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hournites · 3 years

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Bait & Switch

Hournite Week 2021 - Day 3: Secret Admirer

~.~

“And then we can head to the Pit Stop for—eeep!!” Beth jumped from her locker as a piece of white paper landed in her hair.

“Oooooh!” Yolanda poked her side. “Is that another letter?”

Beth reached up for the standard printed paper sheet folded in three. She glanced at it, biting her lip as she scanned the page. “Looks like it, yeah!”

“I’m sorry,” Rick interrupted when Courtney grabbed Beth’s arm to squeeze. “Another what?”

“Beth’s been getting letters in her locker.” Courtney pointed to the little green shelf attachment Beth had on her inner locker next to magnets and pictures of Yolanda, Court, and Rick. A small pile of like creased letters accumulated there, sitting innocuously.

“Love letters,” Yolanda chimed in.

Rick’s frown stayed in place. “Since when did Beth have a boyfriend?”

“I don’t,” Beth corrected him. “I mean, not yet? I don’t know? I haven’t reached out or anything, I just started getting them a few days ago. I’d ask Chuck to scan them for fingerprints or something, but...you know.” She laughed a bit, pushing down the way Chuck’s blown in frames still stabbed at her heart. “Anyway, there’s no handwriting since it's printed, see?” She handed it to Rick.

“Hey Beth, I notice your yellow shoes.” His eyebrows raised past his hairline. “Why does this kid have a foot fetish?”

“Rick!” Courtney scolded.

“Sounds like Bowin.”

Yolanda scoffed at the Isaac comment. “As if Isaac had the balls.”

“To you, maybe.” Beth took the letter back when she realized Rick wouldn't appreciate it. “To me, it’s kinda sweet?” She flashed her friends a shy smile. “They always have something to say about what I’m wearing.”

“So they’re watching you,” Rick deadpanned. “Not creepy at all.”

Her face fell. “You think it’s creepy? Like ISA creepy?”

“Rick!” This time it was Yolanda. Courtney swatted his arm.

“Hey!”

Yolanda veered Rick off to the side, speaking in a hushed tone. “Believe me, you and I both know the guys here can be horrible, but this all seems very PG. I don’t see anything wrong with it, and neither does Courtney. Can we not ruin this for Beth?”

Rick pursed his lips, but Yolanda crossed her arms until he gave in.

~.~

One letter turned into two, and then three. Rick leaned against the metal row of lockers as Beth tried to catch the fluttering paper before it touched the dirty floor.

“More mystery mail?”

“Second one today, I didn’t get one yesterday, I was wondering if they forgot.” She tucked it in her pocket and went for her lunch bag.

“You’re not going to read it?”

“I thought you weren’t interested.”

Rick straightened his back. “No no, I’m interested! I’m very interested.”

“You just want to make fun of what they said.”

“No!” Though he was lying and Beth knew it.

They walked to the cafeteria, Yolanda and Court were already eating their lunches.

“C’mon,” Rick pestered the girls. He leaned his arms on the table conspiratorially. “Don’t we all want to hear what Beth’s secret lover has to say today?”

“I don’t have a secret lover,” she protested, but the girls got excited at the news of Beth getting locker mail twice and Rick leaned back in his plastic chair, satisfied.

“Secret admirer, then.”

Beth shot him another look of exasperation, but he merely raised his eyebrows at her.

“What,” he countered. “Is that not what it is?”

“Um, yeah,” she scooted in her chair, pressing the letter down and smoothing it out, refusing to look up at any of them, embarrassed. “We can call them that. Aw! They said I’m pretty!” Beth squinted at the paper. “Oh, they spelled it wrong.”

As much as he found Beth’s notes weird as hell, he got a rise out of watching her stammer and flush at all the attention. Courtney’s usually the one to flail around with massive blushing and her awkward high pitched voice when confronted about Cameron. In all honesty, hearing Courtney gush about Cameron without either of them making real moves on each other got tiring. Yolanda never looked like she wanted to talk about a love life for herself ever again, so Beth’s bright eyes reading out loud her dumb letters were new. He’d never seen her so eager to get to her locker. She’d drag him out of their class together to make a beeline for it. Really, it was cute. Maybe that’s why Rick couldn’t stop teasing her.

~.~

Later that week, the group sat together at lunch as usual. Courtney’s hair would not stay up in the messy bun she’d been trying and failing to pull off. She kept wrapping a hair elastic around the ball of blonde curls. Rick watched as she huffed out an annoyed breath at the fifth time it flopped over the front of her face.

“You need a mirror,” Rick pipped in unnecessarily. He smirked when she glared at him.

“I give up!” Courtney reached across the lunch table to grab Yolanda’s wrist when she gave up for the sixth time. “Help?”

Yolanda laughed, scooting her chair over and said, “I’ll just give you a braid.”

“Oh!” Beth jumped in her seat as if she just remembered something. “My letter today said something really nice about my hair!” She unzipped her school bag to bring it out. Yolanda peered over at it while she continued to fix Courtney’s mess. She read it out loud for them.

“That’s not even that great,” Rick pointed out when Beth finished. “They like your hair. So what? Your hair always looks great, there’s no effort involved on their part.”

Beth frowned at her letter. “Really?”

“It’s superficial, don’t you think? They don’t say anything about why they like you as a person.”

“Yeah,” Courtney cut in. “Probably because they don’t know her that well? Cut them some slack?”

“I don’t need to cut anyone any slack.”

Yolanda took a bite out of her apple. “If you liked someone, what would you do?” She batted her eyelashes at him as she chewed on her snack, clearly expecting a lame answer.

“I don’t like anyone.”

Yolanda shared a look with Courtney. Courtney would do that a lot with Mike and Beth would do that a lot with himself but when Yolanda did that with Courtney, Rick always felt a bit paranoid.

“Is that illegal or something?” Rick muttered, stabbing his fork into his food.

“No,” Yolanda replied, dragging out the syllable carefully. “But let's say hypothetically that you did, would your answer be the same?”

Now Beth was waiting intently for his answer as well.

Rick pushed his plastic tray away, no longer hungry. “If I liked someone I’d let them know… like a normal person.”

Courtney stifled a laugh that irked him. Her ice blue painted nails covered her mouth to half hide whatever joke she had within.

Yolanda tugged at one of her stray curls as a warning. “Court.”

“What now?” Rick groused.

Courtney leaned forward, gripping the edges of the table. “Would you actually?”

“No offense Court, but if I liked a girl, I wouldn’t run off to tell you about it.”

Now Courtney really did laugh, but Rick was dead serious. If he liked someone, he wouldn’t make it overcomplicated. If it were someone that could actually like him back, he’d just be honest with them. No frilly notes or secret rendez-vous.

He pushed Beth’s little love letter across the table. Beth took it wordlessly, mouth pressed in a careful line, eyes inquisitive.

Not that Rick had much time to think about what he’d do if he did like anyone. There wasn’t much time for Rick to develop feelings other than the deep-rooted anger and hatred that brewed for years over the conditions of his life.

Rick shook his head at her. This wasn’t anything complicated. If he were the one secretly crushing on Beth, he’d tell her. He said as much to the girls when they pestered him some more. “It’s not that hard.”

~.~

Beth got new letters every day for the next week. It became routine for her to read them during their lunch period. The girls pushed their chairs closer together to scrutinize the text, eyes peeled for anyone they might think to be the secret admirer. Rick played along half-heartedly, though mostly ate his lunch suppressing eyerolls.

“That top looks great on you. Also, why did you take off your rainbow necklace? It's cute.”

“Hmm,” said Yolanda. “Maybe it’s a girl.”

Rick scraped his plastic fork against the paper plate on his lunch tray. “Maybe they should stop staring at Beth’s shirt.”

“I don’t mind,” Beth said, looking up at him.

Rick scraped the styrofoam plate again. These letters weren’t amusing anymore.

~.~

Beth approached him that day after training. She drummed her fingers against the green cloth of her cape along her arms, craning her neck up to look at him as he raked through his upswept hair. They were in the loft of the Pit Stop where they’d dumped their bags. Beth was on the couch, in no hurry to change into fresh clothes because she hadn’t sweat through hers the way he had. Chuck was still offline, so she had been cautioned to stay a few paces behind the others for protection. She usually chose to stick by Rick.

Rick shook out his aching fingers. His hood was hanging low over his shoulders and the heaviness of his suit weighed after the effects of his tapered strength.

“What?” he asked after several moments, acutely aware that she just stood there, staring.

“Is there anything you’re not suspicious of? Sometimes you just have to trust people.”

Rick sighed, turning around. He thought this was about the training or the sweat or the way his hair stuck up like a cartoon and he didn’t have enough gel to smooth it back down, but Beth clearly wanted to revisit their conversation from lunch. He’d rather not. “If this is about the letters—”

“It is. What’s your deal with them, really? Even my mom knows! She thinks it’s funny! I’m having fun!” She grinned widely and threw out her hands to back up her words. Like he needed to see her laugh off the fact someone was following her around the school without coming forward about it to prove it wasn’t something to be reasonably concerned about.

Rick sat down beside her on the couch, taking a moment to articulate his phrasing. He didn’t want Beth to bristle at his tone or words. He’d made the mistake enough, seen the hurt written on her face way too many times. She could handle his heat, but it always left Rick feeling shitty to realize she needed to guard herself around him. Steel herself to get offended. He needed to stop offending her, Beth was quite frankly the kindest person Rick knew. This was why Rick felt strongly about the twenty-seven ways this secret admirer situation emerged red flags. “Don’t you want to know who they’re from?”

Beth shrugged. “It’d be nice.”

“Would you date them if they revealed themselves?”

“Um.” Beth flushed. “Maybe? I don’t know. I’m not planning any weddings but I’ve thought about it, I guess.” She side-eyed him. “Are you going all big brother on me now?”

Rick almost said yes, but bit his tongue at the last second, making a face. It didn’t feel quite right. He opened his mouth instead to retort about protecting the team. Beth accepted it well enough, wrapping her arms around his middle to thank him for bothering enough to care. Rick stiffened at her hug, thrown off by the carefree way she clung to him. He placed his hand on her back and she pushed her head further against his shirt.

“I don’t want you upset with me.”

Her words stabbed at his gut. “I’m not,” he said, surprised and dismayed. Of course she’d perceive it that way even after he tried. “I’m not, Beth. Though I guess you’re right, trusting people isn’t my thing.”

“I know, I didn’t mean to be so defensive about it.” She looked up at him and removed her cowl. Her hair sprung out high, decompressed from the tight, restraining fabric. “It’s just that I wish when a note makes me smile...You’d smile back at me.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Beth crossed her legs, eyes and hands now at the clasp of her vintage cape. Her hair expanded, reclaiming its crown over her head. It bloomed in front of him. Not just the hair, her wisdom and hope and trust to share that so candidly with him.

“I’ll try?”

A tiny pleased smile began as her thumb looped through the hook. “You will?”

“Yes,” Rick said.

The green of the cape flashed in front of them. Only a trace of that smile remained once it was neatly folded on her lap. “Thank you.”

~.~

Rick tried.

It was like now that Rick gave her his disgruntled blessing of the elusive secret admirer, Beth no longer capped the word count on her inner novel of thoughts about it. She’d speak freely without checking back or worrying that Rick would make any comments and Rick had pretty much shut up about it to her face.

This was her thing, and it made her happy. Why did it matter what Rick thought about it anyway?

Though it did matter, exactly because of how happy those typed letters made her. It wasn’t wrong that Beth saw the best in people or found cheerfulness in all uncertain things. Rick was glad for it, honestly. That persistence in her wrestled with his own stubbornness— somehow it evened each other out. Beth’s drive blazed a fire that refused to be stomped out. Rick liked that drive in her. He appreciated it, even, just as much as it sometimes drove him insane. He didn’t want to be the one to smother that flame— Not him, or anyone else.

~.~

Rick didn’t realize he was intentionally hanging around Beth’s locker to scout out her secret admirer until he caught them in the act.

He straightened up from his slouched position against the wall across the drama room, taking in the uneven dirty blond haircut and letterman jacket worn by the person in question.

At first, Rick figured the guy was at the wrong locker. He stood there rummaging into his gym bag for something. But then he produced a familiar folded paper and Rick realized this was the guy. Beth’s guy. It got very real. Beth had a guy. This guy wanted Beth. Liked her. He liked her and wrote stupid letters every day with things in it that actually made her want to like him back. And he had freckles and looked pretty short, and would probably make her laugh and would offer her his jacket to show her off to the dicks on the football team.

Rick’s eyes narrowed, seizing him up. That was right, the guys on the football team were dicks. Beth’s secret admirer was friends with them?

She wouldn’t take that well.

He looked new. Young, even. Not any of the faces he’d cataloged that tormented Yolanda over the last year and a half. Should he follow him?

Rick lurked.

The kid glanced around nervously, letter slotted in the hinges for the locker. How many days had it been? Two and a half weeks? How was this guy still skittish for sneaking around the school to send love letters to a girl? Wouldn’t he know one of these days he’d get caught?

Alright, Rick had two options. He could turn around and keep this to himself. Never say a word to anyone and let this guy and Beth work out whatever they have and just.... watch.

Or he could walk up there right now and get information. What the hell is your deal? Do you have a foot fetish? Are you another supervillain freak? How did you meet Beth? Why are your notes so uninspired? Do you even know her? Are you embarrassed that you’re into her? Why do you care?

Rick's legs marched him over, having made up his mind.

“Hey!” It came out harsher than he intended by the reaction of the football player. He yelped, backing up against the locker and widening his eyes at Rick.

“It’s not what it looks like, I swear!” This poor kid’s voice cracked.

Rick squinted at him. “Who the hell are you?”

“Huh?”

“Your name. Parents? Date of birth. Alien status?”

The kid didn’t say anything. Rick sighed, already regretting it but knowing he’d have to in order to speed this along. He slammed his fist against the nearby locker, cornering him. The kid looked properly terrified. At least it was something to know those Rick Harris rumors were still thriving. “Well?”

“Joe! Joseph Kindersef. Son of Harold and Shoan Kindersef. August 9th, 2006. Um, Non-alien?”

“Sounds like something an alien would say.”

“I swear I’m not an alien! I’m just a freshman!”

“If I back off, are you gonna run?”

“I’m on the football team!” he yelled out as if that question was undignified.

Rick rolled his eyes. “You’re fourteen years old. I don’t care what team you’re on. Are you gonna run?”

“No.”

Rick relented, pulling back to put some room between them. “So, you’re the one writing to Beth for the last few weeks?”

“Yes, but—”

Rick pulled a face. “She’s a bit old for you, don’t you think?”

“Maybe, but—”

“Beth really likes the letters, okay? She doesn’t need someone that’s too much of a coward to come up and talk to her. So pick it up and do something meaningful or leave her alone.”

Joseph squeaked. “I can’t.”

“Okay so—She really likes yellow and cute shit so try sticky notes to include—“ Rick backtracked and paused. That didn’t sound normal. “What? You can’t? Yes, you can. You just have to find the guts to tell her who you are and ask her out so she can finally meet you so she can decide if you’re worth a—”

“No!” Joe cut Rick off. “I can’t leave her alone!”

Rick’s stomach sank. Joe heaved, eyes blown back wide as he grimaced as if waiting to get yelled at again.

But Rick lost the wind in his rant, lowering his voice to a shocked whisper. “What do you mean? You don’t…want to be Beth’s boyfriend?”

“No! I don’t really know her! I don’t get what the big deal is!”

Rick nearly slammed him back against the metal row. “Then why are you leading her on?”

“Oh my god!” He weaseled out of Rick’s grip, hands up in surrender. “I swear, I can explain! Just don’t beat me up, I get enough of that from the team!” He dropped his gym bag and kicked it, yanking off his letterman jacket. “God, I’m sick of this!”

Rick was at a loss for words. He clenched his jaw, keeping his fuming to a minimum to give Joe a chance. Not that he deserved one, in Rick’s honest opinion, but Beth probably would’ve wanted to at least hear his case before Rick undoubtedly scared her only potential prospect of a boyfriend away with a piss stain in his pants.

He furrowed his brows. “Sick of what?”

“This!” Joe gestured at the floor. “Blue Valley High! The goddamn team!”

It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. The thought of it all made Rick sick to his stomach. Of course, in a twisted way it all made perfect sense. There was no villain here, only two victims. Raze the newbie recruit on the team and mercilessly bully the girl that raises her hand one too many times in class all at once. Force Joe to do the dirty work and laugh at Beth’s disappointment when her non-existent secret admirer gets shoved in her face.

Wonderful. Great plan for a group of football meatheads that barely even grieved Henry Jr’s death. Rick hated this school so much.

“Can’t you just stop?”

“No!” Joe insisted. “I can’t, I would’ve if I could!”

“What are they doing to you?”

Rick knew the answer wasn’t going to be pleasant. He crossed his arms, eyebrows raised as he stared up at the ceiling while Joe lamented over the football hierarchy in disarray, wanting to make it past waterboy dweeb status, razing punishments incorporating the abandoned construction porta potty beyond the field parking lot, and the daily checks on Joe the team did to ensure he’s following their crazy rules.

“You know what I wanna say?” Rick told the guy when his sob story was over. “I wanna say that’s your problem.” Because after this and his last encounter with Sportsmaster Rick was very close to never watching any organized game in America ever again.

“It is my problem.”

“Actually, it’s not.” Rick scowled. “You’ve entangled Beth Chapel into this, so you’ve made it my problem.”

Joe stared at him. Rick muttered under his breath, dragging a hand over his face. For some reason he pictured Courtney. If she were here right now with him, Rick could perfectly imagine what she’d say: This was part of what it meant to be a superhero. You are a superhero now.

Rick knew this, theoretically, but thinking about that word in association to himself still felt beyond stupid. Stupid, but so painfully accurate by the way a feeling ate at his insides to help this pathetic freshman. Not just because of Beth. Rick had a magical hourglass and a skintight suit and belonged to a secret crime-fighting team. But it wasn’t just about crime, it was about injustice. And this fits that bill to a tee.

He flapped his hand at Joe before he could change his mind. “Go. I’ll take care of it.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to do this anymore.”

“But they check at lunch every day for the letters and there are still two and a half weeks left in the month—”

“I know!” Rick groaned just thinking about all the ways this was going to ruin his entire schedule. The sneaking and evasion. The random class cutting he’d have to pull off inconveniently now that Yolanda and Pat have drilled it into Rick that he needed to get a decent pass...

Joe stepped away, looking over his shoulder at the deserted hallway, unable to believe his newfound freedom. “You need to make it sound like you care or else they’ll get suspicious,” he stressed.

“I get it.” Rick shooed him away. “Trust me. I get it.”

The anxious red splotches all over Joe’s face faded away. He sniffed, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his varsity jacket. “You really want to help me?”

“Just tell me what I need to do to make this work.”

He pulled out his dad’s notebook from his bag as Joe ranted about the nonsensical expectations the football team had of him, and what they had planned for Beth via public embarrassment by the end of the month. His dad’s handwriting blurred past as he clicked the top of his ballpoint to start on a fresh page, jotting it all down. He ended up with over a page and a half. A page is more than he thought he’d need. It was excessive and tedious and stupid enough to put an end to today. He wouldn't, though, end it today. Because of one thing Rick knew for certain. He was going to one-up the Stockholm secret admirer deal Joe had going on. Two weeks of nice deeds weren’t completely out of his reach.

~.~

Rick stared at the blank word document in front of him, tucked into the furthest computer monitor desk at the very corner of the library. Sneaking in here was easy, though it was stressful enough to make Rick’s hands sweat. It was dumb, nobody questioned a student at the library over lunch. The tenth graders came in anxious packs to prepare for their PSATs, and the juniors freaked out over college pamphlets at the communal tables. Nobody would care that Rick Harris was hunched over a keyboard, glancing down at his lap to refer to an original letter for help.

Beth didn’t even notice Rick swiped a letter from her. Her locker door swung open while she chatted about the science homework and then the muffins she planned on making and then the recipe Barbara sent to her phone that she pinned on her Pinterest board. That Pinterest board was very important, something she’d curated since elementary school after her mom accidentally forgot to include a lunch for Beth, exhausted by the first surgery she’d operated on as the new head surgeon at Blue Valley Medical Centre. This was all new information Rick only learned from their walk to get her lunch box, so Beth’s talkativeness did have its advantages some days. Rick reached over and plucked a folded letter from the pristine metal basket right over her head to stuff in his back pocket. Even if she were ever tall enough to catch that, the muffin recipe had too many steps for her to list to ever let her take her eyes off her phone.

Rick stood firm in his belief that Joe’s letters were creepy and lame, regardless of how the creepy and lameness parts were now halfway excusable under Joe’s duress and whatever. Still, he couldn’t deny he needed one in his possession to study. At least as an example for formatting one correctly if he wanted to pull this off; the font and size had to be exactly the same. And, most importantly, the letter provided a base of comparison to work from to make the letters going forward less weird.

Rick knew Beth better. He could do so much better. And he should, anyway. There’s no harm done. He’s going to have to tell Beth at the end of the month what exactly happened to her secret admirer, so she’ll know Rick became the author somewhere along the line. He’d never be caught dead authoring notes that made it sound like he had a foot fetish or some other weirdness. And if Beth likes the letters more, Joe won’t get as much shit either.

So why wasn’t this working?

Hey, Beth.

Rick stared at the screen. His eyes were dry, he needed to blink. A Hey, Beth wasn’t going to get anyone anywhere, and this letter had to be slotted through that locker rust a good half hour before the class that went into lunch.

I just wanted to let you know how kind you are. I saw you today give away your extra hair elastic to the other girl in the hallway—

No.

Beth,

Your laugh is out of this world.

Rick slammed his palm against the backspace button, the stiff keyboard jam startled the senior girl half-napping over her notes beside him. He deleted the word document altogether and started over. Nobody needed to see that. That sentence came out of nowhere. Forget that it was bad and sounded like Hallmark garbage, reading the words on the computer mortified him. Maybe it wasn’t out of limit to find Joe and force him here to do the actual writing himself. At least as a draft for Rick to work with. No wonder Joe’s letters came out awkward and stilted. But where would he even find Joe and was the answer something Rick even wanted to find out?

Rick didn’t like Beth like this. How was he going to write to make it seem like it could be implied that he did? This was fucking hard.

“Since when do you study?”

Rick crumpled Joe’s letter into his fist. He minimized the tab for the Word document. Yolanda’s braids swept over the built-in camera of Rick’s computer monitor, peering down at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Since today.” He clicked on the school browser to type in one of the chemistry learning sites he went bleary-eyed scrolling through last semester late at night.

“When’s the test?”

He shrugged. Her braids swung over his screen again. Rick shot her an exasperated high brow, flicking them away.

Yolanda shook her head at him and took the next seat. The binders she pulled out for her math assignment told Rick she wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. Fine. Rick put the letter on hold. It wasn’t something he wanted to rush anyway.

~.~

Beth,

Your laugh is special. Because you can make anything sound great, and find laughter in everything. It’s what you do and who you are. I wouldn’t change that about you, ever.

Rick skipped the last ten minutes of class to get to Beth’s locker while the hallway was still empty. In slipped the letter. Out went his breath.

They were just words. Once he was able to wrap his head around that fact it got a lot easier. They were just words. Nice words. For Beth. It didn’t really matter if they were poetic or fancy. They were genuine, though, because Rick wasn’t going to lie on top of everything. But they weren’t in the sense Rick felt anything romantic for her. If Beth and the girls read it and felt otherwise, it was only because they were under a preconceived notion. One Rick would explain away when it is all over.

Above all, he was sparing her any humiliation by lifting her up and giving some nice compliments. It was a win-win situation. Once Rick was able to digest that, it got a lot easier to justify the emotional connection he teased out of himself to work the right sentiment he needed and had written down.

~.~

The problem was, sometimes letters didn’t cut it. Rick didn’t always have the right words. It was because he knew how Beth’s face brightened up when he wrote something right. She’d let out a breath that was almost a sigh, hugging the letter close. It would put her in a mood nothing could deter for the rest of the day. It’s what Rick noticed two weeks ago when these started, but it was all the better now, admittedly, when they came from him. She’d show them to her mom over FaceTime at lunch, to Barbara and Pat. Beth shared her secret admirer letter with anyone that had an extra second to spare.

When Rick missed the mark, that was too obvious. Yolanda and Court never seemed to pick up the difference, and Beth never appeared dissatisfied, but Rick knew it wasn’t what she deserved.

He’d tear out pages in his notebook before and after classes Rick took without her, practicing what he’ll type up by the time he gets to the school library. The pencil in his hand would tap against the paper as he ignored the lesson, thinking about how to best word how much it meant to him to see her turn around and flash him one of those breathless grins without giving himself away. He’d shred the paper after, stuffing it in the trash. The best parts Rick kept memorized to reuse the next day.

It took another three more neutral letters for Rick to change tactics. Instead of stressing over ways to tell Beth things he didn’t mean without revealing his identity, he found a way to work around keeping the secret admirer ploy alive while cutting out the amount of time he spent failing at writing. Small things he could afford like her favourite chocolate bars when he filled his car with gas at the station, or cheap bracelets from the dollar store to add when he wasn’t confident that he wrote enough.

He kneeled down in the wet grass by the bike rack behind the school on a Tuesday, weaving in the red and yellow roses he plucked from a nice garden a block down Main street through the handlebars of Beth’s teal bike. Beth was the type of girl to press flowers in books. She’d find the roses and would smell them and then keep them with the intention of saving them forever.

When he managed to get the stem properly wrapped around her handlebars, he realized Beth forgot to lock in her bike properly. He fixed it, then leaned back, appraising his work.

He froze when he felt a warm breath against his neck.

“I didn’t know you were a part of the garden club.”

Rick dropped his hands to his sides, gritting his teeth through a polite nod at Isaac Bowin, who was peering over the bike rack in his pristine band clothes. “I’m not.”

“I see.” He scratched his nose. “That’s Beth’s bike.”

Rick eyed him. “I know.”

“That’s a nice gesture. I didn’t know you liked her.”

“She’s my best friend.” Rick stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. “It’s not like that.”

Isaac shrugged. “It looks like that.”

“Okay,” he replied lightly, rolling his eyes. Rick knew he was saving a high school freshman from being bullied by substituting his required secret admirer quotas because of his newfound moral superhero standards, but conversing with Isaac Bowin was something Rick hadn’t yet tolerated the patience for. He slipped his bag and walked around the side of the school building to go through the back. “Bye.”

Later that afternoon, Rick got tackled by Beth. He tensed as he always did when someone got a hold of him from behind, though he released the tension immediately when he looked up and saw her.

“I got flowers!” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from his seat at their shared sixth-period class.

“Did you?” He replied, measuring his tone.

“Roses! They were on my bike. I wasn’t sure if I locked it properly this morning so I got a hall pass in geography and went to check, and they were there!”

“Wow,” he said. “That’s pretty thoughtful, right? Do you like them?”

“Are you kidding? The KitKat was great but the last time I ever got flowers was like, my fourth grade spelling bee from my mom!” Beth moved her hands from his back to slide into the seat beside him. “They’re so pretty. I love them!”

Rick glanced at her empty desk. She pulled out her school bag and pencil case. “So where are they?”

“They’re safe.” She hauled out the large math textbook and flipped to the middle, revealing the two roses, freshly pressed in. “I want to keep them forever.”

He knew it. Rick suppressed his grin. “Cool.”

~.~

“... You warm my heart, Beth.” Beth paused, taking it in. She looked dizzy. “Oh my goodness. This is a lot.”

“Stop. That’s stupidly cute.” Yolanda groaned as she ran a hand over her face as if the sweetness pained her.

“You’ve gotta write them back!” Courtney urged, taking a swig of juice.

Beth wrinkled her nose. “I dunno.”

“What! Why not?”

“I don’t want to scare them off?” Beth took her eyes off the letter at last, raising her head to meet Rick’s eyes. She straightened her back immediately. “Why are you smiling like that?”

In spite of himself, it grew bigger. “Like what?”

She didn’t reply for a moment. Her eyes squinted and she tilted her head as if to study him. “I can’t explain,” she said at last. “It’s just different.”

Yolanda and Courtney stopped talking to watch him too. Rick felt his face heat up at all of their attention. “Shut up. I’m being supportive,” he mumbled. “It’s what you wanted.”

~.~

The thing with Yolanda was that she didn’t fall for bullshit. Rick should’ve known. Books against the table with a slam, she leveled Rick a serious look of incredulity in their next class. “Who are you and what did you do to my best friend Rick Tyler?”

He stuck a hand in his pocket. Still grinning. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Says every suspicious clone, ever.”

“I’m not a clone.”

“Then what are you, sick?” She poked his cheek at the stretched corners of his mouth. “You’ve smiled more in two days than I’ve ever seen you smile in three years and in art class you were zoned out completely.” Rick batted her hand away when she clapped a whole palm over his forehead.

“I don’t have a fever.”

“You’ve got something .”

“I don’t,” he insisted again. “I’m fine.”

“Well I’m not an idiot,” Yolanda settled on as class started. “But whatever is going on, keep at it. It’s a good look on you.”

~.~

Three reasons why I’d date Beth Chapel

I’d be dating the smartest girl in school

I could share the homemade food she brings for lunch

I’d see one of those perfect smiles & it would be just for me

~.~

Three reasons why Beth Chapel should date me

I’d let her sit shotgun in my car

She could talk to me all day about whatever she’d like and I’ll listen to it all

She can stop wearing fuzzy sweaters to classes without heaters because I’d give her one of my jackets so she’ll stay warm

I actually really like her

“Ah shit,” Rick whispered harshly to himself at the computer monitor in the library. He buried his head in his hands, putting the computer to sleep. It was supposed to be generic. Nice enough that Beth would feel touched but not personalized enough that it could directly trace back to Rick. It was his ‘66 he was thinking about in the first sentence. Her effect on his mood was when she placed her arm on his during an imploring talk in the second. And the way Rick knew exactly which jacket he’d like to see her swallowed in with the pooling cuffs rolled up six times to reach her wrists for the third. And now that it was out in that 12 point font, Rick didn’t even want to delete it.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. I"m a fucking idiot.”

He whacked the side of the iMac too hard to wake up the monitor and printed the thing before he could incriminate himself more by adding extra lines. The heat that crawled up his face was sign enough that this was bad, but he’d felt that same sickly warm feeling drop in his stomach sometime before his brain kicked in to realize what he’d done. He was supposed to be doing a favour for his best friend to not humiliate her unjustly by being her pseudo secret admirer.

Not actually become Beth’s secret admirer.

The next morning, Rick waited until Beth raised her hand for a hall pass during their class before lunch. Their teacher handed over the laminated card for Beth to go to the bathroom. Rick counted five seconds then leaned over and dragged her backpack from the dusty classroom floor to his side.

She started keeping the letters she liked the most in the pocket folder of her agenda. Rick pulled them out, unfolding the papers as he read them over, eyes scanning over what he’d been writing to her, trying to find the moment in which his feelings for her morphed into something more. Rick felt stupid, reading back.

He never wanted to lie to Beth, so he hadn’t.

He couldn’t lie to himself either. This started before meeting Joseph. This started before the letters. Hell, it might’ve even started before the JSA ever stopped Project New America.

A part of Rick wanted Beth all along.

~.~

That evening, Rick locked himself in his bedroom and wrote a long and frankly terribly written letter to get his feelings off his chest. Staying up all night to perfect it, he overslept halfway through the morning. He drove to school late and worried over how to get through the day. His entire schedule was thrown off and he needed to both find a way to get his letter in and survive seeing Beth that afternoon. Bad turned to worse when teachers chased after him to pile on detentions for skipping class after he’d just started to improve his attendance.

If he wanted to make this work he was going to need support. He needed Court.

The only time Rick found Courtney alone was during dodgeball in gym class. They were somehow the only ones left on their team. Courtney used handsprings and cartwheels to avoid the red rubber balls as though her gym mark should be the deciding factor of her Stargirl training success. Rick didn’t take it as seriously, but that’s exactly why he was still winning. He launched the ball to the other side, hitting Cameron Mahkent square in the face.

“Court, get Jenny out, and then we can free the rest.”

“Good plan.”

Rick picked up another that ricocheted off the wall, missing both targets. “Hey, you know Beth’s letters?”

“Yeah?” Courtney hit Jenny, who yelped in her expensive tennis skirt, manicured hands protecting her face even though she got her hip instead.

“They’re me.” Rick caught a ball and everyone came hollering back into the game. Courtney gaped at him, motionless in front of the red line. Rick tried to warn her when another ball came flying, but it bonked the side of her curly hair before Rick could push her out of the way, and then another ball assaulted Rick from the other side, disqualifying them both.

Rick explained it all once they got to the bench. The important parts, at least, without any of the messy stuff. Joe’s razing and the awkward excuses to use the library computer every day.

Courtney grinned so wide. “Shut up!”

Rick regretted telling her immediately. She shook his arm like she wanted to make a protein shake out of it. “Shut up! Stop! Are you kidding me? That’s so sweet!” She slapped her hands to her cheeks. “Oh my god. Oh my god! That’s why you’re smiling so much! You like her!” She gasped. “You love her?!”

“Woah,” said Rick, grabbing her wrist to keep her from bouncing off the gym walls. If he wasn’t careful she’d text Pat this for his advice or something which would be horrifying. “I didn’t say anything like that.”

Courtney rolled her eyes, undeterred. “Okay okay okay but you totally are into her. Like a lot!!! A lot a lot, oh my god, Rick this is such big news! You’re falling for Beth!”

“Oh my god,” Rick muttered to himself, wanting to disappear. “Court, if I say yes will you please be quiet?”

Courtney squealed, dancing in her seat on the bench. “You didn’t deny it!”

“Okay calm down.”

“Why are you telling me? Are you going to confess? Do you need help?”

“I need you to print out her letter for today and get it in her locker. I don’t have the time.”

Court clapped her hands and squealed. “Yes! Deal! Done!”

~.~

“You know what?” Beth layered on an extra woolly sweater over her already thick-fabric shirt. Just by looking at it Rick knew it was expensive and set off some type of fashion pattern-texture dichotomy scheme. Though, what mattered was how warm it made her after shivering all throughout their homeroom period. What mattered was how she clutched at her sleeves now, creating friction to sweep out the cold that seeped into her bones. The way she held herself in front of him and how she’d feel if Rick hugged her like that soft-spun sweater instead. She pulled a sticky note out of her school bag’s front pocket and stuck it to her locker door then stepped away from it, nodding along for Rick to follow her down to their first class. “You’re right.”

“I’m right?” For his credit, Rick was cold too. The school heater conked out over the weekend and the weather was abnormally cold, even for their chilly Spring Nebraska. He shoved a hand in his pocket so he wouldn’t feel the joint pain settling into his bruised knuckles.

“You are.”

“About what?”

Beth half-spun on her heel, facing Rick in the thick of the school crowd. “My heart is in this. I need to know who my secret admirer is.”

The immediate nausea Rick got from that sentence nearly stopped him in his tracks. He couldn’t stop though, it would be suspicious and then Beth would know and then Rick very might well be sick. So he jerkily forced one foot in front of the other and swallowed the lump down his throat. “You...do?”

“We always find my letter after our fourth-period class right before lunch. So they have to be sending it out before then, right? If we both subsequently skip our third-period classes respectfully--”

“How does one skip class ‘respectfully?’” Rick used air quotes around the last word.

Beth elbowed his side lightly. “When a straight-A student like myself has love on the line!”

“ I’m not a straight-A.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be with me so I’ve got you covered.” She linked her arm in his. “It’s a buddy system. I posted a sticky note on my locker for my secret admirer to visit this morning!”

Oh no. Which meant Courtney was going to find it soon and pressure him to tell Beth too. God, no.

“And you need me there...why?”

Beth furrowed her brows, fidgeting with her rainbow necklace. “I haven’t completely ignored what you said to me this whole time. I don’t know who it really is. What if I put myself out there and they show up only to hurt me?”

“Beth, they won’t.”

“But what if you were right and it was the ISA, and they were waiting for me to lure them into a trap to kidnap me because they discovered I’m Dr. Mid-Nite without Chuck?”

“Where was this support when I suggested this as an actual possibility four weeks ago and you all ignored it and called me an asshole?” He was teasing her, honestly, but it was wild to Rick he was finally hearing her address some of his previous legitimate concerns. What good was she doing bringing this up now if she already made up her mind?

“We didn’t!”

“Yolanda did!”

“Yolanda doesn’t use that word.”

“She doesn’t need to say it! You’ve seen her glare, right? Yolanda could glare at you and brand you “ asshole ” just with her eyeballs.”

“You are ridiculous.” Beth huffed out an indignant breath. “And I wasn’t ignoring it completely.” She tugged on his sleeve. “So you should come.”

“I swear you’re going to be fine by yourself. It’s just some person here that likes you. It’s not a criminal. No need to suit up.”

“I want you there.”

He wavered at her pleading face, her big eyes hopeful sucking him into dangerous territory. “Fine,” he relented, dooming himself. “I’ll come.”

~.~

Courtney did not know how the printer at the library worked because she never used the computers at the library because she never came to the school library. Like. Since she moved here. She banged her hand against the table when she got prompted for her Blue Valley High School student account password to access her printing credits. Was she supposed to pay for that? She didn’t know. She promised Rick to get his letter delivered and he was counting on her so there wasn’t any time for messing this up.

“It’s just your initials and the last 3 numbers of your student ID card number.”

A thousand butterflies let loose in her stomach at the tell-tale sound of her crush’s deep voice.

“Cameron!” she greeted with a nervous laugh. “Hi! What are you doing here?”

“It’s the library.”

“Right!” She smacked her head. “Dumb me, of course. You must be studying.”

“Actually, I have an oral presentation after lunch and need to reprint my speaking notes. I spilled paint on my cue cards this morning. What are you working on?”

“Oh!” Courtney laughed it off. “It’s not important. Thanks for the login info!”

“No problem. Maybe we can see each other later after my grief counseling?”

Courtney nearly knocked the magic mouse off the surface of the table. “I’d love that!”

“Awesome, I’ll text you?”

“Great!” She waved as he turned around and sat down at the next computer. Courtney pulled up the tab she had with the word document of Rick’s letter to Beth and fawned over it, imagining herself in Beth’s shoes with Cameron. She printed it out and ambled over to the printing center while it was still warm. According to the school clock, which was probably ten minutes fast if it were anything like the other clocks in her classrooms, she had twenty minutes to find Beth’s locker and get it in securely without being seen. Courtney packed her bag and folded the sheet in three like Beth had been getting since the beginning of March, sticking it between her teeth as she got that bag over her shoulders.

“Court.”

She twirled around at the tap on her shoulder, not expecting to find Cameron waiting for her with a grim look on his face. “Huh?” She removed the paper and crinkled her eyes at him. “Hey!”

“Hi,” Cameron said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I think my essay got mixed up with your uh….letter…”

“What?” Courtney checked Rick’s letter in her hand. “No! This is um, uh it’s ‘ The Republic of Marino is a small country in the region of--’ oooooooh crap.”

Courtney snatched it from him, giving herself a papercut in the process as she swapped sheets, mind racing when she put two and two together. Oh no. Oh no oh no. The blood drained from her face.

“That’s not mine!” she yelped.

The librarian barked at them both from across the room as Cameron blinked at her with a complicated expression.

“I mean!” Courtney added in more quietly but equally harried, hissing at the stinging from her thumb. She sucked at the blood that trickled down her palm. “I printed it obviously! Because we were here and I was at the printer and you were at the printer and I wrote it!” She was going to get blood on Beth’s love letter and make her think that she’s being stalked by an ax murderer or The Gambler’s personal hitman. “These words aren’t from me ,” she stressed. “I didn’t say these things!”

Dang it, this was bad. He wasn’t going to draw her flowers anymore or cute stars passed in notes during their shared homeroom. She continued to ramble when Cameron didn’t say anything. “Actually!” She wiped her palm on her jeans and returned it. “It’s for you!”

Cameron maintained cool and collected when he pointed at the opening address, becoming amused. “It says ‘ Dear Beth ’”

“Does it!? Typo!”

“Look, I don’t blame you for developing a crush on a close friend. It happens, you don’t have to explain it to me.”

“But!”

Cameron backed away. “I’m gonna go.”

~.~

Rick let Beth drag him out of class so they could meet up with her secret admirer in the empty hallway at her locker knowing this wasn’t going to end well.

Beth tapped at the yellow sticky note on her locker that had the details of her rendezvous.

“What happens if he doesn’t show up?” Rick crossed his arms awkwardly when Beth turned around to look at him. “If they don’t show up.”

He should’ve noticed the second that he saw Beth that this had been her plan since she got out of bed. She was wearing a dress and tights that perfectly so matched her colour, it took a second glance to confirm it adhered to the no dress on skin school dress code.

Her hair had clips in them too, a moon clip that parted the left side of her afro in a way that let it drop slightly over her face like her mom’s weave. It was beautiful and she looked beautiful and Rick got stuck in those thoughts all over again when she slid down the lockers to wait, drawing up her knees.

“They will.” She patted on the dusty ground for him to sit.

“You’re not going to check your locker first?”

“You want me to?”

“Do you want to?” Rick countered.

Beth scrunched up her face at him. “I asked first.”

His face warmed and he finally sat down across from her. “Usually you rush to it, that's all.”

She stretched out her legs, pulling at the hem of her dress. “It’s not going to matter what was written in whatever they put in my locker when I get to see who they are. Meeting them in person will be more exciting.”

Bold words to say to her secret admirer, sitting right in front of her. Rick sighed and stretched out too. He drew up one leg, the other bent at the knee. “What if they’re really ugly?”

Beth rolled her eyes.

“Just asking. You can like someone’s sentiments but not their face.”

“I’m going to like their face,” she reassured him. “Even if I’ll have to learn to.”

“Okay,” Rick drawled. He was hoping if he extended the talk long enough, Beth would grow bored and give up. Just because the secret admirer won’t show up today doesn’t mean that they did so with ill-intent. Rick tried to remind Beth of this as they sat around alone. The secret admirer could’ve got swept up in a test in class or had an early dismissal. Beth wouldn’t know the difference. Rick wasn’t hurting her by playing along.

When an hour passed and Rick saw how determined she was to stick this through, the internal panic ramped up.

Of course, the thought came to him that he should come clean. It’s just that. That meant Rick would have to come clean . He hated that Courtney was right to laugh at him over this. It freaked him out to just blurt out the truth. It would take Beth by surprise. Rick hadn’t planned yet how he was going to wind the secret admirer thing down to prepare her about it all. He thought she’d get to read his letter today to gauge how she’d feel.

He stared up at the ceiling thinking through five hundred strategy plans to get out of this mess while untangling the secret as Beth played a game on her phone.

“Soooo,” Beth said some while later. “Are we going to be waiting another hour or…”

Rick jerked up, saucer-eyed and mouth agape. His brain short-circuited.

“Because we can take all the time you need, Rick.”

“You knew?” He banged his head against the metal behind him. She didn’t need a supercomputer to figure out Rick liked her before Rick figured out he liked her, did she? “Of course you knew,” he muttered to himself. The shock wore off as the embarrassment settled in, his face flushing as bright confirmation. A massive shot of adrenaline flooded through him, similar to the rush of his hourglass.

“I pieced it together a few days ago,” she admitted. “I don’t think you realize how much lighter you are now.” Beth picked herself up and crossed the hall to sit by his side. Her hand went to his right knee and she leaned forward. “Rick, it’s okay. It’s okay to like me.”

The words clogged up in Rick’s throat as she spoke softly, overwhelmed. He wanted to explain everything but it was complicated and delicate and if she’d only read his freakin letter trapped in that locker maybe he’d have a chance to get her to understand-

“Oh my god, you’re really nervous.” She lifted her hand up to give him room. “Rick, it’s just me. I like you too, I’m just a bit confused about how this all makes sense.”

“I didn’t know,” he managed out, stilted. “I really didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what?”

“I’m not your real secret admirer.” Rick corrected himself. “I wasn’t your first.”

“Okay…”

“There were those weird letters at first. The random ones. And I didn’t understand why they got under my skin so much. But they did. So I found the guy who was making them and I-"

"Really," Beth deadpanned.

"I know, I know." Rick scowled. "I found out it was that they were being forced to.”

Sourness etched over her mouth as it pulled her lips thin together. “Oh.”

“And I wanted it to quit but by then it was involving the bullying of that other guy, not just you.” Rick sighed. “So I took over to help.”

“Rick.”

“I just didn’t want you to get crushed!” he told her, going into more detail about Joseph and the football team. “I was going to explain when it was all over what happened, and you were going to laugh it off and thank me and then I would’ve shrugged that off because it was whatever. It was the right thing to do.”

“But?”

Rick rolled his eyes at himself. “But I liked what I was doing too much for it to be normal.” He raised his head to give her a crooked smile. “I like you. ”

“You are so ridiculous,” she giggled out. She stood up and leisurely made her way to the locker. “So you have this important letter in here for me that you want me to read?” She toyed with her combination lock. “What’s in it?”

“Uh. A mess?”

“I’ll keep it for later then,” she decided and grabbed his hand. He stood up and followed her, hyper-aware of the way she led him away with her hand in his. “Come on, we have something we need to do.”

She brought him to the school library, which Rick did not understand. She sat him down at a macbook and darted in to kiss his cheek. Rick stuttered, lightheaded as she booted up his computer.

“Uh- What exactly are we doing?”

“Writing.” She tapped on his keyboard and moved his still hands over them with an exciting squeeze. “There are four more days left in the month and I don’t know about you but I’d really rather spend our free periods and after school with you on a date.”

"That is...a really good idea."

She glanced up from their screen to find Cameron watching them oddly.

Beth awkwardly waved.

“Why is he looking at us like that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care.” Rick put his arm around her, ignoring everyone else. He leaned forward to steal her move, gently kissing away her curiosity.

Beth grinned and leaned her head against his shoulder as he typed lines and lines of compliments. “Then I don’t care either.”

#beth chapel #rick tyler #hournite #rick x beth #hournite week 21 #hournite week 2021 #secret admirer au #hournites fic

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fandom-junkie2020 · 4 years

Text

You Weren’t Suppose to Know That

Carl Grimes x Reader

Summary- From the moment Carl showed up in Alexandria you’ve taken an interest in him. It took a mishap for you to express your feelings.

I rode down on the streets of Alexandria on my skateboard looking for my best friend Ron. He was having trouble at home lately and he would always tell me about what was happening. My mom knew about what was happening yet she didn't do anything. That pissed me off. She's always talking about making Alexandria a better place and making it a safe place for everyone yet she won't intervene in Ron's situation because 'they'll work it out'. I found Ron looking at the gates. They were opening them so Aaron must be back.

"Hey, Ron." I said as I hoped of my skateboard and looked towards a group that they where letting in. "Any idea who these people are?" I asked.

"No idea. Aaron must have brought them back but I don't see him yet." Ron replied. Before I could think about anything more Spencer, my oldest brother, waved me over.

"This should be fun." I laughed and got back on my skateboard and rode over. I stopped in front of Spencer. "What's up."

"You know mom's gonna be pissed if she figures out you're still riding that thing." He laughed and I pointed at him.

"Mom doesn't need to find out."

"Oh really? What are you gonna do to stop me from telling her?" He asked.

"I'm gonna prank you for the rest of your life. Aiden will help me too. He's on my side of this battle."

"Yeah yeah sure." He turned to the new group "Well everyone this is my little sister, Y/N, she will be taking you to see our mom, Deanna. Once you get there she's going to ask you a few questions." I looked at Spencer.

"I didn't volunteer. It's my day off." I said.

"Well to bad." He shoved my shoulder and I shoved him back.

"Asshole." I laughed and turned to the group "Hope you guys can keep up." I said happily then got back on my skateboard and started towards our house where we hold the interviews.

"How long has this place been here." A deep voice asked. I turned my head to see an older man with a beard then turned back.

"Since the beginning. Most of the people here haven't seen what's outside the walls. I've seen it but my mom doesn't need to know that either." I laughed.

"You shouldn't sneak outside these walls. You're safe here." Someone else said.

"Okay listen up. I know you all just got here and you think you know everything but you don't. I go out just in case. If anyone or anything get's inside these walls then we're all screwed. No one in here can fight and most of them can't shoot guns. I go out there and practice killing those things because no one in here knows anything." It was silent for a while after that until a younger voice spoke up.

"What's your name?" I turned to see two people that where around my age so I'm not sure which one said it.

"Y/N." We where getting close to my house so I hopped off my skate board and hid it in front of Ron's house. He always lets me hide it there and he only lives a couple of houses down from me. I turned to the group and motioned for them to fallow me towards my house. Once we got there I stopped on the first couple of steps and turned around.

"Before we go in what are you're guy's names?" I asked.

"I'm Rick. Over there is Glenn, Maggie, Carol, Daryl, Eugene, Tara, Noah, Carl, who's holding Judith, Rosita, and Abraham." The man, Rick, said. I nodded and walked up the steps then walked inside.

"Mom we have a new group!" I yelled. My mom entered from the kitchen with my dad close behind.

"Oh well you all can make your way to the living room where you'll wait with my husband, Redge, and I'll call you all up one at a time." My mom said sweetly. "Y/N why don't you stay with your father. There seems to be some kids your age." She paused and looked around. "Who is the leader of your group?" She asked and Rick spoke up.

"That'd be me." My mother nodded.

"Well then, fallow me." He did as asked and they both walked upstairs while my father led everyone to the living room.

"Hey, dad?" I called and he walked over to me. "Do I really have to stay. I had some plans to hang out with Ron and Mickey." He sighed.

"Your mother just wants you to make more friends." I scoffed.

"What does she expect? The worlds gone to shit and she's worried about how many friends I have." I said with anger wrapping around my words.

"Watch your language. Why don't you wait for- what are their names again?" I rolled my eyes.

"Carl and Noah."

"Oh yes. Well why don't you wait for their interviews to be over with. Then you can go visit Ron and Mickey." He suggested.

"Or I could just leave them alone and let them adjust to this place." He sighed again.

"Fine but if your mother gets mad at you I have nothing to do with it." Then he walked towards the other group. I looked over and saw Carl looking at me. I blushed and ran out as fast as I could without attracting to much attention.

Once I reached Ron's house I knocked on the door and Jessie opened it.

"Hey, Y/N, come right in." She smiled and let me in.

"Thanks, Jessie. Ron and Mickey are upstairs right?" I asked. She nodded and I almost walked away but then she said,

"Enid's up there too." I turned around and looked at Jessie. She looked at me sadly. "You okay hun?" She asked and I nodded.

"It's just," I paused "today was one of those friends only things. I want to be supportive of him but I don't remember the last time we really hung out without Enid around." I sighed "Don't know why I thought today would be different." Then I walked upstairs and into Ron's room. Ron and Enid were on the bed with him laying in between her legs while facing the TV and playing video games, she was reading a comic that she rested on his head. Mickey was sitting on the floor at the end of the bed. Ron looked over at me then back to the TV.

"Hey, Y/N." He said then Enid snapped her head up and glared at me but I ignored her.

"Hey." I said quietly and then quickly ran past the TV so I didn't mess up there game. Then I sat in the beanbag chair that Ron kept in the corner. I leaned back and listened to their video games. Sooner or later I fell asleep.

I was woken up my something soft hitting me. I didn't pay attention to it at first but then it hit me again and I groaned but didn't open my eyes.

"Come on Y/N wake up. Carl came over." I heard Ron say.

"Ron, if you hit me with that pillow one more time I swear to God I'll kill you myself." I said and I heard him laugh. "Plus we've already met. Spencer had me take em' to my mom."

"Well can you be like a human for once and become functional?" Ron said. I opened my eyes and saw Carl standing in the door awkwardly. Ron was standing in front of me, pillow in hand. Enid was sitting on the bed reading a comic like she had been when I first fell asleep. Mickey probably left because of his mom, he never allowed him to stay for long.

"Happy? I'm functional. I'm awake." I said sarcastically. Ron nodded.

"Why don't we go show Carl around?" Ron asked. I got up from the bean bag chair and smiled.

"Sure, beats staying inside all day." I said.

"I don't feel like it." Enid said and we all looked at her.

"Well, Miss Bitchey, if you don't want to come you don't have to." I glared at her and she looked up from her comic and glared back.

"Maybe you'd stop calling me a bitch then I'd actually want to go." She stood up and walking in front of Ron so that she was between us.

"Maybe if you weren't a bitch then I wouldn't have to call you one." I snapped back. Then Ron put a hand on Enid's shoulder and pushed her back.

"Can you guys not fight for five minuets. It gets old. I don't get why you both hate each other." Ron said calmly and my face softened.

"We don't fight that much." I said.

"More then you realize." Ron said sadly and then everyone was quiet for a few minuets.

"Alright lets just show Carl around." Then I walked out not even paying attention to weather or not they were fallowing me. It killed me that I had made Ron sad. He's been my best friend ever since the world went to shit. I've helped him through a lot and he as helped me just as much. I always tried to except Enid but she made it difficult. She never left Ron alone and if she did it was never for long. I just missed spending time with my best friend.

I walked down the steps and into the kitchen but didn't hear any footsteps fallowing me. I'm not sure if I want them to fallow me or not. It would be nice to have them fallow me and have some people to talk to but on the other hand I also want to be alone. I continued walking towards the door but Jessie stopped me.

"Y/N? Hey are you alright?" She asked. I looked at her, she was sitting on the couch with Sam. I just nodded and walked out and down the street not even paying attention to where I was going.

I walked downstairs when people started to really show up. A lot of the town was already inside. I hoped that Ron wouldn't show up. I hadn't talked to him since the whole incident with Enid. I was still upset that I hadn't realized Enid and me fought that much. Ron was already dealing with enough fighting in his house with him family, he didn't need to see it with him friends too.

I walked over to the couch that didn't have anybody on it. People normally stood up and talked to one another. I just sat there and twiddled my thumbs. People from the new group started to show up and some of them looked uncomfortable. I wouldn't blame them for a town that takes place in the apocalypse these people sure are preppy. I felt someone sit beside me and I looked up to see Maggie holding Judith.

"Are you okay?" She asked and I sighed.

"Honestly no. I've been ignoring my best friend." I looked back down.

"Why?" She asked.

"Well I don't exactly get along with his girlfriend and I guess I just didn't realize how much we fought. He's just upset and I don't really know what to do."

"Maybe you should just go talk to him. Figure it all out together." She suggested. I laughed.

"His girlfriend just hates it when I talk to him. How am I suppose to make everything between us okay if she hates me for just speaking to him?" I asked.

"Well, sounds to me like she isn't a very good girlfriend if she's pushing her boyfriends best friend away from him." She said and I nodded.

"I'm gonna go get some fresh air. Thanks, Maggie." I said, she nodded and I walked outside and sat on the front steps. I sat there for a while trying to figure out what I would say to Ron when I saw movement beside me. I looked up and saw Carl sitting down next to me.

"Hey, Carl." I said and looked down at my feet.

"Have you talked to Ron lately?" He asked. I shook my head no. "You should." He said.

"Why? It's not like I'll really be able to change anything." I sighed.

"You know it kills him to not talk to you right. He's always going on and on about what he should do to fix everything."

"He doesn't need to do anything. It's just between Enid and me." I said.

"Why do you guys hate each other so much?" He asked.

"She doesn't like me because she thinks that I'll take Ron from her. Which is ironic because she ended up taking him away from me." I said sadly.

"He's still there you know that right?" He asked and I looked up at him.

"You don't get it do you?" I asked. "Ron is and has always been my best friend ever since the world ended. Then all of a sudden this girl comes and he starts to like her and she starts to like him. One day you hang out with your best friend all day everyday. Then sooner or later you just start hanging out with him and his girlfriend who hates you. I never talked to him about Enid because I care about him. If she makes him happy then I'm happy for him. I didn't think that we fought that much but apparently we fight a lot more then I had hoped." Tears started to slowly fall down my face.

"You don't like Ron do you?" He asked softly and I laughed.

"No." I paused "He's just- he's always been there. There are just some things that I can't talk to my family about and he is just always there."

"Can you promise me something?" He asked and I nodded. "If you go and try to clear things up with Ron then I'll be there for you weather you clear them up or not. Then you'll have someone no matter what." I laughed and pulled him in for a hug that I don't think he was expecting but he hugged back.

"Thank you." I whispered in his ear.

One Month Later

I had cleared things up with Ron finally. We were both happy again and I had also became close friends with Carl which I was happy about. He also kept him promise. When Ron couldn't be there Carl was. He made me happy and I think I've developed a crush on him.

I was on my way to Ron’s house so that we could hang out. He had been really good at making time just for us. I reached the door and knocked just like I always did except no one answered. I knocked again but still no one answered. Then I heard glass brake from inside the house. I didn't waste any time on opening the door and rushing inside. Pete and Jessie where in the kitchen and there was broken glass on the kitchen floor. Ron came running downstairs and when he saw me his eyes widened. We both turned our attention back onto Pete and Jessie. Pete started punching Jessie so I ran over and tried to get her away from him but he pushed me back and I hit my head off the kitchen counter and when I landed my hands got cut on the glass that was scattered across the floor.

"Y/N!" I heard Ron yell. He rushed over to my side but it was difficult to focus on anything. I felt my forehead but instantly pulled my hand back because of the pain from touching it.

"Ron take Y/N upstairs!" Jessie yelled. I felt myself being picked up. I looked up and saw Ron looking at me, concern covered his face. He ran up the stairs but I wasn't sure which room he ran into until he said,

"Sam open the door." I heard Sam’s closet door open then Ron got into the closet, sat down so that I was in his lap, and had Sam close and lock the door. Ron held my head and upper body with one arm and the other rested on my side.

"Is she okay?" Sam asked, he sounded scared.

"I don't know." Ron cried. "Hey. Hey, Y/N, can you talk to me?" He asked.

"E-everything is s-spinning." I said weakly. Ron let out a breath of relief.

"O-okay. What else?" He asked.

"My h-head hurts like a-a bitch." He laughed.

"Okay, it's okay. We can leave soon." He said.

"R-on?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired." I breathed out and started to close and eyes.

"No, no you have to stay awake. Can you do that. Let my see your eyes." He pleaded. I nodded weakly. "How about you tell me about something you love? Yeah, tell me about something you love." He said. I tired thinking but it was getting more and more difficult.

"I-I don't k-know." I said.

"Oh come on. What about a person?" He asked. I nodded. "Can you tell me about them?" I nodded again.

"Y-you won't get ups-set?" I asked.

"I promise. I won't get mad just tell me about them." I didn't talk for a couple minuets so Ron spoke up again "Can I guess and you nod?" He asked and I nodded in response. "Okay, is it Mickey?" I smiled weakly and shook my head no. "Is it someone our age?" I nodded. He didn't talk for another couple minuets. "I-Is it Carl?" I shook my head yes and smiled a lot wider. "Okay, that's good. You're gonna stay awake so you can see him again. He seems like a great guy." I nodded again.

"Ron, she's gonna be okay right?" Sam asked.

"I hope so buddy. We just have to keep her thinking and communicating." Ron said. Then we all heard a lot of glass breaking from downstairs then Sam’s door swung open.

"Sam, Ron are you guys okay?" It was Jessie.

"Yeah mom we're okay but I don't think Y/N is." Ron said.

"Okay open the door." She said softly and Sam unlocked the door and opened it. Jessie was kneeling in front of the door and it looked like there where bruises all over her arms.

"Oh god. Okay bring her over to the bed." Jessie said with a worried tone then she rushed out of the room. Ron ran over to Sams bed and carefully placed me down. Before long we heard yelling from outside. Sam rushed to the window to look outside.

"It's Dad!" He yelled and then Ron rushed over to see as well.

"Oh god, Ricks beating the shit out of him." Ron said.

"Rick stop!" Multiple people yelled. "Put the gun down!" We heard someone yell then it all just stopped. People stopped screaming at Rick. Ron turned to me and sat beside me on the bed. I looked at him.

"We need to do something." Ron said. "We can't have Dad help you and I don't know who else could." Then Jessie ran back in with bandages. "Mom we need to do something about her head." Ron said.

"I know, I know." Jessie said. Then they started to clean up my hands and wrap them.

"What if we ask Deanna?" Sam suggested. Jessie looked up at him.

"Sam you're a genius. Ron you look after her and keep her awake. I'll go get Deanna and see if she knows anything about anyone." It seemed like forever until Mom walked in with someone behind her.

"Oh my god." She whispered and rushed over next to Ron. "Denise what should we do?" She asked.

"Umm we should get her to the infirmary but Pete never lets me in." The lady, Denise, said.

"I'll let you in. I have to get Redge." She whispered the last part.

"Okay umm what's your name?" Denise asked Ron.

"Ron. I'm her friend." He said.

"Okay, Ron, you need to help us get her the infirmary." He nodded.

"I'm tired." I whispered. Mom looked at me and held my hand gently.

"I know baby but you gotta stay awake." I noticed that she had tears streaming down her face.

"Okay we have to go now." Denise said. Ron picked me up just like he had done before and fallowed Denise down the street. All of us where running, well obviously not me.

"Y/N?" I heard someone yell. "What happened?" They yelled again.

"We'll tell you when we get there!" Ron yelled. We reached the infirmary and Denise started to order people around. I couldn't pay attention to anything. I was still in Ron’s arms but I passed out.

Carl’s P.O.V.

I was walking down the street shortly after my dad had beaten up Pete. Michonne had knocked him out so he didn't continue to do anything stupid. I looked up at the sky and watched the clouds pass the sun but then my attention was brought to the street when I heard multiple people running down the street. I saw Denise, Deanne, Jessie, Sam, and Ron running towards the infirmary. Ron was holding someone. Y/N? Oh god what happened?

"Y/N?" I yelled and they looked over at me but kept running. "What happened?" I yelled as I ran towards them.

"We'll tell you when we get there!" Ron yelled.

We reached the infirmary and luckily Pete wasn't there. Denise started to give orders out to people to get IV's and bandages. Y/N had passed out while Ron was still holding her.

"Don't just stand there get her on the bed!" Denise yelled. Ron rushed over and put her on the bed.

"Okay I need you kids to stay out on the porch. If we need help I'll come get you." Jessie assured and Sam, Ron, and I walked out on the porch and sat down on the steps.

"What happened?" I choked out. I looked over at Ron who was looking at his hands that had a small amount of blood on them. "What happened?" I asked again.

"My dad happened. She was early. She wasn't suppose to come over for another half hour. If I thought this was gonna happen I would have canceled. This is all my fault." He put his head in his hands.

"No, man, it's not your fault. Can you just- can you tell me what happened?" I asked again. He took his head out of his hands and nodded.

"My dad was fighting with my mom again. I had gotten Sam in the closet like I'm suppose to but then I heard glass break from downstairs. I went down to see what happened and there was glass all over the kitchen. Y/N was in the living room and we looked at each other but we didn't do anything. Then my dad started to punch my mom and Y/N tried to get in between. I didn't have time to stop her. I know what happens when you try and get in between. Agh if I had just been faster then this wouldn't be happening, but ahh anyways, my dad he pushed Y/N out of the way and she hit her head on the countertop. Hard too. When she landed she cut her hands on the glass. My mom yelled for me to take her upstairs with Sam. We all hid in the closet until it stopped. Sam and me kept her talking," he paused "nodding at least." We didn't talk for the next couple of minuets until I said,

"It's not your fault. If anything I think you helped her." He looked over at me.

"You know she likes you Carl. She doesn't talk about you a lot but that's probably because she thought I'd be upset." He said and I blushed.

"H-how— did she tell you that?" I asked and he laughed.

"I was trying to get her to talk about something she loved. She couldn't really strike up a conversation because of her head but ahh," he laughed "I asked her if we could talk about someone she loved. I started thinking about people besides her family because it would probably get her to think more. Then I asked if it was Mickey. She laughed and shook her head. Then I asked if it was someone our age you know just to see." We both laughed at that. "She nodded and it took me a couple minuets but then I guessed you. You should have seen her smile, man. Then I told her that she needed to stay awake so that she could see you again." I looked down at the ground and smiled so wide. She liked me. I couldn't believe it.

"I can't believe it." I whispered. Ron laughed.

"I'm guessing you like her back?" He asked.

"You could say that" I smiled.

"Just remember if you hurt her I'll kick your ass." He laughed and I laughed along.

"Yeah you'll have to deal with me too." Sam said. I had almost forgotten he was here.

"I don't think you guys have anything to worry about." I said and they both smiled at me. We all sat there for a while before Jessie walked back outside. We all stood up. Jessie laughed.

"She's gonna be fine. She's up now but really groggy." She moved away from the door and we all ran in. Ron and I were on either side of her and Sam was next to Ron.

"Hey, guys." Y/N whispered. She sounded like she was on drugs. I laughed and looked over to Denise.

"Is she on drugs?" I asked and Denise laughed.

"She's on strong painkillers. Really strong painkillers." I looked back at Y/N who was looking up at the ceiling in confusion.

"What are you even looking at?" Ron asked. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't know." She said. We all started laughing.

"Oh yeah strong painkillers." I laughed. She looked over at me.

"Where am I?" She asked then looked over at Ron and Sam.

"You're in the infirmary." Ron said sadly then he scratched the back of his neck.

"Do you remember how you got here?" Denise asked from across the room. Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and looked as if she was thinking.

"I remember going over to Ron's house and then I went to get in between Pete and Jessie. Then I remember sitting in a closet with Ron and Sam." Y/N said.

"Do you remember anything else?" Ron asked. He looked over at me and smirked.

"Well- uh- you were trying to get me to keep talking." She replied. Ron nodded.

"Do you remember what we talked about?" He asked and smirked at both Y/N and me, his eyes shifting between us.

"Why are you asking me so many questions?" Y/N sighed out of frustration. Ron held his hands up and laughed.

"H-hey can I talk to Y/N alone?" I felt my cheeks heat up.

"Sure thing." Ron said "See you later Y/N. I'm sure Sam and I'll visit tomorrow."

"See ya Y/N!" Sam exclaimed and waved to her as him and Ron walked out the door.

"Make sure you don't keep her up to long okay, Carl?" Denise said. I laughed and nodded. She smiled then walked outside. Once she left Y/N started laughing and I looked at her confused.

"What?" I laughed. She continued to laugh before she said,

"Your face is red." Then she continued laughing. This only made my face heat up more.

"Y/N, can I tell you something?" I asked as she was still laughing. It took a while to get her to stop laughing but once I did I asked her again and she nodded. I noticed that she looked really tired.

"Ron told me about what you said while he was trying to keep you awake." She looked at me weird. I had forgotten that she couldn't remember what she had said. "Y-you basically- well sort of told him that you were in love with me." I looked at her, she seemed sad, and she looked down.

"No one was suppose to know about that." She whispered but I could hear here due to the quietness though out the room. Then I saw tears drip down her face and onto her lap. I quickly sat on the side of the bed and rested my hand on her knee.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You weren't suppose to find out and on top of that I'm all drugged up and tired and I just- I just-" she cut herself off with sobs. I quickly wrapped my arms around her surprisingly enough she didn't pull back, instead she wrapped her arms around me as well.

"It's fine. It's fine. I'm glad that I found out." I said. She pulled away and looked at me but she was still crying.

"Why?" She asked. I raised my hands and wiped the tears off her face even though more appeared anyways.

"B-because I uh- well" I paused and took a deep breath. "I love you too." She shook her head and I looked at her confused.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." She cried.

"If I was just saying that to make you feel better then would I do this?" Then I connected our lips. Thousands of fireworks went off the moment we touched. In the middle of the kiss she started to smile then eventually started to laugh causing me to do so as well. "What?" I asked laughing as we pulled apart.

"I'm just really happy. Also my mind is everywhere. I'm not sure what Denise gave me but it sure does work." She laughed. I looked at the clock that hung on the wall. It was about 8:00PM and I should probably get Y/N to sleep.

"You should probably get some sleep before Denise cuts my head off." I smiled. She nodded and laid down on the hospital bed. I leaned down and kissed her forehead before starting towards the door.

"Wait." Y/N said softly. I turned back around.

"Can you stay here?" She sounded a little embarrassed and her cheeks turned bright red. I laughed but nodded and walked over to her. She moved over so that I had room to lie down. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders while she snuggled into my side.

"I love you, Carl." She whispered.

"I love you too, Y/N." I whispered back then we both peacefully fell asleep.

#carl grimes #the walking dead #daryl dixon #rick grimes #glenn rhee #fanfic #carl grimes x reader #carl grimes x y/n

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brywrites · 3 years

Text

Date Night II

Here’s the second part to a TKOW-verse “Date Night”!

Part I | The Keeping of Words

Summary: Three years after leaving the BAU, Dr. Spencer Reid has given up chasing monsters to be a part-time professor and a full-time dad. It’s all domestic bliss - until Cat Adams turns up at the BAU.

Warnings: discussions of miscarriage, abuse

........

And so he took Cat to a roller rink. It wasn’t ice skating, but it was still skating. Walking inside with her like this was all just a fun game. Her fantasy come to life. She made him hold her hand. She kept calling him Spencie and he tried not to cringe, not to snap at the sound of it. It wasn’t a term of endearment. It wasn’t even close to the way it felt to hear Bianca say his name, to whisper my love as she ran her hands through his hair, or the way it sounded when Eliza Lou shouted daddy with the biggest smile on her face. No, any form of his name on Cat Adams’ lips made his skin crawl.

He kept trying to get Cat to slip up, but she refused to answer his questions. “I don’t want to talk about that,” she said after he asked about her baby.

“I didn’t want to talk about it,” he said. “I was actually just trying to see if I could use it against you.”

Cat spun around, skating closer. “Oh, really? What about um… sex?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. He gritted his teeth as he placed his hands on her waist to steady himself. Her touch felt like burning, in all the worst ways. As she gazed up at him, he had to force himself not to look away. “Why don’t you use that against me?”

It was hard to breathe this close to her, with his thoughts moving too fast and the memories of Mexico, of Milburn coming too quickly. He had to stay calm. He had to play this game. It was the only way to keep Bianca and Elizabeth safe. He was doing this for them. He just had to think of them.

Cat pushed him away suddenly, and the next thing he knew she’d slapped him hard enough to knock him off balance. She skated away and he scrambled off the floor. “Cat, wait! Cat. Cat, wait. Cat!”

“I have spent my entire adult life reading men. I know when they’re thinking about someone else,” she spat. And of course he was. Of course his mind was on his daughter, on his wife, on the two people he would have gone to the ends of the earth for. The only two people who could have compelled him to go on this stupid sham of a date in this godforsaken roller rink. “Do you know what this was for me? I didn’t ask for one last family visit or final meal. I wanted this. And you can’t even give me the courtesy of your undivided attention. So thanks, but this date is over. You can turn off the stupid lights, boys!” she shouted.

“She’s not you,” he blurted out. Cat turned to glare at him. “Ever since you came into my life, it’s like I can’t get you out of my head. There’s some part of my brain, some part that you inhabit and no matter how good or – or kind or attractive my wife is… she’s not you.” And the words weren’t necessarily lies. There had been a time when he couldn’t get Cat out of his head, but because he was haunted by her – not attracted to her. And Bianca wasn’t her, wasn’t anything like the woman who had tried to tear him apart.

“Do you think about me when you fuck her?” Cat asked.

Lie. Lie and make it good. For the first time in a long time he thought of Maeve. Thought of Diane and the warehouse and how he hadn’t been convincing enough to save someone he loved that night. He wasn’t going to lose this time. He looked to the side, hoping the heat rising to his face would look like an embarrassed blush.

Cat laughed, and to his relief it was a laugh of delight. “Oh come on, Spencie. I’m gonna need you to elaborate on that for me.”

He closed his eyes so his microexpressions wouldn’t betray him. “I try not to. But it’s like I can’t help it. She just… doesn’t do it for me anymore. Not like you. And I know she wouldn’t be able to handle the things I – the things I want to do with you.” God, he was going to be sick.

But Cat was threading her arm around his. “If I’m a homewrecker, I want to make it official. Take me home, loverboy.”

Against all his better judgment, he agreed. Cat already knew their address he presumed, given that she’d had Lindsey bring his mother by the day they’d abducted her. They stood on the front porch of the little blue house as Spencer fumbled with the key in the lock.

“Wait,” Cat said, putting her hand on his. “Did you really mean what you said back there?”

“Yes,” he answered immediately. He could feel the questioning stares of Luke and every SWAT agent.

“Prove it,” Cat said. “And make it good. Because I’m this close to letting them die.”

Reid stared at those cold, dark eyes. He had to make her believe it. He had to betray Bianca in order to save her and their daughter. Just pretend it’s her. He cupped Cat’s the face the way he had done to Bianca a million times, closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to hers. It’s Bianca, he told himself. It’s Bianca. He kissed her furiously, the way he did sometimes after they’d spent too much time apart, or she was blushing in that adorable way, or she was begging him for a distraction. The illusion was a fragile one. Anger could be mistaken for passion though, and he was so angry in that moment. He grabbed at her hair tighter, he pressed the weight of his body against her, he sucked harder at her lip. He tried to believe it, but the hand on his cheek was too warm and the hair between his fingers was too long and the tongue forcing its way into his mouth wasn’t hers.

Just when he thought he couldn’t do it any longer, Cat pulled away. He wanted to vomit, but he forced himself to swallow back the bile rising in his throat. He had to make her believe it.

It was only then that he opened his eyes and realized she wasn’t looking at him anymore. She’d opened the door, and he followed her gaze to where Bianca stood in the living room, her mouth hanging open as she stared at them.

His heart plummeted.

He yanked his hand away from Cat as Bianca wrapped her arms around herself, a look of unmistakable hurt plain on her face.

“B, what are you doing here?” he gasped, crossing the room towards her. She clutched her phone in her hand. There was a pattern of bruises, dirt, scratches across her face. A burn visible on her collarbone that he presumed was from the blank that had been fired. He ached to hold her, but she took a step back when he approached.

“Where is she, Spencer? Where’s Elizabeth?” Bianca demanded.

“Get Cat out of here,” Luke shouted at the SWAT team.

“No, no! She’s the only one who knows where my daughter is!” Bianca cried. “Cat doesn’t go anywhere until I know where she is!”

Cat sauntered into the living room, a triumphant smirk on her face. “Well look at that. You’re not as boring as I thought. You’re plucky. Did it make you mad that I was kissing your husband?”

“No.”

Cat pouted. “Why not?”

“Because there are other things on my mind. Where is she?” Bianca demanded. “Where’s Eliza, where’s my daughter?”

“You’re always so serious,” Cat groaned. “Tonight’s supposed to be fun. Like all the games Spencie and I play together.”

“You think this is a game?” Bianca said. “You kidnapped my daughter!”

“The daughter you didn’t even want.”

“What?” Bianca’s eyebrows, knit together in anger, raised slightly as her rage gave way to confusion.

“Oh please.” Cat rolled her eyes, taking a seat in the armchair. “I got the transcript of the arraignment. You’d be surprised how easy it is to bribe prison guards. You didn’t want to be a mother. But boy genius here got you knocked up. I mean, you really think he’d know to wrap it before you tap it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I? He wanted to be a dad, and now here you are. Really I’m doing you a favor. You see, he’s got everyone fooled. Everyone things Dr. Spencer Reid is this nice, innocent, bookish genius who always saves the day – and has zero mommy issues, right? But he’s not. You know he said he thinks about me when he’s fucking you,” she laughed. Bianca recoiled at the words. “Does he ever get rough with you in the bedroom?”

Her face went red. “He’s never hurt me.”

“But that’s not entirely true is it? You said it yourself. He almost died in front of you. He chose drugs over you. He’s hurt you before. Maybe it didn’t leave a mark, but he’s hurt you. Maybe you know the real Spencer Reid. Just like I do.”

He bristled as she sat there in their chair, in their home, talking as if she owned the place. She didn’t belong here. She didn’t know anything about them. “Who’s the real me, Cat?” he asked.

Cat shifted her gaze to him. “The real Spencer Reid throws women against walls and hisses that he’s going to kill them. Even though you knew I was pregnant. You still hurt me.” She turned back to Bianca. “That’s right – while you painting a nursery and picking out baby names, he was throwing me against a wall and choking me. And the next day I miscarried.”

Bianca turned to look at him. The anger in his chest turned to lead, the weight of her words slamming down on him. “No. No that can’t be right. That’s not true.”

“It’s the truth,” she hissed. “Check my medical records. He might pretend to be a doting father, but he fawned over your little bundle of joy after killing my baby. He’s a murderer. Really no different from me. Or from that brother of yours.” Cat laughed sharply. “Oh, yeah. I did my research. Now that had to be fun to unpack in therapy. But it turns out all men are the same, aren’t they?”

“Bianca, I-”

“You were supposed to be different,” she said, cutting him off. She stared down at the floor of their living room. He was hurting her. He was hurting her right now. He fell back onto the couch in the living room, too tired to stay upright. “But you’re just like them. Like my father. Like Rick. Like Franklin.”

Franklin? The third name didn’t make sense. But Reid was too overwhelmed by her words to pay it much attention. She said it with such disgust and he couldn’t deny the guilt that was threatening to crush him. He wanted to sink into the floor. Had he really done that? JJ had tried to stop him but he hadn’t listened. Oh god what had he done?

“Let’s make a deal,” Cat said, grabbing the phone from Bianca’s hands. “I’ll tell you where your kid is. If you tell him exactly what you really think about him.”

Bianca closed her eyes. He could see her hands shaking. “I hate you. You’re just as bad as the others. But you hurt me. You hurt me so many times and you don’t even see it. And it doesn’t matter what I say or how much I yell at you, you’ll never see it.” He couldn’t breathe. What was happening? Where was any of this coming from? She’d only ever once spoken to him like that before. “My truth I will keep, I will not lie. You should have stayed at Milburn. It’s where you belong. Because you’re no different from any of the people you put away. You don’t deserve to be here.” She turned to stare at him. There were tears in her eyes.

And if he hadn’t known better, he would’ve assumed they meant hatred. But she’d given him a clue. My truth I will keep, I will not lie. That’s where Franklin came from. It was a line from “The Franklin’s Tale,” her favorite part of The Canterbury Tales. She’d told his mother that the day she first met Diana. It was a story she saw the two of them reflected in. Arveragus and Dorigen had a pure love based on equality and mutual respect, and when Aurelius tried to split them up, the strength of their love and their willingness to sacrifice for each other kept them together.

Bianca was trying to tell him that it was all an act. That whatever Cat was trying to do to split them up, it wasn’t going to work. Reid had to bite down on his lip to keep himself from smiling. That was his girl. His brilliant, incredible wife. He was so proud of her.

But he had to play along. “Bianca, please.”

“No. No more. I’m glad you found Cat. You two deserve each other.” She turned to Cat. “Now tell me where my daughter is, please. So I can get far away from him.” Cat typed something into the phone and handed it back. “There you go. Baby girl is alive and well. You’re welcome.”

Bianca turned on her heel and ran out to the team, leaving him stranded as he sat on the couch, staring straight ahead. Playing the part he needed play. “I win,” Cat declared. There was chaos around him as the SWAT team handcuffed Cat and Luke took off in a car with Bianca. He was loaded into the truck to sit beside Cat for the long ride back to the prison. The silence gave Cat’s words plenty of time to sink in. Regardless of Bianca’s reaction, there was a truth to what Cat had said. He’d hurt the woman he loved, and he’d done it more than once. He’d hurt so many people. And he’d caused Cat to miscarry.

He disgusted himself. It was all he could do to keep it together as Cat explained she’d just wanted to see him one last time – to make sure he wouldn’t forget about her.

She was hurting too. And maybe even scared. Her voice shook as she said, “Bye, Spencie. I really enjoyed our date.”

And then the guards were taking her away. And then Garcia and Simmons were there. “We heard you might need a ride,” Matt said. “We got Eliza. They’re both safe. We can take you to them if you want.”

“Yes. Yes, please.”

.....

He couldn’t get into that SUV fast enough. He clambered into the passenger seat, heaving a sigh.

“Rough night, huh?” Matt said, as they pulled onto the highway. Reid just shook his head.

“I thought that might be the case,” Garcia said. “Hey, boy genius. I know that you had to say some super yucky things tonight, but we briefed Bianca on it all before you went inside.”

“What? How?”

“Well, Cat had Juliette drop Bianca in the street. Cat wanted us to find her so you three could battle it out at home. The whole showdown was orchestrated – I’ll explain all the details later but to make a long story short, we figured out her endgame pretty fast. So we picked up my favorite petite poet the moment we got her location, hooked her up with a wire, took her back to your place, and told her to follow Cat’s lead and just lie as much as she had to. She would’ve made Meryl Streep proud with that performance! And then the moment Cat sent that text, we were able to swoop in and rescue little Eliza Lou from the clutches of the big bad wolf.”

“Thank you for doing all of that,” he said. “But I’m still feeling pretty horrible at the moment.”

“Is this about the miscarriage?” Garcia asked. “Because I can help you with that, too. “Cat said check the medical record and I did. She had a miscarriage, but it was months later. It had nothing to do with you. It was just a lie to throw you off. The whole team knows that, and so does Bianca.” She reached out from the backseat to put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not a monster, no matter how badly she wants you to believe that.”

With that information, Reid’s heart lifted ever so slightly. It wasn’t true. And while it would take a while to shake this terrible feeling after everything he’d heard and said, that much was a relief. And most importantly, Bianca and Elizabeth were safe. That was all that really mattered. The day had ended with the two people he loved most alive and well. Everybody lived this time.

They arrived at the hospital and the three of them walked through the maze of corridors together trying to follow the instructions of the front-desk person. He’d left his phone back at the house so Garcia was frantically trying to text Bianca for her location. Just when he was about to declare that they were hopelessly lost, a door opened and he spotted a familiar face.

“Maybe we should go back?” Simmons asked.

“Oh wait! This should be the right hallway,” Garcia said. “Just one door on the left and Bianca should be there, and we can put this whole day behind us. No more lies or games!”

But he didn’t hear them. Because Bianca was walking towards him with the most perfect smile on her face. Her cardigan hanging loosely from her shoulders, bandages and sutures on her skin and a hospital bracelet on her wrist.

“I don’t know,” Simmons said. “I mean, that kiss – that kind of thing seems hard to fake.”

“Oh Matt,” Garcia sighed. “You haven’t seen them together enough. Watch and learn.”

Reid ran to Bianca and wrapped her in a gentle hug. “Thank god you’re okay. Where’s Eliza?”

“The doctors are talking with her to make sure she feels safe at home before we can see her. But she’s okay. We both are,” Bianca said, “thanks to you.

“You were only in danger because of me. I’m so sorry.”

Bianca held him tight. “This was Cat’s fault. Nobody else’s. And it’s over now. We’re safe.” And so they were. She gazed up at him and those brown eyes were so warm. So inviting. He raised a hand to tilt her chin towards him and then shifted to caress her cheek. A smile spread across her face and she closed her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her. Slow at first, as he tested the boundaries, worried about the bruises she bore. But she pulled grabbed his suit jacket and pulled him closer, so he deepened the kiss, savoring the taste of her lips and the sensation of her fingernails at the nape of his neck. She was still too far away, so he shifted his hands to her waist, carefully avoiding the places he knew she’d been kicked, and lifted her up, holding her against him as he spun her around, never once moving his lips from hers.

He kissed her with a passion typically reserved only for their bed or the sofa or up against the wall of the study late at night, kissed her like he couldn’t get enough of her. He didn’t care who saw them. She was safe. She was alive. He loved her, and he wanted the whole world to know that.

When they finally needed to breathe and she pulled away, he set her back on the ground only to pull her back into a hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you so much,” he murmured.

“I love you, too.”

At the end of the corridor, a dumbfounded Matt raised his eyebrows. “I see what you mean now.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Reid?” a nurse asked, poking his head into the hall. They both turned around. “You can come in now, we’ve finished talking with her. You’re all clear.” The relief on their faces were twin expressions as they dashed into the room together.

Elizabeth looked so small in the big ER bed and a hospital gown far too big for her, but she wore a huge smile. “Daddy, you’re here!” she said.

Reid hurried to her bedside, enveloping her in a hug. “I’m here. I’m right here.” He needed tangible proof that she was alright and to hold her in his arms seemed the simplest thing. His child was safe and sound, back with them where she belonged.

Bianca sat down on the bed and the little girl curled into her mother’s side while holding tight to her father’s hand. “You were so brave today, dear heart,” she said, stroking Eliza’s hair. “I’m so proud of you.”

Eliza looked up at her with wide brown eyes that mirrored her own. “I didn’t like the game,” she said. “Not fun.”

“We won’t play it ever again,” Reid promised her. There were no more games to win, no more villains to best. The doctor came in to assure them that they’d run a full exam on Elizabeth and had found nothing wrong. Juliette hadn’t hurt her. Bianca was given instructions to follow up if had any prolonged pain and then the three of them were on their way home. Garcia and Simmons gave them a ride back to their house, where Luke had driven Bianca’s car back to. By the time they arrived, Elizabeth was fast asleep.

They carried her into the blue house and up the stairs, tucking her carefully into bed and turning on her nightlight. Reid and Bianca hovered in the doorway just a moment longer, needing that extra space to remind themselves that their daughter was okay. They tiptoed downstairs where Bianca put a hot kettle on the stove for two cups of tea.

“You know,” Reid said, “I think Cat Adams was right about one thing.”

“What’s that?” Bianca asked.

“In twenty years, I won’t remember her name.” He stepped closer to her, lacing his fingers through her own. “But it won’t be because of Alzheimer’s. It’ll be because she won’t be worth remembering. I’ll have too many other memories – memories of vacations we took together and Eliza Lou’s birthdays and all of our anniversaries. Our life together. Our little girl. Cat won’t be anything but a blip on the radar. Hardly even a footnote in our story.”

“It’s finally over?”

“It’s over,” he assured her. “We don’t ever have to worry about her again.”

She smiled. “I’m sorry for everything I had to say tonight. I didn’t mean a word of it.”

“I know,” he said. “I picked up on that clue about the Franklin’s Tale. You were brilliant in there. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

The tea kettle began to whistle as she wrapped her arms around him. “It’s okay. We’re safe. We’re home. And we’re together.”

“That’s all I’ll ever need,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her.

#criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid x oc #the keeping of words #tkow

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danurso · 4 years

Text

That's pretty D.U.M.B

Part 0 - Part 1 - Part 2

After the explosion occurred, the room was filled with a light blue mist.

Ruby: *cough* *cough* what was that!?

Yang: i can't see anything! Can someone open *cough* *cough* the window!?

Pyrrha: found it! *open window allowing the smoke to leave the classroom.

Jaune: what the hell was that?

Oobleck: no idea mr.arc *looking around the room, which is still intact, just filled with smoke* but apparently the explosion didn't damaged anything.

Weiss: *gets up, massaging her head* oww, tell that to my head. I said this was stupid, and apparently it didn't give any results.

Jaune: what the hell are you already whining about princess?

RWBY/Pyrrha: *freezes*

Ruby: jaune?

Jaune: *leaving the smoke, with a different armor on and a scar on his left eye* what do you want now reddish? I'm not in the mood to- *freezes and looks at weiss, walking her way and holding her face*

Weiss: *blushes* w-what are you-

Jaune: *with a shocked expression* what happened to your eye? What is this scar?

Weiss: *breaks free* what? Shouldn't we be asking you this? besides, don't ever touch me without my permission again!

Jaune: *confused* . . .what bite your rich ass today princess? *looks back at oobleck with a scowl* was it you with your crazy inventions again?

Oobleck: *confused* mr.arc? Is this really you?

Jaune: and who else could i be? Did you broke your glasses or all that coffee finally fucked up your brain?

Ruby: jaune. . .what happened to you?

Jaune: the hell are you talking about reddi-

Jaune: *normal jaune, leaving the smoke massaging his head* oww, was that thing supposed to throw me away like that?

Weiss: *leaving the smoke too, this weiss however doesn't have a scar and her ponytail isn't to the side like usual* *whining* oww, my head hurts.

RWBY/Pyrrha: *speechless*

Oobleck: IT WORKED!!!

Jaune: what work- *stops, staring at the other version of himself and to weiss before looking at the weiss on his side* w-wait, what? Why is there other me here!?

Alternative Weiss: *looking between the jaunes* *gasp* jaune! There's two of you!

(A)Jaune: *with crossed arms* don't tell me princess, i'm not fucking blind.

(A)Weiss: *taking a closer look at jaune, with a large smile and stars in her eyes* he's just like you! Just scraggly and without the scar!

(A)Jaune: i can see that.

(A)Weiss: *bolts to her normal version* look! This me has a scar just like yours! I look kinda cool with it.

(A)Jaune: two princesses, this probably the worst day of my life.

(A)Weiss: or the best one, imagine having two me's around.

(A)Jaune: *deadpans* it would be twice as annoying.

(A)Weiss: yeah, but you would get twice the affection. *gives him a sweet smile*

(A)Jaune: . . . *looks away with a pink on his cheeks* shut up, will you?

(A)Weiss: *grinning happily*

Yang: . . .okay, that's kinda disturbing. Why is that ice queen so nice and that vomit boy so mean?

Oobleck: it's simple miss xiao long, these versions of mister arc and miss schnee are from a world different from ours, and if you think about the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, there are probably many other versions of them besides those.

Jaune: w-wait, so he's me from another universe?

Oobleck: Precisely! The D.U.M.B worked perfectly! And thanks to it we can meet these alternative versions of you two.

(A)Jaune: what the hell are you talking about? And what is going on?

Oobleck: *ahem* i'm sorry for disturbing you two with this experiment, but this place is a dimension different from your original one.

(A)Jaune: . . .*raises eyebrow* did someone put vodka on your coffee or have you always been crazy like that?

Oobleck: i can assure you mister arc that i'm very sober and sane. *points at D.U.M.B* you see this device here? It's a dimensional and universal magical bridge, but you can call it D.U.M.B to shorten.

(A)Weiss: *snort* dumb.

(A)Jaune: *rolls his eyes* it had to be.

Oobleck: this is the device that allowed us to bring you two to our universe.

(A)Jaune: so let me get this straight, you used this weird machine to bring us here, a world different from ours.

(A)Weiss: that's so cool! it's just like that show rick and morty!

Weiss: what?

(A)Weiss: you don't have rick and morty here?

Ruby: we do! And it's such a cool show!

(A)Weiss: i know! It's one of my favorites!

(A)Weiss/Ruby: *start blabbering*

Weiss: this is. . .very disturbing.

Yang: i don't know, i kinda like nice weiss, she's just like you but probably doesn't have a log stuck up on her ass.

Weiss: who are you calling stuck up you idiot!?

(A)Jaune: i don't know which one is worse, the one who keeps shrieking all the time or the one who has way too much energy. *sighs, looking back to oobleck* when are we going back to our world?

Oobleck: you'll be back in a few moments mr. Arc, D.U.M.B has a time limit of half an hour. Meanwhile, i just wanted to know if you and ms.schnee could answer a few questions before going back to your world?

(A)Jaune: not interested.

(A)Weiss: sure thing!

Oobleck: Stupendous! So, i wanted to know if there's a glaring difference from your world compared to this one?

(A)Weiss: *looking around* hmm. . .no, everything looks the same.

Oobleck: *writing on a notebook* i see.

(A)Weiss: *looks to the group and raises an eyebrow* why is blake wearing a bow though?

Blake: *flinches and starts sweating*

Yang: she always wears that bow, even to sleep. Why? Your blake doesn't use a bow?

(A)Weiss: wait, so they don't know about. . .

Blake: *shakes head*

(A)Weiss: o-oh, *sheepishly* sorry.

Yang: wait, do you know something we don't?

(A)Weiss: err. . .no, nothing! Blake will tell everyone when she's ready.

Yang: what is she hiding? *looks at blake* now i'm curious.

Blake: n-nothing.

(A)Weiss: blake is really quiet here.

(A)Jaune: she's always been quiet.

(A)Weiss: i know, she just looks more quiet then our blake.

Ruby: so your blake is different too?

(A)Weiss: not really, she's just a bit more. . . 'Open' about herself. Everyone looks the same aside from her, well, except me and jaune of course.

Ruby: but why are you two so different? Why are you so nice compared to our weiss?

Weiss: hey! I am nice!

Yang: *cough, cough* like a punch in the gut *cough, cough*

(A)Weiss: well. . .i don't really know, i just try to be myself, that's what my dad always told me.

Weiss: wait, your dad told you to be yourself?

(A)Weiss: *smiling* yup!

Weiss: and not to be something you don't want to be?

(A)Weiss: what? No! daddy would never do that, he hates people who control their children for their own benefit.

Weiss: *shocked* . . .is your father really jacques schnee?

(A)Weiss: that's his name.

Weiss: . . .can you tell me more about your- our family?

(A)Weiss: sure! My mom is always helping my dad with his business at the emprise, my older sister winter is one of the biggest designers of atlas, my little brother whitley is studying most of the time to be a good business man like dad but he always takes some time to have fun with us, and even helps me by playing piano in my concerts, and dad is the head of the SDC, the biggest and most controversial emprise in remnant.

Weiss: controversial?

(A)Weiss: unfortunately, yes. People in atlas are selfish and try to maintain a certain 'status-quo', humans rule and faunus suffer, but my dad's emprise treats everyone the same and helps faunus that suffer to rise and have a good life, but unfortunately for us, the rest of atlas doesn't share his vision and treats him and my family terribly, this lack of respect with my family's name is one of the main reasons why i decided to be a huntress.

Blake: *eyes wide* w-wait, so in your world, jacques schnee isn't a racist?

(A)Weiss: what!? No! My father dreams with the peace between humans and faunus, he even made an alliance with the leader of the white fang, ghira bell- i mean, with their leader ghira to help them on their movement for equality, my father is their biggest supporter. Why are you asking that? Isn't dad like this here?

Weiss: no, our dad here unfortunately isn't so noble. He only cares for profits and hates faunus, probably just as much as he hates his family.

(A)Weiss: wait, what?

Weiss: he forced me to do everything he wanted ever since i was young, even used my voice to profit. My mom is a drunkard who never leaves her room, whitley is dad's puppet and is becoming just as rotten as he is and winter is a specialist at atlas military.

(A)Weiss: w-what!? dad can't be bad like that, i-it doesn't make sense.

Weiss: he is, i guess that's why you and me are so different, you had an way easier life.

(A)Weiss: wow, this sounds so sad. . .wait, does that means your version of jaune had an easier life too?

Everyone: *looks at jaune*

Jaune: err. . .yeah, i mean, my life was pretty easy if you don't count the annoying sisters and how my parents didn't wanted me to be a huntsman.

(A)Jaune: *raises eyebrow* your parents didn't wanted you to be a huntsman?

Jaune: not really, i tried to convince dad to train me when i was younger but he never let me, so i just had a normal life until my seventeen years.

(A)Jaune: lucky you, looks like you at least had a happy life.

Jaune: so. . .what happened in my life that made my like this?

(A)Jaune: i don't wanna talk about it.

Jaune: but-

(A)Jaune: *glaring at him* no buts, just zip it.

Jaune: *terrified* o-okay.

(A)Jaune: . . . *looks to the side* what do you want?

(A)Weiss: *holding his hand* come on, tell him.

(A)Jaune: i don't want to.

(A)Weiss: come on, pleeease.

(A)Jaune: i said no already.

(A)Weiss: *hugs his arm* pleeease. . .for me? *gives him a puppy look*

(A)Jaune: . . . *sigh* i fucking hate you princess.

(A)Weiss: *with a victorious smile* no, you love me.

(A)Jaune: keep dreaming. well. . .where do i start, my mom died when i was five because of a disease and since then my asshole sperm-donor raised me, he trained me to be a champion and forced me into several tournaments to make me stronger, he locked me away from my sisters so i wouldn't have any distractions during my training, said training that pushed me to my absolute agonizing limits. When i was fourteen i had enough and fought him off, but he defeated me and gave me this scar as a reminder of how weak i am compared to him, then when i turned seventeen i joined beacon where i became partners with an annoying ball of unlimited joy.

(A)Weiss: that's me!

Yang: wow. . .that's really dark.

Jaune: is dad really that bad in your world? He was always so soft with everyone that is kind of hard imagining him like that.

(A)Jaune: take a wild guess dumbass. *points at the scar in his eye* what kind of good father would do this to his kid?

Jaune: yeah. . .guess you got a point.

Pyrrha: wait, did you say that weiss was your partner at beacon?

(A)Jaune: unfortunately, yes. This idiot who never even trained before and didn't even had aura had the great idea to buy some transcripts and join beacon, i didn't wanted her as my partner but since she was aimlessly flying into her death during initiation, i had to save her ass and become her partner.

Weiss: . . .by any chance, am i retarded on your dimension?

(A)Weiss: HEY!

(A)Jaune: probably. What kind of sane person would be stupid enough to do that?

Pyrrha: this story sounds. . .very familiar.

Jaune: *sheepishly* i-it does.

(A)Jaune: who did i got partnered with here?

Jaune: pyrrha.

(A)Jaune: lucky you, different from princess here, pyrrha knows her limits.

(A)Weiss: you talk like me being your partner is the worst thing in the world.

(A)Jaune: because it is. you're reckless, annoying, stupid, ignorant, selfish, suicidal and-

(A)Weiss: and you still love me regardless.

(A)Jaune: . . . *looks away* i don't know what you're talking about.

(A)Weiss: yes you do, im talking about this. *tiptoes and kisses his cheek*

(A)Jaune: *recoils and blushes* what the hell are you doing!?

(A)Weiss: i'm giving you a kiss. Why? you wanted it to be on the lips?

(A)Jaune: like hell i would want that, princess.

(A)Weiss: hmm. . .

(A)Jaune: what are you doing?

(A)Weiss: *tiptoeing, reaching out her lips for him* waiting for you to kiss me.

(A)Jaune: i don't want to kiss you.

(A)Weiss: hmm. . .

(A)Jaune: stop it already dumbass, you're just embarrassing yourself.

(A)Weiss: hmm. . .

(A)Jaune: *looks back to her*

(A)Weiss: *still waiting for him*

(A)Jaune: *pink* . . .i fucking hate you. *leans down and kisses her.*

(A)Weiss: *returning the kiss*

(A)Jaune: *wraps hands on her waist and pulls her closer*

(A)Weiss: *deepening the kiss*

Yang: well. . .that's a scene i never thought i would see.

Ruby/Blake: *nods*

Pyrrha: *nods as well but with an way more forced and scary smile*

Jaune: *blushing*

Weiss: *red and mortified* w-what are you two doing!?

(A)Weiss: *giggles* sorry, sometimes we get lost in the mood.

(A)Jaune: 'we'? You're the one always dragging me into this stuff.

(A)Weiss: i'm not the one who drags you away after a hard day just so we can make out on a empty classroom.

(A)Jaune: *red* can't you just stay shut for five seconds princess!?

(A)Weiss: *smiling brightly* nope.

Yang: wait, wait, wait, are you two like, dating?

(A)Jaune/(A)Weiss: no/yes.

Weiss: h-how is that possible!? What do you even see on this idiot!?

(A)Jaune: *glaring at her* i made my mind, you're the one i hate the most.

(A)Weiss: what's there not to see on him? I mean, yeah, he is always being mean to other peoples but thats cause he had a rough life, the real jaune buried under all that anger is really kind and sweet. He was the first person that believed that i could be a huntress, he teached me how to fight and picked me up whenever i thought about giving up. *hugs his arm* he was the first guy that loved me for who i am and that's why i love him so much. *looks at him* Right?

(A)Jaune: *looks away, face totally red* speak for yourself, i don't know what you're talking about.

Weiss: i can't believe you. . .how did that even happened!?

(A)Weiss: you mean how we got together? Well it was during the ball at beacon, neptune invited me to go but i refused.

Weiss: YOU WHAT!?

(A)Weiss: i refused. *pink* i was hoping that a certain someone would invite me.

(A)Jaune: hmph.

(A)Weiss: but well, things didn't went like i wanted and i went to the ball alone. I stayed there for some time but gave up and went to the rooftop to take a breather, that's where i found jaune.

(A)Jaune: yeah, i was enjoying the peace and the silence until you showed up.

(A)Weiss: *chuckles* He was being grumpy because he heard neptune inviting me and thought i had accepted.

(A)Jaune: i wasn't being grumpy because he invited you, i just hate that guy's guts.

(A)Weiss: we cleared some things up and i invited him to dance a bit, we danced on our own for some time and talked a bit, he complimented me for the first time ever since i met him and even admitted that i was someone important in his life *with a wide smile and rosy cheeks* i was so happy that i gave him my first kiss without even thinking about it.

Yang: aww, that's so cute.

(A)Jaune/Weiss: *red* SHUT IT!

Weiss: that's enough, we don't wanna hear anything else about this!

Yang: speak for yourself ice queen, keep going nice queen!

(A)Weiss: well. . .i was a bit scared at first but when he kissed me back i got a lot calmer, we kept kissing for some time and things got. . .a bit out of control.

Blake: *very interested* what do you mean with 'out of control?'

(A)Weiss: *red* err. . .well, w-we got a bit carried away and kept kissing until we were back to our room, and when we got there we did. . .*ten times redder* couple stuff.

Weiss: wait, so you just went and slept with him like that!?

(A)Weiss: yeah. *sheepishly* i know someone's first time should be something we think about carefully, but on that day all i could think of was how happy i was that jaune was my first. *hugs his arm* and until this day, i never once regretted that decision. *smiles at him*

(A)Jaune: *red* t-that's enough! *turns to oobleck* how the hell do we go back to our world!?

Oobleck: all you need to do is place your hands on the D.U.M.B or wait for the thirty minute mark. But before you leave, i still have some que-

(A)Jaune: fuck your questions, we're leaving princess.

(A)Weiss: sure. Just give me a moment. *goes to weiss* can i talk to you for a second?

Weiss: what do you want to talk about!?

(A)Weiss: wait. *holds her and drags her to the farthest corner, away from the group*

Weiss: what do you want?

(A)Weiss: i just needed to know, are you and jaune dating?

Weiss: W-what!? No! And we never will!

(A)Weiss: i see, i think i understand now.

Weiss: good thing that you understand, now please leave.

(A)Weiss: you like him.

Weiss: *blushes* i don't like him! I hate him!

(A)Weiss: *chuckles* you're just like jaune when i first met him. He was closed, distant and very cold with everyone, and he said he hated me all the time, but that was just him trying to keep his guard up, trying to protect his damaged heart from even more damage.

Weiss: what are you talking about?

(A)Weiss: what i'm talking is that just like my jaune, you're putting up barriers and keeping people away to avoid getting hurt, but maybe you don't need these barriers to be up all the time, maybe all you need is to let in someone who can help you heal.

Weiss: let me guess, someone like arc.

(A)Weiss: maybe. I'm dating jaune for awhile now and despite he still being much like his older self, i can't see myself being more happy with anyone else that isn't him. I know i might be biased but seeing that the only difference between us is that our roles were inverted, i think you wouldn't regret being with someone like jaune. Just think about it, didn't you ever noticed anything that jaune may have done just to see you happy?

Weiss: well. . . *gets a small flashback about the ball and neptune telling her everything jaune said*

(A)Weiss: sooo?

Weiss: i-i don't know, nothing comes to my mind. And look, i don't care what your reasoning is, i am not going to date arc.

(A)Weiss: well, i can't force you to do anything really, but if you can, just give him a chance *with a sincere smile* i know you won't regret.

Weiss: *sighs, rubbing her temples* if i tell you i'll think about it, will you go away?

(A)Weiss: sure thing!

Weiss: then i'll think about it, just please leave me alone.

(A)Weiss: okay, see'ya then me! *goes back to the group, joining jaune and hugging his chest* missed me?

(A)Jaune: no.

(A)Weiss: i missed you too my archangel.

(A)Jaune: *pink* didn't i told you to stop using this stupid nickname?

(A)Weiss: *chuckles* oops, sorry.

(A)Jaune: *sigh* let's just leave for god's sake. *places hand on the D.U.M.B*

(A)Weiss: *also places her hand on the D.U.M.B*

They both slowly start to get surrounded by a light blue aura, just like when jaune and weiss first used it.

(A)Weiss: bye everyone, It was really nice to meet you.

Yang: same, it was really good to see how weiss would be if she wasn't always on her period.

Weiss: YANG!!!

(A)Weiss: and weiss!

Weiss: *looks back at her* what?

(A)Weiss: just one chance, i promise you won't regret.

Weiss: i already said i'll think about it, i'm not going to make any promises.

(A)Weiss: that's already good enough, bye me!

Weiss: goodbye.

(A)Jaune/(A)Weiss: *vanishes*

Blake: well. . .that was something.

Jaune: i-it really was.

Ruby: weiss?

Weiss: yes?

Ruby: what did you and the other you talked about?

Weiss: well. . . *glances at jaune for a moment before looking away slightly* i-it was nothing okay? just something stupid.

Ruby: oh, okay.

Pyrrha: so, what do we do now professor?

Oobleck: we continue with the experiment of course! Meeting these alternative versions of mr.arc and ms.schnee was interesting but there are a lot of questions that need answers!

Weiss: i-i'm not going to use that machine again!

Oobleck: you wouldn't be able to use it even if you wanted ms.schnee. The D.U.M.B can't be used by the same person twice in a row, that rule goes for everyone except mr.arc of course!

Jaune: okay, but why does this machine needs me so much to work? You said i'm some kind of axis but why-

Oobleck: I DON'T KNOW AND AT THE MOMENT I DON'T CARE MR.ARC!!! RIGHT NOW THERE'S ONLY ONE QUESTION YOU SHOULD BE ASKING!!!

Jaune: a-and it is?

Oobleck: *grins and looks at the girls* which one of you is going next!?

#rwby #jaune arc #yang xiao long #white knight #whiteknight #rwby white knight #weiss x jaune #weiss schnee #ruby rose #blake belladona #pyrrha nikos #bartholomew oobleck #jaune x harem #colorguard #That's pretty D.U.M.B

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miggyfan · 3 years

Note

20 with miggy

…on a scar.

…on a place of insecurity.

Juliet was going to kill him…

She wasn’t even kidding…

She really wanted to strangle him, or even better to feed him to the dogs.

After running for hours to escape some drug dealers in the jungle, Juliet and Magnum were now trying to get back to their car, in the middle of a storm, drenched under the rain and wading through so much mud, that she had almost lost a shoe, stucked into the sludge.

With one look, Magnum had understood that he’d better not laugh at her.

The murderous glare she gave him when his lips started to curl upward in a grin, prevented him from teasing her, and trying to deflect the situation in his usual attempt at humor.

Juliet knew they needed to change themselves before going into the jungle, but according to her so smart partner it was unnecessary, it was just a quick check into an abandonned mansion, so why bother go back to Robin’s nest to get a better outfit ?

So he bit back a laugh, and crouched into the mud to help her look for her shoes.

He didn’t even laugh when she slipped and fell on her ass in a loud splash, because she had stubbornly refused his help to steady her, to put her shoe back on.

‘God…’ Magnum thought he really did deserved an oscar for his performance on self control, when he saw the scowl on her offended face covered in mud.

He was glad they were in the middle of a storm.

The cold rain was doing a wonderful job at hidding his tears and covering the sounds of his laughter, as she was awkwardly trying to walk in the mud in high heels, nearly slipping every five minutes.

Of course, when they went back to the Ferrari, the convertible car had been practically swamped by the rain, so their day was getting better and better by the minute.

Now, they were both snuggled in a makeshift bed in another abandonned cabin in the jungle, trying to keep each other warm, despite Juliet’s growing animosity.

She was shivering against him, even if they had gotten rid of their wet clothes, she had a hard time conserving heat.

She had insisted on being the bigger spoon, he probably could understand why, being almost naked under the same blanket to share some heat was one thing, but being nestled between his arms was definitely another.

He didn’t want to invade her personal space, if she was angry with him. He was just worried about her getting cold, while she was warming him in her embrace.

« Are you sure you are okay ? You would be warmer in my arms, you know… » He asked in a low tone, concerned by the way she was shivering behind him.

« Magnum… » She replied, in a warning tone.

« Don’t worry, I’m a gentleman… I would never take advantage of the situation. »

Juliet tensed behind him, she tightened her arms around him and snuggled closer. « I know… » Her voice was softer than expected, she was tired, and she seemed less angry with him.

« Are you sure you’re alright ? You seemed awfully quiet suddenly ?... Higgy ? »

Juliet didn’t want to tell him that being under a storm reminded her of the last time they got stucked in la Mariana with Ethan.

She didn’t want to talk about their break-up, or why she had refused to leave Robin’s nest to live with him.

She didn’t want to talk about their last fight, when he had accused her of being in love with her partner, and the fact that she couldn’t denied it, breaking Ethan’s heart with her silence.

Instead, she went for the jugular, and followed the scar tissues in Magnum’s back with the tip of her finger, silencing him, and making him tensed suddenly in her arms.

« You have a lot of scars on your back… »

Her voice was so low, he could barely hear it, but her hands were soft around him, her warm palm slowly grazing the bare skin of his chest.

It wasn’t a question.

It was just a statement, like she was aknowledging his dark past for the first time.

Juliet sighed, letting her head rest against his back, who was awfully quiet now ?...

They never really discussed it together, Rick had told her a few bits about it, without going into details.

They barely broached the subject, always talking about somebody else, never failing to avoid the elephant in the room.

« Yeah… I know, I was supposed to get some skin grafts to cover them, but I was so tired to stay in hospital, so… »

« I’m glad you didn’t… »

Magnum tensed once again, he hissed when her hand slid against the one on his stomach, her fingers slowly grazing his abs, making his muscles shift under her touch.

« Higgy ? »

« I like them… They remind me that you are stronger than you look. That you are a survivor… Just like me… We were both hurt, but we are still fighting…»

The storm was still raging outside.

But the rumble of the sky, the howling of the wind were nothing compared to all the feelings suddenly flooding him, threatening to swallow him whole.

« Juliet… Are you okay ? Did anything happened ? »

« You never asked ?... About Ethan ? »

Magnum sighed, he was glad for the darkness in the cabin, he didn’t trust the expression in his eyes.

« I wasn’t sure you were ready to talk about it… You told me to shut up ! » And he laughed a little, trying once again to ease the tension in the room.

« And you never listened… Why only this time ? »

« I don’t know… I didn’t want to pressure you into anything… I know how hard it can be, how bad it can hurt… »

Juliet tightened her arms around him, and his heart skipped a beat when he felt the warm touch of her lips against his torn skin.

This time he turned around, and hugged her tight against his chest, the feeling of her snuggling herself closer to his body made him shiver, but not because of the cold.

He pulled the blanket higher on their bodies, not sure from who he was hiding them, and he took a deep breath to keep from moaning softly, as he felt her warm and soft body pressed against his.

Her fingers grazed the scar on his chest, the one Annah had given him, and his breath hitched when her nails gently scraped against it.

« Does it still hurt ? »

« No… »

Juliet pressed her face in the warm shelter between his broad shoulders and whispered : « This one still hurt… » And she grabbed his hand to press it against the scar on her stomach, where the bullet had almost killed her.

« I think it couldn’t heal because I wasn’t honnest with you, because I didn’t want to hear what you wanted to say… »

And Magnum remembered this day when he took her out of hospital and he wanted to confess his feelings for her.

But the look in her eyes was begging him to not do it, to not push their relationship on a road unexplored.

They fell silent for a while, they both welcomed the obscurity, hidding their blushing bodies into the darkness.

She was scared back then…

She wasn’t anymore…

All the scars on his body showing her, that even if they could get hurt, they could survived together…

« Tell me… » She asked in a low tone, « tell me now… »

And the soft touch of her lips upon the scar on his upper lip urged the words out of him : « I love you… »

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animetrashlord-007 · 4 years

Text

Tumblr Takeover

Word Count;; 2.2k

Genre;; Fluff

Pairing;; Ushijima x Reader

Summary;;

[The cringe is real, folks]

Notes;; Published: 2017-04-06

My Masterlist

You groaned as you scrolled through your Tumblr profile, glaring at the content that seemed to have no end. What used to be your messy, themeless blog filled predominantly with anime, shitposting and the occasional debate, now contained volleyball. Only volleyball. You slammed your laptop shut before packing your school supplies and running out the door. Your teacher would never let you hear the end of it if you were late for the third day in a row, even if you tried to pass the blame onto a certain third year. It was his fault after all; he altered your entire blog overnight without asking beforehand, and the early morning discovery put you into a temporary state of shock. You growled and quickened your pace - no sane teacher would accept that excuse and you had no intention of gaining detention because of a volleyball-obsessed dork. Once you reached class (on time, much to your amazement), your irritation faded. As much as you hated to admit, it wasn't his fault. You should have expected this to happen sooner or later. You knew what you were getting into when you shared your account with him. He had told you his intentions at the beginning: Ushijima wanted to share his love of volleyball with you and your poor followers.

It wasn't like you disliked the sport either; you knew your school’s team well enough to attend their matches (with only mild persuasion necessary on their part) and, while you could see the appeal, it wasn't your first pick for a hobby. In fact, it wouldn't be your second or third pick either, but if you had to choose a sport… you might consider it. In all honesty, the thing you enjoyed most about volleyball was the players. Shiratorizawa’s team was determined and they had talent. Somehow your admiration for their abilities had led you to befriending each of them to different degrees. When you saw Tendou in the halls, you’d yell manga references at one another, each quote becoming more obscure than the last, until the bell rang and you both bolted to class. Goshiki did his best to avoid you after watching you challenge Shirabu to an impromptu dance-off, which, to his horror, his upperclassman accepted. Neither of you were being very serious as you dropped it low and pumped it up, laughing at how stupid you both looked, yet Goshiki claimed to be scarred for life. At lunch most days you pretended to study with Yamagata and Ohira whilst spamming Semi with memes and vine compilations. He once blessed you with a response, and had it not been at two in the morning after a long night of studying, you would have been impressed with the video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” on loop for ten hours. Never in your life would you have suspected to be Rick Rolled by your senpai, but you weren't one to back down from a challenge. Feeling invigorated, you continued to spam him every chance you got. To his regret, that included sending TED talks about asexual reproduction in various species in the dead of night when you were unable to sleep.

“I think the real question here is why the hell do you watch videos about animal reproduction at midnight every week?” Semi sighed as he wiped the sweat off his brow before throwing his towel at you.

“Gross! I don't want your stinky towel!” You snapped, tossing it back. You grimaced as you stretched, the obnoxious cracking of several joints resonated throughout the gym. After being hunched over your textbooks for the first half of their practice, it was nice to stand up and move your tired muscles. Goshiki muttered a protest to your presence under his breath, which you elected to ignore.

“No way, she still sends those to you?” Tendou bellowed, slapping his friend’s back with a grin. The setter shrugged, shooting you glare before walking back onto the court, leaving you with the middle blocker. His grin fell into a devious smirk upon seeing your narrowed eyes. Knowing full well what his mind was focused on and that he had no intention of letting his inquiry go unanswered, you stalked toward the door. He kept pace with you, poking you as he continued, “You can't avoid it that easily.”

Feigning naivety, you quipped, “I don't watch them, I just send them to Semi to bug him.”

“Oh, no, no, you don’t. Not that question, the one before that. Why don't you annoy Ushijima like you do everyone else?”

You allowed a quick smile to flicker across your features before turning to the boy who was still following you to the door and ignoring his coach’s calls to return to the damn court already. Pure bliss flooded your mind as you pursed your lips, hand lifted over your heart in mock despair as your eyes quivered. Giving yourself a mental pat on the back for being on the verge of tears, you whispered, “I annoy you, Satori-kun?”

“No! Of course not! I just meant-”

“I'm sorry, Satori-kun, I'll leave you all alone from now on,” a single tear flowed down your cheek and you just about imploded with pride. Who needs to take theatre courses when you have this much natural talent?

“No, no! Don't cry!” Looking to his teammates for help, he pointed at you with exasperation. His silent pleas were met with snickers as they each turned their back on the scene.

On the outside, you were a delicate mess. On the inside, however, you were rejoicing. No longer was his mind on why you acted just a touch different with the team’s ace (since evidently nothing slipped past those maroon eyes of his), but rather on how to stop the waterworks that threatened to break before him. All that was left was to run out of the gym, celebrate your narrow escape, and continue to avoid him until you could formulate a believable excuse. You didn't want him to catch on to the small crush you had developed on Ushijima, but more importantly, you didn't want him to know about your Tumblr. He would never let you live down your low-effort blog after he had shown you his organised manga-themed one. Nevermind the the flack you would receive about how much of a pushover you had become to allow Ushijima full reign over it. Perhaps you could lie and say that the third year intimidated you, so you didn't want to push your luck around him. Maybe fortune would favour you and Tendou would drop the subject completely after this disaster. Knowing him, however, that was unlikely.

“I'll just go, since I annoy you-”

“What did you do this time?” A gravelly voice resounded across the room. It sent shivers down your spine as you faced the sound. Ushijima towered over you, a mix between confusion and disappointment aimed toward Tendou. The redhead just laughed before running back onto the court.

“Hey Wakatoshi-kun, did you finish your exam?” You fumbled with your bag strap as you tried to sidle out of his vision. Much to your dismay, his eyes followed you with an intensity that would make a weaker person crumble.

“What did he do?” Reiterating his question with a deepening frown, he moved in front of the door and blocked your escape.

“Oh, you know Tendou-kun. Everything he does is annoying. Well, I've got to go!”

“Before you leave, did you see our Tumblr? I changed it a little.”

“A little?” You repeated, bitterness tainting the smile you flashed toward him, “You changed it more than a little, Ushijima-kun. My favourite part of it would have to be the ask from a mutual about why I'm suddenly a volleyball blog, and if I'm sharing my account because it seemed even more all over the place than usual and I just loved waking up to a new theme as well. Yes, it was very nice, Ushiwaka-kun, very nice.”

“You should try regulating your breathing, you look flustered. I am glad you liked it, however. I spent a decent amount of time on it,” he nodded, brushing past you to join his team in their practice. Unbelievable.

“Oi, you! We're not done here! I'll be calling you tonight, so, uh, prepare yourself!” You shouted after him, huffing at his thumbs-up. A tinge of pink painted the tips of your ears when Semi and Shirabu smirked at you, which bloomed into a full blush at Tendou’s, “You can call on him anytime!”

The rest of the day whirled by in a blur. You couldn't procrastinate on Tumblr without being reminded of your new theme, which turned off your desire to slack off in general. You finished your homework early, then you finished next week’s as well. Something seemed off, but you didn't stop to question it - you were motivated to work for once and you didn't want to jinx your flow. Even after finishing two essays, you had time to kill before you could call Ushijima. Since he was tardy to practice, he would undoubtedly stay late to make up the lost time. Heading to the kitchen, you grabbed out the ice cream and threw yourself down on the couch. With nothing left to do, binge-watching Netflix would feel rather guilt-free for once. Your relaxation was cut short when you heard a knock at the door.

“I don't want to buy your shit, go away!”

“It's Ushijima,” a palpable pause, “and I'm not selling anything. I have your textbooks. You left them in the gym.”

You groaned at your own stupidity. How could you have let Tendou work you up enough to abandon your textbooks? On top of that, you allowed your desire to scold Ushijima to blind you to your obvious lack of study material. Without it, the likelihood of errors had increased exponentially. You smacked yourself with a pillow; now you would have to double-check all your homework. Anxiety tickled your numbing thoughts as you turned off the television. You didn't make any effort to meet him at the door, “Ugh, just come in already.”

He offered a nod in acknowledgement as he entered the living room and placed the books on the table. He sat down next to you, smiling as he grabbed the dessert from your hands. You were used to him being in your home after many an afternoon spent showing him how to use Tumblr. What came as a surprise was watching him eat the ice cream. Most days he would return it to the freezer, disregarding your pleas. You took the chance to observe him while his own gaze fell to the carpeted floor. The embodiment of a proper gentleman, he maintained perfect posture. He was still in his school uniform, and he always looked tense in it, but he seemed to loosen up when he was in your home. You knew he had taken a shower at the school, which he usually did after practice, because his hair had been styled once more. You always appreciated how the minty scent of his body wash lingered throughout your house even after he left. His clothes seemed tighter, clinging to his damp skin, providing an even more exquisite view of his muscles. Eyes falling to his legs, you let your mind wander and toy with the notion of seeing those thighs bare of clothing. You didn't notice when he turned to you at last, still lost in your own somewhat perverted thoughts. Coughing to gain your attention, he cocked an eyebrow, “Enjoying yourself?”

“Shut up, you smell nice.”

He blinked, a tinge of red dusting his cheeks, before continuing, “What did you want to talk about?”

“I was going to call you. You didn't need to arrive at my house unannounced and start eating my food,” you mumbled, hitting his arm, “but I wanted to talk to you about getting your own Tumblr. Or, I guess since you already took over mine, I could start a new one.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why, doofus? When I showed you my Tumblr, I didn't intend for you to take it over. I just thought you might want to see that someone posted one of your matches and it was getting notes,” you sighed, hitting his arm again. He chuckled at the effort, lifting a spoon of the frozen dessert to your lips. You swore under your breath as your cheeks exploded with crimson heat upon swallowing the treat.

“I'm sorry,” he placed the tub of ice cream on the table before facing you once more, taking your hands within his, “You mentioned how your blog was personal to you, and I enjoyed that you shared it with me. I enjoy spending time you.”

“Oi, you can't just say things like that! Dammit, Bakatoshi! You're making me blush!” You slapped his arm once more, earning an amused grunt from the attractive volleyball-obsessed idiot. He leaned in to you, tucking some loose strands of hair behind your ear.

“It was nice having something that was ours,” You could feel his breath on your lips as he caressed your cheek. Your heart skipped a few beats, waiting for him to make his move.

“Geez, just kiss me already, Wakatoshi-kun!” You closed the gap, lips smashing against his. If he was surprised by your forwardness, he didn’t show it. Instead he entwined his fingers within your hair, returning the kiss with equal passion. Patience was never one of your strong suits, not that either of you were complaining.

#haikyuu!!#Ushijima Wakatoshi #ushijima x reader #haikyuu ushijima #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x reader #hq #anime #anime x reader #anime fanfic #anime fanfiction #anime oneshot #haikyuu oneshot #haikyuu fanfiction #ushijima oneshot #ushijima fanfic #animetrashlord-007

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alienoresimagines · 4 years

Text

I'll Make This Feel Like Home | Floyd Talbert x Female! Reader

A/N : This is for the birthday of the amazing, wonderful, beautiful Vered (@floydtab ). She is one of my closest friend on here, my American sister from across the ocean. If you don't follow her go do that right now! She is a true blessing, she is kind, sweet, friendly and I'm so glad to have met her. Also, please go wish her a happy birthday, we might not be Rick Gomez or Ross McCall (as far as I'm aware of at least), but still💞

Happy birthday Vered!❤😘

Taglist: @wexhappyxfew @glxssysam @floydtab @inglourious-imagines @ray--person @punkgeekchic @luz-lovebot

Posted : 15/05/2020

Masterlist Taglist Prompts

A breath of air caressing the exposed skin of your shoulder was what woke you up. Shivering slightly, you smiled nevertheless, burying your head in pillow that was most probably not yours judging by the smell and kept your eyes closed, simply enjoying the peace and serenity of this rare moment of calm. The sunlight illuminated the room, somewhat muffled by the beige curtains, the cool air of May slipping into the room like a gentle murmur, bringing with it the rustling of the leaves against the breeze, the smell of freshly cut flowers and grass, and the birdsong sounding a sweet melody to your ears. You felt strangely relaxed, as if a weight you didn't know existed had been removed from your shoulders. Nuzzling your face further into your husband's pillow, you let a content sigh escape your parted lips before you rolled onto your back, the duvet now only covering half of your legs and part of your belly. As the cool air tickled your feet, you allowed yourself to yawn gracelessly before sitting down and finally opening your eyes. Folding your eyes to the light, you glanced quickly at the right side of your king-sized bed. Confirming your suspicions at a glance, you were actually alone. The smell of coffee reached your nose and you let out a sound very close to a moan at that. However, you couldn't bring yourself to care about who could hear you, not when it was only you, your lovely husband and your dog, who heard much worse and louder coming from you. Passing a lazy hand through your air, you yawned again as you stretched your arms above your head and arched your back pleasantly. You liked mornings like that, without the rush of the work week. Where you could stay in bed, and enjoy the warmth and comfort of your home without having to keep a constant eye on the clock. You sighed softly, styling yourself with the comb of the 5 fingers, preparing you slowly but surely to get up. Your dog, Trigger, kept you from getting up to choose clothes when he jumped onto your bed and rested his own head on you thigh. Laughing softly, you gently scratched his head and ears, knowing it was some of his favorite places to be pet along with his belly.

"How are you today, Trig'? You slept well? I bet you kept Daddy from burning the kitchen down." You cooed as the german shepherd just looked at you with big brown eyes.

"Oh, you're awake!" A new voice was heard, a voice that you would instantly recognize everywhere. You knew that voice as well as the first aid gestures. Which was something given that you were a medic during World War Two. You have seen the snow being tinged with scarlet, the stars being hidden by shells and life swerving between your bloody fingers as the water would escape from a vase that has just been broken. However, you refused to dwell on these memories. The war was over, the Earth was still spinning, and you always had your husband, your anchor and rock, the one who stood by you even in your darkest moments when you doubted, ignoring his own sorrows. Raising your head, you smile softly when you see your husband leaning on the door, with a light wooden tray in his hands. The light that filtered through the curtains gave his hair a slightly lighter hue and brought out his eyes nicely. Still in his pajamas, with his bedhead, and a sweet smile on his lips, the crinkles by his eyes appearing, he never looked so beautiful.

"Morning Sunshine!" Floyd beamed happily, approaching the bed. The dog on your lap didn't seem to mind the noise. In fact, you were pretty sure Trigger was asleep.

"Hey Beautiful." You laughed softly to yourself. "You should stop calling me this, it suits better."

"Now, princess, have you watched a mirror lately?" The teasing in his tone was evident but the look of pure adoration in his dark green eyes couldn't be missed, even by a blind person. Tab bent down to lay a kiss on your forehead and then on your lips, a hand coming to rest at the base of your neck, his thumb drawing circles under your jaw. The kiss was sweet, a "I love you" with every slide of your lips. Two souls, two hearts pouring out their love for each other in the simplest and most sincere way they knew. Floyd was the first to break the kiss, his eyes standing on your lips for a moment before coming up to meet your eyes. You swore you could have cried right there and then at how much fondness Tab's gaze held. You hadn't even noticed that he had put the tray on your nightstand until he took it and put it on your thigh - at least what wasn't occupied by your dog.

"Happy birthday, princess." You laughed breathlessly as you saw what was on the tray while your husband sat to your right, throwing an arm around your shoulder. On the tray was a beautifully decorated plate, with only one pancake in it. However, a candle stood warm and... almost completely burnt. How you didn't notice the smell was yet another story for another day. You quickly blew out the only candle, petting Trigger's head with one hand to calm him. If you didn't smell the candle burning, he surely did. Looking to your right, you couldn't contain the giggle that was building inside of you at the adorable pout on Floyd's face.

"I wanted to do something nice..." He sighed sadly while you giggled. Pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek, you smiled widely.

"Thank you, honey, you know I'd appreciate anything as long as I'm with you." He smiled a bit to your words but he kept on pouting, knowing you couldn't resist it. Rolling your eyes playfully, you layed a chaste kiss to his lips. It seemed to be enough for him though, a playful smile taking over the pout as he looked at you with shining eyes. Cutting the pancakes, you took a bite and you closed your eyes in pleasure. No matter how much you teased him, Tab's pancakes were the definition of gastronomic. However, you knew that his ego was twice as big as his heart which meant that you couldn't let him know that.

"How does it taste?" Oh, even with your eyes closed, you could perfectly see the smirk on his lip, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"See yourself." You grinned back as you pushed the plate to your right. Trigger must have decided you were moving to much because he stood up and got out of your bed to go to his own, next to Tab's side of the bed. He was aging. A buzz from Floyd brought your attention back to him, your left leg feeling a little numb.

"It's alright." He kissed your shoulder, making you shiver. God, it was there, the devilish look in his eyes that even George Luz learned to fear when it appears. "But you taste better." You blushed furiously as you almost choked on the orange juice that was placed next to the plate. Your attempt to glare at him mustn't have been successful if the smile on his lips was any indications.

"Please, just tell me you're not going to sing." Floyd made an indignant sound.

"Honey, I love you, but you can't carry a tune." You said softly as if you didn't want to hurt his feelings even if you knew perfectly well that he was aware of his singing skills- or his lack of for that matters. He huffed but the corner of his mouth twitched as he settled against the headboard.

-----

The pancake was eaten, the tray rested on your nightstand and you were perfectly settled, head against Tab's broad chest. One of his arms was around your shoulder, thumb tracing circles on your arm while his other arm was petting Trigger who decided to come back and was now resting with his head on Floyd's belly. It felt like home. You, Tab and Trigger. A feeling of warmth spread through your chest. Loved. You were feeling loved, by the man who meant the world to you. You were home.

Floyd smiled softly at the feeling of your hair tickling his chin before he frowned slightly. You were humming a song quietly, hot breath on his skin. He wasn't even sure you realized what you were doing, but he would never miss an opportunity to tease you. Especially when he recognized the song. A smile split his face in two before he whispered, as if he did not want to break the peace of the moment

"This song is overrated, you know."

Floyd was pretty sure he heard your neck cracked with how fast you turned around to glare at him half-heartedly. Wriggling in his grip until your chin was on his chest, you raised an eyebrow at him.

"Excuse you and consider yourself unfriended, blocked, deleted. You are no longer my husband. I want a new one" You deadpanned, but you could feel your lips stretching in the slightest smile. Floyd must have seen it given his own smug smile.

"All I said was that the song you were humming was overrated."

"Don't care." He couldn't help to chuckle then.

"So you don't want your present?" The speed at which your face changed was hilarious to him. You huffed before resting your head above his heart.

"You're insufferable."

"You love me." Silence took over the words, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. A thousand words were spoken, carried by the wind, floating in the air, clinging to the hearts.

Floyd blinked once, and when he opened his eyes again, you were right in front of him, golden light haloing an angel.

"That I do." The words hung in the space between your lips, before you closed it, pressing softly your lips together. Your tongues met in a slow dance, knowing each other perfectly by now. Your eyes remained closed as you broke the kiss to press your own forehead to Floyd's.

"So?" He opened his eyes, fondness written on his face.

"So what?" You buried your cheek a bit deeper into the warm hand that just cupped it as you smile playfully.

"What's my present?" Floyd laughed, loud and beautiful, at that. He turned his head to the left, acting as if he was in deep thought.

"Well, I thought we could go to the pet store down the street and give Trigger a new buddy." You hummed thoughtfully, a smile playing across your face as you looked down at said dog. Oh, how beautiful would it be.

"Hmm... But then it would be a present for Trigger. And since we all know how much you love dogs so..."

"You love them as much as I do." It was your turn to laugh, throwing your head backwards. Floyd was sure that if he were to go blind, your laugh would be enough to bring colors to his world. You kissed his lips one last time before you jumped out of bed, almost bouncing in excitement making Trigger whine in irritation as he was forced to move as you grabbed Tab's wrist and almost dragged him out of bed. He laughed once again, and it felt nice to laugh like this again. No bullets splitting the air, no screaming piercing the ears.

"Where are we going?"

"Pet store! Now hurry and listen to the birthday girl!" Your laughs echoed in the house, a barking here and there, birds singing outside, painting the world with joy.

"Yes ma'am!" The playful answer came through all the laughs, as he followed in the hall, Trigger at his feet.

Two arms open to hug you tight, one heart beating to heal yours, kisses to hold you together, laughs to make your eyes shine like diamonds in a starry night. Home.

#band of brothers reader insert #band of brothers x reader #band of brothers imagine #floyd talbert x reader #floyd talbert imagine #my writing

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ddixons-angel · 4 years

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Fated: Season 2

Summary: Gloria Rhee narrowly escapes Atlanta with her brother as the outbreak reaches the city. Luckily, they find a camp outside the city and together, they fend through encounters with the living and undead.

Starts a little before Season 1 and then follows the main storyline of the show.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Glenn Sister!OC

Warnings: major TWD spoilers, language, violence (the typical TWD stuff)

A/N: Chapter 4 is here! I’m thinking of posting this twice a week for now, maybe for the next two seasons since people are going to be stuck at home, I wanna provide stuff to read for you guys hehe, and I’m still working on the rest of the requests I promise!!

Chapter 4:

The group had made their way over to the front of the barn where they could hear the undeniable groans of walkers emitting from within, confirming that what Glenn had just told them to be true. Lori’s hold on Carl tightens as she stands beside Carol, both women looking at the barn with a shared expression of fear and horror. Gloria, mounted on the crutches, stands with T-Dog, Andrea, Dale and Glenn, Daryl in front of her, making sure she stays behind him. Rick and Shane are right in front of the barn doors, inspecting it and discussing what they should do.

“I’ll talk to Hershel, we’ll figure this out, we will.” Rick says aloud for everyone to hear.

“No, we need to get off this farm, it’s too dangerous to stay here now,” Shane objects, visibly getting angrier and more frustrated by the second, “we should have left for Fort Benning a long time ago!”

Rick grabs onto Shane’s arm, “we can’t leave here, not yet.”

Shane scoffs and pushes Rick off him, “and why not?”

“Because Sophia’s still out there.” Carol cries out, taking a step towards the two men.

Shane lets out a breath, sighing, “Alright... you know what, I think we need to face the facts, face reality, okay? Chances are Sophia’s dead.”

“Hey, I’m close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago!” Daryl exclaims in rage.

Shane scoffs at this, “You found her doll, Daryl. That’s what you did, you found a doll. Finding Gloria alive was a damn miracle, we ain’t gonna find Sophia, not after all this time! Not alive at least.”

“Man, ya don’ know what the hell ya talkin’ ‘bout!” Daryl shouts.

“I’m just saying what needs to be said!” Shane shouts back.

Unable to hold her rage back any longer, Gloria starts to hobble up to Shane, “Shane, stop being such an asshole and just shut up!”

He glares at her and walks up to her, “you look me in the eye and tell me you still believe Sophia’s actually alive.” he challenges her.

Not faltering one bit, Gloria says through gritted teeth, “would you be able to say that to Lori’s face if it were Carl who went missing?” something changes in Shane when he hears her question, he stays silent, making it obvious that his answer is a negative, “then why do you think it’s okay for you to say any of that shit around Carol?”

Shane stares down at the ground as he backs away from Gloria, ashamed, unable to look at anyone.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Rick tries to diffuse the tension, “I’ll go talk to Hershel about this, I know we’re all worried about the barn, but it’s still Hershel’s property, and we have to respect that.”

Everyone, even Shane, nods in agreement. Gloria’s still glaring at Shane, her chest heaving in rage. She looks away when she feels a hand on her arm, seeing Carol smiling softly at her, silently thanking her for standing up for her. Gloria forces a smile back and nods, telling her that it’s going to be okay. The group parts ways from the barn, each to do their own things. Gloria hobbles her way over to Dale who’s at his RV.

“Hey Dale.” she calls him.

Dale smiles at her, “Hey Gloria, how’s it feel to walk with three legs?”

“Never better!” she laughs, “so, you’re old... and you know things-” Dale’s laugh interrupts her.

“You and Glenn really are siblings, he said the exact same thing to me when he first told me about the barn.” Dale grins, amused.

Gloria chuckles at this, “yeah, he copies me a lot.” she says, adjusting her spot on her crutches.

“So what are you looking for this old wise man for?” he smiles.

“Well, just wanted to see what you thought about the whole situation, with the barn, with Sophia, us staying,” she purses her lips, furrowing her brows.

Dale sighs at this, “well, we’ll deal with the barn eventually one way or another, but whether it’s a good way is a whole other story. Personally, I’d like it if we could all stay here, and as for Sophia...” he pauses, “I honestly don’t know what to think.”

Gloria looks down and nods. She then looks over towards the chicken coop as she notices Glenn walking out from it, holding his hat with his hair coated in egg.

“Did you get attacked by a hen?” Gloria blinks, amused.

He looks at her, “Yeah... a pissed off hen. She’s mad that I told everyone about the barn.”

Dale grabs his hat from the RV and hands it to Glenn, “here, you can wear this for now.”

“Thanks.” he says solemnly.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. If you want, I can try talking some sense into Maggie for you.” Gloria hops, adjusting herself on her crutches again.

Glenn shrugs, “I don’t even know if that would help anything, I broke a promise, remember?”

“You did, but it was for the greater good. Leave it to me, you know how convincing I can be.” Gloria smiles reassuringly.

Glenn smiles a bit, rolling his eyes at her confidence. From behind Glenn, Gloria spots Daryl storming out from the horse stables and Carol looking after him with a concerned look on her face. Gloria excuses herself and makes her way towards Carol, wanting to ensure that she was alright.

“Daryl wants to go out and find Sophia but he’s still heavily injured.” Carol says once she spots Gloria, running to her.

Gloria ponders, not knowing what’s the right thing to say, “w-we still need to find Sophia...”

“But I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Carol says, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Gloria balances her body on her crutches then places a hand on Carol’s shoulder, “listen, no one else is going to get hurt, Daryl just got unlucky because of the horse he took and I was just careless, but that’s not going to happen to anyone else, okay?”

Carol wipes her tears that ended up falling then nods, “thank you... thank you.”

“I’ll take care of Daryl, you go over to Rick and Glenn and ask them to put together a search party, alright? We’ll find her.” Gloria says confidently.

Carol nods, a small smile on her lips, then she does as Gloria instructed and goes to find Glenn. Gloria makes her way to find Daryl at his tent that’s set up further away from the others, he’d always liked to be apart from the rest of the group. Daryl was packing up his arrows, his crossbow already slung on his back, getting ready to head out.

“Hey.” Gloria calls out as she stumbles to his area, “where’re you going?” she asks, playing dumb.

“Where do ya think?! Goin’ to find that lil’ girl!” he shouts at her, annoyed that she even had to ask such a question.

“You’re not going alone,” she stops right in front of him, “you’re still injured.”

Daryl scowls at her, “are ya gonna try an’ stop me?”

Gloria shakes her head, “nope, I’m not exactly in any condition to stop you.”

He looks at her and scoffs, then turns to leave without saying anything else. Gloria just turns in his direction and starts to follow him. Daryl turns around to look at her again when he hears that he’s being followed.

“The hell ya think you’re doin’?” Daryl asks, frowning at her.

She doesn’t stop hobbling towards him, “I told you that you’re not going alone, I’m coming with you.”

“Nah, ya ain’. Go back to the house.” he orders, pointing in the direction of the house.

Gloria finally makes it to him, “are you going to try and stop me?”

Daryl sighs out of frustration, “we gotta find that lil’ girl!”

“I know that! Don’t think for a second that I don’t want to find her, but Carol... she was crying to me, she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt, Daryl.” she sighs, ”We all know you’re a badass and probably the best tracker we have, but right now you aren’t at full potential because you’re hurt, and we can’t afford to lose you. We just can’t. I had Carol get Rick and Glenn to form a search party, we will find her, Daryl. We aren’t leaving the farm until we do. Walker barn or not.”

Daryl nods, not saying anything. Gloria moves a little closer to him, wanting to check his wounds to make sure they’re healing properly. Slowly, she moves her hand to his left temple where the bandage is, she notices that he flinches slightly.

“May I?” she asks, her voice soft.

He looks at her hesitantly then nods again. She smiles softly at him, slowly and carefully pulling back the bandage, seeing that it’s healing fairly well. Gloria repatches the bandage on his temple then takes her attention to the wound on his torso. She looks at him, asking permission with her eyes. Daryl shifts awkwardly, lifting up his shirt only enough to reveal the stitched wound. She smiles when she sees that it’s also healing well.

“You’re one hell of a man, Daryl.” Gloria comments, causing him to blush again.

“Ya should head back.” Daryl says, making his way back to his tent.

He enters his tent without saying anything else to her. Gloria chuckles at his behavior then slowly makes her way back to the rest of the group’s tents. When she gets there, she spots Maggie walking by herself. Thinking back to her conversation with Glenn, she decides to go and speak with her.

“Hey Maggie!” she calls out, hobbling her way towards the young woman, “can we talk?”

Maggie stopped in her tracks when she heard her name being called, “Sure...”

“I understand why you’re so pissed at Glenn,” Gloria starts when she’s in front of her, “you have a reason to be, but I hope you can understand that Glenn had his own reasons for what he did too. I know he broke a promise to you when he told the others about the barn, but he couldn’t risk their safety and keep it to himself. The first people those walkers will target if they ever got out would be my group sleeping out in their tents, not your family in the house protected by walls. And I don’t think any promise is worth the lives of my people.”

As Maggie stays quiet, Gloria starts to worry that she offended her, “Look, I’m sorry if I’m being too blunt and I upset you more, but whatever you and your family thinks about these walkers still being people waiting on a cure, I can guarantee you that they cannot be saved.”

“I know that!” Maggie snaps, “I’ve seen them first hand and I know how dangerous they can be! When I went on that run to the pharmacy with Glenn, one almost bit me and that’s when I realized it. That’s when I knew daddy was wrong about them.”

Gloria frowns, now confused, “Wait so... if you know how dangerous they are, why are you still so upset at Glenn for telling everyone?”

“I was mad at Glenn for breaking our promise, but that was the last thing on my mind. I care about Glenn, I think I might even love him.” Maggie blushes as she speaks, she sighs, “and because I care about him, I keep thinking back to when your group first got here, there was a walker in one of our wells and they lowered Glenn in to get the walker out.”

Gloria blinks in confusion at the story as it’s her first time hearing this, assuming that this was before Daryl had found her, “They... did what?” her voice coated with a protective rage.

“They used him as walker bait.” Maggie tells her simply, “and for some reason, Glenn was happy to do it for them! And when I... when I realized how dangerous they were, I just got so upset that Glenn was willing to throw away his life to protect people who don’t care about his safety.”

Gloria sighs at this, “I know... that’s just how selfless Glenn is. Always putting others before himself, which is why we gotta protect him.” she smiles pointedly at Maggie.

Maggie smiles back at her words, “I meant it, when I said I care about Glenn.”

“I know, I can tell. And I know Glenn cares about you too. A lot. Which is why he had to tell everyone else.” she sees Maggie’s confused expression and continues, “he knew that Hershel wasn’t going to do anything about the barn, but Rick and Shane will. He had to make sure it was dealt with as soon as possible to protect everyone here, and that includes you and your family.”

“You’ve given me a lot to think about.” Maggie says, gently grabbing Gloria’s arm and squeezes softly, “thank you.”

“Anytime," she nods, “oh and if you can, please make up with Glenn? I’m never gonna hear the end of it until you do.”

This causes Maggie to laugh, “I’ll think about it.” then resumes walking on her path.

Gloria chuckles and sighs, thinking that the talk went very well. She makes her way back to the tents and plops herself on the stump by Glenn’s tent. Taking a deep breath, she sighs in relief, today was a very productive day.

---

Next Chapter

Yay~ Gloria and Maggie had their first sisterly kinda talk, and Daryl and Gloria shared a moment~ I’m loving this haha, I hope you guys enjoyed this too~! Next chapter will be out this Friday!

In regards to everything that’s happening though, I really want to say I hope everyone stays safe and healthy, please don’t panic, we will get through this!

And as always, I would really appreciate any comments left for me! I’ll be replying to any comments in a new post because this is a sideblog!

#Daryl Dixon Fanfiction #Daryl Dixon X OC #Daryl Dixon X Original Character #TWD Fanfiction #TWD Imagine #The Walking Dead Fanfiction #The Walking Dead Imagine #Glenn Sister!OC #Glenn Sister!Original Character #Fated: Season 2 #Fated: S2: Chapter 4

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isaacmcadoo · 4 years

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Watch Party

A/N: Just something I wrote really quick based on my headcanon that Courtney is a die-hard Star Wars fan, Yolanda also loves Star Wars, Rick likes it, and Beth and Henry are a die-hard Star Trek fans. So Courtney/Rick/Yolanda have watch parties for the Mandalorian when it airs. And for the sake of this fic working, the events of Stargirl take place in 2018 so that they can watch the show together when it first airs. Also Henry is alive and living with the Whitmore-Dugans since his dad died(it’s not important to the story, but it’s important to my Courtney loves Star Wars and Henry loves Star Trek headcanon, so thank you @staroflightning for putting that idea in my head) Okay, that was a lot... On to the fic!

“Rick! I swear, if you don’t shut up about Beth I will be forced to punch you in the face.” Yolanda leaned back over the armrest of the couch, rolling her eyes.

“It’s not my fault my girlfriend is better company than you two.” Courtney folded her arms over her chest.

“Excuse you, sir?” Courtney raised her eyebrows. “Your girlfriend is a traitor!” This time Rick rolled his eyes.

“Traitor? Are you serious, Court?”

“YES!” Courtney threw her arms apart and down to her sides. “Her and Henry both are evil traitors.”

“Neither of those things are true.” Rick chuckled. “They just like Star Trek.”

“Exactly!” Courtney now threw her hands in the air. Yolanda pulled herself up so she could nod along with Courtney.

“Oh my gosh! This was a mistake, I never should’ve agreed to this.” Rick wavered a hand at his friends and pretended to stand up.

“NO!” Courtney reached out to pull him back onto the couch. “You promised us you’d watch with us, so you gotta watch!”

“Do I, though?” Rick brought his shoulders up to his ears. Yolanda stretched her back so she could glare at him over Courtney’s hair. Rick’s eyes went wide before leaning back into the couch.

“Yay!” Courtney smiled, hopping up and scurrying into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with a bucket of popcorn and a plate of cookies.

“Are we ready?” She asked as she plopped back onto the couch, dropping the treats onto the coffee table and scooping up the remote.

“Of course!” Yolanda straightened up, smacking Rick on the back of the head as she did so. The boy brought his hand to his head, rubbing small circles before nodding. Courtney quickly hit play and settled back as the episode began.

“Wait! That’s the end? Where’s the next episode?” Courtney grinned mischievously, glancing at Yolanda out of the corner of her eye.

“We gotta wait until next week.”

“That’s a load of bullcrap!” Rick huffed, crossing his arms.

“I thought you didn’t care about this?” Courtney questioned.

“That was before I watched THIS!” Rick gestured to the screen. “Now I’m finally invested, and I gotta know what happens next!” Courtney smiled wide.

“Does this mean you’ll watch the Clone Wars with me now?” The blonde asked, hopefully.

“Was it as good as that?” Rick raised an eyebrow. Courtney nodded vigorously.

“Then yes, yes I will.” Courtney squealed excitedly before tackling her friend in a hug. Yolanda leaned back to avoid being smothered by the pair. Rick smiled affectionately as he returned the hug. After the pair finally pulled apart, Yolanda rushed to stand and get away from them.

“Even after knowing you for so long, Courtney, I never would’ve guessed you were such a massive Star Wars nerd.” Yolanda spoke, turning to look at her friend.

“When my mom and Pat first started dating, it was the thing we bonded over. Believe it or not, when Pat and my mom were just dating, I thought he was actually kinda cool.” Rick snorted.

“You mean you liked him BEFORE he helped you become a superhero?” Rick asked skeptically.

“I mean, it was mostly because of Star Wars, but yeah.” Courtney looked between her friends. “But then he proposed and I started to not like him again.”

“Why?” Yolanda questioned as she sat down on the coffee table. Courtney shrugged.

“I dunno… The idea of it not just being me and my mom anymore kinda sucked… So I started to resent Pat.” Yolanda and Rick both nodded in understanding.

“I guess that makes sense.” Rick spoke a moment later. Courtney blushed, folding her hands in her lap as silence stretched across the room.

“Okay, but…” She glanced down at the hands in her lap as she, finally, broke the silence. “We aren’t her to talk about me and Pat, WHAT ABOUT THAT BABY?”

“Okay, yeah, can we? Because I have so many questions!” Yolanda turned her attention to her friend. “Like, what’s its name?” Courtney shrugged.

“They haven’t said.”

“What’s it’s race?” Rick questioned “I don’t know much about Star Wars, but I know they gotta have the race named, one of their most popular characters is the same race.” Courtney smiled.

“Yeah, about that…” Rick looked at her in shock.

“They don’t have a name for Yoda’s race?” Courtney once again shook her head.

“What the fuck are we supposed to call it, then?” Courtney shrugged.

“I dunno!”

“Ugh!” Rick threw his head back and closed his eyes in annoyance.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Rick opened his eyes as he looked back at his friend. “I’m finally getting really invested in Star Wars and you have no information to give me?” Courtney squinted, scrunching her whole face up, before nodding.

“You’ve failed me.” Courtney and Yolanda let out a loud laugh.

“I’m sorry.” Courtney finally spoke once the laughter had subsided.

“I guess I’ll have to forgive you.” Rick shrugged. “If you agree to start Clone Wars with me tomorrow.” Courtney grinned widely before nodding.

#stargirl #stargirl fanfic #courtney whitmore #rick tyler #yolanda montez #beth chapel #henry king jr.

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one-shot-plus-size · 3 years

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Crossbow Love - Chapter Nine - Negan

The work was created, through collaboration with @bladeroseocrp https://www.wattpad.com/user/BladeRose_18

The two of them, oblivious to what is going on outside, are resting peacefully, at the same time outside a group of about 10 people are approaching the cabin. only to break down the door with all their might and force their way inside. Knocking out the two of them, pressing them against each other and laughing maniacally "Our boss Negan would love to meet you" Dwight mutters to Daryl pressed to the ground. Daryl stares into the eyes of Blade, who is lying next to him, the man pressing her body to the ground to immobilize her. "I'm sorry," He whispers in a breaking voice. Blade looks him in the eye, shakes her head and tries to fight back, but can't move. She goes into a rage and wants to kill the men. She stares into Daryl's eyes. "It's all right, Daryl. We'll get through this together." She whispers to him.

Dwight laughs and they are both led outside. They are both thrown into the back of the bus and locked in total darkness, disarmed of course. Blade growls and groans as she bangs on the door and kicks it. "Damn it," She says. "Sorry Blade" Daryl sits down on the ground leaning against one of the walls. Blade looks at him and shakes her head. "Stop apologizing Daryl, you didn't know this was going to happen. As long as we stick together we will be fine." She says softly. Daryl rests his hands on her knees and lowers his head between his shoulders. Blade wrinkles her brow and sighs. "Daryl, it's going to be okay. We have each other and we're both still alive and kicking." She says touching his hand. "You don't know what they'll do to us, you don't know how they'll treat us." He shakes his head "There are too many of them." Blade sighs and looks down she sits back against the wall and sighs holding her head in her hands. "You're right." She says simply Daryl pulls her close and hugs her.

"It's going to be okay, it has to be." He whispers softly into her hair. Blade leans her head and body towards him and keeps her eyes close, "We have each other." She says. "Yes," He nods, "We have each other." Blade smiles softly and closes her eyes to rest. "Blade, whatever happens, don't risk your life, understand?" He leans slightly towards her. Blade wrinkles her brow and looks up at him, staring into his eyes. "I can't promise you that, Daryl." She says softly. "You have to." He intertwined his fingers with hers "You have to promise me this, please." He says, Blade looks into his eyes, holds his hand tightly and sighs "Okay." She says.

Daryl's breathing is shallow; they sit on the back of the bus for the next few hours. Daryl has no idea what to think about all this, he doesn't know what's going on. But one thing he does know is that he's going to be protecting the woman in his arms, he'll give his life for her if he has to because she deserves it. Blade closes his eyes, he doesn't want anyone to die or get hurt, he wants to protect her at all costs. But risking his own life will only make him sad. Daryl leans in and kisses her head. "You deserve the best." He whispers, thinking she's asleep "I'll give you everything I can." He says. Blade's eyes close and she crinkles her forehead, knowing that he would risk everything for her to keep her alive, but she didn't want that, she wanted a future with him. Four hours later, outside, Daryl hears a commotion, his body tensing despite the pain that sears through him.

Blade opens his eyes and looks around, then looks at Daryl. "What the hell is going on?" She asks. "I don't know Blade, but remember what you promised me" He smiles slightly at her and kisses her. He needs to feel her lips on his before what awaits them. Blade reciprocates the kiss and nods gently. "I know, Daryl, but if they hurt you or anyone I care about, I have to defend you.” She says. "Don't risk your own life, okay? You're just as important as the rest of the group, you're family."He says. Blade looks him in the eye "I know you are my family, but you know I risk my life for my family. I know you do the same for me." She says. He smiled slightly "Once we get out of this mess, I won't let you go." He kissed her lightly on the lips. And waited for what was about to happen next. Blade blushed and smiled softly, reciprocating his kiss. "You have to not risk your life for me Dixon. Promise?" She asked.

The car door opens, Daryl gets up from the ground and, leaning over, pushes Blade behind him. Blade grabs his hand and looks outside, being behind Daryl all he sees are bright lights and the people who took us. "Get out of here, the boss wants to meet you" Dwight laughs "Fuck off." Blade growls at him and glares at him "I swear I'll kill you all when I get the chance!" She yells. Daryl tightens his grip on her hand, turning his head slightly towards her. "You're not helping Blade!" He growls at her. Blade looks at Daryl, shakes her head and retracts her hand, getting off the bus in front of Daryl. Daryl appears right behind her and they both drop to their knees next to each other. Daryl gasps grabbing his ribs, lifts his head and looks around. Only after a moment does he realize that he is kneeling in the middle of the circle, the rest of his family is sitting next to him and Blade, and a man is standing in the middle of the circle grinning from ear to ear. In his hand he held a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. "How good to see you two in love, Dwight told me what you were doing in that cabin in the middle of the woods." He smiled broadly.

Blade looked at the man and clenched her teeth, she wanted to say something but kept quiet, she looked around seeing everyone and looked down, hiding her face under her hair. The blanket was thrown over Daryl's shoulders, the archer seeks her hand and gently intertwines her fingers hiding this interaction under the blanket. Blade holds his hand tight and stares at the man with the bat knowing that this man is about to kill someone with that bat. He wonders who the hell this man is. "Dear Daryl," He walks up to him, "Your friends already know me, but this is the first time we are seeing each other." He kneels in front of them, "I'm Negan," He smiles broadly, "It's nice to meet you, I'm glad we're finally meeting. I intend to make your lives a living hell," He growled staring at him. Blade stares at Negan and then at Daryl and grabs his hand tightly, wanting to make sure he one knows she is here. What the hell did they do that this man hates this group.

Negan shifted his gaze to her. "But I have a feeling this lady is new here, huh?" He slid a finger under her chin and lifted her chin up. Blade looked him straight in the eye, showing no fear and remaining serious, and if looks could kill, she would kill him. She remains silent, not intending to give him them the answer satisfaction, but she wants to know what Rick's group did to make him so pissed off. "I'll break you because I know who you care about." He smiled broadly. "At the end of the night your group will regret messing with me." He straightens up and starts walking in front of the group. "My people that you killed would want him to get revenge, that's why we are here. That's why we've all gathered here, some arbitrarily, others by force and cunning." He says.

Blade stares wide-eyed at what he says, looking around at everyone, and then looks at Daryl. Knowing that he never told her about what their group did. "What the hell did you guys do?" She asks whispering towards Daryl. "Nothing for what we had to suffer, we saved our people" He whispers to her, staring at the ground "I saved my family.” He says. Blade looked at him and then at Negan and sighed, staring at the ground, putting her hands on her knees. This night was turning out to be a nightmare for everyone, Daryl's whole body ached, he stared at the ground and felt like either resting or dying. One of two things, he glanced over at Blade and regretted letting himself get dragged into this. Blade continued to stare at the ground, rocking back and forth slightly, rubbing her hands together and playing with her hair tie.

She looked at Daryl and furrowed her brow. "I'm here for you until the end, Daryl Dixon." She spoke softly to him. He looked away and breathed quietly, his mind beginning to rebel. Rick didn't look good, this is what a broken man looked like. Daryl looked at him, he knew he had gotten his group into quite a mess. Blade stares up to see what Rick looks like. She saw that look before he was broken. She had been broken before. But this man would not break her. She looks at Negan remaining strong and fearless. Every next moment of this encounter was worse, Daryl flinched when Negan began his enumeration, when he saw the bat over Blade's head he almost lost it, he narrowly missed throwing himself to his feet and biting him. Blade stares deep into his eyes showing no fear. "Daryl no, he doesn't scare me, if he wanted to kill me or hurt me he would have done it already." She said, still staring at Negan.

Negan just smiled realizing that they both meant more to each other than they thought. Negan started playing Enny meenie mi mo before he was standing in front Abraham and started hitting him in the head until his head was no more. Daryl clenched his eyes tightly as the bat hit Abraham in the head for the first time, his stomach turning upside down with each successive hit. Blade stared straight ahead and didn't move an inch, just listening to what was happening and flinching slightly at each impact. The entire group was sobbing or screaming at the sight of Abraham's shattered head, not much and Daryl would have thrown up. He looked away and clenched his eyelids, then felt a bump on the back of his neck. "You're supposed to look." Dwight spoke up above him.

Blade kept her head down and kept her arms tightly crossed, she wanted to kill everyone who was hurting her family, especially Negan. She may not have been part of this group for long, but she cares about everyone in this group. No one really knew what would happen to them, Negan smiled broadly. "Well I feel better, more satisfied, but yes maybe I could use a little more" Negan scratched his chin and looked around, his gaze stopped on Daryl "Dwight do I remember you having a spat with this gentleman here?" Negan asks. Blade looks at him and then at Daryl and shakes his head with an exasperated growl and balled up her fist. She doesn't want Daryl to get hurt. She has to do something. "You're right boss." Dwight nodded. "Good job" He smiled broadly "Get him in the car, I'm taking him with me. You Rick aren’t going to say anything because you don't have the guts" He laughed. Dwight grabbed Daryl under the arm and yanked sharply, Simon helped him into the back of the bus. Blade gasped and growled and quickly and shook his head "Please, take me instead of please. I'll do anything, just please don't take him!" She screams "No!" He yelled in her face "Don't you dare beg or you'll be joining that redhead" He growled at her "You stay with Rick someone has to gather supplies for me and I have a feeling you're good at it" He smiled broadly "Rick appreciate my kindness, I'm being gracious today because I have a new dog to play with. Gentlemen let's go home. We will be seeing you in a week to get our stuff." Blade growled wanting to stop them killing and doing at least something and knowing she promised Daryl she wouldn't risk her life she just fell to her knees tears running down her face. "Damn it." She says quietly crying

Negan's men pack into their cars and drive away. Daryl sits on the back of the bus and clenches his hands into fists. He is angry and everything hurts, but he is glad that she is okay and that Blade didn't get hit. Blade cries and starts hitting the ground and screams his name. "DARYL!!!" She screams. She wanted to go with him or take his place. She doesn't want him to get hurt or suffer she would rather feel pain. Rick rises from his knees and together with Glenn they collect Abraham's body, Rosita walks over to Blade and kneels beside her. "Hey it's going to be okay, we'll get him back, I promise." She says. Blade just sits there, doesn't move, doesn't say anything, she's in shock that she lost Daryl, she wants him back, why couldn't he just take her and not him. She doesn't move, she stares at her stunned, feeling numb. "Let's go home." Rosita leans into her, wanting to help her up.

Blade slowly gets up, not saying a word, just stunned. She holds on tight, and tears stream down her face. She wants to get him back now. Negan, meanwhile, packs Daryl into the cell like trash, his body slamming against the wall and slumping to the ground. "Do something I don't like and your brave lady will lose his head!" Negan growls at him and slams the door. Blade feels weak and dazed, not sure how she is supposed to help this group at all with the state she is in. In her condition she seems to be just a shell of a body, with no emotions or soul. Daryl stares into the darkness and thinks back to the moments they spent together at the cabin, the touch of her skin under his fingers. He doesn't know if he will ever see her again, if he will ever be able to see and touch her again. When they return to Alexandria. Blade simply walks alone, leaving everyone at the gate.

She slowly walks back to their house and she just goes back to the basement and lays down on her bed and cries knowing she can smell him on his blankets and pillow. "Daryl come back to me, please. I need you here." She says quietly to herself, lying there. Rosita looks at Tara "We have to get him back, I can't look at her when she's like this." She says. Blade is still lying there looking down at her bracelet and thinking to herself that she needs to stay strong even though she wants to hurt herself badly. She has to stay strong at least for him. "Blade, may I Come in?" Tara stands in the doorway. Blade sits quickly with her back to the door and wipes her tears quickly and clears her throat. "Oh yeah um sure Tara came in." She says sitting down on the edge of the bed putting her head in her hands "Hey don't be ashamed of your tears" Tara goes around the bed and sits down next to her.

Blade holds her head in her hands rubbing her forehead and shakes her head. "They took him, they kidnapped him. I have to find him and save him. I can't live with myself being tortured... I wanted to take his place." She says quietly. "I know Blade, Rick will figure something out. We'll save Daryl, he's our family, just like you." She pokes her shoulder "We'll figure something out together." She says. Blade shakes her head and covers her face and looks down "We can't just sit here we have to save him now!" She shouts standing up and paces the room back to the front. Messing with the bracelet that represented her archer. "Eyyy, eyyy in this state we can't help anyone and we can only do harm" Tara looked at her "I know you care about him, we all care about him but being reasonable is more important." Blade looked at her, shook her head and looked down, putting her hands on her hips. "I can go alone, I can ride my bike and look for him, I can track them down." She says, thinking this is the best idea she has. "No" Rick says standing on the stairs "No one moves from here until I say so" He rests his hands on his hips.

Blade looks at him and glares at him and gets angry "YOU ALLOWED THEM TO TAKE HIM!!! YOU ARE AN EMPTY SHELL OF A MAN, RICK! IF IT WAS ME INSTEAD OF HIM HE WOULD WANT TO DO THE SAME THING I WANT TO DO FOR HIM!" She screams, having so much anger, tears in her eyes from anger. "I may be scared, but I'm not one to screw up in the middle of the run!" He yells at her thinking this is the only way he can get through to her. Blade shakes her head and drenches herself in tears. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT DICKHEAD DWIGHT STOPPED US, BEAT UP DARYL AND HURT ME TO THE POINT THAT WE HAD TO REST! I AT LEAST WANT TO FIND HIM! He's the first man who ever gave a shit about me and I love him!" She yells. "If you try to escape then don't come back, we will either do this together or not at all. Your actions may cause Daryl's death." He turns and walks back upstairs, and after a moment, the front door is heard slamming.

Blade looks down and grabs her hair and screams in anger and hits the wall in anger. She wanted Daryl to tell her what he wanted her to do. If this group let her go and didn't want her to come back here, then there was no place for her here at all. She leaned against the wall and dropped to her knees, crying against the wall. "Blade" Tara sits down next to her "everyone lost someone that night, Daryl is like a brother to us, our closest family. Rick is worried. He didn't mean any harm. He barely survived that night. Let's just get some rest, and tomorrow with a fresh mind we'll come up with a plan." She says. Blade just sits holding herself close and tight. She wouldn't be able to sleep, especially if she didn't have Daryl with her to make sure she doesn't have a nightmare, because after what happened, she'll have nightmares. Tara gets up, "If you want you can stay with us, I know this house may seem empty right now" She moves towards the door "You know where I live". Blade gets up and falls onto the bed, puts her face in Daryl’s pillows taking in the smell as she cries softly.

Daryl sits in his cell just as he is about to fall asleep, the loud music echoes around him again. He won't give up, they won't break him like this, he will return to Alexandria, he will return home to her. At any cost. "I will come back home Blade, I swear" He touches his neck. Blade holds herself close, touching the bracelet as she holds his blankets and pillow close. She cries so much that she finally falls asleep, but wakes up from a terrible nightmare that terrified and shook her. Sitting up shaken, she holds her knees close to her chest. You have to admit that Negan can be creative, each new day he comes up with worse and worse things to try to break Daryl with. Each day is worse than the last, with each day Daryl has less and less hope of ever seeing his family again.

#daryl dixon #Daryl &oc #TWD #The Walking Dead #daryl fanfiction #daryl dixion imagine

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justjessame · 3 years

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The Deal Chapter 37

Exhaustion, real true exhaustion can make things occur when you finally let your body relax that you wouldn’t do if you’d fallen asleep naturally. That has to be the reason, five nights after returning to the Sanctuary from Alexandria for the second time, that I finally succumbed to my exhaustion and completely ignored my bed-mate. And while you’re unconscious, finally letting the elusive rest take over your entire body, you may wake up in an awkward position. That HAS to be the reason that on the sixth day I woke up wrapped around Negan’s body. It’s the only damn reason that makes any type of fucking sense.

I woke up, feeling the heat of his chest pressed against my cheek, my leg thrown over one of his, and curled so tight against him that I felt the blush burn up my body from my toes to my hairline. Fuck.

His arm was wrapped around my back, holding me as tight against him as I was pressed, and from the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the snoring, I knew he was still asleep. The issue now? How the hell do I extradite myself from him without waking up the mocking asshole?

I couldn’t struggle while I figured it out, that’s the ONLY reason I stayed exactly the same as I woke up. It definitely wasn’t because of how warm he felt. I definitely wasn’t snuggling closer because he smelled strangely wonderful. And I sure as fuck wasn’t pressing tighter against him for comfort. Because that would mean that I was full on fucking insane. Period.

I was locked in my own thoughts of how to remove myself, and NOT about what he must use to shower with to smell the way he did, and missed as his fingers tightened on my hip. I was so entirely inside of my own mind thinking of escape options, really, truly, that I nearly missed feeling his head lower to the top of my head and inhale the scent of ME. I swallowed hard. Shit.

“Morning, sunshine.” Negan’s voice was rough from sleep, making him sound even deeper and darker than usual. “Sleep well?” I was listening for the tone. The one he used when he taunted people. I've learned it well over the past few days. And I couldn’t find it in his question.

I shrugged, but didn’t move. “It was OK.” I sounded so breathy that I wanted to fucking die. Not a suicide, more like could the fucking bed swallow me already, death.

His chuckle vibrated against my cheek. “Just OK?” His face was still pressed into the top of my head, I could tell, since I felt the warmth of his words ruffle my hair.

I propped my chin onto his chest and looked up. “Just your average Tuesday.” I was going for flippant. If I looked and sounded like it didn’t matter, then I took away his ability to tease and mock.

He was smiling. Not a smirk. Not a leer, but an actual smile. “This is what you do on Tuesdays?” His free hand found my cheek and the rough pad of his thumb brushed my skin. “Damn, might have to make every fucking day Tuesday.”

I rolled my eyes and started to pull away, but his arm around me tightened just enough to ask me to stay. It wasn’t restrictive, it wasn’t a demand or command. Just a little pressure letting me know that he didn’t want me to move yet, if I wasn’t against staying. Was I? Against staying?

I lay still as I pondered, letting my head lay back against his chest. His hand was still cradling my face, his thumb still brushing my skin. It was weird. The way he was holding me, touching me, was very different from before. From when Daryl and I first touched. From the first time we made love in the field near the Greene Farm, using the moon as our only guide.

The way Negan had begun casually touching me from almost the first moment we were alone. The way he held my hand in Alexandria during the first visit. The way he found me after killing Dr. Carson to find reassurance, understanding. I’d told myself that when he’d held my wrist and hand during that first time back, it was to remind me of my order not to speak to my people. Or to poke a hole in my dad’s softest spots. Was that the only reason?

“Why did you do it?” I asked, realizing that I wasn’t being nearly clear enough. “Why did you hold on to me when we went back that first time?” I looked back up into his face, feeling that if I held his eyes with mine, I could probably see if he lied.

He was staring into my eyes and I could tell he was weighing my question with his answer. A sigh. “I told myself it was to rub it into Rick. To the redneck. To remind them that they fucking failed you. And failed to do what they’d wanted so badly to do, beat me.” He licked his lip and his thumb brushed under my eye, tracing where the dark circles had been so dark. “That works for the wrist hold, right?”

I watched him and waited. He seemed to be dealing with some inner debate.

“Fuck if I know, but when Carl fired that shot, while your dad and I were trading barbs, I saw it. That look that crossed your face.” His thumb moved lower, over my cheek, down until it was right under my bottom lip. “You looked like you’d failed. That you offered yourself up on a silver platter to die, and they didn’t care. That it wasn’t enough to get them in line and that it was all for nothing.” A brush against my lip. “And damn it, Jessi, I couldn’t fucking stand to see that. To let you think that you weren’t enough. No matter what THEY did, or what THEY think. You’re worth a thousand of each and every one of them.”

I swallowed and nodded, then lay my head back on his chest. I’d asked, and he’d told me. And I could tell, from the short time I’d been his shadow, that he wasn’t bullshitting me. I knew because he looked as fucking confused by it as I was.

We got up not long after that. I couldn’t meet his eyes, not yet. I had too much to think about, about what he’d said. I needed to work through not just what he said, but what it meant. And how I felt about it.

He gave me the bathroom first, and after I’d showered and redressed, I came out to find him standing tense in front of the window I’d stood at days ago. I studied him as I put on my boots. And I waited for him to tell me what today’s schedule looked like.

“I’m gonna need you to come with me to the cells,” he was speaking to the window, not turning to face me. “We had a breach last night.”

I was biting my lip. His tone, it warned of something, but I wasn’t sure what. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He didn’t look at me as he walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As we walked to the cells, a part of the Sanctuary that I didn’t recall visiting on either tour, he wasn’t whistling. He was holding Lucille as tensely as he’d stood at the window. I started to feel a blossom of fear building in my chest. Was this it? Had he finally shown me too much, or lulled me into a false sense of security, and NOW after toying with me like a cat does a mouse, he was leading me to the end? The fear was heavy, suffocating, and building as we walked.

He stopped before we turned down another corridor and looked down at me. I was studying the floor, feeling like my heart was pounding loud enough to hear, to remind me that I wasn’t ready to fucking die. Not yet.

“She came in last night,” his voice was quiet. “They brought her down here, but just told me.” Her? She? Who? “I don’t know if Rick was part of the plan, or if this was a search and destroy mission.” I swallowed, still staring at the floor. “Jessica,” I closed my eyes and waited. When his fingers slid to my chin and tilted my face up to his, they opened. “I’m not doing this to hurt you. If she sees you, it might help her make the right choice.” His thumb, as it had earlier, was tracing my cheek. “Just stand beside me, you don’t have to speak unless you want to.” Freedom to choose, he was giving me the freedom to decide if I wanted to talk to whomever had, once again, refused to just go with the new world order.

I nodded and we continued. I can feel Negan tense beside me and then he’s rushing forward to an open door. And there, on the floor with a disgusting man hovering over her, is Sasha. Her shirt is ripped, I see as Negan draws the man’s attention. Her hands are bound behind her. I can feel the rage rolling off the man beside me as the other man tries to explain. Tries and fails.

My eyes don’t leave Sasha. She’s glaring up at me, as though I did this. I put her in this room. I tied her up and left her to this piece of utter garbage. I’m so focused on the hatred and anger that she’s throwing at me with just her eyes, that when the man falls, knife wound to the neck bleeding fast and furious, I nearly miss it.

One of the others, I don’t know his name, is hovering just behind us. Negan calls for him to get Sasha a new shirt, after asking her her name and complimenting the beauty of it. He kneels, as I stand behind him, and cuts off her bindings. Apologizing for what she’d had to deal with from the attempted rapist. Apologizing for the necessity of the rope. And as she’s still shooting me looks that would stab me as surely as he’d taken down Davey, and a flicker of recognition lights up his face as he stands up, closer to me.

“Oh shit, I remember you. Yeah. You were there.” He makes the motion with Lucille mimicking Abe’s death, a knocking noise. And her glare at me grows hotter. “Hey, that’s unnecessary.” He caught it, and stepped slightly in front of me. He starts to divert her attention from me, mixing compliments about her toughness with questions about whether this was Dad’s idea.

“Rick?” I can hear the derision in her voice. “Your bitch? No.” Great, she’s acting alone, which means that even if Dad doesn’t come for Negan, the others, like Rosita, are going to try on their own.

Negan tells her she has a choice. That he doubts that she thought she’d survive, but since he’s down a man, she can decide. He hands her the knife and I feel myself still. Kill him, take her shot, even though he’s got Lucille to back him up. Slit her own wrists, die on her own terms, even if it would be a damn shame. I don’t hear the same concern in his tone that he’d had with me when he asked if I were suicidal, but maybe I wasn’t listening hard enough. Or, take the knife, kill Rapey Davey when he reanimates, or let him eat her face. If she kills him, she’s joined the cause.

And then he turns, takes my hand in his, and walks us out the cell. Locking the door behind us, Negan waits until we’re down the hall, the back up behind us. “Are you alright?” He’s being quiet, and I nod. “I’m gonna take you back upstairs. I’ll check back on her alone.” Another nod. “These fucking people, Jessi, they-” He stops speaking, but we’re still walking. “They don’t get it. None of them.” And I can’t tell if he means what I’ve done, or what he expects.

#negan x ofc #daryl dixon x ofc #rick grimes daughter #The Walking Dead #alternative universe #dark #mental illness

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brrahbrrahcharacterimagines · 5 years

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You Think They Are Falling For Someone Else (Part 2)

MASTERLIST

If you haven’t read Part 1, read it HERE

A/N: For some reason I started writing these LONG like full-fledged imagines so I tried to cut back as I went along.

Request: I was wondering if you could make a part 2 of you think they are fallong for someone else thank you if you can i love it - @cherry-blossom-queen-blog ~~I know this was requested forever ago, but I took a pretty long unexpected break from this blog. Now that I’m back, here you go!~~

Rick Grimes

It had been weeks of agony for you. Every “meeting” Rick went to made you want to curl up into a ball and cry. Sometimes, you did.

Carl had caught on to what was happening, confronting you one day.

“Y/N, what’s going on?” He asked, concerned. He looked up to you as a mother figure, especially since his own mother had passed and now you were with his father. You couldn’t bet on the last one remaining a reason though.

“Nothing,” you said, trying to brush it off.

“I’m not a little kid anymore Y/N. That won’t work on me anymore.”

You sighed.

“It’s just that your father is spending a lot more time away from us. At first I understood, but now he is gone almost every night. I can’t help but think that these ‘meetings with Michonne’ might be more.” You took a deep breath after your words and Carl let out a breath you hadn’t realized he was holding.

“I’ve thought that too.”

Your heart sank. If you both realized, it must be true. You decided to confront him that night about it, so long as he was actually home.

Thankfully he was; it was one of the few nights that he had nothing going on. Dinner was tense, and afterwards you put Judith to bed before heading back to your room.

When you entered, Rick was standing in the master bathroom in just his pajama pants, brushing his teeth. It may have been a small moment, but it was something that used to fill you with pure joy. Now it only made you long for how things used to be.

“Hey Rick?” You said quietly

“Yea?” He responded, rinsing his mouth.

“Can we talk?”

His expression turned to one of worry. He agreed, and he sat beside you on the edge of the bed.

“I understand if you want to leave me.” You said, blurting it out from the get-go. You knew you had to start off strong, otherwise you never would have said it.

“What?” He near-yelled, baffled. “Why the hell would I want to do that?”

You began to tear up but tried to hold them back. You didn’t want to seem weak in top of everything else.

“You’ve been spending a lot more nights out, nights with Michonne. I tried to ignore it, I really did, and tried to remind myself that it was just business. But there are so many nights when I fall asleep waiting for you because you get home so late. I know that you have been going to see her, and not on Deanna’s wishes.” You paused, taking a second to bite back a sob. Rick tried to speak but you interrupted him, continuing with everything that you had planned to tell him. “Carl has noticed it too, how you have been spending so much more time with her lately. I don’t blame you, she’s a beautiful woman with a bad-ass spirit. Of course you want her.”

There was a long pause before Rick spoke.

“Please say something,” you whispered on the verge of breaking. You finally looked up to meet Rick’s eyes, seeing them full of tears.

“Y/n,” he whispered, “I love you.”

He reached out to you and you fell into his arms. You longed for the comfort of his embrace.

“That’s not true. I don’t want her. I really have been swamped with meetings and debates, I swear.” He pulled away to look at you, showing you he was telling the truth. “You can’t tell anybody, but we think there is a rival group nearby trying to sneak in. That’s what we have been so worried about to talk so much about.”

The tears were at this point falling freely from your eyes and down your cheeks.

“I’m so sorry,” you sobbed. “I was so stupid.”

Rick pulled you tightly to him, caressing your hair. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“Don’t be sorry,” he muttered, ”this is all my fault. I should have told you. It did seem like I was going behind your back. I should be the one who is sorry.”

You wrapped your arms around him tightly, burying your face into his chest. He was yours.

Negan

Hours later you walked back to speak to Negan. You figured it had been enough time for him to have blown off some steam and sent the girl back to her room. Unluckily for you, you hadn’t waited quite long enough and you passed her in the hallway,her hair tousled and clothes disheveled. You wanted to glare at her, yell at her; but you knew that it wasn’t her fault. She sent you a sad smile, and you continued to Negan’s door.

You didn’t bother to knock. He had nothing to hide.

He had already put a pair of sweatpants on, but his chest was bare. On any other occasion you would have ogled, but this time you were here for a different reason.

“Hey Babygirl, great timing. That broad just left.”

“I know,” you responded bitterly. “I passed her in the hallway.”

You usually tried to restrain yourself from seeming so bitter, but you saw no point now.

“I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?” Replied Negan with a cocky smile. “But shit, you just got here! You’re already heading back to your room?” You rolled your eyes, but also sent Negan a sad smile.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Realizing the gravity of your words, Negan walked over to you so that he was within a foot of you. He smelled intoxicating but you pushed that aside.

“What?” He sputtered, yelling in confusion and rage. “You’re just going to walk the fuck out?” You took a deep breath, trying to maintain your cool.

“Yes,” you said, defiantly standing your ground.

“Why?” He raged.

“Because I love you, damn it!”

That isn’t how you meant for it to come out, but now he knew. He ran a hand over his face in thought, and you had to ignore how sexy you found it. He sat on the edge of his bed, motioning for you to come and sit beside him.

“Why had you never told me before?” He said quietly.

“It never seemed like it mattered. I was always just your friend. Besides, you already had your wives.” You stopped yourself from saying more, afraid that your voice would crack and give you away.

“So what?”

“So what?” You blurted in disbelief. “What the hell do you mean, ‘so what’? How am I supposed to tell you that I love you when all you care about is fucking some bitch with two brain cells who only pretends to care about you so she can have a nicer room?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at your insult towards his wives, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still pissed off.

“You just fucking tell me! It’s just three words.”

“You had already chosen a harem, Negan.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “What would you have said anyway?” You puffed up your chest and plastered a smirk on your face, doing your best impression of the man. “Oh, you fucking love me? Join my damn fucking wives! I’ll give you a little black fucking dress and now I’ll only talk to you when I’m fucking pissed and horny!”

“I’ve got to say Baby, you’ve got the cursing part of that down.”

You huffed. Is that all he had to say? But then he sighed and continued in an uncommon quiet tone.

“I would have told you that I loved you too.”

You couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped your lips. You looked over to Negan, expecting him to laugh and say that he was kidding. Instead you looked upon sincere eyes and a small smile.

“I don’t mean like one of your wives, Negan.”

“I know,” he replied. “I don’t mean like one of my wives either. You spark something inside of me that I thought I could never feel again after my wife, my real wife, passed away. I love you, truly fucking love you.”

“We could never work out though,” you replied sadly.

“And why the hell not?” He countered, becoming a bit defensive.

“I hate to beat a dead horse, but your wives, Negan. I can’t sit idly by as you fuck other women for fun.”

“They’re gone.”

“What?” You stammered.

“Then they’re gone. Y/N, Babygirl, you’re all I need.”

You were enough.

Daryl Dixon

You looked out over the prison from your spot on the guard tower, watching everybody working below. You didn’t mind being the lookout, it gave you a chance to see what everybody was up to while also giving you time to think on your own. The problem is that today, almost all you could think of was Daryl.

Speak, or rather think, of the devil. You hadn’t heard him coming; as a hunter he actually had rather quiet footsteps. However, as he stood in the doorway he called out to you.

“Y/N?” He called.

“Yes, Daryl?” You replied, turning to face him. He walked towards you, but you stayed planted firmly in place. You were done chasing him, you had decided.

“You’ve been avoidin’ me,” he stated gruffly. He didn’t meet your eyes.

“So?” You retorted. “Why does it matter to you?”

“I like talkin’ to ya,” he said, “being around you.” If you weren’t mistaken, he had a light flush to his cheeks that was spreading to his ears. Despite this, you couldn’t help but still feel bitter.

“Well you sure seem to like talking to Carol too,” you replied hotly. Daryl just chuckled in response.

“She just likes giving me a hard time,” he says.

“What, because she likes you?”

“What?” Daryl sputtered, finally looking at your eyes, his own squinted in confusion. “Carol don’t like me! She just knows I like someone else,” he said, trailing of and getting quieter at the end. Now it was your turn to be confused.

“You do?” You asked, watching him as he took a couple of steps towards you.

“Yeah,” he nearly whispered in a gruff voice as he stood close to you. You were close enough to feel his hot breath fanning on your face. “Carol keeps tellin’ me I need to grow a pair and ask her out, but I had been too nervous.”

Daryl moved his hand up to your face, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear and causing you to blush.

“But now I’m thinking that she saw Carol teasing me about my crush and got the wrong idea.”

You leaned up, pressing a kiss to Daryl’s lips.

“I would love to be your girlfriend, Daryl,” you told him softly. He beamed at you in response, pulling you into a tight hug.

Glenn Rhee

There he was with her again.

You had been living on the farm for a while now, and what you had thought when you first arrived was finally coming true. You saw Maggie and Glenn sitting close together, leaning in and laughing at what the other was saying. They looked like the perfect couple.

Still, you couldn’t help but feel angry, sad, and guilty.

You were angry at yourself for not telling him how you felt sooner. You had loved him for what felt like forever to you, but you kept it a secret and watched as another woman whisked him away.

You were sad that it was her with him, and not you. You wanted to be the one spending all that time with him, not just some old friend pushed to the wayside. You would remember the times you spent together before the dead stopped dying. Whenever you were upset before, Glenn would take you into his arms and do all that he could to comfort you. You would have movie nights almost every week with snacks and everything. Now those memories of joy only brought you sadness. Moments that meant everything to you seemed as if they meant nothing to him.

But most of all you felt guilty. You had never told him how you felt, and he wasn’t yours. Even if you had told him, there was no guarantee that he felt the same. Now he was happy, and you felt ashamed of yourself for not letting him just be happy.

You couldn’t live with this burden any longer though, or you were going to go crazy. Your friendship was already on the rocks, seeming to dwindle as you spent more time on the farm. You decided to just tell Glenn how you felt. It didn’t matter if he didn’t feel the same way, or if he loved Maggie. You just had to tell him.

Maggie got up to leave, excusing herself to go help her father with some chores. You took the opportunity, rushing over to Glenn.

“Can I just say something crazy?” You asked him, trying not to lose your nerve.

“Y/N, everything you say is crazy.” He teased with a smile, but you didn’t return the smile this time.

“Glenn, I’m serious.” His face softened and he looked at you with worry.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m sorry. Go ahead.” You took a deep breath before letting it all out.

“From the first time I saw you at that party and my friend introduced us, I thought you were the most handsome man in the world. It was like love at first sight, scratch that, it was love at first sight. For me, anyway. I loved being your friend but I always wanted there to be more between us even though I never told you. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship; I decided that having you in my life as a friend was better than not having you in my life at all. But now seeing you with Maggie, I can’t help but regret that. I know that you like her, and I want you to be happy; I really do. But I had to tell you how I felt about you or I was going to go insane. I’m so sorry for-”

You were cut off from your rambling by a soft pair of lips on your own. Glenn was kissing you. His arms wrapped around your waist as you kissed him back, placing your hands on his chest.

“But what about Maggie?” You asked as the two of you pulled away, still holding each other close.

“Screw her,” he said as he placed another kiss on your lips. “You’re the one I want. The one I’ve always wanted. I thought you wouldn’t ever see anything in a guy like me.”

“I see everything in you. Now shut up and kiss me again, you dork.”

Abraham Ford

You had tried to avoid Abraham for as long as you could after you caught Rosita getting ready at his house, but he wouldn’t let stay away. he would come try to talk to you on your shifts when you couldn’t just walk away with him, or he would come over to your house just to check in on you. Every time you saw him a pang of hurt rung through your heart.

Finally after weeks you began feeling a bit better. You started the long road of getting over your feelings, despite how hard you knew it would be. It may be difficult, but you knew that it would not be worth it to keep pining over a man who loves another woman.

You began seeing him more often again. You would take shifts together, and you even agreed to go on a run with him. Abraham insisted on driving, so you slid into the passenger seat and the two of you took off to look for some supplies.

“So, how’s Rosita?” You asked to kill the silence, trying to hide the bitterness in your tone.

“She’s doing alright, I guess.” He replied, sounding a bit puzzled which made you confused in turn.

“What do you mean you guess?”

“I’m just confused about why you are asking me about Eugene’s girlfriend.”

Your stomach dropped along with your jaw. So that’s why she was over at his house. Eugene and Abraham were housemates.

“Are you okay Y/N? You’re going to catch flies if you don’t close that pretty mouth.” You blushed and snapped your mouth shut. Then you spun quickly to face him.

“What the hell did you just say?” You sputtered. He chuckled.

“I said you should close that pretty mouth of yours,” he said as he turned to you with affection. “I talked to Eugene about what happened and he realized why you were upset. I just didn’t know how to bring it up to you.”

You were shocked, to say the least.

“Oh.”

“That’s all I get?” He laughed.

“Well what would you like from me then?” You shot back.

“A kiss?”

And you obliged.

Carl Grimes

After seeing Carl with Enid again, you rushed off back to the house you shared with Carol, the woman who had basically become your adopted mother. You ran up to your room, lying down on your bed as the tears flowed freely.

Carl may not have been your boyfriend, but for months you had what you felt was an unspoken relationship. Everybody else knew it too, but on closer examination you realized it might have just been because you were his only option.

You heard a knock on the door, startling you and making you sit up.

“Mom?” You called out, your voice giving away that you were crying.

“Not quite,” replied the voice. “It’s me.”

You were immediately embarrassed. Surely he would know from your voice that you had been crying. You wiped the tears from your face best you could and ran your fingers through your hair to try and tame it before opening the door. As soon as the door opened, Carl’s face dropped.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, grabbing your face in his hand and caressing your cheek with his thumb. A stray tear fell from your eye and Carl moved to wipe it away. You normally would have blushed, but you felt too bad in the moment to register what he had done.

“I’m alright, Carl,” you tried to tell him. However, your voice cracked and gave you away even more.

“Please Y/N, tell me what’s wrong.”

You took a deep breath. Carl didn’t give up easily, and he always knew when you were lying. You had to tell him.

“It’s just that the guy I like has feelings for someone else.”

Carl felt his chest tighten, guilt forming in his torso. You had tried not to give everything away, but Carl was smart. He knew.

“Y/N, I am so sorry,” he said. You felt the tears begin to stream again so you cut him off.

“Don’t worry about that Carl, I just want you to be happy. It’s okay now that II’m not your last resort.”

“That’s not true!” He yelled. “Please, let me finish,” he begged. you nodded. “I am so sorry that I made you think that. Me and Enid are just friends. You, Y/N,” he said as he caressed your face again, “are the only one I love.”

King Ezekiel

You wished you could hate Carol. Blame her for taking Ezekiel away from you. You just couldn’t bring yourself to it.

Ezekiel was right, she really was something. She was kind but also a bad-ass, and despite her age she was gorgeous. Of course he had fallen for her, what was there not to like?

You were making one of your usual walks with Ezekiel one morning, but you noticed something off about him.

“Are you okay Zeke?” You asked, using your nickname for him. “You’re awfully quiet. You aren’t ever this quiet around me.” He paused before he answered you.

“Do you think I need a queen?”

You froze dead in your tracks at his words. You knew that he had liked her, but you didn’t know it had already progressed to that extent. You tried to respond but you couldn’t form a coherent response.

“It’s just that sometimes it gets lonely. Besides, I need somebody to bounce ideas off of.”

“You already bounce ideas off of me,” you reply. Not only was she taking your man, but also your spot as an unofficial adviser.

“I know, that’s why I want you to be my queen.”

You could have sworn that your heart stopped.

“Well, that and your charm and beautiful looks.”

Yep, it definitely stopped.

“Are you serious?” You asked him, tears forming in your eyes.

“I would never joke about this,” he replied as he gazed into your eyes. “I love you too much to be kidding. I don’t think we should get married yet, per se, but I would like to be able to call you mine.”

You flung yourself into his arms as he instinctively wrapped them around you.

“Of course!” You yelled as he held you tight.

Paul “Jesus” Rovia

It may have been days since his date, but you still felt the pain. It still hurt that Jesus had found somebody, and that that somebody wasn’t you.

The two of you were sitting on the stairs of your small home at the Hilltop, enjoying the warm sunlight and a cool breeze.

You glanced around Hilltop, seeing none other than Marina. You felt a pang of jealousy and hurt flow through you.

“Marina looks pretty great today, doesn’t she?” You asked Jesus bitterly, though hiding your tone.

“Meh,” he said.

“What do you mean, ‘meh’? Shouldn’t you be kinder to your dinner partner?”

Jesus chuckled.

“I don’t know if I would call her my ‘dinner partner’, we’ve only eaten together once and it went rather terribly. It made it hard to concentrate on the meal when I was thinking about someone else,” he said with a glance into your eyes. You heart seemed to skip a beat. “Someone who I’d just gotten back from a run with,” he nearly whispered.

Dwight

You hurried outside, trying to escape the shame and embarrassment. Why had you kissed him like that?

To your surprise, Dwight followed right after you.

“You’re right, Y/N. I miss my ex-wife.”

You felt a twinge of sadness building and growing stronger in your chest.

“But that doesn’t mean I still love her.”

You spun to face hi, confused. He had his hands in his pockets, staring at you sheepishly but also with admiration.

“We were together for years, and I’ll always have those memories. But after what she did, I don’t love her anymore. I can’t. Maybe I just happened to fall in love with the woman who was always there for me, making sure I was okay both physically and mentally after everything went down. The woman who has the most beautiful eyes, who still looks flawless even in the morning when her hair is a mess and she’s wearing an over-sized t-shirt.” He laughed, looking at the ground. “Hell, especially when you’re wearing one of my t-shirts and it swallows you up like that.”

You ran to him, pressing your lips to his again. His hands made their way to your hair and yours snaked around his back. You parted your lips for him, allowing your tongues to dance in your mouth as he made out with you.

You were so glad that you had kissed him.

Simon

Simon slid into bed behind you, moving to curl up with you. Ever since that night days ago you had been distant.

You felt betrayed. When Simon and the other saviors had first found you, you had been helpless. Hearing him in awe of another woman, who could handle herself with ease, made you feel worthless. You had thought that he loved you for you.

Unbeknownst to you, he didn’t give a damn about this woman. He had no idea how much his words would affect you. Both of you had suffered for days, with you too hurt to talk about it and him to proud to do the same. Finally he’d had enough.

“Pumpkin?” He asked, trying to hold you close. You just shook him off and scooted further away. “Please look at me.”

You wanted to stay stubborn and face away from him, but you couldn’t. Despite your current trouble, you still loved him. You could never say no to a request from him.

“Yes, Simon?”

You were a vision. Looking at Simon with sleepy eyes, he knew he was looking upon the most beautiful girl in the world. In his bed, no less.

“I have something to tell you.”

‘This is it,’ you thought. ‘He has finally decided to choose her over me.’

You nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“I turned Kathy away as soon as she started trying to flirt with me. I maybe said two words to her, and she barely said three sentences to me. I just wanted to make you jealous. I didn’t know it would make you this upset, and I’ve been too proud to admit it to you.”

You looked up at Simon as he confessed to you, offering him a sad smile.

“So you don’t like that she can handle herself?”

“Pumpkin, you don’t need to worry about that at all. You can protect yourself incredibly well, and even then you know I like to be the one protecting you.”

Even though Simon was trying to be sweet, you gave him a playful swat on the chest.

“You jerk!” You yelled at him with a smile. You couldn’t stay mad at him. “Why did you need to make me jealous? I already love you, you fucking idiot!”

Simon just laughed in response, pulling you into his arms.

Merle Dixon

“Y/N,” you heard a gruff voice yell as he knocked on your door. “Let me in! I know you’ve been avoiding me!”

He may have been right, but that doesn’t mean that you wanted to see him. After he started spending more time with Andrea you distanced yourself from him. It was just too painful to see him run off with her at night.

“Merle, just leave me alone!” You yelled back. You heard the doorknob jiggle, thinking nothing of it as he was probably just trying it again in case you had unlocked it. Surprising you, the door flung open to reveal Merle as he stepped inside.

“Don’t forget Sugar, I spent a good portion of my childhood learning some dangerous skills. I can pick locks like nobody’s business.”

You sighed.

“So you decided to use your ‘dangerous skills’ to break into my house?” You ask him, standing from your spot on the couch to go upstairs, away from Merle.

“I didn’t see another way,” he replied as he looked at you.

“you could have just left me alone,” you muttered.

“That’s just the thing,” he admitted, “I can’t.”

“What?” You question.

“I can’t leave you alone. I’m going crazy not seeing you.”

You felt a wave of hope at his words but quickly pushed it down, the bitterness and jealousy returning.

“Then just go visit Andrea, I’m sure she can help fill your time.” You spat out angrily.

Merle smirked, realizing why you had been so upset and distant. He moseyed over to you, running his thumb over your lips. You may have been pissed at him, but after not seeing him for so long you couldn’t help but melt under his touch.

“I’m using her.” He revealed to you. “She knows where my brother is. I know if I can smooth talk her, she could lead me back to him. I would never dream of doing anything with her though.” He paused to give you a sweet yet passionate kiss on the lips. “I’ve already got the most beautiful, charming, and intelligent woman right here.”

You melted into his arms, allowing yourself to forgive him and love him again. You knew how much his brother meant to him. Besides, now that this was over it was no longer just an assumption that you held, but a fact that Merle liked you back.

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