lot of them! Their tactics target vulnerable, young girls, and build up false senses of trust and then isolate them on magic rides of sorts. And when the moment is right, they whip it out. You know... their songs.

Be wary of young boys who whip out their songs. A song is often a prelude to a dick.

A song is a dick in sheep's clothing.

Can't you see I'm trying to impart a life lesson?

I feel like you only come to see me when there's bad news.

I counted thirteen dead before the peacocks got to them.

How the fuck did you know it was me?

Because it IS you, you're just wearing different clothes.

Wow. Pretty AND smart. You're the whole shebang, babe.

Everything I told you the other night was a lie. Don't you trust me?

Ugh. Oh no. Okay, um, now I'm kind of feeling like everything about you that was attractive to me before isn't really there anymore.

No! No, I'm just being indecisive. It's still you.

I've just got to get back on that high that I was on before.

Look into my eyes and talk to me some more about the world's injustice!

Sure. Just let me roll this blunt first.

But I don't want her/him/they to love me. I just want her/him/them to fuck me.

You guys know there's a way to get people to think about sex without even talking about sex? You just gotta do it subliminally.

Hey, babe, it's such a beautiful night -- take off your clothes.

But…let me ask you this: is your penis an innie or an outie?

___ explained everything to me. He/she/they was just pretending to be a ___. For fun.

I bet the ___ is under that ___ sized hat!

Bullshit! Why would I pretend to be a ___? Just to get laid? That's not me.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Why are you picking on me, ___? Afraid I'll reveal your little secret?

Whoa! I thought I was just bullshitting you guys!

What made me think that I could get away with such a plot?

How does the golden rule apply in such a situation?

Whichever road I take, I will only encourage someone’s wrath!

‘Til now I’ve always traveled down the straight and narrow path.

But which way do I turn when the road’s become so... so... twisted?

You think you know me, as others think they know you, but there are two sides to every story.

I was prepared for anything, except for what ensued.

They weren't ready for my ideas.

Fortune favors the beautiful.

My only crime was love.

But the heart wants what it wants, and sometimes what it wants, is twisted.

I only wished to reclaim what was mine!

I only wished for equal rights for all!

I only wished to save her/him/them!

I only wished to be invited to the party!

I only wished to improve relations between the races!

I only wished to teach ___ responsibility… so he/she/they wouldn’t end up like me!

I only wished to give the people a voice… To help the miserable, lonely, and depressed!

I never knew my father!

It's an unfortunate situation…But you do have a choice.

What remains of a man when that man is dead and gone?

Why protect my reputation? I’m a dead man/woman/person either way!

How will they tell my story? How will they tell my tale? Will anybody even care?

Is it nobler in the mind to be well-liked but ineffectual, or moral but maligned?

If I hide to save my life, what has my life been for?

The road ahead may twist, but I will never swerve!

I’ll give them all the unsung antihero they deserve!

I’ve nothing left to lose, to the only path to choose is twisted.

So let them twist my words, let the people scorn me.

Who cares if no one will ever mourn me?

Let them bury the side of the story that they’ll never learn!

Let the truth be twisted!

Let my life be twisted!

I’ll be twisted, it’s my turn!

Your armies have abandoned you. Your ruling class is corrupt and we have come to put an end to your tyrannical rule!

You'll never end our tyrannical rule!

It is I who will be doing the fucking today.

It appears that ___ has cold feet!

Yes I am talking to you! Now get your ass over here!

I've got to become a sorcerer! Can you do that?

Yes, I do feel lucky. I've got a ___! But I think he might be a fucking moron!

My fuse is about this long right now.

You either need to back me the fuck up, or shut the fuck up. Got it?

And what's the last thing you wanna do before that happens? Take off your clothes. That's right, have sex! Hurry, take off your clothes.

I'm not going to take off my clothes in the middle of a battle!

My skin is melting!

Would you stop acting like an asshole for one minute?

I'm not a tease. I'm just…not a freak.

You're making sex seem gross and lame.

You got that, ___? We are not a thing anymore, okay?

We're just having our first fight. Maybe after some make up sex…

You're the guy who killed my parents. Where have you been?

Okay, Jesus Christ, I don't know what's going on here.

That's the trick! You just really have to believe your own bullshit!

It takes someone who believes they can change the world to actually do it.

This isn't fair! Life is supposed to be fair!

Your youth and your passion, and yes, your naïveté -- these give you power.

When I was your age, I thought I could accomplish anything I ever wanted and more! But I didn't. Perhaps no one does. But you have to think you will or you won't have the strength to try.

Maybe you won't make any big changes, but a few little ones that pave the way for the next generation. And then they'll make small changes and leave it to the next and the next! It's a bit like a carousel of progress. Always spinning towards a great, big, beautiful tomorrow. And tomorrow is just a dream away.

But what if tomorrow never comes?

Tomorrow always comes. Even if it comes without us.

What will I do without you to guide me? When I am lost, where will I turn?

You remind me of someone I knew long ago.

You’re the one who put it there -- the power in me.

The power to love one another is the greatest power of all.

No matter where life leads us, we’ll never be apart.

Through thick and thin, success or ruin, I’ll carry you in my heart.

I will treasure forever what the world will never see.

You are kind, and that’s enough.

I wish you didn’t have to go when our story’s just begun.

Then I wish you every happiness.

It was more money than I had ever seen. But I was able to count it.

And that's the end of the true story.

#long post #ask meme #quotes #twisted: the untold story of a royal vizier #jafar #aladdin #the princess #jasmine #sheherazade #sultan #roleplay #roleplay asks #roleplay meme #roleplay prompts #starters #roleplay starters

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skullkid1410 · 3 years

Photo

They saw this huge villa standing still on the middle of the blizzard. Smoke coming out of the chimney, the promise of a warm and cozy place to stay.

"Its late and they must be asleep. If they dont let us in, I'll find a way to break in and maybe we can hide ourselves in the basement"

"Here's the plan Pax. Stay behind me. I'll knock on the door. If nobody answers, we'll check for opened windows around it".

He climbed the steps to the porch and started knocking on the door, multiple times

"I'm coming, i'm coming! Are you guys thieves or activists? Cause I said a thousand times, I WON'T BE CHANGING MY WORD ABOUT THE COASTLINE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, this town need the money godamnit. ARE YOU THIEVES OR ACTIVISTS? If not, come inside. If you are, go back to where you came! I've got a deadly dog inside, starving for human flesh" - Answered a distant voice coming from inside the house

Pax was nervous about the whole situation, and the memories of all the psycho horror movies Brodie forced him to watch came to his head. Nothing good happens on situations like this.

"Brodie this guy must be cuckoo. Who would let us inside this time of the night without even checking who it is?"

But brodie is never scared of anything. Ever.

"I know, i know. But know what? We're not in a position to be picky. Let's get inside".

The house was HUGE, warm and cozy, besides empty. Lots of crates all around the room. Some opened, others sealed. Sounds of steps came from the top of the stairs.

"My first night in this house and I'm already receiving guests. Odd tho, you guys are not familiar. But you don't seem to be here to steal, kill or kidnap me. Wait, are you in here for it? Nah you aren't, I'd be knocked out already if that was the case. Nice to meet you lads, I'm Darrell. Town's mayor, at your service. Now come inside, let’s seat around the fireplace.”

"So, what brought you boys to my lonely corner of the town? Not gonna lie, I would hate if a police officer knocked on my door right now. Two teenager boys that I never saw in my life before, at this hour of the night... Which trouble have you guys started to be running away like that?"

"Also, this is my dear friend Toby. And yep, as you can see, he's definitelly not deadly and couldn't even kill a fly. So there's no way I can make you harm, and I hope you didn't come to hurt me as well. And please don't rob me. It's been just a few months since I was elected and I still got tons of bills to pay you see"

The mayor seemed to be a very cool guy, and Brodie really felt like he could open up his heart to him. He told him their whole life story. Like he never met his parents, and lived in the orphanage his entire life. He told him how he met Paxton, and how attached they became to each other ever since. How they lost any hopes of being adopted since they were too old for that, especially Brodie, 17 years old. Darrell listened to the whole story with atention. It was so good to talk with someone that actually cared to listen. Been ages since the boys met a guy like him.

"You see guys, I don't think I'll ever be able to even imagine the pain you have been through. I do understand how does it feel to be an orphan, since I never met my parents too. I grew up inside a boat, and worked with fellow sailors since I was 5. I wouldn't be able to reach where I am right now, If it wasn't for people that helped me before. Maybe that's destiny knocking on my door and telling me its time to pay off...

"I don't have a clue of what am I gonna do to help you two. But, let's do it like this: You guys stay over for the night, I'll cook you some food in the morning, and then we can talk about this whole situation. I don't promise any miracles, but I'll do the best I can".

The boys couldn't even believe their ears. The help they've been asking for such a long time, finally came. And it felt good. Tonight they are gonna sleep under a real roof. On a real comfortable bed.

"Mr. Darrell, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay your kindness. Thank you very very much" - Said the boy with tears of happiness and relief in his eyes

"Nah, that's okay. Brodie, is it? Now follow me boys, I'll show you where youre gonna sleep. And I hope you don't mind sharing the bed. The other guest room is occupied by Toby. Oh, and please, be good lads and don't try to stab me while I'm sleeping right?"

The boys followed Darrell through the big staircase and a long narrow corridor, until they reached a big room with a cannopy double bed and three huge windows, with views to the sea. The snow was falling down but a very blurry ray of light could be seen on the distance - the beam of the old light tower.

"Man, this is FANCY. I don't think I ever walked inside a cool room like this. And this bed man, so freakin soft" - Said Brodie while jumping on the bed

"too bad we have to share it" - replied Paxton

"Aw, so is it? Too old to share the bed with me? I'll definitely remember that next time you wake me up screaming in the middle of the night because of nightmares you had" - Replied Brodie while tickling and messing Paxton's hair

"oh no man, that's not it. You know you are my favourite pillow. It's just that, I'm wondering how GOOD it would feel to sleep alone in such a giant bed like this... so much space you know? Way better than park benches".

"haha I know pax my boy, don't worry. Also you are not the little guy I met anymore. Now, go have a shower and don't forget to brush your teeth. I don't wanna be awaked by your bad breath in the morning"

"I think I got sooo used to things going wrong that, now that our chances are getting better, I can't even believe my eyes. I'm not sure what the mayor will fix to us, but if we are to start a new life, I'm sure I'll have to be stronger than ever. Not just for me but for pax".

"He is too young, too naive, too weak for this world. His heart is too good to be broken. Gosh, I don't even like to imagine the idea of him getting hurt, or people doing bad to him. I don't want him to starve or to sleep on the floor anymore. And i'll work really hard ensure he'll get a better future. Maybe even better than mine".

He approached pax' ears, and whispered in a really gentle tone:

"You hear that little guy? I will do whatever I can to make up to you. Life's not being kind to us, I know. But I'll fight even harder and i'll be even stronger for the both of us. I love you too much to see you suffer like I did".

"BRODIE BRODIE WAKE UP! ARE YOU FEELING THAT SMELL? THAT'S PANCAKES!! AND IT'S NOT EVEN CHRISTMAS YET!"

"HOLY CRAP MAN! QUICKLY, CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! oh boy, I'm gonna eat a WHOOOOOOOLE stack of them".

"Good morning boys! You won't believe what i heard today while grocery shopping on the town. Word is, two boys - a short brunette one and the other taller and ginger haired, ordered two large meals on the boardwalk diner last night, and sneaked out the damn place without paying their bill! Too good for them that I paid the bill and explained the waitress that my nephews are in town visiting their old uncle and, since I am the mayor, they tought it was okay to do it. Funny story isn't it? Now, let's talk business. Sit down, I cooked some pancakes".

"So, I've been thinking about our talk last night, and I think I know a way to help both you and me. I won't call the cops nor the counselors cause I do feel your story and also, that would be bad business for me. Lot's to explain. And I can't take you both under my roof, cause I'm a loner you know? Toby is my only friend and I'd rather things to stay that way. Also, I'd suck as a parent. Too much attachment involved, not for me"

"So here's the deal. There's a very old house in the pier. Very old. It was the death place of Brindleton bay's founder. And people won't allow me to demolish it, folks say it's important to preserve the story of the town. Bullshit if you ask me. But, since the house is useless cause i'm already spending a lot of cash with the coastline development project and can't spare a single simoleon to restore it, I'll leave the keys to you. That's it. You guys can stay there. And as long as you don't give me ANY REASONS to evict you, I won't. Simple as that. Oh and of course, to any matter of effects, you are my nephews now and you'll be frequenting the school. Cause if you DO give me headaches, that's one less problem to discuss with the guardianship counselors. Got it?"

"thank you so freakin much Mr. Darrell. You are the best thing to ever happen in our lives" - Said Brodie, while giving the old man a very strong hug

"Nah, that's okay. But listen to me boys. No mischief. I already paid my debts with destiny twice - by letting you stay and by fixing you this house. Don't give me a reason to regret it. I won't be able to help you anymore if you do. And yes, I'll be checking up on you two. Good grades on the school, don't want folks to think my nephews are stupid"

"Hurry Paxton! It will be school time in just a couple of hours! And I'd love to freshen up before we have to leave!"

The boys runned like they never did in their lifes, crossed the whole city in less than an hour. Their hearts pounding with excitement. A house, to call their own, they couldn't believe it. Too good to be truth.

"Here we are. The only abandoned house of the pier. That's got to be the one".

A big wooden house could be seen in the distance, with old planks covering the windows and dead bushes in the front. As they approached it, they noticed the front porch covered by old letters and overdue bills. In other circunstances, the house would scare the shit out of the boys. But in this day and time, it felt like the most beautiful place they've ever put their eyes on".

"Pax quick give me the keys. Oh never mind, the door is unlocked"

A hot and moldy breath blew from inside the dusty rooms straight to their noses, making the boys sneeze. The house was old, dark and dirty, with a very eery aura to it. But it was home. Their home. With many rooms to explore and a lot of work to do. , making the boys sneeze. The house was old, dark and dirty, with a very eery aura to it. But it was home. Their home. With many rooms to explore and a lot of work to do.

"I am so freakin happy I think I might have a heart attack. CANT BELIEVE IT BRODIE WE DID IT! WE FOUND OURSELVES A PLACE".

With tears falling from his eyes and a lot of relief inside his chest, Pax gave Brodie a long and strong hug. Brodie on the other hand, was holding his tears to the maximum. He didn't want Pax to see him cry.

And with a kiss on his forehead, he dried pax's tears with his fingers

"Come on dude, let's check the place out".

"Hey brodie, look at those muddy paws on the floor... d, do, d.. do you think there's a stray dog around?"

"Chill out pax. Those paws seem to be old. And if we do find a dog in here, we can easily scare him away. Stay inside and look around the house, I'll check the backyard. Oh and if you find the toillet, please brush your teeth. Your breath smells like fart right now, you're gonna scare your classmates".

Brodie, stepped out of the house and just couldn't believe his eyes

"Hello little guy! Watcha doing on this place alone? Lost your mom? Are you an outcast like us?"

"Aaaaw, you couldn't even hurt a fly now, could ya? Sooo adorable. Say what, we are adopting you. Wanna live with us? Good boy, good boy, I like you already. Hey pax, check it out"

"Jesus christ man, that's a wolf cub. Do you really think it is a good idea? I mean, he'll get older.. and hungrier"

"Nah pax, that's okay. We'll train him and teach him to eat only dog food. If we are to live in this house by ourselves, we need a bodyguard to protect us. Right wolfie? That's it my boy, I'm gonna call you Wolfie. Do you know to howl Wolfie? Do it after me - aawoooh!”

#the sims #the sims 4 #the sims 4 stories #the sims 4 simblr #the sims 4 blog #ts4 #ts4 stories #simblr #wild at heart #skullkid1410

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urimaginespimp · 3 years

Text

Michael Gray: Better Man pt 15

Olivia thinks back to the moment before Ada left to go home. They were both just lounging by the couch, talking about what she had missed back home. Not that Michael had fill her with it already, just that there is no more detailed narration than from Ada herself. Hell, even when she wasn't around that much in the family meetings, Poll doesn't fail to tell her everything.

"You are so lucky, Livy." Ada smiled at her.

"Now what does the princess of Birmingham herself doesn't have that I don't?" She teased.

Cringing that Olivia called her something her brothers would use to mock her, she hit her with a throw pillow. "I'm serious, Livy." She said, sitting straighter this time. "You and Michael have what Freddie and I have always wanted - a normal life."

Taking Ada's hand, she gave it a slight squeeze. "I'm sorry, Ads. I know how much you wanted to move away."

"I do still miss him, and I'll always will. But what happened can't be undone and I've come into terms with it. I'm just glad that at least the only person I consider as a sister could have it."

"I don't know how long though." Olivia opened up. Because as close as they are, they were also opposites in some ways. Ada wants the simple, quiet life, she's always liked a thrilling one. That's part of the reason why she misses Birmingham more than she probably should.

There has been a long running joke in the family that they were actually switched at birth. The first time Ada went to her first dance was the first time Olivia was thought how to handle a gun. Sure, she wasn't the violent kind, but she couldn't deny how she enjoyed being part of a growing empire.

"You can take a girl away from Birmingham, but you can't take away the Brummie in her." Ada said, shaking her head, chuckling. "But I don't know, Livy. Sometimes we are at our happiest when we are in a peaceful environment."

She was about to answer, when the front door had opened.

"The service is ready outside." Michael announced, the moment he came into the apartment.

--------

It had been three weeks, and to say that Michael and Olivia's relationship was doing well was an understatement. Sleeping together, sharing kisses, actually being closer. She recalls a time when things got to heated, but it was Michael himself who diffused the situation and declared that it wasn't the time yet.

She could go as far to say that what they have now is better than what they had before everything went south. Maybe it's because they're older now, or maybe it's because they're away from the chaos brought upon by their jobs back in Birmingham.

Just the two of them, living like two normal adults. Going on constant date nights, actually getting more comfortable with being more acquainted with her clients instead of the solid business approach she gave them, having a third opinion in conversations she has with Ginny, and having their own personal freedom together.

She was now getting ready for the gala. Sitting down in front of her vanity dresser, wrapped in her silk robe, still trying to perfect her makeup.

Maybe what Ada had wanted isn't as boring as she thought it would be.

But what about Michael? Would he want stay here with her? She already had an inkling to his answer.

She was just about to put on her lipstick when Michael called for her outside.

"Yes, Michael?" She approached him. He was in the living room, looking for something. Checking vases, behind the couch, and cabinet drawers.

"I can't find my lighter luv." He answered, still busy looking.

"Oh? What would you need it for?" She asked, confused.

"Just in case I get the jitters being around people I don't know."

"I'll be right back." She knew where it was. The last time he smoked was when they were both getting back from a night out in town together. It was really chilly outside and he had given her his coat and opted to smoke to keep himself warm, and he had actually put the lighter back inside the pocket of the coat after using.

It was hung together with her rack of clothes. Putting her hand in the pocket she remembers where it was placed in, she felt the cold material of his lighter inside. Pulling it out, she saw that something fell out the moment her hand was out of the pocket.

A rolled small piece of paper on the floor. Picking it up, she opened to see what it contained.

2Br Midtown Manhattan

Don't fucking step a foot back in here if you can't get her to come with you.

- T. S.

It was her address, probably written for him so he'd knew where to find her. But the note below it...

Confusion. That was all that she felt. She just had been sitting down on the edge of her bed, just staring at the note as if the longer she'd look at it, she'd feel better.

This was no doubt Thomas' handwriting. She'd worked with him too many times to recognize it anywhere. What was written was clear and easy to decipher. But what was bringing her into confusion was everything that has happened the moment Michael came to New York.

She is his ticket. Was everything that had happened even real? Or just part of his ploy so he could go back home?

So that was why he was so eager to fix everything between them. Fucking Michael Gray.

And what in the hell was Thomas thinking dragging her into such bull?! Wasn't he the same one who actually helped her settle in here?

As mad as she was at the moment, she couldn't help a lone angry tear from spilling.

Why do the men in this family always think that they could play god? They think they could just ruin someone's life and have a free conscience as long as they don't see the aftermath.

She was hurt, but more so, mad.

I'll bring you the fuck home, myself.

Pulling herself back together, she got up and went back to her vanity dresser to fix herself.

With new found strength, she decided to go through with tonight. She needed to be in the good graces of her clients because when she gets back here alone again, she'll need them.

She had just finished dressing up and was just now checking that everything was in place.

"Luv are you ready?" Michael called from downstairs. Him calling her that almost made her skin crawl. He's too natural at it that she was almost disgusted with herself for actually falling for it.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she went out of her room, note and lighter in hand. Walking down the stairs, Michael was already at the bottom of it, waiting for her with a grin. One she didn't bother returning.

When she was at the last step, she stopped so they could be level with each other. Michael was in a dark suit with a maroon tie, and his hair was styled.

What a handsome prick.

"You look absolutely beautiful." He commented, looking at her with total admiration.

"You don't look bad, yourself." She shrugged.

"Are you alright?" Michael asked her, confusion written on his face.

She extended her hand that had the note and lighter and placed it on his.

"I found your lighter." She coldly answered and went pass him.

Having realized that she had read the note when he saw it on his palm, he tried to get her attention. "Livy, I-"

"You have a lighter but you couldn't burn that one down? Has John not taught you about burning evidences?" She scoffed at him.

"Believe me, I wanted to tell you about Thomas' terms." He explained.

"Sure, you did. But I bet it's when we're actually already back in Birmingham so I could go back here alone. Typical Michael Gray."

They were both just looking at each other with intense gazes. Her, mad at what he's done, Him mad that she'd actually think that low of him.

"Let's just go, Michael."

The ride to the gala was pretty intense. They were both seated beside each other but not uttering a word. But both of them could feel how mad the other was.

Mr. Harry Coleman was his typical self - loud, funny, with a stomach as round as an expecting mother. Greeting guests with him was his son Luke, the same lad who personally handed her the invitation.

When the Coleman men saw them, both making their way in the venue, they approached them with pleased faces. "Ah, Miss Peterson!" Harry exclaimed.

"Mr. Coleman..." She greeted him. "Luke." She acknowledged his son who took her hand in his to give it a kiss.

"It's good to see your friend again." Luke smiled nodding at Michael who already had a burning gaze at him.

"Michael. Michael Gray." He introduced himself to both men, shaking their hands.

"Well I hope you both enjoy yourselves. It's such a pleasure to have you both here." The old man smiled at them.

When both men finally excused themselves to go greet other guests, she turned to Michael.

"I see empty seats." She told him, already heading to the table.

They were both seated next to each other, with a lady to his left, and a man to her right who both appear to be in their late 40s. They both noted how the lady and the man appeared to be in a bad mood, and were constantly stealing glances at each other.

"I'm sorry ma'am, did I happen to sit where that man on my companion's right should be?" He whispered to the lady.

"Well yes, but I don't want him to be." She answered, stealing another glance at the man, and took a sip of her drink.

On Olivia's side, the man also happened to strike a conversation with her. "She looks beautiful, huh?" He asked her quietly enough that the lady wouldn't hear.

"Do you know her?" She asked him.

"Mmmhm. I happen to be married to her."

"Uh, would like to switch seats with him?" She asked pointing to Michael.

"Nah, she needs her time. She's quite mad at me right now. I insisted to buy her dress for tonight, and when she finally unwrapped it, it was two sizes small." He explained, shaking his head at himself.

"You men, and your expectations for us women. I gave him two beautiful children, and he still expects me to fit in my old dress size?" The lady who had finally introduced herself to him as Monica, ranted to Michael.

But back on Olivia's side, the man was also explaining his end.

"I bought it all because I thought that it would look absolutely beautiful on her. It was my bad for not asking for the right size. I was too dazed imagining her in it. Now she won't talk to me because she thinks I'm trying to make her lose weight" Olivia was just listening to him, nodding along and thinking why the lady didn't bother listening to him explain.

"Did you tell that to her?" She asked him.

"Believe me, I tried. She doesn't want to talk to me at the moment."

"What was his excuse?" Michael asked. Monica couldn't answer that because she didn't let him explain.

"He doesn't need to. I got the message. I'm not as desirable as before." She answered accidentally loud enough that her husband actually heard it this time.

The man looked so offended, Olivia and Michael almost laughed at his face.

"Would you mind switching seats with me, mister? I need to talk to my wife and it cannot wait." He asked when he finally recovered.

"Not at all. I was just about to ask my date for a dance." He stood up and offered his hand to Olivia.

Wanting to give the couple time to talk, she took his offer and stood up.

A slow tune was being played by the band, and they were both just swaying together to it, not speaking, and stubborn to even make eye contact despite the physical contact.

It's disappointing to think that just yesterday they were a hundred percent happy. And tonight, was supposed to be the same moment she has decided that she's ready to tell him she loves him back. Now she isn't even sure if his were even real every time he said it.

I have every right to be mad too. Michael thought to himself. Yes, Tommy instructed him to win her back before he could be allowed back home, but it's not like he didn't want to, he just needed the address.

Looking back to the table where the couple was, he saw that they were now both smiling fondly at each other, probably made up already after she heard his side of the story.

He wanted that too. Yes, he wanted to go home, but he wanted to do so with her. But what does she want?

The entire duration of the party, they weren't arguing, but how could they when they weren't even talking? It was made slightly bearable when they got back to their seats, where Monica and her husband were now in happier moods and started talking to them all night.

When they were outside waiting for their service car, Michael looked at her. Olivia seemed to be in deep thought when she finally stared back and sighed.

"I'll go back with you to Birmingham." She told him,

"You don't have to, I don't want to force you."

"You're not. I miss home and our family. And if that means that you could get home sooner, I don't see why we shouldn't go there immediately tomorrow." She said sternly.

It stung him when she told him that. But he understands why she wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"I'll explain when you're ready to listen." He answered.

Home it is.

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missmeela · 3 years

Text

The Fixer (Part Three)

Prompt 3: Scale - Link to master post

Tay booted the door open to the inn room and tossed a large cloth bag down on the bed.

"Alright, new job. You can come with me, earn your keep as you were."

Edlin turned around to see Tay rummaging through the collection of weapons.

"B-b-but, I'm not a fighter. I wouldn't know the first thing about using any of those."

Tay had picked up a spear and was weighing it in his hands. He let out a short laugh and then picked up a shortsword, tossing it in Edlin's direction.

"I never planned on you using any of these. But you've got eyes, haven't you? I meant for you can help me keep watch. But maybe get some scran on the go too. You can cook, can't you?"

Edlin nodded slowly, cautiously picking up the sword that landed at his feet. He unsheathed it a few inches and looked back to Tay. Tay nodded with approval.

"That's just in case. It wouldn't seem right to send you out there without any protection. If it all goes to shit, just look like you know what you're doing, and maybe you won't even have to fight."

Tay went over to the bag and started pulling out some clothes.

"I got you these. I figured you wouldn't want to live in that one set of clothes. I kinda guessed at your size, but you're pretty scrawny. Just pull all the cords tighter if they're too big."

Tay tossed the clothes on top of Edlin's head. Edlin, unamused, pulled them off and looked at them.

"I suppose they'll be fine. So what's the job? What do I have to do?"

"Oh, this one is easy money. We're, er... Well, let's just say we're waiting for one guy to leave the city. That's about it."

Edlin looked at the bundle of clothes in his hands and sighed softly.

"You're going to kill him, aren't you?"

Tay laughed and went back to his pack, adding various potions and other supplies to it.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, no. I know some blokes that want to rob his house while he's gone."

Edlin smiled and gave Tay a nod.

"Actually, it does. I don't like the thought of more needless killing. I don't like the thought of living like that."

"Robbing them is fine, then? So, not that much of a moral compass you’ve got there."

Edlin stood up, clutching his clothes close to his chest, almost like a salute.

"Killing is worse than stealing."

Tay smiled and hauled up his pack.

"Alright, if you say so. Get changed; I'm going to get some food to take. I hope you like dried meat, bread and coffee. We've got to get a move on; he could be leaving any moment."

He didn't wait for a reply; he just marched back out of the room in his usual bold fashion. Edlin held up the clothes in front of him, they looked like they'd fit, and he didn't want to keep Tay waiting.

Down at the counter, Tay was making loud, rude jokes with the attendant. Tay seemed to be the only one enjoying them. As Edlin approached, the attendant looked up at him expectantly, and Tay turned his head.

"That's an improvement. I bet I had some people wondering if I was taking confession, dragging you around like you were. Alright, let's go fishing."

"F-fishing? But... Oh right, fishing. Yes. I should stop and get my rod and my reel and my fishing line and-"

Tay had already started towards the exit. Edlin followed along after him sheepishly. Once they were outside, Edlin burst into an explanation.

"Sorry, you caught me by surprise. I should have just kept my mouth shut. But I'm sure he didn't suspect anything. Not really... I've never been fishing before, actually. It's something I've always wanted to do."

Tay paused and looked back to Edlin.

"Never? You should think about going sometime. You might have a knack for it. But, it's not half as exciting as you think it might be, and you don't get nearly half as many fish as you'd expect."

"Just the one would do me."

Tay hummed and carried on to the city gates.

"It's a bit of a walk, but there is a spot that overlooks the pass out East. It should be a good place to spot our man without needing to get anywhere close."

Edlin followed quietly, thinking about what holding a real-life fish would be like. Not dried. Fresh and alive, trying to get free. Tay marched on relentlessly. He strode over holes in the ground and up steep inclines effortlessly. Edlin had trouble keeping pace.

"So, have you always done this? The jobs you do that is? Were you a soldier at some point? I don't really see you as the type that would be a fisherman."

Tay carried on without looking back.

"I'm not sure fishing would suit me as a profession. That's pretty true. But yeah, for a time, I was a soldier. That was until I punched out my commanding officer. Murderous bastard. I probably got lucky there. The other lads insisted he was lying, and they couldn't get anything to... stick. Yes, this looks to be a good spot. Get a fire going, we might be here for a while, and I need coffee."

Edlin looked around the sandy ground for something to burn. Not finding anything, he looked to Tay, who was looking down into the canyon below.

"Should I go back for wood?"

"In the pack, there is tinder in there too. Be sure to not use all of it. And just a small fire, that wood has got to last us."

Edlin went over to the pack and started pulling things out. He did manage to find a few rocks to make up a small ring to start the fire in. He looked over at Tay, who hadn't taken his eyes from the canyon.

"So why are you doing all this?"

"Hmm? Money, I guess. It's easier to make money this way than actually doing anything useful."

"No, no. I meant me. Why did you bring me along? You don't owe me anything. Really, it's me that owes you. I just don't know what I can do to repay it."

Tay dared chance a moment to look back to Edlin.

"I don't know. I guess I kinda felt sorry for you. I knocked you on your arse the first chance I got when we met. And then I punched you in the face just a few minutes later. Didn't think you deserved that."

"You felt sorry for me."

Edlin seemed disappointed with the answer, but he went about fixing up the fire. Tay sat down on the edge of the overlook. Edlin started on the pot of coffee. Things were quiet for a while, and Edlin went to look down at the canyon too.

"Well, I'll be sure of finding some way to repay you; once I figure out one thing that I can actually do."

"Don't worry about that, Edlin. You'll figure something out eventually. For now, just keep an eye out for a shady looking Lalafell. And when the coffee is ready, pour me a cup."

Several cups of coffee went by throughout the day. They had some sort of lunch from the simple food they had brought. Until finally, they saw movement in the canyon below.

"There he is, the little bastard."

Tay pressed at the linkpearl in his ear.

"Yeah, he's just coming now. You can make a move. Make sure you don't take too long."

Tay sat back on the ground and sighed.

"See, told you it was easy money. We're going out for drinks tonight. I figure you've earned your share too."

They sat for another half a bell or so, finishing off the last of the coffee. All Edlin could really think about was how peaceful it was out here. Just talking about life, fishing and what was to come.

Little did he know how soon it would all end.

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite

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nightsmudge · 3 years

Text

The Demon Bar - Script

Well, this is the final script project from my screenwriting class last semester I honestly had so much fun with it, as I got to write out little snippets of the stories I've come up with, all while learning about a small part of the tv and movie industry And I believe this last script turned out to be the best one, the assignment being that I had to write about an unexpected visitor, and thus giving me the perfect excuse to write about one of my favorite OC's Nameless (and nothing says unexpected visitor like a mass murderer showing up) This script is about the first time Nameless visited The Demon Bar, a hidden bar for magical beings to hang out at, and a location I've showcased in artwork several times

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A snippet of my main series idea, Daughter of Death

INT. THE DEMON BAR - NIGHT

The underground bar is bustling with demons, angels, monsters, and human mages. Electro swing music plays on the ceiling speakers, loud enough to be heard over the chatter.

GINGHAM, an androgynous cloth person made from tan canvas with orange splotches, long sleeve-like arms, and wearing a dress shirt and brown vest, is wiping down the bar counter.

An employee, KARSIFFIKS, a demon with black skin and a pompadour, mid 20's, walks up to Gingham, holding a broom.

KARSIFFIKS Hey boss, why are we making the place spotless tonight?

GINGHAM Hm? Oh, a special friend of mine is coming by, Nitenri.

KARSIFFIKS The mayor? What brings him here?

GINGHAM A much needed discussion about the latest menace. Specifically, if the neutrality policy should apply to him.

Gingham motions to a cork board hanging on one of the walls. On it are flyers for events and recent news.

In the center is a big poster with the face of a young man wearing half a mask and a top hat, saying "BEWARE, NAMELESS, CRIMES INCLUDE: MASS MURDER, SOUL STEALING."

KARSIFFIKS (shuddering) Man, I really hate the fact that he's been hanging around town lately.

GINGHAM Which is why I need to make sure he doesn't do anything to our patrons.

The two are interrupted by the loud booming Scottish voice of the bar's bouncer coming from the entrance.

BOUNCER (O.S.) Oi! Lad, I'm gonna need some I.D. before ye come waltzing in 'ere!

The bar goes dead silent as people turn towards the commotion, only to see the towering, slim, and daunting figure that is NAMELESS (19), the half human, half demon.

He wears a grinning mask that covers the right side of his face, a striped suit jacket, black tie, and top hat. The fingers of his gloved right hand are long and spindly, and a demonic red eye leer's from the mask's eyehole.

Nameless scans the room with a malicious grin, and steps towards the bar counter. Gingham is tense, but grits their teeth as they stand their ground from behind the bar.

NAMELESS So this is the bar I've heard people talk about. I wonder if it's good enough to keep around.

Nameless leans down slightly, demonic eye glowing menacingly.

NAMELESS (CONT'D) Then again, everything does look good in flames.

Gingham points at a framed certificate on the wall behind them, face full of hostility as they stare down Nameless.

GINGHAM This place is a true neutral zone. Anyone caught fighting or causing trouble will face retaliation from the entire bar and be kicked out.

NAMELESS (reading) But from the looks of it, anyone is allowed here as long as they play nice, even criminals.

Nameless takes a seat at the bar counter. Soft muttering can be heard in the background from the other bar patrons.

NAMELESS (CONT'D) Meaning, you have no right to kick me out just yet. Now how about a drink?

GINGHAM (scowling) I apologize sir, but I cannot serve those who fail to show I.D.

NAMELESS Oh what's the matter with bending the rules a little?

Gingham just silently glares at Nameless.

NAMELESS You know, if I get bored, I could easily take down everyone here if I choose to. The walls could use a little red.

Gingham looks like they're about to say something, until they spot NITENRI walking through the entrance. Gingham freezes.

Nitenri, a shadow demon with yellow crescent horns, glowing yellow eyes, appears to be in their late 30's, and is wearing a dress shirt with a crescent moon and star symbol.

Nameless turns around to see what Gingham is looking at. Nitenri initially looked happy and pleasant upon arrival, but his face turns serious and stoic when he spots Nameless.

Nitenri walks towards them with a professional demeanor.

NAMELESS Well well well, if I recall correctly, you're the mayor of this town.

Nitenri greets Nameless with a curt nod. He turns to Gingham.

NITENRI Good evening Gingham.

GINGHAM Ah, Nitenri, good to see you. Perhaps we could go to my office before we begin our discussions.

Nitenri waves his hand is dismissal.

NITENRI No need, here is fine.

Nitenri sits one seat away from Nameless at the bar.

GINGHAM Shouldn't we do this away from...

NITENRI No no, Nameless is the subject of our discussion, it would be rude not to include him.

Nameless raises an eyebrow in amusement.

NITENRI Now, according to the longstanding contract of this bar, it is a true neutral establishment, correct?

Gingham nods, unsure of where Nitenri is going with this.

NITENRI Then, there shouldn't be any reason as to why that can't be extended to Nameless, as long as he follows the rules. It's better he's here rather than doing god knows what.

NAMELESS Small problem. I'm not allowed to partake in the purpose of this bar, so what's the point in staying?

NITENRI I see no problem in serving him. Though for your best interest, I suggest keeping this off the books.

Gingham looks surprised, but then motions over to Karsiffiks to go take Nameless's order. Nitenri gets up, facing away from them.

NITENRI I find that inebriation does an excellent job at stopping most actions, even the most nefarious.

Nitenri starts to walk towards Gingham's office.

NITENRI Now perhaps we could discuss other matters in your office Gingham?

Gingham follows Nitenri, taking a huge sigh of relief when they're far enough away from Nameless.

Nameless just gives a cocky grin as he sips his whiskey.

#script #screenwriting #writing #story writing #literature #demon #shadow demon #demon bar #cloth golem #cloth person #genderfluid #genderfluid character #genderfluid oc

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larryfanficwriter98 · 4 years

Text

Chapter Thirteen

-The missing/wrong lyrics are on purpose-

-Warnings: Heavy oral smut ahead-

Louis woke up the next day to a loud alarm ringing in his ear. He groaned rolling over to grab his phone and turned it off.

"What was that?"

"My alarm. I have work in two hours." Louis mumbled rubbing his face with his hand

"Want me to make you breakfast while you shower?"

"No baby you rest." Louis said

"I'll make breakfast." Harry said wrapping his arms around Louis' waist, "you can wear my clothes, you always look so good in them."

"You only say that because you like me wearing your clothes." Louis said grinning

"Not my fault you look so good in them. Go shower, I know how you like your morning showers."

"You okay?" Louis asked instead of getting up

"Emotionally exhausted." Harry said snuggling his face into Louis' neck, "are you coming back after work?"

"I can. Do you want me to?"

"Of course. I always want you here."

"Okay. Well before I come back the lads and I have plans to talk about living plans."

"Why?" Harry asked

"Our yearly lease is over in May and with Zayn and Liam getting married they already told us they want to live on their own. Niall and I can afford the place just fine without them, but it's a bit big for only us two lads plus Niall mentioned moving to a flat a few times. We just need to sit down and talk and make plans. I'm fine either way. If we all move out I'll need to start looking though obviously."

"You can move in with me." Harry said Louis looked at him and Harry grinned

"What? Harry, we've only been together for five months."

"So? We'll be together eight months by May and that's a good time to move in together. At least just think about it and if Niall can't find a place in time he can stay here as well. I have the room. You guys don't need to worry about finding a place in two months especially with the wedding coming up. They have enough to worry about. Just mention it today."

"I'll tell them and we will talk about moving in together when it gets closer to the time. For now, I need to get showered and dressed." Louis said pressing a kiss to Harry's forehead before he climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

Harry climbed out of the bed and got dressed then went to a guest bathroom to brush his teeth and have his morning wee. He then headed downstairs and started a simple breakfast of pancakes and sausage. When Louis got out of the bathroom and picked some pants and one of Harry's sweaters from the closet. After finishing his morning routine he headed to the bedroom and noticed Harry's phone on the bedside table going off so he grabbed it along with his phone, wallet, and keys then headed downstairs.

"Hey, baby your phone was going off." Louis said entering the kitchen sliding the phone to Harry who was placing three pancakes and two sausage links on a plate.

"Oh, who was it?"

"I didn't check." Louis said shrugging as he took the plate, "Thanks, baby." Louis stood at the island and grabbed the syrup pouring it on his pancakes as Harry stood beside him.

"So why exactly did they want bad PR?" Louis asked as he stood outside holding Harry's hand in his right hand and a cigarette in his left hand.

"Nobody cares when you're boring." Harry said with a shrug.

He was inside leaning against the wall so he was able to hold Louis' hand not wanting to let go just yet. Also, Louis smoking was hot to him even though he never cared for smokers. At first, he had been afraid seeing Louis smoke would be gross and a complete turn-off, but it has in fact made him breathless the first time he saw it in Florida in his back patio. Louis had been with Liam and Zayn, all three of them smoking after breakfast as they talked and laughing about something while he and Niall had watched them and played the guitar together. Since then Harry always joined them outside just to watch Louis, the only smoker who didn't make Harry want to puke.

"Is that so?" Louis asked snorting

"That's what they believe. I'm always in some type of tabloid." Harry said rolling his eyes, "besides they think you're too...mature for my audience."

"Ah, so it's me not being Disney approved." Louis said grinning as he looked at Harry

"Say it how you want. They were going to find something somehow and you just made it easy for them." Harry said watching Louis nod as he took a drag from the cigarette. The smoke leaving his lips a few seconds later, "but it doesn't matter because I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Well, that's good." Louis said looking at Harry, "I have to get going though." Louis said putting the butt out on the bottom of his shoe like usual then turned to Harry.

"Okay. I'll see you later today, don't forget to mention what I offered to the lads earlier." Harry said pulling Louis to him so he could kiss him against his lips that smelled and taste like cigarettes. Which definitely should have been a complete turn-off and make him want to puke everywhere, but since it was Louis it made him want more.

He splayed his hand across Louis' lower back and leaned further in to deepen the kiss which Louis immediately returned. Louis' hands slid up his torso to his hair where they immediately tangled in the long curly strands. Harry stepped back a few steps pulling Louis inside before he was pushing him gently against the wall where his hand slid around his waist and the other one slid down to his thigh lifting him up easily. Louis wrapped his legs around Harry's waist and tighten his hold in his hair as he held back a moan as he felt Harry press him against the wall and felt him pressed his body against his as their to gues danced calmly against each other.

"Harry I really have to go to work." Louis said pulling away

"Just call off."

"I can't. Put me down." Harry whined but did as told setting Louis down on his feet, "I love you. I'll text you when I can."

"I love you too." Harry said cupping his face to kiss him, "drive safe, have fun, if you need anything call me. If it's late probably just do pizza or take out tonight." Harry said

"That's fine. I'll pick up a pizza on the way here. Text me your toppings. Bye." One last kiss before Louis was out the door and getting in his car putting the cigarette butt in his car ashtray before he started the car. He waved at Harry before backing out and leaving to head to the Daycare.

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

Weeks passed and at first, Louis had thought Harry wasn't as affected by the millions of tabloids, but Louis figured out that wasn't true. Harry stayed inside most days, only leaving when absolutely necessary and he didn't want to do anything that would bring attention to him. Harry stayed home and cooked and waited for Louis to come over. Louis was getting hay fever as he had decline pub night three times already and it was starting to irritate him. Louis got off early and came straight to Harry's house and headed upstairs to Harry's room to drop his weekend bag off before he looked for Harry. He pushed the door open gently and frowned when he saw Harry lying in bed. He walked over and saw Harry's MacBook was opened to Twitter and he didn’t have to read more than two tweets to know Harry had been secretly reading hateful tweets about him canceling the tour and not addressing it. Louis grabbed the MacBook and closed the app then saw the webpage opened to tabloids about him. He shook his head as he closed the MacBook then stepped outside to the patio connected to Harry's room. He sat down and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. After his cigarette, he went inside and laid behind Harry spooning him from behind. Harry was always the big spoon when they cuddled so Louis had to wait for Harry to fall asleep to be the big spoon. Louis shifted until he was comfortable closing his eyes as he traced threw butterfly on Harry's covered stomach.

"You only get half of the story

The cash, and the cars, and the glory

Cause nobody cares when you're boring

He's just like you

Even though his problems

Look nothing like yours do

He gets sad too

And when he's down he needs

Somebody to talk to

He feels the same as you do

Same stress, same shit to go through

He's just like you

If you only knew."

Louis sang softly before he kissed the back of Harry's neck, he knew Harry was awake, woke up when Louis started tracing his stomach. But if Harry didn't want to talk them Louis wouldn't make him.

"You say to me your jeans don't fit

You don't feel pretty and it’s hard to miss

I wish that you could see my point of view

As someone staring back at you

On Friday night when we're all out

I turn to you and you're looking down

And you don't wanna dance,

I know you love to dance

You would never stop given half the chance

Just keep your head up, Love

Don't hide away, don't ever change

Keep your head up, Love

Don't look away

Cause everybody's looking at you now

My, oh, my

I guess some queens don't need a crown

And I know why

Even when your tears are falling down

Still somehow

You're perfect now."

Louis grinned as Harry rolled over onto his back and looked at Louis with tear-filled eyes and a soft smile. Louis pushed some hair away from Harry's face as his hand held his head up.

"You never do, but if you asked me to

I'd tell the truth lying next to you

Cause you're the only one

When its said and done

That makes me feel like being someone

Good to you, even at your worst

You steal the scene and it's unrehearsed

Don't you wanna dance, just a little dance

I would never stop given half the chance

Just keep your head up, Love

Don't hide away, don't ever change

Keep your head up, Love

Don't look away

Cause everybody's looking at you now

My, oh, my

I guess some queens don't need a crown

And I know why

Even when your tears are falling down

Still somehow

You're perfect now

Every insecurity like a neon sign

As bright as day

If you knew what you were to me

You would never try to hide away

Cause everybody's looking at you now

My, oh, my

I guess some queens don't need a crown

And I know why

Even when your tears are falling down

Still somehow

You're perfect now."

Louis made to wipe away every tear that escaped Harry's eyes as he sang soft and gentle. When Louis couldn't think of anything else to add he leaned down and kissed Harry softly on the lips surprised when Harry held him there slipping his tongue into his mouth. He was even more surprised when Harry rolled them over so he was on top of Louis between his parted legs.

It wasn't their first time in this position by any means, Harry and Louis have rubbed off on one another like teenagers more than enough times to be familiar with this position. Harry has even ventured to palming him over his pants as they snogged heavily. However, whenever Louis would try to return the groping Harry's body language would change immediately.

So Louis just pretended his path was just to his ass or thigh since those were safe areas. Harry never wanted Louis to go anywhere near his cock to put it simply. Louis didn't understand why, but he respected it of course, and would wait for Harry to be more comfortable around him. Louis groaned when Harry rolled his hips down perfectly against his, he could feel Harry's fingers under his shirt on his stomach where Harry loved to grab his stomach pouch.

At first, Louis absolutely hated it, but then Harry spent an hour putting love marks all over his stomach when Louis was napping. Since Louis came to love feeling Harry's large hand grab his stomach, his nails sending a jolt of pleasurable pain through his body. His stomach always had possessive bruises in the shape of Harry's fingers now

Louis helped Harry take his shirt off then he went about removing Harry's shirt quickly groaning when his hands were able to run along his bare torso. Louis so lost in Harry that he was taken by surprise when he felt Harry's large hand slide from his stomach to where his button and zipper were.

"Harry-"

"Please. I just..I want to." Harry said pulling just far enough away to look him in the eyes. He nodded before he pulled Harry down to kiss him again.

Harry's hand was already working on the button and zipper before he grabbing and pulling down with breaking the snog. He pulled as far down as their bodies let them without pulling away then he put his foot on them and pushed them down with his feet and Louis' help. His hands trailed up his leg feeling his thighs and squeezing them before they went on his hips feeling them as their tongues tangled with the others. Harry's hand kept trailing from his stomach to his hips to his thighs then back up.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked suddenly pulling away go look at Louis with worry evident in his eyes. Louis smiled softly, nodding as his hand cupped Harry's cheek.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" Louis asked

"Yeah. I'm fine." Harry said smiling softly then they kissed soft and slow as Harry's hand rubbed his stomach. "I adore this part of you. It's just so lovely."

"My little pooch?" Louis asked with a laugh

"Your pooch is adorable. I love it." Before Louis could tell him he was a dork Harry's mouth was suddenly on his neck making Louis groan.

He moved his head back to give Harry more room as he mouthed his neck finding Louis' most sensitive spot pretty fast. Louis' fingers tightened in Harry's hair and his breath got caught in his throat as Harry started to focus there with tongue and teeth. Louis whined, his hand tightening in his hair and his nails digging into Harry's back as Harry's sucked and bit him suddenly. He barely registered when his large hand finally grabbed his cock and started to slowly pump him with his large hand, his wrist twisting at the head expertly.

"Fuck Harry." Louis said breathlessly then Harry moved down to his nipple and Louis groaned as he mouthed at them and teased them. His free hand made sure to focus on the one his mouth wasn't paying attention to while his other hand didn't stop jerking him off using the precum as lube. Then right when Louis wasn't paying attention anymore he suddenly felt a wet tongue lick from his balls then up the underside of his cock to his head. Louis threw his head back as his hips thrust up at the unexpected feeling.

"Harry you don't have to do this baby. Just come back up here and- fuck." Louis groaned when Harry's lips wrapped around Louis’s head and his tongue licked and danced over his slit. Harry then went took Louis as far down as he could before Louis was just shy of hitting the back of his throat. Harry moaned around his cock sending vibrations through Louis making him groan as he spread his legs wider to accommodate Harry's broad shoulders. Louis' fingers gathered Harry's hair in a fist to keep it from falling into Harry's face.

"Fuck..Harry." Louis groaned as he watched Harry's head bob up and down, Harry's groaned and opened his eyes looking up at Louis with big green eyes. "You're so beautiful. So fucking gorgeous." Louis told him brushing his thumb over Harry's cheek watching as Harry's eyes closed in pleasure. Harry sucked hard sending a shock through Louis.

"Harry. Harry darling you have to pull off. Like right now. I'm- fucking hell Harry I'm going to cum." Louis said groaning as he felt Harry suck harder and faster, "Harry please I don't want to hurt you or make you- fuck." Louis gasped then cursed throwing his head back as Harry very gently and carefully let his teeth brush against the underside of his cock where a vein was. Louis came undone after a few more seconds and he watched as Harry groaned swallowing it as his hand jerked Louis off through the orgasm. Harry puked off slowly making sure to clean Louis as he did then he kissed Louis' hip. Louis pulled Harry up then leaned in to kiss him, but Harry pulled away blocking his mouth with his hand.

"You can't kiss me I just gave you a blowjob and swallowed." Harry said

"Yeah? And?" Louis said, "I'm trying to kiss you so come over here and let me." Harry hesitated but then leaned over and pressed a chaste closed mouth kiss to Louis’s lips, "what the hell was that? Get over here so I can shove my tongue into your mouth Styles."

"You can't I just-" Louis growled then grabbed Harry's wrist and rolled them over pinning Harry's arms to the bed just before he shoved his tongue into Harry's mouth groaning when he was able to taste himself on Harry's tongue. Harry hesitated but then slowly started to kiss him back enthusiastically. "Thatta boy." Louis said grinning before he sucked on Harry's tongue.

Louis let his hand travel down to Harry's nipple where he pinched and teased him mercilessly hearing his soft gasps and groans. After successfully distracting him Louis let his hand slowly travel down to Harry's jeans. He grabbed Harry's thigh and pulled it apart then slid it up feeling Harry's body tense underneath his when his thumb got to the highest part of his thigh an inch away from his crotch area. Louis pulled away and looked at him, studied him for a few seconds.

"Why don't you want me to touch you Haz? It’s not that you're uncomfortable, if you were your body would react differently. You're nervous why? You don't let me touch you or even see you hard with clothes on. Is there...Harry, I love you, all of you. What are you nervous about?" Louis asked rubbing Harry's thighs keeping his eyes on Harry's face instead of his body knowing Harry didn't want him to see him hard.

"It's just... I only took my clothes off once upfront of one person and..." Harry shifted then sat up crossing his legs

"Harry if it's a um..a size problem, you don't have to be embarrassed or afraid. I love you. I don't care about size no matter what. Let me pleasure you." Louis pleaded, Harry's face turned red and he looked away telling Louis it was a size problem, but then he nodded hesitantly. Louis grinned and made sure to give himself a lecture about poker faces and inappropriate giggles or smiles as he undid Harry's pants.

There was a smaller bulge, one barely noticeable, but Louis didn't mention it. He looked at Harry who nodded chewing his lips. Louis made sure to lean up and kissed him feeling Harry relax as much as possible. He then climbed off the bed and made sure to pull the jeans off first then he kissed Harry again as he pulled the tight briefs down as far as he could before he helped Harry kick them off with his feet.

Louis ignored it and instead let his hands travel all over his body them slowly he let his hand travel down his chest to where the Butterfly tattoo was. He traced it gently then only moved an inch or two below it before his fingers touched the wet head of a cock. A cock that was most definitely not small nor micro nor on the smaller side of average. He groaned as his fingers wrapped around the head feeling and hearing Harry gasped against his lips.

Louis gathered as much precum as he could before he trailed his wet hand down Harry's very long length. He wasn't able to help the groan that escaped his lips as he started to jerk Harry off. Harry who made Louis believe he'd be small only to pop out at least 8 inches of cock. Louis pulled away from Harry's mouth breathing heavily as Harry panted underneath him.

Louis leaned down and attached himself to Harry's neck biting, sucking, and licking everywhere he was able to teach before he moved onto his nipples. Harry was so responsive and easy to please, hypersensitive almost. Louis looked down as he sucked on a nipple and stared at the long and thick member gliding wetly in his hand. Not able to control himself Louis slid down and licked Harry from root to tip where he wrapped his lips around his head and licked it wetly.

"L-Lou you don't have to...I know it's um...too big to-"

"Remind me to kill your ex-boyfriend later." Louis told him before he sank down until his nose was buried in Harry's smooth pubic area. Harry cursed loudly moaning as he threw his head back and grabbed Louis’s hair tightly in his large hand.

"Fuck. Louis- Lou- what-" Louis groaned as he pulled up and off gasping before doing it all over again.

His eyes closed in pleasure as he felt Harry twitching in his throat. He pulled off and gasped, he could feel himself getting hard again before he went all the way down and started bobbing and sucking as if his life depended on it. He never thought he had a size kink, just figured he liked a good stretch every now and again, but fuck him he was wrong. Louis was moaning as much as Harry was whenever the cock slid down his throat.

"Louis...Louis..Lou- fuck oh fuck. Louis, I'm- I'm so close baby I'm not- fuck." Louis bobbed and sucked as fast and best he could until he felt Harry's cum suddenly shoot into his mouth.

He groaned using two hands to jerk Harry through it as he swallowed every little drop that came across his tongue. Pulling off only able to get a gasp of air before Harry was shoving his tongue into Louis' mouth and his large hand wrapped around Louis' cock jerking him off quickly. Louis groaned coming onto the black butterfly he loved so much as he and Harry panted in each other's mouths. Louis didn't even care when he collapsed on top of Harry with the pool of cum on his body. They shared breathless "I love you"s as they panted which slowly drifted off to a well-deserved deep sleep.

#New Chapter #Larry Stylinson #larry fanfiction #larry stylinson fanfiction #larry fic #larry smut #Wattpad #archive of our own #larry is real

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maandags · 4 years

Text

a tune not quite forgotten (John Shelby x reader)

ITS THE DAY LADS

-- -- --

Summary: You did something stupid--something that took your feelings and threw them in a blender--and now you have to try and sort your life back out.

Word count: 8.6K

Genre: angst/fluff but this time i think i did not do a horrible job balancing out the angst and the fluff

Notes: masterlist - my dudes........ today is the birthday of my lovely lovely LOVELY girl Aticus over @panda-noosh !! man i love you so much!! you mean the absolute world to me; i couldn’t even begin to describe all the ways you’ve helped me through bad days and made me laugh and cry and yell about my godchildren and risk my ass by texting you in class. i had SUCH a hard time not giving you updates on this fic--especially since you were the one that got me into peaky blinders in the first place--and i caught myself multiple times already typing out a message and then going “wait. no” and backspacing everything lololol. I want you to know how much you truly mean to me, and suddenly i can’t use words eloquently anymore. so just read the damn fic and have a fabulous day. xx from your bitch Tay :’)

-- -- --

The last person you'd expected to show up on your doorstep at four in the afternoon was John Shelby, and yet there he was.

You almost shut the door on him, but then realised that would probably be a bad idea, as he was a part of the most powerful family in the whole of Birmingham. So you folded your arms across your chest and raised your brows, waiting for him to explain the cause of his visit.

He looked at you, the cap on his head slightly shadowing his face. "Hullo."

You gave a terse nod, not really trusting yourself to speak. John glanced behind you and coughed. "Can I come in?"

"No."

Maybe you were being unfair, but you were really not in the mood to talk to him. You planned to let him know. "I have stuff to do. What do you want?"

The fact that you were able to get away with talking to John like that was due only to the fact that you had known each other since you were kids–that you'd been friends since you were kids. And now you were angry with him, and you were done with always letting him have his way.

John stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Just wanted to see if you were okay, I guess."

You scoffed, managed to cover it up with a cough. So he had just wanted to see if you were okay. In that case, every second he spent in front of you was a second wasted, and his very presence was aggravating you more than you cared to admit. "I'm fine, thank you very much. I don't need you checking up on me like I'm on my fucking death bed or something."

You pulled the door to your house shut behind you and turned the key. You didn't know where you wanted to go. Maybe you'd stop by Rosetta's, two blocks away. If you were lucky, Rosetta herself would be there and she'd pour you a glass of whiskey and tut when you downed it in one go.

"Y/N–"

You knew what he was going to say. What he was going to bring up. And frankly, you weren't ready for it yet. You didn't want to think about it, didn't want to face the truth of the situation. Because it would hurt even more than it already did, and you didn't need that right now. When you had calmed down a bit, you would go to him yourself and you'd say, It's fine. I understand. It's okay.

When really, of course, it wasn't.

"Not now, John. Please, just–not right now."

And you walked away, ignoring the fact that you hadn't brought a coat with you and the wind was biting at your skin and carding its icy fingers through your hair, and if it was going to rain tonight you were probably going to catch a cold. But it was okay. The freezing air shook you awake when you had been foggy a moment before, and you were glad for it.

You brought your shoulders up to your ears, squinting to protect your eyes from the wind as you made your way to Rosetta's. You weren't surprised–though you were disappointed–when your vision blurred with tears.

Walking into the warmth of Rosetta's cosy pub was like walking into heaven when you opened the door and let yourself in. Behind the bar stood the curvy form of Rosetta herself, and you smiled at her cooing when she spotted you. "Oh, love, do come in. It's been ages since I've seen your pretty face!"

Rosetta called everyone pretty. It was one of the many reasons you loved her. You walked up to the counter and pulled a stool towards you, climbing on it and rubbing your hands together to get some feeling back into them.

"What'll you be havin', sweetie?"

You looked up at her blearily. "Something that'll warm me up."

She raised a perfectly shaped brow. "Little early for that, ain't it?" But one look from you shut her up, and she drew a big long sigh as she poured you a glass.

The first sip brought some warmth into your chest. The second gave you back the feeling in your hands, and then you downed the drink and waited for the alcohol to take full effect and loosen you up.

"You're looking like shit," Rosie remarked subtly, and you glared as you toyed with the rim of the glass. She was right, though; you had barely slept last night and you were fairly sure your hair hadn't seen a brush in two days.

"I'm feeling like shit," you amended finally, plopping your elbows on the counter and resting your chin in your palms, watching Rosie bustle around and serve the few other customers who'd already installed themselves at a table or at the bar. There was a guy a few seats on your right who was stealing not-so-subtle glances at Rosie's cleavage and posterior as she twisted and turned, and you had half a mind to kick him off his chair. It was like watching someone hound after your mother, because Rosie had been more of a parent to you than either of yours had been.

"Poor you," she said, patting your cheek and turning around to serve some other man who was tapping his glass on the shiny wood countertop. You narrowed your eyes, the old protectiveness rising up again in the back of your throat.

It wasn't busy yet, so after Rosie had satisfied her small clientèle she turned back to you, refilled your glass and grabbed a pint of her own. "So. Tell me about what's got you in such a mood."

You swirled the drink around in your glass and said, "Nothing," which was untrue, of course, and Rosie swatted you on the back of your head to show that she wasn't impressed.

"I didn't practically raise you since your tenth birthday for you to lie to me like that," she sniffed, and you groaned.

"It's just–I'm really fucking stupid sometimes. And I do... I do stupid things a lot. And, you know. Then I wake up the next day and realise I've been really, really stupid again. And it makes me feel. Like. Shit." You tapped the counter with the bottom of your glass for emphasis.

Rosie sighed, gave your cheek a tap. "Oh, love. You never were great at sorting out your feelings, eh?"

You felt your neck and ears heat up, and your eyes widened. "I never–I didn't say–"

She threw her head back, brushing her long mane of curls over her shoulder. Her brown hair was streaked with grey, but on her it looked ethereal. No wonder nobody could ever keep their eyes off her. "You didn't say, but I know you, don't I?"

She did. She and her pub had been more of a home to you than your own had been, and you'd practically grown up hanging from her skirts. When you were eleven, she'd let you help out with washing the dishes sometimes, and not long after you'd met John, whom she also immediately took under her wing.

You had a closer bond with Rosie than John did, but she loved him just the same, letting him play with you between the tables. Rosetta's became a second home to you before you'd even left your old one.

She then plunked down her glass, and cocked her head, and gasped, and you jumped, thinking she'd seen a man get murdered through the window–at least. But she was looking at you, and said, "Is it John?" And her eyes were wide, and you scolded yourself internally, because Rosie would not have been fazed in the slightest if she'd seen a man get murdered in front of her pub.

You buried your face in your hands, which was close enough to a confession for her and she let out a "Ha!"

Then she got called away by some prick who wanted a refill, and as she grabbed a bottle he leaned forward and pinched her butt, and she immediately whipped around and loudly cussed him out before telling him to Get the fuck out of here and don't you have the balls to show your fucking face again. You really loved Rosie.

"Love," she said a minute later as if nothing had happened, "I want you to tell me what's happened right now."

You sighed, but you did. You told her about the inauguration of the new and improved Garrison, and how John had invited you–of course he had, you were his best friend–and how, after a couple of glasses and songs and teasing words mumbled from slightly-parted mouths he'd pulled you into a corner and kissed you.

It had been sloppy and heated and kind of a mess, to be honest, your hands wandering, wanting to feel every inch of the other's body and explore after years of built-up tension, and yet it had been the very best few moments of your entire worthless life, leaving you lightheaded and flushed a deep crimson.

Then, of course, he'd pulled away for air, and you'd laughed, chest filling for the first time in years–maybe ever–and he'd mumbled, "Wait here," and squeezed your hand before disappearing into the crowd.

And you had waited. You'd waited for what felt like hours, but he'd never returned.

So you'd left. Your clothes were only slightly dishevelled, after all, and when you were sure you could walk home without collapsing you packed your shit and pushed out of the pub. But that hadn't been the worst of it; of course it hadn't. For when you left, you saw John on the other side of the glass panel. Laughing. A drink in his hand, talking with Tommy and Arthur. He never looked at you once.

"I knew what I was getting into," you told Rosie, your arms now crossed on top of the counter and your shoulders drawn up to your ears. "I mean–John hooks up with seven girls a night. I just–I thought–"

"–that it'd be different? Because it's you?"

You looked at her, wondering how she always managed to gauge exactly how you felt and put it into words as perfectly as she did. She looked at you with her head slightly tilted and pity in her eyes, pity and understanding and compassion which left you even more embarrassed and wanting to sink into the ground.

"Stupid, right?" you said, maybe a little too loudly, and you knocked back what was left of your drink. "So stupid."

Rosie took your glass from your limp fingers and put it in the sink. A smart move, you pondered as you plopped your chin back onto the palms of your hands; you didn't know if you could have stopped yourself from just drinking your sorrows away. "Not stupid. A little... careless, maybe. But you're young and you're supposed to be careless and not give a fuck about anything." She wiped her hands on her apron. "So no, I don't think you're stupid."

You rubbed a hand down your face, squeezing your eyes shut. "Rosie. What do I do?"

She was silent for a moment as she washed your glass and dried it, keeping her eyes on a spot over your shoulder. Her teeth nipped at her bottom lip. "John's a Shelby boy, Y/N," she said. "I don't know in how much he takes after his father when it comes to love–or his brothers. I don't know to what extent he can love, or if he just wants a good fuck before discarding you like an old sock." Though you'd expected them to a certain extent, the words still stung, and you tried to hide your wince. "But I do know you. And I know you love him, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not–" you didn't– "and I figure John loves you in his own way. Was a time when you were best mates."

Yeah.

With that, you found that you had enough of Rosie's wisdom for the day. Really, she hadn't given you much advice to what you should do–she had helped you see some things a little more clearly, and she'd leave you to decide how you wanted to handle things on your own. You loved her for it, though it could be infuriating.

She smiled and went back to her work. Some more men had walked in and were clamoring for her attention, and she sauntered over to them, hips swaying. How she managed to keep the lot of them in check when they were drunk, you had never quite grasped, though you knew she kept a gun strapped to her thigh for when things got a little too rowdy for her taste.

Then you stood up, straightened your shirt and slipped behind the bar. You felt around in a low drawer until you found an apron and tied it on, shrugging when Rosie shot you a questioning look. "I need to get my head on straight. A few nights' work would do me good."

She gave a sort of half-hearted headshake, and you rolled your eyes as you turned to your first customer.

"You're not Rosie," the man said, frowning as he tried to focus onto your face, his eyes hazy, and his breath smelling of alcohol.

You shrugged. You felt like you'd made a good choice; two weeks or so of working alongside Rosie could help you get your head on straight. "You can get served by me or you can get the fuck out of the pub, mate."

It wasn't your first night behind the bar.

Things went smoothly, considering you'd only had to deal with a couple more such comments–usually from already-drunk guys who were here probably for the sole reason to catch a glance at Rosetta herself–and there was only a single fistfight you had to break up. After a few days, people started to get used to you, and you started to notice the curious once-overs you were receiving from younger clientèle and older alike.

You smiled. You winked, you treated the customers to a slightly-more-unbuttoned shirt than was strictly appropriate, you responded to flirty comments with witty quips of your own. And it did help. It did distract you from John and everything that had happened that night, but only while you were behind the bar and you had to keep your head cool at all times. Once you got home, you would get hit by everything again in full force, and you would feel bitter and hurt once more.

So you started to work longer days, coming in at noon and getting home at two, three, four A.M. You barely had any time to do anything bar sleep and eat, when you felt like it. You didn't see any of your friends unless they stopped by Rosetta's by coincidence, and you'd have a brief chat, but then you'd get called away by other customers and they would be gone when you got back.

It didn't bother you. Not really. You had Rosie, and the occasional late-night make-out session with whoever had grabbed your attention that night. It never went much further than that, though–and you didn't want it to.

The first Blinders showed up three weeks after you started working there again.

Isiah Jesus and Finn Shelby waltzed into Rosetta's like they owned the place, and Rosie grabbed their attention immediately as she cooed and pinched their cheeks, and they didn't look away from her for a solid minute before they even noticed there was someone else behind the bar. That someone else being you.

"Y/N! Hey," said Finn, looking only mildly surprised to see you here. Isiah and he took their seats at the bar, leaning their elbows on the shiny surface. Isiah was a little red in the face, and you suspected it was not entirely unrelated to the fact that Rosie had just spent a minute fawning over them in all her curvy glory.

You nodded at Finn and slid him and Isiah glasses with their drinks of choice. It wasn't the first time you'd been behind the bar for them, and though that had been a while ago, the Peaky Blinders weren't very keen on variety when it came to drink. They mostly wanted to get drunk as quick as possible and would ask for the drink that had the highest alcohol content. This time was no different, and if it was, they didn't mention it.

"Haven't seen you around in a right while," said Finn after a swig. He sat back in his seat and stretched, cracking the joints in his arms and neck. "You should pop by one of these days. John's been a real pain in the arse last few weeks."

You stiffened, if only slightly. You told yourself it was only because you had tried your best not to think of him since the night you took up working at Rosetta's again, and that hearing Finn talk about him so casually was just a small slap in the face.

"I'm not his fucking nanny, am I?" you muttered, wiping your hands on your apron and leaning your hips against the bartop. "He'll get over it."

"He's been asking about you, you know," Isiah piped up from behind his own glass, grin forming on his lips.

You glared at him and folded your arms over your chest. "I've been here. At the place I basically grew up in. John and I spent our fucking childhood running around in this very pub, so if he didn't think of looking here for me he must not be that keen on finding me." You yanked out a fresh cloth and turned to the sink to dry any glasses that maybe sat there. There weren't, but you snatched one off a shelf anyway and began to polish it, just to give your hands something to do.

That was that about that. Isiah raised a brow and leaned over, mumbled something for Finn to hear while not being subtle at all about it, and you narrowed your eyes at him, pursing your lips and whirling around to further emphasize your unwillingness to talk about it.

"Ay. Y/N. Y/N."

You sighed, deeply and dramatically, but turned with the most unimpressed look on your face you could possibly manage. "What, dear?"

"Did John tell you about the event at the Garrison next month?"

"I haven't seen John in weeks, Isiah."

"Well, Tommy's throwing this huge party. There's gonna be musicians and shit. Violins and flutes and fucking trumpets and fuck-if-I-know what else."

You waited for the rest, and when it didn't come, you said, "So what?"

"You should come, is what! John's always going on about your piano skills. Real fucking annoying, I'll tell you that; I never took him for a sentimental."

John and sentimental. There's two words that don't belong in the same sentence. You almost laughed. Shaking your head, you said, "I haven't touched my piano in years. I don't even know if I can still play." But you subconsciously flexed your fingers, and started tapping a rhythm on your thigh.

It had been a while since you'd played–but you guessed you could never really unlearn it. You were out of practice, sure, but for the first time in a while you missed it.

The thing was that playing reminded you of John.

You'd tried to shut him out by banning everything that had the slightest connection to him. Playing the piano was one of those things, but you now thought you may have been a little hasty in cutting it out of your life. After all, you had been playing long before you'd even met John.

"I don't think I'll be able to make it," you said half-apologetically.

Finn blew a raspberry. You side-eyed him, figuring this probably wasn't his first drink of the afternoon. "That's such horseshit. Why not?"

You folded your arms. "I'm busy. With work. Here."

"And Rosetta can't give you a single night off?"

You cast a look at Rosie, who hadn't heard the conversation but picked up her name and spun around. "Hm?"

"There's a party at the Garrison next month. Y/N says you won't let them go," said Finn.

You widened your eyes slightly at her, hoping with your entire soul she'd understand the message you were trying to communicate to her through your gaze. She gave a slight frown, but her eyes grew understanding when she saw the look on your face.

"It's busy as all fuck on Saturdays, you know. Just because you've never had work a day in your miserable little life doesn't mean you can just pull other people from theirs," she said sharply, and internally you breathed a little sigh of relief.

Isiah and Finn started protesting–the both of them struggling to find their words, because they had quite a lot of alcohol in their system at that point, and Rosie was glaring at them with an intensity in her eye that would have any other man weak in the knees. You smiled and shook your head, shuffling backwards into the shadows and getting back to work.

Isiah and Finn left after a while, and you sighed in relief as you watched them go. Then Rosie smacked you upside the head and you yelped. "The fuck's that for?"

"For me having to save your ass back there. You can't run from this forever, you shit."

You frowned and rubbed the spot where her palm had connected with your skull. "Sure I can."

Rosie gave a sharp exhale and leaned over to grab a bottle of whiskey. "I mean, of course you can. If you give it little enough thought. I don't know if that's what you want, though."

"Who cares about what I want? Last time I gave into what I wanted, I was ditched in the middle of a party," you hissed. "It's not worth it. It's not worth the trouble."

It wasn't. It absolutely wasn't, and you scrubbed a dirty tumbler with vigor and trembling fingers until it shone like a freshly-polished crystal. "I won't go," you added.

"I know you won't. You don't have to. But maybe go talk to him," she said.

You gave a bitter smile and studied your reflection in the now-clean glass as you dried it. "John's a Shelby boy, Rosie." You plopped the glass on its shelf. "Shelby boys don't do talking."

You woke up at eight A.M. and, yawning, made your way to your kitchen.

Rubbing your eyes and temples, you filled a glass with water and drank it, then you filled it again and drank that too. You had come home at three last night. Five hours of sleep had you feeling woozy and a little unsteady on your feet, and the sleep you did get had been riddled with nightmares and restlessness. Because you knew you weren't going to get any more rest, you figured you might as well stay awake.

You sat at your kitchen table and sipped at your water, looking out of the window and thinking of nothing. Nothing. Not even John plagued your tired mind right now, and as you stretched your eye was drawn to the slightly-ajar door that led to your living room. Through the opening, you only just barely made out a strip of dusty brown wood.

It was your piano, your old piano that you'd learned yourself to play on when you were just a kid and needed the distraction. It started like that–a distraction. The music meant you wouldn't have to listen to the shouting in the kitchen. It became the only reason you would even play at all–to distract yourself, to forget about all the horrible things happening around you and just be.

Never had you felt a particular connection to the thing or the music it made. It was a tool, something you used to escape. It got to the point where you couldn't even look at it without cringing back; where you couldn't even bear to think about the feeling of the keys beneath your fingers until the shouts would start up again and they would start to itch.

You'd told John about this when he finally asked why you had a piano in your house if no one ever played it. He'd frowned and sat down in front of it and pressed down on a key, then two, then three, then plunking keys left and right and grinning like an idiot. He'd looked up at you and you'd rolled your eyes and said, Not like that, you moron, and you'd shoved him off the stool and placed your own fingers upon the keys.

The tune you played was simple but melodic. A little melancholy and sad, perhaps. John had stood and watched and listened and, when you dropped your hands to your lap and looked away because the melody had jarred unpleasant memories–though your parents had been gone for over a year (your father died of pneumonia, and your mother, unable to handle the loss, left Small Heath for a cottage in the hills) and you didn't miss them–he'd clapped. Then he'd said he felt like getting a drink and you'd rolled your eyes and scolded him, calling him all sorts of names, the bad memories buried once more.

You now made your way over to the piano and studied the dust it'd gathered over the years you hadn't touched it. Ran your finger over its surface and swept up a fine layer of dust. Then you lifted the fall board and looked at the keys, still pristine and ivory white despite their age. You pressed a single key.

The note rang out and you winced at how out of tune it was. It made sense, since the last tuning had been somewhere around two or three years ago. You opened up the case and peered down. Maybe you could get it tuned before going to work at twelve. You had some time.

Suddenly wide awake, you freshened up and quickly wolfed down a sandwich, after which you returned to the piano and set your hands on your hips. From somewhere up in the attic you'd unearthed your tuning kit and, after a quick refresher course from the handbook included in it, you went to work.

It was a slow process–even slower since you hadn't done it in years. But after a handful of strings the tuning came easier and you were pleased to note that your hearing was sharp as ever and recognised when the note was right. After about three hours, the piano was completely tuned again and you sat back, admiring your work. Of course, the piano didn't look much different from the outside, save for the fact that you'd dusted it and it now gleamed in the sunlight. You were covered in filth, but the satisfaction settled deep in your chest and you rubbed a spot of grime on your wrist. You were out of time to play–you had to take a shower and get to work–but the very act of cleaning and tuning the old thing had you feeling a bit better. Like you were finally starting to take control of things.

Over the weeks, you'd gotten used to the comments thrown at you over the bar. You told yourself it was the alcohol speaking; not the people themselves, though you knew some assholes who had tried to get into your pants even outside of business hours. You had learned to brush off the words, pay no mind to them and just serve men the drinks they asked for.

Rosie, sometimes, would stare a particularly disruptive guy down until he either relented and made off like a dog with its tail between its legs, or got up, riled up and ready to fight, and would be decked in the jaw by some other poor drunkard before he could make a single move. Rosie had the favour of the people, and she never hesitated to use it to her advantage.

Tonight was different.

You had been tense and jittery all morning–which was probably also due to the amount of coffee you'd drunk to stay awake–and you knew you would not be able to handle much derogatory comments tonight, whether they were directed at you or Rosie. You told her so, wringing your hands and averting your gaze.

Rosie tutted and lifted your chin with her index finger. "Now what's going on with you today, eh?"

You pulled away from her grip. "Nothing. I'm just–I don't know. Not feeling well. I don't trust myself to not commit murder if I have to hear one more remark about my ass–or yours, for that matter."

"So you're gonna leave?"

"No, I was thinking maybe I could switch places with Joe for a night?"

Joe was one of the boys who worked round the back of the pub. He was nice enough, and though he hadn't worked behind the bar yet you could show him around and help him out for the afternoon, until the busy hours started to strike.

"It'll just be for a single night, Rosie," you pleaded when she didn't look convinced. "I'll quickly teach him how to work the bar and he'll be fine."

"All right," she conceded. "One night."

That evening, you spent your time in the back room, stacking crates of bottles and glasses and, for some reason, a single crate of limes. There wasn't much for you to do, but every once in a while Joe would call for you to bring him a fresh bottle of some drink or another, and you would do it before sitting back down again.

It got a little boring after a while, but it was nice to leave the busy pub for once and quietly sit in the back room, leaning against the wall with your eyes closed. It was hard not to doze off, especially since you were already exhausted.

Then there was a bang against the back door, and you started. You got up from your chair and crept towards the door, scanning the room for something to use as a weapon. You guessed you could always smash a bottle over the intruder's head, but then your eyes landed on a metal rod that stood half-hidden in a corner. You gripped it, then flattened yourself against the wall next to the door and waited.

Another bang, louder this time. More impatient. Part of you wanted to yell, "Occupied!" just to see if that would do anything, but you bit your tongue. With a single finger you unhooked the latch keeping the door locked and said, "Come in!"

The door opened and you raised your metal rod and the intruder saw you, then screamed and jumped back. Their scream startled you, and you stiffened, then lowered your rod onto the ground with a clang and scoffed.

It was a kid. A kid, probably not much older than thirteen, and he was staring up at you with big, wide eyes set in a face that was stark white beneath streaks of grime. His eyes darted around the room, and then finally settled on you and he asked in a high-pitched voice, "Where's Joe?"

You folded your arms. You were aware that the rusty metal rod at your side didn't help to make you look any less threatening, but at the moment you didn't care and felt nothing but slightly irritated. "Joe's not here. I am, though. What d'you want?"

The kid looked slightly panicked, now. "Is Joe here?"

You tilted your head. "I'm here. You can say whatever you gotta say to me. Why were you lurking at our back door at ten in the evening, eh? Don't you have a curfew?"

The boy wrung his hands and cast his eyes to the floor. "Can you go get Joe, please?"

Your eyebrow shot up. "Oh, please, is it? What is it you need Joe for? Hey, kid," you hissed, grabbing onto his arm and forcing him to look at you. "I could have you thrown out any second. I'm giving you the chance to tell me what's going on–"

"Y/N, Y/N, it's fine, it's okay, don't hurt him," comes Joe's hurried voice from behind you.

You whip around. "You're supposed to be working!"

"A little hard to do when all I hear's a fucking blood-curdling scream coming from the back room, Y/N."

You scowled. He had you there. "You know this kid?"

Joe nods, tiredly. "He's my brother. What's going on?" That last question was directed at the kid, and you let him go. He scuttled over to Joe and started speaking to him in hushed tones and you went out into the pub, partly to give them some privacy and partly to see how Rosie was doing.

When she saw you, she raised her eyebrows. "You look horrible."

You felt pretty horrible. Not only had you just almost crushed a kid's skull with an improvised metal baseball bat, but you'd been short-tempered and curt with him even after he no longer posed a threat. In fact, you'd been short-tempered all day, and you suspected it was mostly because of your lack of sleep.

In a small voice you asked, "Can I go home?"

She nodded, and you smiled in thanks and told her to say sorry to Joe and his brother from you. She assured you she would, then shooed you out of the pub and demanded you get some rest.

When you got home, you didn't even bother taking off your clothes as you crashed onto your bed and closed your eyes.

The tune your fingers sought out as if on instinct was quite the same as the one you'd played for John, all those years ago. One of the first pieces you'd ever taught yourself. There was never any sheet music in the house except for your grandmother's old books, and you couldn't afford a teacher, so progress was slow–but after a few years you got the hang of it and started to make up your own pieces. This melody was one of them.

You were surprised at how fast you seemed to pick up the songs after not having played them for years. You spent a few hours just tapping away at the keys, and for the first time you felt something as you played.

Not the dread or the bitterness that usually came with the perusing of the keys. Not the anger that would well up and make you punch down harder than intended, and not even the sadness that would take you over every time you were woken up from screams in the night, and you'd know you wouldn't be able to go back to sleep unless you played.

Now you felt something like happiness. Something like contentment as you pressed down on key after key and listened to the notes ring out, untainted by the bitter screams of anger. It was nice. It made you feel light. The last note pinged, hung in the air for a moment after you'd let go of the key. You stayed put on the stool, basking in the feeling for a little longer.

That's how you spent the following weeks. Go to work, go to sleep, wake up, play the piano and go back to work. You started to feel better and better every time you played, because you were getting better with the hours of practice. And you were changing.

You were hearing music everywhere now. In the clip clopping of horses carrying their riders around Small Heath; in the shouting and giggling of children playing in the streets; in the whistling of the wind weaving itself between the buildings; in the bell that rang when you opened the door to Rosetta's pub. And it felt good. It felt good to pick up on melodies you'd never paid attention to before, being able to appreciate the music of life as it bubbled and sizzled all around you.

You hadn't felt this good in a long time.

The only thing that still bothered you–that you just weren't able to get out of your head–was, of course, John Shelby. Because the more you thought about it, the more pissed off you grew.

Sure, he was a Shelby. Sure, Shelbys were basically guaranteed VIP spots in Hell. But you had been his best friend for years. It didn't make sense. And if he had faked it–if everything had been a joke on you, after all–then he should have been able to come talk to you. He would have brushed it off and acted as if nothing had happened.

But he was avoiding you. He was purposefully avoiding you, you were sure of it. You had seen Isiah and Finn a couple more times since they'd invited you to the Garrison concert, you had come across Arthur and Michael twice. You'd even seen Tommy, and had a brief chat with him outside his office. Ada regularly had a drink a Rosetta's, for she was just as fond of the woman as you were. Practically the only Shelby you hadn't heard of in months was John.

The concert was in two days. And though you'd already said you wouldn't go–you'd said you wouldn't go so you wouldn't go–you felt you were itching to attend, if just to see John and be done with this entire situation once and for all. Because you knew he would be there, and he wouldn't expect you to come. Nothing was holding you back from going–except your own stubbornness and mixed feelings.

Because you wanted to get rid of the confusion permanently riddling your mind. You wanted an explanation for the way he'd acted–for the way he was acting–because it was so unlike him and weird.

But you also were reluctant to face him, for the exact same reasons. The doubt was settling in, seeping through the cracks in your composure and burrowing deep into your bones; Did you ever really know him, after all? The thought–the mere idea that the last fifteen years of your life were nothing but a lie, spent with someone who never cared for you at all–made you sick, and had you draw back at the last second.

You were feeling good. Why couldn't you just let this go and feel good?

But you knew that you wouldn't ever be truly free of the thoughts and the doubts if you didn't take this chance to see him. So, really, no matter what you said, the choice of whether or not you'd go was already made.

Everyone was dressed so classy–the men in shiny three-piece suits and ties and shoes polished until they glittered like mirrors, and the women in beautiful shimmering dresses in all sorts of colours, their hair done up and decorated with headdresses matching their skirts. You felt a little underdressed in your plain dark blue outfit. Your shoes you'd borrowed from your friend, and you had done nothing to your hair but brush it. You guessed people would take you for a waiter, charged to log around balancing trays with flutes of champagne in your palm. You wouldn't blame them.

In the middle of the Garrison was a podium. It wasn't that big, but there were still around a dozen chairs arranged in a half-circle formation sat on it–and something that grabbed your attention right of the bat: a glossy black grand piano. In one corner you spotted a small gathering of men and women in black and white, surrounded by instrument cases. You went out on a limb and assumed they were the orchestra supposed to perform later that evening.

You tried not to look like you were searching for someone. You tried not to search for that particular someone, but involuntarily your eyes were drawn to scan the faces meddling in the crowd around you. Some of the people, you recognised. Most, you didn't. Some of them cast you estranged looks, eyes swiftly taking in your rather simple clothes and stiff movement as you waded through the crowd much in the same way a penguin would wade through a herd of walrus; not quite sure if they'll make it through unscathed.

Then you spotted two familiar figures and you gave a little sigh of relief.

When Isiah spotted you, he spread his arms wide–spilling a little champagne over the rim of his glass as he did so–and hooted. You cringed at the sheer volume of his shout, eyes darting around, sure everyone would turn and stare, but apparently this was normal, as only two or three people glanced around and then went back to their own conversations. You folded your arms across your chest and walked up to him, nodding at Finn who, as always, stood next to him.

"So you changed your mind, eh?" said Isiah when you were in non-shouting earshot.

You nodded.

"Was it my irresistible charm that did it?" Finn chimed in, hooking an arm around Isiah's neck.

You shot him a slightly disgusted look. "How are you already drunk? The party hasn't even properly started!"

"Don't mind him," said Isiah, trying to pry Finn's arm off of him. "They're not here for us, you twat," he yelled in Finn's ear. You felt your cheeks colour.

Then Tommy stepped onto the little podium and said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen..." His speech was not unlike the others you'd heard from him; Thank you so much for coming and I am so glad to be surrounded by such wonderful people and Donate to my company, but he pronounced the words eloquently and raised a round of applause when he finished. You clapped along, out of politeness mostly, when you finally spotted him, half-hidden behind his brother.

You weren't gonna lie: John looked good, and it was more of a shock to see him than you'd originally anticipated. All of your breath left you in one fell swoop, and for a moment nothing existed but you and him–but that lasted only a split second, and his attention was fixated on Tommy. He didn't know you were even here, and your simple, dark clothes enabled you to melt into the shadows. You could not have been more inconspicuous if you tried.

You allowed yourself only a moment of looking at him. Just the time to catch your breath. Just the time to get over the initial shock, the time to regain your footing and make sure your knees wouldn't buckle beneath you.

You drew a breath, focused back on Tommy. He was saying something. He was saying that everyone should please gain their seats and prepare for the performance to begin. You tried to shuffle your way through the crowd to get closer to John, hoping to talk to him before the concert, but the crowd is too thick and everyone was sitting down and if you didn't sit down right this instant he would see you. So you reluctantly dropped into a seat in the back. If you looked straight ahead, over the shoulders of the people sitting in front of you, and tilted your head just like so you could see him, sitting in the front row in between Tommy and Finn.

The small orchestra started to play, and it was dead silent. Everyone was entranced by the melody, the harmonies, the way the instruments perfectly complemented one another; and you swayed with the music, despite yourself. You recognised the piece, although you wouldn't be able to name it, and you quietly hummed along.

Then came the piano solo. You listened, and from your seat you could see the pianist's hands move across the keys, so swiftly, so effortlessly, like he was born to play. You were sitting on the edge of your seat, holding your breath; as if the very act of breathing would spoil the music drifting through the air.

The melody was building up, and the tension in the room rose with the notes and the volume as it slipped into a crescendo; then the music slowed and got quieter, and soon after the violins pitched in, and then the violas and the bass and the brass and the percussion, and the whole orchestra was playing in harmony again.

You sighed quietly, sat back in your seat. There was a prickling feeling on your cheeks, the feeling you got when something wasn't quite right–someone was watching you.

Sure enough, when your eyes searched the audience, John Shelby was looking straight at you.

Your breath caught, and you fought the urge to cast your eyes down. He was looking at you with an indiscernible expression, face void of emotion. Though his jaw was set and his expression was kept carefully neutral, it were the eyes that ruined it. Even from this distance you could see the intensity in his gaze–you didn't know whether it was good intensity or bad intensity but there was a fight in his eyes, all kinds of emotions struggling to take over.

But you couldn't let down your gaze. You couldn't–you had to let him know why you were here. That you weren't going to leave without an explanation. That he owed you that explanation.

And you couldn't go to him. Not yet, anyway; the music wasn't over yet, the performance was still going, the room was so quiet one could have heard a pin drop. So you sat, hands folded in your lap, eyes trained on the musicians while simultaneously being aware of John's gaze on you, and patiently waited for the performance to end. You found you couldn't quite enjoy the music anymore as carelessly as you had before.

And then it was over. It was over and everyone rose, gave a standing ovation. The applause was a kind of music in itself, you supposed; a whipping music, staccato, rapid, matching the speed at which you imagined your heart would beat when standing at the edge of a one hundred foot drop.

John clapped for only a moment, then cast you a last look and drew back into the crowd. You did the same, bowing your head and mumbling apologies as you made your way past the people next to you–you sat in the very last row, but the room was full and sometimes you had to squeeze to fit between the wall and the backside of a well-dressed man or an even better-dressed woman. You frantically sought John out, fearing for a second that you'd lost him; but there he was, at the door, only pushing it open when he saw you following him.

The cold outside air was like a slap in the face compared to the hot and stuffy Garrison. You instantly regretted not taking your coat, and you wrapped your arms around yourself, rubbing your hands up and down your sleeves. John stood a little bit off, his hands in his pockets, that stupid and eternal toothpick between his lips. He looked up when you approached, then looked down again.

It was that–along with the freezing evening air which made it almost impossible to think of anything else but the cold burrowing itself into the very marrow of your bones–that snapped you out of your stupor and cleared your head at once. You were over the initial shock. There was no reason now for you to let your mind wander to places it shouldn't. What you needed was an explanation, perhaps, if you were lucky, an apology. And then you would go home. You would go home.

"Weather's bloody awful, ain't it?" you finally started, because John wasn't making any indication that he would say–well–anything.

He sniffed, rubbed at a spot on the pavement. Nodded. Still said nothing.

And you were starting to grow irritated. Because he was the one that had been so horrified to see you there, though his own brother had invited you to the damn event, and he was the reason why you were there in the first place, and why you were now standing outside and it was starting to fucking rain. "Are you going to say anything?" you blurted. "Because if not, I'll go back inside. To get my coat, I mean, and then I'm going home."

He looked up now, up and into your eyes, and still said nothing.

You ran a hand through your hair, scoffing in disbelief. "Oh my fucking god. Why did you bring me out here if it's just to stare at me with that fucking look in your eye? Am I not worth talking to?"

Anger flashed in his eyes at that. "That's not it. You know it's not."

"Well, apparently I don't–"

"I didn't force you to follow me here!"

"You wanted me to, though!"

"Maybe I just wanted a fucking smoke, Y/N!"

You pursed your lips, clenched your jaw. "Then say it. Fucking tell me you didn't want me to come to you."

Of course, he said nothing. His lip twitched.

You gave a bitter laugh. "Right. Okay. I get it. Johnny Shelby, too proud to admit he's made a mistake." You took a step back. "I cried for you. I cried–I cried over you."

"Y/N–"

It felt horrible. It felt like someone had taken a rusty nail to your heart and carved his initials there, forever to stay and forever to hurt. Tears started to form in your eyes. You blinked them away, angrily, telling yourself it wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth it.

You had cried enough.

"Wait. Y/N. Please."

Please.

You guessed you had a weak heart, after all.

"I'm sorry."

A weak heart and a weak soul, but weak only for him.

"What for?" The anger had evaporated from your voice and your expression, and now you were just... sad. Bitter, a little. Mostly disappointed, in yourself.

"I left. Because... I don't know why. Easier, I guess." He met your eyes. He was speaking the truth, and it was hard for him. Maybe because he wasn't used to speaking the truth, maybe because he wasn't used to speaking the truth about this. "I don't know how–I don't–"

You waited, no longer apprehensive. Hopeful, maybe.

Weak for him.

"Denying it was easier because I didn't think I was meant to feel like this. Because you were my friend–are my friend," he adds quickly, and you choke out a giggle. "But, you know. I thought it would go away, after a while. If I just tried hard enough."

It sounded so much like what you had felt, these past few months. What you were still feeling–what was only just starting to unravel.

"And, well, it didn't work. Obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't be here." His hand came up, and his fingers brushed your jaw. He leaned forward. "And neither would you."

Weak for him.

Your lips touched and immediately you burned.

You burned, and you let yourself burn, winding your arms around his neck, pressing harder against his mouth. You burned, and the cold of the night did not bother you anymore. You burned, and back inside the Garrison the orchestra started playing again–the party had started, for good–and it was like they were playing just for you.

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thefictioness · 4 years

Text

Runaway: A Marauders short

It was far too hot in his room to fall asleep. James had been tossing and turning for a while before he finally drifted off. But he wasn’t granted any rest. He wasn’t dreaming for that long when he jolted up right from a loud crash downstairs. He put his glasses on and looked at his watch. 3 o’clock in the morning. He grunted and got out of bed, reaching for his dressing gown. In the hallway, he heard the snoring of his father. It was truly remakrable how his parents always slept through this sort of thing. They hadn’t woken up when James was five and fell from his loft bed either. James could have sworn that if a thief would ever sneak in, they could steal their knickers right out of the drawer before they’d wake up. Tiptoeing in his slippers, James crept down the stairs. Maybe Remus did not, but James was happy tonight was a full moon, otherwise he’d been descending the steps blind. He opened the kitchen door. It was quiet, safe for the clock on the kitchen wall. He sneaked towards the living room door, and put his ear against it. He heard a soft thumping from the other side, and a lot of heavy breathing. Whoever this crook was, they sure made a lot of noise. James was glad he remembered to bring his wand. Keeping it raised with one hand, and his other hand on the doorknob, he lept into the room. “Waaah!” The person in the living room shrieked. James turned on the light. In the middle of the room, on the floor, was his friend and classmate Sirius Black, looking like a downright mess. His halflong hair was tangled, the black tailcoat he was wearing was ripped and there were traces of tears on his face, along with a blue mark. Around him, there were clothes and books sprawled all over the floor. His suitcase had sprung open, and laid covered in ash in the corner of the room. His gaze went bewildered around the room. Then he spotted James. With another howl, Sirius sprang up, grabbed James and pulled him in a death grip. “O-Oy Sirius... What are you doing?” James said, completely dazed. “James... James...” Sirius hiccuped. James frowned. He had never seen his friend behave this way before. He heard a shuffle upstairs. Finally, his parents had woken up as well. James grabbed Sirius’ arms and pried himself loose. “Sirius, what’s wrong?” Sirius looked at James, who could see the pain and fear in his eyes. “I... I ran away...” “You ran away? From home?” Sirius was so taken by emotion that he could only nod, before brusting into tears again. James guided Sirius towards the sofa. He heard footsteps on the stairs. His parents were coming. James kneeled, trying to get Sirius’ hands away from his face. “Sirius, who did that to you?” James tried, but Sirius was unable to answer. Then, James’ mother Euphemia walked through the door. “What in Merlin’s right loafer is going on here?” She demanded, before her eyes fell on the two boys. She blinked. “James? What is Sirius doing here in the middle of the night? What happened?” “I... Honestly don’t know mother,” James answered truthfully. His mother rushed over. She had to glance just once at Sirius’ face to know what she had to do. “I’ll be right back with a glass of water and something to press against that spot. You stay right here.” She rushed out again. James rubbed Sirius’ back, trying to get him to calm down, but to no avail. It took his mother mere moments to return. “Here, this should help against the blotch,” She said as she pressed a cloth against Sirius’ cheek. She then handed him the glass. “Here, this will help you calm down.” Sirius took a big gulp. He sniffed. Euphemia sat down beside him, trading the glass for a hankerchief. James followed her example. “Now tell me, what’s wrong?” “I.. I ran away from home,” Sirius sighed. His breath was still ragged, but his voice was now more steady. “Why? Why did you run away from home?” “Because I had a fight with my parents.” Sirius inhaled sharply. “We were at the wedding. The one between Lucius and Narcissa, the one I wrote you about.” He weakly pointed at James, who nodded, encouraging Sirius to press on. “Of course all of the family had turned up. Everyone besides my cousin Andromeda at the very least. It was a true pureblood wedding - traditional, oldfashioned and boring. Towards the end of the night, the chatter had turned into a discussion about the so-called halfbreeds. It seems Lucius had an encounter with the werewolf Greyback. He was complaining about what a low life creature he was. And... And...” Sirius started hyperventilating. James grabbed his hand tightly. He bit his lip. Knowing Sirius, there was an easy guess on what happened next. Sirius calmed down enough to continue. “I couldn’t help myself. Before I knew it, I had told Lucius that any halfling was at least more human than him. Then I blacked out. The next thing I remember I was arguing with my dad in our own hallway.” Tears were streaming down Sirius’ face again. “he told me what a disgrace I was to the family, to tell a man such a thing at his own wedding. I screamed that I didn’t even want to be a part of the Black family anymore.” Sirius whimpered. The story behind the spot on his cheek was clear to James. Sirius’ father Orion Black was a man you should never cross, because it never ended well. Here was the proof. “I stormed upstairs, packed everything I could into my suitcase and put a lock spell on my bedroom door. My mother was going mad with anger. She said I didn’t deserve to be a Black, acting the way I did. I said nothing, and just ran for the fireplace. This was the first address I could think of... I have nowhere else to go... But I just couldn’t stay there any longer. They are driving me insane, James! I’m going insane!” And with that, Sirius collapsed onto James’ lap with his upper body, violently shaking and sniffing. James looked helplessly at his mother. “Please mom, can Sirius stay the night?” “I’d say without a doubt. He’s experienced quite the traumatizing event...” She placed a hand on her cheek, then lifted Sirius up, pulling him against her. “It’s alright dear boy. You’re safe here. We won’t let anything happen to you...” Her cooing calmed Sirius a little, when James’ dad walked in, yawning and stretching. He stopped midway with his hands in the air when he saw the three of them sitting on the sofa. “By the name of Merlin’s stuffed boar, what are you all doing in here?” “Fleamont, make an extra bed in James’ room. We have a guest.”

Within half an hour, Fleamont had gotten an old mattress form the attic, and had put it in James’ room. Euphemia had cleaned the mess on the living room floor. Together with James, she hoisted the suitcase up the stairs. All the while, Sirius was sitting on James’ bed, a misty and exhausted expression on his face. “Don’t worry son,” Fleamont clapped him on the shoulders. “You just need some rest and you’ll see everything will turn out right in the morning. If you want, I can even go talk to your parents for you. Sleep on it if you will.” Sirius could only nod in agreement, although he couldn’t feel like anything Fleamont said would be true. Actually, Sirius wasn’t sure he could feel anything at all anymore. the last couple of hours had completely drained his emotions. Right now, he just felt tired. “Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Euphemia said, as she pulled out his pyjamas. His body acting on its own, sirius got into his nightwear, and under the covers. James’ parents wished them goodnight. When they closed the door, James and Sirius looked at each other. “I’m sorry,” Sirius whispered. “You don’t have to apologize to me. You should apologize to yourself. You know you acted this way because you’ve been hiding your feelings for a certain werewolf. If you had just been honest last school year, you might not be so cropped right now.” Sirius bit his lip. James sighed. “No matter, this can’t be undone. I’m actually pretty flattered that you thought of me as your first go to hideout. And you should be a little proud of yourself too. I think you showed your true Gryffindor side tonight.” And with that, James put out the light on his nightstand, leaving Sirius alone in the dark with his thoughts.

It was well into the afternoon before James awoke. His mind was still spinning around what happened the night before. Careful not to wake Sirius up, he dressed himself and went downstairs. His parents were already sitting at the kitchen table. His mother drinking tea, his father reading the newspaper. “Morning.” “Morning son, or should I say afternoon,” his father answered, rolling up his newspaper. James smiled. He made his wayover to the counter to fetch himself something to eat. “And? How is our runaway doing?” “He’s still fast asleep.” “No wonder after all he’s been through tonight,” Euphemia said, shifting in her chair. “The poor lad...” “Poor lad, and what about me? It cost me my sleep!” Fleamont complained. James knew he was kidding, but he did still feel rather tired himself. He and his parents were on their second cup of tea when the kitchen door swung open. “Ah, there he is. Good afternoon Sirius,” Fleamont said. Sirius was still in his pyjamas. His hair was peaking at all sides, and he had great bags under his eyes, but he looked determined, as if the brief rest he’d had that night actually provided him with a new source of power. “I have decided,” he said, not missing a beat. “I do not want to go back home. Acutally, scrap that, it is no longer my home. It has never been. Therefore...” Sirius bowed down like one of the judoka Lily had once showed James on a photograph. “Please let me stay here!” A silence fell in the room. Both James and his parents were looking at Sirius in shock. Sirius, who was too anxious to wait for an answer, strode over to the kitchen table, folding his hands like he was praying and got on his knees. “Please! It will only be until I graduate from Hogwarts and have a place for my own! I won’t be a nuisance I promise! I can even pay-” Sirius was cut off when Fleamont raised his hand. Sirius looked at him in expectation. “Don’t worry boy, Euphemia and I already anticipated the question. If James is alright with it, you are more than welcome to stay.” Sirius gasped. “Really?!” He then looked at James, who crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Well, you certainly have the nerve to come begging for it...” He was boucing his foot up and down. then he smiled. “Who am I kidding, by Merlin, of course I’d love to have a little brother to nag!” The four of them burst out laughing. Then, Sirius pulled Fleamont and Euphemia in a hug. “Thank you!”

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