#and she was giggling because he was touching her. why. stop. this isn’t a romcom

[valdomarx]

A Marriage of Convenience

Octoberfest romcom tropes day 1: fake dating

Jaskier pushed his ale aside and broke the wax seal on the letter. As he read the contents, his face pinched into a frown.

“Anything important?” Geralt asked, glancing up from his soup. 

Jaskier chewed his lower lip. “Not really. It’s from my family.” He took a breath. “They’re going to disinherit me.”

Geralt raised an eyebrow. “What did you do this time?”

Jaskier scoffed. “Nothing, thank you very much! But it’s my 35th birthday next month, and the stipulations of the Lettenhove family will are quite clear. If the oldest son isn’t married by the age of 35, inheritance passes to the next married cousin.”

“Very keen on weddings in Lettenhove, are they?”

“Rather less keen on unmarried bachelors, actually.”

Geralt grunted. “That’s too bad. I imagine a viscount’s fortune could have come in handy for you.”

“Oh, I don’t care about the money.” Jaskier waved a hand dismissively. “It’s just,” he sighed. “I have younger sisters who rely on me for support. If the inheritance goes to cousin Edward, he’ll turn them out without a penny to their names.”

“That’s unkind.”

“It is.” Jaskier slumped. He was glad to have left Lettenhove and its court intrigues behind, but the thought of his sisters being at the mercy of his greedy cousin was unconscionable. He knew too well all the terrible things that could befall a woman alone in the world.

“This will,” Geralt said, stirring his soup absentmindedly, “does it have any rules about who you have to marry?”

“No. Any old wedding will do. But it’s not like I’m going to find anyone willing to tie themselves to me in the next month.”

Geralt shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll marry you.”

Jaskier choked on his ale. “You?”

“Why not?”

“Because…” he broke off and mopped the sweat from his brow. Because I’ve been in love with you for decades. Because I’ve fantasised about you saying this in a million different ways. Because having to pretend it’s real is going to break my heart.

Geralt reached over the table and patted his hand. “It’ll just be pretend,” he said, as if that were in any way reassuring. “This is a problem easily solved. Let me help you.”

Jaskier sagged. This was going to be a disaster.

-

“This is going to be a disaster!” Jaskier paced anxiously around their room. “There are so many ways this could go horribly wrong.”

Geralt sat on the bed counting bundles of herbs. “It’ll be fine.” He was infuriatingly calm. “We’ll head to Lettenhove, have a quick wedding, get your family off your back, and be on our way. It’ll only take a few days.”

“But,” Jaskier kept pacing. “We’ll have to. You know. We’ll have to do couple things. There are certain… expectations of a newly married pair.”

Geralt got to his feet and placed his hands on Jaskier’s shoulders, stopping his anxious traipsing. “We’ll manage. Can’t be any worse than fighting drowners.”

Jaskier looked into amber eyes and felt his heart turn over in his chest. “Everyone will expect us to be holding hands, and kissing, and gods know what else. And you can’t do that.” He sighed. “You don’t even like men.”

Geralt leaned in closer, close enough that strands of his silver hair tickled Jaskier’s cheek. “I like men just fine,” he said, and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Then Jaskier did something terribly foolish. His body moved before his mind, his feet stepping closer, his arms wrapping around Geralt’s neck. He kissed him, hard, and to his astonishment Geralt kissed him back hungrily, lips parting to allow Jaskier to taste him fully, tongue exploring, hands roaming, and by the time they broke apart Jaskier was flushed and breathing hard.

“See?” Geralt said, his deep voice sending a shiver up his spine. “We can do this.”

-

Jaskier wrote to his family to tell them the good news, and he and Geralt wasted no time in heading off to Lettenhove. The journey was long but nothing they were unused to. They traveled by day, slept under the stars by night, and Geralt even picked up a few quick contracts to help pay their way.

It was comfortable, and normal, and Jaskier could almost forget about what he was about to put himself through.

At least, until they reached the outskirts of Lettenhove and they heard the whoosh of an incoming portal. The ground shook, the air rippled, and through the rent in reality stepped Yennefer, terrifying and beautiful as ever.

She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at them. “I hear congratulations are in order.”

Jaskier couldn’t even bring himself to come up with a snarky reply as she swept past him and went to Geralt. He stood back and watched the two of them, powerful and dazzling together, each other’s equals in capability and composure.

He had never had a chance in this competition, he thought bitterly. He would be pretending with Geralt, while she had his heart for real.

Jaskier was left at camp while Geralt and Yennefer went off to do... whatever it was they did together. (He could guess what that was.) He spent a cold, lonely night with no one but Roach for company, berating himself for feeling so hurt by something he knew from the beginning was nothing but a ruse.

-

With their arrival in Lettenhove proper, there was nothing to do but face his family. The brightest spot of his day was walking into the estate and having his sisters squeal and jump on him just as they had done as children.

He stopped laughing and caught his breath long enough to introduce them. “Essi and Priscilla, this is Geralt.” My husband to be, he thought, and something twisted inside him at that. “Geralt, these are my troublesome sisters.”

Essi dipped her head and Priscilla performed a theatrical bow. “We were wondering if Jaskier would ever settle down,” Essi said with a sly smile.

“But seeing how handsome you are, I can’t blame him!” Priscilla replied, and the two of them broke into fits of giggles. 

Geralt, for his part, took them with good humour. Where Jaskier had been expecting him to be dour, he smiled indulgently and took each of their hands in turn and pressed a kiss to their knuckles, resulting in another uproar of giggling.

“Thank you for that,” Jaskier said quietly as they made their way to the room waiting for them.

Geralt inclined his head. “Have to make a good impression on the future in-laws,” he said, the corner of his lips quirking upward in amusement. 

The rest of his family were predictable as clockwork. Cousin Edward was sour, his father was distant, and his mother was simply relieved to see him married off as was proper. Geralt sat through all of it with more patience and good grace than Jaskier would have thought him capable of.

-

The day of the wedding itself passed in a blur. With such short notice the ceremony was terribly paired down by noble standards, but still, there was the formal breakfast, the dressing in formal garments, the journey to the temple outside of the city, the clamour of priestesses and officials and his family, the exchanging of rings, the reading of texts, and of course the formal dinner.

Jaskier barely remembered any of it. Looking back, the only thing that stuck out in his mind was the feeling of Geralt’s hand clasping his own during the handfasting. And the way that, whenever he was feeling overwhelmed over the course of the day, Geralt’s hand would find his own and give a comforting squeeze. 

-

Finally the ceremonies were complete and they were left in peace in their chambers, the two of them alone for the first time all day. Geralt’s hair had been braided into two slim plaits running either side of his face, though by now they were starting to become mussed. He’d even put on a shirt of dark blue silk as opposed to his standard uniform of all black. The effect was quite stunning.

As the door closed, Jaskier’s shoulders slumped and he breathed for what felt like the first time in hours.

Geralt cupped one cheek tenderly. “You good?”

Jaskier exhaled, letting the anxiety and stress of the day slowly unwind. He looked into Geralt’s warm eyes and felt, for once, safe and unjudged. “I’m good.”

Geralt brought their lips together, soft as could be, and Jaskier’s knees shook. He grabbed Geralt’s forearms to hold himself upright and, desperate for some sort of control, some sort of meaning, he pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. 

This was a bad idea, he was aware, but Geralt felt so good in his arms. He ran his hands through silky silver hair like he’d always wanted to, he pressed himself close to that muscled chest he’d spent more time than he should have admiring, and he moaned unrestrainedly when Geralt picked him up, locking his legs around his waist.

This was a terrible idea, he knew, but Geralt carried him over to the bed with firm, confident steps, and the temptation to touch, to hold, to kiss was overwhelming. This would only lead to heartache, but he was weak in the face of love, as always. 

Geralt laid him out and took him apart with soft lips and careful fingers and a wicked tongue, and it was everything he’d been dreaming of for years, and yet so much more intense than anything he could have imagined. Geralt was dazzling beneath him, warm amber eyes and pale scarred flesh, beautiful and kind and more than he could possibly deserve.

-

Nuptial celebrations in Lettenhove were mercifully brief, and with the ceremony completed and recorded to the satisfaction of the genealogists, they were free to depart.

There were, however, some customs which could not be avoided.

“You’ll be honeymooning nearby?” Jaskier’s mother asked, with the understanding that this was not a question.

“Actually, we thought -”

“They’ll be staying in my cottage, won’t you?” Priscilla interjected. She’d availed herself of her position, such as it was, to secure a tiny ramshackle cottage on the Kerack coast. It wasn’t opulent but it was, thankfully, far from prying eyes.

Jaskier gave her a tiny nod of thanks and she winked.

“A cottage?” His mother’s lip turned up in distaste. “How quaint.”

“And there’s ever so much to pack, so we must be on our way -” he excused himself with a bow, tugging Geralt behind him.

Out of the view of their parents, Priscilla and Essi set upon him with hugs and kisses, thanked him for saving them from the horrors of cousin Edward, and packed up an obscene quantity of cheeses and wine to take with them.

By the time they departed the estate, Jaskier was even smiling.

-

It was quiet and calm on the coast. The cottage overlooked the sea, rolling and tempestuous, and had just enough space for a kitchen, a bed, and a bath. They had everything they needed, even a stable for Roach outside.

Even though it was only for a few days, Jaskier imagined Geralt would be bored and unhappy, feeling trapped in a place so small. But he seemed content: riding along the coastline in the morning, brushing Roach out, going fishing in the afternoon, preparing the catch for their evening meal.

Jaskier showed him his favourite spices and how to prepare the fish with butter to make it rich and indulgent, and in the quiet moments he wrote poetry or simply sat on the battered chair on the porch of the cottage and watched the waves.

Geralt returned to the cottage with a net bulging with fish and a smile on his face. He’d been doing that more recently, Jaskier had noticed, smiling in a way that seemed natural and unforced. He even left his armour and swords in the cottage and waded down to the sea in just his trousers and shirtsleeves, disarmingly casual.

It was comfortable, almost domestic. 

And it was a torment, showing Jaskier a tiny glimpse of a life he’d never have.

-

Their last night on the coast, Geralt cooked the remainder of their provisions into a feast, poured the best wine they had, and set a fire in the hearth. He piled up blankets and pillows, laid down their warmest furs, and pulled Jaskier into his arms in front of the flames.

“Thank you,” he said, dotting kisses in a line up Jaskier’s neck, “for taking such good care of me.”

Jaskier fidgeted unhappily. “You’re the one doing me a favour,” he reminded him. That seemed important to remember. This was a favour from a friend, nothing more.

Geralt hummed against his neck, the vibrations rippling against his skin. “I can see some advantages to me,” he murmured, continuing his line of kisses up Jaskier’s jaw and toward his lips.

Jaskier, stupidly, allowed Geralt to turn him around, hands delicate around his waist, allowed him to bring their lips together. He allowed a kiss, soft at first, and then another, more intense, moaning into Geralt’s mouth. 

“Can I interest you in an early night?” Geralt purred in his ear, and everything in Jaskier’s body said yes, and everything in his mind said no.

Eventually, his mind won out and he pushed Geralt away. 

“No,” he said, struggling to keep his voice steady. “I can’t. I won’t. I’m sorry, Geralt, but this was a terrible mistake.”

He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring Geralt’s sad expression. He was hit by the urge to run, but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Tears welled in his eyes.

“Hey,” Geralt’s voice was so soft behind him. “It’s okay, Jaskier. Whatever it is. I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. I won’t do it again.”

Jaskier deflated. He turned to face Geralt, watery eyes and all. “That’s not the problem. I don’t want you to stop. I want this to be real.”

Geralt stood carefully still. “What do you mean, real?”

Jaskier took a breath, tried to imagine how to explain himself, how to convey what he felt. “I’m in love with you!” he snapped in the end. Not his most eloquent work, but perhaps his most honest.

Geralt tilted his head. “I know,” he said. He looked down at the ring on his finger. “Isn’t that the point?”

“The point?” Jaskier exploded. “The point!” He couldn’t stop himself from waving his arms as he ranted. “Oh, sure, I’m certain that the ideal marriage is between one person who’s hopelessly in love and one person who’s indifferent and besotted with another. I’m sure Yennefer will be delighted when she hears about this whole situation.”

Geralt’s eyes narrowed. “You think I’m in love with Yennefer?”

“Yes! Obviously!”

He paused, obviously weighing his words. “That night when she visited us outside Lettenhove, she wasn’t surprised by the news. She told me congratulations, and that it had taken long enough. I think she knew long before I did that I wasn’t in love with her, not really. My heart already belonged to another.”

Jaskier’s breath caught in his throat. “You mean… You and her, you’re not...”

Geralt shook his head. “What she most wants is something I can’t give her.”

“And you?” Jaskier asked, dreading the answer.

Geralt took his hand. “What I most want,” he stroked his thumb over the ring around Jaskier’s finger, “is something I already have.”

Jaskier’s heart leapt. It was almost too much. It was overwhelming. “You really love me?”

Geralt smiled softly. “I really do.”

Jaskier threw himself into Geralt’s lap, arms around his neck, foreheads pressed together. “Tell me again,” he said, because he was needy.

“I love you,” Geralt said, kissing down the side of his face. “I love you,” he said, lacing their fingers together against the furs. “I love you,” he said, their bodies moving together, finally free to feel with the intensity they had been hiding for so long, their scents mingling together with the fresh salt tang of the sea.

-

The sun shone brightly and the wind whipped their hair as they packed up Roach the next morning. Jaskier paused to admire the view one last time: The rolling waves, the steep cliffs, the shingled beach. 

Geralt slipped his arms around his waist from behind and dropped a kiss just beneath his ear. 

“What does our life look like now?” Jaskier asked, eyes on the waves.

He felt Geralt’s smile against his hair. “Much the same as before,” he said. “With perhaps a few improvements.”

Jaskier turned then and kissed him fully, no need to hold himself back, taking Geralt’s hand and running his fingers over the ring there.

“Ready to head back to the Path?” 

Geralt smiled, and Jaskier would never tire of that. “Ready if you are,” he said with softness in his eyes, “husband.”

#this just in: i am secretly soft #squeezing this in before midnight #geraskier #lesdemonium #thank you for the prompt inspo!! #octoberfest #the witcher #my writing

[btxtreads]

Stuck on You

CHAPTER TWELVE: NOT A LOVE SONG

↳ Pairing: Choi Soobin x Reader

↳ word count: 1.8k words

↳ rating: G

↳ genre: fluff, soobin is an annoying little shit.... anNOYINGLY CUTE

With sweaty palms and a determined mind, Y/N stomped across the lacrosse field. Her eyes actively seeked for the tall bown-eyed bown with the messy black hair often frolicking around the field with his lacrosse stick.

Her eyes landed on Soobin, whose hands were slung around a younger boy she recognized as someone named Hueningkai. His eyes crinkled as he snorted with laughter at something the younger said, unaware of the approaching girl.

“Hyung, I think someone’s here to see you.” Another younger boy, Taehyun, said to Soobin as she approached.

Soobin’s head perked up, a smile on his face as he swiveled around to greet the girl.

“Hey!” He cheered as the girl slowed to a stop in front of her. “What’s up?”

The girl hesitated as Soobin continues to smile, patiently waiting for her to speak.

“I—I changed my mind.” Y/N mumbled. “About the thing you said a few days ago.”

Taehyun immediately groaned, throwing his hands up in exasperation as Hueningkai muffled his laughter. Soobin only grinned, tilting his head.

“What about it?” Soobin asked, smirking as he fiddled with the net on his lacrosse stick with a hum.

Y/N smiled irritably at the boy’s nonchalant act before sighing as the boy looked over at her once more.

“Let’s date, Soobin.”

Soobin didn’t reply. He only giggled once more, lips upturned as he passed his lacross stick to Hueningkai. He took two bold steps forward before he grasped Y/N’s hips and pulled her flush against him.

“Okay,” Soobin said before closing his eyes, leaning down and crashing his lips roughly against hers.

Y/N’s hands reached up to course through his hair as she responds to his kiss, head tilting to the side as he deepens the kiss even more—grip loosening on her waist and traveling to her hips as they pulled away.

Y/N burned bright red as she lowered her hands from his hair to rest on his shoulders. Equally as red-faced, Soobin shot her a grin as he fiddled with the belt-loops on her pants.

“You’re a nice kisser.” Soobin said softly, making Y/N sputter out.

“Thank you, you too.” she squeaked as she slowly pulled away. “Haha, I gotta get to class.”

Taehyun, who was watching the whole scene with Hueningkai a few feet away, spoke up.

“Y/N, class does not start for 2 hours.” Taehyun raised an eyebrow making Y/N blush redder.

“Uh, I’m teaching.”

“You’re teaching?” Soobin asked, hands still on her hips.

“Look, that’s Yeonjun!” Y/N laughed awkwardly as a mop of pink hair appeared by the bleachers. “Bye!”

Soobin chuckled as Y/N shot off towards the pink-haired male, stumbling over her feet. Taehyun pocketed his hands, raising his eyebrows at Soobin. Hueningkai sighed and shoved the lacrosse stick back over onto the tall boy.

“You really did it, huh?” Taehyun snorted shaking his head as Soobin grinned.

“Isn’t my girlfriend so cute?”

On the lunch period of that very same day, Soobin found himself lounging on a picnic table under the shade of some trees on the school field. Sitting across him is Y/N, pulling out a sheet of paper.

“Okay, so let’s draft up some fake-dating ground rules.” Y/N nodded to herself as she searched her bag for a pen.

Soobin rolled his eyes with a grin, placing a pen on the table as he sipped on a jumbo cup of soda.

“Where’s Yeonjun hyung today?”

“He’s in detention with Hueningkai, they made their experiment explode again.” Y/N replied curtly, before picking up the pen.

“That happened to me once.”

Y/N sighed, shaking her head as she repeated her previous words.

“Ground rules.”

“Why make some?” Soobin wondered. “That takes all the fun out of it.”

“God, I’m dating an idiot.” Y/N mumbled as she wrote CONTRACT on the paper.

“Hey, I’m pretty smart.” Soobin shrugged.

Y/N sighed, ignoring the boy as she thought of the first rule.

“No kissing.”

Soobin’s eyes widened comically, mouth forming into an immediate pout as he whined.

“Why not?”

“Look, Bin.” Y/N sighed, ignoring the way the boy brightened up at the nickname. “I’ve never actually had a relationship before other than Yeonjun—and it was a good relationship, okay? I just wanna keep all my memories of dating good.”

“I’ll treat you right, I swear.” Soobin pouted. “Quick question, did you guys have sex?”

Y/N stopped, raising her eyebrows at the boy.

“Why is this even a question?”

“You’re talking like a virgin.” Soobin shrugged, making the girl scoff.

“I’m not.”

“So, you did have sex?” Soobin tilted his head making Y/N groan.

“Why are you so curious about this?”

“Because we’re best friends and you’re fake girlfriend,” Soobin explained. “Best friends know about this stuff.”

“My best friend is Yeonjun—This is a business deal.” Y/N sighed.

Soobin gasped dramatically, hand on his chest as his face contorted into a deep frown. Y/N groaned internally as the boy turned his head over to the side, eyes casting off into the distance.

“It hurts.”

Y/N set the pen down, propping her head on her palm as she observed the theatrics of the tall boy. Soobin turned back to the girl with a smile, raising his eyebrow.

“What’s up?”

“You know, I always thought that you were the soft, shy boy.” Y/N said, smiling softly.

“What, are you falling in love with me?” Soobin teased, making the girl drop her smile with a sigh.

“Nevermind.” Y/N sighed, shaking her head and picking up the pen to write down the rule. “No kissing.”

“Non-negotiable?”

“Nope.” Y/N shook her head.

“But we’re dating?” Soobin asked. “How can we convince them we’re dating if I don’t kiss you?”

“Kiss my cheek or something,” Y/N shrugged. “Just not the lips. Also you can do something cute, hands in my pockets or something—Very Molly Ringwald.”

Soobin tilted his head.

“That’s so lame.”

“What?” the girl asked. “It’s a romcom classic? Sixteen Candles—John Hughes?” Y/N blinked at Soobin’s look of confusion. “Okay, rule 2. We watch Sixteen Candles.”

Soobin only shrugged, continuing to sip on his soda as Y/N continued onto the next rule.

“Rule 3—don’t tell anyone we aren’t really dating, except for Yeonjun—I already told them, and Taehyun and Kai suggested it, so.”

“First rule of fight club—don’t tell anyone about fight club.” Soobin nodded along, as if reciting a memorized line.

“What?”

Soobin blinked over at Y/N.

“Have you never…” At a shake of Y/N’s head, Soobin winced and grabbed the pen from her hold. “Rule 2 add-on. We have to watch Fight Club.”

Y/N chuuckled at Soobin’s sloppy writing, about to take the contract back when Soobin continued to the next rule.

“Number 4, you have to go to all the parties with me.” Y/N opened her mouth to protest but Soobin only shook his head. “Yeonjun-hyung goes all the time, and I won’t leave you, I promise.”

“Fine.” Y/N acquiesced with a pout. “But bring me to school everyday.”

“Only if you come to the lacrosse outing with me in a few months.” Soobin laughed.

“Isn’t that like the big team building that’s really just a 2-day party at a resort?” Y/N asked.

“Yep.”

“Nope.” Y/N shook her head, but gasped when she saw Soobin already jotting it down on the contract. “Hey!”

“Sorry, babe. Non-negotiable.” Soobin grinned as he returned the paper. “There, I’m good.”

Y/N sighed and took a quick glance at the final contract. With a small nod, she signed at the bottom.

“There, the deal is done.”

“You’’re making this sound illegal.” Soobin grinned in amusement as he signed the paper.

He propped his head on his palm and watched as Y/N filed it safely in her binder. Soobin, then, tugged off a thin bracelet on her wrist—something she always wore just for the heck of it—and sealed it around his wrist, much to her surprise.

“What’s this for?”

“A gift from a girlfriend,” he started, placing a soft kiss to her nose. “to her boyfriend.”

Y/N burned bright red as Soobin pulled away with an amused smile, making her sputter in her seat and touch her nose.

“Why did you do that?”

“Can’t a boyfriend kiss his girlfriend?” He laughed. “You said anywhere but the lips.”

Face still red, Y/N sighed.

“Fine, but don’t lose the bracelet. It’s kind of important.” Y/N said, packing up her bag.

“I won’t trust me.” Soobin said before standing up and slinging an arm around her waist. “Now come on, I’ll bring you to your next class.”

The next day, Soobin and Y/N walked side by side with smiles on their faces as they entered the cafeteria—Soobin’s hands wrapped tightly around her waist. Soobin tugged the girl closer to him, a grin on his face as he placed a kiss on her temple.

Face red, Y/N ignored the jealous glares from girls and curious glances from boys their way. Her face burned redder when she felt Soobin’s hand slide down her waist, to her hips and settle inside the back-pocket of her jeans. With another grin, he lowered his lips to her ear with a smile.

“Am I doing it right, babe?”

Y/N cracked a small smile.

“Is there really a right or wrong in this situation, Bin?”

Soobin chuckles before pulling his hand from her pocket, twirling her around to face him—wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning his forehead on ehrs.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Y/N giggled, cupping his face in her hands. “This is cheesy.”

“I know, right?” Soobin chuckled back, reaching to his jacket pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper and tucking it inside her pocket.

“What was that?”

“Some lyrics I found in the internet. Thought it was pretty cute.”

“A love letter, huh?” Y/N tilted her head. “What’s this for?”

“Don’t know, but it’s cute.” Soobin grinned, placing a kiss on her forehead. “See you, then.”

“See you.” Y/N giggled, waving goodbye as Soobin winked at her, walking backwards until Taehyun and Kai finally arrived to drag him away.

“Well, that was something.” Yeonjun smirked as he appeared, arm leaning on Y/N’s head.

“Fuck off, Choi.” Y/N sighed as Yeonjun pulled her away—willing herself not to think about Soobin’s letter.

Against her will, she pulled it out slightly and peeked at the words.

You’re always on my mind, I think about you all the time.

With a small smile, she shoved it back in her pocket and willed it out of her mind.

Not a love song. Definitely not a love song.

#txtarcadianet #txt #txt au #txt x reader #txt imagine #txt fic #txt fanfic #txt scenario #txt social media #txt social media au #txt social media imagine #txt fake text #txt fake text au #txt fake text imagine #txt fake dating au #txt soobin #soobin #soobin x reader #soobin au #soobin imagine #soobin fic #soobin fanfic #soobin scenario #soobin social media #soobin social media au #soobin social media imagine #soobin fake text #soobin fake text au #soobin fake text imagine #soobin fake dating

[ecoamerica]

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[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 22

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 9,146

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

“Alright, Elsa, you can do this! You're going to get up on that stage and you're going to wow them!"

So all that stuff about me not trying out? Total bald-faced lie. Kudos to any of you who saw right through it. Since, you know… I'm so good at the whole deception thing.

"...alright fine, maybe not wow them, per se… but you can do okay at least, right?"

This was all just for fun, after all. It's not like it was anything important, it's not like it really mattered. It was nothing, just a silly childhood dream. Just one moment, one blip in time that would be over before I knew it. No big deal.

"...passable? Surely, you can at least give me passable!"

Now if only I could convince my reflection of that.

Which, judging by the flat look she was giving me from the mirror on my vanity, was not going too hot.

"Ugh!" I huffed, tossing up my hands and turning away to pace my bedroom floor. "Just try not to fall flat on your face and I'll be happy. Can you just do that much for me? Please?" I snapped, facing my reflection once more.

She scrunched up her nose and gave me a noncommittal shrug.

My shoulders slumped and I hung my head, bracing my hands atop the vanity table. "Look, you've been practicing nonstop since yesterday. And yes, I know what basically amounts to cramming sing-alongs for almost twenty-four hours straight isn't going to make up for the lack of any sort of professional training. Or the absence of any real experience. Or the fact that besides karaoke that one night, you pretty much haven't sung in almost a decade except for maybe a personal concert in the shower once in the blue moon. I know you're going into this blind and have no idea what you're doing and others there will be way better prepared than you and-" I frowned, narrowing my eyes, "...and I had a point. Fudge, what was it again?"

My reflection looked remarkably unmoved by my rallying little speech just now.

"Ah!" I snapped my fingers, face brightening before jabbing my index up against the mirror. "The point was that none of that matters! What matters is you've done the best you could do in the time you had! So worrying about it any further is nothing more than a useless waste of time and energy! So just go on out there, have a good time and… and give it your all!" My hands closed into fists and they made weak, halfhearted thrusts into the air over my head as I gave a tiny, "Woo!"

She just drooped her eyelids at me.

I plopped down hard into my chair with a small growl. "I know I suck at pep talks. Yeesh, you don't have to be so negative!"

I don't know why I even bothered. Reflection Me was always such a downer.

Sighing, I propped my chin in my palm while I brought my other hand up to fiddle with the flower poking out of a miniature vase sitting on my vanity. It was the winter honeysuckle Lea had given me, dried out now because I'd wanted it to last. I toyed with its delicate petals, my fingers gentle so as not to break them. Somehow merely touching it seemed to sooth my frayed nerves and lighten my spirits, even if only just a little bit.

My phone buzzed and I checked it to see that it was a text from Lea telling me he'd arrived and was on his way up. I exhaled slowly. Okay, I couldn't procrastinate any longer. It was now or never. I stood up and made my way over to my bed, on top of which laid the sheet music I'd managed to hunt down after some internet searching. Gathering it up with care so as not to wrinkle any of the pages, I then headed towards my bedroom door.

"Who's a pretty, pretty princess? Daddy is! Isn't that right, jelly-belly-welly-bean?"

The dulcet tone of Rayne cooing down at her own tummy was the first sound to greet me when I walked out into the living room. I blinked, taking in the scene before me as Rayne returned her attention to the, er… "pretty, pretty princess." That is to say, her husband, whose lips were set into a grim line while his left eye gave a little tick. She had him seated in one of the kitchen chairs as she stood behind him, putting the finishing touches on the long braid she'd fashioned his hair into. It was complete with teeny butterfly barrettes, a colorful assortment of flowers weaved throughout, and a giant, frilly bow at the end holding it all together.

More practice for styling her future daughter's hair.

I'd know, since normally I'd be the one sitting in that chair instead of Riku.

Thankfully, it was now his turn to suffer hair bedazzling hell.

"Not one word, Fryse," he grumbled. "Not a single, solitary word."

I held the sheet music up to my mouth, concealing a tiny grin behind it. Then carefully schooling my features, I told him, "I was only going to comment on how masculine and rugged you look this evening."

"Damn straight," he harrumphed, crossing his arms and slouching further into his seat.

"I have the bestest, sweetest, manliest hubby in the whole wide world," Rayne declared happily, pulling his head back so she could plant an upside down smooch to his lips. This seemed to mollify him somewhat. Giggling, she then glanced my way. "You all ready for your big debut, pumpkin?"

Rubbing one elbow, I shrugged, "...as ready as I'm going to be, I suppose."

Her lips twisted sourly as she clipped another glitzy butterfly into his hair. "Still wish I was able to go and give you moral support."

"No no, it's fine," I said hastily with a shake of my head and a small, reassuring smile. "Lea's driving me so it's not like I'm stranded in need of a ride or anything. Plus you have your baby appointment to get to and I wouldn't want to make you reschedule for some silly little thing like this. Really, just don't worry about it."

"Besides," Riku tacked on, "friends and family of those trying out aren't usually allowed in to watch the auditions anyway."

Rayne's cheeks gave a little puff of annoyance. "I'd like to see them try and stop me if I showed up."

There was a knock at the door just then. Knowing it was Lea, I moved to open it and found him standing there, one shoulder propped against the doorframe. He grinned down at me, "Hey, El! Ready to go? I-" he stopped as he looked past me, blinking a couple times. Then the curl to his lips grew a touch evil, "Yo, Raindrop, who's your new gal pal? She's hella cute!"

"Cram it before I curb stomp your ass," Riku ground out through his teeth.

"Threaten me with a good time, mamacita," he purred back at him, waggling his eyebrows.

Riku sneered with a tch, grumbling under this breath, "Better pray we don't meet in a dark alley, clown, because I will crush you."

"Oof, I usually like a girl to ask me to dinner first, but I might be willing to make an exception just this once if ya keep sweet talking me like that, gorgeous," Lea winked. As Riku shot up to his feet with a black look, I ran out the door and grabbed Lea's arm. "Oops, looks like duty calls. We'll hafta continue this later, hot stuff. Call me!" he blew Riku a kiss with a snigger as I dragged him away, slamming the door shut behind me.

I started jogging down the steps, listening to Lea's footfall as he followed close behind. Shaking my head with a soft scoff, I said, "Can't believe Mr Guyliner here is making fun of a dude with flowers in his hair."

"Was only doing it cuz I knew how butthurt he'd get over it," he snerked as he appeared at my side. "Now me personally? Don't have a problem with it. I'd rock a thousand posies in my majestic mane and look damn fine doing it too."

I glanced over at him, one corner of my lips tugging up. "I might have to hold you to that."

He flung himself onto the handrail and slid down past me in a blur. Converse hitting the landing below, Lea spun around to block my way just as I caught up to him, smirking as he brought himself nose-to-nose with me. "Only if you're the one weaving all them pretty lil blossoms into my hair."

My heart spasmed.

Down, girl.

After all, it was only the empty teasing he always did.

I turned my head a little, shooting him some side-eye. "...do I get to choose the flowers?"

"I don't see why not."

"Good." I ducked under his arm to slip past him and make my way towards the next flight of stairs, "Leadwort it is then."

"Well now, that sounds ominous." I could hear the frown in his voice. "Should I be worried?"

I shot him a sly grin over my shoulder. "Depends. Very pretty. Very, very itchy. Hope you're ready to suffer for fashion."

"For you?" he beamed, hopping down the steps two at a time now to gain on me once more. "Totally worth it."

I merely rolled my eyes, electing not to dignify his comment with a response.

Soon enough we'd climbed into his car and were hitting the road. Sunset Hill Auditorium wasn't really all that far, but still a bit further than I'd rather walk. Thankfully Lea had been free and only too happy to give me a lift over, seeing as how Riku and Rayne had a prior commitment on the other end of town. Speaking of, they'd probably left immediately right after us and I idly wondered if Riku was planning on showing up at the doctor's with his hairdo still all fab like that. The image brought a little smile to my face.

It quickly faded however as I stared down at the sheet music sitting in my lap. My fingers twisted at my braid as I took in a shaky breath and blew it out slowly. Now that I'd fallen quiet, I could feel that nervous energy creeping its way back into my chest. It was actually kind of sort of a good nervous. I was a bit loathe to admit it, but a small part of me was looking forward to this.

That said, it didn't mean I wasn't also absolutely friggin' terrified.

I was actually a little relieved that friends and family weren't normally allowed into the auditions. The offer of moral support was appreciated, but ultimately I think I would have been more anxious if Riku and Rayne had been able to come and watch. Anna too, for that matter. I know my sister would have dropped everything to be here in a heartbeat, which is why I hadn't even mentioned anything about this to her. Making a fool of myself in front of strangers? Mortifying, but I'd survive - at least if I royally screwed up, I'd never have to see any of them again and could just pretend the whole big mess had never happened. Not so if people I actually cared about were there to witness me flop hard. And it wouldn't matter how kind and supportive they would have been after any sort of epic failure on my part... in fact, that might have only made me feel even worse.

Still, them not coming was only a minor comfort lost in the sea of dread filling up inside me now. My stomach burned with queasiness and my lungs felt like they were shrinking, making it harder and harder to breathe.

"Hmm," Lea's low hum broke me out of my thoughts. I glanced over at him as he pursed his lips to one side before shaking his head, "Mm-mm, nope. Too tangy. You need to be spoiled rotten with the sugary sweetness."

Feeling that cold anxiety loosen its grip and recede somewhat, I furrowed my brow for a few seconds before it clicked. "Ah. You've ruled out another ice cream flavor for me."

"Yup!" he chirped, switching his car over into the next lane.

"So which one got the boot this time?"

"Ever After."

"Huh," I fixed my eyes on the road straight ahead, squinting slightly. "Didn't you rule out a different flavor previously for being too sweet?"

One of his hands came to rest on the shoulder of my car seat. "Well yeah, but having a sweet tooth is one thing, while suicide by pure, massive sugary overdose is something else altogether. I think you know where to draw the line."

I tipped my head to one side. "Interesting."

"Interesting?" he echoed, quirking an eyebrow as he checked his side view mirror. "...am I wrong?"

"Didn't say that," I muttered, my fingers absently fiddling with the corners of the sheet music. "Just said it was interesting."

He frowned. "Crap. That's gonna bug me now."

I flashed him a half-grin. "I know."

"Cruel, cruel woman."

I just crinkled my nose at him smugly.

I knew he was trying to take my mind off the audition. And the distraction was welcome, but unfortunately brief. I could already feel that frown resurfacing, that apprehensive chill knotting tightening in my stomach once more.

Lea shifted his head slightly towards me, watching me out of his peripheral with a small downward tug at the corner of his lips. "...ya know you got absolutely nothing to worry about, right?" he asked softly. My eyes flicked over to him for a second before staring back down at my lap again. He elaborated, "It's community theater."

My eyebrows knit together. "...so?"

"So that means ya got no one to impress. Nothing to prove. No one's gonna be expecting a Julliard education from you or for you to have a few Broadway shows under your belt. This is all just for kicks. An absolutely zero pressure environment. Just a buncha goofballs who like acting and singing and dancing around in wacky costumes and so have found others who share their same brand o' crazy so they can all geek out together doing what they love in their free time. Doesn't matter to any of 'em how good or bad ya might be. They're not there to judge, they just wanna have a good time." He lightly tapped his knuckles to my shoulder, "So loosen up, will ya? You're gonna have a blast and knock 'em dead."

The knots loosened a little and a small grin found its way onto my face despite myself. "Thanks, Lea."

Surprisingly, his words helped.

For a grand total of two minutes.

Which just so happened to be right about when we were parking in front of the auditorium. Imagine that.

"Break a leg! I'll just chill in the car and you can meet me back here when you're done," Lea told me as he rolled down his window and fished his phone out of his pocket.

I barely heard him over the sound of blood rushing in my ears. Swallowing hard and finding my throat too tight for words, I simply gave a stiff nod before climbing out of the car. Hugging the sheet music to my chest, I stepped over the curb and up onto the sidewalk before pausing to stare at the auditorium's double doors, opened wide to invite people in. My bottom lip tucked in and I made a quick glance back towards Lea who grinned and gave me a thumbs up through his window. Then I looked at that doorway once more.

My eyes hardened. My hands gripped the papers more firmly. My chest puffed up and my spine snapped straight.

Let's do this.

I determinedly marched right up to the bottom of the stairs leading up to the entrance.

Then I spun one-eighty and determinedly marched straight back the way I'd come from.

Lea looked up from his phone, both eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "El? Did you forget-"

Whipping back around, I drew in a deep breath before releasing it.

Alright, let's try that again.

I stomped towards the building once more.

This time I actually made it onto the first cement step before retreating.

Expression blank, Lea said nothing as he watched me do this again (making it as far as the second step up) and yet again (third step). By my next attempt, he'd gotten out and was leaning back against his closed car door, arms folded beneath his chest, ankles crossed. Drat, only the third step again. As I returned and came to a stop in front of him, my eyes narrowed and I released a huff through my nose. He just gave me a small shrug, as if to ask what exactly I expected him to do. I whirled on my heel once more, stormed back towards the auditorium and… fudge! Third step again! Now I was just in a friggin' rut!

Beyond frustrated with myself, I walked up beside Lea this time, folded my arms atop the roof of his car, pillowed my face into them and let out a muffled yell. Then I flipped around, bracing my back against the vehicle and scowled up at the sky.

A pause.

Then Lea piped up, "Ya know you actually have to go inside the place in order to audition… right?"

I whacked him upside the head with my sheet music.

"...take that as a yes."

My shoulders sagged and I hid my face behind the papers in my hands, mumbling, "I can't do this. I'm too much of a scaredy-cat."

There was a snort from him. "You kidding? You're one of the bravest people I know."

I scoffed into the printouts, "Stop patronizing me. I don't appreciate it."

"I'm serious." I felt his hands on mine, gently pulling both them and the sheet music down so I could see him standing in front of me now, hunched down to my eye level. "Do you know what the definition of being brave is?"

"Not Elsa, that's for sure," I muttered, looking away.

"Shush," he flicked my forehead. Rude. "Being brave is not a complete and total absence of fear. No, being brave is taking action despite your fear. Remember your wedding day?"

I fixed him with a dull stare. "How could I forget? I ran away. Like a coward."

"No, a coward woulda done nothing. A coward woulda just done as she was told cuz she would be too chicken to make any waves. A coward woulda stayed, gone through with the wedding and led a miserable life she didn't want just to please her folks. Just because it was the safest, easiest route. But you didn't do that."

"No, instead I oh so bravely ran away like a warrior," I corrected my previous statement with a roll of my eyes.

He nodded, "Exactly! You were frightened, had no idea what you were gonna do, didn't have the foggiest of where to go or who to turn to, and yet you still did it. Took that leap and did the whole independent thing and guess what? You've been thriving!" His hands still cradling mine, I felt his thumbs start to trace soothing circles along my knuckles. "And sure, everything's been new and scary… finding a job, meeting new people, not caving to your family's demands… but no matter how afraid you may have got, you never hid from any of it. You've been facing your fears and meeting each new challenge head on. Now I'd call that pretty damn brave."

Wow, his pep talk game was way, way better than mine.

That said, I still eyed him dubiously. "Really?"

"Hell yeah! Shit, if I had to carry around as much fear inside of me as you do, I dunno if I'd be strong enough to do half the things you've done! You're a goddamn hero, babydoll!" he smiled big. "Now, I know this is something ya really want."

My face heated and I averted my gaze. "...how can you tell?"

"Trust me, I can read you pretty well by now," his fingers tweaked my nose. "So listen up: if you can do all that other stuff that terrified you before, if you can just grab hold and take charge of your life the way you have so far, then this one teensy-weensy audition should be a total piece of cake!"

"You really think so?" I frowned uncertainly at him.

"I know so!" he declared with a laugh. "So whaddya say? Think you're ready to do this?"

Though my chest was still tight with anxiety, I could feel that tiny glow of excitement and longing deep, deep down sparking back to life. I slowly smiled and gave a hesitant nod, "...yes, I believe so."

"Then what're you standing round here for? Go on, scoot!"

I didn't budge an inch. After a few seconds, I hung my head. "My feet won't move."

Lea blinked, then chuckled softly. "Do you need me to give ya a tow?"

I grimaced, "Maybe."

"Alright, I can help you inside, but that's as far as I'll be able to take ya. It'll be up to you to get yourself on that stage."

"Just get me through that door," I agreed quietly.

Linking his hand in mine, he turned and led the way towards the auditorium. I stumbled into a walk behind him, drawing what little strength I could from his warm, steady grip. With his help, I finally made it all the way up those daunting stairs and through that foreboding doorway.

Only to be stopped almost immediately once we stepped inside by someone standing in our way.

That someone being a tall, familiar, skinny guy with a spooky yet snappy suit.

"Elsa!" Jack flashed me what I was beginning to suspect was his signature ear-to-ear grin. "You don't know how thrilled I am to see that you could make it! Here to try out or just observe?"

"...try out?" I said, voice small. Yes, it came out just like that. Like it was a question. Like there was a right or wrong answer and I was just guessing, hoping for the best.

"Splendid, Splendid! Glad to hear it! I'll get you added to the director's list and your name will be called when it's your time to shine. For now, you can just take a seat and watch the others. Lea," he turned his gaze on him now, "good to see you too, but you know the rules. Unless you're here to audition, you're going to have to wait outside."

I unconsciously sidled closer to Lea, squeezing his hand.

Huh. Guess I actually wanted him to stick around and watch me make a fool out of myself. Shocked? I know I was.

Maybe it was because he thought I was brave. Maybe if he stayed, I could trick myself into thinking I was brave too.

Lea snuck a glance my way. Eyes crinkling, he squeezed my hand back before returning his attention to Jack with a sheepish grin and ruffled his fingers through his crimson spikes, "Aw c'mon, man, this is her first time! Could ya maybe be a pal, do me a solid and bend the rules a lil just this once?"

Jack crossed his arms, squinting at him with a flat look. Then he sighed and stepped to one side, his smile back and bigger than ever, "Alright, just this one time though! And you better be on your best behavior, bucko!"

"I will! Scout's honor!" he held up three fingers pressed together and beamed. "Thanks, man! Let's go, El." And with that, Lea was pulling me further inside.

The auditorium was larger on the inside than I expected, with rows upon rows of theater seating stretching out before us. While those seats were far from full, there were still more people here than I'd expected there would be, making me gulp. Auditions were already under way it seemed as I watched a familiar guy I recalled seeing in the food court previously - Joshua, I believe? - dip into a flamboyant bow before jumping down off the stage. Remaining up there was an old, clunky piano on wheels with Mullet Boy from the Blue Sitar seated at it.

"Setzer, you're up," came a call from someone sitting in the middle of the third row, presumably the director. All I could tell about him from the back of his head was that he had choppy, shoulder-length pink hair. Slumping lazily into the seat next to him with feet kicked up onto the chair in front of her was that blonde chick from Cinema XIII - I'd recognize that weird hairdo anywhere.

"Ah, looks like Marluxia The Douche-ah is running the show this time round," Lea whispered into my ear with a nod towards Mr Rosy-Locks as we walked down the aisle. "Not gonna be winning Personality Of The Year anytime soon, but I hear he can be a halfway decent director."

He then straightened back up, eyes scanning the people gathered here for a second before his face lit up, "Oo, let's sit with them!" His hands went to my shoulders and he steered me into a sharp turn down one of the rows. Coming to a stop next to two more faces I vaguely recognized, Lea greeted, "Ladies, mind if we join you?"

The two women looked up at us with friendly smiles, the ginger nodding, "Of course! Take a seat!"

We did just that, with the pair of them to my right and Lea to my left. He reached across in front of me to fistbump the closer of the two girls, "Sweet! Redheads of the world unite, booyah!"

I looked over with a timid grin. It was time once again for another one of my little misadventures into the world of small talk! Clearing my throat and tapping my sheep music against my knees to straighten them even though they were in no actual need of straightening, I asked, "It was Tiana and… Ariel, I believe?"

"Mm-hm!" Ariel closed her eyes as her smile grew. "Elsa, right? We haven't officially met yet, but I remember seeing you around at 7th Heaven that one night! You and Lea were amazing at karaoke! Well… really more so you. No offense, Lea," she giggled.

"None taken. I know my gal's got a beautiful pair o' lungs on her," he slung his arm around my shoulders, hugging me close and pressing a kiss into my hair.

Tiana leaned forward to look past Ariel and meet my gaze, "You really do. Do you work with a professional voice coach or anything?"

I blushed, tugging on my braid. "I, uh… no. No, nothing like that."

"Really?" Ariel's lips formed a surprised little 'o'. Then her face brightened once more, "Well, if you're looking for someone, I can put you in touch with mine if you'd like. His name is Sebastian and he's absolutely wonderful. He can be uptight and a bit of a party-pooper, but he gets results!"

Squeezing my braid harder now, I gaped at her slightly. "You actually have a voice coach?"

This was community theatre, as Lea had made a strong point of earlier. People here weren't supposed to have friggin' voice coaches!

"Yup! I'm going to be a famous singer one day and finally leave this sleepy town to tour all over the world, after all, so it's important I do my best right now! I've been practicing ever since I was-"

"Eric to the stage please," Marluxia's voice suddenly echoed throughout the room.

Ariel gasped excitedly and struck a finger up to her lips, shushing Tiana, Lea and me (despite the fact that none of us were talking) before eagerly sitting forward in her chair, practically buzzing with anticipation. That silver-haired Setzer guy - oh gosh, had he come in costume or was that crazy getup just what he normally wore? - swaggered cockily down the stairs to the right of the stage while another dude was coming up the left. The newcomer had short black hair, dimples when he smiled and I suppose what some might call Prince Charming good looks.

Ariel plonked her elbows down onto her knees and propped her chin up in both hands with a delighted sigh. "Isn't he dreamy?"

Tiana wrinkled her nose and muttered to me behind Ariel's head, "She has a bit of a crush."

"You're one to talk," Ariel snorted, elbowing her in the arm. "Naveen's should be up next. Believe me," she smirked towards me, "you haven't seen heart-eyes until you see the ones Tiana has for this guy."

"Shut up, do not!" she laughed, swatting her shoulder.

Brushing her off, Ariel suddenly pointed towards my sheet music. "May I?"

"Oh, uh… s-sure," I handed them over, freeing up both my hands to strangle my braid now. Noticing this, Lea took one of them in his own, shifting it over to the armrest between us and lacing his fingers into mine. The warmth of his palm against the back of my hand brought me some comfort and I felt a little less restless.

Ariel squinted at the papers for a second before grinning, "Oh wow, I love this song! Good choice! Although, if I remember correctly…" she flipped towards the end. "Ah, yup! A second singer does come in. They only have a couple lines though. I can go up with you and fill in for those bits if ya want, the director shouldn't mind!"

"That's really nice… thank you," I smiled, taking the pages back. Sally had said pretty much the same thing when I'd texted her to make sure the song would be okay, but that still had meant I needed to find someone to sing those few extra lines. I hadn't counted on someone finding me instead. Thank goodness for small miracles.

This was one of my most favorite songs too. One from a musical I'd watched over and over again when I was a child, so often that it'd probably driven my parents to the point of insanity. I had just identified so much with the character who sang this number and it still to this day held a very special place in my heart, even after all these years. I knew this song forwards and backwards. Knew it like the back of my hand. I figured if I had any chance of leaving any sort of good impression here today, it would be with this song.

Looking up from the music notes scrawled across the papers, I saw that that Eric person had left. He'd been replaced by a man with a newsie hat on over his wavy, dark brown hair and was singing something jazzy. The way Tiana was reddening while Ariel giggled and whispered to her, I suspected this had to be Naveen. I tried to just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Tried to banish the anxiety from my thoughts, instead focusing more on Lea's hand now toying with my fingers. On the way he lightly traced up and down their lengths, making them tingle pleasantly. Hoping that little tingle would help keep the nervousness at bay.

But it didn't.

I began to flinch slightly with each new name called, fearing it would be mine. Feeling a little relief when it wasn't, as well as a little annoyance from just wanting to get this over and done with already. A flinch for when Olette was called, who was sitting with a boy with black spiky hair held up by a headband. I idly wondered if it was that buddy of hers who hadn't been able to make it to Friday night drinks - Pence, I believe? Another flinch for when Yuna was called, some brunette with mismatched eyes who sang a pop song I was unfamiliar with. Two more flinches for each of her friends when their names were called, a perky blonde with a long ponytail full of small braids and a freaky looking goth chick in a tight, strappy leather outfit. And yet another flinch for when Rhyme was called, a girl whose sweet demeanor was at odds with the little skull on her black cap and the rap number she'd chosen to sing.

I had to keep resisting the urge to glance towards the doors in back. The ones leading to the outside world. To freedom. Not for the first time, I wondered… what if I made a run for it? You know, just straight up booked it? The idea did hold merit and was very tempting. Nay, extremely tempting.

The only drawback? I'd hate myself.

Because as much as I was dreading this, Lea hadn't been wrong. This was something I wanted. Like… really, really wanted. I'd been trying to lie to myself, pretending I didn't really care, downplaying how important it actually was to me. But this was something I'd dreamt about since I was little. Sadly, I had lost that dream somewhere along the way as I had grown older. Had misplaced and forgotten it in favor of pleasing my parents, of fulfilling their wishes and expectations for me and how I led my life. I had carelessly discarded it, giving it up for nothing more than useless childhood fantasy.

But now it had found its way back to me and I'd been given a second chance. And even if it ended up going nowhere and turned out to be nothing more than a deadend, I still had to try. I just knew that this was something that I had to do. That I needed to do. For me. For the sake of my own happiness.

...gah, just why did it have to be so scary though?!

And all these women trying out before me? Were so not helping! They were all so amazing and talented. Each one seemed better than the last. Each one had most likely been practicing for this audition for days, if not weeks. Each one had probably done this at least once before. Everyone knew everyone here and were all friends. Everyone, that is, except for me. How could I, a stranger with no real experience or training and very little preparation, possibly even hope to stand a chance?

Man, making a break for it through that back door was looking better and better by the second.

My fingers clutched the sheet music more tightly, wrinkling and creasing it after I'd tried so hard not to this whole time. I didn't really seem to care anymore. I could feel the blood draining from my face and-

"Yawn, total snoozefest," came a sudden whisper in my ear.

I jerked my head around towards it, blinking owlishly at Lea once, then twice. "...huh?"

"Her," he nodded to the current girl trying out, her long golden hair ending in curls. "That Aurora chick. She's got me just 'bout ready to hibernate over here."

My wide eyes darted back and forth between her and him. Then it happened. A tiny snerk, escaping through my nose before I could stop it. Too late I clasped a hand over my mouth. After a short pause, I lowered it to whisper back, "You don't really mean that. You're just trying to distract me."

He bobbed his shoulders and grinned. "Is it working?"

I looked away now, carefully schooling my expression as I attempted to smooth the crumples out of my sheet music. "...maybe."

Next up was Tiana. "Jeez, talk about frog in your throat," Lea murmured low out of the corner of his mouth. A mutinous little snort burst out of my nose and I tried to shush him. Then it was Ariel's turn. "Love that girl to death but I'm sorry, a warbling seagull sounds better." I bit back a soft pft and pinched his arm. I was trying not to laugh, I really was, but each remark was so ridiculous, so stupid, so obviously not true that it was hard to resist. A Snow White was called next - now that was a stage name if I ever heard one. At least, I hoped it was. She'd gotten about halfway through her audition when I heard a hushed, "Tch, who taught her to sing, a buncha tone-deaf coal miners?"

I spluttered, clamping my hand firmly over his mouth. "Okay, you need to stop now," I hissed out in a poor attempt to hide my amusement.

There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Then I felt him licking my fingers.

"Ugh, real mature," I scrunched up my face, snatching my hand back only to wipe it off on his cheek a second later.

"Psh, acting like ya don't like it," he sniggered, cupping the side of my head so he could pull me in and rub his damp cheek to mine.

I squirmed, trying to break free. "Gross! Why? Just… why?"

Grip holding me firmly in place while he still nuzzled our cheeks together, he cooed, "Consider it a good luck charm from me to you! Now you have no choice but to knock their socks off!"

"How old are you, seven?" I grunted, trying to wedge an elbow between us. "You seriously need to gro-"

"Could Elsa please step onto the stage now?"

Both Lea and I froze for a split second. Fudge, I'd all but forgotten where I was and why I was here. Now it all came crashing back to me.

Ka-thunk.

What was that, you might be wondering? Oh nothing really. Just the sound of my heart plummeting to the bottom of my gut.

Before I'd even realized what I was doing, I'd sprung up onto my feet and was walking briskly towards the center aisle with all the grace and dignity I could muster. As if I couldn't still feel Lea's slobber drying on my cheek. Good luck charm, indeed. I'd show him good luck!

...that hadn't come across sounding as threatening as I would have liked.

It took a few seconds for it to really sink in. What I was doing. Where I was going. What I was about to do. I was about to audition… to sing in front of all of these people. I had to remind myself that this was something that I really, truly wanted. It was hard to remember right now in this exact second, but the desire was still there. Way deep, deep down inside of me, there was still that tiny spark valiantly burning away, smothered and small though it may be at the moment.

As each step brought me closer to that stage, I felt it again. That chilly dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. The iciness seemed to spread outward and I slowly grew numb. My mind started to feel detached and far away from the rest of my body, like I was no longer in control of it. Instead, it was more like I was only a passenger as it kept moving me forward seemingly of its own accord now, taking me up those stairs leading to my doom. That's right, my doom. I wasn't being over dramatic here at all. Not one bit.

Conceal, don't feel.

As I started crossing the stage, I was hardly even aware of Ariel out of the corner of my eye, whispering something to Marluxia before he gave a curt nod and she was scrambling up those steps after me. My ankle boots against the hardwood echoed loudly throughout the quiet theater. Too loudly, it felt like. But it paled in comparison to the thundering of my heart - oh gosh, could everyone else hear it too?

Conceal, don't feel.

All too soon, I was reaching the pianist and offering him the (rather abused at this point) sheet music with a shaky hand. He took it, looking it over briefly before setting it down on the music rack and smiling, "Just give me a nod when you're ready."

Ariel popped up then, plonking down onto the bench beside him with a grin. "I'll just sit with Demyx here and jump in for the parts you need me. Don't worry, you'll do great!"

My mouth tightened into a crude approximation of a smile before I turned to face the audience.

Big mistake.

Jeez, were there more people out there now? I could swear there were more people. Somehow, I willed my feet to move me closer to the front and center of the performance area. My fingers were running along my braid nonstop, up and down, up and down. My breathing had become so rapid and shallow. It felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen into my lungs. Could the air be thinner here on stage? You know, all the way up at this higher altitude of a whopping five feet?

Conceal, don't feel.

My eyes darted from face to unfamiliar face, not sure where to look. At the director maybe? That'd make sense, right? He'd be the one to decide my fate here, after all. I glanced down at Marluxia. At that blonde chick next to him - maybe she was his assistant director? Did community theater even have an assistant director? Well I suppose it would just depend on- focus, Elsa, focus! I squeezed my eyes shut with a grimace before opening them back up, looking to that pair once more. By their expressions, they both already seemed so remarkably unimpressed by me and I hadn't even begun yet. No, staring at them would only rattle me more.

I gripped at my braid more tightly and my gaze shifted about once more, almost desperate now, searching for what, I wasn't quite sure. But at last I seemed to find it - a face I knew. Lea's face. There, suddenly, like a beacon in the crowd. I wasn't quite sure how I'd not seen him until now. When our eyes met, he merely bobbed his head slightly and smiled at me. So small, so simple. And yet it filled me with such warmth and encouragement.

Lea thought I was brave.

And maybe, just for this one moment, I could pretend to be.

I inhaled deeply, my breath a raspy hiss through my nose. Holding it in for a couple seconds, I then puffed it out softly, releasing my braid and letting my hands fall to my sides. Finally, I gave Demyx a stiff nod over my shoulder.

Welp. This was it. No turning back now.

It was probably only a second, maybe two, but it felt like an eternity before that first piano note sounded. When at last it did, I swear it practically gave me a heart attack and my knees almost buckled. But I steadied myself, my clammy hands smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles out of my dress as I let the tune wash over me, trying to find solace in its familiarity. I kept my eyes fixed on Lea. Anywhere else and I knew I would lose my nerve completely. I could hear it coming in the music. My cue to start singing. I sucked in a breath.

"Every inch of me is trembling," oh gosh, that had never been more true than it was in this very moment, "but not from the cold. Something is familiar like a dream I can reach but not quite hold." Was I too quiet? Pretty sure I was too quiet. Licking my dry lips, I pushed my quavering voice to be louder, "I can sense you there like a friend I've always known... I'm arriving and it feels like I am hom-" I choked, my tongue stumbling over the word. My pulse flatlined, my blood turned to ice in my veins, and every atom in me was screaming at me to run, run, run.

But I resisted. I don't know how, but I did. Maybe it was Lea's reassuring gaze still holding mine. Maybe it was that spark deep down inside, flaring up obstinately to fight back against the cold fear closing in around my heart. Whatever it was, I remained rooted to the spot, clenching and unclenching my hands and eyes hard.

"I have always been a fortress," my heart hammered in my ears as I stubbornly pushed on, pretending I hadn't made a mistake, "cold secrets deep inside. You have secrets too, but you don't have to hide." Lea folded his arms atop the back of the chair in front of him, bending forward to rest his chin atop them and looking quite content. Feeling emboldened, I went into the chorus, "Show yourself, I'm dying to meet you. Show yourself, it's your turn." I think my voice was getting stronger. Perhaps it was only wishful thinking. "Are you the one I've been looking for all of my life? Show yourself, I'm ready to learn... Ah-ah, ah-ah!" I rang out the last bit and I heard Ariel's voice echo an answering call behind me.

"I've never felt so certain, all my life I've been torn," some of my tension was beginning to melt away and I took a tiny step forward. "But I'm here for a reason, could it be the reason I was born?" I could feel something bubbling up inside my chest… giddiness, maybe? "I have always been so different, normal rules did not apply. Is this the day? Are you the way I finally find out why?" A smile was beginning to find its way onto my face. I couldn't believe it. A small, but actual, genuine smile of pure joy.

"Show yourself, I'm no longer trembling!" I burst out suddenly, almost triumphantly. Lea was lifting his head back up, face slack, eyes round. I had no idea what that meant. Was it a good reaction? A bad one? Either way, I was spurred on to do better. "Here I am, I've come so far! You are the answer I've waited for all of my life! Oh, show yourself, let me see who you are!" I wasn't even looking at him anymore. I was starting to forget about where I was, just getting lost in the was the only thing that mattered to me anymore in that moment.

I brought my voice back down, singing slowly, sweetly, "Come to me now, open your door, don't make me wait one moment more... Oh, come to me now," I repeated the line with more energy, "open your door, don't make me wait one moment more!"

"Where the north wind meets the sea," Ariel chimed in now and I took the moment to close my eyes, pulling in a big breath and reveling in the delightful tingle in my chest. I was entering the home stretch and there was no fear left. Only excitement. "There's a river full of memory... Come, my darling, homeward bound…"

"I am found!" I sang, putting all I had into it, letting the last word stretch and ring throughout the theater. "Show yourself, step into the power! Grow yourself into something new!"

Ariel came in one last time, "You are the one you've been waiting for…"

"All of my life!" I belted out, finishing the line she'd started. "Oh, show yourself! Ah-ah, ah-ah!" I vocalized the notes a few more times, each round louder and more confident than the last before finally ending the song in one long crescendo.

The auditorium was suddenly very quiet except for my low panting as I tried to catch my breath.

Then I heard it.

The sound of clapping. More specifically, of one single person clapping very enthusiastically, reverberating noisily around the otherwise dead silent room.

Feeling my face erupt in heat, I immediately buried it in my hands. I knew who it was, even before I parted my fingers to peek between them out into the audience. Yup. There he was. Lea, up on his feet to give me a standing ovation while everyone else remained seated, staring at him blankly.

The dork.

Ariel was at my side now, snickering as she muttered behind her hand to me, "This is why they normally don't let the boyfriends in to watch."

He didn't look like he planned on quitting any time soon either.

"Hsst!" I blew through my grit teeth at him discreetly. Well… as discreetly as I could, given I was still standing on a stage in front of a room full of people. "Stop it," I whispered, narrowing my eyes on him. I could see Jack making long, annoyed strides towards Lea. "You hear me? Stop. It."

He seemed to take 'stop it' to mean 'applaud harder and pepper it with a few shrill whistles for good measure.'

I sighed, hanging my head and pressing my fingers between my eyebrows.

"D'aw, I think it's cute," I heard Ariel laugh and I hazarded a glance up again. Lea, finally spotting Jack coming for him, had vaulted himself over some chairs into the next row and was trying to make a run for it. "Your boyfriend is your biggest fan."

"...yes," I rubbed a curled finger over my lips, eyes crinkling as I watched the little scene he was making. Sally had been waiting for him on the other end of the seats opposite of Jack. Realizing his mistake too late, she snagged him by the ear before he could backtrack and started dragging him out of the auditorium. "Yes, I suppose he is."

I still had to sing my second song, the one from Wicked itself. That one ended up being a lot less nerve-wracking. Don't get me wrong, a few jitters yet remained to wriggle about my insides, but I was still riding the endorphin high from getting through my first song, making the second one seem like a breeze in comparison. When I was done, the only acknowledgement I got from Marluxia was an impassive, "Thank you," before he was calling the next person. I hurried off the stage and had a quick word with Jack and Sally before saying my farewell and walking outside.

The sun was beginning to set by now, making the shadows stretch long. It wasn't hard to spot Lea, leaning against his car as he thumbed through his phone and waited.

My heart swelled and my feet suddenly had a mind of their own, propelling me forward.

He glanced up, pocketing his phone and grinning big at me as he used his foot to push himself up off the car. "Hey! You kicked some serious ass up th-" A surprised grunt was forced out of him as I suddenly crashed into his chest, hugging him tightly around the waist.

"...thank you for that," I muffled quietly into his shirt.

Lea was very still for a second. But then I felt a small chuckle rumbling throughout his body as his arms slowly wrapped around my shoulders, returning the embrace. "Nah, that was all you, El. I just provided the wheels that got ya here."

I loosened my grip but didn't fully let go. Just enough so I could lean back slightly to smile up at him. "Thanks for coming with me. I didn't think I'd wanted anyone here, but… it made a difference and meant more to me than I realized it would. And thank you for encouraging me to do this and…" my nose wrinkled a bit, "...and for making me get up on that karaoke stage a couple weeks ago, despite my multiple protests."

He snorted, but his face softened as he brushed some of my hair behind my ear, his thumb just barely grazing along my cheek with the gesture. "What can I say? Being a pushy, overbearing asshole is one of my many wonderful talents."

"That's not what I meant," my eyelids drooped.

"I know," he hummed a laugh as he pulled me in for another hug, squeezing me close as he rested his chin atop my head. We stayed that way for a few seconds more before he released a heavy sigh. Then he pulled back, cupped my face with both his hands, tenderly pressed his lips to my forehead, and...

...blew a goddamn raspberry.

I gasped and shoved him away, furiously scrubbing at my brow with my forearm. "Ugh, was getting more of your slobber on my face completely necessary?!"

"Oh without a doubt! I know what a huge fan of it ya are," he smirked cheekily as he made his way around his car to open the door for me. "Now then, shall we get you home, m'lady, so we can spread the good news?"

I squinted at him with a frown as I followed him over and took a seat. "...what good news?"

"That ya got the starring role, of course!" he chirped down at me.

"I did not-" I was interrupted as he shut the car door in my face. Huffing and buckling myself in, I waited until he was climbing into the driver seat to try again, "They won't even be announcing who's getting what part until next week, but I seriously doubt they're going to give me a lead."

"You're right, my mistake," he stuck his key into the ignition and twisted it, shooting me a wink. "They'll give ya two."

"Goodness, I'm getting two leads now?" I fought the upward tug I felt at one side of my mouth. "Do you even know how plays work?"

"Course! That's why I know for a fact that they're just gonna give you all the parts."

I bit back a grin. "Huh. A one-woman Wicked show. Now that'd certainly be a… choice."

"And one I have every confidence in you to pull off!" he nodded chipperly as we exited the parking lot.

I just shook my head at him. Honestly, I didn't care what part I got. I'd be honored just to be included in the chorus if they even gave me that much. But no, all that I really cared about was that I'd actually done it. Gone through with the audition and lived to tell the tale. And sure, it had scared me out of my mind, but in the end it'd been worth it. Because you know what? Turned out I'd absolutely loved singing on that stage. And I knew for sure now that this was something I wanted to do… something that I wanted to play a part in my life, no matter how big or small. And so what if I most likely wasn't going to get the lead this time around? I could just use this experience to learn the ropes and get better prepared.

Better prepared, that is, to totally crush it at the audition for the next show.

Author's Note: And yet another scene where I included the full lyrics of a song sang by a character - again, it's not something I would normally do, but I felt this was a rare occasion where it's important enough to Elsa's character growth that again I shouldn't just gloss over it. But gosh, I feel so awkward writing detailed singing scenes! Why oh why did I have to make her want to do something with singing? This was a story decision I fast grew to regret, haha xD I hope it turned out okay tho! Anyhoo, for anyone out there who hasn't seen Frozen 2, the song she sings this chapter, Show Yourself, is from that - I suggest you give it a listen if you haven't heard it before :) Actually hearing it does it way more justice than I could ever do in writing xD And I've decided that Disney movies still exist in this AU, they're just musicals now and the characters in those musicals most likely just all have different names than their Disney movie counterparts, but the plot is otherwise unaffected xP Fun fact: The ice cream this chapter, Ever After, is named after Corona's keyblade and I imagine its description on the menu would look something like: "Let down your golden lemon soft serve! A specialty from Corona, this treat is garnished with edible flowers and served in a stack of purple waffles cones to form a tower."

So, did Elsa manage to impress the powers that be at the audition? Will she make the cut and land a part the musical? Will she get a lead, a bit part, or the boot? WAS Lea's slobber actually lucky enough to tip the scales in her favor? Find out… NOT next chapter xD No, we have something else on the horizon for next time… could that fated yet dreaded weekend with the folks finally and at long last be upon us? Stay tuned to find out!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

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#kingdom hearts #frozen #elsa #axel #fanfiction #lea #fanfic #kingdom hearts fanfiction #frozen fanfiction #kh fanfiction #kh fanfic #frozen fanfic #kingdom hearts fanfic #axelsa #fluff #romcom #slow burn #kh3 #my writing #ice cream and fire oven pizza #rare pair #crossover pairing #humor #snark #fake dating au

[ifeellikeameowster]

E.V.O.L Chapter 3- Living Dead

Chapter Summary: After a bit of a rough morning, Virgil decides to visit the grave of his long dead best friend... Meanwhile, Patton has finally graduated and is ready to take on his first assignment as a newly appointed cupid!

Warnings: Beginnings of Yandere like behavior, stalking, watching other’s without them knowing, wounds, stabbing, blood.

Pairings: One-sided moxiety.

Word Count: 4k+

Chapter followed by Author’s Note then Tag List under the read more:

Everyday I feel the same.

Stuck, and I can never change.

Sucked into a black balloon.

Spat into an empty room.

The next day Virgil found himself waking before even the roosters themselves would have crowed.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and cursing his wishy washy biological clock, he wondered if it was too early to grab a bite of breakfast. He had missed dinner the previous day, after all, having been too tired from being forced to socialize for so long with someone so new. His parents would probably understand if they caught him. They always did.

He shrugged and slung one of his lighter weighted blankets over his shoulders before taking a few shaky steps away from his bed. His legs felt like jello, making it tempting to just go back to the safety of his little nest and spend all day inside of his room. But the obnoxious rumbling of his ungrateful stomach made that nearly impossible. So to the kitchen it was instead.

Virge tried his best not to step on any creaky floorboards on his way out of his room and down the stairs. If his parents weren’t already awake, then he certainly didn’t want to be the loud, fumbling asshole that actually woke them up. Heaven knows they deserved all the rest they could get. They did so much for him. And for the whole neighborhood, for that matter.

Wonder if there’s any of those blueberry bagels left. He pondered as he descended the final step.

He went past the living room and into the kitchen, where upon after he entered, Virgil was immediately met with his answer.

“You’re up early, V.” Talyn said around a mouthful of their buttery bagel, “Can’t sleep?”

“More like slept too much.” Virgil corrected as he joined them at the breakfast bar.

Talyn was a Banshee, a wailing ghost that had the ability to warn others of approaching death.Though, they usually used their glorious screeching voice for the screamo parts of their band’s songs instead. Once in a blue moon however, especially back when Virgil had done something particularly rebellious when he was a teenager, he had had the pleasure of witnessing firsthand the more negative side to their voice. Between his maddy’s booming voice and the sad puppy dog eyes his pops had sent his way-it was easy to see why his version of a ‘rebellious phase’ had been cut short. 

“I’d chastise you for your poor sleeping habits but I’m honestly not one to speak myself.”

“You’re a ghost, you don’t even need to sleep.”

“And yet here we are.” They waved the hand holding the bagel, sending some crumbs flying, “With me taking afternoon naps and staying up all night like a heathen.”

“God, same.”

“We’ve rubbed off on you too much, little one.” Talyn chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Me and Joan. Why don’t you take after your papa more too?”

“Pops is too sunshiney for me, maddy. I’m half convinced he’s made of literal sunbeams at this point.” Virgil sneered out with a fond undertone as he gently lathered butter on his own bagel, “I’m more of a punk moonchild, ya’ know?”

Maddy was the affectionate nickname he had given Talyn as a kid. He was pleased to later find out that, unlike with dammy, other kids sometimes used maddy for their nonbinary parents too.

His maddy chuckled at that, patted his shoulder, then returned to devouring their own breakfast. They both sat in a comfortable, companionable silence for a while as they finished up their food and took in the morning sights through the wide kitchen window. Then as the birds started up their autumn songs and the sun started it’s slow trek over the horizon, they both got up to put away their trash and tidy their mess. As he was putting his blanket over the couch for later cuddling-while-watching-tv purposes, Virgil’s eyes unfortunately happened to land on the calendar hanging next to the entryway. The sight of a certain circled reminder of a date he had been trying to forget caused a past pain to resurface just as hot and stabbing as the first time it had ever appeared in his heart.

He reentered the kitchen with a familiar, haunting grimace. Talyn sent him a fleeting confused look before it morphed into one of understanding instead.

“It’s next week, isn’t it?” They breathed softly, “The anniversary.” Their tone held an unnecessary weight of guilt. For even though they were a Banshee, they had not been able to foresee that death. The most important one. The one that had hurt their child so much at such a young age.

“Yeah,” Virgil choked out, tears threatening to brim his eyes, “If...I’m being honest...I’m not sure if I can make it, this year.”

“Well maybe…” They bit their lip and shifted on their feet nervously, “Maybe you can just go now? It might be less pressure, if it’s not the day of.”

“I-I don’t know, maddy. I’m still kind of worn out from yesterday.”

“Ah, the matchmaker meeting. I almost forgot about that.” Talyn moved to lean back on the counter, “How did that go?”

Virge sucked in a breath, blinked away the wetness of his eyes, and thanked whatever higher power may be for the change of topic. “Terrible, I hate socializing. Also it felt like I was being hounded by a teacher with how many questions I was being asked.”

“He needs to ask questions, dear. How else would he know what you like?” They sent him a sympathetic smile that didn’t quite meet their eyes. The mood of the room was still soured by the date hanging ominously on the wall. Taunting them both with it’s ever approaching red circle.

“What I would like is to not have to go to these meetings at all.” Virgil whined. He hopped up to sit cross legged on the countertop beside his maddy. “Why’d you and dammy even talk to him anyways? I thought pops was just going through one of his romance craze phases again, but…”

“But, we all agreed it’s what’s best for you. It’s not healthy to only ever hang out with your family. You need to spread your wings, sweet little baby boy.”

“Ew, baby talk.” Virgil mimed throwing up before crossing his arms and pouting. “Why’s it gotta be some stupid dramatically set up romcom though? Can’t I just go to an online group chat for depressed-emos-anonymous or something?”

Talyn did a laugh somewhere between a giggle and a chortle at that. They playfully swiped at his shoulder. “No, you idiot. Just listen to your parents, okay? It’s time. Way past time, actually…”

“Time to what? Get some?”

“Find someone to love. Someone to...give your feelings too.”

“I give mushy lovey dovey stuff to y’all all the time!”

“Not like that, V. To…” They tapped a frustrated rhythm onto the countertop with their long, pointed nails. “To obsess over. To be attracted to and fawn over. Stuff like that.”

“To bone.”

“Virgil!”

“What? That’s the only difference, ain’t it?” He sighed as he leaned over to place his head on their shoulder. “Why can’t platonic love be enough? I've been doing just fine with just that…”

“Honey…” They let out a sigh of their own before running a reassuring hand through his hair. “That may have been enough until now, but trust me you need this.” The soothing touch of their petting almost calmed  him, until- “We need this.” They ended in a strained whisper, yet unfortunately still loud enough for him to hear.

Virgil jolted away from Talyn and off the counter as if he’d been burned. “What? You’re...You’re all trying to pawn me off or something? Finally tired of me being a fucking mooch?”

“No, no- Little one, that’s not what I-”

“Well if I’m such a leech, maybe I will go hang out in the graveyard with the rest of the rotten worms.”

The tears that had pricked at his eyes earlier decided to return, yet once more he held back the flow of the damn. His eyes reddened with the strain of the repression. Still, he refused to cry around others. Weakness was an ugly shade of color to wear. He wanted to toss out all of his flaws from the closet of his inner self and go shopping for better traits. But maybe, he couldn’t help but think...he was the one that needed to be tossed out right along with them.

Got bubble wrap around my heart.

Waiting for my life to start.

But everyday it never comes.

Permanently at square one.

“Tell the others I’ll be at the church.” He snapped instead as he rounded the corner and stomped up the stairs. He no longer cared if he woke anyone else up. His body was brimming with aggravated energy and his mind was swirling with all the possible negative implications of those few simple whispered words.

The day had barely begun and he already had a massive headache.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After having haphazardly thrown on the nearest clean clothes he could find and all but running out of his house and into the nearly empty street, save for a lone old maid that was bird watching on a nearby bench, he began to make his way over to the cemetery.

On his way there he stopped by Fauna's Florals to pick up a small bouquet of soft and pale yellow roses, the flower of friendship, because that's what he had been to him- the truest friend he would probably ever have. Besides his family, of course, though they were kind of obligated to hang out with him. And he was beginning to wonder if even that reliable, familial obligation had started outstaying it’s welcome.

Miss Fauna, having noticed his red rimmed eyes, had given him a sympathetic smile and a pat on his hand as she handed over the bouquet. He shied away from the unwanted contact and thanked her in a small voice. It was the loudest one he could muster at the time.

When it's late at night-ight,

I'm so dissatisfied-ied.

The weight of an empty life-ife,

Will lessen in the moonlight.

In the light,

In the light,-light,-light.

Shooting Star Cemetery was luckily located in the next street over, making it an easy and short walk. Yet not nearly a long enough a walk to clear his head any from the raging storm it currently housed inside. The graves were all well kept and neatly aligned. The landscaping was done with care and sheer professionalism. The overall atmosphere was more bright and welcoming than one would expect a place housing the dead could ever be.

Virgil moved past the groundskeeper with quick steps, not wanting to have to engage in any conversation with the man whose smile always seemed to stretch too far over his face and whose eyes appeared to linger on his form for too long. Especially not today of all days. He thought as the conversation from earlier resurfaced in his mind. Fresh and unwanted.

His feet took him to his destination almost on autopilot. He had been visiting this particular grave at least once a year for almost seventeen years now. Of course it would be practically hardwired into his system at this point.

“Hey, buddy.” He called out wearily as he approached. Virge leaned over to place the bouquet of yellow roses directly in front of the ivory gravestone before stepping back to sit on the grass across from it.

The stone was the lightest of the ones in its row, almost basking it in an ethereal spotlight. The carvings of angels, ribbons, and roses around it’s surface only accentuated the holy glow. In the dead center, carved in looping and elegant cursive writing, was the epitaph.

It read,

“Patton Sangster:

A young Cherub bright and fair,

Taken from this world too soon.

Now he is way up there,

Dancing between the Sun and the Moon.”

Definitely more fancy and vague than most of the epitaphs around here. Virgil mused, Then again Mrs. Songster was always the poetic dreamer type.

While on the other hand, if he had a gravestone, it would probably say something like "Here lies Virgil Spurling: What an idiot" or "Virgil Spurling: Died of Depression and General Dumbassery".

He let out a long sigh and curled his legs underneath him while crossing his arms. “You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had, Pat.” He began, “I think my parents have lost their ever loving marbles. Don’t get me wrong or anything- I love them a bunch. But I just don’t...I just don’t get why they’re doing this, ya’ know?”

“They’re insisting I see this stupid matchmaking witch doctor guy, who probably thinks I’m a loser by the way-he seemed kinda stuck up and I kept making a fool of myself as per usual. And like they want me to get hitched to some dude ASAP I guess so I can ‘spread my wings’? Whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean?”

He started waving his arms around to accentuate his ranting, ”But a part of me can’t help but think they’re just trying to get rid of me. Just pawn me off to a random guy so I can be out of their hair! But they...They’ve never said or done anything like that before...They’ve always been so nice to me and so supportive and so loving so I just don’t…”

Now, in the sanctum of this empty cemetery and the equally emptily promised presence of his only friend, he finally let the tears fall quietly and slowly down his ever reddening cheeks. “I just don’t get it anymore, Patton. Nothing makes sense. It hasn’t for a long time now. Ever since...ever since high school, really. And I just…”

“I just wish you were still here.” He hissed into the morning air as he closed his eyes and let his eyes finish emptying themselves so he could hopefully return home with them dry and pretend that they had never been crying in the first place.

From several yards away the groundskeeper stole glances at the strange visitor as he worked his usual surveyal of the grounds. However, his gleaming, unwelcome eyes were not the only pair that happened to be following Virgil that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patton Sangster, newly appointed cupid under Eros, had just finished the last of his angelic training and was lined up with the rest of the lucky graduates about to receive their first heavenly assignments.

Finally! He cheered in his head. A chance to prove that all of his training wasn't for nothing. He may be light hearted, but he certainly wouldn't take his heavenly duties lightly. He would prove without a doubt that being soft hearted didn’t mean he was weak. Far from it in fact. He considered the overflowing love he had in his heart to be his greatest and most cherished source of strength.

Little did the little cupid know just yet, but that unbridled and passionate love of others would soon be his very downfall.

I'm living dead, dead, dead, dead.

Only alive-live-live-live.

When I pretend-tend-tend-tend.

That I have died, died, died, died, died, died.

An elder, more experienced cupid passed back and forth in front of the recruits with a golden clipboard they had summoned. Odiel, patron cupid of dark love ballads, was surprisingly the one giving the assignments to the newbies this year. He listed off each angel and their assignment with a resigned sigh and dramatic flip of the page. He went through many graduates before finally getting to Patton, which had caused the poor angel to bounce nervously on his feet.

"Patton Sangster?"

"Yes, that's me!" He nodded eagerly with a dazzling grin.

"Hm." His superior clicked his tongue before looking at his clipboard. "No official angel name given yet. No patron title earned yet."

Patton's eager expression flickered, a brief frown gracing his features before they turned back into his patton-ted steadfast smile.

"We'll just assign you to your old hometown during life, then. And see where it goes from there."

Patton gasped, bringing his hands up to cup his face. "Heartwish City?!"

Odiel pauses for a moment to check another page on their clipboard. "...Yes."

"Yay! Oh, I can't wait to see everyone again! And help them out!"

"Mhmm. Well, you will have to wait a bit more. There's still orientation to get through."

"Oh, of course." His smile turns more nervous, "Yes, sir."

And with that, the rest of the graduates were assigned before they all headed over to the orientation stadium.

The clouds are thicker and fluffier around the stadium, which is covered in red, pink, and white decorations and gold trimmings. Eros himself stands on a stage floating gently above them. Some of his more well known cupids fly  beside him and his effervescent presence. They give the awaiting crowd reminders of what-to-do's and what-not-to-do's before Eros finally speaks.

"Today is the day you truly become cupids. Go forth and spread love, devotion and admiration wherever you may fly to. Prove your loyalty both to me and to my almighty mother Aphrodite. Be the best angel you can be." He intones in a booming voice accompanied by grand hand gestures. He then bows his head toward the crowd of new cupids in respect and waves them off, officially dismissing them to their new posts.

Patton, having been absolutely jittery with excitement throughout the whole orientation, immediately flaps his small, pink and blue hummingbird like wings and takes off into the early morning sky.

His flight time is shortened by both his familiarity with the destination and his newly appointed status. So much so that to any outside spectator, he would have arrived there in the bat of an eyelash.

As he glided over his old town, he spotted several people he once new. Miss Fauna was putting up a new display in front of her flower shop. Tia and Ana were putting up an ad for their speciality tea of the day. Dr Picani was leaving the Blue Fairy Therapy building while glancing at his watch. And many, many more lovely and well missed faces.

But the one he had missed most of all was currently over at the Shooting Star Cemetery, sitting criss-crossed applesauce right in front of his grave.

Sure, he hadn't seen them in over seventeen years, not since their childhood together. But he would be able to recognize that pale face and protective spirit anywhere! This was his best friend we were talking about, after all. And Patton never took his friendships lightly. So he did a spiraling turn in the air to change directions for this newfound destination. He could worry about his other duties later, he had a dear friend to visit!

He hovered over the cemetery like an excited bee hovering over a group of flowers, staying close to the sparse clouds strewn about the glorious sunrise. Not only had Virgil grown up healthily, but he had even remembered him! And was currently paying respects to his grave, apparently. He leaned forward and focused his hearing on the sounds happening down below him.

"You wouldn't believe the week I've had, Pat." Oh dear, what could have happened? Is whatever it was the reason he was visiting? "I think my parents have lost their ever loving marbles. Don’t get me wrong or anything- I love them a bunch. But I just don’t...I just don’t get why they’re doing this, ya’ know?”

What could they have possibly done? Patton remembered Virgil's parents, three queer platonic partners who had always adored their son. They were loved by the whole neighborhood and Patton himself had also enjoyed their company whenever he had visited Virgil's house for playdates and sleepovers. He couldn't imagine them ever doing anything to harm their beloved child! But, if they had hurt Virgil somehow…

“They’re insisting I see this stupid matchmaking witch doctor guy," Ohhh! A matchmaker, huh? Virgie really had grown up! It seemed like just yesterday the two of them were talking about the other boys possibly having cooties during recess. "Who probably thinks I’m a loser by the way-he seemed kinda stuck up and I kept making a fool of myself as per usual." Well that didn't seem very nice of whoever this matchmaker fellow was. Patton would never think of his assignments as losers...everyone was equally deserving of love after all!

"And like they want me to get hitched to some dude ASAP I guess so I can ‘spread my wings’? Whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean?” Wait just a minute...Matchmaker...Wings...Patton was a cupid now! Duh. The solution was obvious!

Patton puffed up his chest and fluttered his wings excitedly. He could be Virgil's new, better matchmaker. And nothing would make Pat more happy than having his childhood friend being his first assignment as an official cupid. It was all falling into place so well, almost like destiny! But Virgil was talking again now, so Patton tuned back in.

”But a part of me can’t help but think they’re just trying to get rid of me. Just pawn me off to a random guy so I can be out of their hair! But they...They’ve never said or done anything like that before...They’ve always been so nice to me and so supportive and so loving so I just don’t…”

Ahhh, this was all Virgie's anxiety getting to him again. He had always been a worrywart, even back when they were kids. He guessed some things never changed, not even when it had been so many years. Back then, Patton had always tried to ease his worries and be the most supportive friend he could be. But even at his best and most empathetic, he had been far too young to quite comprehend the full depths of Virgil's emotions.

He looked back at Virgil only to find tears running down his cheeks now, marring his dark eyeshadow. Oh dear sweet Aphrodite- he was crying! “I just don’t get it anymore, Patton. Nothing makes sense. It hasn’t for a long time now. Ever since...ever since high school, really. And I just…”

Highschool? What had happened in high school? Did someone hurt his dearest friend while he wasn't there to protect him? Patton leaned even more forward and gripped the clouds nervously.

“I just wish you were still here.”

Patton froze. Only holy magic and his grip on the clouds keeping him in the air.

I lay back in a glittering mist,

And I, I think of all the men I, I could have kissed.

I haven't lived my life, I haven't lived love,

It's just a bird's eye view from, from up above.

A part of him wished he was still there too. And that same part of him wished he had been there beside Virgil through it all. Had been there in highschool to prevent whatever it was that had hurt his Virgie. Had been there to tell that rude matchmaker off for him. Had been there to give him a lesson in proper etiquette and respect towards his clients. Had been there to help his parents find a better matchmaker. And even to help Virgil pick only the best partner for a great guy like him.

He released a breath he didn't even know he was holding in the first place. But he was here now! And he could help him now!

Now filled to the brim with determination- He hurriedly fumbled to summon his bow and quiver, which he had been storing in his Grace, and pulled out a red romantic arrow from the bag. In his haste, however, he had nicked the side of his arm with the tip of it. He paused to look at the offending wound, wondering if a nick was considered the same thing as a pierce. It wasn't, right? He didn't remember them saying anything about scratches while in the heavenly academy. Oh well, it was probably nothing to worry about! It hadn't come anywhere near his heart, after all.

Besides, Patton had much more pressing matters to attend to. And a heart that needed a connection only he could create was waiting for him. A connection that would transcend the very heavens themselves! Pat would definitely find Virgil a beloved partner that could kiss his many worries away. Many, many kisses. Kisses for that kissable mouth...and soothing voice...and soft looking cheeks…and pale, elegant hands...

Patton shook his head furiously to rid himself of those lucrative thoughts. Sure, Virgil had grown up handsomely, yeah. But this was Patton's best friend he was talking about! How could he be thinking such scandalous and traitorous things? Besides, he had chosen Virgil for his very first assignment. He had to be more professional than that! He had to prove himself a worthy cupid both to Eros himself and to his fellow angels.

He moved to expertly draw his bow, with the same arrow that had previously drawn his blood, poised in the direction of the huddled figure below him. Just as he was about to finally fire, however…He heard it.

"Patton." Just a whisper. A whimper through tears. Just a mumble amidst other unintelligible cries of sorrow.

And yet it felt like a shout. A cry for help. A plea for him. It rang through Patton's ears with the force of a hurricane and knocked him off of his balance.

The arrow cracked and twisted off it's place on the bow and turned to stab through his heart.

He choked on the blood that had bubbled up into his throat and desperately pawed at the arrow lodged accidentally into his most valuable organ.

The words of one of his superior angels and teacher, Balladeil, flared up into his mind. A cupid was not meant to take a cupid's arrow. A cupid's arrow was not made to be used on a cupid.

"Oh Eros!" He cried "Oh no!"

He grabbed at the arrow and started yanking on it. Trying to pull it out of his chest. But it was being stubborn, latching onto his Grace and using that to keep ahold of him. More blood gushed from the wound only to be consumed by his Grace as it tried to heal him from the intrusion. Tears started pouring from Patton's eyes to match Virgil's.

Then, before he knew it, the arrow had melted into his heart and merged into his Grace. And the connection had been completed.

Patton stared dumbfoundedly at the clean space where it used to be for several solid minutes. The wounds were completely healed now and the blood was all gone. It was too late. He had been too late. He had failed.

He took a shaky breath and moved to collect his bow and quiver.

He stored them carefully back into his Grace.

He looked back down at Virgil, who was getting up from the ground now.

He flew slowly over the graveyard as Virgil walked hurriedly past the leering groundskeeper.

He followed Virgil silently all the way back to his home, often passing by a strange crow that happened to be on the same flight path as him.

He watched over Virgil for the rest of the day and way on into that night.

Did I really deserve it?

It happens when you're hurting.

And cut me at the surface,

Of my heart.

Of my heart-heart-heart.

A/N: Patton, you darling idiot. You would have been fine if you weren’t so clumsy. X3 Anyways, hope y’all enjoyed! The next fic I’ll post will be that Creativitwins one shot I mentioned earlier. And then it’ll be right back into the E.V.O.L au! ;3

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#sanders sides #sanders sides au #e.v.o.l au #sanders sides e.v.o.l au #moxiety #one sided moxiety #virgil sanders #patton sanders #character!talyn #yandere #stalker #my fics #if you thought any of these ships were gonna be slow burn on the other's parts then you were sadly mistaken lmao #poor virgil

[dididrawsblog]

Mr. Perfect // slow burn

Part V

Summary: Steve Harrington was the coolest guy at school and now he’s working with you at the rental store. Very complicated story about complicated feelings.

Pairing: Steve Harrington/ You

Warning: language

A/N: IM ALIVE! Yeah..This chapter is big so make some tea and prepare yourself. Btw, if you guys have any suggestions about the plot you can write them in the comments.

Sunday 1 am. You were sitting on the ground with your back placed to a cold wall of an old building. Your knees were covered with scratches and blood and the hem of your dress was torn. It was a cold night. The light of the sign ‘Family video’ painted your face red. You were barely crying and you didn’t even know why. Was it because of knee pain or because of Steve? You shivered because of wind and pulled your knees to chest. You felt betrayed. Betrayed and lonely. You picked up a bottle of tequila and took a big swallow. You’d been drinking the whole way here and now the bottle was half empty. Or half full. You giggled. Hot tears went down your cheek.

Let’s get back to the start.

Saturday evening; 7pm.

You were helping a very annoying man who didn’t know what he wanted. You had been standing in front of shelves with movies for thirty minutes. He touched his unshaved chin and looked at your exhausted face one more time.

“So, will you help me or not?” He asked you with that disdainful and haughty expression. His enormous belly was falling over the edge of his pants, he had a greasy spot on his t-shirt and yellow teeth. Jesus. He smelled like shit.

“Sure. Let’s repeat. What kind of film do you want?” You said with your teeth clenched.

“Jesus Christ. It’s very simple! I need a horror movie with a complicated romantic relationship and sprinkles of comedy”

“And?”

“Right! It’s very important - NUNS!” Like he forgot about that long discussion.

“Sir” You took a deep breath. “I’m telling you one more time: we don’t have movies like that. We either have horrors with shitty love story or comedies with shitty love story AND none of them have NUNS” You didn’t know what was wrong with that man but he pissed you out. You look at his red face that matched his t-shirt and suddenly caught Steve’s eyes behind him. Harrington was standing five feet away from you.

“Listen to me-“ Red face made a step to you and almost grabbed your hand. He was furious about a fucking movie. Man, get a life! You were getting not just exhausted but mad as hell. Before any word came out of your mouth, Steve placed his hand on mans’s shoulder.

“What about ‘Sister Gertrude’? It’s a horror with a nun and it is hilarious sometimes. I mean have you ever seen a possessed nun?” Steve gave him a tape and winked at you. You smiled unconsciously.

“But what about love line?” The man kept looking at the tape, he wasn’t that red anymore.

“It’s hard not to fall in love with Gertrude, isn’t it?” Steve’s gaze was still fixed on you and you rolled your eyes. The man thanked Steve for his help and went to the counter. Right. Thanks, Steve.

“Asshole.” Said Steve and came closer.

“Did you see his huge hairy wart on his neck?” He laughed.

“No...but I can see it from here. God” He brushed his hair with a hand, looking at Robin. “Do you- I mean... If you want... of course..”

“What? Did you forget how to use words?” That was a bit harsh. Sometimes you say something but you don’t really mean it. You made a small cough and looked away.

“I’m having a party this Sunday which is tomorrow. So, I’m asking you if you wanna come.” He rubbed his neck awkwardly. Sun went down behind him and the sunlight turned his hair gold. He is a tall and well built guy. Like a statue in a museum. Steve was looking at his hands waiting for an answer. “Robin will be there too”

“Yeah...um. Okay” that’s all you could say.

“Really?” He smiled widely. Such a child.

“Of course. Why not?”

“Okay. Cool...ugh. See you tomorrow then” He started to back up still looking in your eyes. He accidentally hit a rack with films and it fell down covering the floor with romcoms. You heard Robin laughing hard and you joined her.

“Dingus!” She said to him. “Clean everything up and come to me. I need to tell you something”

You came to the poor boy and sit next to him grabbing a pale of movies. You were so close you almost hear him breathing. His hair brushed your cheek and your shoulders touched. You quickly stood up and went to the storage room. You just needed to hide your rose face. You are too overeating. Like, it’s just Steve Harrington. Calm down.

Next day you spent with your mom watching movies and doing nothing. You were relaxing after a hard day at work. You couldn’t stop thinking about the party though. You were too concerned about it. At eight pm you took a shower and waited for Robin to come. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been preparing for the party with a friend. All those dresses and shoes and rock music and talks about getting drunk tonight.

Robin came to you fully prepared. She looked stunning and bitchin at the same time. She helped you to choose a dress and did you a makeover. You felt so great spending that time with Robin. She was so funny and supportive and cool. Like you have a real friend. Maybe she is your friend.

You were standing in front of wooden doors of Harrington house. It was a large two-storey building with a brown roof. You felt exited standing next to the blue-eyed girl who knocked on the door. Five minutes later the party boy opened to you. He was standing right in front of you holding a red cup with liquid. Just like the last time you’d visited his house. There was a difference though. Now he was looking at you. He noticed you. He knew you are here. And he smiled.

“Hello, ladies. I’m glad you’re here” he grabbed both of you and pulled in. House was full of teens and booze. You saw some people from high school but they weren’t there at the first party. They were ghost at school just like you. Then you realised that most of them was Robin’s friends. The crowd of people tugged you into the living room. Right to the dance floor. You couldn’t find Steve or Robin in that mess so you just danced. You had a chat with some classmates, moved your body a little and as party went by you realised you didn’t drink yet.

You went to the kitchen to grab something . Nobody was there. Just a table with snacks and a bowl with cherry punch. You didn’t bother about finding Robin anymore. You lost her as you came in. The wave of people devoured her. You were wondering was she having fun out there or looking for you? Guess she just forgot about you. Standing there drinking sweet-n-sour drink you listened to the sounds of music from the next room. You just needed a second to relax when Steve came. There was a bottle in his hand and he was rather tipsy.

“Here’s Y/N! How ar ya?” He sat on the couch in front of the table.

“I’m good. Yeah, it’s a pretty nice party” you came to him with a cup of punch, taking a bottle from him and adding some alcohol there. It wasn’t a nice party. You felt forgotten. Again. But now he’s here right?

“Jesus, I’m so happy you’re here. C’mon. Sit next to me” he pulled you closer on the sofa and placed his head on your shoulder. He’s not just tipsy. He’s drunk. You can smell it now.

“I can’t find Robin out there. She’s just disappeared” you looked in your cup and then at Steve. He was so close now. His eyes was fixed on you, his soft hair tickled your cheek and god... You liked it. You made a sip and burning liquid went down your throat.

“What?” You finally asked that dork who kept looking at you.

“What ‘what’?”

“You are an idiot, Steve Harrington” You smiled softly taking another drink.

“And you are beautiful, Y/N Y/L/N” your cheeks turned red and you turned your head away.

Robin with a couple of people interrupted your moment of awkwardness. There she is. She seemed busy talking and laughing and drinking. You stood up and went to the bathroom to fresh up as fast as you could. Your face were burning when you washed it with cold water. No, no, no. Not Harrington. Anyway, he didn’t mean it. He is drunk. You sat down on the corner of the bathtub and took a deep breath. This party sucks. Steve and Robin...That’s so messed up. You fixed your makeup a little bit and looked at yourself in the mirror. You never considered yourself as ‘beautiful’. Pretty, funny, smart but not...beautiful. To be logical, you didn’t have the perfect body from magazines and your hair and face. It just didn’t make any sense.

Sound of breaking glass pulled you out of your thoughts. Your opened the door and heard screaming. It was scary. The loud and angry voice cut the air. Sounded like a fight. Probably a serious one. The only thing you could think about now was to find a weapon. Yeah..weird. But it wasn’t your first party-fight. You came out of the bathroom and went into the closest room you saw. Presumably Steve’s room. You hadn’t got enough time to examine it so you just grabbed the barbed bat near his bed. By the time you went downstairs right into the living room, Steve was already fighting with...Um, you couldn’t see through the crowd. You jumped but still nothing. BAM! The crowd dispersed and you saw Harrington on the ground. His back was placed to the coffee table. Blood was dripping down from the corner of his mouth and from the scratch on the cheek. Tommy H. stood in front of him. He wanted to attack again.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” You screamed and hit the floor with the bat. Tommy turned around and looked at you. Actually, everyone was looking at you. The girl who nobody knew was standing in a small dress and a big bat in front of the king of assholes.

“Hey, look who’s here. Sorry, I don’t remember your name. Steve, do you- No, I don’t think you remember her” Tommy smiled at you and you almost threw up. He took a step closer. This jerk knows who are you.

“One more step and I’ll beat the shit out of you” he didn’t listen. He just came closer when you hit the floor with the bat again. It was very close to his feet. He jumped back.

“Bitch” Tommy slowly turned around and went away. You dropped the bat and came to Steve.

“Jesus, Harrington. Why did you invite him?” Robin brought up a wet towel and placed it to his cheek.

“He didn’t” she looked at you. Where was she by the way? “I..um. I’ve invited his sister” Robin looked sad and disappointed. Steve couldn’t think or do anything cause he was drunk and beaten. His head was lying on her lap.

“And why did you do that?” You asked her as calm as you could. You actually wanted to shout at her.

“I didn’t know she’ll bring her brother and...boyfriend” It didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t even an answer to your question.

“Robin, what the hell? I came here because of you and I thought we could have some good time. And you just left me for an asshole’s sister. You left me all alone in the house full of strangers” She looked away.

“Sorry, but you won’t understand” she whispered.

“Clearly, I don’t understand anything” you stood up. “What’s wrong with you?” Robin looked scared and ashamed. You suddenly felt bad for your words. There was something you didn’t know. Something very bad.

Steve opened his eyes...well an eye actually. He looked at Robin who was barely crying and you. Furious.

“Out” he whispered.

“What?” You finally noticed him.

“I said get the hell out of my house” he said it so simple. Like he wasn’t throwing you out. Like it was a small talk about weather. But it hit you hard.

You left. With no words. You just grabbed a bottle from the ground near the exit and left. While you were coming down the stairs, you tripped and fell, tearing your tights. It was painful but you stood up, took down your shoes and leaded down the street.

And now we are here.

You wiped your tears and pressed your head to the wall. Your eyes were closed. Silence. Sounds of footsteps.

“Hey” said very familiar voice.

Taglist:

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@somethingdawn

@christinawxxx

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#stranger things robin #stranger thing imagine #imagine stranger things #imagine steve harrington #stranger things steve #steve harrington slowburn #steve x reader #imagine steve #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington #stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x y/n

[writinginstardust]

Tradition

Pairing: Tyler Jones x reader

Prompt: “Is that Mistletoe?”

Warnings: Nada, they don’t even swear 😲

A/N: Editing this was weird because I wrote it like a month ago and totally forgot the whole thing. Thanks to @writingbychelle for requesting this prompt. It’s like really cute so enjoy!

Word Count:  1799

*

“Okay,” Scarlett started as she flopped down on the couch next to Finian and Zila. “Tell me I’m not the only one who is sick to death of those two pining idiots.”

“Trust me, it’s not just you,” Cat replied with a sigh as she shifted in her armchair to face the others. Zila and Fin both murmured agreements.

Usually the cutesy awkwardness between Tyler and (Y/N) and their pining was bearable but for the past week it had been absolute hell. For one reason or another, no one had family plans for the holidays and thanks to a brilliant suggestion from Scarlett - that she was now starting to regret - everyone was spending Christmas at the apartment she, Tyler, and Cat shared. And since most of them lived all over the place, they were staying here. With the exception of Auri who lived close by and was giving Kal a home for the month. It had seemed like a great idea until it became apparent that Tyler and (Y/N)’s level of pining would go through the roof if they spent constant time together. It had been a week out of a 3 week stay and everyone had finally had enough.

“We need to do something,” Scarlett decided.

“Finally.” The relieved sigh came from Fin. “I’ve been sick of them since day one.”

“Didn’t (Y/N) arrive after most of us were already asleep?” 

“Yes. I got up to use the toilet though and unfortunately had to bear witness to the sickening heart eyes Tyler was giving her before they went to sleep.”

“Yikes,” Cat agreed, having seen something similar herself on several occasions. They were somehow even worse when tired. “What finally did it for you?” She asked Scarlett.

“They just ran into each other while (Y/N) was coming out of the bathroom and he was going in.” Everyone gave her a quizzical look. That didn’t seem particularly dramatic. “She was only in a towel.”

“Oh.” They got it now. “I am so sorry.” Fin patted her on the shoulder in a feeble attempt at comfort.

“So what do you want to do about it?” Cat asked.

“Okay,” Scarlett sat forward with a new purpose in her movements. She’d thought about this. “So the way I see it, they get together, the awkwardness stops. Right?” Three nods. “They’re only awkward because it’s awkward to have a crush on your best friend and they somehow have no idea the feeling is mutual. We just have to make it obvious to them. And what’s the best way of telling if someone likes you?” 

“Asking them,” Zila helpfully supplied.

“Well yes…”

“Almost dying and seeing what kind of reaction you get?” Cat tried, only half joking.

“What? No!”

“Get them drunk and flirt until they either kiss or punch you?” Was Fin’s suggestion

“Is that seriously your go-to, Fin?” He shrugged, grinning.

“It has about a 50% success rate.”

“That seems unlikely,” Zila frowned at him. “I’ve seen you get punched far more than I’ve seen someone kiss you.”

“Ouch.”

“Okay we’re getting really off-topic here. Fin was closest anyway. I was talking about kissing someone. You can tell a lot from a kiss. If someone isn’t into it, it’s not hard to tell.”

“So the plan is to get them to kiss?” Cat asked. “And how exactly are we meant to do that?”

“Catherine,” Scarlett received a murderous glare for that, “my dear, have you forgotten what time of year it is?”

“...It’s Christmas...oh. Mistletoe.”

“Bingo!”

“Okay. How do we do this?”

*

It had been a weird day to say the least. I’d been called to help with various innocuous tasks all over the apartment all day and now received a text from Tyler saying he’d been locked out and asking if I’d let him in. How? The apartment door was never locked if people were in. 

I finished putting the cookies Scarlett and I had been making in the oven and wiped my hands. The rest of me was still a mess, flour and cookie dough on my face, up my arms, in my hair and on my clothes despite my best efforts to avoid such a fate for them with an apron and hair tie that apparently refused to do its job. Hopefully I wouldn’t cover the carpet in flour as I wandered through the living room.

“How…?” I asked as I opened the door to Tyler’s exasperated face. 

“I have no idea.” He paused, looking me over. “Did you blow up a cake factory while I was gone?” I blushed and resisted the urge to nervously brush some of the flour from myself. Don’t ruin the carpet, I reminded myself.

“Uh, Scarlett dropped the flour and Fin…”

“Say no more.” Tyler said with a slightly shy grin. I wasn’t really sure why we were still standing in the doorway but neither of us made any move to go inside. It was a little awkward. Like most of my interactions with Tyler had been for months now. I looked around at anything that wasn’t his gorgeous face and my eyes landed on something green and plantlike hanging above the door frame. I frowned up at it.

“Is that mistletoe?” Tyler followed my gaze and I felt him still in front of me, balancing out the nervous shifting I’d begun.

“Uh, yeah...I think it is…” He trailed off and his eyes slid back down to me. God, as if things weren’t awkward enough between us as it was. We just had to get caught under mistletoe like we were in some cheesy romcom. That’s not to say part of me wasn’t jumping for joy at this situation. It would be the perfect excuse to kiss him, to finally get to find out if his lips were as soft as they were in my dreams. But even through that thought, I knew it could be a terrible idea and just make things even more uncomfortable between us. There was no one around though so we had an out.

“We, uh, we don’t have to…” 

“I mean, it is tradition. But if you don’t want to…” Before I could even think about what to say to that, to the fact that he’d at least be okay with it, Scarlett’s voice interrupted.

“Hey guys. ...Is that mistletoe?” She was acting surprised but it wasn’t fooling me and she’d noticed it far too quickly to not have known it was there somehow. “Well, looks like you have to kiss now.” She perched on the arm of the sofa and it was obvious she wasn’t going to let us get out of it. I turned back to Tyler, nervously tucking some loose, flour-covered strands of hair behind my ears.

“Uh, so…” This was far more scary than it had any right to be. Tyler smiled softly though and it went some way to putting me at ease.

“Relax.” Easy for him to say. His hand came to rest on my cheek and tilt my head up and I just about melted. I don’t know how I didn’t when his lips touched mine. They were even softer than I’d dreamed.

The kiss was gentle and loving and so so perfect. And it was real. I wanted it to last forever. He stepped a bit closer to me and slid his other hand to my waist where it felt like it belonged. My own hands somehow ended up tracing his jaw and I was probably getting flour all over him but I didn’t care. He didn’t seem to either. 

Dimly I was aware that it was going on much longer than tradition dictated but I wasn’t going to be the one to stop it. I didn’t think Tyler would either because tradition certainly didn’t require the truly amazing things he was doing with his tongue that were making my knees weak.

“Well, I guess my work here is done.” Scarlett’s voice brought me back to reality, though I didn’t really register what she said. I pulled away from Tyler as slowly as was socially acceptable and turned to Scarlett who was no longer alone it seemed. A moment later her words finally computed and they seemed to hit Tyler at the same time. I frowned.

“Wait, what?” Scarlett, Cat, Fin, and Zila exchanged glances before shrugging and motioning for Scarlett to explain.

“We might have put mistletoe up all over the apartment to get you two to kiss.”

“You did what?” Tyler looked absolutely shocked but everything started to make sense.

“So that’s why you kept asking me to come do stuff and I kept running into Tyler on the way?” They all nodded.

“Wait. Did you lock me out of the apartment? For this.” Again they nodded. “Was that really necessary?” Cat and Fin scoffed while Scarlett fixed her brother with a hard look.

“Yes. It absolutely was. You two were unbearable so we did something about it.”

“And you somehow kept ruining our attempts all day so we had to take more drastic measures,” Cat added.

“If it helps,” Scarlett said, softening a little. “It was at least partly done out of love. You’re both so obviously in love so we thought we’d help make it happen.”

“It was 90% because we were all going mad though.” Fin had to go and ruin it and received an elbow in the ribs from Scarlett for his comment.

“Uh, thanks...I guess?” I wasn’t entirely sure what to say and was starting to feel incredibly awkward again, now all too aware that Tyler’s hand was still resting on my waist.

“We should leave them alone now,” Zila said, matter of fact as always, before turning on her heal and walking to the kitchen. The others followed quickly, Fin throwing a parting wink our way and Scarlett giving us a thumbs up. I felt my cheeks heating embarrassingly.

Tyler cleared his throat quietly and I turned back to him, trying not to look as embarrassed and unsure as I felt. I managed to meet his eyes for all of a second before I was distracted by a white smudge on his cheek. I couldn’t help giggling and the little bit of tension that had slipped between us disappeared just like that.

“What is it?” Tyler asked, furrowing his brow but still smiling.

“You’ve got flour on your face.” His smile stretched into a grin and he chuckled a little before his eyes flicked up.

“You know, we’re still under the mistletoe…” I smiled back at him and twined my arms around his shoulders.

“We are...and it is tradition…” I didn’t finish my sentence as Tyler’s mouth covered my own again. Why not after all? It was Christmas and tradition is tradition.

*

Tag Lists: (send an ask if you want to be added!)

Everything: @wonderfilledness @writingbychelle @ad-astraaaa @moderngenius94

Aurora Cycle: @aurising

#aurora rising #aurora cycle #tyler jones #tyler jones x reader #tyler jones x you #tyler jones imagine #tyler jones fanfic #aurora cycle imagine #aurora cycle fanfic #reader insert

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @yogi-bogey-box!

*****

The Prince And The Knight

Once upon a time lived a prince in a castle far away. The villagers whispered of a cruel uncle locking away the king’s sole living heir as to keep the precious crown of power on his head. A crown that was tarnished with neglect and lost over time. The cruel uncle was loving and warm in his life. The only cruelness was the hollowness he left in the aftermath of his death. No, it wasn’t the uncle that locked the prince away but himself.

All through the kingdom rang stories of a beast holding the royal hostage. “It’s not real,” scolded parents while children laughed about pet dragons curled around turrets. Three brave knights were sent to rescue the boy.

Not a boy no more he killed them. Or so whispered the village with fear as the only trace of the knights were their armor covered in blood and shredded like silk.

***

The days have been colder lately. The rusty wood stove leftover from a different time cranks out warmth yet only a breath reaches the tiptop of the old farmhouse leaving a chill in people’s bones.

“Everyone, get your ass down here,” comes Cora’s loud mouth. The stampede of feet down the stairs pulls Derek from his thoughts. He loves his life but honestly, five more minutes of sleep would be nice too. “That includes Derek too, you lazy ass.” She honestly knows him too well.

Stumbling down the stairs Derek is greeted by an army of teenagers. I guess this is his life now. Raising children who have no other home.

***

One little boy, in particular, was fascinated by the rumors surrounding the prince. They had met once about a year before the King had died. The little boy was the son of the constable and while being dragged along on very important business the two boys met. The one and only time they thought yet marks started to form on their arms linking the soulmates together by the universe.

Years later, not a boy no more but a man on the cusp of freedom the Constable's son risks becoming the fourth victim to the cruel prince in order to discover the secret behind how their souls became intertwined all those years ago. His father kind yet broken from the death of his wife only gave him a solemn nod and good luck as he ventured into the woods with only his closest friend to protect his back.

***

“Come on, Scott. We’ll go look around a bit and come home. Nothing to worry about.” Scott raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Stiles. (Allison and Lydia dragged him on a spa date last week.)

“Nothing to worry about? We’re going to snoop around the house of Derek Hale and his merry band of recluses.” Derek was known around town as an oddball with a screw loose. He does odd jobs to pay for the repairs on his decrepit farmhouse and all the teenagers he’s taken in but other than that not much is known about him.

“He’ll never catch us. Besides, it’s for my dad and he’ll be disappointed if I don’t investigate.” Stiles has started helping out around the station since he graduated a month ago and he’s very hands-on when it comes to mysterious cases.

“Fine, I’ll go but if it turns out that he’s a vampire or something I’m bolting before I’m bitten.”

“Scaredy-cat.”

“Smart one,” he corrects. Well, he’s not wrong.

***

“Sometimes the turret dragon disappears,” whispers the brave knight to his friend.

“Of course. It has to hunt.” He doesn’t believe in Dragons and crazy uncles. He’s way too boring to believe in fantasy.

“But it changes colors.”

“And sometimes it blends in with the castle.” He points to the towering structure leaning from neglect. There’s no dragon.

“Maybe the prince is the dragon.”

***

The Wolf is hurtling itself towards Stiles before he can think to run. One second he’s gripping the mysterious birthmark on his arm in pain and the next he’s being mauled by an animal. As its fangs sink into his throat it lets go and sniffs Stiles arm in wonder. Slowly the animal licks the dark brown swirl on his forearm causing it to shimmer gold before turning black as the wolf’s fur. As quickly as the attack had begun it was over.

Weird. He still has nasty bite marks so he goes to find Scott who’s sitting on the ground in bewilderment. “Wolf. Smell. Golden mark. Somethings seriously messed up here.” Stiles kneels beside him.

“Were you bite.”

“No. It was more concerned with the mark on my hip.” He stares at Stiles’s neck. “You’re bleeding and hairy.”

“Hairy.”

“Yeah. Hairy like one of those cheesy old horror films about werewolves.” It dawns on them. “Dude. They’re werewolves. You must be going through a mild transformation since you were bitten on the full moon.”

“Probably. Let’s get home and we’ll call Allison in the morning to help us investigate since her family is into that mumbo jumbo.”

***

The companions stumble back into the village promising never to whisper a detail to anyone. Fair maidens giggled about how brave they are while young men scoffed in disbelief at their tales yet no one noticed the soul marks glimmering like liquid onyx tainting their skin. The marks are covered with shame. No man wants a mark of the dragon for only soulmates are branded with the mark.

***

There’s nothing more undignified than waking up naked with an acorn lodged up your ass. “Damn full moon,” Derek mutters to himself trying to locate how far he is from the house. Luckily only over the hill. He starts the walking trying to cover his dangly bits as gracefully as he can muster. As he opens the front door Cora and Isaac both gasp. “I know I’m naked. Leave me alone.”

“It’s not that,” Cora looks away in disgust. “You’re soulmark has darkened. Sometime last night you found your mate.” Derek only vaguely remembers meeting some boys in the woods last night and in his rage biting one of them.

“Shit. It had to be the Sheriff’s kid. He and his little friend were snooping around outside.”

“And what happened to his friend?” asks Cora causing Isaac to go flush. He suddenly lifts up his shirt to reveal a delicate vine pattern extending from his right hip to his left shoulder. It’s ebony like the keys on the dusty piano in an untouched part of the house.

“I did. I wasn’t really aware that I had feelings and I can’t control myself in wolf form and-“

“Is he a werewolf?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Well fuck. While I don’t condone biting-“

“Even though you did,” smirks Cora.

“Fuck off. I was going to say that dating non-werewolves are a complicated matter.”

“Because you’re ex might be a werewolf hunter.”

“Shut up. Shit, we’re in trouble. Isaac, go put on shoes because we’re going to sort this mess out.”

***

A decree sent by royal doves was delivered to the constable’s son. He and his brother in knighthood were to return to the castle for once mates are bonded they become deathly ill if divided for long.

So the men started into the woods not confining in a soul other than one fair maiden who comes from a long line of dragon slayers for She foretold of an age of peace between the beast and the peasants. The only people who could bring upon this age being the knights themselves.

***

Stiles, Scott, and Allison are sitting on Stiles’ bed trying to figure out what everything means. “So what does the mark on my arm mean.”

“And my chest,” adds Scott.

Allison leans forward tracing the marks on Stiles. “Anima mea marcas.”

“And that means?”

“Soul marks.”

“So we’re soulmates because I really don’t want to marry Scott.”

“No. These are werewolf marks. Stiles’ are alpha marks. You can tell from the placement and style. And Scott,” She reaches for Scott. He lifts his shirt in curiosity. “Scott’s are from a beta which is odd considering they seem to be a strong one at that.”

“How do you know?” There’s a knock on the door downstairs cutting off the conversation. Peeking through the curtains they can see Derek and Isaac. “Shit.”

***

The Knights' arrival at the castle is met with hostile stares from the Knights lost so long ago. The rumored kindness of the Prince is gone and left in its wake is a hollow coldness.

***

So Scott and Isaac are making out in a bathroom leaving Derek and Stiles to sip coffee in silence. “So. Scott and Isaac seem to be getting along well. I thought I heard something about how both mates needed to be werewolves ”

“You’re incredibly young,” growls Derek in disgust cutting off Stiles’ ramble.

“I’m eighteen.”

“Barely. Why is my soulmate a fucking child?”

“What are you going to do about it. Sourwolf?”

“I’m really uncomfortable with you being so young so I have a deal. We give ourselves a year to become friends then we’ll date.”

“What if we hate each other?”

“Doubtful but it doesn’t matter. For our health and the happiness of Isaac and Scott we have to get along.”

“So if we don’t date we’re going to turn into bitter divorced parents.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Meet you back here in one year for our second date.”

***

The prince isn’t cruel but misunderstood. He never had someone to talk to once his uncle passed until his soulmate came along. The pair explored the castle and the Prince’s heart too until his frozen heart grew puddles.

***

Turns out Derek Hale can be kind if he chooses. From watching bad romcoms to learning to play the piano together he’s warmed up to Stiles. To bad Stiles is slowly falling in love.

***

The prince and knight danced the nights away pretending they attend balls among foreign monarchs for the knight never knew what royalty was like. Though they knew it was wrong the pair started to grow closer than friends.

***

They were slow dancing in the living room when it happened. Derek had claimed that it was unrealistic for the people on the TV to find dancing in their living room normal and Stiles wanted to prove to him that it was cute. Well, Derek was being a little too cute and Stiles made the mistake of following his impulses and kissing him.

***

The knight flees on horseback ashamed of his actions. He should have never kissed the prince. Still, he can’t forget how his heartbeat when their lips touched and how it stopped when the prince ran his fingers through the prince’s hair so it wouldn’t fall in his eyes. He can’t forget what it’s like being in love.

***

He’s crying in his room and pigging out because he’s fallen in love and it hasn’t been a year.

“I’m just a child,” he groans. The knock downstairs frightens Stiles. He didn’t order pizza and Scott is on his weekly date night (Not that Scott knows how to knock.) He drags himself from his pity party to answer the door. On the other side stands Derek. He’s out of breath like he ran a marathon and he has flowers.

“May I come in?”

“I don’t care.” Lies Stiles.

“Actually I’m not going to come in because I only need to do one thing.”

“What?”

“Kiss you.” They’re pulled together like magnets. Hands are everywhere yet everything feels gentle and loving when it should be rough. Neither one of them wants to hurt the other. Derek pulls away slowly. “God I’m an idiot for making a stupid rule. I’ve fallen so madly in love with you I feel like I’m going to go insane at how much I love you.”

“Derek. I-“

“Make it quick Stiles.”

“No. I feel the same way. We’re such idiots.”

***

The knight and prince lived happily ever after. The end.

#yogi-bogey-box #stereksanta18 #*fic18 #*gifts18

[makesyoubrave]

Janis/ Regina- college roommates

This also kinda fills a prompt I got for Janis taking care of a sick Regina. 

Read on Ao3 here. 

[I didn't think there was a world in which they were like "yo let's be roommates" but I also couldn't bring myself to write something where it happened by chance so suspend your disbelief just a touch for that part.]

Regina George thinks that all her luck ran out a long time ago.

To backtrack; her senior year of high school had been quite the experience. No longer the top of the social food chain, permanently damaged from the bus incident, and becoming a new person. Suddenly she limped instead of strutted, smiled instead of sneered, and honestly cared about her friends and their lives. Weird.

She’d even become friends with Damian and more-than-civil with Janis. But when Janis comes running into school one day, waving a piece of paper above her head, and shouting that she got a full-ride to the Rhode Island School of Design, Regina pales.

Everyone hugs her and congratulated her and Regina plasters on a smile and is genuine when she tells Janis she’s really proud of her and her face softens at Janis’ big grin.

Then Karen pipes up “isn’t that where you’re going to school, Regina?”

Regina pinks. Regina had applied early action to RISD and got in, but she was waiting to see if she’d gotten into SCAD or one of the other schools she’d applied to. RISD was her first choice but if one of the other school’s was going to offer her a bigger scholarship…

She’d decided about a week ago that she wanted RISD and she’d been talking the decision through with her parents. They’d agreed and she had told Karen (Michigan University) and Gretchen (Northwestern). She hadn’t wanted to tell Damian, Janis or Cady, because none of them had decided on a school or heard back from all their applications. But now it was out in the open.

“Yeah, um it is.”

Janis stares at her. “You’re going to RISD?”

“Yeah.”

Janis grins. “Damn, this is going to be wild.”

•••

Damian (who’s going to NYU) is the one who convinces them to room together. They’re both slightly intoxicated; drinking wine and watching romcoms just the three of them (Gretchen and Karen are at some party that Regina had declined an invitation to (which had honestly shocked them all), Cady and Aaron on a date) and he convinces them that it’ll be better if the two of them room together than it would be to try and get along with strangers. Plus, he argues, they’re friends now.

They sign up and apply and pick a room. When they wake up in the morning they regret it but it’s too late now so they’re stuck.

•••

Move in day is a little rough. The Sarkisian’s and the George’s haven’t interacted in years, but their parents are polite to one another. Janis and Regina worked it out so Regina would set up her side of the room in the morning and Janis would do hers in the afternoon.

When Janis and her parents arrive, Janis breathes out a sigh of relief. Regina’s side of the room is definitely pinker then Janis would ever allow her room to be, but it’s mostly white and gold with just a soft pink rug and dusty pink bedding. She’s put up fairy lights and some polaroids and she’s covered her desk surface in fake-marble adhesive panels. It’s very Regina.

Janis’ side of the room is a lot less black then Regina would have expected. When all is said and done Janis has put up a big black and white tapestry with gold tassels around it on the wall and her bedding may be black but most of the rest of her stuff is either a light teal or white. All in all it kind of works. When Janis’ parents leave to go move the car, Regina taps Janis on the shoulder and hands her a pillow. It’s black and gold and it says “I’m cooler than you” on it. Janis stares at her. (She puts it in pride of place on her bed)

Their dorm is small, though, and they refuse to make their beds bunk beds. Regina lofts her bed and sticks her dresser, storage bins, and desk under it. Janis keeps her bed at hip height and puts her desk at the head of the bed and her dresser slides underneath. Regina brought the coffee maker (some fancy thing that makes lattes and cappuccinos) and a tv that they put against the windows. Janis brought the fridge, two beanbags, and a fan.

By the end of the day, they’re all unpacked and ready for what orientation will bring. Janis calls Damian and Regina insists on talking to him; it warms Janis’ heart. By the end of the week, they’ve both made a few friends but they’re not afraid to admit they’re glad they came with someone they already knew.

•••

That's not to say that they always get along. Sometimes things get a little heated.

They fight. They scream. They don’t talk for days. And then, whoever was wrong (it’s usually Regina but not always) will buy the other dinner or cookies, or they’ll come home for class and the entire dorm will be completely cleaned.  

One time, after a particularly bad fight, Janis comes back from class and there’s chocolate mousse from that place they went to with Regina’s mom when she visited a month ago that made Janis blush when she had to choke back a moan. The chocolate mousse is ridiculously expensive and amazingly decadent and the restaurant isn’t very close so Janis’ is touched. Next to it is a sing rose. Janis double takes. It’s white and blue and black? which confuses Janis so she gets closer. She realizes it’s made of blown glass.

Janis is touched and wonders what poor kid Regina had to pay off or intimidate into making it.

It’s not until 11 pm when Regina is working at her desk and Janis is watching Netflix in bed when she remembers that Regina’s in a blown glass elective. The only light in the room is from Janis’ computer and Regina’s desk lamp. Janis stares at her.

Janis fakes having to pee and calls Damian. He rolls his eyes and tells Janis to calm down but as soon as he hangs up he squeals and freaks out to his roommate.

•••

It’s the beginning of October and Janis comes home from class, completely covered in paint and Regina’s trashed the room. She’s apparently getting ready for some party. It’s a Friday night and even after all these years when Janis opens the door and sees Regina in her skin-tight jeans and a low-cut crop top with a pink jacket she has to blink a bunch of times as her brain sort-of short-circuits.

As soon as Regina sees Janis just staring and standing in the door she rolls her eyes.

"I'll pick it all up as soon as I finish getting ready.”

Janis doesn’t necessarily believe her but she just shrugs and leaps onto her bed. She can wait to get settled in for the night until Regina leaves for her party.

She’s sprawled out on her bed when she realizes Regina’s been staring at her. She pops one eye open and looks up to see Regina with a glint in her eye. Reflexively she bolts up.

“I don’t know what you’re about to say, but the answer is already no!.”

“Janis…”

“No! No! NO!”

“Will you calm down?” Regina rolls her eyes and Janis stops (but only because she wants to).

“I just wanted to know if you wanted to come to this party tonight…”

Janis’ jaw drops. “Why would I want to come to one of your dumb parties?”

Regina looks taken aback. “Firstly, the parties I go to aren’t even the weird wild ones. Secondly, you sit in here every-fucking Friday, I think getting out would be good for you. Find somebody hot, drink a little, let your hair down.” Janis just rolls her eyes, but she’s also chewing on her bottom lip, which Regina knows means she’s thinking about it. “And lastly, I thought we were friends now?”

Janis starts and whips her head towards Regina. She looks her in the eye and see’s sincerity. It makes her feel kinda bad.

“I don’t really know what to wear.”

Regina’s grin is feral.

•••

Janis shows up to the party in pretty much what she always wears but Regina’s “refined it” as she said.

Instead of her big heavy jacket, she put Janis in one of her own lighter-weight and better-fitting black leather jackets. Janis is loathe to admit that she actually really likes it. Regina grins and tells her to keep it. Janis stares at her. (“You know I’ll probably just paint it and shit…” “If I wasn’t ok with that why would I have offered you keep it? I think your jackets are cool, they could just fit you better.”) Janis stares at her more.

When Janis goes to do her makeup, Regina slaps the eyeliner out of her hand and sits Janis down at Regina’s desk. She spins the chair around so Janis is facing her and giggles softly (“I’ve always wanted to do your makeup”) Janis stares at her.

When she spins Janis back around Janis is kinda pissed. Pissed because she doesn’t hate it. She’s wearing a lot less eyeliner than usual, but her eyeshadow is dark and blended really well and gives her that dramatic look without being as heavy. Regina grins and spins her back around, refusing to let Janis put on her regular lipstick and instead presents a purple-nude. Janis hates that she likes that too.

Regina insists on taking a picture of her (Janis flips off the camera) and sends it to the North Shore Squad group chat.

Cady calls them because she’s laughing so hard; tell’s Janis she finally got made over by the plastics. Janis hangs up on her and Regina cackles.

Gretchen sends a long paragraph gushing over how nice Janis’ bone-structure. She sends a picture of something for them to try next time and although Regina rolls her eyes Janis see’s the smile she’s trying to hide.

Karen sends about a million emojis that mostly encompass the hearts and a bunch of thumbs up but she’s thrown some fried shrimp and some dogs in there for reasons no one can try to guess.

Damian face-times them in the middle of a skin-care routine and gushes with Regina over how great Janis looks. Janis groans and stomps around in the background, but she pays very close attention to what they’re saying about her hair and the way the eyeshadow softens her “gorgeous” eyes.  

•••

Janis’ biggest fear is that when they get to the party Regina will just desert her, but she’s also resigned herself to that fact and decided she’s just gonna say fuck it. Maybe she’ll meet someone hot or someone interesting. Or both.

She’s shocked when the door to the house party opens and Regina grabs her hand and leads her through the crowd. Janis is pissed to say almost everyone at this party is hot. Some in the Regina-duh way and others in their own “I’m confident in the way I am but also have really pretty eyes” kinda way.

Regina drags her to the kitchen.

“You don’t like, have to drink or anything, and they don’t usually let like the gross pervs in, but don’t like…” she looks at Janis seriously, “don’t lose track of your drink. And if you do, get a fucking new one.”

Janis hasn’t been to a lot of big parties like this but she’s not a stranger to alcohol. She’s expecting Regina to give her something sweet and fruity and gross but when she asks for a drink and Regina hands her a solo cup, it’s an old-fashioned and Janis grins. Regina winks, grabs her hand again, and pulls her back into the other room.

They stand around and lots of people come up to Regina. Some of them Regina greets warmly and introduces to Janis. Others elicit a brush off. This one dude, Mark, comes up and Regina makes eye contact with Janis and rolls her eyes and sighs before greeting him. Regina isn’t as much of a bitch as she used to be, but she barely speaks to Mark, keeping her attention on Janis and he gets the hint.

“He was the nude model for one of our figure drawing lessons and he thinks he’s the fucking shit.” She sips her drink, “he’s really not.”

Janis snorts.

When their drinks are empty Regina grabs her hand, leads her back into the kitchen where she gets rid of their cups and offers Janis a shot. Janis grins and they down some vodka before the song changes and Regina kind-of-squeals. She grabs Janis by the hand and runs to the dance-floor.

Before Janis can finish thinking that this whole Regina-holding-her-hand thing is like a lot, Regina’s all up in her space dancing. Janis doesn’t really care what people think of her, hasn’t for years, but that doesn’t mean she’s completely comfortable in this situation. Regina ducks her head to make eye-contact with Janis and her eyes and her smile are warm when she leans in. Janis just stares. Regina’s mouth is incredibly close to Janis’ ear when she chuckles “Don’t worry, just don’t think about it.”

Janis is a weirdo. She knows that she owns it. But when she starts dancing in her own way she expects Regina to roll her eyes and tell her to stop or to try something different. But Regina just throws her head back laughing and dances with her. It’s kind-of intoxicating.

They’re like three songs in when a big buff dude comes up behind Regina and starts dancing against her. She stiffens, turns around, and sets him with a glare that could crumble someone much bigger and stronger than him. So he puts his hands up and backs off.

They go through about five more guys until it seems that everyone understands she’s not interested. But then out of the corner of Janis’ eye, she see’s a tall, thin, muscular brunette in a button up, shiny silver shoes and a leather jacket start making her way through the crowd. Janis tries to give her warning eyes, not wanting this girl to face the humiliation of Regina, but when she starts dancing with Regina the blonde stiffens as she has with all the guys, looks over her shoulder and then she grins. She swivels her head back to Janis and makes direct eye contact as she leans back into the girl. Janis just stares.

•••

Janis needs a break and she starts to head off the dance floor. Regina looks a little put-out but goes to follow her. Janis turns around and smiles honestly “No worries, I’m just gonna get some water and take a break, I’ll be right over there.” Regina grins at her and grabs her hand and leans in so Janis can hear her. “Call me if you need anything.”

Janis thinks that’s sweet and smiles but answers back, “I’m ok Regina, enjoy your night.”

•••

Janis ends up hitting it off with this girl named Felicity who’s an animation major and tall, lithe, and has short, strawberry-blonde hair. When Felicity leaves at 2 am she slips Janis her number.

Janis turns around and scopes out the crowd for Regina. She finds her in a very dark corner, being pushed into the wall by the girl she was dancing with before. The girl must be going at Regina’s neck with some fervor because Regina’s eyes are glassed over when she makes eye contact with Janis across the room. Janis gestures to her phone and then waves a goodnight.

Regina pulls away from the girl, Jessie, and pulls out her phone.

*Janis 2:13AM: Mica from my intro class is gonna walk home with me.*Janis 2:13AM: Stay safe and don’t walk home alone.*Janis 2:14AM: Also, if you bring her back to our place I will literally murder you. *Janis 2:14AM: *kissy face emoji*

Regina laughs really hard.

•••

They don’t talk about it, Janis figures that they’re past it all enough to not have to make a big deal out of Regina apparently being into girls, but the more she gets to now Jessie, the more it bugs her. She calls Damian to tell him and it takes him approximately twenty minutes to calm down.

“I STAN ONE QUEEN” he shouts into the phone before he hangs up. Janis is glad that Regina and Damian are friends but she feels a little betrayed. He calls her the next evening and apologizes and helps her work her lasting feelings about it all.

•••

Jessie and Regina are fuck-buddies and they don’t last for long. But once Jessie happens it’s like Regina’s settled into it and suddenly there’s a parade of people.

Regina’s usually really good about not bringing them back to their dorm but sometimes Janis comes home from the studio really late and finds a silk scarf on their door (Regina refuses to use socks) and she has to crash with one of her other friends. It doesn’t happen often enough for Janis to truly have any grounds to complain, but over time she gets home and see’s that goddamn red scarf on her door her blood boils.

One time, Regina forgets the scarf. Or maybe it’s that her and her newest conquest just got home, because Janis opens the door and Regina’s pushed up against the supports of her bed, pressed incredibly close to a girl that Janis recognizes from one of her classes - Frankie, Janis thinks - and Frankie’s hands are in Regina’s back pockets, and Regina’s moaning and her top is on the ground and she’s wearing a white floral bra and Janis stares, mouth open for a few seconds before she slams the door and bolts.

She comes home the next evening and Regina’s not there, but the room is clean and Janis’ usual order from their favorite Chinese place is on her bed, still warm.

•••

Regina might have a lot of girls but that isn’t to say Janis is living like an old maid. By the time their first year is over and it’s time for them to go home for summer break, Janis has been on plenty of dates, dated a girl named Quinn for most of second semester and even dated that dude from her intro class for about a month before she realized he was seeing a girl from his portraiture class at the same time.

When she tells Regina why they broke up, Regina stands up from her desk, looks Janis dead in the eye and Janis stares as Regina slowly transform into Junior-Year-Regina. Her jaw sets, her mouth purses, her eyes go hard, her posture becomes impossibly straighter and she sucks on her front teeth and puts her hands on her hips.

It makes Janis feel a lot of things.

Janis slides off her bed and panicked-ly waves in Regina’s face.

“Hey, hey, no-no-no. We’re not going back there ok!?”

Regina’s face softens at Janis’ panicked look and she takes a step forward and pats Janis on the cheek.

“I”ll be back in an hour, call Damian and clear some space on your bed.” Janis looks skeptical. “What kinda ice-cream do you want?” Janis stares and then grins.

Regina struts out of the room.

•••

She comes back a little over an hour later and she looks smug. She toes off her shoes and grabs the pint of ice cream out of the bag she’s carrying. She grabs two spoons and climbs into Janis’ bed. Janis shoots her a questioning look.

“Stop worrying and eat your ice cream.”

Janis decides to listen.

•••

She sees Mica the next day and he looks sheepish and small in a way he never has before. He apologizes honestly and profusely but Janis just smirks and walks away. Let him stew for a little, she thinks.

A week later she asks Regina what she did and Regina says all she did was tell the girl from the portraiture class what he did. Janis stares at her and Regina rolls her eyes. “I may have also got all up in his face and told him if he ever did it again that I’d castrate him.” Regina shrugs nonchalantly and Janis bursts into laughter. When she finally calms down, wiping her eyes she thinks that maybe she should talk to Regina about how that’s not a really cool thing to threaten someone, but then she thinks about how it might actually make Mica think about the consequences of his actions and she just smiles at a very smug Regina.

•••

They go home for summer break and, unlike winter break when Regina flew directly to Florida, they drive together. Regina drives most of the way and Janis puts her feet on the dashboard and although it looks like it physically pains her, Regina says nothing. Janis buys them lunch and then offers to drive the second half. Regina sits primly in the passenger seat until Janis flicks her and tells her to stop being a brat. Maybe to prove a point or maybe for a different reason, Regina stares at Janis as she puts both her feet on the dash and reclines her seat back.

Regina will never admit that Janis is the one who wins because she actually really enjoys relaxing. She likes to pretend it doesn’t exist, but the lasting pain from the bus really gets to her sometimes. So far she’s been able to hide it pretty well from Janis but she’s unsure how much longer that will last for.

•••

They hang out over break, of course, the North Shore Squad does a lot together, catching up and hanging out. But every night Regina looks around her big room and feels scared and sad and alone. Janis does too.

It’s the day after Fourth of July when all of Janis’ family had been in her house the night before and the house is so quiet and she cracks and she finds herself calling Regina.

“Janis? Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” she chuckles awkwardly, “it’s really quiet here.”

Regina’s brain gives her a million ways to make fun of that but she’s too soft now, she thinks because she just says; “Yeah, same… I miss you.”

Janis is silent and Regina balks. “I mean I miss having someone in the room, I got so used to it and it’s like… wow now I’m all alone and it’s just really foreign, like-“

Janis interrupts her. “I miss you too, Regina.”

They fall asleep with the line still connected, though they don’t say anything else, just content to know that someone is kind-of there.

•••

When it comes time to pick where they’re living the next year Janis decides there’s no way in hell she’s living in a dorm again. She thinks it’s going to be really weird not living with Regina until Regina texts her and straight-up asks if she wants to live with her again. Janis probably wouldn’t admit it but she appreciate’s Regina’s straight-forwardness. Apparently, Regina’s found a little two bedroom town-house really close to campus. Janis grins and agrees.

Their new house is gorgeous (at least in their eyes) and it’s really nice to have their own rooms, though they still spend plenty of time together. However, Regina’s escapades seem to have tripled. And having her own room means Regina brings more girls back to the house. They’re never really loud enough for Janis to hear them (what with the bathroom in-between their rooms) but when Janis comes home and see’s a foreign pair of shoes on the mat, she usually spends the night with one of her friends, a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.

Janis has made friends with the people from that first party and when they throw another one in November, Janis and Regina get ready for another one very similar to the first time, but it’s colder now and fall so Janis insists upon wearing flannel. Regina concedes that but has to wrestle a beanie from Janis’ hands.

Regina ends up leaving at like 11 pm with some leggy brunette in a backward baseball cap and Janis is fuming. A fucking baseball cap? Janis finds the nearest eligible person (tries to not process that the girl is blonde and athletic and wearing pink shoes), pushes the girl against the wall and kisses the snot out of her. Ten minutes later, Janis leaves with her. She just walks the girl home and then she fumes some more.  

The fuming lasts for two days until she comes back from class early and notices Regina’s home. She’s supposed to be in class so Janis walks towards her room, sees the door open and then enters to see Regina lying in bed, crying.

“Regina! What’s wrong?”

Regina seems to short-circuit. She’s silent for a little too long. “Nothing, nothing I’m fine.” She goes to sit up, and Janis thinks her face might crack with the severity with which it is scrunched up in pain. She manages to swing her legs over the edge of the bed, and sit up before she can’t make it any farther.

Janis just stares at her.

Regina deflates. “I couldn’t get out of bed this morning. I tried and my legs buckled and it took me an hour to get myself back up into bed.”

Janis’ eyes are huge and she looks confused. Then her face softens.

“It’s from the bus, isn’t it?”

Regina starts crying again. “It just happens sometimes, the residual effects of it and all that, sometimes my body just can’t keep going.”

Janis steps in-between Regina’s legs and hugs her. She pulls Regina farther off the bed a little so that she can properly hug her and tries not to think about it. She holds her really tight but tries not to put too much pressure into it at the same time. After a few seconds, Regina hugs her back and Janis holds her as Regina cries and cries. After a few minutes Regina seems to not be able to hold herself sitting anymore and Janis helps her lie back down, runs to her room and digs under her bed to get the heating pad she keeps there and plugs it in. She tucks it under Regina’s back and grabs a towel and wets it in the bathroom, coming back and wiping Regina’s face down, tear-stained and blotchy.

She stares at Regina, with her eyes closed laying there in obviously a lot of pain and something inside Janis breaks. She climbs into bed with Regina and Regina curls into her and Janis holds her as she cries herself to sleep.

As soon as she thinks Regina is out enough, Janis slips out of her grasp, slips out into the hall and calls Damian.

•••

Once she admits to Damian that she has feelings for Regina, everything gets harder. Once Regina recovers from her bout of pain she’s back on top of her game and Janis can’t stand watching her flirt with, hold hands with or make out with this slew of girls. More and more come back to the house.

Regina and her still hang-out a lot. They do their homework together. They sit in Janis’ bed and watch TV when they don’t feel like going out. Regina comes to Janis’ art presentations and Janis looks over Regina’s compositions.

Two weeks before winter break Regina comes home and tells Janis that she’s absolutely in love with her sculpture class and she thinks she’s either going to get a dual-degree in that and fashion, or she’s going to completely change her major. Once they get back, and over the course of the first two months, Janis see’s Regina’s life change as she delves into her passion. She has much more enthusiasm for her school work and besides that, all the working with her hands is giving Regina’s already toned arms (that girl is up at 6 three days a week and in the gym) even more tone.

The fourth time Janis finds herself staring at them she realizes something’s gotta give soon.

•••

That day comes sooner than Janis thinks it’s going to. They’re at a party and Janis and Regina are on the dance-floor. Janis is just the far side of buzzed but Regina hasn’t really been drinking. With every party, Janis gets more and more comfortable with the scene and the bass is pounding at this party. Regina grabs Janis’ hands, nothing out of the ordinary, but then suddenly Regina’s spinning around and placing Janis’ hands on her hips. She backs up into Janis and flips her hair all to one side, smirking back at Janis. Janis just stares at her but then she smirks too and pulls Regina closer.

A song and a half later and Janis realizes what’s happening and kind-of bolts. She uses the excuse that she needs to use the bathroom and splashes cold water on her face. It sobers her and makes her realize she’s ready to go for what she wants. She heads back to the dance-floor with vigor but when she enters the room and makes eye-contact with Regina, Janis has been replaced by some girl with auburn hair and a jean jacket. Janis just stares.

Regina is looking right in her eye but she’s dancing with the girl with the auburn hair. Janis can’t stand the sight of it, so she bolts.

It’s mid-March and it’s still cold and Janis forgot her coat but she can’t even care. She doesn’t even feel the cold. She’s probably five steps from the front door when it slams behind her and she hears someone running up behind her.

“Janis!” It’s Regina so Janis steels herself and turns around.

Regina is holding Janis’ jacket. She hands it to Janis. Regina herself didn’t bring a coat, she often doesn’t. Regina’s eyes are open and she’s shivering in the cold. Janis hates her soft gay heart. She sighs and steps forward and slings her jacket over Regina’s shoulders. Regina sort-of buries into it and smiles up at Janis. Janis stares at her and then realizes how close they are. She goes to take a step backward but Regina grabs her by the elbows and pulls her even closer. Regina isn’t smiling anymore, she looks a bit exasperated.

“Janis, what do you want?”

Janis just stares at her.

“Because people aren’t mind-readers. And I might be awesome and better than most people, but I did not gain that particular power.” Regina looks so earnest. “So you have to tell me what you want.”

Janis stares into Regina’s blue eyes, shining in the darkness and she shakes her head at herself.

She grabs Regina, sliding her left hand to Regina’s jaw and the right to the spot where Regina’s neck and head meet and pulls her towards her. She pulls Regina off-balance and Regina steadies herself by putting her hands on Janis’ hip bones. They’re inches apart and Janis growls out; “I want you”. She waits just long enough to see Regina start to smile before she presses their lips together.

As soon as their lips touch, Regina pulls her in until they’re pressed flush against each other. Janis tries not to be overwhelmed, but Regina from a distance was intoxicating, and now… Janis isn’t sure if she’ll ever come down from this particular high.

The kiss deepens and Regina moans and Janis pulls her even closer and then Regina growls and digs her fingers into Janis’ back and Janis grabs at her own jacket around Regina’s shoulders and backs the blonde into the telephone pole a few feet away and presses into her.

Regina pulls back after a moment and looks Janis in the eyes.

“I was wondering how long it was going to take for that to work.” She’s smirking and she’s got all the attitude she retained that Janis secretly loves but all the softness she’s gained that makes Janis melt. But her words shock Janis. Janis stares at her.

“I’ve been wanting you to do that for months.”

“But you just said… you have to go for what you want.”

“Janis, a little more than two years ago I was the girl who ruined your entire life. I could see in your eyes what you wanted, but you needed to realize it for yourself and then make the choice to trust me.” Regina seems… nervous. “And I realize that this could have been a heat-of-the-moment decision and while it will kill me to give you up now I’ve had a taste of what could be,” here she grins and pulls Janis closer to her, but then she stops and pulls back, “I need you to be sure that this is really what you want, because I know it might seem like my ‘schtick’ but I’m not planning on being casual with you Ja-“

Janis shuts her up by dragging her back into a kiss. She pulls Regina to her and slides her hands down to her ass and presses Regina against her. Regina wraps her arms around Janis’ neck; Janis’ jacket slips off of Regina’s shoulders but neither of them notices. Regina threads her fingers through Janis’ hair and slips her leg in-between Janis’.

She pulls back just enough to whisper her demand into Janis’ ear. “Take me home, Janis. Take me home now.”

#regina/janis #janis/regina #regina george #janis ian #janis sarkisian #mean girls #mean girls on broadway #mean girls the musical #otter writes #Anonymous

[pete-rparker]

Give Me A Reason

Request: Hi:) Could you write an imagine where the reader is Peter parkers girlfriend, before he get's bitten by the spider She notices something is completely wrong she thinks it has something to do with her She gets frustrated and confronts him about it he refuses to tell her in fear of losing her but then at last opens up about and show her Thank you:)

Word Count: 2833

A/N: Sorry if this isn’t what you had in mind! I went a little crazy while writing this!

Peter Parker and (Y/N).

That’s how it’s always been. Kids in your grade can’t remember a time when you two weren’t attached at the hip. The both of you have been best friends since day one. Aunt May would babysit you as a child when your parents were away on their long business trips. You were practically raised in her apartment.

You and Peter were best friends from the first day you hung out. Which was the third day of kindergarten, when Kevin pushed you off the swings and you started crying. Peter sat with you in the sand and made funny faces until you laughed.  

Since then it was always Peter and (Y/N).

The two of you started dating freshmen year of high school. He asked you out in the middle of a movie night, which was not uncommon for the two of you. Without hesitation, you said yes. It’s been like a dream for you ever since.

The two of you are always touching during schools, whether it be holding hands while walking down the hallways or a foot pressed against the back of yours during class or even just him messing with the sleeve of your (his) sweater during free time in class. You guys don’t do a lot of PDA, but you are always reassuring the other that you’re nearby.

As much as everyone hated to admit it, the two of you are perfect together. Many classmates believe you guys will get married in the future. Soulmates, that’s what they call you. But, because of the strong love you have for each other, bullies will use it as weapon. Flash will often tell Peter that you’re too good for him or that you’re cheating on him. Sometimes, he lets the harsh words get to him. You’ll be told that Peter is only with you for your popularity or for sex. And sometimes, you’ll let the harsh words get to you.

When that happens, Peter will get you your favorite hot coco from the tiny corner shop and you’ll get him his favorite sandwich. The two of you will be silent while enjoying your treats and the presence of the other one. Before one of you breaks and asks the other if anything the bullies say is true. Of course, it’s not, but reassurance is always nice. The two of you will spend the rest of the night in each other’s arms, watching cheesy romcoms (your choice) and nerdy sifi movies (his choice).

All of this was normal for the two of you. Tiny touches and affectionate words was normal. Movie date nights 3 times a week was normal. Study dates and weird outings was normal. So, when it all suddenly stopped, it made you worry. And you worried hard.

It’s Wednesday and it’s been approximately 2 weeks since the last date with Peter. You guys have been doing the whole relationship thing for only a year, but it’s been awesome. Up until 2 weeks ago. There haven’t been any movie dates, study dates or unusual outings. You guys haven’t held hands down the hallways or even hugged in 2 weeks. You don’t understand the sudden change in behavior.

The only reason he would suddenly stop acting like your boyfriend is if he doesn’t want to be yours anymore. You sigh, grabbing your Calculus book from your locker. Peter usually walks with you to Calculus, since it’s a shared class of yours, but he isn’t there. He hasn’t been there. You shake your head before picking your chin up. You can’t act like someone kicked your puppy when it’s only a little relationship drama. Every couple has had their fights, so have you and Peter. The two of you will get over it and be better than ever.

Someone shoves you into a locker, making you whimper a little in pain. You look up to see Flash, followed by a group of giggling girls.

“Did Peter finally realize how much you suck and leave you?” Flash sneers at you, walking away before you can even say anything.

You want to scream at him. You want to grab him and shake him and convince him that Peter still loves you, because convincing him… would mean convincing yourself. You don’t even believe that he still loves you.

You take a deep breath and walk to Calculus class, ignoring the jeers that bullies throw your way as you walk through the hallways alone. You finally make it to class and your heart shatters to see Peter sitting in a seat, that was as far from your normal seat as possible.

You walk up to him and you clear your throat to get his attention. He looks up at you, but not the same way he usually does. He doesn’t look at you like you’re his entire world, he looks at you like you killed his entire world. “So…” You cough awkwardly, “Will you pick up some of my hot coco on your way home?” You ask him, your voice cracking slightly when you ask him. That was the way you’d let him know that what people are saying is starting to get to you.

You notice a brief flicker of something in his eyes, remorse… guilt? But it’s gone as quick as it came. He shuffles his feet and his hands won’t stay still. His eyes don’t meet yours. “I, uh, can’t… I have something after school… it requires me to, uh, stay here…” He tells you, breaking your heart with every word and stammer.

You nod your head, “That’s okay, Peter, you can bring it ‘round after your thing?” You’re silently pleading with him, begging him to come around after school and make things go back to the way they were. People are starting to file into class and you don’t want to cause a scene.

He shakes his head, scratching at the back of his neck. “I can’t, I promised Aunt May I’d help her clean.”

You bite your bottom lip to stop it from shaking. “R-right. Aunt May, she’s always wanting to keep everything clean.” You play along with the lie he told, your heart breaking even more with every word.

You nod your head one more time before going to sit in your normal seat, across the room from him. Tears are pricking at your eyes, wanting to be let out, but you won’t let them. The only comfort you have now, is the fact that you’re wearing Peter’s sweatshirt. The warmth of the sweatshirt reminds you of when you’d cuddle with him, his arms wrapped around you and your face pressed against his chest. A smile permanently plastered on your face as you dozed off.

You force yourself out of the memory and back into class. You spend the whole period focused on only math, making yourself forget about everything as you try to learn everything the teacher is teaching.

When the final bell rings, signally the end of class and the end of the school day, you’re one of the last ones to leave the classroom. You slowly pack all your things away and make sure you jotted everything down correctly. There’s no need to rush to leave since Peter isn’t waiting for you. He was one of the first out of the classroom.

The entire walk home was like out of a sad music video. It was raining, of course, and you were crying. You just didn’t want to lose Peter, you really didn’t. You love him.

When you get to your apartment, you had finally decided what you needed to do. You needed to march yourself over there, first thing, and demand him give you a reason to how he’s been acting lately. If he can’t give you one, then it’s over. It breaks your heart to even think breaking up with Peter, but that’s what needs to happen. You can’t keep hurting yourself over and over again for someone who doesn’t even notice.

You take a deep breath, staring at your front door before opening. There’s no turning back now. You begin the decline to Peter’s floor. He’s only 2 floors below you. You quickly reach his front door and you knock, your heart beating so fast that you think you’re having a heart attack.

Aunt May opens the door and grin when she sees you, she pulls you into a bear hug. “Oh, (Y/N)! I missed you! I was worried when you and Peter weren’t hanging around here lately! I almost thought you two broke up!” She laughs, “Of course that’d be ridiculous! You two are a match made in heaven!”

You giggle nervously, hugging Aunt May back. This may be the last time you see her for a while. “Y-yeah, Aunt May. That’d be ridiculous.”

She lets go and waves you in, telling you that Peter’s currently in his room. Which means he lied to you about having something to do after school. You close your eyes in annoyance before quickly opening them. You don’t want Aunt May to think anything is wrong. You make your way to his door, your heart beating out of your chest.

You knock on his door.

“Come in,” You hear Peter’s muffled voice.

You take a shaky breath before opening his door. His eyes connect with yours and a pit forms in the bottom of your stomach. You know already that this won’t end well. Tears leak from your eyes, tears that you never wanted.

You close the door behind you, your motions stiff. You angrily wipe the tears away from your eyes before you sit in his computer chair, him on his bed.

“I want to know.” You whisper, your eyes on your hands, your fingers picking at the skin around your nails, a nervous habit of yours.

“Know what?” He asks, his voice hoarse. He knows what you want to know. But he wants to hear you say it.

“Why you’ve been so distant lately, Peter. Is it because of me? Do you not… do you not love me anymore?” You ask, tears coming in a steady stream as you voice your thoughts. Normally, if you cry, he’d wrap his arms around you and pull you into his chest. He’d let you cry as much as you needed until you’d be ready to talk. But he doesn’t even try to console you now.

Peter looks away, clenching his jaw as if he were angry. “(Y/N)… I love you. You know how much I love you. I just… it’s complicated, alright? I can’t tell you.”

You shake your head. “It’s not complicated. It’s not. We’re not complicated. We never have been. Freshman year, we had our first fight. You thought that I’d cheat on you. We fixed that issue within one night. That wasn’t complicated. Beginning of sophomore year, when we had sex for the first time. That wasn’t complicated. Or when you kissed me for the first time on my balcony. That wasn’t complicated. When you told me you loved me, when we slept in the same bed for the first time, when I fell in love with you. None of that was complicated, Peter. And neither is this.” You voice is thick with tears, your body shaking as memories flood you. All happy and all with Peter.

Peter bites his lips, his hands shaking slightly on his knees. “(Y/N)… please… I love you. I love you so much.” He knows what’s happening next. You know and that makes you cry harder.

“Peter. I love you too. I love you so much it makes my heart hurt. Please. Give me a reason. Please, Peter. All you have to do is give me a reason and I’ll forgive you. I’ll kiss you and we can watch a movie. It will go back to normal. Peter. Give me a reason.” You cry, begging him for something he can’t give you. And you know this, but your tears don’t stop and you can’t help but hope for a stupid reason like Flash’s ridiculing finally got to him and he didn’t want you to know so he pushed you away.

Tears begin to fall from Peter’s eyes as he shakes his head. “I can’t tell you (Y/N). Please, it’s not you. I promise. Please just believe me. I just… I can’t tell you.”

You stand up, wiping your hands on your jeans. You slowly unzip his sweatshirt and place it neatly on his chair. “I understand, Peter. I love you, but I can’t be with you. Not if you keep treating me like someone you hate. I love you so much, Peter.” You tell him, one tear away from full on balling. You’re breathing is quick and shallow, you’re about to have a panic attack.

You walk away from his bedroom, not looking Aunt May in the eyes. She heard everything and there’s tears running down her face too. You walk up into your apartment and sit on your bedroom floor, balling your eyes out. It’s too much pain. Too much hurt in your heart. You had to walk away from the love of your life.

You cried for what seemed like forever, you cried until the moon came out and then you cried some more. Before finally moving into your bed. You cry some more until you hear a tap on your window. It’s 11:30, who would be at your window?

You click on your lamp to see Peter in your window. His eyes are puffy and red, tears dried on his cheeks as he waits for you to open the window.

You open it, your hands shaking so much that it took you a few tries just to do it. When you finally do, he doesn’t come in.

“You asked for a reason as to why I’ve been so distant. (Y/N), this is it.” He whispers, his voice rough with tears as he begins to climb through your window. He’s done this before, but instead of landing on your floor, he begins to climb up the walls, on your ceiling before jumping off, landing softly next to you.

He lays a hand on your cheek, angling your face so that you’d look him in the eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you because… I didn’t want you to be in danger. I want to help people, (Y/N). I want to be able to help this city. But people may come after you if Spider-man starts to pay special attention to a girl. I would rather die than have you hurt.”

Tears begin to fall again. Peter shakes his head, wiping the tears away. “Don’t cry, babygirl. Please. I love you. Please, don’t cry. I love you. Please don’t leave me. Please.” He whispers.

You try to stop your crying as you stare up at him, before finally leaning up to kiss him. The kiss is wet and desperate. You pull away, your breathing heavy and your lips pink. “I love you, Peter. So goddamn much it hurts. I understand why you didn’t tell me. But why did you decide to tell me now?” You ask, opening your eyes to look at him. His lips are slightly pink as well.

He sighs, racking a hand through his hair. “Because I knew that if I didn’t tell you, you’d never come back around. You’d never come back. Because you’re the type of person to turn around and never look back. I couldn’t let you do that. I love you so much. It hurt so much to know that I had made you so sad. To lie to you felt like I was being stabbed. I love you so much that I’d tell you my secret just to have you by my side. And that may be selfish, to put you in danger just to be able to date you. But I’m selfish when it comes to you, (Y/N). I just love you so much.” He finishes his rant with a passionate kiss. It takes your breath away, just as much as it did the first time you kissed him.

“I love you too, Peter.” You whisper, your forehead pressed against him. He wraps something around your shoulders and you look down to see his sweatshirt.

“Everything is going to be okay.” He tells you, looking down at you like you are his world reborn.

“Everything will be okay so long as we love each other.” You tell him, smiling as you zip his hoodie up and gently pull him down to kiss him again.

“So, is that a yes to dating me again, because I’m not quite clear…” Peter asks you, pulling away from the kiss to do so.

You laugh, rolling your eyes and pull him in for another kiss. “Of course, I love you.” You whisper before connecting your lips with his once again.

The rest of the night was spent in each other’s arms, watching cheesy romcoms (your pick) and nerdy sifi moves (his pick).

#peter parker #peter #parker #peter parker x you #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker fanfiction #spiderman #spider #man #spiderman x you #spiderman x reader #spiderman fanfiction #spiderman imagine #tom holland #tom #holland #tom holland x you #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tome holland fanfiction

[raendown]

Pairing: HashiramaSakura Soulmate au: The one where you can see their soul and heal their emotional wounds as you get closer to each other

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

To be perfectly honest, Sakura sort of hated the catch-all excuse of ‘because we’re soulmates’. She didn’t like that so many people used it to explain away so many things just because they didn’t want to take the time to actually look in to the deeper reasons for why things happened, what decisions led to that event, or even what the resulting repercussions would be. More than that, Sakura didn’t like that even if someone did take the time to look in to all of that and drag it all out in to the light, it could still be summed up by simply saying ‘because we’re soulmates’.

This might have been why she spent so long denying her own soulmate when she finally found him. When she met the reanimated Senju Hashirama during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, she definitely had not expected to look in to him, down in to the very depths of who he was as a person to see his very soul shining brightly within. She also hadn’t expected her own soul to reach out to his and bring him back to life! She absolutely refused to accept that he had come back to life simply because his soul had bonded with her own. The ‘almighty power of soulmates’ was her least favorite trope in those stupid romcom movies Ino always tried to force her to watch and she was not going to take being a victim herself of such absurdity.

In her mind there had to be some sort of medical reason. Her theories mostly revolved around the regenerative properties of the Mokuton and quite possibly how it interacted with Edo Tensei. In the months after the war, Sakura subjected her newly alive-again soulmate to endless tests and experiments. She explored his DNA more thoroughly than anyone’s had ever been explored before, constantly frustrated to come up without answers.

For his part, Hashirama seemed less thrilled to have been given a second chance at life than one might expect – although she definitely understood why when he told her. He knew very little about this new world he had been reborn in to. The technologies of this new Konoha were foreign and slightly alarming to him. After having been levelled and rebuilt, none of the buildings or streets were the same. Not even the people were the same; all of the people Hashirama had known and loved had passed on years ago but for one remaining grandchild. As thrilled as he was to have finally discovered his soulmate, Hashirama was lonely in this new world. And Sakura could see it.

Day after day she forced herself to look away from the cracks that marred the light shining inside of him. They resembled the patterns of shattered glass, the golden brilliance of his soul shimmering through them as if to say ‘here I am, I am broken but still here, please look at me’. Much the same as the way Hashirama willing came to her again and again and again, allowing her to poke him with needles and takes samples of whatever she liked, all for the chance to smile hopefully at her and make a bit of conversation as she worked. She could see all the small damages his soul had taken and she very much wished she couldn’t. What could someone like her do for someone like him? Her, with her big forehead and her civilian heritage and her tendency to always get left behind. Sakura had long been used to being forgotten by the men and the boys in her life, surely it was only a matter of time before this man forgot her too.

Yet a man like Hashirama was hard to ignore, and for more reasons than just his overwhelming physical presence. He was tall and broad and stunningly gorgeous but those were not the traits which gave her pause and caused her to catch herself staring almost longingly time and time again.

Hashirama was bright in the same manner that Naruto was, though in a more mature way. He was a naturally upbeat person, always trying to make her smile or laugh or simply take a moment to appreciate some small moment in her day. He was also much smarter than the history books ever mentioned. His brother was the venerated genius, which usually caused his own rather impressive mind to be looked over. As humble as he was, though, he didn’t really care. He was kind and generous and an absolute terror to spar with, where he even showed a very satisfying respect for her own skills. He was everything she could have ever wanted in a partner.

And it took her three stupid years to appreciate him. Somewhere in between taking a blood sample and asking him to demonstrate his Mokuton when exposed to certain stresses, Hashirama had absently noted how tired she looked and offered to bring her lunch so she would be able to enjoy her break here in the privacy of her labs. When she accepted, somewhat surprised, she hadn’t expected him to bring a lunch of his own and stay. She didn’t expect him to regale her with stories of his younger years in the days before Konoha had even been built. She didn’t expect to enjoy his company so much she hesitantly asked him to stay for lunch the next day as well.

Before she knew it they were taking extended lunches in teahouses and cafes, meeting in the park on weekends to feeds the pond ducks, strolling arm in arm through the marketplace as she sought the perfect present for Ino’s birthday. Her research and her experiments fell slowly to the wayside, bit by bit, until one day she realized she hadn’t set foot in that lab for several days and had little interest in doing so.

What did she care for why he was here? Wouldn’t it be better to just accept that he was and enjoy their time together? His presence filled her life in a way no one else had before. He made her happy the way her father made her mother happy, the way Sai made Ino happy. After so long of closing her eyes and refusing to see what was in front of her, Sakura finally stopped to wonder why she couldn’t just let herself accept the happiness being offered to her so freely.

Three years after Hashirama was reborn, three years after she looked in to him and bound their souls together, Sakura looked again – really looked. She could hardly imagine that anyone else could ever have a soul more beautiful than Senju Hashirama’s: the rich golden color of it, the brilliant shine, and the way she could feel its warmth whenever she stood close. And now that she had finally allowed herself to look she saw something new. The thin cracks that had shadowed the light were closing, the edges melting together and leaving fewer and fewer each day.

In a moment of bravery, Sakura told him about the healing cracks. Instead of seeming surprised or even mildly interested, Hashirama only laughed like she had stated the obvious.

“But of course they’re healing,” he said to her. “That is the power of soulmates, is it not? To heal one another’s souls.”

“I suppose.” Sakura replied slowly. She had rather deliberately not thought too hard on what soulmates were supposed to do for each other while she’d been busy trying to disprove…she couldn’t exactly remember what she had been trying to prove or disprove.

“Besides, how could they not? After all, that is the very first thing that you and I discovered we had in common.”

“What do you mean?”

Hashirama reached out and stroked one finger down the line of her jaw, more bold then he had ever been before. The touch was almost intimate compared to the careful distance he usually maintained, ever conscious to respect her boundaries and allow her to always be the one to come closer. When he spoke his tone was soft yet firmly confident.

“You are a healer, Sakura. As am I. And I do not mean the jutsu that we use or the chakra we expend. We are the people that will stay when all others have turned away. We are the people that will listen when all others have closed their ears. We are the ones that hold firm when all others have given in. We are the healers, the ones who will offer comfort to a friend or help to an overburdened old women. We protect others. We help them. And we heal them. Under such kind light as that which shines every time I see your beautiful smile, what else could I do but heal?”

Tears filled her eyes and Sakura blinked rapidly to chase them away. The strangely archaic cadences of his speech only made his words more touching, in her opinion. The way he spoke always seemed to her to carry the weight of words well-thought out and these words in particular he seemed to have given quite a bit of thought to.

“That is also not to say that I am disparaging your abilities as a medical shinobi, and a prodigious one at that.” Hashirama’s eye twinkled. “Trained by my own kin and with such incredible natural talents, how could you not be?” Sakura gave a watery giggle.

“Stop, stop!” She cried softly. “I can only take so many compliments!”

“Ah, I could shower you with compliments from sunrise to sunset and never run out of things to say, my beautiful blossom.”

Sakura blushed fiercely, turning her head to hide her smile. Her expression dimmed quickly, however. “How can you say such nice things about me after the way I’ve treated you? You…are my soulmate.” It was the first time she had admitted it out loud and she was surprised by the wat the words tasted so sweet. “But I pushed you away and I treated you like some science experiment and – why are you laughing?”

“Forgive me, I pray, I don’t mean to laugh.” Despite his words, another chuckle escape before Hashirama calmed himself enough to smile and go on. “I received worse treatment from my own brother when the mood for his experiments took him. Always for the greater good, he insisted, and he did mean well. It isn’t evil to seek answers, Sakura. It isn’t bad to want an explanation before you trust in something.”

“I trust you,” Sakura blurted. Only once she had spoken did she realize she meant it wholeheartedly. Hashirama looked pleased.

“I wonder if you would allow me to say something rather bold,” he asked, such sweet hesitance in his face. Sakura tilted her head to one side, curious.

“Of course,” she told him. “You can tell me anything you like.”

She was startled to see the faintest hint of color rise to paint itself across his tanned cheeks. Hashirama reached out with both of his hands to grasp her own, sliding his fingers under hers ever so gently to hold them as though each were a delicate, precious jewel.

“I find myself quite in love with you, Sakura. Even if I could not see the bright beauty of your soul I would wish to have no other. If you would allow me, I would spend the rest of my days devoted only to your happiness.” She had always thought his face so open, yet right then she realized she had been missing out. His expression was more earnest than she had ever seen before, so warm and soft and kind. She could see the love he professed right there in his eyes, ready for the taking if she were so inclined.

“Oh Hashirama,” she breathed. “I don’t know what to say to that.” His fingers tightened around hers just the slightest bit.

“Say yes,” he suggested. It wasn’t a command, he would never command her emotions. He was such a good man.

“Yes,” she whispered, almost helpless to give him any answer but that one. “I don’t feel as if I’ll ever deserve you but yes!”

The look on his face when she fell against his chest was one of unadulterated awe. His smile was like sunlight blooming through a week’s worth of rainy day clouds and it warmed her right down to her very bones, filling her with such light feelings she thought she might have floated away if not for the strong arms that wrapped around her. With her hands now free, she gripped the front of his yukata to pull herself ever closer.

He smelled earthen, of growing things. His chest was like a solid wall of muscle and his arms softened steel bands. Sakura had been a self-sufficient woman since the day Tsunade taught her the trick to channeling her chakra through her arms; she could and had taken on the most dangerous people this broken world had to offer. She needed no one’s protection. That did not stop her from reveling in just how safe she felt inside her soulmate’s embrace. She knew instinctively that he would protect her, not just from physical hurts, but from emotional ones as well. Here she was safe. Here she would always be wanted, always be loved.

“My dear Sakura,” Hashirama whispered in her ear, “you deserve the world and all the good things in it.”

Flushing again with delighted pleasure, Sakura lifted her head to trace his handsome face with her eyes. Now that she had allowed herself to look she wondered how she had managed not to for so long. He was more than handsome, he was beautiful – inside and out. She could hardly believe that he belonged to her.

It seemed only natural for her to lean forwards and press a chaste kiss to his lips. Hashirama hummed, a delighted little noise, and held her tighter while tilting his head for a better angle with which to deepen the kiss. Sakura was lost immediately, lightheaded and dizzy with the rush of sensations flooding through her. She could hardly believe how right this felt. It was like puzzle pieces falling in to place, a riddle solved after three years of searching for an answer that had been right there in front of her all this time.

Hashirama kissed her until she happily conceded to the idea of never breathing properly again, so utterly filled with happiness that she rarely recognized herself. When they pulled apart she nearly squinted her eyes against the brilliance shining from deep within him and tears filled her eyes when he described to her what he saw of her own soul.

Cracked and bruised and broken it had been, riddled with the gaping chasms of personal hurts. But those breaks were healing just as his own were. Day by day the wounds upon both of their souls had been healing for quite some time already as each spent more and more happy time in each other’s presence. Hashirama and Sakura were healing each other, healing together. And as he had said, it was more than just because they were soulmates. Hashirama and Sakura were born healers; they could hardly do anything less than they were meant to.  

#i've never written hashirama like this before #i fell in love with him like this #soulmate collection #rae writes #hashisaku #hashirama #sakura #fanfiction #naruto shippuden

[breeeliss]

[Femslash February]: On Wheels

so apparently there are people that think that alyanette isn’t canon? lol whut ok what show have you been watching? so to mitigate this bullshit, my pink square for the Femslash prompts will be devoted to Alyanette :)

get ready for a week of these ladies, my gentle doves, and hopefully you non-believers will start to see reason (lol a bi girl can hope)

Day 8: On Wheels (Alyanette)

Words: 1597

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

[Previous: Frenemies] [Next: Flowers]

“Marinette, I’m like ninety percent positive this is against traffic laws.”

“Ssssshhhhhhh. Shush. Hush hush. None of that.” Marinette had her finger pressed against Alya’s lips as she prepared herself to give the same monologue she’d already given five times. “Traffic laws should never get in the way of two girls trying to live out their teenage romcom fantasies. This is in all of the movies. Why would the media promote something so romantic if it was illegal? It just doesn’t make sense, Alya.”

Alya snorted. “You...do realize the media lies, right? Like, this is the same media that tells us that love at first sight is real and that your future wife is a barista at some coffee shop out there somewhere.”

“Um, excuse me, I fell in love with you at first sight and nobody is stopping you from working at a cafe so that I can flirt with you and we can get married.”

“Marinette, you cannot ride on my bike like this,” Alya said in between laughter. ‘You’re gonna bust your ass and then I’m going to have to carry you home.”

She shrugged. “I’m not seeing the problem here.”

“Okay, if you’re going to be sitting on the handlebars, I can’t see around you. We’ll crash.”

Marinette gasped. “But I’m literally the tiniest thing! You could easily peek around me. And besides. I can be your eyes, just trust in the power of love.”

“Marinette, you’re going to die. We’re going to die. Adrien and Nino are going to have to explain to our parents that we died because you wanted to relive some American movie you watched last night.”

“Ahhh! Don’t you do that,” Marinette said, tapping Alya on the nose. “You watched the movie and said, and I quote, ‘That was the most adorable thing I’ve seen to date.’ I’m riding on the handlebars of your bike and we’re going to look adorable as heck and everyone is going to be super jealous.”

Alya leaned her elbows on the handlebars of her bike and stared at Marinette who was standing in front of her, fists on her hips and wrinkling her nose in that cute way she did when she was really adamant about something and wasn’t about to take no for an answer. She already knew that she was going to say yes to this -- Alya hadn’t quite figured out how to say no to Marinette yet -- but she had to at least give her a little bit of a hard time about this because, honestly, sometimes Marinette took things way too seriously. 

Romantic comedies were Marinette’s weakness, and she seemed to get particularly emotional during those parts in the movies where someone pulled some corny, sentimental, over-the-top gesture to impress the person they were crushing on. Alya found the movies cute, but wasn’t so easily won over by all the gimmicks. Meanwhile Marinette had texted her at three in the morning one night asking her how much boom boxes would cost so that she could blast music from underneath Alya’s window. Alya still wasn’t sure if Marinette was kidding. She wouldn’t put it past her to actually buy one. 

It was all a bit dramatic, because Marinette was a dramatic person, but Alya found it much too adorable to shut down. That being said, she was almost sure what they were about to do was liable to get them a traffic ticket. 

Alya rubbed her temple and sighed. “Alright, if we’re going to do this, it can only be around the block. If we go along the main streets, someone is going to catch us.”

Marinette jumped a foot into the air. “YES! You’re the best, oh my god, this is going to be so much fun. Ooooooh, yikes. How do I get up?”

Alya pulled Marinette so that she was standing in front of her bike. “Here, turn around. Face forward. And put your hands back on the handlebars. Now just....hoist yourself up.”

Marinette stuck her tongue out from the corner of her mouth in concentration, but the force of her push made the bike tip to the side which almost made both girls topple down the ground. Marinette screamed out in shock and Alya had to reach out quickly and grab Marinette by the waist before she wiped out across the asphalt. “Okay,” Alya grunted. “Okay, that was a dud. Try again.”

“How about if you hold onto me?” Marinette suggested. “Just keep my hips steady while I jump.”

Alya reached over to pull down her kickstand and planted both feet on the ground. “Alright, try it again. I got you this time.”

“Okay, let’s do it on three. One....two...three!”

It still wasn’t exactly graceful, but Alya managed not to lose her balance and helped Marinette plant herself comfortably on top of Alya’s handlebars. Marinette pumped both of her fists up into the air and cheered. “We did it! Oh man, we’re going to look precious.”

Alya took Marinette’s hands and planted them behind her so that they were holding onto the handlebars while Alya wrapped her fingers around the grips at the very ends. “Here, you have to hold on otherwise you’re going to fall. You good?”

“Yup! Drive away!”

Turns out, it was decidedly more difficult to ride a bike when someone was sitting on the handlebars. Who would’ve thought? Marinette’s weight meant that Alya had to put more work into keeping the bike upright as she pedaled, and she had to lean just a touch to the right so that she could watch the road over Marinette’s shoulders. It was a good thing the girl was short enough that it wasn’t too much of a hassle. In fact, once they travelled a couple of blocks and Alya got the rhythm down, she understood the appeal. 

Marinette seemed to be having the time of her life, straightening her legs out in front of her and tipping her head towards the breeze that was blowing against her face as they rode down the street. She was laughing and humming along to the soundtrack of the movie they watched together last night, and waving to a few people walking along the sidewalk who were cooing and laughing at the sight. 

They went around the block once without seeing any police officers, so Alya decided to buckle down and take the turns a little bit quicker just to make the ride more fun. One of Marinette’s braids came out and her hair was flying in Alya’s face, but she didn’t much care about that. Marinette was squealing and giggling every time Alya picked up speed and tried zig-zagging down the street in the way the couples from the movies did. Eventually, Marinette tricked Alya into singing along to all the songs she was humming, and honestly, Alya shouldn’t have even been surprised about that. Marinette was a lot to keep up with, but Alya couldn’t even pretend that she didn’t like running alongside her when they did silly things like this. 

Any crazy idea the two of them came up with was always going to be worth it. 

“Is this what the rest of the summer is going to be like?” Alya joked over the wind. “You stealing ideas from movies and making us test them out in real life?”

“Don’t see why not,” Marinette shrugged. “It’s boring to just keep going to the park and and going to the movies. It’s our last summer before lycée. We have to commemorate it with fun somehow.”

“Guess I didn’t think of this as a landmark summer for us,” Alya shrugged. “Though you do have a point.”

Marinette whistled a little tune that was stuck in her head before she spoke again. “Adrien was telling me about all the effort he was going to put in to make sure he and Nino hung out everyday this summer. No matter what his father said. They were going to hang out. I appreciate that kind of conviction. I want us to do that too.”

Alya lifted a quick hand to tuck Marinette’s hair behind her ear. “We hang out almost everyday regardless.”

“No, I know,” Marinette said, kicking her legs in the air. “But now it’s time for us to level up! We have to hang out every day, and then do something new every day! Like giving me rides on your handlebars or having picnics in the park at midnight. You know. Stupid summer stuff. But it won’t be stupid because we’ll be doing it.”

That was all the convincing that Alya needed. “Midnight picnics are cute,” she agreed. “You can finally come over to my house and show me how to make those truffles you’re so good at making.”

“I’ll make us a calendar,” Marinette decided. “Friend Time 2.0 set aside for everyday this summer. And we have to keep with it. No slacking!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, babe.”

Eventually, a police officer did catch them and kindly asked Marinette to get down from the bike. Luckily for them, the officer let them off with a warning and gave them a warm smile as she bid the two girls a wonderful afternoon. 

“Well,” Alya sighed. “That was fun while it lasted.”

Marinette smiled, slipped a hand around Alya’s shoulder, and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “Yeah, it was fun,” she agreed. “Thanks for humoring me. Wanna get some coffee? I’m starving.”

Alya grinned back and stole one more kiss before she climbed off of her bike. “Sure. But let’s walk there this time.”

#miraculous ladybug #alyanette #alya cesaire #marinette dupain-cheng #alyanette fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #my writing #femslash february 2017 #femslash february alyanette edition #on wheels